M.A. Church's Blog, page 97

Merry Christmas!

Finicky Friday - Polar Bear Cookies

Polar Bear CookiesCreate adorable polar bear cookies using mini marshmallows and easy frosting tricks.

Hey everyone, I thought it'd be fun to post some recipes I found online for Christmas. I’m going to *try* to do some of these beforehand, but I’m sure there’ll be times I won't. I'm going to call this Finicky Friday. :)

Serves: 24 Prep: 50 min Cook time: 10 min Total time: 105 min


Ingredients1 pouch (17.5 oz.) Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix
1 tablespoon flour
1/3 cup softened margarine or spread (spread should have at least 65% vegetable oil)
1/2 cup Betty Crocker Rich & Creamy vanilla frosting
48 miniature marshmallows
1 pouch (7 oz.) Betty Crocker Decorating Cookie Icing chocolate icing


Instructions Heat oven to 375°F. In large bowl, mix cookie mix, flour, melted butter and egg until soft dough forms.
Shape into 24 (1 1/2-inch) balls. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light golden brown on edges. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack. Cool completely.

Using knife, spread 1 teaspoon frosting on cookie. Immediately sprinkle sugar evenly over frosting. Slightly flatten 2 miniature marshmallows, and press on cookie for ears. Using chocolate icing, pipe eyes, nose and mouth on cookie. Repeat with remaining cookies.

The Novel Approach Blogiversary Celebration and Giveaway

Check out The Novel Approach's 5th Blogiversary Celebration. On their blog I'm offering one lucky reader to win an e-book from my backlist, so be sure to check out the entry details below.

http://www.thenovelapproachreviews.com/blogiversary-celebration-and-giveaway-welcome-to-author-m-a-church/ 

Winter Solstice - Holiday Titles on Sale at DsP - Trouble Comes in Threes!

Trouble Comes in Threes, and all its translations, are marked down by 35% for the 21st only!

https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/trouble-comes-in-threes-by-ma-church-756-b

Winner of the Kindle!

And the winner is:
Kazy Reed!

Sorry for taking so long. My Internet keeps dropping, and even though Comcast has come out, I'm still having problems. I'm not a happy camper. They come back on the twenty-third. Yeah, let's cut this as close to Christmas we can. *sigh*
Anyway, congratulations. Kazy! Email has been sent. :) 
~M

Finicky Friday Christmas Style - Cookie and candy collide

Cookie and candy collide.


Hey everyone, I thought it would be spooky good fun to post some recipes I had found online for Christmas. I’m going to *try* to do some of these beforehand, but I’m sure there’ll be times I won't. I'm going to call this Finicky Friday. :)

TOTAL TIME: 1:10PREP: 0:15LEVEL: EASY


INGREDIENTS2 3/4 c. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 c. butter
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 c. jarred caramel
1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted

DIRECTIONSLine a baking sheet with parchment. In a small bowl, whisk together flour and salt.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Add flour mixture and mix until completely combined.
Scoop out dough and roll into 1" balls. Place balls about 2" apart on baking sheet and use a teaspoon measure or your thumb to press a small divot into each ball. Freeze 30 minutes and preheat oven to 350º.
Bake cookies until golden, 13 to 15 minutes. Let cool.
Fill each cooled cookie cup with 1 teaspoon caramel and lightly drizzle with melted chocolate.

In Enemy Hands cover reveal winner!

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Susan Press is the winner from the cover revealed for In Enemy Hands. Email has been sent. :)~M

Finicky Friday Christmas style - Milk & Cookies Shots

Milk & Cookies Shots
These are the kind of cookies Santa actually wants you to leave out for him.

Recipe by: CANDACE BRAUN DAVISONhttp://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a50434/milk-cookies-shots-recipe/


TOTAL TIME: 0:35
LEVEL: EASY
SERVES: 12 SHOTS

INGREDIENTS1 tube chocolate chip cookie dough
1 c. semisweet chocolate chips
2 tbsp. coconut oil (or butter)
1 part Baileys Irish Cream
1 part milk


DIRECTIONSPreheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease the cups of a muffin tin, then fill each one with a small ball of cookie dough, pressing down gently to form a well. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly golden.
As soon as they’re out, use a shot glass to gently press down the center of each cookie. Set tray aside to cool for at least 20 minutes.
In a microwave-safe bowl, combine chocolate chips and coconut oil. Microwave in 25-second intervals, stirring in between, until chips are fully melted. Line each cookie dough cup with the melted chocolate, place on a baking sheet or platter, and refrigerate until the chocolate has hardened, about 15 minutes.

In a shaker filled with ice, combine equal parts Baileys Irish Cream and milk. Shake, then pour into each cookie shot glass.
Enjoy!!

Disastertastic by Alicia Nordwell

Disastertastic
by Alicia Nordwell

Blurb:
Sawyer is too busy to worry about something as frivolous as Christmas. College is hard, but he’s focused on getting into law school. Kable is studying to make the family business, Del Buon Gusto, into a successful chain restaurant. When a party debacle at the restaurant gives Kable a chance to get close to Sawyer, he’s shocked to learn Sawyer’s a Christmas Grinch. He's determined to change Sawyer’s mind, but their dates are one debacle after another. It just might not be possible to make this into Sawyer's first Merry Christmas.



Excerpt:What a waste of time. He could’ve been home starting his paper or even watching a movie if he wanted to slack off.
Fed up avoiding questions of family traditions and travel plans, Sawyer strolled away from the crowd in the dining room and headed toward the tree. He nodded and smiled at a few people but didn’t stop. Everyone else was enjoying the appetizers that had just come out, but he’d already had dinner before he left home, since he’d expected to work. He could pass more time pretending to examine the ornaments or watching the snow drift down now that the storm finally hit. He’d just have to wait a little longer until he could politely make his escape.
“You don’t like eggnog?”
“What?” Sawyer blinked and shrugged the hand off his shoulder. He took a step to the side. He’d been focused on the snow, watching the puffy flakes float down to coat the sidewalks and road. The grassy verge along the road was already completely white. He hadn’t even heard Kable approaching, which was odd because he was normally impossible to miss. He was just as loud and energetic as his dad.
“Your cup is still full.” Kable gestured toward the red cup in Sawyer’s hand. “Usually when you don’t drink something that means you don’t like it.”
“It smells gross, and I definitely don’t think a dairy product should be this thick and still be drinkable.” Sawyer’s filter was gone, just like it usually was around Kable. He got so nervous, he always ended up saying whatever came to him. It wasn’t like he was trying to hide that he was gay—everyone already knew that—but he hoped his crush wasn’t as obvious. He’d had enough embarrassment for the evening.
Kable laughed. “Then why’d you take it?”
“It seemed like the thing to do.” Sawyer rotated the cup between his palms, disgusted by the way the glop reacted. Surely it couldn’t be safe to drink the stuff.
“So, is it just dairy-based holiday drinks you don’t like? Or is it something more? You haven’t had a single thing to eat, and you’re not exactly dressed for the party.  There’s so much fun to be had from dressing up for Christmas parties.” Kable waved a hand in front his chest. “Like this.” He was wearing an awful sweater with reindeer prancing around a Christmas tree that had bedazzled ornaments decorating every puffy bough. Not even something that hideous could detract from his dark-haired, blue-eyed handsomeness... but really, Sawyer shouldn’t be noticing that at all.
Sawyer scoffed. “I’d rather be here in my underwear than wear something like that.”
“Or your uniform?” Kable gestured toward Sawyer’s black slacks and plain white shirt. “Is it just that you don’t have another outfit?”
“Of course I have other outfits! Why would you think that?” Sawyer snapped. His face was hot and prickly; no one else had mentioned his clothes, even if they noticed he was wearing his work uniform. It’s not like he was wearing something inappropriate, like shorts and a t-shirt.
Kable cocked his head to one side. “If you had something else, why didn’t you wear that?”
“You’re nosy, you know?” He was always asking questions and getting into everyone’s business. The others didn’t seem to mind. Kable was Mr. McArthur’s son, and he worked the occasional shift at the restaurant when they were short a waiter even though he was in school full-time to get a business degree. He was friendly, sometimes too friendly, and made Sawyer uncomfortable with his casual intimacy. Kable was always patting him on the back or arm when they spoke, and Sawyer liked it a little too much.
“Yep.” Kable grinned. “But wait, don’t tell me! You never come out for a drink with the rest of us, not even for coffee, and you’re always studying those books on your breaks. I’ve never heard you even talk about doing something like going to a party. You thought you were here to work tonight, didn’t you?”
Sawyer grit his teeth. “So what? Your dad just said he wanted us all here.”
“And you didn’t put two and two together?” Kable gestured toward the room.
“I did once I got here. He said he was throwing a party for friends and family. What else was I going to think?” Sawyer was getting tired of Kable’s questions. He lifted his before Kable could notice his scowl and figure out he was getting to him and made the stupid mistake of taking a drink.
“Oh, ew.” Sawyer desperately wanted to spit out the eggnog, but there was no polite way to do so. He forced the mouthful down, swallowing repeatedly in an attempt to get rid of the liquid still coating his tongue. It was as horrible as he thought it would be. He stared at the cup in disgust. “People actually drink this... on purpose?”

Buy Links:

ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-disastertastic-2183371-149.html

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01NBH2QQ1


5 Star Review:Cute story of opposites attracts. Kable is outgoing, fun-loving, and charismatic. Sawyer is a little awkward in social situations, somewhat of a klutz, and has never celebrated Christmas. His parents didn’t buy into the consumerism of the day. Sawyer even goes on to list reasons not to participate in Christmas—like how amount of trash the United States throws out after Christmas contributes to the overflowing landfill problem the country faces. How there is a rise in medical visits for stress-related ailments in November and December. Then there’s the mountain of credit card debt people bury themselves in from anticipating in the miracle that’s Christmas.
So, Sawyer is kind of a Grinch, lol. Kable takes it upon himself to show Sawyer why people celebrate Christmas through a series of dates… and OMG the results are hysterical. 
It’s a sweet story chock-full of lovely feels—a story you’ll want to read while curled up in front of a roaring fire in a comfy blanket with a cup of hot chocolate by your elbow. 

Giveaway for a Kindle Fire!! Enter Now!

Okay y'all, time for the super special giveaway! Enter to win a Kindle Fire, 7" Display, Wi-Fi, 8 GB, black. Open to US only. 

In the comments, tell me what you want Santa to bring you for the holidays. Make sure to leave an email addy too. If I can't get in touch with ya, I can't mail the Kindle to ya!

I'll pick the winner Dec 17th. 

And I just want to say thank you. I have the bestest fans ever. :)
Merry Christmas!

~M