#FFBlockParty

This is the second week of the Feature Friday Block Party Blog Hop hosted by Buy The Book Tours and co-hosted by MJ Schiller.  Last week was fun. This week will be even better.

Has your weather has been like ours here in West Michigan? It got down into the 40s at night this week.  If your summer is the same, you'll enjoy turning on the oven for this recipe.

Macaroni and Cheese

1 box of medium shell pasta

2 cans condensed cream of chicken* soup

1 soup can milk

2 lbs sliced Colby cheese

garlic salt, as desired

Cook pasta according to directions. Drain and set aside. Combine condensed soups and milk in a small bowl. In a large baking bowl (sprayed with No-Stick), layer pasta, soup mix, sprinkle with garlic salt, cheese. Repeat 3 times, ending with cheese. Bake at 375° for 45 minutes (or 1 hour at 350°)

*Can be made with cream of mushroom soup

 My 4-year-old grandson calls it Nana's Crunchy Mac N Cheese. If the pasta noodles aren't completely covered by the soup/milk mixture, they are crunchy.

In my romantic suspense ONE RED SHOE, Daria needs help from her brothers so she makes their favorite dinner.

Blurb:

Daria Mason’s life is too predictable. Nothing ever happens in her small Iowa town where everybody knows everybody else. But when she travels to New York City looking for a little excitement, she never expects to bring home a wounded spy.

From the moment agent Sam Jozwiak steals intel vital to US security from a Russian Mafia kingpin, Murphy’s Law takes over. No matter how he covers his tracks, the kingpin’s assassins find him. What’s worse than getting shot in the butt? Accepting help from an Iowa tourist.

Sam and Daria flee cross country with the assassins right behind them. Sharing danger and excitement—and a few kisses—with Sam soon has Daria convinced he’s the man for her. He thinks she’ll be better off once he’s out of her life for good. With their lives on the line, can she convince him they belong together?

Excerpt:

Daria was sure Sam would come to his senses and figure out they belonged together. It had been five long weeks and not one word. Her curse had backfired. The curse about the long, lonely life. That appeared to be her fate. What did she know about curses anyway?

Last night, she finally gave up waiting for him to call or come to her. She was just going to have to go to DC and rescue him again. This time from himself. What good was having a fantastic bedroom if the man of her dreams wasn’t there to share it with her?

First she was going to have to eat some crow and ask for help. That night, she fixed her brothers’ favorite dinner. With gusto, they polished off the sweet succulent ham cured by their neighbor, Daria’s special macaroni and cheese, plus apple cobbler for dessert. When they sat back replete, she propped her forearms on the table and interlaced her fingers.

“I need a favor,” she said with more apprehension than she’d felt that long-ago Friday morning before leaving on her adventure.

“Sure, whatcha need, Dar?” Bill was the first to respond.

Tom nodded, but Drew, the typical lawyer who wanted all the facts before committing himself, hesitated.

“What exactly do you want, Daria Jean?” Jim said evenly.

“Sam Jozwiak’s home address and phone number.” She stared straight at the one who could get it for her.

The proverbial pin drop could have been heard in the silence that ensued. She waited. And waited.

Chairs creaked. Shoes shuffled. Throats were cleared.

Tom was the first to speak. “Now, Daria, honey ...”

“That is not the answer I want.” She didn’t take her eyes off Jim. “Get me his number. I know it’s unlisted, buried under all kinds of safeguards. But you can do it.”

“Why keep banging your head against the wall?” Drew asked. “He hasn’t called. He isn’t coming back.”

“He will.” She was surprised at how cool and confident she sounded. Sam would come, but he needed a kick in the pants first.

 

ONE RED SHOE is available at:

Amazon: http://amzn.com/B00FDXRHZA

The Wild Rose Press: http://www.wildrosepublishing.com/maincatalog_v151/index.php?main_page=index&manufacturers_id=1082

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/nz/book/one-red-shoe/id792432966?mt=11

Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/one-red-shoe-1

Be sure to check out the other authors on the blog hop.  http://buythebooktours.com/feature-friday-block-party-blog-hop

Feature Friday Block Party Blog Hop

When I was invited to participate in the first Feature Friday Block Party and I read we could share a recipe, I had to go with a family favorite. While not specifically for summer, it's quick and easy—my favorite kind. I can’t lay credit for this one. It’s from my mom and now it’s a staple at our house whenever we have company . . . and even when we don’t.

Streusel Coffee Cake

1 package yellow cake mix

1/4 cup firm butter

1 cup brown sugar (packed)

3/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

3 eggs

1 1/2 cups (12 oz) sour cream

Heat oven to 350°. Spray a 13x9x2 baking pan with non-stick cooking spray (or grease and flour the pan). Measure 2/3 cup dry cake mix into small bowl. Cut in butter until crumbly. Mix in brown sugar and walnuts. This will be the topping. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat eggs lightly with fork; stir in sour cream. Blend in remaining dry cake mix, scraping bowl often. (Batter will be thick and slightly lumpy.) Pour half of the batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle half the topping over the batter. Spoon and gently spread remaining batter in pan, top with remaining topping mix. Bake 40-45 minutes at 350°.

I hope you enjoy.

My heroine in THE CHAMELEON learned from the family cook who made everything from scratch. With Jileena's busy day, leading a double life--covertly working in her family's business and playing the socialite--she's always looking for quick and easy.

Legally Blond meets Mata Hari

Socialite Jileena Winslott has perfected the image of the spoiled, rich, bubble-headed daughter of an industrial magnate. In reality, she’s a smart, savvy aide to her father in social situations where she is his eyes and ears. She yearns to be her true self and run the family business. When her father sends her on a covert mission to the Outer Rim, she has the chance to prove herself. Big problem. He insists she take along a fake fiancé—the man she’s secretly loved for years.

Security Officer Laning Servary has better things to do than babysit a spoiled rich girl on a tour of the Frontier. If he refuses, he can kiss his career good-by. Then Jileena’s father sweetens the pot. If Laning keeps her safe, his family will receive the land they share-crop. He can’t refuse.

In the close quarters of her ship, Laning and Jileena discover they aren’t who they seem. Pirates, weather, and her recklessness threaten to derail the mission. As Laning and Jileena revise their impressions of each other, they’ll have to make hard choices about their goals. Can their budding love survive?

Be sure to check out the other authors on the blog hop.  http://buythebooktours.com/feature-friday-block-party-blog-hop