Showing posts with label Tasty Tuesday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tasty Tuesday. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Tasty Tuesday - The Unescpected Spicey Sweet with Eva Lefoy

Welcome special guest, Eva Lefoy today!

Have you met Putting Up With the Turnbulls yet? If you’re at all into “putting food by” as they say, or aka: canning such as jam, jelly, etc. you might want to check out their blog. They’ve got some stuff on there that’s simply delish!

I’ve made the Beer Jelly and quite liked it, but it’s the Tomato Jam that’s flying off my shelf. *gives little sister the stink-eye* Good thing I’m getting very adept at making it. Bad thing – I’m out of tomatoes!

Now, I’ll be the first to admit that when I think of tomatoes and the word canned together I tend to think of canned whole tomatoes or tomato paste. At the very least prepared spaghetti sauce or salsa. But this little gem of recipe is none of those things. It’s guaranteed to take your tastebuds for a different kind of ride.

Take a look:
5 Pounds of tomatoes – small amount, but remember this is jam. Can’t make good jam in big batches. 3.5 cups of sugar
8 tbs lime juice
2 tsp freshly grated ginger – note: I cheat and used dried ground and double it
1 tsp cinnamon – I double this too
½ tsp ground clove
1 tbs salt
1 tbs red chili flakes


How does it look? You’ve got sugar and tomatoes which one doesn’t normally think of together. And you’ve got all those interesting spices that almost make it sound like Greek meatballs you’ve got cooking and not jam. The red pepper flakes add just the right kick to take this from sweet to savory.
If you’re interested give it a try! You won’t be disappointed.

And speaking of spices, I mentioned Greek food and you’ll find a lot of cinnamon and such in meat dishes from that country. Also, the array of spices in Indian cooking is similar – a little hot, a little sweet. I happen to like Indian food quite a bit. Perhaps that’s why I wrote my very first 1 Night Stand for Decadent Publishing set in India!

While there’s only a quick passing mention of curry in the text, there’s a lot of hotness and a lot of sweet between two sexy men. The book will be out --- soonish (bows to 1NS book gods) ---- but in the meantime, here’s the cover:

Now if that isn’t hot and sweet I don’t know what is!

Thanks, Mary for hosting me. And y’all come visit her on my site where she’s talking about her 1 Night Stand story, Handcuffs and Silk, which has a gorgeous cover by the way!

Thanks for reading and I hope some of you try the jam! Books and jam are two things one can rarely regret!

~ Eva

By the way there’s a giveaway going on at Decadent Publishing to celebrate the 1 Night Stand 200th book. Enter here

Bio: Eva Lefoy writes and reads all kinds of romance, and is a certified Trekkie. She’s also terribly addicted to chocolate, tea, and hiking. One of these days, she’ll figure out the meaning of life, quit her job, and go travel the galaxy. Until then, she’s writing down all her dirty thoughts for the sake of future explorers.

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My current book out with Decadent Publishing is Sweet Cravings and it’s a foodie romance available here: Decadent Publishing / Amazon U.S. / Amazon UK / Barnes and Noble / All Romance Ebooks

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Tasty Tuesday with a Teaser - Cream Puffs from Eva Lefoy


Desserts and hot chefs go together!

When I wrote a hot dessert chef, I had to pair him with a woman who liked desserts. After all, a vegetarian and a butcher just don’t go together  :)  So I came up with a woman called Violet Cunningham. She not only likes desserts, she has a favorite one: raspberry cream puffs.

Now, cream puffs aren’t that hard to make, as I later discovered after the writing group took me under their wing and into the kitchen.  Since I’m not really an ardent baker – I make really good brownies, but don’t do the fancy stuff – I thought there must be some trick to them. There’s not. Especially if you’ve got a good hand mixer!

Here’s the tried-and-true ancient Betty Crocker recipe we made:

1 C water

1/2 C butter

1 C flour

4 Eggs

Filling – whipped cream, etc.

Confectioner’s sugar

Heat oven to 400. Heat water and butter to a boil. Stir in flour. Stir vigorously over low heat about 1 minute or until mixture forms a ball. * Note: I took the pan off the heat and used a mixer to do this. Much easier! * Remove from heat. Beat in eggs all at once, continue beating until smooth. *Note: again, I found the hand mixer indispensable! * Drop dough by scan 1/4 cup fulls 3″ apart on ungreased backing sheet. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until puffed and golden.  Cool away from draft.

Pull out any filaments of soft dough. Carefully fill with whipped cream. Replace tops; dust with confectioners’ sugar. Refrigerate.

 Be careful – they don’t last long!

There’s another recipe in the back of my book, Sweet Cravings, out now from Decadent Publishing and below is an excerpt that should get your whipped cream whipping.


Excerpt:

I ducked into the kitchen before the bored-looking maĆ®tre d’ could accost me and found myself heating up at the sight of a stainless steel table. Sous-chefs in white hats and dishwashers with racks of clean plates bustled back and forth down the aisle in front of me, but I didn’t spot the pastry chef in their midst. I almost gave up and left before noticing the light was on in the “secret kitchen.” I gulped.

My knees went weak, and I stood frozen to the spot. Inside me, determination, embarrassment, and heady desire warred. I wanted so bad to turn and walk out, find another caterer, and be done with it. But I couldn’t. There’d be questions. Chuck would want to know why he wasn’t getting the best French-trained chef in town, and I’d be up shit creek without a paddle. What could I say? Sorry, I didn’t mean to have hot, sweaty sex with the guy—if I’d known you’d need him the next week, I would have waited? 

Remembering the hot sex had my traitorous feet moving forward, toward the door instead of away. Wrong direction, I told them. Shut up and go with it, my pussy ordered. I bit my lip, swallowed my pride, and knocked.

The door opened and the man himself appeared wearing a chef’s coat splattered with pretty light pink frosting and powdered sugar. One whiff of him convinced me he’d taste positively delicious. My stomach let out a loud rumble, and I put my hand over it to try and squelch the embarrassing sound. 

His mouth fell open when he caught sight of me. In fact, he seemed kind of stunned for a second. My fight-or-flight response kicked in. I swiveled on my heel, but he grabbed my elbow and tugged me inside his secret domain once more. “Mademoiselle,” he murmured low and rich as fudge pudding. “How nice to see you again. Please, come in.” 

I glanced at his face from under my lashes and found him smiling at me, looking as though he might actually be glad to see me again. Part of me stiffened, vibrating with nervous energy. The rest of me tingled in saucy anticipation. The promise of man and dessert made one once more for my licking pleasure had me close to giggling with happiness as the door snicked shut. As he twirled me in his arms and drew me close, the all-important notes clutched in my hand could have jumped a shuttle for Mars for all I cared. 

His mouth surged over mine, his lips warm, wet, and insistent, as though he needed to make up for lost time. I heartily seconded the sentiment, and the kiss turned from buttery hot and soft to spicy and decadent with a touch of dare.

I opened my mouth to let his tongue in, and we both moaned at the intrusion, his hips bucking against mine as he pressed my butt into the table. I clutched his shoulders, pulling him closer as my initial embarrassment waned. He tasted of sweet pastry, and I savored the flavor as I relaxed in his arms. God, the hungers the man awoke in me with just one kiss! 

I’d dressed “professionally” for the occasion—stockings, skirt, silk work blouse, light blazer, and heels—so it wasn’t a surprise to feel the heat of his hand brush along the smooth stocking covering my thigh. But I let out a yelp as his strong fingers ripped through the material and pushed the stocking aside, delving under the crotch of my panties, headed directly toward my wetness.

“Spread for me,” he growled.

My sex clenched but my tremulous legs parted, obeying his command to give him easy access. Long, thick fingers slid through my dampness until they were coated with my slick cream before plunging inside my wet core. I moaned into his kiss at the glorious pressure and he chuckled. His other arm held me close as his mouth continued to plunder mine, setting up a tantalizing rhythm with his tongue and his fingers that my body could not ignore. My head rolled back and my hips rocked into his thrusts. I emitted soft, mewling cries every time his cock ground against my clit. It felt so good I thought I’d died and gone to pink frosting heaven. “Oh, God. Please. Just a little more….”

He quickly upped his game, nibbling down the column of my neck and then moving his fingers up to my clit, circling it with my own slippery juices until I was on the brink of breaking apart and screaming my head off. Then he abruptly pulled his hand away. “Dinner.”

“W-what?” Every brain cell in my mind struggled to comprehend the concept of language. It seemed so foreign, so far away, so unnecessary. My hot button throbbed with frustration. I’d been so close….

“Dinner. Have dinner with me. I promise you won’t be disappointed.”

I panted, trying to form words. No matter how I rocked my hips, he remained just out of reach from where I needed him most. My fingers dug into his back, silently demanding satisfaction. But he gave me none.

“Say yes,” he commanded. “Or this ends here. Now.”

His demand seemed simple enough and since agreeing would get me everything I so badly wanted I said, “Yes.”

 
***

See what else Violet and her sexy chef Max do in his secret kitchen, and if you have time, whip up a batch of cream puffs to eat while you read! 

 

Enjoy!
~ Eva Lefoy

 






 

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Tasty Tuesday - Oatmeal Cookie shot

I belong to a Coffee Club, a fun group of Divas who drink coffee when we meet in the morning. But when we meet at night...we just drink.  On Friday, I was given an Oatmeal Cookie and I don't mean the one with oats & raisins.  It was delicious.

 

Ingredients

  • 1-ounce Jagermeister
  • 1-ounce Irish Cream Liqueur
  • 1-ounce Butterscotch Schnapps
  • 1/2-ounce Cinnamon Schnapps
  • Raisins, for garnish, optional

Directions

Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass over ice.

Here are a few variations.

Dirty Oatmeal recipe

This is a layered shot - the Bailey's must be on top.
 


Oatmeal Cookie recipe

Pour ingredients into a stainless steel shaker over ice, and shake until completely cold. Strain into an old-fashioned glass, and serve.
 


 

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Tasty Tuesday - BAILEY'S IRISH CREAM FUDGE




1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk
½ cup Baileys Irish Cream
36oz white chocolate chips
½ cup raw pistachios, chopped

Instructions

Line a 9x9 baking dish with nonstick foil, parchment paper, or lightly grease.
In a heavy saucepan over low heat, combine the chocolate, condensed milk and Bailey's. Stir constantly until the chocolate is completely melted--you'll need to watch it closely so that it doesn't get scorched. Remove from the heat and stir in the pistachios.
Pour into the pan and let cool until set. Once set, peel off the foil and cut into one inch squares.
OPTIONS:
You can add a half cup of chopped candied red cherries when you add the pistachios, for an extra bit of color.
If you don't like pistachios, add pecans or walnuts instead.

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Tasty Tuesday - Chocolate Guinness and Irish Cream Cupcakes


 Makes about 20-24

1 cup Guinness, foam removed
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup cocoa powder
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2/3 cup sour cream(not the wimpy low fat kind)

For the ganache filling:
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate (I used 70% cacao)
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, diced
2 teaspoons Bailey's Irish cream

For the Bailey's buttercream:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups confectioners' sugar(sifted)
4 tablespoons Bailey's Irish cream

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 24 cupcake cups with liners--I use festive ones or parchment liners.

In a bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a large, separate bowl, cream together butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs in one at a time, mixing to incorporate after each addition. Mix in the vanilla extract.

With your mixer on low, slowly add in the Guinness. Don't panic when it curdles. It will all come together again when you add in the flour and sour cream.

Now slowly add in a third of the dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated. Mix in half of the sour cream. Repeat again by alternating between the dry ingredients and the sour cream, finishing with the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined; DO NOT overmix.

Spoon the batter into the lined cupcake tins, about 2/3 to 3/4 full. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, or when a toothpick inserted into the centre of a cupcake comes out clean.

Remove the cupcakes and allow to cool in their tins on a cooling rack for 5 minutes. Remove the cupcakes from their tins and cool completely on the racks.

To the make the ganache filling: Finely chop the chocolate and transfer it to a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream on medium-low until simmering and pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for one minute and then stir until smooth. If this has not sufficiently melted the chocolate, you can return it to a double-boiler to gently melt what remains. Add the butter and Irish cream and stir until combined.

Let the ganache cool until thick but still soft enough to spoon into the cupcakes, about the consistency of pudding. Meanwhile, use a small teaspoon to scoop out the centres of the cooled cupcakes—aim for about 1/2 to 2/3 of the way in depth. Reserve the scooped out cake--you can eat yourself as a reward for being such an awesome baker, or use it in a trifle with whipped cream and ladyfingers soaked in Bailey's. Spoon the ganache into each cupcake and set aside until ready to frost.

To make the buttercream: Whip the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer or with a hand mixer until light and fluffy, for about 5 minutes. Slowly add the powdered sugar, a few tablespoons at a time. Slowly drizzle in the Irish cream and mix until the buttercream starts to come together and look thick. If it looks too thick, add a bit of milk or cream.

Ice and decorate the cupcakes (if you want to pipe the buttercream, I'd suggest that you double the recipe of the buttercream). Enjoy!

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Tasty Tuesday - Banana Bread

When you are cleaning the kitchen don't throw those brown bananas away!
I found a super easy banana bread recipe.

Heat oven to 350'. Grease 9"x5" loaf pan.
1/4 cup shortening
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 cups Jiffy or any baking mix
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (2-3 medium)
1/3 cup chopped nuts - optional

Cream shortening and sugar. Combine remaining ingredients and mix until well blended. Pour into prepared pan. Bake about 55 minutes. Cool on a rack before slicing.

While cleaning the kitchen this morning, I found several bananas left over from last weekend's camping trip. Ewe! I don't like throwing food away and this is a great recipe to use. It's simple and my family loves it. For fun I add a little nutmeg and brown sugar on the top before placing it into the oven.

I like to use farm fresh eggs. Visit your local Farmers' Market or watch for signs along country roads. They run about $2 a dozen.

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Tasty Tuesday - Excerpt from Love Knot


Satisfied with her work, she set her brush down and picked at some green paint left on a fingernail. A draft swooshed up the stairs as a door below opened. Mimi recognized the heavy footsteps on the stairs and turned just as Robbie entered the room. Excitement rose.


“Well... you're a sight for sore eyes!” Mimi grinned as the sight of her long-lost friend thrilled her senses.

Dressed in black jeans, black boots and black tank under a plaid shirt with hunky muscles peeking out; hot enough to make any woman with a pulse drool. His reddish blonde hair fashioned in the usual mess as if he just crawled out of bed. Dark brows arched over beautiful green eyes and those lips...so kissable.

Without saying a word, Robbie placed a box he carried as well as a highly polished apple onto the table and walked towards her. His hand slipped under her hair to cup the base of her head, while his other arm circled around her. When his lips came down on hers, Mimi had to grab onto him to keep from falling over in surprise.


Not a sweet kiss of friendship but an obvious promise of decadent pleasure. With a tilt of his head, Robbie took the kiss deeper. The scent of milled soap and masculinity made her heady. She could barely remember the last time he kissed her, not that she complained at the moment. Robbie slowly pulled away, tugging at her lip with his teeth as he did.

“Ah... welcome home?” She choked on the words.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Tasty Tuesday - Couble Chocolate Cookie Bars

We all have days when we need a little pick-me-up.  Chocolate is a great indulgence for an emotional lift.  This is a delightful treat.... try it on your next blue day.

2c finely crushed Oreos (approx 24 cookies)                   
1/4 c margarine or butter, melted
2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips (12oz)
1 (14oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1tsp vanilla
1 c chooped nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350'.  Combine crumbs and margarine; press firmly on bottom of 13x9 inch baking pan.  In medium saucepan, over medium heat, melt 1 cup chocolate chips with sweetened condensed milk and vanilla.  Pour evenly over prepared crust; top with nuts and remaining chips.  Bake 20 minutes or until set.  Cool.  Chill if desired.  Cut into bars.  Store tightly covered at room temperature.  Makes 24-36 bars.

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Tasty Tuesday - Blueberries

With Blueberry Festival done, it's time to use up those berries.
Make up this wonderful recipe, serve with some Blueberry wine and enjoy.



Berry Pudding CakeIngredients:
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup sugar (Splenda)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- a dash of salt
- 1 cup fat free milk
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 3 cups assorted fresh berries

Preparation:
Heat oven to 400° and apply non-stick spray to 6 ounce quiche dishes. In a medium bowl combine eggs, vanilla, sugar, and salt. Whisk the mixture until frothy then add milk, flour and baking powder blend until smooth. Divide the berries among the quiche dishes, then pour the batter over the berries. Bake 20 minutes or so, until golden brown.


Blueberry Splash Fruit WineProduced with 100% South Haven, Michigan Blueberries,
this wine will compliment any dessert made with blueberries.
Semi-sweet - Residual Sugar: 9.3%

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Tasty Tuesday - Cran Razzy!




Today's Tasty Tuesday is a sexy summer drink that is only 163 calories and packed full of vitamin C.






Cran Razzy!



Ingredients
1/2 cup frozen raspberries
2 cups cranberry-raspberry juice
2 cups seltzer
2 tbs lime juice plus, 4 lime slices
6oz (3/4 cups) vodka

Preparation
Fresh raspberries should be frozen in a single layer. Combine cranberry-raspberry juice, seltzer, lime juice and vodka in a pitcher. Pour the mixture in a glass and add the lime slice and frozen raspberries for garnish.


Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Tasty Tuesday - Chocolate Diamonds

A chocolate diamond is a brown diamond, one of many types of colored diamonds. Most chocolate diamonds come from diamond mines in Australia. The natural occurring brown color is thought to be created by the earth's pressure on the diamonds deep in the earth. Chocolate diamonds, perhaps due to their new name, seem to be gaining in popularity however. A brilliant marketing scheme to help sell an abundance of low color diamonds was to rename them to "chocolate diamonds." People who never gave brown diamonds the time of day, now are looking at these diamonds. They want to be able to say that they own a chocolate diamond. It's different. It's a conversation starter and more than anything else, it's still a diamond! There are also different hues of fancy colored diamonds.

For instance, the hue of a brown diamond is designated into the categories: Chocolate – light brown diamonds with no other discernable color Champaign – sparkling warm golden brown
Cognac – deep reddish/orange
Cinnamon – light pinkish brown
Honey – deep yellow orange
Clove diamonds – deep olive brown

Chocolate diamonds look great with gold and also colors like blue and green. These really make it stand out.
Chocolate pearl diamonds – this is a very elegant mix of dark brown and white that reminds many of the chocolate diamond’s namesake. Chocolate diamonds & turquoise – a very daring, but stunning mix with different textures to enhance the overall effect. Chocolate diamonds & white diamonds – this is a very common mix, but still very brilliant. Chocolate diamonds & other colored gems – again very common, but so much variety, any piece of jewelry is practically its own unique piece.