Caridad Pineiro® Romance Author
NY Times & USA Today Bestselling Romance Author
I didn’t really get into NCIS: Los Angeles, but the one for New Orleans shows promise and I kind of like Scott Bakula. There’s something kind of laid back sexy about him, even as he’s aged.
What do you think? A worthy choice of Man Candy this morning? This is from an Entertainment Tonight Interview!
You see Dulce de Leche everywhere now from ice creams to other desserts. Even a limited edition Dulce de Leche Pop Tart. You know you’ve made it when you’re immortalized in a Pop Tart! LOL!
But for Latins, Dulce de Leche has been around forever. My mom and grandma used to make it all the time for us as kids.
What exactly is Dulce de Leche? Literally translated it means “milk candy” and it is basically a caramel kind of spread made by heating sweetened milk until it changes color and flavor. Technically, that process is known as a Maillard reaction, but forget that! All you need to know is that it’s really tasty.
Also, just to confuse things, Cubans have another dessert called dulce de leche which is made with curdled milk that is then sweetened, but that’s not what we’re going to make today.
Actually, for those who are kitchen-challenged, Dulce de Leche is much easier to find today in the ethnic food section. La Lechera has an assortment of Dulce de Leche products, including one in a squeeze bottle for drizzling onto desserts or straight into your mouth.
How do you make it? Well, it’s both simple and DANGEROUS. I have to repeat DANGEROUS, but that hasn’t stopped Latinos from making it this way for a very long time.
It all starts with . . . Can you guess? It’s that go to in Latin kitchens: Sweetened Condensed Milk.
Why a go to? Well, we weren’t well off and when you needed something sweet, a spoonful of dulce de leche or a cup filled with crumbled soda crackers and topped with condensed milk did the trick.
Plus, it’s a basic ingredient in flan, tres leches, bread pudding, you name it.
But back to making Dulce de Leche and the DANGER of it. The easiest, but DANGEROUS way is to full a large pot with water and drop in an unopened can of sweetened condensed milk.
Bring to boil and boil for about two to three hours. NEVER LET THE POT RUN DRY. If you do, the pressure will build inside the unopened can and it will EXPLODE.
Just ask my poor sister-in-law who ended up cleaning dulce de leche from her ceiling.
So that’s it. Drop and boil and then chill in the fridge. For a thicker darker dulce de leche, boil the can even longer. It will be as thick and dark as peanut butter, but oh so tasty!
Let me know if you try it and if you do, how you like it!
Speaking of sweet, don’t forget these sweet deals going on right now!
It’s been a while since I wrote DANGER CALLS in The Calling Vampire Novel series. The hero in that story, Sebastian Reyes, is a computer specialist and definitely not the kind of big, bad ass alpha hero that you see in a lot of paranormal romances.
That was a tough call for me, but I knew that Sebastian was the perfect man to deal with the heroine in that book, Dr. Melissa Danvers. She needed a sensitive man who could understand her and be supportive. A man who wouldn’t mind being younger and dealing with a woman whose profession required a lot of time away from home.
Not to mention a lot of time being the keeper to vampire Ryder Latimer.
Sebastian was very much a beta hero when I wrote him, but morphed into a slightly more alpha hero during revisions on the book.
Jasmine “Doc” Reyes is very similar to Melissa Danvers in some respects. Driven, compassionate and not above risking her life for others. Serious, maybe too serious, at times.
I knew she needed a man who would make her smile and could help her heal. She needed someone strong and protective, but not in that big macho alpha kind of way.
Enter Tommy de Salvo with his big smile and even bigger sense of humor. Tommy is the kind of man who can take away the shadows in Jasmine’s eyes and help her feel whole again.
Tommy is the kind of hero that I wanted Sebastian to be, but just couldn’t get away with in a dark paranormal story.
In ONE SPECIAL NIGHT, a sexy tale of two strangers coming together, it was totally possible to finally explore a very different kind of hero. I hope you’ll take a chance and check out this novella.
I’m lucky to have with me today fellow author Charisma Knight! Charisma is a multi-published author and cover artist, living in the Maryland area with her daughter and husband. You’ll discover her stories are a mixture of erotica and erotic romance containing a wild edge with a little fantasy sprinkled throughout. If you’re an avid reader of Charisma’s stories, don’t be shy—she loves to receive e-mails from readers. You may contact her via her website at www.charismaknight.com.
Charisma is here today to tell us about her latest release, ENSNARED! So without further ado, here’s more about this sexy sci fi fantasy novel!
Naturally feisty Charlie Marine plans for an extended vacation on Mars in spite of all the abductions in her area. When she misses her shuttle, a strange Xuldarian man claiming to be a pilot approaches her. Against her better judgment and eager to start her vacation, she takes him up on his offer and discovers she’s been abducted and to be delivered to a Vaakulsian Commander–Rhyker Aluhira.
Rhyker knew from the first time he laid eyes on the tall, dark, and beautiful Earth goddess that he was in for the long haul–only, he didn’t know just how much of a fight she’d put up to preserve her identity. Unlike submissive Xuldarian and Vaakulsian women, Charlie is brave and defiant. Rhyker fears her outspoken ways will soon place her in danger. Can Rhyker and Charlie meet each other half way or will they continue to butt heads in a world where women are expected to be subservient?
Vaakulsia, 2230
Rhyker’s chest tightened as he carefully walked around the bodies of Vaakulsians littering the streets. Crystalline buildings now lay in shattered ruins and a heavy cloud of smoke lingered in the once-beautiful skies of Vaakulsia. Bombs had been dropped, causing large sinkholes to open in the earth. Soot covered his body from the war Earthlings had initiated when he and his leaders refused to allow them to colonize and mine Vaakulsia’s valuable resources.
Choking back tears threatening to fall, he tightened his mouth and continued his search for his wife and child, despite the skull-splitting pain he’d experienced due to the poisons lingering in the air. Planet Vaakulsia was no more, thanks to the war that had raged for the better half of a year. When the war erupted six months ago between the Vaakulsians and the Earthlings, Rhyker and his brother Rhogwaar, along with one hundred and fifty of his men, took to the stars. With the assistance of his Xuldarian friend, Jader, they made an effort to fight the invaders from Earth.
They would have won the war if the humans hadn’t taken things a step further. No one knew exactly just how low they would sink to win not just the battles, but the war. The Agency sunk to biological warfare to end it all after successfully managing to shield Earth from any type of invasion.
Only yesterday, the humans decided to bring out their biggest weapon; the virus they created to hopefully infect and rid the great dragons from their coveted home. No one saw it coming, not even his allies, the Xuldarians. His skin still itched from whatever it was they’d dropped on the planet. His eyes watered and his throat burned and he was sure he didn’t have long to live, but he needed closure—needed to find Mira and Kalen.
You can find out more about Charisma and her books here:
Website: http://charismaknight.com
Blog: http://charismaknight.blogspot.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CharismaKnight
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/charisma.knight.9
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/charismaknight/
Design Site: http://designsbycharisma.yolasite.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Charisma_Knight_Fantasy_World/join
To purchase ENSNARED and other books by Charisma, check out these retailers:
Sugar and Spice Press
ENSNARED at Amazon
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Charisma-Knights-Author-Page/178731968894065?ref=hl
Barnes & Noble
This man is worth multiple Man Candy entries, IMHO. Mark Harmon turns 64 today and he is still totally sexy! Gosh, I remember him playing footbal for UCLA and his cute role in Summer School.
Not to mention he was People Magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive in 1986! Whew, Mark has been sexy for quite a long time.
“Mark Harmon 1 edit1” by Jerry Avenaim – Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
Click Here to see a video of Mark having fun with his People’s Sexiest award if you can’t see it below!
If you’ve been to a Latin restaurant lately, you know that Tres Leches Cake has become a staple on many dessert menus. It’s sinfully sweet and tasty. Coupled with a nice cup of espresso, your meal is complete.
Of course, you can treat yourself by making this cake at home. For those who are expert bakers and love making a cake from scratch, please go right ahead.
For those of us who are a little more challenged, store bought yellow cake mix is the foundation of this super easy Tres Leches cake! For a little Spanish lesson, “tres leches” means “three milks” and it is three different milks that form the sweet soaking mixture in this recipe.
Yellow Cake Mix
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 can sweetened condensed milk (Not evaporated milk!! I like La Lechera, Magnolia or Eagle Brand)
1 cup whole milk
1 cup whipping cream
Follow the boxed cake mix directions, but add the 2 teaspoons of vanilla to the cake mix. Bake in a 13×9 inch pan following the cake mix instructions.
Once baked, cool the cake.
Combine the condensed milk (not evaporated), whole milk and whipping cream together until smooth.
With a fork, poke some holes into the top of the cooled cake in the pan. Do not remove the cake from the pan.
Slowly pour the three milk mixture over the cake, letting it soak in. You may have to repeat this step several times until the cake is soaked in.
Cover the cake and let sit overnight to really let it soak in. Before serving, top with whipped cream and cherries!
That’s it? Easy right? I hope you try it and out enjoy this super easy Tres Leches cake recipe.
Want to be daring and mix things up a little? Try adding Frangelico (hazelnut flavor), Amaretto (Almond) or an orange liqueur to the milk mixture for a little but of pop!
Have a great weekend!
As I’ve mentioned, it’s been 15 years since my very first release, NOW AND ALWAYS! It was so exciting to get “The Call” from the editor saying that they wanted not only that book, but a second. Wow!
I was totally doing the happy dance that day. To celebrate today, NOW AND ALWAYS is free at various locations and is part of the specially priced SOUTH BEACH SIZZLES COLLECTION, now only .99 cents for the month of September.
Today’s throwback is to the cover of RT Magazine which featured NOW AND ALWAYS on the cover. I’m told the very sexy man on the cover is none other than well-known cover model John DeSalvo. I remember the first time my boss saw the cover. He said, “It’s very . . . pink.” I guess he didn’t know what else to say although he’s been a good egg about my writing gig over the last 15 years.
Thanks to RT Book Reviews Magazine! All rights to this cover belong to them.
