Evernight's Naughty Nibbles Read online

  Evernight Publishing

  www.evernightpublishing.com

  Copyright© 2012 Evernight Publishing

  ISBN: 978-1-77130-214-2

  Cover Artist: Sour Cherry Designs

  Organizer: Emma Shortt

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

  EVERNIGHT’S NAUGHTY NIBBLES

  Food and reading are two of life’s greatest pleasures. From the sweetness of chocolate on your lips to the feel of a crisp page as you flip it over...both offer a unique level of satisfaction. Taste and text have long been capable of transporting people to another time and place, and our large selection of e-books already offer our readers an erotic escape. But at Evernight Publishing, we thought, what better way than to combine the two?

  We asked our authors to step away from their latest plot and send us their favorite recipes. The end result was Evernight’s Naughty Nibbles—our holiday gift to you.

  From savory treats to decadent desserts, there’s a recipe in here to tempt even the fussiest of palates. We’ve also included a special selection of best loved cocktails to get you in the holiday mood! Some of our authors may not be familiar around an oven but they do know a thing or two about mixing a drink.

  So go on, whip something up…Evernight style.

  www.evernightpublishing.com

  SOMETHING SAVORY

  Bacon-Wrapped Chestnuts from Katalyn Sage

  What you need:

  © 1 Package Bacon (Black Label Maple flavored is best)

  © ¼ C. Soy Sauce

  © Brown Sugar

  © 1 can Sliced Water Chestnuts

  © Toothpicks

  © ½ Cube Butter or Margarine

  © Honey (optional)

  How to put it all together:

  © Cut bacon slices into thirds, set aside.

  © Mix soy sauce and 1 tsp. brown sugar together in a medium bowl.

  © Drop bacon slices into soy/brown sugar mixture to marinade. Set aside.

  © Drain water from can of water chestnuts, drop chestnuts into the soy/brown sugar mixture to marinade. Bacon and chestnuts can marinade in the mixture for as little time as you like, or for up to 4 hours.

  © Preheat oven to 400º F.

  © Take one bacon slice from the marinade and lay it on a plate or cutting board, then add two sliced pieces of chestnut and wrap the bacon around them. Carefully skewer with toothpick (don’t stab yourself, it hurts). I let the toothpick barely show on the bottom-side of the bacon to prevent burning. Set inside a 9x13 glass baking pan. Repeat until chestnuts (and/or bacon) are gone.

  © Melt butter and about ½ C. brown sugar together in a sauce pan. Optional: Mix in honey to add thickness to mixture.

  © Drizzle butter/sugar mixture generously over bacon-wrapped chestnuts. For a little extra crunch, try sprinkling some brown sugar over the top.

  © Place in oven and bake 20-30 minutes. Serve, and enjoy!

  Serving suggestion:

  Open your mouth and let that hot piece of meat slide past your lips until you can taste its juices on your tongue. Close your lips around that hard stick and slide it out while savoring the delicious textures and flavors inherent in this delectable holiday treat.

  Warning: May induce pleasurable moaning.

  KATALYN SAGE

  By day, Katalyn works as a Systems and Operations Specialist for a Direct Sales company. While she is often referred to as the Systems Goddess or Systems Queen (yeah, she pretty much rocks it), she dreams of the day that she can write full-time. By night, she tirelessly writes novels whenever she can be pulled away from her family. Much of her free time is spent curling up with a good book or writing in one of her many projects. She’s an avid reader, mostly preferring romance and young adult novels, which is where her passion lies. She started writing her debut series, Immortal Guardians, in 2009 and hasn’t been able to put her laptop away since.

  Katalyn has been married to her wonderful husband for over a decade. They live in Utah with their new baby boy and three dogs.

  She has released three novels in her Immortal Guardians series: Dark Seduction, Passion Ignited, and her newest novel, Born of Silence, which have all been published with Evernight Publishing. You can find her at www.katalynsage.com.

  Marie's Marvelous Mushrooms from Marie E. Blossom

  What you need:

  © 3 qt. glass baking dish, oblong

  © Medium fry pan

  © 1/2 stick of butter

  © 2 packages of Baby Bella (portobella) Mushrooms, cleaned, destemmed (mince stems)

  © 2 medium shallots, minced

  © 1 stalk inner celery leaf, minced

  © 2 garlic cloves, minced

  © 1/4 cup Italian flavored bread crumbs

  © 1/3 cup Romano cheese, grated

  © 2 t extra virgin olive oil

  © Salt & pepper

  How to put it all together:

  © Grease baking dish.

  © Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

  © Clean the mushrooms and remove the stems. Place mushrooms underside up in greased baking dish.

  © Mince mushroom stems, shallots, celery leaf, garlic.

  © Melt butter and 1 tblsp olive oil in pan.

  © Sauté mushroom stems, shallots, celery, and garlic in pan over medium heat until glassy (3-5 minutes).

  © Remove from heat.

  © Stir in bread crumb till most of butter and oil is absorbed.

  © Stir in Romano cheese, salt, and pepper to taste, let cool.

  © Stuff mushroom caps with mixture, then drizzle with remaining olive oil.

  © Bake until dry and tops are crispy, approximately 1/2 hour to 45 minutes.

  © Enjoy!

  Serving suggestion:

  This hors d'oeuvre is the perfect finger food for those holidays when you want to wow your lover, no silverware required! The secret ingredient, Romano cheese, adds the perfect bit of exotic and tangy flavor to your romantic rendezvous. It's a wonderful food for quick energy, exactly what's needed on those nights when sleep isn't on the menu (because you're too busy making love, yes?).

  MARIE E. BLOSSOM

  Marie E. Blossom lives in the valleys of southeastern Pennsylvania, where blizzards blow through in the winter and good food is a necessity. She's published one book with Evernight Publishing: Devotion, an editors pick! Bitten by Darkness is coming out soon. You can find her hanging out online at www.marieeblossom.com.

  Leaf's Lovely Lentil Soup from Erin M. Leaf

  What you need:

  © Stock pot

  © Immersion blender and strainer (optional)

  © 2 tblsp extra virgin olive oil

  © 1/2 large onion, chopped

  © 2 garlic cloves, chopped

  © 4 carrots, chopped

  © 1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes

  © 10 oz. dried lentils (1 cup)

  © 4 14.5 oz. cans vegetable broth

  © Juice of 1 lime

  © 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric

  © 1 tsp. ground cumin

  © 6 whole cardamoms (use cheesecloth bag)

  © 1 cinnamon stick

  © 1 stick Kombu (optional)

  © Salt & pepper

  © 4-8 oz. heavy cream or coconut milk (optional)

  How to put it all together:

  © Heat olive oil in stock pot on medium heat.

  © Sauté onion, garlic, and carrots until glassy (3-5 minutes).

  © Add tomatoes, lentils, vegetable broth, lime j
uice, spices, and Kombu.

  © Turn heat to low and simmer until lentils are soft (45 minutes to 1 hour).

  © Remove cardamom, cinnamon, and Kombu.

  © Puree with immersion blender or conventional blender and strain (optional).

  © Add salt and pepper to taste.

  © Add cream or coconut milk if desired.

  © Enjoy!

  Serving suggestion:

  This spicy soup is delectable when served in a glass mug! It's warm and spicy, and the perfect light meal to get you and your lover revved up for a long, cold, holiday night. Add a drop or two of cream to the top and it's just like drinking a cappuccino! I have it on good authority that the spices taste delicious with kisses, especially when you dribble a bit in bed. ;-)

  ERIN M. LEAF

  Erin M. Leaf lives in Pennsylvania where the occasional nor'easter keeps everyone on their toes. She's hoping that it snows a lot this year because she can't wait to settle in with her hubby and a bit of soup on a long, quiet winter day. She's published several book with Evernight Publishing: Kiss Is a Four-Letter Word (an Amazon and ARe bestseller), Risk Is a Four-Letter Word (a Night Owl Reviews top pick!), and the Romance on the Go story Love, Desperately.

  You can find her online at www.erinmleaf.com.

  Santa's Stuffing, Gluten free, not taste free,

  from Raven McAllan

  What you need:

  © In equal amounts take,

  © Dried sage, or any herbs you prefer

  © A mix of toasted and untoasted gluten free breadcrumbs (I make my own in a blender, and toast my own in a very low oven)

  © Oats (medium sized, gluten free)

  © One finely chopped onion

  © One beaten egg

  © Salt and pepper to taste

  How to put it all together:

  © Mix the ingredients together with enough beaten egg to bind.

  © Roll into balls.

  © Cook in a hot oven for aprox 30 minutes until brown.

  © To make these non egg use a cooking 'fat' and hot water instead (I use an olive oil based one).

  Serving suggestion:

  This recipe is easily adjusted to taste. Some people prefer more or less herbs. It can also be made with 'regular' bread, and non-g-f oats. And eaten with Christmas dinner… hmmm mmm, It means even a coeliac can eat.

  RAVEN MCALLAN

  Raven lives almost at the north pole, well in Scotland which feels like its at the north pole sometimes. She and her long-suffering husband live on the edge of a forest and wouldn't be surprised to see Santa and his reindeer practicing on the sleigh along the huskie racing tracks. (along with the dust bunnies who have escaped from under the bed, Raven doesn't believe in chasing them away, they only come back again.)

  She's written four stories for Evernight; one each in Virgins Behaving Badly and Keyboard and Kink, Where There's A Will (a free short Christmas story) And Silver Silk Ties, book one of The House On Silk Street, a Regency series.

  You can find Raven at www.ravenmcallan.com.

  Greek Tavan from Emma Shortt

  What you need:

  © Lamb chops or any lamb on the bone

  © 5 large potatoes

  © 2 large onions

  © 2 cans of chopped tomatoes

  © 1 cinnamon stick

  © Chicken stock (1 cube)

  © Olive oil

  © Salt

  © Pepper

  How to put it all together:

  © Cut lamb into generous chunks.

  © Peel potatoes and cube.

  © Cut onions into slices.

  © Add everything into a large oven dish.

  © Give it all a good splash of olive oil.

  © Pour over chicken stock.

  © Add a pinch of salt and a generous sprinkle of pepper.

  © Cover and heat until lamb is cooked through and potatoes are soft.

  Serving suggestion:

  This dish will end up with a thick stock that is perfect for dipping. So serve with thick, granary bread – lots of it. Oh, and best eaten with your own Greek hero by your side.

  EMMA SHORTT

  As a kid Emma wanted to be an astronaut, or maybe Captain Janeway. Because she didn’t really think her career choices through very well she ended up in an everyday geek job, crunching numbers and sighing over syntax. It seemed a long way from the stars and in an effort to escape Emma decided to get serious about her other passion. Writing.

  Several years later and Emma has yet to walk on the moon or sit in the Captain’s chair, but she is still writing. She’s published several books with Evernight Publishing including The Valentine’s Fae, The Kiss, Paying her Debt, Getting her Greek, Pleasing the Boss, Taming the Bad Girl, The Flighty Fiancee, Ripley’s Reaping and Taken by the Greek Billionaire. She’s also featured in three Evernight anthologies.

  Emma lives on the west coast of England with her very Greek husband and teenage kiddos. Apart from all things geek reading is her main hobby and she likes nothing better than getting home from a hard day at work and curling up with a book, though sometimes she gets home and writes one instead. You can find her at www.emmashortt.com.

  Chicken ‘n Dumplings from Kerri M. Patterson

  What you need:

  © 2T Butter

  © 1T Flour

  © 1c Milk

  © 1-2c Fully cooked chicken, shredded

  © 2c Chicken broth

  © Salt and pepper to taste

  © ¼ t. Parsley

  © ¼ t. Garlic powder

  © 1 Can biscuits (non-flakey) pulled or cut into 4ths

  How to put it all together:

  © Melt 2T butter in a large pot over medium heat, add flour and whisk until all butter is absorbed by flour.

  © Quickly add half the milk, whisking constantly. Whisk until all lumps are removed and mix is thickened. Add the rest of milk. Whisk until thickened, meanwhile add salt and pepper to taste.

  © When mix re-thickens again, add chicken broth and shredded chicken. Return to simmer and add biscuits.

  © Stir occasionally (gently) until dumplings are fluffy (not dry), about 5 minutes.

  © If you don’t have any fully cooked chicken on hand, here is what you will need:

  © 1 lg. Chicken breast

  © A pinch (each) of salt, pepper, garlic powder, savory to season water

  Serving suggestion:

  This is a great meal to cuddle up with loved ones on a cold, winter day and also to use up leftover chicken or turkey!

  KERRI M. PATTERSON

  Kerri M. Patterson began writing at an early age and self-published her first book in 2008. When she isn’t writing she is spending time with her wonderful daughter and traveling the world (military style) with her husband.

  Kerri has published one book with Evernight, The Pursuit for Love. You can find her at www.kerripatterson.com.

  Eggplant Parmesan from Carolyn Rosewood

  What you need:

  © 4 eggplants

  © 1 large jar of your choice of spaghetti sauce

  © 1 large can of sprinkle Romano or other cheese

  © 1 large bag of Mozzarella shredded cheese

  © Oregano, basil, salt, pepper, garlic, parsley

  © Olive oil

  © Flour or breadcrumbs

  © Eggs (can be egg whites only if you prefer)

  © Large frying pan

  © 9X12 baking dish

  © A lot of paper towels

  How to put it all together:

  © Peel the eggplants and cut them width-wise, so they end up as approximately ¼ inch circles.