Karen’s Killer Fixin’s **AUTHOR SPECIAL** with KERRI ANN!
Welcome to my Friday bonus feature called Karen’s Killer Fixin’s **Author Special**!! Today, in lieu of one of my own recipes, I’m going to introduce you to a new author who will share one of her favorite recipes. Not only will you and I occasionally learn how to make something new and delicious, but we’ll get a chance to check out some wonderful authors. Introducing author, KERRI ANN, and her favorite recipe for CABBAGE ROLLS!
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LAST BREATH
Romantic Suspense
BY KERRI ANN
Blurb
Craving life. Craving love. Joy’s broken soul and her future has been tied to the harsh reality of an obligation to a malicious grandmother. When two men arrive on her doorstep looking for a place to stay, she finds herself intrigued by their appearance.
Knocking on her door covered in blood, seeping danger and death from a quirky smile, Malachi didn’t frighten her. He excited her. His imperfections a needy release from the monotony of everyday rule. His devilish darkness called her to follow him anywhere, until she found out he was not alone.
Hand carved by the devil himself, Salem’s angelic beauty is a deep contrast to that of the broken man that Malachi is. Together they led a tortured life, riddled with death and destruction, leaving a wake of bodies wherever they went.
Who is the danger? The woman needing freedom, or the men who are free of morals?
REVIEWS
- “I loved the darkly woven explosive tale that I won’t soon forget!! The hypnotic MMF thrill-ride made my heart-pound and my eyes widen continuously throughout the story. I couldn’t get enough of any of it!!” Erika, Book Haven Book Blog
- “Last Breath by Kerri Ann is a M/M and M/M/A contemporary romance book that has you shocked from the very first pages till the very last.” Alicia
- “This is one of those books that will stay with me for a long time. I seriously could not have seen the way the story was going to go. The twists and turns had me wishing I could read faster.” Philomena
- “The twists & turns were everywhere, so I never saw how this one was going to pan out, which just left me dropping f-bombs right & left. I’m a HUGE fan of the brilliant Kerri Ann already, but seriously? She just raised her own bar of excellence sky high, as this read was very original, and I haven’t read anything like it before.” The Power of Three Readers
About Author Kerri Ann...
Mother of two insanely (well trained) sarcastic men, wife to a dangerously smolder inducing grumble bunny (my fireman), and one of the Three Biotches Professional Margarita Drinking team. Living in Northern Ontario (that place with white stuff), in Canada, by day I can be found biking the trails, snowboarding the hills or paddling on the lake. I work (dayslavery) to annoy customers and coworkers alike, putting a smile or an annoyed sneer on the face of all that I cross. I make sure that my husband has reasons to grow further grey hairs, many more wrinkles, and an opportunity to find the last drop in the bottom of many a drink. I can’t turn down Marvel movies, I love drag racing, loud fueled cars, Starbucks coffee is my nemesis and without it I’d be a raging jerk all day, Football (the UK kind), motocross, knitting — non professional sport of course — and I can get a mean swing-on in a hammock with a Margarita in hand.
Like you, my love of reading came from one simple book. Do I remember what it was, no, but it started me on a path that I’m so glad I’ve travelled. Everyday I find new reasons to write twisted, mind warped stories that take you on fantastical rides. The men and women that grace the pages are possibly someone I’ve seen in real life at a ballgame, on a subway or merely in the coffee line. Be careful because your antics can become something I write about.
I’ll say that it took a few years to find my groove, but I know now that torturing my characters is some of the greatest joys I’ve had in years. Love and loss can be equally heart wrenching and my stories reflect that. In the pages you can hope for the good guy to win, but it won’t always happen and I won’t promise that, because life doesn’t always have a guaranteed HEA (happily ever after) or HFN (happy for now). Not all love is clean, there is darkness, there is hope, and those little moments where we find our HFN or HEA is where the light skips across our heart to make it beat just that tiny bit faster.
So as you flip the pages in my books, enjoy the OMG’s and tears as you tear your hair out, toss a book or two, because I want you to feel their pain as if it were your own. As they live it, absorb it on the pages. Thank you for reading, thanks for being a friend, and I look forward to meeting you in the future for drinks, danger and laughs.
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Links to Kerri’s website, blog, books, #ad etc.:
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3gTlbTs
Facebook:
https://m.facebook.com/loveanddreams
I hope you enjoy the recipe Kerri is sharing today on Karen’s Killer Fixin’s. Happy Eating!
Karen
P.S. We’re at 532 recipes and counting with this posting. Hope you find some recipes you like. If this is your first visit, please check out past blogs for more Killer Fixin’s. In the right-hand column menu, you can even look up past recipes by type. i.e. Desserts, Breads, Beef, Chicken, Soups, Author Specials, etc.
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CABBAGE ROLLS
HOW DO YOU MAKE STUFFED CABBAGE ROLLS?
The first step is to make your filling. The filling is a combination of ground beef, cooked rice, onions, garlic, egg and seasonings. Everything gets mixed together to form the base of your dish.
- You’ll need to cut thick part of the cabbage leaves away before you start rolling them up. I’ve found it’s easiest to take a paring knife and cut a V-shape out of the bottom of each leaf to remove the tough rib.
- Place the cabbage rolls seam side down in the baking dish.
- The homemade tomato sauce does contain brown sugar and vinegar, as cabbage rolls are traditionally baked in sweet and sour style sauce. If you don’t want to use brown sugar, you can omit it, but the flavor won’t be as authentic.
- Cabbage rolls can be assembled and stored covered in the fridge for up to 8 hours before you plan to bake them.
You’ll want to plan on baking your cabbage for a minimum of one hour. The cabbage should be tender and the meat cooked all the way through. I typically start checking at the hour mark, but have found that sometimes it can take as long as 1 hour 30 minutes for cabbage rolls to be ready.
For the tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup onion finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon garlic minced
- 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes do not drain
- 15 ounce can tomato sauce
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
For the cabbage rolls
- 1 pound ground beef I use 90% lean
- 1 cup cooked rice
- 1/2 cup onion finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves chopped, divided use
- 1 egg
- 1 head cabbage
- cooking spray
INSTRUCTIONS
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For the tomato sauce: Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 4-5 minutes or until translucent.
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Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, salt and pepper to the pot.
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Stir in the brown sugar and red wine vinegar. Bring to a simmer.
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Cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
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While the sauce is simmering, assemble the cabbage rolls. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
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Immerse the cabbage head in the boiling water. Cook for 3-5 minutes or until cabbage leaves are pliable. Peel 12 large leaves off the cabbage.
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Place the ground beef, rice, onion, garlic, salt, pepper, 2 tablespoons of parsley and egg in a bowl. Add 1/2 cup of the tomato sauce to the bowl. Stir to combine.
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Lay each cabbage leaf on a flat surface. Use a small knife to cut a V-shaped notch to remove the thick part of the cabbage rib.
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Shape 1/3 of a cup of the meat mixture into a log shape and place in the center of a cabbage leaf. Roll the cabbage leaf around the meat mixture. Repeat with remaining meat and cabbage leaves.
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
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Coat a 9″x13″ pan with cooking spray. Place 1/2 of the tomato sauce in the bottom of the baking dish. Place the cabbage rolls, seam side down, in the dish. Top with remaining sauce.
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Cover with foil. Bake for 60-90 minutes or until cabbage is tender and meat is cooked through.
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Sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons of parsley, then serve.
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Special Giveaway: Kerri is giving away an ebook copy of LAST BREATH to two lucky readers who comment on her Karen’s Killer Fixin’s blog. Happy Reading!
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Thanks, Kerri, for sharing your story with us!
Don’t miss the chance to read this book!
tasty recipe
The recipe looks great.
Love the cover
Alrighty, then! Got my attention!
After reading your introduction, I get an inkling why you write as you do…
Love cabbage rolls…your recipe sounds quite tasty.
Thanks, Karen and Kerri Ann.
Good morning, Kerri, and welcome to Karen’s Killer Book Bench. Your book premise is intriguing. Sometimes, a dark story is right up my alley. Can’t wait to read it. Thanks for sharing your book with us today!
The recipe looks yummy!! Your book sounds intriguing but not my cup of tea.
My mother used to make cabbage rolls, and your recipe looks similar. Can’t wait to try it, and to check out your new book!