December 14, 2022

I've been baking up a sugar storm this past week.

Last Thursday, we made cutouts with the girls, and oh, what a sweet disaster that was! I'd frozen some cookies from the time before, so while we only had eight to frost and decorate, the tablecloth wore more icing than the cookies when we were finished. The dog ate his weight in sprinkles that fell to the floor. And did you know frosting can double as hair gel too?

Then there was a family party on Saturday to bake for (three-layer cookies and snowballs), my husband's office party today (gingersnaps and three-layer cookies), and a library board meeting this Thursday (thumbprints, gingersnaps, and sugar cookies). I'm pretty sure I've been measuring sugar in my dreams at night.

I promised you a little bonus scene to LOVE, LIES and SLEIGH RIDES and a corresponding recipe, so that follows. The cranberry eggnog bread is delicious and it's so pretty too, with the icing and pops of red when you slice into it. I'll be making it Christmas morning again.

A Cup of Flour, A Dash of Love

“Be warned: I’m not much of a baker.”

Fallon Gale set the plastic bag on the red-tiled island in the Behar’s bright kitchen while glancing at Kade Behar for his reaction. They’d made a market run to buy ingredients for some to-die-for breakfast bread recipe he raved about the night before. If her car wasn’t stuck at the repair shop, Fallon wouldn’t subject herself to the culinary humiliation about to unfold. Ideally, she’d be in a hotel, buried under her covers with a good hour of sleep ahead of her. Instead, she was at the mercy of her good Samaritan Kade for rescuing her from a snowy ditch yesterday, and the rest of the Behars for offering her a room since all accommodations in Hendricks were booked.

Kade snorted. “You’re just being humble.”

“But who do I have to bake for? I’ve lived alone for most of my adult life.”

“Luckily, I know this recipe by heart.” He smiled and a dimple popped. Fallon learned quickly to look away sooner rather than later lest she fall into the soulful depths of his dark eyes. Plus he had the most captivating crinkles when he smiled. 

Fallon watched him empty fresh cranberries into a bowl. “What is this called again?”

“Christmas Berry Bread. Today’s party wouldn’t be the same without it.”

He’d explained his family’s December First Party tradition on their way to the store. One year his family gathered on the first day of the month to celebrate the opening of his mother Elaine's new studio. The Christmas tree-lighting ceremony at Rockefeller Center happened to be on television. Elaine and her sister had made an elaborate spread. Every December first since then they’d gathered and it had grown each year. His mother invited more friends, she made more food. Now the gingerbread house-making contest was the must-see spectacle at the Behar’s long dining room table instead of the tree-lighting ceremony on television.

Fallon paused while washing her hands to study the rolling, white landscape outside the window. The sunrise cast golden fingers through the multi-paned picture window over the sink. A ripe melon sun inched its way above the treetops on the horizon. Loom and Lyre Farm looked like a Christmas card come to life with its red barns and snow-draped firs set against the Northwoods sky. The house was quiet except for the hum of the oven preheating and the jangling collar tags of the Behars’ retriever Maggie as the dog scratched its ear on her dog bed.

Fallon stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Kade for the next fifteen minutes as she measured ingredients while he recited them from memory.

“You’re positive the proportions are right?” The man’s ease in the kitchen impressed her. Fallon felt woefully uninformed about such things. 

“Positive,” he said with a wink. 

Even his winks are dangerous.

Kade slipped the pan into the oven, took off his mitt, and offered her a high five.

“Nice work, Julia,” he said.

Fallon frowned. “It’s Fallon.” Maybe he hadn’t been flirting after all. He couldn’t even remember her name. 

“Julia Child? Heard of her?” A little eye roll punctuated his cockeyed smile. “I was making a joke. And not a very good one in hindsight,” he mumbled as he settled onto a stool.

She sat too while he poured her coffee, then some for himself. Their fingers brushed when she took the mug from him. They shared a darting glance before he hid his face behind the mug.

“Of course I’ve heard of her. I thought…never mind.” Her faced flamed. She sipped her coffee, her mind whirling while she grasped for something to turn the conversation away from her blunder.

“So, you’re newly retired?” She’d caught this tidbit while eavesdropping on his conversation with his father last night.

“I am. Put in my twenty years military service. Now I’m ready for a new adventure.” He wrapped both hands around the mug, staring into it. Fallon detected a measure of quiet confidence about him. Humble yet self-assured. It was very attractive.

“What will that adventure be?”

He gazed out the window toward the barns. “There’s plenty to do here. It’s a nice place for a reset while I explore options.” Kade shrugged. “Enough about me. Does your family know you’re stuck in Nowhere, Minnesota overnight?” He looked pointedly at her left hand. 

“I, uh…no. They’re used to me traveling.”

Only her boss June knew her whereabouts. Fallon hadn’t talked to her family in ages. The reminder of their estrangement was especially acute now after spending time with the Behars, perhaps the warmest, most close knit family she’d ever been around.

“Not even a friend? Or a boyfr—”

“Nope, no one.”

Kade was fishing. She was too out of sorts to flirt. Besides, she’d come to Hendricks for work, not a date. And the sooner she resumed her agenda, the better, dimples and eye crinkles aside. Fallon glanced to the oven where timer slowly ticked away the seconds.

“What about you? Do you have someone special?”

Fallon almost palmed her forehead at the blunder. Kade might think she was interested asking about his relationship status. This was confirmed by the way Kade’s eye lit up.

“Me? Nah. I’d met someone in my late twenties who I thought was “the one”—he hooked his fingers in the air—“but it didn’t work out.”

“That’s too bad.” 

“Not really,” he said. Detailing the lowlights of the breakup monopolized the conversation after that.

Fallon jumped when the timer buzzed. Had the time passed already? 

“You seem…edgy this morning,” he said with a sidelong glance as he opened the oven. An innocent statement if it weren’t for the smirk, as if he knew his effect on her.

Fallon swallowed hard, avoiding those eyes that seemed to read the mix of emotions roiling inside of her. Something was happening in this kitchen besides the chemistry between flour and eggs, and she was curious enough to wonder about the possibility of…

I so don't need to go there.

She eyed the rising bread through the oven door. Pastries had always made her giddy anyway. Yes, she'd blame it on the sweet treat. With Kade in close proximity, it was a wonder the irrational thought hadn't crept up sooner.

LOVE, LIES and SLEIGH RIDES is Book #5 in the Blueberry Point series. If you have yet to read Fallon and Kade's story, you can download it here.

This delicious bread made with cranberries and eggnog is sure to delight anyone during the holiday season and on frosty winter mornings.

Bread

2 1/4 c. flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

2 large eggs

1 c. sugar

1 c. eggnog

1/2 c. salted butter, melted

1 tsp. vanilla

3 c. fresh cranberries

Vanilla Eggnog Glaze

1 c. powdered sugar

2 Tbsp. eggnog

1 tsp. vanilla bean paste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x5x3 inch loaf pan. Line pan with parchment paper after spraying paper with non-stick spray.

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon, then set aside.

In another bowl, combine eggs, sugar, eggnog and vanilla. Add melted butter and mix until combined. Add this to the flour mixture until just moistened (batter will be slightly lumpy). Fold in cranberries.

Spoon batter into pan. Bake 45-55 minutes, checking with a toothpick for doneness. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove bread from pan, keeping the parchment paper underneath to catch glaze which you will add later. Cool completely.

For the glaze, whisk together powdered sugar, vanilla bean paste, and eggnog in a small bowl until smooth. Drizzle glaze over top. Let glaze set for 10-15 minutes before slicing. Enjoy!

* * * * *

Have you joined in the fun at Team Clean Romance Book Club on Facebook yet? Authors post daily, offering games and giveaways, and there's a grand prize too! My turn to pop on there is December 28th, but I hope you'll hop over to the page before then to enjoy the party.

* * * * *

Clean My Shelves Winners

Thanks to everyone who e-mailed with their choices. We had a record number of entries ( ) but the number is still relatively small compared to the hundreds who read the newsletter. These were our winners for December:

Maritza F. - Kiss the Girl by Melanie Jacobsen

Karen M. - Jingle All the Way by Debbie Macomber

Martha S. - Wedding Bells in Christmas by Debbie Mason

Joelle H. - Christmas at the Island Hotel by Jenny Colgan

Sue A. - $5 Amazon gift card

Congratulations to all!

* * * * *

I'm not sending a newsletter next week; I need a little time to unwind with the family and finish wrapping presents. I'll be back on December 26th with news of a very special "sale". I hope everyone who celebrates has a very Merry Christmas!

SWEET & SWOONY TITLES

(click the cover to visit the sales page)

He needs a girlfriend. She needs a job.

Pity they can't stand each other!

Part billionaire romance, part fake boyfriend, and a whole lot of enemies to lovers... all wrapped up in a clean and sweet contemporary romance with a heartwarming happy ever after.

* * * * *

A man with a name like Ebenezer Grinchly isn’t likely to find any Christmas cheer… much less love. Right?

"What a delightful story! Funny moments and touching ones also. I loved it!" - Amazon review

* * * * *

Where to Find Me and My Books

Facebook Page * Instagram * Goodreads * Readers Group

(Clicking on the graphic below takes you to my Amazon author page)