#Blast Four-Leaf Clover by Charmaine Ross

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Charmaine will be awarding a copy of the book to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

A sexy, sugar-laden David vs Goliath story about a local bakery, a national chain, and what really matters.

Clover Loveday has worked hard to get her café Four-Leaf Clover up and running, her ticket out of an increasingly alarming financial situation and her dream come true. When she literally falls off her ladder into the arms of national bakery chain Upper Crust owner, sexy-as-sin Liam Sinclair, who owns the new bakery being built just across the road, she decides that no matter how nauseated she is about the idea, it is best keep your enemy close, rather than leave things to fate.

Liam has never put too much thought into the competition when he opens a new outlet, other than taking their customers and strengthening the Upper Crust brand. But here in the beautiful Dandenong Ranges, Clover Loveday’s cafe is a little too close for comfort, and Clover Loveday a little too good-looking. So Liam asks his PA to put together a Fact Sheet about his new competition. He has a business to run, a father to please, and hundreds of people to keep in jobs. Surely information can keep an unwanted strong sexual pull at bay…

A sexy, caffeinated, satisfying story about unexpected temptations, forgiveness, and putting love before money.

Buy at Amazon

Enjoy an excerpt:

Clover was tired. More tired than usual. Lack of sleep often did that to her, compounding the effects of a physical day. She’d been unable to go to sleep because of a kiss she hadn’t wanted or asked for and still couldn’t seem to push from her mind. Clover checked the bread in the covered bowl she’d set aside that morning. She always liked the smell of raising bread in the morning. Made it more earthy.

It had been a nice kiss, well, a great kiss. She rolled the risen dough onto the floured surface and started kneading. Hell, it had knocked her socks off. Left fist. Exactly what she hadn’t wanted. Right fist. Clover blew a strand of hair from her face. Making dough usually let off steam, but this morning it didn’t have the desired effect.

She rolled the soft dough into a long sausage. The dough would make great lunch rolls. She’d add them to today’s menu. Take the rest to the shelter at finish time. She knew exactly what she wanted to do and where she wanted to be. No diversions.

She’d never got so caught up before. Now the sausage was too thick, so she had to start again. This time less force. She just didn’t need a man in her life, no matter how good he was at kissing. She certainly didn’t need to feel so damn good because of it. She picked up a broad-bladed knife and chopped the sausage into sections. Chop. Chop. Chop. The blade made a satisfactory thump on the cutting board. What was it about Liam that had her all confused about her simple life’s rules?

‘Man trouble?’

‘Huh? Clover looked up to see Holly lounging on the doorframe. Holly looked from the knife in Clover’s hand to the small blobs of dough scattered over the bench. ‘Are you planning to make rolls for dwarves?’

Clover kept in the sound of frustration as she gathered the bits of dough and started kneading. Again.

‘I’m okay. Just couldn’t sleep last night,’ Clover said.

Holly locked her arms over her chest and rested a hip on the bench. ‘Ah-huh. Any reason you want to particularly share?’

‘No reason.’ The kiss wasn’t the problem. It was the fact she’d let him do it. Just stood there, waiting for him to plant his mouth on hers. She hadn’t the will power or the inclination to stop him. And it had been so nice to let him do it to her. So nice to feel desired, wanted. Nice to give in to what she craved. Just for a moment. A nano-second of bliss.

Then reality had stepped in. Knew where a kiss could lead and that she couldn’t let it pull her into its sweet embrace. The nagging weight of responsibility pushed on her shoulders and she had listened, like she always did. Responded by letting him walk back out her door, angry that she had let it happen in the first instance. Besides, she’d be getting into bed with the enemy. She just couldn’t do that.

About the Author:

I live in Upwey, a very leafy suburb of outer Melbourne. I can hear most Melbournians say, ‘Where?’ Think Puffing Billy, the hills and inexcusably steep driveways and you're there. We have a house with room for the kids to play in the backyard, the cat to sleep wherever and the husband to lounge on a bean-bag in front of the telly. I love romance because it adds so much to the story. Everyone needs a little love to take them away.

Facebook Learn more about Charmaine Ross at www.CharmaineRoss.com.

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Friday Recipe: Mediterranean Roast Turkey

 I'm currently making this now. Well, it's in the slow cooker, has been since before I went to work. 7 hours is a long time, but just read this recipe. It sounds worth it! Mediterranean Roast Turkey doesn't sound like a slow cooker recipe, but it anything I can make and now have to be around to stir or flip or whatever goes into my recipe book.

 

Ingredients

• 2 cups chopped onion (about 1 large)
• 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives
• 1/2 cup julienne-cut drained oil-packed sun-dried tomato halves
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon Greek seasoning mix (such as McCormick's)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 (4-pound) boneless turkey breast, trimmed
• 1/2 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth, divided
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• Thyme sprigs (optional)

Preparation

Combine first 9 ingredients in an electric slow cooker. Add 1/4 cup chicken broth. Cover and cook on low for 7 hours.

Combine remaining 1/4 cup broth and flour in a small bowl; stir with a whisk until smooth. Add broth mixture to slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 30 minutes. Cut turkey into slices.
 

  Note:This recipe has been retested for Cooking Light Slow Cooker Tonight, 2012 

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: about 4 ounces turkey and about 1/3 cup onion mixture)

 

Friday Recipe: Eggplant Parmesan

I'm not a big Parmesan fan but I do like eggplant and mozzarella! I really like the pairing on a grill--delicious! But this recipe is pretty standard and simple enough to do when you need a meal and don't want to spend all day making one.

Ingredients:

3 eggplant, peeled and thinly sliced 2 eggs, beaten 4 cups Italian seasoned bread crumbs 6 cups spaghetti sauce, divided

1 (16 ounce) package mozzarella cheese , shredded and divided 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided 1/2 teaspoon dried basil

Directions:

1.	Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2.	Dip eggplant slices in egg, then in bread crumbs. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 5 minutes on each side.
3.	In a 9x13 inch baking dish spread spaghetti sauce to cover the bottom. Place a layer of eggplant slices in the sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Repeat with remaining ingredients, ending with the cheeses. Sprinkle basil on top.
4.	Bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes, or until golden brown

Friday Recipe: New Year's Appetizers

Today's New Year's recipe looks like it takes forever to make because of the refrigerate overnight aspect, but let's face it, you'll be sleeping overnight anyway so it's all good! Pot Stickers Traditional has several items I don't normally eat (like cabbage) but when minced in my handy new food processor you can barely taste it.

Now, I once accidentally overdosed the ginger in a Chicken and Ginger Soup recipe, so I'm warning you now--when it says finely chopped, obey! Or cut down on the measurement if you want (seriously recommended!). That's the great thing about these recipes, there are lots of ingredients you can mix and match...I don't eat water chestnuts, either, and kept them out.

Prep Time: 1 Hour
Cook Time: 10 Minutes
Ready In: 7 Hours 10 Minutes (it's that overnight aspect)
Servings: 15

Ingredients:

1/2 pound ground pork
1/2 medium head cabbage, finely chopped
1 green onion, finely chopped
2 slices fresh ginger root, finely chopped
2 water chestnuts, drained and finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon white sugar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 (14 ounce) package wonton wrappers
5 tablespoons vegetable oil
3/4 cup water
1 tablespoon chili oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon rice vinegar

Directions:

1. Crumble pork into a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together the pork, cabbage, green onion, ginger, water chestnuts, salt, sugar and sesame oil. Chill in the refrigerator 6 to 8 hours, or overnight.
3. Place a tablespoon of the pork mixture into each of the wonton wrappers. Fold the wrappers, and seal the edges with a moistened fork.
4. In a large, deep skillet, heat 3 tablespoons vegetable oil over medium high heat. Place the pot stickers into the oil seam sides up. Heat 30 seconds to a minute. Pour water into the skillet. Gently boil 7 to 8 minutes, until oil and water begins to sizzle, then add remaining oil. When the bottoms begin to brown, remove pot stickers from heat.
5. In a small serving bowl, mix together the chili oil, soy sauce, and vinegar, adjusting proportions to taste.

Friday Recipe: Cookie Icing

At work someone brought in beautiful cookies in the bakery box and other than not wanting to eat them because they looked so gorgeous, I wanted to know how to make them. I'd never iced a cookie, but these were festive, colorful, and non-fondant. Which I hate and refuse to use. Ever. No taste=no need for it in my baking. This is the recipe I used for the cookie icing.

Sugar Cookie Icing

Prep Time: 15 Minutes Ready In: 15 Minutes Servings: 12

Ingredients:

1 cup confectioners' sugar 2 teaspoons milk 2 teaspoons light corn syrup

1/4 teaspoon almond extract (I use vanilla; don't like almond extract!) assorted food coloring (mix more than you'll need because you'll never get that exact color again otherwise! Or is that just me?)

Directions:

1.	In a small bowl, stir together confectioners' sugar and milk until smooth. Beat in corn syrup and almond extract until icing is smooth and glossy. If icing is too thick, add more corn syrup.
2.	Divide into separate bowls, and add food colorings to each to desired intensity. Dip cookies, or paint them with a brush.

Friday Recipe: Raspberry Strippers

I liked the name of these! Plus they sound exactly like one of my favorite Entenmann's, the Raspberry Danish Twist. I don't buy them for a reason--I'll eat the entire thing in one sitting! And Cooking Light insists they're healthy, so they'd make the perfect holiday dessert. Now they were kind enough to tell me the nutritional information, which I posted at the bottom.

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 5 tablespoons butter or stick margarine, softened
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 large egg white
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Cooking spray
• 1/3 cup raspberry or apricot preserves
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon almond or vanilla extract

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. Beat granulated sugar and butter with a mixer at medium speed until well-blended (about 5 minutes). 
3. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla and egg white; beat well. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. 
4. Combine flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt, stirring well with a whisk. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture, stirring until well-blended. (Dough will be stiff.)
5. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide dough in half. Roll each portion into a 12-inch log. 
6. Place logs 3 inches apart on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. 
7. Form a 1/2-inch-deep indentation down the length of each log using an index finger or end of a wooden spoon. 
8. Spoon preserves into the center. 
9. Bake at 375° for 20 minutes or until lightly browned. 
10. Remove logs to a cutting board.
11. Combine powdered sugar, lemon juice, and almond extract; stir well with a whisk. 
12. Drizzle sugar mixture over warm logs. 
13. Immediately cut each log diagonally into 12 slices. (Do not separate slices.) Cool 10 minutes; separate slices. 
14. Transfer slices to wire racks. 
15. Cool completely.

Nutritional Information-Amount per serving

• Calories: 75
• Calories from fat: 30%
• Fat: 2.5g
• Saturated fat: 1.5g
• Monounsaturated fat: 0.7g
• Polyunsaturated fat: 0.2g
• Protein: 0.7g
• Carbohydrate: 12.4g
• Fiber: 0.2g
• Cholesterol: 6mg
• Iron: 0.3mg
• Sodium: 56mg
• Calcium:  4mg

Friday Recipe: Thanksgiving Turkey

There are those who don't like turkey, and for them there are a wide variety of other foods many families make on Thanksgiving. However, for the traditionalists, here's a delicious recipe on making a juicy and tasty turkey.

Rosemary Roasted Turkey

Prep Time: 25 Minutes Cook Time: 4 Hours

Ready In: 4 Hours 45 Minutes Servings: 16

Ingredients:

3/4 cup olive oil 3 tablespoons minced garlic 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning 1 teaspoon ground black pepper salt to taste 1 (12 pound) whole turkey

Directions:

1.	Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2.	In a small bowl, mix the olive oil, garlic, rosemary, basil, Italian seasoning, black pepper and salt. Set aside.
3.	Wash the turkey inside and out; pat dry. Remove any large fat deposits. Loosen the skin from the breast. This is done by slowly working your fingers between the breast and the skin. Work it loose to the end of the drumstick, being careful not to tear the skin.
4.	Using your hand, spread a generous amount of the rosemary mixture under the breast skin and down the thigh and leg. Rub the remainder of the rosemary mixture over the outside of the breast. Use toothpicks to seal skin over any exposed breast meat.
5.	Place the turkey on a rack in a roasting pan. Add about 1/4 inch of water to the bottom of the pan. Roast in the preheated oven 3 to 4 hours, or until the internal temperature of the bird reaches 180 degrees F (80 degrees C).

Friday Recipe: Thanksgiving Appetizer

I know Canada already celebrated their Thanksgiving, but America's Thanksgiving is in a few weeks and it's time for 3 things:
Getting ready to stuff yourself
Doing so on a budget
Helping others

Let's start backwards: Helping others is as simple as donating that free turkey to a local food bank, giving a cash donation to Feeding America, or even helping out during Thanksgiving. I've decided to donate that free turkey, after all someone needs it more than I do!

Now, for making Thanksgiving dinner on a budget. Not the easiest thing, grocery store prices seem to skyrocket in November! But a little shopping around, and checking out the weekly sale flyers, really does help.

Blue Cheese and Pear Tartlets

Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cook Time: 25 Minutes

Ready In: 35 Minutes Servings: 15

Ingredients:

4 ounces blue cheese, crumbled 1 ripe pear - peeled, cored, and chopped 2 tablespoons light cream

ground black pepper to taste 1 (2.1 ounce) package mini phyllo tart shells

Directions:

1.	Prebake phyllo shells according to package directions. Set aside to cool.
2.	Mix together blue cheese, pear, and cream. Season to taste with pepper. Spoon mixture into cooled shells.
3.	Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 15 minutes. Serve warm.

#WickedRomanceGIVEAWAY Wednesday Regency: Food and Risque

Several months ago I went to the New York Public Library to research through their nifty online database Regency cookbooks. You have to go to one of the buildings, can't remember which one, and the database is available only in-library. If you're interested in this, then it's worth it.

The cookbook I downloaded is from 1802: The Art of Cookery Made Easy and Refined: comprising ample directions for preparing every article requisite for furnishing the tables of the Nobleman, Gentleman, and Tradesman by John Mollard, Cook. The link takes you to the Google Books preview if you're interested. I had to paste the recipe as a .jpg. I hope you can see it!

Risque: A Regency Menage Tale 

4.5 Cups from Coffee Beans and Love Scenes

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Ravenous Romance

She felt like a girl in her first season—giddy with expectation, fascinated by a man whom, by all rights, she should stay as far away from as possible. Alix tried to steady herself. But she couldn’t get his note out of her mind. Couldn’t forget his tongue on her, his fingers within her.

And she wanted that again. Wanted his body beneath her, at her mercy. Wanted the power she had over him, the wantonness she felt with him.

The door opened, and Alix waited. She needn’t have worried, Kane had followed her. He closed the door quietly behind him, flicking the lock as he did so.

“Rather presumptuous of you, Mr. Huntington,” Alix said, breath coming too fast.

“Presumptuous, perhaps,” Kane admitted with a wicked grin, “when I followed you to your townhouse two nights past. Or when I knelt before you and tasted your arousal.” He walked forward, predatory grace in every move.

Alix’s heart pounded harder, mouth dry even as moisture pooled between her legs. She licked her lips, and Kane stepped closer.

“Or when I made you climax so hard you fainted in my arms. Locking a door,” he continued, a step away from her, “is hardly presumptuous. I’d say.” Kane reached out to caress the tops of her breasts, shrewdly covered today. “It’s even prudent.”

Amused by his answer, honest and lighthearted as it was, Alix couldn’t stop the bolt of arousal heating her blood. “Caused me to faint?” she repeated. “You think very highly of yourself, Mr. Huntington.”

“I do,” Kane readily agreed. “Especially when you shout my given name. And I heard it pass your delicious lips more than once when you lost that precious control.”

“Kane,” Alix whispered, body pressed against his. She cupped his cock, already hard for her, and stroked him through his breeches.

  Sharing My Favorite Read Giveaway Hop was organized by Reading Romances!

What you can win here: A PDF copy of any of my Regency Menage Tales

Number of winners: 2

Open to (INT, US or US/CAN): If you can receive an e-book, you can enter to win!

How to enter: Leave a comment on your favorite Halloween tradition WITH email address. Comments with no email or with no holiday recipe won't count.

Hop and enter the other giveaways!

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