Tag: recipes

Jeannie Moon is Helping Send Books To Military Families for the Holidays

Author Jeannie Moon
Author Jeannie Moon

Today we welcome Jeannie Moon, a contemporary romance author who certainly supports the military–she writes heart-wrenching romance with military heroes. I so enjoyed reading her latest, Second Chance Hero (excerpt link below).

What’s your favorite holiday activity, Jeannie?

I love to bake around the holidays. For Christmas brunch I always bake cookies and breads, but last year my favorite new thing was a Pizzelle iron. Pizzelles are a flat wafer cookie made in a contraption like a waffle iron. My nanny and aunts on my Italian side always made them and this year I tried my hand. I don’t have a recipe because I’m still finding the perfect one, but there are all kinds on the web. This one from AllRecipes was a winner the first time out. http://allrecipes.com/recipe/pizzelles-iii/.

This year my daughters and I are having a cookie baking day. They don’t know it yet…but we are.

Do you have any military connection, Jeannie?

My father was in the Army Air Corps just after WWII. He was drafted on VJ Day! He would have gone in sooner, but my grandmother wouldn’t sign his papers allowing him to enlist. You see, during the war Nanny had five stars in her window. My dad’s five older brothers were in various branches of the military, and serving all over the world from the Pacific, to North Africa, to Europe. She wasn’t letting her youngest go any sooner than he had to.

Kim and Owen, the heroine and hero from my latest Intermix release, are both veterans. It was a story I needed to tell. 

Jeannie has provided us with an excerpt of her wonderfully romantic novel  Second Chance Hero

You can find Jeannie Moon at her website www.jeanniemoon.com   and on Facebook

 

Remember, you can do your part in supporting the military for the holidays. Harlequin will send one book for every 20 new subscribers to the Geri Krotow Newsletter. Sign up here.

 

Susan Wiggs is Helping Send Books to the Military for the Holidays

New York Times Bestselling Author Susan Wiggs
New York Times Bestselling Author Susan Wiggs

Susan Wiggs bakes Walking Dead Gingerbread Cookies for the holidays!

Please join me in welcoming New York Times Bestselling author Susan Wiggs. What better way to start off our first full week of November than with the most glamorous, talented, kind-hearted, honest author I know?

Susan Wiggs and I met over a (gasp) decade ago, when she helped me get to my first RWA meeting after having moved to Whidbey Island (aka a remote island in the Pacific Northwest). She describes more of our unique bond below.

Recipe:  Walking Dead Sugar Cookies

“Twisted traditional cookies are always a hit with kids. Also, it makes good use of the broken ones. Everyone knows a broken cookie tastes just as good as a perfect one.”–susan wiggs

Walking Dead Cookies
Walking Dead Cookies

Ingredients

2-1/3 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt

1-1/4 cups granulated sugar

1 cup (2 sticks) softened butter

1 egg

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Cookie Icing: 1 cup confectioners’ sugar 2 to 3 teaspoons milk 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 3 to 4 drops red food color

Directions: Beat granulated sugar and butter in large bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; mix well. Gradually beat in dry ingredients on low speed until well mixed. Refrigerate dough 2 hours or overnight until firm. Preheat oven to 375°F. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut into humanoid shapes with gingerbread-person cookie cutters. Place on parchment lined baking sheets. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely. For the Icing, mix all ingredients except food color. Divide white icing into two small cups, and use the red drops to dye one lot blood red. Use the white icing to create mummy bandages, and the red to create wounds and bloody stumps. Use decorative sprinkles and red-hots liberally. [Source: Freely adapted from McCormick Spice collection.]

Do you have a military connection, Susan?

Thanks to the wonderful Geri, I was able to write a novel about a military family called THE OCEAN BETWEEN US. It was inspired by a change of command ceremony for Geri’s husband, Steve, and to this day, it is a favorite of military spouses. I get mail about it every week!”

Susan’s latest is The Beekeeper’s Ball, and you can have your very own signed edition here. Want some holiday magic from Susan? Check out Candlelight Christmas.

Susan is an active blogger and has a beautiful website. Also, find her on Facebook and Pinterest.

Please join me in thanking Susan for her time and cookie baking talents!

Remember, we are doing this to send holiday love to military families and Active Duty who are away from home or apart for the holidays. Harlequin is donating one book for every 20 new newsletter subscriptions to the Geri Krotow Newsletter, which gets you free membership into the Geri Krotow Loyal Reader Program. Sign up here.