Ann Shorey ~ What's Cooking?

Ann Shorey

CHOCOLATE PUDDING CAKE

Sauce:

½ cup sugar

1 ½ cups water

16 large marshmallows

Heat the above in a 2-qt. saucepan on stovetop over low heat until marshmallows dissolve. Pour into 1 ½ qt. round oven-safe casserole dish. Set aside while preparing batter.

For batter, mix together:

2 tablespoons softened butter

½ cup sugar

1 cup regular flour (not self-rising)

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

½ cup milk

½ cup chopped walnuts

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Blend ingredients together until well-combined. Drop by spoonfuls onto marshmallow syrup. Cover dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake 45 minutes at 350 degrees.

Serve warm or cold with whipped cream or ice cream.

(Or eat the cooled dessert out of the dish while standing next to the stove, as I do! No calories if you eat while you’re standing up.)

YUMMY! Sounds delicious, Ann

Ann's Books

The Edge of Light ~ The Promise of Morning

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Camy Tang ~ What's Cooking?

Camy Tang

The best part about writing novels is that I get to include little personal things in my books. I absolutely love food, so I always include one or two foods in my books that are special to me.

In my romantic suspense, Deadly Intent, the heroine’s family is having a get-together with friends and family. At get-togethers with my family, my mom will usually make Chinese chicken salad. It’s a really yummy dish that’s surprisingly easy to make. It’s also not too exotic (unlike some other Asian food I grew up with).

As kids, we loved it, and my mom was happy since we were eating our veggies. :)

Chinese Chicken Salad


1-2 cooked chicken breasts, shredded
1 head iceberg lettuce
1/4 c. cilantro, coarsely chopped (optional)
1 package won ton skins (optional)

DRESSING:

1-2 teaspoons sesame oil
1/2 cup salad oil
2 Tablespoons sugar
3 Tablespoons rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper
finely shredded celery (optional)

Whisk together dressing, adding or subtracting quantities to personal taste.

(Optional) My mom will sometimes soak the celery in the vinegar for a few minutes, then remove the celery and make the dressing.

Toss the celery with the other salad ingredients later.

(Optional) Cut won ton skins into strips and deep fry until golden brown.
Drain and cool.
Shred lettuce.
Toss all ingredients together.

Serve immediately.

Now when you read about the get-together and the Chinese chicken salad in DEADLY INTENT, you’ll feel like you were there!

Thanks Camy! Just not sure how many veggies you were really eating - LOL!


Camy's Books

Sushi for One? ~ Only Uni ~ Single Sashimi
Deadly Intent ~ Formula for Danger (Sept, 2010)

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Angela Hunt ~ What's Cooking?

Angela Hunt

Last year my mother, my aunt, and my cousin joined me on a visit to St. Simons Island, home to my novel-in-progress. While there, I picked up a lovely local cookbook and was delighted to find that it was filled with southern recipes. Yum! (If there's one thing we love to do in the South, it's eat.)

There's nothing better to do on a hot Sunday afternoon that sit around and make ice cream. We used to do it in those big canisters you had to cover with salt and ice and crank by hand, but these days we use indoor electric ice cream makers. So here's a recipe for ice cream that's distinctly Southern in flavor.

Angie

Key Lime Ice Cream

Ingredients

3 1/2 cups half-and-half

1 14oz. can sweetened condensed milk

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup Key lime juice

Zest of two key limes

Directions

Combine all ingredients well. Pour into an ice cream freezer canister. Freeze according to manufacturer's instructions. Serve over crushed butter cookies with sweet whipped cream. Ahh!

Thanks, Angie! This recipe is just perfect for our summer ~ sorry if it is making all you Northern Hemisphere folks shiver!


Angela's Books

With over 100 books to her credit, they are too numerous to list here! I can highly recommend them and have nearly all of her adult fiction on my bookshelves. If you click here you can view all of Angie's books, including future releases ~ enjoy :)

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Candace Calvert ~ What's Cooking at Christmas?

Candace Calvert

I’ve used this Pillsbury recipe several times—looks pretty on your appetizer table and tastes yummy.

Ham and Veggie Wreath

Ingredients

2 cans (8 oz each) refrigerated crescent dinner rolls

1 container (8 oz) pineapple cream cheese spread

1/3 cup chopped cooked ham

1/4 cup finely chopped yellow bell pepper

1/4 cup finely chopped green bell pepper

1/2 cup chopped fresh broccoli florets

1 tablespoon chopped red onion

6 grape tomatoes or small cherry tomatoes, quartered

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oven to 375°F. Turn 10-oz custard cup upside down on center of ungreased large cookie sheet. Remove dough from 1 can, keeping dough in 1 piece; do not unroll. (Keep remaining can of dough in refrigerator.) With hands, roll dough in one direction to make 12-inch log. Cut log into 20 slices. Arrange 16 slices, slightly overlapping and in clockwise direction, around custard cup on cookie sheet.

2. Repeat with second can of dough, cutting log into 20 slices. Arrange remaining 4 slices and slices from second can (total of 24 slices) slightly overlapping each other and in counterclockwise direction, close to but not overlapping first ring. Remove custard cup.

3. Bake 15 to 18 minutes or until light golden brown. Gently loosen wreath from cookie sheet; carefully slide onto cooling rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.

4. Place wreath on serving tray or platter. Spread cream cheese spread over wreath. Sprinkle with remaining ingredients. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate up to 4 hours before serving.

Enjoy!

Delicious “Taco” variation for Wreath:

Mix:

1/3 cup sour cream

¼ cup mayonnaise

¼ cup fresh cilantro

1 teaspoon sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon cumin

small can diced mild green chiles (add amount to personal preference)

Spread over cooled crescent wreath

“Decorate” with:

1 diced avocado (sprinkle with lime juice to avoid turning brown)

½ cup chopped fresh tomato

½ cup finely shredded cheddar cheese

2 ½ oz. sliced black olives, drained

extra chopped fresh cilantro

Place small bowl of salsa in center. Ole!

Wow - this does look pretty, Candy, and I like the sound of the Taco variation :) I knew you were the author to go to for a Christmas recipe!

Candace's Books

Critical Care ~ Disaster Status (April, 2010) ~ Code Triage (some time after that!)

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Suzanne Fisher Woods ~ What's Cooking?

Suzanne Woods Fisher

Here is a delicious breakfast recipe from an Amish home I stayed in:

Anna's Overnight Blueberry French Toast


Ingredients

12 slices bread, cut in 1" cubes
8 oz. cream cheese cut in 1" cubes
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
12 eggs
1/3 cup maple syrup
2 cups milk

Directions

Place half of bread cubes in a 9"x13" baking dish.
Top with cream cheese, blueberries and remaining bread.
Beat eggs, syrup and milk and pour evenly over bread.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until well done.

Mmmmm...yummy :) Thanks so much for sharing, Suzanne


Suzanne's Books

Amish Peace ~ The Choice (Jan, 2010)
Copper Star ~ Copper Fire

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Rick Acker ~ What's Cooking?

Rick Acker

Here's one of my favorite summer recipes:

Grilled Ham Steaks and Pineapple Rings


Ingredients

• 2 1 lb. ham steaks
• 1 pineapple, cored and sliced
  
• 1/4 cup melted margarine or butter, mixed with 1 teaspoon dried thyme and 1/2 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning salt (sauce for the ham)
  
• 2 tablespoons melted butter, mixed with 2 tablespoons rum, 1/3 cup brown sugar and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (sauce for the pineapple rings)

Directions


Ham: Put the steaks on the grill at medium heat and brush the ham sauce on top. Flip the steaks after about five minutes and brush sauce on the other side. If you haven't cooked ham steaks on your grill before, keep a close eye on them because they're easy to burn.

Pineapple: Add the rings to the grill the first time you flip the ham steaks. Brush them with the pineapple sauce. Flip them after 2-3 minutes and brush sauce onto the other side.

Total time to prepare


About twenty-five minutes, and that includes getting everything out of the pantry and fridge.

On a semi-related note, I've had a lot more respect for ham since the incident recounted on Brandilyn Collins' blog: http://forensicsandfaith.blogspot.com/2009/08/demon-pig.html

Rick ~ thanks for your summer recipe - we Aussies will enjoy it while you are shivering in the Northern Hemisphere!

Rick's Books

Dead Man's Rule ~ Blood Brothers ~ When the Devil Whistles (Abingdon, 2010)

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Janice Thompson ~ What's Cooking?

Janice Thompson

Most of my books are wedding themed and many people don't know this, but I make wedding cakes (and other types of celebration cakes) on the side. I don't do this for money. I started doing it when my four daughters all got married within four and a half years of each other! (We spent $500 on my oldest daughter's wedding cake and only half of it was eaten. After that day I vowed, "Never again!" and started making the cakes myself.) Readers will notice that Aunt Rosa (in the Weddings by Bella series) makes all of the cakes for the family's wedding facility. I got this idea from my own story!

One of my favorite cakes to make (recently) is called an oreo cake.
Here's how I make it.

Janice's Oreo Cake

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:

A large round pan. I use an 11 inch pan.

Two boxes of devil's food cake mix

One box of white cake mix (I use Pillsbury, pudding in the mix)

Cream cheese frosting (homemade or from a can)

A full package of Oreos

Mix up the devil's food cake mix in one bowl and the white cake mix in another. You need to end up with a total of three cakes: two chocolate and one white. Depending on the size of your pan, you might have some left-over batter. You can always toss it or use it to bake a small cake for the kids.

When the three cakes are baked, get busy on your cream cheese frosting. Here's how I make mine from scratch: one rectangular block of Crisco shorting, one package of cream cheese, a couple of tablespoons of milk, clear vanilla flavoring. Blend these ingredients till creamy, then add powdered sugar until it is the right consistency. You don't want it too thick or too thin. When the frosting is done, crumble about 1/3 of the bag of Oreos into the frosting and mix well.

Now, to assemble the cakes. Start with a chocolate one on bottom. Add a layer of the cream cheese/oreo frosting. Now put the white cake on top of that and frost it. Then add a chocolate cake on top of that and frost the whole cake, top and sides. Apply the cream cheese frosting liberally! I usually finish the cake off by taking the remaining Oreos and pressing them all around the bottom of the cake, forming a ring around the bottom. People love the look of the cake and gobble it up at parties! Best of all, when you cut into it, it looks like an Oreo, with the white in the middle! Yum!

Sounds like a good one, Janice :) Love the story behind your wedding cakes!

Janice's Books

Love Finds You in Poetry, Texas ~ Fools Rush In ~ Swinging on a Star (2010)
Spring Creek Bride ~ Allegheny Hopes

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Trish Perry ~ What's Cooking?

Trish Perry

I never use a recipe to make this dish, so don’t get all retentive about these ingredients. These measurements should get the job done, but you can go over or under the line on the measuring cups and spoons without anyone being the wiser.

Chicken Stroganoff

Ingredients

4 T butter

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, sliced into bite-sized pieces

¾ C fresh, sliced mushrooms

½ onion, thinly sliced

1 T flour (and maybe a bit more)

¾ C chicken broth

¼ C white cooking wine

1 t salt

½ t pepper

¾ C sour cream

Cooked rice (white or brown)

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Melt 2T butter in large skillet. Over medium heat, sauté cut-up chicken until just cooked through. Spoon chicken pieces in bowl and set aside.

In same skillet melt remaining 2T butter and sauté sliced mushrooms and onion until softened. Lower heat, sprinkle flour over mushrooms and onion, and blend.

Once flour is blended, slowly add broth and wine, stirring continuously. Add salt, and pepper. Bring to a quick boil and then lower heat. Allow sauce to thicken and then add chicken back in and stir to blend all the juices together. Heat until chicken is fully cooked.

If the sauce seems too thin, take a little bowl and mix a few tablespoons of the sauce with approximately 1 teaspoon of flour, adding another tablespoon of sauce until mixture is thin enough to pour into skillet. Bring to quick boil and then lower heat again and allow that to simmer until thickened.

Once sauce is thickened add sour cream and turn off heat. Mix thoroughly.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve over cooked rice, along with a fresh green salad and a steamed veggie of your choice. That way you can serve cookies after, and no one will feel terribly guilty.

Love the sound of this, Trish - thanks :)

Trish's Books

The Guy I'm Not Dating ~ Too Good Too Be True ~ Beach Dreams ~ Sunset Dreams

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Marlo Schalesky ~ What's Cooking?

Marlo Schalesky

Can you tell I like dessert? ;-)


Pumpkin Crisp


Ingredients:

1 large (or 3 small) cans of pumpkin
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
3 eggs
1 butter pecan or yellow cake mix
1 cup chopped pecans
3/4 cup melted butter

Directions:

Mix pumpkin with salt and spices (or use a large can of ready-made pumpkin pie filling and forget adding your own spice).
Taste and adjust seasonings to your preference.
Add beaten eggs and mix thoroughly.
Spread in greased 9X14" baking pan.
Sprinkle dry cake mix evenly over the top of the pumpkin, and top with the pecans. Drizzle the melted butter evenly over the top.
Bake at 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown.
Serve warm or cool, and top with whipped cream if desired.

Mmmmm.....pumpkin with cream ~ interesting! But I'm willing to give it a go :) Thanks Marlo!


Marlo's Books

Beyond the Night ~ If Tomorrow Never Comes ~ Shades of Morning (June 2010)
Veil of Fire ~ Cry Freedom ~ Freedom's Shadow ~ Only The Wind Remembers

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Irene Hannon ~ What's Cooking?

Irene Hannon

I love to cook—and cooking scenes often work themselves into my novels. For example, in the bestselling first book of my Heroes of Quantico series, Against All Odds, the heroine cooks to relax. And she needs to relax after the FBI’s Hostage Rescue Team shows up to protect her from a terrorist threat. She ends up making a fabulous dinner for the two operators assigned to protect her, and finishes the meal with these warm-from-the-oven cookies.

Hope you enjoy them as much as the hero, Coop, did!

OATMEAL CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Ingredients

1 cup shortening

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1 cup granulated sugar

2 beaten eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla

1 ½ cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

3 cups quick-cooking oatmeal

1 cup chocolate chips

Instructions

Cream shortening and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla. Beat well. Add flour mixed with salt, baking soda and baking powder. By hand, fold in oatmeal and chocolate chips. Drop onto ungreased cookie sheet by teaspoonfuls.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes—no more! DO NOT OVERBAKE.

Yield: About 6 dozen

I can almost smell these, Irene :) Thanks for the recipe - I'll be testing it out on my girls.

Irene's Books

Against All Odds ~ An Eye for an Eye ~ In Harm's Way (April, 2010)

Tides of Hope ~ The Hero Next Door ~ Apprentice Father

& more.......

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Sharlene MacLaren ~ What's Cooking?

Sharlene MacLaren

Here's my favorite "pork chop" recipe. It's easy-peasy, and DELICIOUS! Makes for fall-off-the-bone chops every time!

Shar

Tender, Tasty Pork Chops


Ingredients

Six Pork Chops (your favorite cut)
Large, yellow onion
Brown Sugar
Ketchup
Orange juice

Instructions

Lay chops side by side in large oven pan
Place a thin onion layer on each chop
On the onion, place one Tablespoon of brown sugar
and one Tablespoon of ketchup
Sprinkle 1 1/2 cups of orange juice around pan, so that
each chop gets saturated.

Place uncovered in 350-degree F. oven for approx. 1 hour,
or until chops are tender.

My hubby is going to love these, Shar ~ thank you!


Sharlene's Books

Hannah Grace ~ Maggie Rose ~ Abbie Ann (2010)
Through Every Storm ~ Long Journey Home
Loving Liza Jane ~ Sarah, My Beloved ~ Courting Emma

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Leanna Ellis ~ What's Cooking?

Leanna Ellis

I recently made these biscuits with my kids. They are yummy and fun to make. Just a quick story about them first -- My great Aunt Lois made these biscuits EVERY day. But she didn't use a recipe. I was visiting her once and asked for it. She looked at me oddly. To her it was just a little of this and that. So we carefully measured out what she poured into her hand or bowl and created this one together. Here's the recipe:

Great Aunt Lois' Everyday Cookies

Ingredients

2cups sifted flour
1/4 tsp soda
2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 to 1 tsp salt
4-6 tbsp shortening
2/3 to 1 cup buttermilk

Directions

Measure sifted flour; add baking powder, soda, and salt and sift again. Cut in shortening. Add milk and stir with fork until soft dough is formed (about 20 strokes). Turn out on a lightly floured board; knead 20 turns. Pat or roll lightly 1/2 inch thick. Cut with a floured 2 inch biscuit cutter. Bake on greased baking sheet in hot oven (450 degrees) for 12 to 15 minutes.

Makes approx. 14 biscuits.

My mother put together a family cook book many years ago. And throughout the cookbook are pictures of all the wonderful women who contributed their recipes. So it's always fun for me to share a recipe with my children and be able to show them a picture of the relative. Thanks Mom! Thanks Aunt Lois!

Blessings, Leanna

Sounds like a great recipe, Leanna and what a lovely story! Thanks for sharing it with us.

Leanna's Books

Elvis Takes A Back Seat ~ Lookin' Back, Texas ~ Ruby's Slippers ~

Once In A Blue Moon (March, 2010)

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Please note the picture isn't of Leanna's cookies and I made up the name for them ;-)

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Nicole Baart ~ What's Cooking?

Nicole Baart

I love good recipes :) Nicole

Sticky Toffee Spoon Cake

Ingredients

1 ½ cups butter

1 ½ cups dark brown sugar

6 tbsp. golden syrup

4 eggs, beaten

1 cup self-rising flour

¼ tsp. salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Grease 6 ramekins. Heat ¼ cup butter, ¼ cup sugar, and syrup in a pan over low heat until smooth. Pour the sauce equally into the ramekins. Melt the rest of the butter and sugar in a pan. Remove from heat. Cool for 10 minutes. Mix in eggs.

Sift flour and salt into a large bowl. Make a well in the center. Pour in melted mixture and stir until combined. Spoon into ramekins.

Bake for 20 minutes or until springy to the touch. Run a knife around the edge. Carefully turn onto a large plate. Serve with extra toffee sauce (if desired) and whipped cream.

Toffee Sauce

¼ cup butter

¼ cup heavy cream

½ cup packed brown sugar

Melt butter in a small saucepan. Add cream and brown sugar. Stir until blended.

Stirring constantly, heat until boiling. Remove from heat.

Pour warm sauce over cake just before serving.

Yummy, Nicole :) We have a similar recipe here, Sticky Date Pudding, yep, basically the same but with dates - it is so good, just like this one sounds!

Nicole's Books

After the Leaves Fall ~ Summer Snow ~ The Moment Between

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Denise Hunter ~ What's Cooking?

Denise Hunter

Here's my fav apple pie recipe. It was developed for my novel, Sweetwater Gap.
Denise

Aunt Lola’s Blue Ribbon Apple Pie


Flaky Crust

 3/4 cup cake flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 tablespoons shortening
1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar
3 cubes ice
1/2 cup cold water

1. Measure butter & shortening onto a plate, put into freezer for about 20 minutes.
2. Measure cake flour, all-purpose flour, sugar, salt and baking powder
into large bowl. Mix.
3. Take 1/2 of the cold butter and 1/2 of the cold shortening, add to dry ingredients cut together with a pastry blender.
4. Take remainder of the cold butter & cold shortening and cut in very briefly leaving visible pea sized chunks. Do not over process at this stage!
5. In a measuring cup, mix egg yolk and vinegar together, add ice cubes and water. Let this get chilled, about 3 to 4 minutes.
6. Sprinkle approximately 4 to 5 tablespoons of this egg, water, vinegar mixture, a little at a time, over flour mixture, mixing gently with a fork. The key to this is, you do not want a wet dough,and you do not want to over mix. You will not use most of this mixture.
7. Place this dough into plastic wrap or plastic bag, chill in refrigerator for a few minutes. Remove from refrigerator and roll out on well-floured surface to 1” larger than pie dish, using as little flour as possible to prevent sticking.
8. Place dough in pie dish, turn under edges and flute dough. Set aside.

Apple Pie Filling

6-7 c. Sliced and peeled Granny Smith apples
1 t. Cinnamon
1 t. Lemon Juice
3/4 c. Granulated Sugar
2 T. Flour

Mix all ingredients for filling and place in 9” unbaked pie shell.
Top with Dutch Apple Topping.
Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes then 350 degrees for 40-50 min.

Dutch Apple Topping

1/2 c. Brown sugar
1/2 c. Cold butter
1 c. Flour

Blend with pastry blender or fork and set aside.

Yummy, Denise! It looks like the effort would be well worth it :)

Denise's books

Surrender Bay ~ The Convenient Groom ~ Sweetwater Gap ~ Seaside Letters
Mending Places ~ Saving Grace ~ Finding Faith

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