Bon Appétit and a Book - Giveaway, Recipes, and Romance with Authors Andrea Laurence & Abby Green

It's winter where I am and cold. Cocoa and comfort food are my staples (I have a mug of cocoa as I'm typing this). When the opportunity arose to have a couple of Harlequin's authors provide some yummy recipes I happily said yes. Now, I'm not much for cooking. I like it simple; the microwave and toaster oven are two of my favorite kitchen appliances. But I enjoy looking at recipes, these look delicious, and I think I'll share the chili recipe with my sisters; they like chili and they actually LIKE to cook. Weirdos. :P

Originally, I thought I'd do a separate post but these two recipes seem like a good combo so I decided to put them into one post. After the recipes, you'll find info on the books and authors, and a giveaway.

Bon Appétit and a Book with Abby Green

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FONSECA'S FURY

A fiery romance novel deserves a flaming cocktail to accompany it and USA Today bestselling author Abby Green’s new tale, FONSECA’S FURY, is no exception. The book has the perfect ingredients for a steamy love story—a Brazilian stud who happens to be a billionaire, a sweet and charitable heroine and a passionate anger that ignites them both. This cocktail is FONSECA’S FURY in liquid form.

The Flaming Fonseca

1 oz. Dark Rum

2 oz. Pineapple Juice

2 oz. Apple Juice

½ oz. Bacardi 151

Gold Cocktail Rim Sugar

Lime

Run a lime along the rim of a highball glass and dip into gold cocktail rim sugar to coat. Pour dark rum, pineapple juice and apple juice into the glass and float Bacardi 151 on top and carefully light the top layer using a long match.

About Abby ~

ABBY GREEN spent her teens reading Mills & Boon romances. She then spent many years working in the Film and TV industry as an Assistant Director. One day while standing outside an actor's trailer in the rain, she thought: there has to be more than this. So she sent off a partial to Harlequin Mills & Boon. After many rewrites, they accepted her first book and an author was born. She lives in Dublin, Ireland and you can find out more here: www.abby-green.com

It's hot in the jungle…

The last time Luca Fonseca saw Serena DePiero, he ended up in a jail cell. The Brazilian billionaire has since clawed back his reputation, but he's never forgotten her. So when Luca discovers Serena's working for his charity, his anger reignites!

Serena has changed. Finally in control of her life, she refuses to let Luca intimidate her. She'll deal with whatever her new boss throws at her—from a rain-forest trek to the social jungle of Rio! But she can't handle the passion that flares hotter than Luca's fury.

Especially when it threatens to consume them both!

Publisher: Harlequin
Series: Billionaire Brothers #1
Format: Hardcover, paperback, ebook
Release Date: January 9, 2014

Buying Links:  Amazon* | Book Depository* | ARe* | Barnes & Noble 

* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

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Bon Appétit and a Book with Andrea Laurence

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SNOWED IN WITH HER EX

In my January book, SNOWED IN WITH HER EX, Ian and Bree are trapped together in a mountain cabin during a sudden and unexpected winter storm. They have plenty of food in the pantry, but neither of them are particularly good cooks. Their first night together, they go with the classic cold day combo – grilled cheese and soup. Now, while Ian and Bree eat canned tomato soup they find in the pantry, I thought I would share one of my favorite soup recipes here instead. It actually falls into the chili category, but still a warm and satisfying meal for those chilly nights. 

White Chicken Chili

1 medium onion, chopped

1 T olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced or 1 T minced garlic in a jar

3 C water

1 tsp salt

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp ground pepper

1 tsp ground oregano

4 cans (15 oz) great northern beans, rinsed and drained

1 can (14.5 oz) chicken broth

2 cans (14 oz) white corn

2 cans (4.5 oz) green chilies, chopped (I get mild, but if you like it spicy, you can buy medium or hot)

4 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

3 T lime juice

Garnishes – lime wedges, sour cream, shredded cheese, corn chips, etc.

Sauté onion in olive oil in a large stock pot or Dutch oven over medium high heat 7 minutes; add garlic, and sauté 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in 3 cups of water and next 5 ingredients.

Place two cans of beans in a food processor; add broth and process until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides. Stir bean puree, remaining 2 cans of beans, corn and chilies into mixture in the Dutch oven.

Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Add cooked, shredded chicken. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring often, for 20 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Stir in lime juice just before serving.

The chili is solidly spicy even with the mild chiles, so make sure to have some good chips or cornbread muffins to serve with it. I also like to tame the heat with cheese and some sour cream on top. To save time, sometimes I buy a rotisserie chicken at the store or even 2 large cans of white chicken breast meat. If you can’t find the exact same sizes of cans at your grocery store, no worries. Grab the closest you can find. It’s chili – it’s pretty hard to screw up. It also freezes well, so make a big batch and save some for later!

About Andrea ~

ANDREA LAURENCE has been devouring books since she learned to read at the age of 3. An old portable typewriter got her started writing in her room at 8 and she's been writing ever since. Her practical nature led her to pursue a master's degree and a career that would pay the bills, but the writing bug continued to bite. She started working ferociously in her spare time to become a published author and has become an active member of her local RWA chapter, Heart of Dixie. After eight years and 11 completed manuscripts, she finally made the leap and got "the call" from Harlequin Desire on May 31, 2011.

A dedicated West Coast girl transplanted into the Deep South, Andrea is working on her real-life "happily ever after" with her boyfriend of 10 years and their collection of animals including two cats, two mutts and a Siberian husky that sheds like nobody's business.

Trapped in a cabin with the man who makes her want what she shouldn't have…

Wedding photographer Briana Harper never expected to run into her ex at an engagement shoot! And when a blizzard strands them…alone…in a remote mountain cabin, she knows she's in trouble. She's never forgotten Ian Lawson, but none of the reasons they broke up have changed. He's still a workaholic. And now he's an engaged workaholic!

But Ian is also still a man who knows what he wants. And what he wants is Briana. Untangling the lies of his current engagement leaves him free to…indulge. Yet proving he's changed may be this music mogul's toughest negotiation yet.

Publisher: Harlequin
Series: Brides and Belles #1 
Format: Hardcover, paperback, ebook
Release Date: January 6, 2014

Buying Links:  Amazon* | Book Depository* | ARe* | Barnes & Noble 

* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

I have a paperback copy of Fonseca's Fury and of Snowed In with Her Ex to give away to one lucky US reader. Please read my Giveaway Policy. No purchase necessary. VOID where prohibited. 

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