Friday Food for Thought—Baked Brie Appies

Planning a holiday party? What I am about to share with you is, hands down, my favorite party appetizer of all time.

1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, pressed
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
8-ounces Brie

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Using a sharp knife, remove the rind from the Brie. The rind is edible, but many people don’t like it.

Put the Brie in a baking dish and set aside.

Chop the sun-dried tomatoes and cover them with boiling water. Let sit for 15 minutes, until soft. Drain well.

Heat the olive oil in a small frying pan. Saute tomatoes for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add garlic and saute for about 30 seconds, still stirring constantly. Stir in the basil, parsley and balsamic vinegar. Cook, stirring constantly, for about 1 minute.

Cover the Brie with the tomato mixture and bake at 350 degrees until the cheese is soft and warm, about 10 minutes.

Serve with crackers and a thinly sliced bagette. The warm cheese spreads easily and the topping is mouth-wateringly delicious. Seriously. You must try this. Your guests will love you for it!

Until next time,
Lee

Holiday Fun

Curious about the charming fellow in this photograph? He’s the topic of my post today with the Wet Noodle Posse. I’m also sharing a couple of recipes that make great gifts or party snacks. I hope you’ll check them out!

While you’re there, be sure to leave a comment so you’ll be eligible to win to be eligible to win a copy of Diane Gaston's holiday story “A Twelfth Night Tale” in the Regency Anthology MISTLETOE KISSES (Nov 2006).

Looking for ideas for holiday party food? Drop back here to The Writer Side of Life tomorrow for my favorite appetizer recipe.

Until next time,
Lee

Tuesday News—December's Harlequin American Romances

Wow! Lots of news this week.

To start off, a quick reminder that on Thursday I’m blogging with the Wet Noodle Posse about a very special family heirloom. And I’ll share a couple of recipes for very yummy spicy roasted nuts—great to serve at parties—and they also make wonderful gifts if you put them in little bags tied with festive ribbon.

Still searching for gift ideas? My December '07 release, With This Ring, is still available as an ebook from eHarlequin.com and Amazon.com (Kindle edition).

Romantic Times Magazine has announced the 2008 RT finalists. Congratulations to the Harlequin American Romance authors who made this year's list for Best Harlequin American Romance:

FOREVER HIS BRIDE
Lisa Childs (Aug.)

RELUCTANT PARTNERS
Kara Lennox (Jun.)

THE RIGHT MR. WRONG
Cindi Myers (Feb.)

THE PILOT'S WOMAN
Ann Roth (Mar.)

TEXAS HEIR
Linda Warren (Sep.)

And Megan Kelly is a finalist in the Best First Series Romance Category with MARRYING THE BOSS (Apr.).

Finally, the December Harlequin American Romances are out today. Four great reads, and of course they’ll make perfect stocking stuffers.

A Baby in the Bunkhouse by Cathy Gillen Thacker

Once Upon a Christmas by Holly Jacobs

A Texan Returns by Victoria Chancellor

The Pregnancy Surprise by Kara Lennox

Happy holidays, and happy reading!

Until next time,
Lee

This Week with the Wet Noodle Posse

Come celebrate the holidays with the Wet Noodle Posse. We have lots of fun stuff in store for you this week, including my post on Thursday.

Monday: Priscilla Kissinger gives us her “Candy Cane Bark Recipe”

Tuesday: “Put These in Your Stocking: Great Gifts Any Writer Can Wish For”—great gift-giving ideas from Delle Jacobs

Wednesday: Merrillee Whren reminisces about “Christmas Tree Memories”

Thursday: Lee McKenzie shares “A Family Heirloom, and recipes for Spicy Roasted Nuts ”

Friday: Q&A Topic: Great Gift Suggestions Under $50

Until next time,
Lee

Friday Food for Thought—Mulled Apple Cider

Holiday party month is here! Don’t you love it? Family, food, friends, food, fun. More food. This month I’ll be sharing some tasty recipes for some of my favorite holiday drinks and appetizers, starting with mulled cider.

Over the years I’ve tried a lot of recipes for mulled cider. Some are too sweet, some are too spicy, but I finally found one suits our tastes perfectly.

1 gallon apple cider (or apple juice)
1 cup orange juice
1 cup pineapple juice
½ cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel
1/4 cup sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
2 teaspoons whole cloves
2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground ginger
cinnamon sticks for swizzling (optional)

Combine all the ingredients in a large (5-quart) crock pot/slow cooker and simmer on low for 4 or 5 hours. This recipe makes about 40 half-cup servings. For a smaller crowd, I make half the recipe.

Don’t have a crock pot? This can just as easily be made in a large pot on the stove, but reduce the simmering time to 1 to 2 hours. Either way, your holiday guests will be greeted at the door by the scent of apples and spices, and they’ll soon be warming their hands on a cup of warm of cider.

Cheers!

Until next time,
Lee

Tuesday News—Books as Gifts

Today is the release day for The Daily Coyote: A Story of Love, Survival, and Trust in the Wilds of Wyoming by Shreve Stockton. I’ve really been looking forward to this book and can’t wait for my copy to arrive. Someone on my Christmas gift list will also receive a copy.

From what I’ve gleaned from the author’s website, she moved to Wyoming from NYC and soon adopted a 10-day-old orphaned coyote, who she named Charlie. Charlie still lives with her, and his life has been well documented and beautifully captured in photographs.

To celebrate the book’s release, she’s doing a live BogTV broadcast from Wyoming today and inviting everyone to tune in. Anyone can watch, or you can create an account and log in to chat. Check her website for complete details about the book and today's broadcast.

While I’m on the subject of books as gifts, have you considered giving an electronic book as a gift this Christmas? My December '07 Harlequin American Romance, With This Ring, is still available from eHarlequin.com and Amazon.com (Kindle edition).

The hero in With This Ring rescued an Old English Sheepdog named Max, and you're sure to fall in love with both of them! On my website I've also posted some fun stuff about sheepdog rescue, and a couple of stories told by Max himself.

And if you send me an email at lee (at) leemckenzie (dot) com and give me your snail mail address, I’ll be happy to send you a bookmark. Okay, so you don’t actually need a bookmark for an electronic book, but they’re really nice bookmarks, and I’ll even autograph it for you.

Happy reading!

Until next time,
Lee

This Week with the Wet Noodle Posse

This month the Wet Noodle Posse shifts to a new monthly topic—the holidays! We’ll be posting lots of fun stuff, including stories, recipes and reminiscences about holidays past. Here’s what you can look forward to this week:

Monday: Dianna Love will introduce this month’s theme—The Holidays!

Tuesday: Dianna Love shares a recipe and a story about The Grouch Who Made Christmas Special

Wednesday: Dr. Debra Holland offers advice on How to Deal with Holiday Stress

Thursday: Terry McLaughlin shares a story and a holiday recipe

Friday: This week’s Q&A will focus on Book Clubs. Readers' questions about writing are also welcome.

Until next time,
Lee