Live to Love on the Edge Blog

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Multi-Grain French Toast in the Oven #Recipe

My favorite meal of the day is breakfast! I could eat eggs, pancakes, french toast, bacon, etc. at any time of the day. In fact, when hubby and I hit one of our local Jersey diners, I almost always get a breakfast kind of meal for dinner.

But as you know, I’ve been trying to eat healthier and change my lifestyle. That doesn’t necessarily mean losing some favorites, just making them healthier.

This recipe is not only healthier, but easier than regular french toast. Why? Well, it’s all assembled in the fridge the night before, so no hurried make each toast and hope it soaks enough, etc.

I use this recipe when I have company staying over, like my writing buddies for a weekend. It lets me still get some writing done in the morning and lets them get some sleep until the aromas of the french toast make them too hungry to stay asleep! LOL!

Multi-Grain French Toast in the Oven

You will need the following ingredients:

1 loaf slightly stale multi-grain bread (you can also use challah or raisin cinnamon bread)
8 eggs
2 cups 2% milk
1/2 cup low fat half & half
1/2 cup flour
1/2 brown sugar
2/3 cup honey
1 stick butter (softened)
2 tbsp vanilla
2 tsp cinnamon

Directions:

Lightly grease a 9×13 baking dish. Break bread into chunks and place in the baking dish.

Mix the eggs, milk, half & half, vanilla, 1 tsp cinnamon, and 1/3 cup honey together. Pour over the bread. Cover and place in the refrigerator.

In the morning, preheat the oven to 350. Mix the softened butter, 1/3 cup honey, 1 tsp cinnamon and brown sugar. When that’s mixed, add the flower. Remove your baking dish with the bread from the fridge. Cover with the butter/sugar mixture.

Bake for 45 minutes to an hour (depending on how set you like your french toast!).

Serve with maple syrup and/or honey and/or powdered sugar. Some turkey bacon on the side to watch the calories and fat again!

Hope you enjoyed today’s recipe.
FrenchToast

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#ManCandyMonday Paul Stone

Today’s Man Candy is fictional for a change of pace. It’s FBI Agent Paul Stone from NOW AND ALWAYS and FAITH IN YOU.

When Paul first came to life on the page, I knew he was going to be an antagonist to Connie not only as a way to show her determination to get the Miami assignment, but also her desire to be the best agent in her class and on the job.

But I love redeeming characters and as the story developed, I knew there was a lot more to Paul than what we saw at the beginning of the book. I loved showing more of his change in NOW AND ALWAYS and then more fully exploring why he was the way he was in FAITH IN YOU.

Of course, I also loved bringing him together with Carmen who would not only allow Paul to dream, but would show him that having faith in each other and in love could finally bring him the happily-ever-after he craved with her and with his not-so-loving family.

Anyway, here’s how I pictured Paul and Carmen and I just love Paul’s All American boy-next-door looks!

I’m also happy to say that you can now get the South Beach Sizzles Boxed Set at a special price of only 3.99 for both books!

Look for more books in the South Beach Sizzles Collection in January 2014 with TORI GOT LUCKY and in March with THE THIRTY YEAR ITCH.

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Into the Abyss with #Vampires

FOR LOVE OR VENGEANCE from THE CALLING/REBORN Vampire Novel SeriesFOR LOVE OR VENGEANCE from THE CALLING/REBORN Vampire Series comes on out September 23. It’s hard to believe that nearly 10 years have elapsed since the first book in the series, DARKNESS CALLS, came out in 2004 and that the series now has 11 books in it, 12 if you count FOR LOVE OR VENGEANCE (which also happens to be my 40th release!).

Wow! As you know I’ve been re-releasing the contemporary novels that I first did before starting THE CALLING/REBORN Vampire Series. A lot of people asked me back in 2004 how I made such a leap from sweet, sexy and humorous contemporary romances to something as dark and gritty as THE CALLING/REBORN series.

So here goes with that explanation. . .

One of the main characters in the books, FBI Agent Diana Reyes, actually popped into my head while I was writing one of the contemporary romances. She was screaming so hard to be heard that even though I was on deadline to write the contemporary, I set it aside to write a chapter or two with her in it. She finally quieted down when I did that, but not for long.

Especially when in 2001 I fell into an emotional abyss caused by so many things.

For starters, without warning our publisher put the line for which I was writing into “hiatus.” A euphemism for dead in the water. The last two books for that line were never released, but I will be bringing them out as indie releases soon!

Suddenly I was without a publisher and wondering what to do. I had an agent back then who wanted me to be a Latina Terry McMillan. That was so not me, but I tried and tried and just got more and more frustrated.

Diana Reyes started screaming in my head again, but then 9-11 happened.

September has always been a pivotal month for me. My mom’s b’day is on September 10, but she has now been gone from life more than she was in it. But she is still with me every day, especially on that day.

On top of that, I loved school and loved college even more. I lived for September and the return to Villanova. Those bright and beautiful fall days filled with such promise for the future. So much so that when we had such a lovely September day, my hubby and I would say we were having a Villanova Day.

That all changed on a Villanova Day in September. A bright and beautiful day that would forever change me. I’ll admit that. I am not the person I was before. There is an abyss of anger and pain inside of me that will NEVER go away because on that day my Nation, my America, was attacked and so was the city of my heart, New York.

For weeks after 9-11, I could not write much less think about anything. I had to keep a brave face on for my daughter and tell her everything would be fine while inside I was thinking, Will it?

My writing was nowhere. My city was in ruins. The faces of the dead stared at me every day from the street corners. I cried more than I laughed while trying to make believe everything could be normal again.

Diana Reyes started screaming in my head again.

In some ways, I am more like Diana than any of my other characters. I understand her abyss because I’ve been there. Because it lives inside of me.

I also understand her need for justice and her belief that someone needs to stand up for the dead.

She has my bad traits also, but I’ll keep those to myself for now. You may be able to guess what they are from the books. LOL!

DARKNESS CALLS Vampire RomanceFrom the darkness of post 9-11 New York City and the emotional upheavals of that day, I finally could not ignore Diana any more and I sat down to write during a Christmas holiday break. Once I started writing, I couldn’t stop. In fact, I finished that first draft of DARKNESS CALLS in just a couple of weeks, the pull of the story and of Diana and Ryder was that strong.

I had to finish it for me and to revive the hope that things would be okay. That there were still people who stood for good and that good will always win out over evil.

In each of the stories of THE CALLING/REBORN series, there is that satisfaction for me. The good guys may bleed and suffer, but they always will find a way to win the day. They always will find that the strength of love can overcome the worst face of evil, whether human or otherworldly.

So that’s what inspired THE CALLING/REBORN Vampire Series and that’s why I keep on writing it.

Hopefully that’s why you keep on enjoying it! Thank you all for indulging me today with this.

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Remembering Our Heroes on 9-11

I know it’s Wicked Wednesday and you’re probably expecting an excerpt and our #ManWars on Facebook, but in deference to the solemnity of this day, we won’t be doing those things.

Instead, I ask you to take a moment to remember those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001 and on September 11, 2012. Remember the selfless acts of everyone on those days and the heroes who lost their lives as they tried to help others.

God Bless You and God Bless America.

911Flag

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Cuban Mashed Plantain #Recipe Fu Fu

In FOR LOVE OR VENGEANCE the Cuban FBI Agent hero, Miguel Sanchez, takes his partner and love interest, Helene, to eat at a Cuban-Chinese restaurant. Yes, Cuban-Chinese. A unique mix, but many Chinese immigrated to Cuba to work the sugar plantations and their take on Cuban food is delicious.

Miguel and Helene might have ordered a dish like today’s recipe – Fu Fu. Now, there are lots of variations on Fu Fu and others make similar dishes, like Mofongo. The difference is a combination of the kind of plantain used and what’s added to the mashed plantains.

This is my family’s variation on it. We always used green plantains which are not as sweet and therefore give you a dish that’s more like mashed potatoes than variations made with ripe and semi-ripe plantains. If you like sweet, let the plantains turn yellow or go to black and try your own mashed variation.

A caution about plantains. Although Latins will often call them bananas, they are very much a vegetable and cannot be eaten raw. They must be cooked and Latins have all kinds of dishes, like plantain chips, ripe plantains (maduros), squashed flat plantains (tostones), etc. They are a staple much like potatoes and rice.

Cuban Mashed Plantains

4 green plantains
1 chopped onion
2 gloves garlic
4 chopped slices bacon

Cut the plantains into one inch chunks. Cut a slit or two across the skin (from end to end and not along the circumference) until you reach the flesh of the plantain. This will help you peel them once they are boiled. The skin will split away from the plantain beneath while boiling.

Boil until fork tender. Make sure to put some salt in the boiling water.

Cool and peel as soon as possible.

Cook the chopped bacon until almost crispy. Remove some of the bacon grease and add the chopped onion. Cook until almost caramelized and then add the garlic. Cook for a few more minutes.

While you are waiting for the final cook of the bacon/onion/garlic mix, mash the plantains. Do not mash them too much. You do want some texture and different sizes and you don’t want it to get gluey. This is especially true if you are using a ripe one.

Once mashed, top with the cooked bacon/onion/garlic mix. Drizzle a bit of olive oil over the top and serve.

Yummy, trust me. I mean, it’s got bacon. What doesn’t taste good with bacon? LOL!
plantain

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#ManCandyMonday Jared Boll #Hockey Hottie

This one is a shout out to all my hockey lovin’ fans! I know who you are and that I spend too much time on my football and baseball hotties. So today is Hockey Hottie Jared Boll who is forward with the Columbus Blue Jackets of the NHL.

What a cutie!

Jared_Boll

Photo Credit: Dmbrowne@en.wikipedia.com

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