Friday Guest Blogger - Author Sloane Taylor

Please welcome my guest blogger, author Sloane Taylor.

Thanks for having me out to play today, Clarissa. I appreciate the opportunity to meet your friends and chat with them. For a little incentive to bring out lurkers, I’d like to offer a free download of Czech Mate to one lucky winner. Clarissa will post the winner tomorrow. So, bring on those questions and comments! I’m happy to answer anything you like.

For those of you who don’t know me, I’m a sensual woman who believes humor and sex are healthy aspects of our everyday lives and that carries over into my books. I write sexually explicit romances that take you right into the bedroom. But since I’m a true romantic, every story has a happy ever after.

My books are set in Europe where the men are all male and the North American women they encounter are both feminine and strong. They also bring more than lust to their men’s lives.

On the personal side, I was born and raised on the Southside of Chicago and still have the attitude when needed. As a young adult I lived in the Pullman neighborhood that was created by that old curmudgeon George Pullman. It’s also the area where many scenes from Tom Hanks’ movie Road to Perdition were filmed.

Studly, my mate for life, and now live in a small home in Indiana and enjoy the change from hectic city life.

There’s another side to me, I'm an avid cook and proud of it. My dad used to tell me he ate to live while I lived to eat. So true.

Several centuries ago when I was a young woman starting out on my own, I wanted menus to plan meals, not have to search through dozens of cookbooks and magazines to come up with a total meal. It just wasn't available.

Over the years I've collected cookbooks from all over the world. The frustrating thing is that they too only gave me recipes, not menus.

It was time to take matters into my own hands.

I created “It’s Wednesday. So What’s Cooking?” with complete menus posted once a week on my blog.  The recipes are user friendly menus, meaning easy, Please check it out and let me know what you think. Also, feel free to email me at sloanetaylor@comcast.net to be included on my list of Cooking Pals. These are people who like to be emailed weekly with a short reminder the new menu is available.   

Here’s a taste of what you’ll see weekly;

Chicken Cutlets, Roasted Potatoes with Thyme and Vinegar and Candied Orange Carrots

Summer is hanging on during the day, but the nights have become deliciously cool. This is a lovely meal you can enjoy for two by candlelight or with family and friends and rousing conversation. It’s also perfect al fresco on a Sunday afternoon.

Chicken Cutlets
Roasted Potatoes with Thyme and Vinegar
Candied Orange Carrots
Dry Crisp White Wine

Chicken Cutlets
Boneless chicken breasts - I prefer Purdue brand
5 slices bacon chopped
¼ cup flour
1 tbsp. fresh rosemary chopped
¼ tsp. red pepper flakes
1 tbsp. Butter
1 cup chicken broth
4 garlic cloves crushed
2 tbsp. lemon juice

Fry bacon over medium heat until crisp. Transfer bacon onto paper towels to drain. Spoon off all but two tablespoons of the fat.

Meanwhile, place flour in a shallow dish. Dredge the chicken in the flour and shake to remove excess. Add butter to the reserved fat in the pan and heat over high temperature, swirling to melt the butter. When the foam subsides, reduce heat to med-high and cook chicken until browned on both sides, 3 – 4 minutes. per side. Transfer chicken to a plate and tent with foil.

Reduce heat to medium and add garlic, rosemary, pepper flakes. Cook under one minute. Do not let the garlic brown. Add broth and lemon juice, scrape up browned bits with a wooden spoon, and simmer until slightly thick, about 4 minutes.

Return chicken and bacon to pan, simmer turning chicken once until sauce is thick and glossy, 2 – 3 minutes. Adjust seasoning with black pepper.

Roasted Potatoes with Thyme and Vinegar
3 tbsp. olive oil
3 tbsp. cider vinegar
3 tsp. Kosher salt
2 lbs. potatoes quartered
1 tsp. dried thyme

Preheat oven to 425°

In a small bowl whisk together the olive oil, salt, thyme, and vinegar.

Place the potatoes in a large Zip-lock plastic bag. Pour the mixture over them and gently shake the bag to coat evenly.

Spread the potatoes in an even layer on a baking sheet. Drizzle and remaining mixture over them. Bake until potatoes are tender and slightly browned, about 50 minutes.

Candied Orange Carrots
½ lb. of ready to eat carrots
Juice of one orange
1 pinch nutmeg
¼ cup maple syrup
4 tbsp. butter
Chopped fresh parsley

Place all the ingredients together in a saucepan. Gently simmer, covered, until the carrots are bright orange and tender.
Garnish with the parsley and serve.
 
The leftovers from this meal make a perfect lunch and are easily reheated.

While you’re hashing over which recipes you want to adjust to suit your taste, please allow me to give you a PG13 peek at my latest release from Musa Publishing, Masquerade.

Behind every mask is a fragment of truth.

BLURB:

Chicagoan Clancy Marshall has planned her dream vacation in Venice down to the last detail. From gondola rides to masked balls, and anything else that just happens along, she is determined to experience all pleasures. But those careful plans fly out the door when she literally falls into the arms of a masked stranger.

Vittore Ricci comes from an old Venetian family that claims two doges in their lineage. A straight-laced Count and owner of a prestigious hotel, he never does anything without serious consideration. Until a sexy American tourist offers an opportunity no man can refuse.

To read an excerpt from Masquerade, please click HERE 

Please check out my website to learn more about my work and my Amazon Author Page.

You can also stay connected with me on Facebook