Caridad Pineiro® Romance Author
NY Times & USA Today Bestselling Romance Author
My best Valentine’s gift ever has to be chocolate. But not just any chocolate! Hubby found a local place that makes chocolates that are truly works of art. Tasty, too! What about you? What’s the best Valentine’s Day gift you ever got? P.S. If you want to treat yourself for Valentine’s Day, grab a copy of SABOTAGE OPERATION. It’s specially priced at 1.99 at https://amzn.to/3YELoej.
Happy National Ambrosia Day! Ambrosia is one of those desserts that screams 1950s to me. It also reminds me of my mom since, in the summer months, she’d regularly make it! I never got the recipe from her, but I remember she used cream cheese in her version, and based on that, I came up with my own version of it! P.S. Nothing to do with ambrosia, but don’t wait—grab your of COLD CASE K-9 and join Gabriella, Diego, and Poppy on the hunt! Pre-order your copy today at https://amzn.to/48qzo4R.
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 pint sour cream
1 can mandarin oranges, drained
1 can diced/sliced peaches, reserve the juice
1 can diced/crushed pineapple, reserve the juice
1 can fruit cocktail, drained
2 cups mini marshmallows
Place cream cheese in a large bowl. Add the juice from the can of sliced peaches to soften the cream cheese. Add the sour cream and stir. Add the fruit and marshmallows and stir. If the mixture seems too thick, use some of the pineapple juice to loosen it up, but not too much. Also, remember that the marshmallows will also thicken it again once it’s chilled. Place in the refrigerator for at least an hour or two.
I posted a photo of one of our new Thanksgiving dinner must-haves: Double Apple Bread Pudding. I can’t take credit for this recipe since it’s based on one by America’s Test Kitchen. I tweaked it to make it a little simpler and to also pump up the apple, cinnamon, and vanilla flavors. It does take at least an hour and a half to assemble/soak the ingredients and another 45 minutes to bake, but it’s totally worth it! If you want to see more recipes, you can visit the Cook’s Treat page on my website or download Recipes for the Romantic Soul which is free on Kindle Unlimited. Grab your copy at https://amzn.to/49YMIyy.
Ingredients
6 cups challah, hand torn into 1/2-inch cubes
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup apple cider or good apple juice
2 large Granny Smith apples cut into 1 inch pieces
1 cup milk
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1¼ cups heavy cream
Directions
Butter an 8×8 baking dish. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Tear the challah into 1/2-inch cubes. You can cut it, but I think it looks better when it’s in rough pieces. If you can’t find challah, use a good brioche. Spread the challah on a cookie sheet, toss occasionally, and dry in the oven for about 15 minutes. Let the bread cool. Set aside 3/4 cups of the bread crumbs to make a crumble topping later.
Melt 2 Tbsp butter in skillet. Add 1/4 cup brown sugar and apple cider and stir until sugar has dissolved. Stir in apples, cover, and simmer for about 4 minutes. Then uncover and cook for another 4 minutes or until apples are translucent. Don’t overcook the apples as you want them in nice pieces and not saucy.
Place a strainer over a bowl and drain the liquid from the apples. Press on them lightly to remove the liquid, but don’t mash them. Set the apples aside and place the apple juice you just drained into a measuring cup. Add milk until you get to 1 1/2 cups of liquid. Add 1/4 cup sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon to the apple/milk combo and mix. Add the 2 eggs and whisk it all together. Add the heavy cream to this mixture and mix it well. Stir in the apples (gently).
Add the 5 1/4 cups of the toasted bread to the liquid and apple mixture. Toss gently and then transfer to the baking dish and gently press down on the mixture.
Let it soak for 15 minutes and do another gentle press. Wait another 15 minutes and press gently again.
While your doing that, put the 3/4 cup of bread into a bowl and break into small and bigger pieces. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar and 2 tbsp melted butter. Crumble all the elements together and once the other mixture has finished soaking, top it with this crumble.
Place the baking dish on a baking sheet and cook in the 325 degree oven for about 45 minutes. The center should register 160-165 degrees when you check the temperature. Remove from oven and let it cool (if you can wait that long! LOL!)
I served it with a caramel sauce, but you can also top it with a creme anglaise or whipped cream! Enjoy!
OMG, Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and I’m sure some of you are already thinking about the Thanksgiving dinner menu! That makes me wonder: What’s your must-have dish on the table? In our house, the must-have is my sister Carmen’s corn casserole recipe. It’s delicious and even better, it’s very easy to make! You can find the recipe at https://bit.ly/CarmenCornCasserole. P.S. Chef Carlo from NEVER A BRIDE probably has several must-have dishes for his family’s Thanksgiving table. Carlo is Emma’s Prince Charming, if she’d only open her eyes to see that! Grab your copy of NEVER A BRIDE at https://amzn.to/2MLZRyK.
I haven’t done a recipe in ages, so for today’s Food Friday, I decided to share one of my personal favorites: Oxtail Stew. This dish is a love it or hate it kind of food. My daughter and I love it, but hubby not so much. Properly done, an oxtail stew is meaty and tasty! For those who love braised short ribs, you’ll love oxtail stew. P.S. Who in my book world would love this? Definitely Carlo from the At the Shore series. As a seasoned chef, he would totally make a dish like this for Emma, the love of his life. You can enjoy their story in NEVER A BRIDE. Grab your copy today at https://amzn.to/4fzJ3Yu.
Ingredients:
2 cups chopped onions
1 cup chopped carrots
1 tbsp capers
1/2 cup chopped manzanilla olives
32 oz Chicken Broth (The packaged kind)
2 cups dry red wine
10-12 large oxtails
2-3 bay leaves
Directions:
Trim any excess fat from the oxtails. Pat and dry. You may have very small oxtails in the package and I keep them to make beef broth and don’t use them for the stew.
Heat some olive oil in a stockpot. Brown both sides of the oxtails and then remove to a plate. You will need to remove everything but about 2-3 tbsps of the grease from the stockpot, and discard it.
Add the carrots and cook for about five minutes. Then add the onions and cook until they are starting to brown.
Add the capers and olives and cook for about five minutes. Return the oxtails and any juices to the stockpot. Add the chicken broth, bay leaves, and red wine, and bring to a low simmer.
Oxtails are a tough meat, much like short ribs. Summer on low for about 3 to 4 hours, or until tender. Salt and pepper to taste. I usually serve the oxtails over white rice.
It’s a hearty, delicious dish, especially in the winter! I hope you try this out and I hope you’ll enjoy it.
It’s National Wine & Cheese Day! When hubby and I were first dating, wine and cheese bars were the thing. A nice bottle of wine, cheese, bread, and crackers by candlelight was always a lovely date. But what’s the best wine and cheese pairing? According to Taste of Home, there are a few things to remember! First, wines and cheeses from the same region pair well together. Second, sample the wine first and then the cheese. Next, strong cheeses pair well with heartier, bold wines, while fresh, light cheeses complement light, crisp wines. This last tip comes from a local cheese monger: Let the cheeses reach room temperature to enhance their flavors. My favorite pairing is blue cheese with Cabernet Sauvignon. What is your favorite wine and cheese combo? P.S. Wedding planner Emma and caterer extraordinaire Carlo totally know their pairings. Now, if they could only figure out their happily ever after. Find out how they do in NEVER A BRIDE. Grab your copy at https://amzn.to/3GRVFxt or grab the box set of all three AT THE SHORE series books for only 5.99 at https://amzn.to/44Z0M6Y.
Harlequin Intrigue novels, including DANGER IN DADE, are packed with action and suspense. But in between that danger, there is time for romance and getting to know each other moments. I can definitely see that in one of special times, Chef Anita might make her popular Champagne Sangria to accompany one of the tasty meals she’s making for old flame Brett Madison, the K-9 agent that South Beach Security has assigned to protect her until they solve the mystery around the murder of a hotel owner. This recipe is adapted from a fabulous sangria we had at the Columbia restaurant in Tampa! Columbia is a fabulous Cuban restaurant, is Florida’s oldest restaurant, and is still family-owned and operated! If you’re ever in Tampa or in one of their seven other locations, you must go eat there! P.S. OMG, I can’t believe there are only 4 days until the release of DANGER IN DADE (and Christmas Eve)! Pre-order it today at https://amzn.to/4dt8sk3. Grab your copy of KILLER IN THE KENNEL too if you don’t already have it!
1 bottle chilled champagne (you can also use prosecco or an Asti spumante)
1/4 cup ounce brandy
1/4 cup ounce orange liqueur
1/2 can lemon-lime soda
2 oranges
1 cup frozen strawberries
1/2 cup grapes
Cut oranges into slices and save some for garnish. Cut grapes in half. Cut frozen strawberries in half.
Place fruit in a pitcher and add brandy and orange liqueur. Let the fruit and alcohol macerate for at least 10 minutes in the refrigerator. The flavors will be better if you can wait longer.
Add chilled champagne to fruit and alcohol mixture. Add the can of lemon-lime soda.
Remove some fruit from this mix and place in individual glasses. Pour champagne mixture into the glass and serve.
What I like about this mix is that the addition of the soda and orange liqueur adds extra fruitiness and sweetness, and you don’t have to add sugar to achieve that sweetness.
Some recipes call for lemon but I find that the lemon makes the mix too acidic and the soda provides the needed pop of lemon-lime. For a change of pace, cube some apples and toss them in, or go tropical with some pineapple and mango. You can also change the champagne to a red or white wine. A white sangria is great on a hot summer day or a tropical Miami night.
Hope you enjoyed today’s Foodie Friday!
