A Recipe and a Read: Summer Brunch is Served Up by Family Saga Author Stella May...

My family loves breakfast, especially a cook one. Because we all work and are usually in a time crunch the first meal of the day is cereal or a bowl of fruit. But on the weekends the house is filled with wonderful aromas of brunch. This recipe is one of our favorites, especially mine because it’s easy to prepare and delicious.

This recipe makes 7-8 regular waffles, or 5-6 Belgium waffles, depending on your griddle.

Keto Waffles

2 large eggs

½ cup of sour cream

1 tsp. vanilla extract

½ tsp. baking powder

½ cup shredded coconut, unsweetened

1 cup finely ground nuts, I use a mix of walnuts, pecans, and almonds 

With a mixer, whisk eggs thoroughly until combined, then add sour cream, vanilla, and baking powder.

Manually, stir in shredded coconut and ground nuts. Let mixture sit for 5-10 minutes. 

If the mixture is too thick, add a splash of heavy cream. 

Heat up a waffle maker, brush it with the oil of your choice. Use an ice cream scoop (I use the large one) to pour on the batter. Cook per your griddle directions. 

Enjoy with cream cheese, double cream, or syrup. It is perfect for breakfast or desert.

Romance author Stella May steps away from her time travel books to share The Rostoff Saga. Here's the cover and intro for New Dawn, Book 1 of the exciting four book series.

Love wasn’t part of their agreement. Neither was being caught in a brutal web of lies.

International playboy and owner of a jewelry empire that spreads across three continents, Dmitry Rostoff holds a memory close to this heart that not even his best friend Vlad Albrecht knows. When Dmitry learns the Russian ballerina, he had a passionate affair with died in childbirth, bitterness and hate overrule all other emotions.

Taking the baby out of Russia is an impossible snarl of red tape, but Dmitry gets his way, even if he leaves a trail of chaos in his wake.

Natasha Sokolova planned to turn over the baby to Dmitry then walk away. Instead, she is on a plane to San Francisco with the baby and a cold, emotionless man who makes her heart pound with scorching attraction.

The family matriarch and evil to her core Elizabeth Rostoff plots to gain control of the baby, no matter what it costs or who it hurts, and will do anything to make that happen. She blackmails Marie Dubois, the manager of their elite Paris store, to seduce Dmitry. But Marie reneges on the deal when former Special Forces officer Vlad Albrecht storms into her life.

Once in America, Natasha finds herself entangled in a sticky web of lies created by the brutally calculating family matriarch. A web that forces Natasha to make a heartbreaking deal with the devil to protect the children—and man—she’s come to love.

 

Stella May is the penname for Marina Sardarova who has a fascinating history you should read on her website.

Stella writes fantasy romance as well as time travel romance. She is the author of 'Till Time Do Us Part, Book 1 in her Upon a Time series, and the stand-alone book Rhapsody in Dreams. Love and family are two cornerstones of her stories and life. Stella’s books are available in e-book and paperback through all major vendors. 

When not writing, Stella enjoys classical music, reading, and long walks along the ocean with her husband. She lives in Jacksonville, Florida with her husband Leo of 25 years and their son George. They are her two best friends and are all partners in their family business. 

Follow Stella on her website and blog. Stay connected on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

Author in the Kitchen: The Perfect Summer Breakfast or Brunch served by Cookbook Author Sloane Taylor...

I enjoy experimenting with different food combinations and creating new recipes. This delicious dish is perfect for breakfast or even lunch, but then you may want to add a small salad and a glass of crisp white wine. 😊

Italian Breakfast Soufflé for 2

½ lb. Italian sausage, bulk or links

2 – 3 tbsp. butter, softened

4 lg. eggs

¾ cup milk

Chopped onion to taste

1 tsp. dried mustard

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 slices provolone cheese

½ cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

¾ cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

3 – 1-inch slices Vienna or French bread, cubed* 

Preheat oven to 350° F.

If you use links, then squeeze the meat from the casing before cooking. 

Fry sausage in a small pan until no longer pink. Be sure to break up any clumps. Set aside.

Spread butter on the insides and bottoms of two baking dishes approximately 500ml or 17-ounces.

The following ingredients are to be equally divided between the 2 dishes when added. All stirring should be done gently.

Break 2 eggs in each prepared dish. Lightly scramble. Pour in milk. Stir in sausage and onion. Sprinkle on mustard and pepper. Stir.

Tear provolone into pieces then add to mixture along with cheddar and mozzarella. Stir.

Fold in bread.

Bake 45 – 55 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center has no egg clinging to it.

Set the soufflés on dinner plates to serve so as not to scorch your table.

This dish can be assembled a one or two days ahead of time. Cover and refrigerate, but allow the soufflé to sit on your counter 1 hour or so before you bake it.

*I’ve used day old homemade bread and unseasoned cubes from stuffing mix. They both worked great.

May you enjoy all the days of your life filled with good friends, laughter, and seated around a well-laden table!

Sloane

Sloane Taylor is an Award-Winning author with a second passion in her life. She is an avid cook and posts new recipes on her blog every Wednesday. The recipes are user friendly, meaning easy.

To learn more about Taylor go to her website Stay in touch on Blogger, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Taylor's cookbooks, Hot Mean Wear Aprons, Date Night Dinners, Date Night Dinners Italian Style, Sizzling Summer, and Recipes to Create Holidays Extraordinaire are released by Toque & Dagger Publishing and available at all book vendors.

A Recipe and a Read: Sunday Brunch Pie and a Cozy Mystery Served Up by Author Janis Lane...

I love Sunday Brunch and all the egg casserole dishes. This one is not for everyone, but I love onions and eggs. Perhaps you will too. It’s easy and fast. You can add small bits of bacon or ham for an extra interest. Shake a bit of Paprika to the top of the pie for a garnish with parsley. 

I grew up in South Georgia not too far from Vidalia. Although the mild popular brand of sweet onion is named for the small country town, it’s actually the surrounding soil that is the reason for the tasty veggie. It lacks sulfur which causes the biting taste of other types. 

Only 20 surrounding counties may name their onions Vidalia. (Vidalia Act of 1986.) You’d never know the difference driving through the area. Just pleasant, rolling country farmland with the occasional roadside stand selling—you guessed it—Vidalia onions. (And Pauline pecans, but that’s a story for another time.)  Now we can buy them most anywhere when in season. Vidalia onion! Conjures up the tasty memory of a drive-in hamburger laden with sweet onion and cheese, doesn’t it? With your steady BF, of course. 

This pie is not a good keeper. Serve it warm from the oven.

EGG and VIDALIA PIE 

1 c. saltine or Ritz crackers, crushed (Club is okay too)

¼ c. butter, melted

2 ½ c. thinly sliced Vidalia onions

2 eggs

¾ c. milk

½ tsp. salt and pepper to taste

¼ c. shredded sharp cheese

chopped ham, bacon bits, chopped parsley to garnish, optional

Preheat oven 350° F. 

Mix crushed crackers with melted butter. Pat crackers and butter mixture to form a crust in 8- or 9-inch pie plate. Set aside. Sauté sliced onions in butter until opaque not browned.  In bowl mix eggs, milk, salt/pepper to taste. Pour over onions. Sprinkle with cheese and bake for 45 minutes or until knife inserted comes out clean. Serve hot from the oven in pie slices.  Add thick slices of French bread to round off your breakfast. Orange juice, small glasses of champagne, a selection of jams, will turn this dish into gourmet.

I’m afraid this dish requires both a couple of y’alls and two Y’alls come backs.

Enjoy!

Here is a little from one of my cozy mystery books under my pseudonym Janis Lane. I hope you enjoy it.

Abby Naycomb, wildlife photographer, found more than scintillating images of the birds of Central Florida. A handsome park ranger turns her world upside down even as a criminal stalker seeks to threaten her life.

Who knew trespassing in the restrictive area of a Florida State Park to get the perfect shot of the sand hill crane family would wind up with Abby Naycomb, wildlife photographer extraordinaire, meeting the most handsome park ranger in the world? Mating/nesting birds were the subject of her quest but finding those intense blue eyes in the lens of her camera was distracting and hormone inciting.

Adam Rawlings, millionaire park ranger, was as shocked as Abby when she accidentally discovered a murdered man buried in a shallow grave in the sand.

Face to face with an exciting relationship with Adam, the perfect man, leaves her no excuse for backing away from a growing intimacy. Vagabond Abby must consider relocating if she wants to continue an invaluable relationship with Adam, the original hometown hero.

Abby struggles as she continues to work deep in the breathtaking wilds of Central Florida while trying to ignore the menace of a serious and threatening stalker. Her task was to reexamine long held premises and prejudices while admiring the southern flora and fauna through the lens of her camera. Bird and nature lovers alert.

SHORT TEASER
Busted in Bird land. Still...what a calendar he would make with that uniform, that smile, those shoulders. She stifled a sigh of pure visual pleasure.

You had better stop it, Miss Smarty. He has the authority to fine and kick you out of the park permanently if he so chooses. Holy Moly-- love a uniformed hunk!

Stoppit!

She stifled a giggle which was riotously rolling around deep inside her, threatening to break out. He continued to loom, gazing thoughtfully while she fidgeted in her warm nest sheltered by the dune. Surrounding them, the sporadic wind blew the smell of something baking in the sun. With her face turned upward and her eyes half-closed against the glare, she awaited her fate. She offered a weak smile while trying to bring into focus his face which was back lit by the bright sunlight. It couldn't hurt, she thought, and tried for puppy dog eyes pleading for mercy.

"Leave this area, and I'll forget your lapse of good manners--this time. Don't let me catch you trespassing on restricted lands again. This is a nature preserve. Visitors may not wander about-- especially during nesting season," he added giving her a stern look. "And that goes for well-meaning, good-looking, lady photographers as well."

BUY LINK

Janis Lane is the penname for gifted author Emma Lane who writes cozy mysteries as Janis, Regency as Emma, and spice as Sunny Lane.

She lives in Western New York where winter is snowy, spring arrives with rave reviews, summer days are long and velvet, and fall leaves are riotous in color. At long last she enjoys the perfect bow window for her desk where she is treated to a year-round panoramic view of nature. Her computer opens up a fourth fascinating window to the world. Her patient husband is always available to help with a plot twist and encourage Emma to never quit. Her day job is working with flowers at Herbtique and Plant Nursery, the nursery she and her son own.

Look for information about writing and plants on Emma's new website. Leave a comment or a gardening question and put a smile on Emma's face.

Stay connected to Emma on Facebook and Twitter. Be sure to check out the things that make Emma smile on Pinterest.

Stop by to Break Bread with Cozy Mystery Author Janis Lane...

I've invited my long-time author friend, Emma Lane, who writes cozy mysteries as Janis Lane, to literally break bread with me in my virtual kitchen today. Since we're heading for warmer weather up here in the northern hemisphere, we thought we'd make time for brunch with three of Emma's tasty breakfast recipes. Perfect for camping, snacking at the cottage, or enjoying on the patio with a coffee or tea, these recipes are sure to add to your weekend brunch menu. So, I'm handing off the mixer and apron over to my guest of honor, while I go preheat the oven. Take it away, Emma...

Banana Bread

With or without nuts, who doesn’t love Banana Bread? I have cut the amount of sugar with successful results. It’s a matter of choice.                       

2 cups plain flour

1 tsp. baking soda 

pinch of salt

½ cup chopped nuts, optional

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

3 ripe bananas, mashed 

2 eggs, beaten                                                   

Preheat oven to 325° F.

Sift flour with soda and salt, add nuts then set aside. Cream butter and sugar. Add bananas and eggs. Stir in flour blend. Pour batter into a loaf pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Serve warm with a pat of cream cheese. 

Dill Muffins

My hubby loves this one and he slathers it with strawberry jam. I’m not so sanguine regarding the mixture of dill and strawberries, but perhaps your man of the house will like it too.

2 cups Bisquick

1 tsp. dill weed 

1 cup sour cream

1 stick melted butter

Preheat oven to 425° F. 

Lightly grease bottom of muffin cups. Mix all ingredients and drop into muffin cups halfway.  Cook for 12 to 14 minutes. Serve with butter.  

Zucchini Bread   

A friend’s mother shared this unusual recipe for the ever-popular quick bread. I think you’ll love it too.

2 cups plain flour

2 cups grated zucchini 

2 cups sugar 

2 tsp. cinnamon 

1 tsp. baking soda 

2 tsp. baking powder 

1 cup chopped pecans

3 eggs

1 cup vegetable oil

1 small can crushed pineapple2 tbsp. vanilla             

 Preheat oven to 350° F. 

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. Pour batter into greased and floured loaf pans. Bake one hour. Makes enough for guests. So moist!

While your breads are baking, I invite you to take a peek at one of my cozy mysteries under my pseudo name Janis Lane. I hope you like it. 

A blizzard blows in big-city crimes which spill into the peaceful small town of Hubbard, New York, catching the attention of Detective Kevin Fowler and staff. What unusual acts engage the Secret Service with the local cops? A young man is found badly beaten in the heated greenhouse of the Young Family Plant Nursery. Early spring melt reveals a sinister vehicle with a deadly cargo, even as the master of the greenhouse welcomes part-time alumni.

Romance swirls, tumbles, and produces surprising changes among the group of friends at Buddy and Rita’s diner. Beverly hires a young, ambitious reporter to work at the growing newspaper and starts a new adventure of her own, while Kevin watches over the townspeople of Hubbard. The mystery of a toxic skunk is finally routed by troublesome out-of-towners. An unexpected wedding shocks everyone but the Young Family. Spring has arrived and May is in full bloom in the Western New York small-town Americana, as another beautiful bride walks toward the flower-laded bower under the approving eyes of a group of fond friends.

AMAZON BUY LINK

Emma Lane is a gifted author who writes cozy mysteries as Janis Lane, Regency as Emma, and spice as Sunny Lane. 

She lives in Western New York where winter is snowy, spring arrives with rave reviews, summer days are long and velvet, and fall leaves are riotous in color. At long last she enjoys the perfect bow window for her desk where she is treated to a year-round panoramic view of nature. Her computer opens up a fourth fascinating window to the world. Her patient husband is always available to help with a plot twist and encourage Emma to never quit. Her day job is working with flowers at Herbtique and Plant Nursery, the nursery she and her son own. 

Look for information about writing and plants on Emma's new website. Leave a comment or a gardening question and put a smile on Emma's face.

Stay connected to Emma on Facebook and Twitter. Be sure to check out the things that make Emma smile on Pinterest.

A Healthy March Break Brunch Served Up by Author and Artist Linda Lee Greene...

 Saturdays are universally hectic. Itineraries for this special day of the week are mind-boggling in their Mach-speed, complexity, and crowded activities. But it is also the time before the starting pistol shoots us into a frenzy to steal a few moments to reconnect with our loved-ones, and even with ourselves. Saturday morning renewals in my house back in the days when my kids were still at home, and admittedly when life was slower and simpler, routinely began with all of us gathering together for a sit-down breakfast. Bacon and eggs, toast, juice, and sometimes pancakes were often as not on the menu. It is easy to imagine people of today longing for those laidback weekend mornings, but nowadays convenience is a necessity and usually wins out over nostalgia. 

The following low calorie, low carb, and high protein recipe that serves 4 is a good one to include in our whirlwind playbook. To meet that convenience factor, it can be made ahead of time, in 30 minutes of the evening before for instance, refrigerated, and then reheated at the appropriate time in the microwave at 50% power. For breakfast, serve it with fruit and a slice of a Keto-friendly bread or bagel slathered with cream cheese. I prefer Neufchâtel because it is lower in fat and creamier than standard cream cheese. 

This tomato and egg recipe is also wonderful for brunch accompanied with cooked or fresh veggies and a chunk of a hearty bread. At times, I heat it up for dinner. Paired with a side of steamed spinach and carrots, a slice of homemade and healthy bean flour bread, a glass of a tasty bevvie, I then settle in for the rest of evening with a belly full of satisfaction. 

BREAKFAST TOMATOES

4 lg. firm tomatoes, cut in half, scoop out pulp and seeds

Olive oil spray

1 tsp. salt – preferably kosher or sea salt

1 tsp. black pepper

1 tsp. garlic powder 

1 tsp. dried thyme

8 small eggs if available, or 8 large eggs with the excess whites  discarded or reserved for another recipe

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

4 tbsp. grated parsley for garnish 

Preheat oven to 400° F.

Place the hollowed-out tomatoes in a baking dish, spray them with olive oil, and then sprinkle with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and thyme. 

Break one egg into a small bowl or ramekin and then slide it into a tomato half. Continue this process until all 8 tomato halves are filled. Top each half with 1 tablespoon of Parmesan cheese. 

Bake until egg whites are set, about 20 minutes. Use a large slotted spoon or spatula to scoop tomatoes onto a serving platter or into an airtight container. Garnish with parsley and serve or refrigerate. 

In multi-award-winning author Linda Lee Greene’s new release, Garden of the Sprits of the Pots, A Spiritual Odyssey, ex-pat American Nicholas Plato gets lost one fateful Saturday morning in Australia’s outback and happens on a pintsized hut on a lonely plot littered with hundreds of clay pots of every size and description. 

Driven by a deathly thirst, he stops. A strange little brown man materializes out of nowhere and introduces himself merely as ‘Potter,’ and welcomes Nicholas to his ‘Garden of the Spirits of the Pots.’ Although Nicholas has never laid eyes on Potter, the man seems to have expected Nicholas at his bizarre habitation and displays knowledge about him that nobody has any right to possess. Just who is this mysterious Aboriginal potter? 

Although they are as mismatched as two persons can be, a strangely inevitable friendship takes hold between them. It is a relationship that can only be directed by an unseen hand bent on setting Nicholas on a mystifying voyage of self-discovery and Potter on revelations of universal certainties. 

A blend of visionary and inspirational fiction, and a touch of romance, this is a tale of Nicholas’ journey into parts unknown, both within his adopted home and himself, a quest that in the end leads him to his true purpose for living. 

Garden of the Sprits of the Pots, A Spiritual Odyssey is available in eBook and/or paperback. 

AMAZON BUY LINK 

Multi-award-winning author and artist Linda Lee Greene describes her life as a telescope that when trained on her past reveals how each piece of it, whether good or bad or in-between, was necessary in the unfoldment of her fine art and literary paths.
Greene moved from farm-girl to city-girl; dance instructor to wife, mother, and homemaker; divorcee to single-working-mom and adult-college-student; and interior designer to multi-award-winning artist and author, essayist, and blogger. It was decades of challenging life experiences and debilitating, chronic illness that gave birth to her dormant flair for art and writing. Greene was three days shy of her fifty-seventh birthday when her creative spirit took a hold of her.

She found her way to her lonely easel soon thereafter. Since then Greene has accepted commissions and displayed her artwork in shows and galleries in and around the USA. She is also a member of artist and writer associations.

Visit Linda on her blog and join her on Facebook. Linda loves to hear from readers so feel free to email her.

Dig into this Lip-Smacking Holiday Brunch Served with a Side of Supernatural Adventure...

Want a fun twist the next time you’re serving up brunch at home or at your holiday getaway? This easy recipe serves eight, and takes a total time of thirty minutes to prepare and cook. Not a bad investment to put together a meal worthy of a five-star restaurant.

Lip-Smacking Grilled Red Pepper Egg Cups

4 large red peppers, halved lengthwise, seeded, deveined
2 tbsp. (30 mL) olive oil
⅓ cup (30 mL) smokey-style barbecue sauce (Experiment with different flavors)
8 slices Edam cheese (We use Havarti herb and garlic)
8 eggs
¼ tsp. (1 mL) salt
¼ tsp. (1 mL) black pepper
2 tbsp. (30 mL) cilantro, chopped fine (optional)

PREHEAT outdoor grill to medium-high.

TOSS peppers with oil in a medium-sized bowl. Brush insides of peppers with barbecue sauce. Place cut sides down on grill. Cook 4 to 5 minutes, or until lightly charred and slightly softened. Remove from grill.

PLACE a cheese slice inside each pepper half, pressing cheese against sides.

CRACK an egg into each pepper cup. Season with salt and pepper.

REDUCE heat to medium. Place peppers on grill over indirect heat. Close lid.

COOK 15 to 20 minutes, or until whites are just set and yolks are still soft, or to desired doneness.

SPRINKLE with cilantro and serve.

Fried Potatoes

1 small Idaho potato per person, baked
1 tbsp. butter per potato
1 small onion, chopped fine
Salt and pepper to taste

PEEL and slice potatoes when cool enough to handle. Set aside in a small bowl.

MELT butter in medium-sized frying pan over medium heat. Add onions. Sauté until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Adjust heat so onions don’t burn.

GENTLY stir in potatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Cook about 20 minutes or until browned.

Once the dishes are washed and put away, I’m sure you’ll be ready to escape to your favorite spot for some quiet time. Why not relax with one of my books? May I suggest a nostalgic visit to Fairy Falls? Just remember to breathe in the sights, smells, tastes, and sounds of the settings. Experience life along with my characters in their world.

Fairy Falls was bores-ville from the get-go. Then the animals started talking...

The Fairy Falls Animal Shelter is in trouble. Money trouble. It’s up to an old calico cat named Whiskey—a shelter cat who has mastered the skill of observation—to find a new human pack leader so that their home will be saved. With the help of Nobel, the leader of the shelter dogs, the animals set out to use the ancient skill of telepathy to contact any human who bothers to listen to them. Unfortunately for fifteen-year-old Meagan Walsh, she hears them, loud and clear.

Forced to live with her Aunt Izzy in the safe and quiet town of Fairy Falls, Meagan is caught stealing and is sentenced to do community hours at the animal shelter where her aunt works. Realizing Meagan can hear her, Whiskey realizes that Meagan just might have the pack leader qualities necessary to save the animals. Avoiding Whiskey and the rest of shelter animals becomes impossible for Meagan, so she finally gives in and promises to help them. Meagan, along with her newfound friends, Reid Robertson and Natalie Knight, discover that someone in Fairy Falls is not only out to destroy the shelter, but the animals as well. Can Meagan convince her aunt and co-workers that the animals are in danger? If she fails, then all the animals’ voices will be silenced forever.

BUY LINKS

Amazon Kindle - Amazon Paperback - Barnes & Noble 

Mirror World Publishing ebook Mirror World Publishing Paperback