Category Archives: Recipes

Sharing my some of my favourite recipes.

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Author Spotlight, Current Release, Guest Blog, Recipes

Recipe for a Middle Eastern Feast

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For something a little different, I have invited Gemma Juliana to visit with me this week.  Yup, she’ll be here today, Wednesday, and then again on Friday showcasing three of her novels – one on each day. So please come back so you don’t miss out!

Today, Gemma is going to share a recipe with us in keeping with her series.

Gemma Juliana

One of the reasons I started my self-publishing journey with the Sheikhs of the Golden Triangle series – an ever expanding line of sheikh novellas — is because I’ve always been drawn to the richness of life on the pages of the many sheikh romances I’ve read over the years.

I’m not talking about wealth, although there is no shortage of that in their lives either. It’s all about the rich plush tapestries, colorful Persian carpets and vibrant prayer rugs, gleaming metals, and the endless assortment of delectable dishes.

Sexy, mysterious men. Power games and danger. Women who aren’t intimidated, and harbor secrets of their own. Suspense, intrigue, sensuality, and… some exotic feasting.

If you’ve read The Sheikh’s Spy, you may remember that when Sheikh Adnan and Olympia go to the Desert Rose Oasis, the living room resembles a vast Bedouin tent, complete with brass and copper ornaments, vivid silk wall hangings and rich carpets.

There will be many sultry, exotic scenes in The Sheikh’s Crowning when it is available in June, 2013.

Many years ago when I lived in Europe, a delightful Persian friend often invited my family to dinner. I still recall the amazing blend of textures, tastes and spices in her melt-in-your-mouth dishes. She fearlessly combined meat with fruits and spices, and the quality of her special rice recipe could win an award.

The Sheikh's Spy - Web FS

In The Sheikh’s Spy, when Olympia and Adnan host a state dinner at the palace in Zahiria, I envision the buffet laden with such exotic delights as Morgh Polou, otherwise known as Persian Chicken & Rice, Tabouli Salad, Baba Ganoush, which is an eggplant dish, and Warak Dawali, a stuffed grape leaf dish. Just to name a few!

Why not create a Middle Eastern evening of your own? Here’s a recipe to experiment with and enjoy! Bon appetit!

Morgh Polou or Polow, Persian Chicken& Rice

  1. Cut a fryer chicken that weighs 3-4 lbs into pieces, rub salt and pepper into the skin, and leave the skin on. Brown the chicken pieces in 1/8th of a stick of butter, melted in a non-stick pan. Remove chicken from pan and add another 1/8th of a butter stick. Fry 1 clove garlic, 1 chopped onion, ½ cup of chopped apricots, ½ cup of chopped prunes and ½ cup of golden sultanas. This takes less than 10 minutes.
  2. Stir ¾ teaspoon cinnamon powder into this mixture and let it cook a few minutes. Add ½ teaspoon of nutmeg and ½ teaspoon of turmeric and the same measure of cumin.  Add 1/3 to ½ cup of water to the mixture and stir it to concoct a dark thin liquid from the bottom of the pan.
  3. Arrange 3 cups of pre-cooked rice in a casserole dish and place the chicken pieces on top. Pour the fruit mixture over the chicken, top with another 3 cups of pre-cooked rice and cover tightly.

This dish will cook for 40-50 minutes in your oven at 350 degrees.  Keep it tightly covered. Just before it is ready, mix 3 tablespoons of boiling water with ½ teaspoon of saffron threads. Let it steep a few minutes.

Pour it over the finished dish, toss everything well, and serve. Savor the subtle, exotic flavors!

To have some fun and make a feast of it, play some Middle Eastern music, burn sandalwood incense, and wear sensual belly dancing clothes, or a colorful long tunic with lots of bangles and jewelry. Apply some aromatic perfume with rose and jasmine accents. Who knows what the night will bring you!

ABOUT GEMMA JULIANA: Gemma lives in north Texas, USA with her handsome hero husband (HHH) and a very peculiar dog who tries hard to talk like a human. Having pursued many careers, writing is definitely the most fun she has ever had. Coffee and chocolate are her preferred vices. Gemma is currently at work on another novella in the Sheikhs of the Golden Triangle series, The Sheikh’s Crowning. She loves hearing from readers!

Contact Gemma

Website | Facebook  | Twitter

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The Sheikh’s Spy

Don’t forget to check back on Wednesday, when Gemma is going to introduce us to another great book.

Spotlight
Author Spotlight, Etopia Press, Guest Blog, Recipes

Bull’s the word for it.

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Today, I have a recipe to share from the fabulous Shehanne Moore . You know, Shehanne, you don’t have to behave on my account.  I love people who like to misbehave!  But I may have to battle Fury for Flint…just saying.

Firstly I want to thank the lovely Anne for asking me along here today. I always commend those who take risks and this is a risk. But I’m going to behave. I’m also going to talk about cooking. I mean cooking is a subject I know lots about. I know how to mistake icing sugar in the oven instead of the cake mix. Oh, and serve broccoli soup over steak. Thought it was mushy peas.

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choc easter eggs
Random, Recipes

Recipe: Chocolate Easter Eggs

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easter eggsSince that special bunny is visiting this weekend, I decided to share a recipe for making chocolate Easter eggs.  My mom made these for us when we were kids. I love them.  They are very sweet, and only meant to be eaten in small doses, but, they’re a treat right?

Decorated Easter Eggs

Makes 2 lbs ~ 10 3oz eggs (I usually double the recipe – these freeze well)

  • 2/3 cup (15oz can) Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk
  • ½ cup butter
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 5 ½ cup sifted icing sugar
  1. Cream butter, salt, vanilla.  Add milk & blend until smooth. Gradually add icing sugar. Mix well. It will become very stiff. Knead until all icing sugar is combined.
  2. Place on board or waxed paper and continue kneading for several minutes until smooth but not sticky.
  3. Cut off 1/3 of mixture.  Add a few drops of yellow food coloring for yolks.  Blend the coloring in well. Cut into 10 portions, roll into round balls and set aside.
  4. Cut remaining dough into 10 portions. Pat each one flat and then mold them around the balls of yolk.
  5. Chill, preferably overnight. Remold if necessary.

Dipping Chocolate

Warning: This part gets messy.  If tongs don’t work, just use your fingers.

  • ½ lb of semi-sweet chocolate (I have been using some semi-sweet, some milk chocolate and some white chocolate for variety in the eggs)
  1. Melt chocolate slowly in top of double boiler over hot water (or you can use micro-wave). Stir until well blended and smooth.
  2. Dip bottom half of egg using tongs and let drip for a moment. Turn over (chocolate side up) and place on waxed paper to harden. Repeat for other side.  (I stick them in the fridge for a few minutes to speed up the process)
  3. Continue to melt chocolate as necessary until you have all the egg finished.  Place all in fridge for a short time to ensure the chocolate has hardened.

Royal Frosting

(This does not need to be doubled if you’ve doubled the egg recipe)

This is the official icing to be used, but I’ve used store-bought cookie decorating icing (in pic above) when time was short and kids were doing the decorating.

  • 2 egg whites (room temperature)
  • 2 ¼ cups sifted icing sugar
  • ¼ tsp cream of tartar
  • ½ tsp vanilla
  1. Combine all and beat with a mixer for 5 minutes or until very stiff.  Note: While decorating, keep remaining frosting in a bowl with a damp cloth or wax paper covering so a crust does not form over the top.
  2. Color frosting as needed and decorate eggs using icing in piping bags and different tips for decorating purposes. Frosting becomes very hard and holds its shape well.
Guest
Authors, Etopia Press, Guest Blog, Recipes

Guest Katya Armock

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It’s been a few weeks since I shared a recipe, so today author Katya  Armock is joining me to share one of her favorites and to tell us about her latest release from Etopia Press, To Hiss or to Kiss.

Thanks for hosting me, Anne.

Today, I’m going to share a recipe. My main characters, Chloe and Jorge, share a love a Scotch. My husband and I also enjoy the beverage and a general love for Scotland in general. For his birthday this year, we hosted a party with foods similar to what one would have at a Burns Night party (for more information about the yearly celebrations of Robert Burns, go here). That means we served haggis, neeps (turnips) and tatties (potatoes), and cranachan ( a dessert featuring Scotch).

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Random, Recipes

Recipe Week

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Today I’m sharing one of my favourite pasta recipes.  It’s not difficult to make, it smells divine when it’s cooking, and it disappears fast, at least in my house (hence no picture to share).  And when my brother and his family visits, it’s always on the top of their list of requests.

Fettuccine with Tomato

  • 8 bacon slices
  • 1 ½ cups chopped onion
  • 3/4 cups chopped mushroom (my addition)
  • 4 tomatoes, peeled, seeded, chopped into small pieces (I don’t peel)
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 tsp basil
  • ½ tsp garlic powder (I throw in a little extra as well as some fresh minced garlic)
  • 1 lb fettuccine
  • ¼ cup butter or margarine, melted
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/8 tsp pepper
  • Grated parmesan cheese

Sauté bacon pieces and onion (and garlic) in frying pan until onion is soft and clear.

  1. Add tomatoes, parsley, basil and garlic powder. Stir and heat through. Keep warm.
  2. Cook fettuccine in boiling water, adding salt/oil as you normally would.  Drain when done and return to pot.
  3. Add butter, salt and pepper to noodles.  Toss.  Add tomato mixture. Toss.  Add additional seasoning if needed.
  4. Sprinkle with cheese.
  5. Note: if you choose to peel the tomatoes, immerse them in boiling water for about one minute or until the skins peel away easily.

The original recipe can be found in Company’s Coming  Pasta by Jean Paré, 3rd edition, 1990. Pg. 86

Random, Recipes

Merry Christmas & more recipes

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It’s finally here, the day we’ve been stressing about for the last four weeks – or is that just me?

I’ve cleaned, shopped, wrapped, baked, cleaned, hosted, cleaned, shopped some more, baked some more, cleaned yet again, and now I’m hosting again. And there’s still the turkey to do, gifts to unwrap, a ton of food to eat and then cleaning AGAIN.

My house has never been so clean. If everyone (me included) would simply stop making a mess, I’d have less to do.

I’ve spent my morning baking pies, pinwheels, and making dinner rolls. I’ve posted two of my family recipes to share with you. (Now I need to go sweep and wash my kitchen floor.) Thank God it’s all over in about 48 hours (but there’s still another round of cleaning to do!)

Two recipes I’m sharing are below and on the drop down under the recipe tab.  I think you’ll enjoy them. I know I do.

Pinwheels http://wp.me/P1xM0z-9h

Lemon Squares http://wp.me/P1xM0z-9e

I’d like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year. If you don’t celebrate Christmas, then I wish health, happiness and success for you and your family.

Keep well, stay safe, relax, and have fun. Happy Holidays. See you in 2013.

 

Anne