Karen’s Killer Fixin’s **AUTHOR SPECIAL**
with ANNIE ACORN!

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, Annie Acorn, and her three favorite recipes for BAJA CHICKEN, GRILLED ASPARAGUS, and CARAMELIZED BANANAS OVER ICE CREAM, a full Valentine’s Day Dinner!

 ANNIE ACORN’S 2015 VALENTINE’S DAY TREASURY
Anthology Collection
BY ANNIE ACORN

Blurb

Where can you find all the chocolates, flowers, love, and romance of Valentine’s Day? Where do first kisses, lifetime commitments, and second chances fill us with joy? Where do the things that matter take precedence over everyday concerns? Within the carefully crafted stories gathered for your enjoyment in Annie Acorn’s 2015 Valentine’s Day Treasury, a romance-filled, Valentine’s Day anthology!

With their words, members of From Women’s Pens, a cooperative of award-winning contemporary women writers, have brought together a unique collection of novelettes and short stories that embody the romantic spirit of Valentine’s Day and are sure to please everyone.

Prepare to laugh, cry, and be surprised by this love-filled treasure. Annie Acorn’s 2015 Valentine’s Day Treasury is sure to become a classic that you’ll want to revisit each new Valentine’s Day as it arrives.

Annie Acorn’s 2015 Valentine’s Day Treasury Includes:

A Valentine’s Surprise by Charlotte Kent
A Taste of Love by Juliette Hill
A Prince for Valentine’s by Merrie Housdon
A Rose by Any Other Name by Angel Nichols
A Valentine’s Day to Remember by Susan Jean Ricci
At the End of the Day by Peggy Teel
Valentine Goodbye by Annie Acorn

Link to the From Women’s Pens page on annieacornpublishing.com:
http://annieacornpublishing.com/from-womens-pens

About the authors…Annie Acorn & Charlotte Kent.

ANNIE ACORN is the pseudonym of a prolific, internationally beloved author, whose readership recognizes her mainly for her women’s fiction, cozy mysteries and richly woven stories with a warm southern flair, such as Chocolate Can Kill and her Luna Lake Cabins romantic women’s fiction series. She writes her romantic women’s fiction/family saga Captain’s Point Stories series as Charlotte Kent. She is a founding member of From Women’s Pens – A Cooperative of Women Writers.

Annie is the mother of two sons. She lives in the Washington, D.C. area, where she has done extensive technical writing as a contractor.

She owned a tri-state medical outsourcing business for a number of years and was the Director of a behavioral healthcare firm. She once flipped a comic book and collectible retail company comprised of five stores, and she has managed cemeteries and funeral homes. She is the owner of Annie Acorn Publishing, LLC.

Ms. Acorn has published in The Inspirational Writer, and she edited an in-house publication for the State of Mississippi. She is a contributor of ezine articles.

In her spare time, Ms. Acorn enjoys reading, writing mysteries and romantic women’s fiction, listening to classical music, playing cards, and spending time with her family and friends – often at a restaurant serving delicious food.

Annie is the author of the blog at annieacorn.com. You can friend her on Facebook and tweet her at @Annie_Acorn. She will respond to your email sent to annieacorn11@gmail.com.

CHARLOTTE KENT is the pseudonym used by authors Annie Acorn and Juliette Hill when writing their collaborative, romantic women’s fiction, family saga, Captain’s Point series, which is set on the eastern shore of Maryland. You can tweet to them as Charlotte Kent at @CharlotteKent20.

Links to Annies’s website, blog, books, etc.

Websites:

http://annieacornpublishing.com/
http://annieacorn.com/

As Charlotte Kent:

A Clue for Adrianna: http://amzn.to/1aWTgGL
A Man for Susan: http://amzn.to/1d3Rc4E
Love’s Journey: http://amzn.to/18T4JWa
Love’s Surprise: http://amzn.to/1pw83CS
One Sweet Christmas: http://amzn.to/1y5ffJp
A Magic Cup of Christmas Tea: http://amzn.to/1zBNlFF

As Annie Acorn:

Annie Acorn’s 2015 Valentine’s Day Treasury: http://amzn.to/1CWxaCF
Chocolate Can Kill: http://amzn.to/GUp7Ph
Murder With My Darling: http://amzn.to/1gSdFBz
Love’s Third Chance: http://amzn.to/1ih6HbZ
Love’s Plan: http://amzn.to/1ymA2aa

A Tired Older Woman Loses Weight and Keeps It Off:
http://amzn.to/19YP4I4

The Magic Sand Dollar: http://amzn.to/11xYt4k

Link to the From Women’s Pens page on annieacornpublishing.com:
http://annieacornpublishing.com/from-womens-pens

I hope you enjoy the recipe Annie is sharing with us today on Karen’s Killer Fixin’s. Happy eating!

Karen

P.S. We’re at 185 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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VALENTINE’S DAY DINNER MENU

Baja Chicken
Grilled Asparagus
Caramelized Bananas over Ice Cream

Years ago, when Son#2 was a student at Auburn University, I would receive a call from him each year during the week before Valentine’s Day.

“I need the recipes again, Mom,” he would say. “I remember putting them in a safe place last year, and now I can’t remember where I left them.”

I knew exactly which ones he meant. With only a few ingredients each, these dishes still carried with them a gourmet flair that was guaranteed to enable a fledgling chef to impress a girlfriend. Hopefully, you will find them just as useful as he did.

Annie Acorn

 Baja Chicken

6 boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1” chunks
2 cloves garlic, crushed
4 T. olive oil
4 T. tarragon vinegar
2/3 C. dry sherry
4 cups orzo pasta, cooked

Wash chicken breasts and cut into cubes.

Heat water in large pot and prepare orzo as chicken is cooking in a non-stick skillet. Drain pasta.

In 11” non-stick skillet, heat oil and sauté garlic to warm, being careful not to burn. Add vinegar and chicken. Stir occasionally, flipping chunks, until chicken is cooked through.

Add sherry. Stir to coat chicken with sauce, and then add cooked pasta. Stir to mix.

Remove from heat, and allow pasta to soak up juices for one minute. Serve with a sprinkle of chopped parsley for color.

Alternative: Serve chicken and other ingredients over the orzo without mixing. Sprinkle with parsley.

Grilled Asparagus

1 bunch tender, young asparagus
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and pepper
1 cup fresh-grated, real Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Prepare asparagus by snapping or cutting off the tough bottom section of each stem. Rinse thoroughly to cleanse, dry, and arrange side by side on a jelly roll cookie sheet (one with a lip all around).

Drizzle olive oil lightly over asparagus and toss to coat, then again arrange side by side in a row. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then grill in a hot, 450 degree oven for 2 minutes.

Remove from oven and turn stems to brown evenly. Return to oven for another 2 minutes.

Remove and sprinkle grated cheese over stems. Return to oven for 1 minute to melt and toast cheese.

Serve warm.

Caramelized Bananas over Ice Cream

1 large, ripe but not mushy banana per person.
1 Tablespoon butter or margarine per banana
1 Tablespoon dark brown sugar per banana
½ teas ground cinnamon
1 Tablespoon sesame seeds, if available
French Vanilla ice cream

Peel and cut bananas into ½” thick coins.

In a non-stick skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add brown sugar and cinnamon. Stir to mix. Add banana coins and sesame seeds, stirring until heated through – 1 minute.

Remove from heat and serve warm over French Vanilla ice cream.

Note: No one will complain if you add an extra banana or two for the pot. 🙂