Karen’s Killer Fixin’s **AUTHOR SPECIAL** with LEEANN BETTS ETAL!

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 authors, RL ASHLY, LEEANN BETTS, TONI SHILOH, and DAVALYNN SPENCER, and DAVALYNN’S favorite recipe for BACON-WRAPPED WATER CHESTNUTS!

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ALWAYS A WEDDING PLANNER
4-in-1 Romance Collection
BY RL ASHLY
LEEANN BETTS
TONI SHILOH
DAVALYNN SPENCER

Blurb

Love Is Only Business for 4 Wedding Planners

Discover how keeping secrets from each other threatens four women’s friendships, wedding business, and own ability to find love in Loveland, Colorado.

Business partners Felicity Anderson, the cake baker; Kiki Bell, the seamstress; Cassie Blackthorn, the coordinator; and Chef Saffron Fare are best of friends in a town that is a romantic wedding destination for many couples—who work together at Weddings by Design to make every bride’s special day perfect. Could each falling into their own romance be the key to working out their differences and learning to trust each other—and God—with their futures?

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2Rl5hHf
Amazon Paperback: https://amzn.to/3wWsfDO
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ALWAYS A WEDDING PLANNER
4-in-1 Romance Collection
BY RL ASHLY
LEEANN BETTS
TONI SHILOH
DAVALYNN SPENCER

Food for Thought

Toni Shiloh:

When I was first presented with the opportunity to join the Always a Wedding Planner collection, I immediately jumped at the chance to have a character who was a wedding cake baker because . . . cakes! Although I have no experience baking on that level, I do love to bake. So, I delved into the world of cake baking and pinned way more cakes than was necessary on my Pinterest board for inspiration.

RL Ashly:

Hemmed In is not a story with mouthwatering recipes and drool worthy descriptions. However, Bing Kelley, the firefighter, is an inventive cook. He creates a mean grilled cheese with a kitchen torch. He specializes in fire after all. It takes a lot of talent to open a bag of chips and pass out bananas. His culinary specialty—prepared sandwiches from the deli.

Kiki Bell, the leading lady, knows her way around the kitchen and is content to leave the gourmet stuff to her colleagues Felicity and Ronnie. It is not beyond her on those incredibly busy mom days to pop a frozen pizza in the oven.

During Kiki and Bing’s first lunch, his aunt prepares a delicious soup. Bing and Kiki share a pitcher of lemonade.  But one must read the story to discover how that turns out.

A full tummy is important, but who wants to spend hours in the kitchen when there are projects to stitch, fabric to stash, and sewing machines to drool over?

Leeann Betts:

Cassie, like me, doesn’t cook. At least, not unless forced to. Dining out is her go-to. She likes most food, but prefers steak, French fries, and dessert. Veggies are a nice addition, such as asparagus, brussels sprouts, and her personal fave (and mine), corn.

The good news is that Brady cooks a mean steak over the charcoal, and also prefers dessert and anything fried.

Coffee is at the core of most of Cassie and Brady’s discussions, and it is while she’s in search of a late-date pick-me-up, that she observes Brady in a most unusual circumstance. No spoilers here—you must read the story for the rest.

Davalynn Spencer:

Food had always been more than mere sustenance to chef Saffron “Ronnie” Fare. Her grandmother and mother had taught her that presentation and preparation were equally important. All the senses should be pleasantly affected by a meal, appetizer, dessert, or beverage. Well, all except maybe hearing, unless one included the oohs and aahs of wedding guests enjoying skillfully prepared delectables.

However, Ronnie’s favorite thing to make was cinnamon rolls – something rarely if ever requested by a bride or groom. But she had no problem coming up with variations for her newly acquired cowboy handyman, Ty Ellicott, who fairly drooled over anything she offered him. She kept a close eye on him as her unofficial taste-tester because her eyes and hearing were about all that worked like they were supposed to.

Ty, a long-time bachelor by choice knew more about cattle and nylon ropes than anything else, but he also knew a thing or three about barbecuing. His solitary way of life left him most often with a microwaved store-bought burrito for dinner, but on occasion, he’d fire up the grill and demonstrate what could be deliciously done with a choice beef steak.

Karen

P.S. We’re at 533 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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Note from Davalynn: I first tasted bacon-wrapped water chestnuts at a Christmas-party potluck. They were prepared by my friend Hidemi Sakamoto, the Executive Chef who served as one of my story advisors. Below is his strategy for making this delicious hors d’oeuvre of which I ate way too many!

Bacon-Wrapped Water Chestnuts

2 cans whole water chestnuts, drained
1 pound bacon, thick slice
Brown sugar

Cut the bacon strips in half. Wrap one half around a water chestnut and skewer it with a toothpick to keep it in place. The bacon will be wider than the chestnut, so it creates a pocket into which you spoon brown sugar and pack securely. (Pack in as much as you can, Hidemi says!) Repeat with all the chestnuts, then place them onto a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 375-degree oven until the bacon is cooked (approx. 20”).

Let them cool slightly so any caramelized sugar on the foil will lift off with the wrapped chestnut. Serve warm.

WARNING: There will be no leftovers. 😊

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Thanks, RL, Leeann, Toni & Davalynn for sharing your stories & recipe with us!

Don’t miss the chance to read this book!