Gift Basket Giveaway & New Book Release & Dessert Recipe

Exciting news! “Food and Romance Go Together, Vol. 1” is now available for Pre-order and officially releasing May 16th. I am included as one of the six contributing authors in this food-themed romance anthology offered by Melange Books. In celebration, I am offering this wonderful gift basket full of food and kitchen related items. Check this out:

Look at what all is included: Designer Desserts adult coloring book, blank recipe journal, Unicorn cupcake kit, Dough-notes 12 pack note cards, handmade cork-and-stone trivet, hand-painted ombre 3-piece wooden spoon set, orange segments salt & pepper set, Starbucks 2-pack hot cocoa, (drink them both or share with your favorite love) and a thankful mini-gift basket crock containing measuring spoons, a butterfly cookie/dough cutter and miniature storage container. Wow!

To win this awesome gift basket, simply sign up for my newsletter. That’s it. Just leave an email in the comments below, I will add you to my newsletter service with Mailchimp. (You can adjust your preferences later and I absolutely promise you will NOT get flooded with constant mailings. Maybe two or three a year, unless something terrific is going on I need to share). I like Mailchimp because it will only have your email in the header, not those of everyone subscribed so I can ensure some privacy for subscribers. Anyhow–once I have an email in the comments, you are entered into a random drawing to win this basket.  *Due to the high foreign postage costs, I am restricting this to US readers only. Sorry.        CONGRATULATIONS TO AUDREY S. WHO WON THE GIFT BASKET!

Six food-themed stories, with recipes found in each one, but six different talented authors.

“Coffeecake Chaos” by Ryan Jo Summers

Avianna Goodman and Sawyer Steele had been young lovers. Now she is a caterer, building her own business. Right now she needs cash to help her family. He’s being ordered to stop his wild ways and settle down to take over the family empire. His controlling mother has picked out the perfect heiress for him. Now they need the right caterer to launch the perfect engagement celebration.

Old sparks rekindle as Avianna and Sawyer reunite.

Amazon buy link: http://amzn.to/2pIjNbG

Smashwords buy link: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/720457

Lulu paperback print buy link: http://bit.ly/2p65MAP

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Food and Romance Go Together,

Vol. 1

Pumpkin Blossoms by Sue Stewart Ade

Jillian yearns for love and falls for a dog and her sister’s former boyfriend. But

the dog bolts and the boyfriend seems to still have feelings for her sister. Can she

find love with a man who can’t see who she really is?

Coffee Cake Chaos by Ryan Jo Summers

Avianna Goodman needs cash. That’s why she agreed to cater her ex-boyfriend’s

engagement party. Seeing Sawyer again confirms Avianna still isn’t over him.

The biggest mistake Sawyer Steele ever did was walk away from the one girl he

was crazy about. Now Avianna’s back in his life—and he can’t have her.

Apple Pie Delight by Sonja Gunter

Lost loves reunite after forty years of deceptions. Can a Sun-Kissed Apple Pie

bring Toril Swanson and Erik Sutton together again?

Peanut Butter Kisses by Jody Vitek

Beth Canton attends her ten-year class reunion to catch a glimpse of her long-

time, school-girl crush, Hank McGrath, but doesn’t hope or even dream of

anything more. She leaves with more than a glimpse, while Hank can’t get

enough of her peanut butter kisses.

Boston Crème Breakdown by Randi Perrin

Kestin just wants to return to life as normal after returning home from the war,

but there’s no way his life will be the same again. Looking for easy money to

make bills, he stumbles over an ad to teach perpetually-single Erica to cook, and

can’t resist answering it. He never expected to actually get the job—or to be

attracted to her.

The Chocolate Queen by April & Holly Marcom

In a world sprinkled with superheroes, you never know when the person beside

you is one of these few elite. When Clarissa begins to fall for a guy who harbors

a super secret, it feels like she’s not good enough. But he may just help her

discover a super sweet secret of her own.

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I love to cook, and when I wrote the story of a caterer, she naturally had to create a menu for her ex-boyfriend’s engagement party. That is part of the fun of being a writer! Each author has a recipe listed that is featured in their story.

This coffeecake is a real dessert I used to make for my husband to take to his work to share with his co-workers. It is super quick and easy to make, and very flexible to tailor to your own preferences.

Streusel Coffeecake

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Filling: Mix below items together with fork in small bowl before mixing cake:

½ C brown sugar, 2 Tbls. flour, 2 tsp. cinnamon, 2 Tbls. melted butter  and ½ C nuts (optional)

Batter:  1 ½ C sifted flour, 1 ½ tsp. baking powder, 1 tsp. salt and ¾ C sugar. ¼ C shortening,

½ C milk and one egg (Well beaten)

3. Sift dry ingredients. Cut in shortening with pastry knife or fork. Blend in egg and milk.

4. Spread half of batter in greased, flat 8 X 8 or 6 X 10 inch pan.

Sprinkle with half of filling. Add rest of batter and sprinkle remaining filling on top.

5. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes.  Good served warm or room temp.

Optional topping: warm maple syrup and mix with brown sugar and drizzle over top. Or blend a few teaspoons milk with powdered sugar until runny and drizzle over top. Crumbled, cooked bacon or chopped nuts are good sprinkled over this too

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