Jun 17, 2025 | 2025, Blog, June 2025, Tina de Salvo
Treasured by Tina DeSalvo has crafted a story that will capture your heart, fill your soul, and take you on a wild adventure through the swamps of Louisiana. There is nothing more magical than an author who builds a world that allows a reader to be transported for however long they wish to stay and know that when they return…their adventure will be satisfying and memorable.
Brinkley Taylor is still navigating through the recent loss of her parents and settling their estate which includes the family business. If she can find a way to sort out the details and decipher the piles of paperwork, she might be able to salvage her family legacy. When a family heirloom suddenly reappears, Brinkley sets out to plan an adventure of a lifetime with her besties for their annual trip. Afterall, it’s her turn to organize and a few days away is the first step in moving forward.
I love a story that is centered around family and friends who are there to support and lift you up no matter what life throws at you. While it’s been months since her parents passed away Brinkley is still navigating her new normal and through it all, Mavis and Andi have been by her side. There will always be unexpected obstacles and forks in the road as we journey through life. All the more reason to appreciate the stops along the way. The best adventures begin when trust our instincts, are surrounded with great company, and laugh…a lot. Not everyone can read a map and in this grand adventure…that will be the key to unlocking a family secret that was decades in the making.
It’s time to pack your bags as we travel south to somewhere near Cane, Louisiana. A place that is rich in history with whispers of pirates, local cuisine to leave readers salivating from all the delicacies, a treasure hunt, and one octogenarian named Tante Izzy. I hope I have the chance to take a great adventure and am lucky to find a guide as skilled as Diez to help.
This sinfully sweet read has characters have expressed their feelings as they begin to explore a physical connection which many include kissing and sexual touching. There is plenty of sexual tension on the page and the bedroom door is open.
The intimacy between characters is warm, sensual, and inviting but will fade-to-black leaving the details off the page. The reader can confirm the characters have taken their exploration to the next level and are now connecting in a more intimate nature. In some books you will find a little extra drama that might be paired with a third act break-up which hopefully leads to a reunion sprinkled with a little romance of some kind before the story ends.
I received an advance copy from the author for an honest and fair review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Books I Love A Latte participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchase. If you click on the link and purchase the featured book and/or anything else during that shopping session, Books I Love A Latte will receive a small percentage between 2-6%. Any profit earned from this transaction is given directly back to readers via giveaways (gift cards, books, etc.)
Thank you in advance for your continued support.
Tina DeSalvo believes in Second Chances, Happy Endings, and the Magic of Laughter—both in life (she’s a breast cancer survivor) and in books! Growing up in New Orleans and now calling Cajun Country home, her Second Chance Novel series- Elli, Jewell, Abby, Hunt for Christmas, Out-lanta, Rachel and coming (real soon) Treasured– is completely authentic with its Southern charm, quirky characters, fast-paced adventure, mystery intrigues and smile-worthy romance!
Her sense of adventure (and possibly poor navigation skills) led her to the Sierra Nevada for her Historic Romance, The Bluff, featured in The Haunted West Vol. 1, where she joined NYT Bestselling Authors Kat Martin, Heather Graham, and Diana Gabaldon.
Before writing fiction, Tina was a sportscaster and journalist—so she knows all about chasing a good story! When not writing, Tina is happily chatting with readers, hosting Breast Cancer fundraisers or hunting for the perfect bowl of gluten-free gumbo.
Find her at tinadesalvo.com, Facebook & Instagram.
Nov 11, 2019 | Authors Dish, Blog, November 2019, Tina de Salvo
Welcome newbies and seasoned readers to Authors Dish. With only three and a half weeks until Thanksgiving, Authors are dishin’ their favorites.
I am grateful for readers, authors, and everyone who make it possible to sink into my cozy chair and enjoy a new book adventure each and every day.
It’s time to find out what inspires your favorite Authors and discover how they enjoy the holidays, prepare their homes, set their tables and give thanks to those important in their lives.
Whether you’re celebrating at home or traveling far away, enjoy every minute of the season. We’d love to know how you enjoy your holidays, tell us below!
Stay tuned over the next few weeks as we plan to share plenty of reasons to be thankful so be sure to check the blog often. Wanna dish? Drop me a message.
Today in the cafe is Author Tina DeSalvo.
Tina DeSalvo
1. What is your favorite Thanksgiving tradition: There’s so many!! It’s hard to pick a “favorite” tradition when there are so many things that we do year after year that are part of the delightful whole. When I close my eyes and think of them all, I see snippets of what gives me the greatest joy. I’ll share a few- Having my husband’s warm fingers wrap around my hand when the family gathers around the table for grace and to share what we are grateful for. Seeing the shinning eyes of my grandchildren and their uninhibited smiles on their beautiful faces when I sneak them a taste of desert before dinner is served. The relaxed and happy expressions on the faces of all the generations as the one-on-one or small group conversations ate fully underway in the living room and kitchen. Yes, the gumbo and pecan pies are served every year… but the tiny moments is what makes Holidays memorable.
2. How do you decorate your table and home? I keep things simple. I fill my home with fresh flowers and arrangements with pumpkins. I also have Glass and ceramic pumpkins placed around.
3. My favorite hostess gift is… Edibles. Something homemade and placed in a pretty dish to leave behind.
4. It’s time to pack up the leftovers, what do you do with all the food? Share it, use it for other yummy dishes or toss it?
OH NO! We never toss it. We share it with everyone there ore make plates to deliver to family and friends who were unable to join us or may be home ill. My mother-in-law likes to make Turkey Gumbo with the leftovers too. Yum!
5. Black Friday shopping – on line fun, up early with a cup of java and a long list, or last minute shopper and don’t care about the sales? I care about the sales, but I’ve been in the chaos on Black Friday and am not a fan. I over buy, race around for things I got excited about in the frenzy of the moment. Then I have a heated basketball goal or perfume that smells like beer or some such craziness with no one to gift it to. Lol. I admire those who really make it a family or friend event!
6. I am thankful for…Love. Life. Family. Friends. Readers.
I’m so grateful for each of these things and people that make up the whole of my incredibly blessed life.
And, I’m thankful that I can include you, Rae, as my friend. Thank you for inviting me into your “Books I Love a Latte” world. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your Family. And Happy Thanksgiving to everyone Reading this and your families too.
Bio: Tina DeSalvo, is a fresh, humorous voice in romance. She brings her knowledge and passion for the culture and people of Cajun Country (where she lives) and New Orleans (where she grew up) to her Second Chance Novel series (and adds a bit of mystery to it too)- Elli, Jewell, Abby, Hunt for Christmas,Out-lanta and Rachel. Other books byTina include Christmas at the Inn on Cloud Hill and The Bluff, a short story inThe Haunted West anthology. She loves to write, but she especially loves spending time with readers. Learn more about Tina at tinadesalvo.com
Check out Tina DeSalvo’s backlist and while your feast is cooking, dive into a book adventure!
Click on the link here for fun and FREE printables to keep you organized this fall season.
May 13, 2019 | Blog, May 2019, The Extra Shot, Tina de Salvo
Welcome to The Extra Shot where you’ll find an EXCLUSIVE scene from Rachel: A Second Chance Novella by Tina DeSalvo.
One-click your copy now and get ready for a new book adventure. Find your copy on Amazon.
Books I Love A Latte participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. If you click on the link and purchase the featured book and/or anything else during that shopping session, Books I Love A Latte will receive a small percentage between 2-6%. Any profit earned from this transaction is given directly back to readers via giveaways (gift cards, books, etc.) Thank you in advance.
Thank you in advance for your continued support
She stared at the man the ladies thought was Norman. He tapped the table with his straight, long fingers and the dealer dealt him a card, then another. This man seemed taller, broader, more muscular than the boy she remembered—the boy who had kissed her senseless in the sugarcane fields near Sugar Mill Plantation just two days before he left town.
But, dear Lord, it is him…maybe.
Her body sure seemed to think it was. No one had ever made her pulse race or her flesh heat like Dante Landry. Maybe it was just her body reacting to the possibility that it was the guy she’d thought she was in love with fifteen years ago.
Regardless of who this man was, she appreciated his flexing biceps as he picked up his cards. This man obviously worked out. A lot. That was something she admired, being a gym junkie herself. The Vacherie Sheriff’s office had an excellent gym for its employees. As a 911 operator, she had access to the facility. Had he gotten that body at the prison gym?
Really, Rachel. This man can’t possibly be Dante.
“You ladies are delusional,” Ruby said, trying to return logic to the group. “Norman didn’t dye his hair black. That’s ridiculous. He must be wearing a wig.”
“A wig?” Rachel laughed. Her mother was buying into the fantasy that this man was the long-retired sheriff’s deputy of Vacherie parish.
“I’m hungry,” Louise said, not following the conversation she couldn’t hear. “Let’s eat Mexican.”
“I don’t like Mexican food,” Thelma said, frowning. “I want soup. I’ve got to keep my girly figure for da weddin’ night.”
“Your girly figure iz long gone, Thelma,” Tante Izzy said, pointing toward her friend’s feet. “So are youz ankles.”
“Tante Izzy!” Ruby, always the manner-police, shook her head. “Be nice.”
Rachel looked toward the blackjack table again. Yeah, there was definitely something familiar about this man, but…
“Oh my God.” Did she just see the man that might be Dante Landry scratch his ankle and pull a card out from under his pant leg? “Oh my God. He just cheated.”
Ruby grabbed her arm. “Who Norman?”
“Yes, the man she thinks is Norman.” Rachel engaged camera on her phone and started to video him. “Look. Look. He’s doing it again.”
** Giveaway now closed **
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Contest runs 5/13/19 – 5/27/19 at 11:59 PM
Three winners will be randomly selected.
Be sure to follow Tina DeSalvo on all social media platforms and Books I Love A Latte for more giveaways and fun!
Winner will be randomly selected and will be contacted. If winner doesn’t claim prize within 24 hours a new winner will be drawn.
** For all giveaway rules read here.
GIVEAWAY CLOSED
Tina DeSalvo, a fresh, humorous voice in romance, brings her knowledge and passion for the culture, traditions and people of Cajun Country (where she lives) and New Orleans (where she grew up) to her Second Chance Novel series-Elli, Jewell and Abby. Tina is also a journalist who spent her career in television news and as one of the first female sports broadcasters in Louisiana. A Breast Cancer Survivor, Tina donates her proceeds from Elli to help individuals fight the disease. She loves to write, but she especially loves spending time with readers…sharing laughs, tears and hugs. Learn more about Tina at tinadesalvo.com
Stay connected with Rae Latte and Books I Love A Latte for Book Reviews, Excerpts, Teasers, Coffee With (Interviews), Giveaways, Authors Dish, Book Sales, and other Tasty Tidbits.
May 12, 2017 | Blog, May 2017, Tina de Salvo
Out-lanta by Tina DeSalvo is southern perfection with a floral bouquet and a dash of spice! A must read addition to your e-reader! Grab your favorite cocktail or glass tumbler filled with your drink of choice. Then settle in for a roadtrip from Atlanta to Cane, Louisiana!
I’ve been to Atlanta and New Orleans and there is something majestic about the plantations, food, and culture. When you add a Polish bride on the run and new friends, this story is the escape right before the weekend. I loved reading Gone With the Wind with the southern vibe and rich history. When I read this, I felt immersed into a world of blended culture, rich tradition and loyalty. While I can’t jet off to either city at the moment, this book is the next best thing!
Our hero Luck Marcelle is in for the ride of his life when he encounters Ania Darska, she’s on the run and he needs to figure out why. Luke’s world will never be the same and that means this story delivers in spades! Tina’s attention to the little nuances and details of Ania, Izzy, and Ruby, beloved characters, is a emersion of wit, charm, sass and a little spice ;)!
A two peppers spicy latte hot delight with the perfect amount of sizzle to make you tingle. Oh, and yes, it’s for mature readers 18+. 
I received this ARC for a fair and honest review. Don’t wait to download your copy, it’s at a one-click price of $0.99!
Excerpt:
Chapter One
“Okay ladies, I’m all yours,” Luke Marcelle said as he climbed into his sleek, deep red BMW M3 convertible. He’d left the Jeep he used for work back home in Louisiana, choosing to make the road trip to Atlanta in what he called his recreational vehicle. Luke put his Nikon digital camera into his backpack on the center console between the front seats. He turned to look at his passengers in the back seat. “I got my photos from the beautiful Swan House and boxwood gardens for work. I’m finished here at the Atlanta History Center. The rest of the afternoon is for your pleasure.”
“And we are here for youz pleasure, too,” eighty-eight-year-old Izzy Bienvenu said from the back seat where she sat under an enormous floppy straw hat to the right of her fifty-something year old niece, Ruby. Both women were from Cane, Louisiana where Luke had moved his business a few years ago. “It’s nice we’ze all happened to be in Atlanta at da same time. We’ze are ready to party wit you and take youz mind off of work.”
Tanté Izzy and Ruby looked like they were ready for a NFL Sunday game in the Superdome rather than ‘partying’ in the springtime with him. Luke appreciated their team loyalty and got a chuckle seeing them in their bedazzled black and gold New Orleans Saints t-shirts and huge black, sunglasses that looked like bumblebee eyes. Even though football season was months away, Tanté Izzy said they were wearing the Saint’s t-shirts because they wanted the Atlanta Falcon fans to know that their rival Who-Dat fans were around. She sure enjoyed making the sport of fan-mania an all year long fandom. The fancy sunglasses they wore had nothing to do with being a super-fan, though. According to Tanté Izzy, she and Ruby wore them because they looked sexier with them on while riding in his red-hot convertible with the top down.
“Party?” Ruby said, shaking her head, causing her bright red bangs to swish across her forehead from under the giant hat she wore. “Don’t you think that’s an overstatement. Luke here doesn’t want to go out dancing and clubbing with us, Tanté Izzy. He’s too busy for that. He’s just going to spend an afternoon with us. Remember, he’s got a lot to do for that big project he’s bidding on. It’s for that new neighborhood that he wants to build not too far from Cane. The one he’s taking all those pretty pictures for.” She looked at Luke. “What’s it called again?”
“Magnolia Row.”
“He’s going to grow his construction company from building houses and commercial buildings one client at a time to building thousands of houses for just one client.” Ruby explained to Tante’ Izzy who was adjusting her own huge hat on her tiny head.
“He hasn’t gotten dat big job, yet,” Tanté Izzy whispered to Ruby, but he heard her just fine from the front seat. “He’s still got to win da bid over two other companies. We’ze here to take his mind off of dat. So hush youz mouth.” Then in a louder voice she spoke directly to Luke. “Ruby and I are ready to go on da Walking Dead Tour.”
“From the Classical 1928 Swan House, or as you ladies refer to it as President Snow’s Mansion from The Hunger Games, to the Walking Dead tour.” He started the car and closed his eyes, enjoying the sound of the powerful engine purring to life. Just then, the passenger door flung open and a rustle of noisy fabric and feathers along with a blur of bright white filled the front seat.
“What the hell?” Either he was hallucinating or a beautiful dark haired bride had just jumped in his car.
“Go, Go, Go,” the stranger in white screamed, banging on the dash. Even though she’d only spoken three short words, he could tell she had a foreign accent. The bride looked past him with big blue eyes focused on the woodland path on the other side of the parking lot.
“Drive! Please.”
“Hell no. I’ve seen this movie and I’m not interested in Buford T. Justice chasing me across Georgia.”
“Oh. I get out then if you do not drive.” The woman started to shift to get out of the car, struggling with the dress. The top of the dress fit like shrink wrap on her very shapely body making it difficult for her to bend and move. Yet, as stingy that part of her dress was with fabric, the bottom more than compensated for it. Starting with a huge flare around her knees, there seemed to be miles of voluminous fabric there. It equally made movement a problem for her. How had she even managed to get into his sports car?
She looked somewhere past him again.
“No. He drive,” Ruby said, unintentionally speaking like the runaway bride had.
“Yes?” she asked, her voice shaky one second and in the next her hand flew to her mouth and she shouted with complete assertiveness. “I need you driving. Now. They are coming. Hurry.” Her accent was heavier than it was at first. She was now adding a “k” at the end of her ing words.
“Go. Go. Go.” Tanté Izzy and Ruby screamed at the same time.
“One of those three men wearing the tuxedoes, has a gun,” Ruby shouted. “God, he must be the jilted groom.”
“I gotz my gun too,” Tanté Izzy yelled, reaching into her purse. Hearing that was all the incentive Luke needed. The thought of a shoot-out between an angry fiancé and an elderly Cajun woman had him punching his foot on the accelerator. The powerful engine responded as it was engineered to and they sped off.
The bride’s veil blew up behind her like a kite tail, whipping Tanté Izzy and Ruby in the face as it trailed to the trunk of the car.
“Oh, no,” the bride cried, tugging on the material flying behind her head. It caught the wind and came around to cover Luke’s face. He slammed on his brakes.
“Are you trying to get us killed?” he yanked the white fabric off of his face as she tried bundling it up into a ball. That’s when a ping sounded near the side of the car. All three women screamed.
Luke flinched and floored it. “Holy crap, lady. I’ve heard of shotgun weddings before, but this is ridiculous.”
“Oh, God, I’m going to be dead,” she said, folding over onto her lap and giving Luke a full view of the back of her dress and the deep plunge which left a view of more fair skin than not. Hell, there was hardly any dress in the back at all.
“I’m calling 9-1-1,” Ruby shouted. “A person should be able to say no and leave a wedding if they want…even the bride.”
“Nie. No. Please.” The woman jerked up, reached around and grabbed the phone from Ruby’s hand. A tear slid down her cheek. “No police. I get out of car,” she offered and looked back to see if anyone was following them.
Luke did the same. Two cars cut the corner behind them. He sped up and took the next turn and then three after that without slowing down. His car was a performance dream. The women were grabbing onto the back and bottom of their seats to keep from falling over, even though the car hugged each turn smoothly. Luke hooked a hard, fast left and pulled into what looked like an old office parking garage. He hit the brakes, turned the wheel and stopped the car facing in the direction they had just come it. He turned off the headlights and the darkness from the empty garage closed in around them. He left the engine running.
“Where can I drop you off?” he asked the woman with the white-knuckled grip on his dash.
Tanté Izzy smacked him in the back of the head and leaned between the console seats. “You liked drivin’ fast too much.”
“Hey, I was just trying to keep us from getting shot.”
“You are crazy driver,” the bride said, letting go of the dash. “Thank you for keeping us not getting dead.”
“Youz talk funny. Where are youz from?”
The woman looked over her shoulder to Tanté Izzy, then back toward where cars were passing on the street outside of the parking garage. “Lithuania,” she replied, but something in her tone told Luke she was lying. “You have an accent too. Where are you from?”
“God’s country.” Tanté Izzy said with a big smile. Ruby nodded next to her.
“That’s for sure,” Ruby added. “We’re from a town called Cane in Louisiana. It’s near New Orleans.”
“Ruby and I is Cajun,” Tanté Izzy piped in, as if that explained everything. “Luke’s not Cajun by birth but he’z Cajun by friendship.”
The probably not-Lithuanian bride’s dark brows lifted. She clearly didn’t understand what any of that meant, but didn’t ask for an explanation. She was looking around the quiet parking garage.
Luke pulled out his phone. “Shall I call you a cab?”
“No. I can walk.” She picked Ruby’s phone up off the floor where it had fallen in the mad getaway, and handed it back. “I’m sorry for taking it.” Luke frowned hearing her insert a k again in an ing word – to make taking sound like takink. Her accent made her sound more vulnerable somehow. She opened the door, the bottom of her wedding dress poured out like a flooding river over the banks.
“No. Don’t go,” Ruby said, squeezing her broad shoulders into the small space next to Tanté Izzy so she could get closer to the bride. “It’s not safe for you to walk through the streets with an angry fiancé and his posse of groomsmen chasing after you. Not to mention that it will be impossible to drag that long Cathedral train behind you.” Ruby lowered her sunglasses down her nose and looked over the top of them. “From what I can see—spilling out the door like that—it sure looks like a real pretty train.”
“We’ze ain’t goin’ to throw her to da wolves.” Tanté Izzy said looking at Luke.
He shook his head. “You must have friends or family you can call.”
She sighed. “I can walk.”
Oh hell. That wasn’t the response he wanted to hear. Luke grabbed the steering wheel and looked out his window into the dark, dusty garage.
“Luke Marcelle,” Tanté Izzy said, “dis girl needs our help and we’ze goin’ to give it to her. Don’t make her feel bad about it either. It took a lot of courage to walk out of her own weddin’ when all da people came to wish her a happy life.”
The woman looked at Tanté Izzy. “You are a good Babcia. I thank you but I don’t want trouble for you or your grandson and daughter.”
“Dey aren’t my grandson and daughter,” Tanté Izzy corrected. “Dey are family, Ruby by blood and Luke by friendship. Dey also are da peoples who are gonna help you.”
Get your copy here:
Author Info:
Tina DeSalvo, a fresh, humorous voice in romance, brings her knowledge and passion for the culture, traditions and people of Cajun Country (where she lives) and New Orleans (where she grew up) to her Second Chance Novel series-Elli, Jewell and Abby (coming this summer!). Tina is also a journalist who spent her career in television news and as one of the first female sports broadcasters in Louisiana. A Breast Cancer Survivor, Tina donates her proceeds from Elli to help individuals fight the disease. She loves to write, but she especially loves spending time with readers…sharing laughs, tears and hugs. Learn more about Tina at tinadesalvo.com
Oct 18, 2017 | Barbara Devlin, Blog, Boxed Set, Claire Delacroix, Eliza Knight, Emma Prince, Hildie McQueen, Kathryn Le Veque, Laura Landon, Layna Pimentel, October 2017, Suzan Tisdale, Tina de Salvo
The Nutcracker Reimagined by Kathryn Le Veque, Claire Delacroix, Barbara Devlin, Eliza Knight, Suzan Tisdale, Hildie McQueen, Tina DeSalvo, Laura Landon, Layna Pimentel, and Emma Prince.
Hopefully by now you’ve already one-clicked this collection for your holiday reading. If not, there is still time to add it to your e-readers!
On the last day of The Nutcracker Reimagined Blitz the authors wanted to share a favorite recipe. So, from their holiday table to yours Happy Reading & Happy Cooking, or Drinking 😉
~ From the Kitchen of Claire Delacroix ~
We eat a lot of British foods at Christmas in Canada, and there’s nothing more British than a good trifle. This is a showy dessert to bring to the table and serve.
Claire’s Trifle
Custard, fruit and ladyfingers in layers.
For the vanilla custard:
1 tbsp conrstarch
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 cups homogenized milk
2 cups table cream (18%)
1 piece vanilla bean or 1 tsp vanilla extract
3 eggs
6 egg yolks
In a heavy saucepan, blend cornstarch with sugar. Whisk in milk and cream, add vanilla bean. (If using vanilla extract, add it after the custard is cool.) Stir constantly over moderate heat and bring to a simmer. Stir and simmer for 10 minutes to develop vanilla flavor; reduce to low. Beat eggs and egg yolks until smooth: blend in one cup of hot milk, then whisk back into hot milk in saucepan. Stirring constantly with a whisk, cook until custard is thick and smooth, 7 – 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Whisk custard as it cools. If you’re using vanilla extract, add it now. You can keep the custard covered with plastic wrap in the fridge for a day.
Three hours before serving, assemble the trifle.
1 package ladyfingers soaked in sherry
1 pint blueberries
1 pint raspberries
Custard (recipe above)
In an 8-cup glass or crystal bowl, layer the custard with the ladyfingers and fruit – I do ladyfingers, custard, fruit, ladyfingers, custard, fruit. Refrigerate until serving. You may wish to serve the trifle with fresh whipped cream. You certainly want to serve it with dark chocolates and brandy!
~ From the Kitchen of Kathryn Le Veque ~
A perfect Medieval holiday recipe (one I have tried and it’s very good!)
Maximus’ Tart
Guaranteed to make all future knights very happy with full tummies!
4 Tbsp. butter, melted
1/2 tsp. salt
pinch saffron
6 eggs
1/2 medium onion, coarsely chopped
1/2 lb. soft cheese, grated
1/2 cup currants
1 Tbsp. honey
1 tsp. parsley
1 tsp. sage
1 tsp. hyssop (this is an herb with a minty-ish taste)
1 tsp. powder douce (equal parts ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves)
Grind saffron with salt, mix with butter, and set aside.
Place onions into boiling beef broth and cook until just tender and drain.
Beat eggs and combine with saffron-butter, onions, and remaining ingredients, pour into pastry shell, and bake at 350°F for one hour.
~ From the Kitchen of Laura Landon ~
Old Fashioned Candied Pecans
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg white
1 tablespoon water
1 pound pecan halves
Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C).
Mix sugar, cinnamon, and salt together in a bowl.
Whisk egg white and water together in a separate bowl until frothy. Toss pecans in the egg white mixture. Mix sugar mixture into pecan mixture until pecans are evenly coated. Spread coated pecans onto a baking sheet.
Bake in the preheated oven, stirring every 15 minutes, until pecans are evenly browned, 1 hour.
~ From the Kitchen of Tina DeSalvo ~
Cajuns love bread pudding…heck who doesn’t. Best way to not let any food go to waste, right. This is made (or can be) with stale bread. Enjoy
Serve with a nice strong cup of cafe’ au last!
Old Fashioned Bread Pudding – (w Rum sauce)
4 cups of milk
4 eggs, separated
10 slices of stale bread (or use French bread)
1 ½ cups of sugar (cane sugar is best)
1 teaspoon of vanilla
I small can of evaporated milk
1 regular size can of condensed milk
pinch of salt
-Heat the milk and pour it over the bread. Mash it together.
-Cream the egg yolks and sugar together. Add it to the bread mash.
-Add evaporated milk, vanilla, salt and half of the condensed milk to the bread mash and mix well. Make sure it is very moist but not runny.
-place in a buttered, rectangular pan and bake uncovered at 375 degrees for about an hour. Make sure the eggs are cooked and mixture is springy to touch.
-Extra: This is not necessary, but you MAY want to add this to the pudding. Take the egg whites and combine it with four tablespoons of sugar and beat until it is dissolved and stiff. Pour it over the top of the pudding and return it to the oven and brown at 350 degrees.
-Drizzle the remainder of the condensed milk over the top and serve warm.
If you want to add a Rum Sauce to the top of this bread pudding- here is a recipe you may enjoy:
½ cup (1 stick) butter
¼ cup water
1/3 cup sugar (cane sugar is best)
1 ½ tablespoon dark rum
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
-bring the bugger, sugar, water and rum to a boil in a small saucepan. Cook, until the sugar dissolves, making sure to stir continuously. This should take about 3-5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir int eh vanilla. Let it stand for a couple of minutes, pouring it warm over the pudding. YUM! You can top it with a little bit of whipped cream too.
For your Fur Babies:
Molasses Cookies recipe (for dogs or three-legged deer)- that Aurora would have used.
Ingredients:
2 cups cornmeal
2 large eggs
2 tbsp molasses
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup powdered milk
Preheat oven to 400º. In a large mixing bowl combine all the ingredients. Blend until smooth. Roll this mixture out ¼ inch thick and cut into shapes or shape into dog biscuits by hand. Place 1 inch apart on a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown.
~ From the Kitchen of Barbara Devlin ~
Italian Christmas Cookies
4 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 tsp. vanilla
3 1/2 cup flour
4 tsp. baking powder
Sift dry ingredients. Cream butter and sugar, beat in eggs; add vanilla and dry ingredients.
Knead and add flour as needed to keep dough from sticking to hands. Pinch off dough, roll in your hands to form a log and then twirl into shape. Place on greased cookie sheets. Bake at 375 for 10 minutes.
Icing
2 cup sifted confectioner’s sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
6 tsp. water
Stir until creamy
Dip cookies into icing and sprinkle with trim. Place on wire rack with wax paper on counter to collect the dripping icing and sprinkles.
Now, this isn’t a personal recipe. Like most cooks, I collect all sorts of recipes, and I can’t even begin to say where I found this one, but it’s a holiday winner.
~ From the Kitchen of Eliza Knight ~
Spicy Sparkling Sangria
Ingredients:
1 bottle of prosecco (or moscato if you prefer)
1 cup of Fireball whisky (or other cinnamon whisky)
2 bottles of hard apple cider beer
2 cups of apple cider juice
2 of your favorite apples cut into cubes
2 blood oranges sliced in thin rounds
Cinnamon sticks for garnish (optional)
Pomegranate seeds for garnish (optional)
Directions:
Soak the cut up apples and oranges in the whisky for about 2 hours
After 2 hours, mix in the prosecco, beer and apple cider and cinnamon sticks
Refrigerate for about 2-3 hours
Pour over ice, scoop some soaked fruit into the cup, and sprinkle with the pomegranate seeds
~ From the Kitchen of Hildie McQueen ~
Golden Apple Martini.
1 shot
Butterscotch schnaps
Hot Damn schnaps
2 shots
Skyy Vodka
Sour Apple schnapps
add chipped ice
2 dollops or a equivalent whipped cream from can into shaker
Shake and pour into glasses
Sprinkle top with nutmeg
If you try it, let me know what you think. It’s super yummy!!
~ From the Kitchen of Layna Pimentel ~
Great Pumpkin Cookies
Kids will love these fun pumpkin cookies. Decorate with all sorts of goodies like chocolate chips, icing and candies or enjoy them plain
Prep Time: approx. 20 Minutes Cook Time: approx. 15 Minutes Ready in: approx. 35 Minutes. Makes 20 large cookies (20 servings).
Printed from AllRecipes.com, Submitted by Libby’s Pumpkin
2 cups all-purpose flour 1 large egg
1 1/3 cups quick cooking oats 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda 3/4 cup chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 3/4 cup raisins
1/2 teaspoon salt decorating icings,
1 cup butter or margarine NESTLE@ TOLL HOUSE@
1 cup packed brown sugar Semisweet Chocolate Morsels
1 cup granulated sugar candies, raisins or nuts
1 cup LIBBYS@ 100% Pure Pumpkin
Directions
1 PREHEAT oven to 350 degrees F. Grease baking sheets.
2 COMBINE flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in medium bowl. Beat butter, granulated and brown sugar in large mixer bowl until light and fluffy Add pumpkin, egg and vanilla extract; mix well* Add flour mixture; mix well* Stir in nuts and raisins. Drop 1/4 cup dough onto prepared baking sheet; spread into 3-inch circle or oval Repeat with remaining dough.
3 BAKE for 14 minutes or until cookies are firm and lightly browned Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes remove to wire racks to cool completely as desired with icing, morsel* candies, raisins or nuts.
~ From the Kitchen of Emma Prince ~
Bourbon Balls (one of my favorite holiday cookies)
Ingredients:
6 oz. chocolate chips
1/2 cup sugar
3 tbsp. corn syrup
1/3 cup bourbon (and maybe a wee dram for yourself as you work!)
1/2 box nilla waifers, crushed/crumbled
1 cup chopped walnuts
Directions:
Melt chocolate chips (you can do this in a microwave-safe bowl and just microwave until the chocolate chips are smooth)
Mix all the ingredients together with your hands (yep, time to get messy!)
Form into balls
If you like, you can roll the balls in more chopped nuts for a pretty coating
That’s it! No baking, just mix and enjoy!
Don’t forget…one more day to enter for the giveaway. TWO winners will receive a kindle e-book of The Nutcracker Reimagined! Open to US residents only.
** When you make these recipes please post a picture and tag the authors on social media with the hashtag #NutcrackerRecipe
Happy Reading and Happy Eats!
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