Today I'm handing over the reigns to Barbara White Daille who has many delicious recipes, and a wonderful holiday romance to share. Welcome, Barbara!
A Time for Thanks and Traditions
This is one of my favorite times of the year, when the weather cools off and the holidays get closer. I love Thanksgiving for many reasons. If you don’t include Halloween—which is in a class by itself—Thanksgiving is the beginning of the holiday season.
A chance for family and friends to get together.
An opportunity to look back over the year to see just how much we have to feel thankful for in our lives.
And of course, Thanksgiving’s also a time to eat many of the foods we get to see only at this time of year. The turkey…the cranberry sauce…the candied yams…the recipes for dishes and desserts passed down from generation to generation. I would imagine you have a long list of your family’s favorites, too.
One of our food traditions is the famous Green Bean Casserole. Even if you don’t serve it for your holidays, you’ve probably heard of it. The recipe is easy-peasy. Then why don’t we have it at our house any time we’d like? Because saving the dish for Thanksgiving and Christmas makes it extra-special.
When it comes to holiday foods I’m a bit of a traditionalist because…well…holiday meals represent tradition! The first time I saw the Green Bean Casserole recipe with soy sauce as an ingredient, I almost fell out of my chair. But to each her own, I guess.
Here’s a link to the version we use: http://www.frenchs.com/recipe/frenchs-green-bean-casserole-RE1511-1. (Recipe and photo from www.frenchs.com.)
A Time for Thanks and Traditions
This is one of my favorite times of the year, when the weather cools off and the holidays get closer. I love Thanksgiving for many reasons. If you don’t include Halloween—which is in a class by itself—Thanksgiving is the beginning of the holiday season.
A chance for family and friends to get together.
An opportunity to look back over the year to see just how much we have to feel thankful for in our lives.
And of course, Thanksgiving’s also a time to eat many of the foods we get to see only at this time of year. The turkey…the cranberry sauce…the candied yams…the recipes for dishes and desserts passed down from generation to generation. I would imagine you have a long list of your family’s favorites, too.
One of our food traditions is the famous Green Bean Casserole. Even if you don’t serve it for your holidays, you’ve probably heard of it. The recipe is easy-peasy. Then why don’t we have it at our house any time we’d like? Because saving the dish for Thanksgiving and Christmas makes it extra-special.
When it comes to holiday foods I’m a bit of a traditionalist because…well…holiday meals represent tradition! The first time I saw the Green Bean Casserole recipe with soy sauce as an ingredient, I almost fell out of my chair. But to each her own, I guess.
Here’s a link to the version we use: http://www.frenchs.com/recipe/frenchs-green-bean-casserole-RE1511-1. (Recipe and photo from www.frenchs.com.)
As much as I love my turkey and sweet potatoes, I’ll admit that, for me, many of the holidays are also all about the desserts.
One of my favorite cookies, Peanut Blossoms, has been around forever. There are many ways to make them, but—no surprise—I tend to like the tried-and-true recipes. Here’s one:
https://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/peanut-blossoms/b5de97ec-9e31-4303-8cb7-9484b5e4e86b
(Recipe and photo from www.pillsbury.com.)
And I’ll let you in on a little secret. When you’re ready for some of those cookies, pop them into the microwave or toaster oven just until the chocolate begins to melt. OMGosh!! If you’re a chocoholic (like me), you’ll be writing to thank me! lol
One of my favorite cookies, Peanut Blossoms, has been around forever. There are many ways to make them, but—no surprise—I tend to like the tried-and-true recipes. Here’s one:
https://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/peanut-blossoms/b5de97ec-9e31-4303-8cb7-9484b5e4e86b
(Recipe and photo from www.pillsbury.com.)
And I’ll let you in on a little secret. When you’re ready for some of those cookies, pop them into the microwave or toaster oven just until the chocolate begins to melt. OMGosh!! If you’re a chocoholic (like me), you’ll be writing to thank me! lol
Last year, my husband and I decided we’d get even more of a head start on the holidays. We took our collection of Christmas mugs out of storage to begin using them the day after Thanksgiving. We were just a tiny bit worried we’d be bored with the mugs by December 25th. Instead, exactly the opposite happened. We loved being able to extend our holiday season!
The picture shows just a small part of our collection. For hot chocolate, our favorite mugs are the tall ones, because they hold more whipped cream.
The picture shows just a small part of our collection. For hot chocolate, our favorite mugs are the tall ones, because they hold more whipped cream.
Speaking of Christmas and mugs and chocolate, here’s a quick peek from my brand-new release, Snowbound with Mr. Wrong, involving all of the above:
To Lyssa’s relief, Nick had changed out of his wet jeans and into the fresh pair she had given him. He sat a few feet away in his former “Santa Claus” chair, now stripped of its velvet cover, his bad ankle propped up on a footstool. She wondered what Tommy and Mollie would say if they were to find out he had played Santa.
She poured a mug of chocolate and handed it to Tommy.
Before she would accept her own mug, Mollie insisted on carrying Nick’s across the room to him. Relieved at not having to go near him again, Lyssa gratefully handed his mug over.
“Mmm…this is good.” Tommy licked his lips and grinned. “I like hot chocolate.”
“Me, too,” Lyssa said, smiling back at him. She liked anything chocolate. Her thoughts drifting to the too-tight elf costume, she swallowed a sigh.
As she took a sip of her chocolate, Tommy pushed away the afghan he’d had covering him. With a thud, he set his mug on the wooden floor. “I’m done,” he announced loudly. “We can go home now.”
She couldn’t help herself. She shot Nick a glance. Why, she didn’t know. It wasn’t as if she needed an answer from the man. She already knew what she would have to tell Tommy. There would be no going home tonight.
Nick knew that, despite his false hope that Amber had sent out a rescue party. Judging by the brooding look on Brent’s face, he understood they were stuck here, too. She suspected Mollie also realized the snow would keep them stranded.
The little girl proved it by saying to Tommy, “We can’t go home now.”
“Why not?” he demanded.
“It’s snowing!” Her voice climbed in exasperation.
Already, they were beginning to get on each others’ nerves. How were they going to make it through the night—and, worse, maybe through all of tomorrow, if it came down to that?
Hope you enjoyed the excerpt! You can find the complete Chapter One and links to more info about Snowbound with Mr. Wrong here: http://bit.ly/swmw-pg
And now…
I’m happy to chat! Anyone have a tradition or recipe—old or new—or a holiday story to share?
From the cover of Snowbound with Mr. Wrong:
Worst. Day. Ever. After Lyssa Barnett’s sister tricks her into reprising her role at Snowflake Valley's annual children's party, she doesn’t think anything can be worse than squeezing into her too-small elf costume. Then tall, dark, and way too handsome Nick Tavlock shows up to play Santa…and an unexpected storm leaves them snowbound in the isolated lodge.
The last thing Nick wants is to spend a cozy Christmas Eve with a trio of kids and the woman who dumped him. But as much as Lyssa frustrates him, he can't stop thinking about her. And soon, he's fighting very un-Santa-like thoughts of kissing a certain sexy Miss Elf under the mistletoe. As Nick starts to fall for Lyssa all over again, he knows it will take nothing short of a miracle to have Lyssa in his arms on Christmas Day.
To Lyssa’s relief, Nick had changed out of his wet jeans and into the fresh pair she had given him. He sat a few feet away in his former “Santa Claus” chair, now stripped of its velvet cover, his bad ankle propped up on a footstool. She wondered what Tommy and Mollie would say if they were to find out he had played Santa.
She poured a mug of chocolate and handed it to Tommy.
Before she would accept her own mug, Mollie insisted on carrying Nick’s across the room to him. Relieved at not having to go near him again, Lyssa gratefully handed his mug over.
“Mmm…this is good.” Tommy licked his lips and grinned. “I like hot chocolate.”
“Me, too,” Lyssa said, smiling back at him. She liked anything chocolate. Her thoughts drifting to the too-tight elf costume, she swallowed a sigh.
As she took a sip of her chocolate, Tommy pushed away the afghan he’d had covering him. With a thud, he set his mug on the wooden floor. “I’m done,” he announced loudly. “We can go home now.”
She couldn’t help herself. She shot Nick a glance. Why, she didn’t know. It wasn’t as if she needed an answer from the man. She already knew what she would have to tell Tommy. There would be no going home tonight.
Nick knew that, despite his false hope that Amber had sent out a rescue party. Judging by the brooding look on Brent’s face, he understood they were stuck here, too. She suspected Mollie also realized the snow would keep them stranded.
The little girl proved it by saying to Tommy, “We can’t go home now.”
“Why not?” he demanded.
“It’s snowing!” Her voice climbed in exasperation.
Already, they were beginning to get on each others’ nerves. How were they going to make it through the night—and, worse, maybe through all of tomorrow, if it came down to that?
Hope you enjoyed the excerpt! You can find the complete Chapter One and links to more info about Snowbound with Mr. Wrong here: http://bit.ly/swmw-pg
And now…
I’m happy to chat! Anyone have a tradition or recipe—old or new—or a holiday story to share?
From the cover of Snowbound with Mr. Wrong:
Worst. Day. Ever. After Lyssa Barnett’s sister tricks her into reprising her role at Snowflake Valley's annual children's party, she doesn’t think anything can be worse than squeezing into her too-small elf costume. Then tall, dark, and way too handsome Nick Tavlock shows up to play Santa…and an unexpected storm leaves them snowbound in the isolated lodge.
The last thing Nick wants is to spend a cozy Christmas Eve with a trio of kids and the woman who dumped him. But as much as Lyssa frustrates him, he can't stop thinking about her. And soon, he's fighting very un-Santa-like thoughts of kissing a certain sexy Miss Elf under the mistletoe. As Nick starts to fall for Lyssa all over again, he knows it will take nothing short of a miracle to have Lyssa in his arms on Christmas Day.
About Barbara:
Barbara White Daille lives with her husband in the sunny Southwest. Though they love the warm winters and the lizards in their front yard, they haven’t gotten used to the scorpions in the bathroom. Barbara also loves writing, reading, and chocolate. Come to think of it, she enjoys writing about those subjects, too!
Barbara wrote her first short story at the age of nine, then typed "The End" to her first novel many years later...in the eighth grade. Now she's writing contemporary romance on a daily basis, with a brand-new series from Entangled Bliss (Snowflake Valley), an ongoing series from Harlequin Western Romance (The Hitching Post Hotel), and many more books on the schedule.
Find Barbara online:
Website http://www.barbarawhitedaille.com
Blog http://www.barbarawhitedaille.com/blog
Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Barbara-White-Daille/e/B002J6B0QQ
Entangled http://entangledpublishing.com/category/barbara-white-daille
Harlequin http://www.harlequin.com/author.html?authorid=1244
Goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/529361.Barbara_White_Daille
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/barbarawhitedaille
Twitter https://twitter.com/BarbaraWDaille.
And for insider news and info, sign up for her newsletter! http://www.barbarawhitedaille.com/newsletter
Barbara White Daille lives with her husband in the sunny Southwest. Though they love the warm winters and the lizards in their front yard, they haven’t gotten used to the scorpions in the bathroom. Barbara also loves writing, reading, and chocolate. Come to think of it, she enjoys writing about those subjects, too!
Barbara wrote her first short story at the age of nine, then typed "The End" to her first novel many years later...in the eighth grade. Now she's writing contemporary romance on a daily basis, with a brand-new series from Entangled Bliss (Snowflake Valley), an ongoing series from Harlequin Western Romance (The Hitching Post Hotel), and many more books on the schedule.
Find Barbara online:
Website http://www.barbarawhitedaille.com
Blog http://www.barbarawhitedaille.com/blog
Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Barbara-White-Daille/e/B002J6B0QQ
Entangled http://entangledpublishing.com/category/barbara-white-daille
Harlequin http://www.harlequin.com/author.html?authorid=1244
Goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/529361.Barbara_White_Daille
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/barbarawhitedaille
Twitter https://twitter.com/BarbaraWDaille.
And for insider news and info, sign up for her newsletter! http://www.barbarawhitedaille.com/newsletter
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