2012-07-31

Sweet Summer Lovin'

It's Tasty Tuesday and a few of my fellow authors and I have gotten together to share some sexy, fun recipes for you to try out.

For me, nothing says summer quite like lavender, so today I'm going to share a couple of my favorite lavender themed recipes, lavender shortbread and lavender lemonade. Together they make up a perfect snack to enjoy while sitting outside, enjoying the summer sunshine and, of course, a good book!



Lavender Shortbread


Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups butter, softened
  • 2/3 cup white sugar
  • 1/4 cup sifted confectioners' sugar
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh lavender
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint leaves
  • 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup cornstarch
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

  1. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, white sugar and confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in the lavender, mint and lemon zest. Combine the flour, cornstarch and salt; mix into the batter until well blended. Divide dough into two balls, wrap in plastic wrap and flatten to about 1inch thick. Refrigerate until firm, about 1hour.
  2. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into shapes with cookie cutters. Cookie stamps will work well on these too. Place on cookie sheets.
  3. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, just until cookies begin to brown at the edges. Cool for a few minutes on the baking sheets then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.



Ingredients
  • 1 tray ice cubes
  • 1/4 cup dried lavender
  • 2 cups boiling water
  • 3/4 cup white sugar
  • 8 lemons
  • 5 cups cold water, or as needed

Directions

  1. Place ice cubes into a 2 quart pitcher. Place the lavender into a bowl, and pour boiling water over it. Allow to steep for about 10 minutes, then strain out the lavender and discard. Mix the sugar into the hot lavender water, then pour into the pitcher with the ice.
  2. Squeeze the juice from the lemons into the pitcher, getting as much juice as you can. Top off the pitcher with cold water, and stir. Taste, and adjust lemon juice or sugar if desired. Pour into tall glasses, pull up a lawn chair and a good book, and relax!

Both recipes courtesy of allrecipes.com  


Please stop by the following blogs and load up on their tasty treats:












And speaking of summer reads, tomorrow kicks off the start of the Orangeberry Summer Splash, a month-long mini book tour marathon, which is sure to be chock full of great books to make your summer better! 


Check it out at: 


http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/2012/07/orangeberry-summer-splash-event.html
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2012-07-01

Season's Greetings and G'Day

Last December, authors JK Coi, Stacy Gail, Jenny Schwartz and I celebrated the release of A Clockwork Christmas, our steampunk-themed Christmas anthology from Carina Press.
  

For three of us, that happy glow warmed up our winters very nicely. But for Jenny, who makes her home in Australia, December is the middle of summer.

It's winter there now, however, and she's celebrating with a contest and giveaway sure to warm the heart of one lucky winner--a rare print copy of the anthology. To enter is simple; just visit her blog located here:

http://authorjennyschwartz.com/2012/07/01/an-antipodean-steampunk-christmas/

I love this anthology. I love the stories and the way they work together, but even more, I loved being associated with these immensely talented authors. If you're not already familiar with them, please click on their names above to check them out!  And for more about the anthology just go HERE.

Thanks and good luck!


http://ebooks.carinapress.com/C8E25291-66CD-40AD-9915-DA23C7DE17EE/10/134/en/SearchResults.htm?SearchID=10592411&SortBy=Date
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