Recipe from Author Sandra Orchard

Missy, here. I'm thrilled to share a recipe with you today from Love Inspired Suspense author Sandra Orchard. If you're a writer about to take part in our upcoming Speedbo book-in-a-month challenge in Seekerville, then these would be perfect to make ahead and freeze for Speedbo month. Great for a snack or breakfast.


Sandra features this recipe in her new March release, Shades of Truth, Book 2 in the series Undercover Cops: Fighting for justice puts their lives—and hearts—on the line.

In Shades of Truth, youth worker Kim Corbett is determined to save Hope Manor, the Christian-based juvenile detention facility her father founded.

     Now she just has to convince the town of Miller’s Bay, and especially undercover cop Ethan Reed, the justice-driven detective who threatens her mission and her heart. He’s adamant a manor employee is recruiting young offenders into his drug ring.

     But with a vindictive murderer on the loose, Ethan is the least of her worries. Or maybe he isn’t, because the family secrets they uncover will get her killed if Ethan finishes the job he was sent to do.

     If only Kim had paid more attention to the overabundance of yummy banana muffins that continuously appeared at the hospital and detention center, not to mention the church, and every counter in their home, she might’ve realized that her mother’s stress-baking was rooted in something far more disturbing than her husband’s diminishing health.


Shades of Truth won't be in bookstores until mid-March, but if you’d like it now, click here to buy it from Harlequin at 20% off, and use coupon code FREESHIPAFFO to receive free shipping until Mar 31st.

Yummy Banana Muffins 

Recipe: 

6 large bananas

1 egg

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

1 ½ cups whole wheat flour

3 tbsp olive oil

½ cup chocolate chips

Mash bananas. Add slightly beaten egg and olive oil. Stir in the dry ingredients just to combine. Bake at 375 °F for 20 minutes.

Ruthy note:  I made these this afternoon... They are delicious! I did add sugar because I'm addicted. I used this recipe with a half-cup of sugar and (sinful!!!) white bread flour.  They are amazing!  I did a few without chocolate chips because a few people gave up chocolate for Lent, but even the plain ones are worth bragging about. Thank you, Sandra!!!

Bio:

Sandra Orchard writes inspirational romantic suspense set along the northern shores of Lake Erie in the heart of the Niagara region, Canada. In 2009, she won the Daphne DuMaurier Award of Excellence, and the following year sold her Undercover Cops series to Harlequin’s Love Inspired Suspense. To learn more, visit Sandra online at www.SandraOrchard.com

UPDATE! Sandra is sponsoring a giveaway on Goodreads! So click here to check that out!

Monkey Bread (Yes, you read that right) :)

In honor of all our children who like to climb like little monkeys (see post from last week), I thought I'd share the recipe for Monkey Bread. If you've never had it, then you don't know what you're missing! It's delicious--sweet and gooey. And it's easy. In fact, kids can help! My friend's son is the official Monkey Bread maker in their house and has done so since he was elementary age.

A big thank you to my friend, Kelly, who knew this off the top of her head when I texted her at work yesterday. Yes, this recipe is that important. ;) (Or course, she admitted she just made it this past weekend.) :)

 Monkey Bread

4 tubes of canned biscuits
1-1/2 sticks of margarine (Missy uses butter)
1-2/3 cups sugar (divided)
2 Tbs cinnamon (divided)
Chopped pecans--optional

Melt the margarine/butter. Add 1 cup sugar and 1 Tbs. cinnamon.

Combine 2/3 cup sugar and 1 Tbs. cinnamon in a bowl or ziplock baggie.

Cut 2 cans of biscuits into quarters and roll in the cinnamon sugar mixture (or shake in the baggie). Drop the quarters into a greased Bundt pan. After 2 cans of biscuits, pour half the melted butter mixture over them. (Optional: sprinkle with pecans.) Then do the other 2 cans. Once all biscuits are in the pan, pour the rest of the butter mixture over them. (and sprinkle with more pecans if using)

Bake 400 degrees for 40 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes, then put a plate on top of the pan and flip over. Hopefully, it'll release cleanly!

This stuff is amazing for breakfast or dessert! It also makes a great baked gift. Have you had it before?

BREAKING BREAD!!!!

I love the sound of that. "BREAKING BREAD". It's so homey. So Biblical. So yesterday and today.

I love to bake bread. Now I DO NOT bake all that healthy bread youse keep referring to. Like, pshaw!!!

But I love to bake bread, I love to make sweet breads and sweet rolls, and anything/everything that is really bad for your waistline.

My basic bread recipe is straight from the Betty Crocker cookbook, 1969 Edition:

THEN:

 NOW:  

(big grin here... relate this sad circumstance to the Velveteen Rabbit, okay?)

Bread is easy-peasy. Really. The only constraint is rising time, other than that?  Easy-peasy. Here's what you need for basic bready goodness:

 Dissolve two packages of yeast in 3/4 cup warm water in big mixing bowl.

STIR IN:

2 2/3 cup warm water (105 - 115 degrees)
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon salt
3 Tablespoons shortening

5 Cups of Flour (I use bread flour like we've talked about before, but regular flour is fine and dandy.)

Beat until smooth. Mix in enough remaining flour to make dough easy to handle. (usually 3-4 more cups)

If you have a machine with a dough hook, you can knead the dough right in the bowl with your mixer. I LOVE THIS CHOICE.

Dough hook is on left, regular 'beater' paddle on right.

If not, you can turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board, table, counter and knead by folding dough up, pushing down, and then making a quarter turn and repeating the process. This gives the dough texture and incorporates a little more flour and elasticity into the bread. I wish there was a similar surgery-free process for my upper arms. they could use more elasticity!

Or less bread. But I digress...

Like usual.

Kneading by hand has the added advantage of releasing pent-up stress and anger. Be tough. The dough is strong. It can handle whatever you dish out, my friends!

If available, small slaves can be pushed into service at any point in time:

Place dough in greased bowl. Flip and turn greased bottom up.

Cover with clean towel (really??? Like I NEEDED to tell you to use a clean towel????) and let rise in a warm place until double. In winter I use the corner of the wood stove area. In summer I use the hood of a car parked in the sun.

Hey. Whatever works.  ;)

Before rising....

After rising... Small aggressive children LOVE THIS STEP!!!

Punch dough down. (More aggression release, Tina, take note!!!)

Divide in two. Roll out one piece on lightly floured surface until it forms a rectangle (kind of) about 18 x 9 inches. Starting at short side, roll up. Tuck ends under and place in a greased 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan.

Rolled out on table... No flour, no muss, no fuss. This is different from pie crust, right???

Repeat with other piece of dough. (When dough is rolled out you can have a little fun by buttering the rectangle and adding cinnamon and sugar and chopped nuts if desired. Or raisins. Be creative. Then roll up as directed, fold ends and place in another 9 x 5 x 3 inch greased loaf pan.

OR:   you could Mediterranean-ize your loaf by coating the rectangle with olive oil, then sprinkling parmesan and asiago cheese over the whole thing, dot with garlic bits or sprinkle with granulated garlic. Rosemary sprinkled over this mixture is BEYOND WONDERFUL.

Then roll up the same way.

Grease top of loaf. Cover (again the clean towel!!!!)  Let rise until double or nearly double. Bake at 425 degrees on LOW OVEN RACK.... The tops of the pans should be in the center of the oven. (mind you, this was before convection ovens... My convection oven bakes it beautifully no matter which rack its on, but if you're using a conventional oven then these directions help loaves to bake/brown evenly.

Bake for 30 - 35 minutes or until loaves sound 'hollow' when tapped. They should be golden brown on top, and light gold on sides.

Remove from oven. Brush loaves with soft butter. The whole loaf, top, sides... This keeps bread soft and deliciously wonderful.  Cool on wire racks, but if you don't SNEAK A PIECE TO EAT WHILE WARM THEN THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH YOU!!!!

 Warm bread... soft butter.... home-made jam....

Enjoy!