Mississippi Mud from Siobhan Muir
What you need for crust:
© ½ cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
© 1 cup flour
© ½ cup chopped nuts (I use walnuts)
What you’ll need for the Mud:
© 1 cup powdered sugar
© 8 oz bar of cream cheese (softened)
© 1 16 oz tub of Cool Whip (softened)
© 2 3.5 oz boxes of instant chocolate pudding
© Chopped nuts for garnish
How to put it all together:
© Blend flour, softened butter, and chopped nuts to make crust. Press into 9” x 13” greased pan.
© Bake for 20 minutes at 350Ú.
© Cool completely.
© Blend powdered sugar, softened cream cheese, and 1 cup Cool Whip, and spread over cooled crust.
© Prepare two boxes of instant chocolate pudding according to directions.
© Spread over #4.
© Use remaining Cool Whip and spread gently over #5.
© Sprinkle with chopped nuts.
© Refrigerate for 3 hours. Serve cold.
© Serves 10-12 people.
Serving suggestion:
This is a rich dessert and you won’t need much, but is great for parties and family feasts. You can substitute Heavy Whipping Cream for the Cool Whip and moderate how sweet you want to make this dessert. Happy Holidays!
SIOBHAN MUIR
Siobhan Muir lives in Las Vegas, Nevada, with her husband, two daughters, and a vegetarian cat she swears is a shape-shifter, though he's never shifted when she can see him. When not writing, she can be found looking down a microscope at fossil fox teeth, pursuing her other love, paleontology. An avid reader of science fiction/fantasy, her husband gave her a paranormal romance for Christmas one year, and she was hooked for good. Who knew they combined sci-fi with romance? Siobhan believes in happily ever after, redemption, and communication, all of which you will find in her paranormal romance stories.
Siobhan published Her Devoted Vampire with Evernight Publishing in February 2012.
Georgia Fox's Naughty & Nice
What you need:
© Strawberries
© Bacon
© Bittersweet Chocolate
© Fresh Rosemary
© Mascarpone Cheese
How to put together:
© Fry bacon until dead, dead crispy
© Break up chocolate and melt
© Chop bacon into pieces and put one third in foil lined cookie sheet
© Pour melted chocolate over bacon. While still wet, sprinkle over another third of the bacon pieces. Leave to set
© Hull and halve strawberries
© Mix mascarpone with rosemary sprigs and decorate each strawberry with a dollop
© Sprinkle remaining bacon bits over strawberries just before serving
© When chocolate bacon bark has hardened, break into pieces and arrange on plate
© Arrange mascarpone strawberries on another plate
Serving suggestion:
Enjoy beside a softly crackling fire with a side of Daniel Craig, Clive Owen or Richard Armitage. Or all three. Snow storm optional. Chocolate martini imperative.
GEORGIA FOX
Georgia Fox is the girl you knew at school who ate chalk, always had scabby knees and showed her knickers for 50p. She grew up to write steamy erotic romance - a shock to none as much as herself. Georgia's six-part medieval series The Conquerors is an ARe bestseller and she's recently expanded into the contemporary genre, as well as penned two naughty fairy tales for Evernight.
The latest release, just in time for the Holidays, is Princes of Charming, a sexy Victorian retelling of Cinderella, with a particularly wicked fairy god-mother and a hunky alpha hero who just happens to be the heir to a fortune earned from—what else?—chocolate. It's a story that's a little salty, a little sweet and quite unexpected. Just like Georgia's Naughty & Nice treats for Santa.
Sinful Snickerdoodles from Becky Moore
What you need:
© 1 cup granulated sugar
© 1 cup salted butter, softened
© 1 egg, room temperature
© 1 tsp vanilla
© 2 cups all-purpose flour (I use King Arthur unbleached)
© 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
© 1/2 tsp salt
© 2 tsp cinnamon
© 3 tblsp sugar
How to put it all together:
© Heat oven to 375 degrees.
© Cream together the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl (about two minutes). Add the vanilla and egg, and beat until smooth. Add the flower, cream of tartar, salt, and 1/2 tsp cinnamon; beat until smooth (about a minute) … keep in mind, this is a thick batter.
© In a separate bowl, combine 3 tblsp sugar and remaining 1-1/2 tsp cinnamon. Shape the dough into 1- to 1-1/2 inch balls, and then roll them around in the cinnamon sugar mixture.
© Place them about an inch apart on a lined or prepared cookie sheet. NOTE: Some recipes call for you to flatten the balls with the bottom of a glass, but I like to leave mine in round balls because the baked cookies are sort of like pillows.
© Bake them for 8 – 10 minutes, or until edges are very lightly browned.
© Let stand and move to cooling rack. Mmm …
Serving suggestion:
I’ve always felt that any cookie without some component of chocolate is a waste of calories, but in this case I’m happy to make an exception. My husband, on the other hand, is a lifelong Snickerdoodle fan. They are, to me, a bit of an acquired taste. I can’t eat every variety I come upon … but I was lucky enough to find a snappy Snickerdoodle recipe a couple of years ago that’s now a family staple. This recipe is super easy, a little time consuming, but very worth it. If you’re keeping the kitchen busy this holiday season like me, then perhaps you’ll find a new favorite in this simple recipe.
BECKY MOORE
Becky Moore is a lifelong dreamer, avid reader, author of several romances, and a firm believer that life is always sweeter with wholesome, homemade dessert. The holiday season for her, much to the delight of her soul mate and their dynamic son, means a hearty caloric demonstration of affection. So far, she has one book with Evernight Publishing, Guardian Angel, but she hopes to amend that in the New Year. You can find more recipes on her website, www.BeckyMoore.net.
Chocolate-Nougat Mousse for Christmas Dessert
from Susan Laine
What you need:
© 2 egg whites
© 3 table spoons and 1 tea spoon of caster/berry sugar
© 200 g of dark chocolate melted and chilled
© 1 table spoon of hazel nut liqueur
© 150 g of crushed nougat pieces
© 2½ dl of frothed whipped cream
How to put it all together:
© Whip the egg whites in a large bowl with an electrical mixer into a soft foam.
© Add the sugar slowly, constantly whisking, until the foam is thick and glistening.
© Add the melted chocolate, liqueur, nougat, and whipped cream into the egg white foam carefully with a metal spoon.
© Divide the mousse into four serving dishes and place them in the refrigerator for 30 min before serving.
Serving suggestion:
In the company of family, friends, or lovers, on the couch side by side, with hot chocolate sauce and cinnamon sticks if needed.
SUSAN LAINE
Susan Laine, a multi-published author of erotic romance, resides in lush, green Finland where stormy summers and harsh winters are the norm, and her house is always buried in books.
She has published one book with Evernight, The Last Werewolf. You can find her from her website at www.susan-laine-author.fi.
Chocolate Chip Clusters from Kerri Nelson
What you need:
© 1 (11.5 ounce) package of either Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips or 1 package of Milk Chocolate Chips
© 1 can of cocktail peanuts (12 oz.)
© Place chips in a microwave-safe bowl. (Note: I used a 2 qt. casserole dish and it works great.)
© Microwave at HIGH for 1 minute. Stir.
© Repeat process until fully melted and smooth. Don’t over melt.
© Stir in peanuts.
© Spoon by tsp full into 1-inch paper candy cups or use mini-muffin cups.
© These set up quickly and take about 4 minutes for the candy to be hard enough to lift off the paper.
© Store in the refrigerator.
Serving suggestion:
Box up the candy in decorative tins for gift giving to hot, sexy neighbor-types. Or enjoy at home while you curl up with a delicious book.
KERRI NELSON
Kerri resides in the sunny south and enjoys good books, good cooking, and daily kid wrangling of her sizeable brood. She’s published three books with Evernight, Double Take, Forstaken, and the holiday anthology ‘Twas a Dark & Delicious Christmas. You can find her at her website at www.kerrinelson.com or on Twitter here @kerribookwriter.
Quick Holiday Cake from Lynde Lakes
What you need:
© 2 plastic cake rounds (This is a micro wave cake/time 3 minute. 30 second each round.)
© Glass measuring cup
© Mixer
© Paring knife
© Devil’s Food cake mix
© 2 eggs
© 1 cup of water
© ¼ cup of prune juice
© 1 jar of peanut butter ½ for cake mix & ½ to frost.
© Please use the ½ cup of peanut butter in the mix instead of oil.
Frosting:
© Remaining ½ jar peanut butter
© Small bag of Reese’s miniature cups (will actually use 8 tiny halved cups on top each cooked hot cake round—that is 16.) Sorry but you’ll have to eat the rest.
© 1 cup of non-fat whipped cream for each round ( to resemble snow)
© Two small candy canes with a sprig of peppermint leaf for the top of each round.
How to put it all together:
© Lightly coat the 2 plastic cake rounds with butter or no stick cooking spray. No flour needed.
© Blend cake mix, water, ½ cup peanut butter, and eggs until Moistened, then beat on low speed for 2 minutes.
© Bake each round in microwave for 3 minutes., 30 seconds.
© While hot and just out of the oven lightly place 8 halved Reese miniatures evenly across the top of one round. Then lightly drop dollops of peanut butter evenly over the top. Do the same with the second round. The chocolates and peanut butter will melt quickly. When melted use your paring knife to blend them together.
Serving Suggestion:
When ready to serve cover the top of each round with whipped cream and top with two small candy canes with sprigs of peppermint leaf.
Alternative seductive Suggestion:
If you don’t want to bother with the cake, you can use the frosting and décor for bedroom play and have a lick’n good time. A naughty but nice romp is guaranteed to seduce Santa into tucking something memorable into your Christmas stocking.
LYNDE LAKES
Before taking the plunge into full time writing I enjoyed a satisfying career as a real estate appraiser. I hold a Masters degree from the University of California and a lifetime teaching credential. I write, edit, give workshops and co-ordinate critique groups for adults and young writers, often going into the classroom.
One of the highlights of my writing career was serving as Hospitality Chairman for RWA Hawaii in 1995. I’ve been very fortunate through my various careers to have a supportive husband and also having a supportive publisher like Evernight Publishing. Books published with Evernight include Murder in the Clear Zone, Pointing Leaf, Primitive Flame and Star Fallen Lover. If you wish to visit me on my website to see all of my published novels and read my blog, go to www.lyndelakes.com Happy cooking and reading.
Coconut Christmas Cookies from R. Brennan
What you need:
© 1 cup shortening
© 1 cup butter
© 2 cups white sugar
© 3 cups flour
© 1 tsp soda
© 1 tsp baking powder
© 1 cup toasted coconut
© 1 tsp vanilla
How to put it all together:
© Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
© Cream shortening, butter, and sugar.
© Add dry ingredients, coconut, and vanilla.
© Shape into balls. Press cookie with bottom of glass dipped in sugar.
© Bake for 7-8 minutes.
Serving suggestion:
Can also be used with Cookie Cutters for shaped festive cookies.
R. BRENNAN
R. Brennan is the erotic alter-ego of a mainstream published author. She is a single parent, reformed gaming addict, and full time IT geek living in the rolling hills of Upstate, NY (you know, where it takes a ten minute drive to buy a gallon of milk and the scent of cows lingers in the air).
When not writing steamy stories, she enjoys spending time outdoors or travelling with her family. Her short story, Faith’s Gift is part of Evernight’s Vanilla-Free Christmas anthology and her first publication with Evernight.
R. enjoys hearing from her readers and erotica fans in general. You can connect with her on her blog: http://bexbooknook.wordpress.com or stalk her on twitter: @bexbrennan
Slender Santa Fruit Cake from Faye Avalon
What you need:
© 500g Mixed Fruit
© 2 cups of Self Raising Flour (ordinary or gluten free)
© 1 cup of Soft Brown Sugar
© 1 egg
© Handful of Glace Cherries, sliced in half
How to put it all together:
© Soak the mixed fruit overnight in 2 cups of black tea.
© Add flour and sugar and mix well.
© Add beaten egg.
© Add half of the glace cherries.
© Mix well.
© Pour into cake tin and arrange remaining glace cherries on top of mixture.
© Cook at Gas Mark 4 or 160c for 1½ to 2 hours.
© Decorate with festive cake decorations and sprinkle on icing sugar, if required.
Serving suggestion:
Because this is a low-fat cake, the ice cream, custard or brandy butter you heap on as an accompaniment is in effect calorie free when weighed against the high calorific value of a regular Christmas fruit cake J Enjoy!
FAYE AVALON
When school teachers punished Faye for one of her many misdemeanors by making her write an essay, little did they know they were handing her a gift. While Faye’s behavior has marginally improved over the years, her love of the written word has remained.
Faye and her husband regularly expand their family by fostering puppies destined to become assistance dogs. Between writing, reading, running around after manic puppies intent on dismantling the Christmas tree, Faye will be relaxing this festive season with either a calming yoga session or a night at the movies with her man.
Bad in Bed, her first book with Evernight Publishing, is an Are bestseller.
You can find Faye at www.fayeavalon.com.
Chocolate Coconut Drops from Stacey Espino
What you need:
In the pot:
© 2 cups white sugar
© 1/2 cup milk
© 6 tsp. cocoa
© 1/2 cup butter or margarine
In the mixing bowl:
© 3 cups rolled oats
Evernight's Naughty Nibbles Page 4
