Christmas Dinner!

 I tried to get input from both kids for Christmas as it was one where all three of us would be together. Every other year Bren goes to his dad's so I try and cook more of a feast when we are all together. The kids both wanted ham so I had to find a good one. Mik chose the potatoes and Bren picked green beans as a side dish so I was ready to go!

I decided to make a Cherry Bourbon baked ham as the main dish. I bought a spiral ham to cook and then added the marinade to it and had it in the oven for awhile. This ham was super good and the sauce was awesome! I loved the cherry and Bourbon together and I highly recommend it!

Mik wanted to give Hasselback Potatoes a try for dinner. Now these cook at a different temperature than the ham so I decided to cook them in my toaster oven. I have a large toaster oven so it could fit all three potatoes at the same time. These were good and I loved the trick of cutting them in between spoons! It worked really well and I liked how the potatoes turned out.  

The green beans that Bren picked out were so easy to make and cooked with bacon so there's really nothing else to say except yum! This was actually the first thing to go as I think Bren ended up having two helpings after everyone ate so much to begin with. These are seriously so easy to make and a great alternative to plain beans! 

I decided to break out the bread machine and make homemade dinner rolls. I have never made these before so I was really nervous. I follwed the instructions as directed and then set them on top of my toaster oven to rise once the dough was done. These buns were so delicious and even though my cutting job for making the buns was awful we all loved the buns and I honestly can't wait to try making them again!

Christmas Dinner turned out awesome and I hope you get the chance to try some of these awesome recipes! 

You can find the recipes here: 

Cherry Bourbon Baked Ham: https://www.lemonsforlulu.com/cherry-bourbon-baked-ham/

Hasselback Potatoes: https://www.thekitchenmagpie.com/the-perfect-salty-crispy-roasted-hasselback-potatoes/

Sautéed Green Beans with Bacon: https://tidymom.net/sauteed-green-beans-with-bacon/

Bread Machine Dinner Rolls: https://happyhooligans.ca/homemade-dinner-rolls-bread-machine/

Irish Cream Nanaimo Bars

 One of my favorite things in the world has to be Nanaimo Bars so I was super excited to try this variation! 

First off I absolutely love Irish Cream and could drink it way more than I really do and could put it in coffee, hot chocolate or even straight almost every day if it was ok to drink every day and was healthy. So instead every few weeks I may have a coffee or a hot chocolate and savor every sip.

Now these bars allow me to have that feeling every day although they are incredibly rich and sweet! 

For the crust I omitted the walnuts due to allergies but put everything else in. I probably could have added in more coconut and it would have been just as good.

For the middle layer I followed everything but did end up adding in a little extra Irish cream to make it easier to spread over top the bottom layer. You could just smell the Irish cream!  

The chocolate top also had an Irish Cream taste and it melted really well and was easy to put on top. 

These are sooo good but also really rich so make them for a party or freeze some for a treat at any time! 

You can find the link here: https://www.rockrecipes.com/irish-cream-nanaimo-bars/

Marshmallow Yule Log

 This is one of those super easy recipes to make that can be fun to make with the kids and that can be done with minimal time. The longest part is waiting for the log to cool down in the fridge before diving in.

I followed everything as directed and it didn't take any time at all to make. It is important to wait for the chocolate to be cooler before adding in the marshmallows so they won't melt but also don't wait too long so that it is difficult to mix up.

I found that when I was forming it into a log it was still quite warm to the touch. Now where I did mess up a little was not using fine coconut. I would definitely not make that same mistake again as not a lot of coconut stuck to the edges as I used flaked sweetened which was large. 

This is a super easy and tasty dessert that is awesome to have out with the Christmas desserts!!

You can find the recipe here: https://www.thekitchenmagpie.com/marshmallow-yule-log-church-windows-stained-glass/

Effortless by Jennifer Van Wyk

Title: Effortless
Author: Jennifer Van Wyk
Genre: Small Town, Single Parent, Blue Collar, Over 30, Contemporary Romance

Who knew a cancelled flight would turn out to be the best night of my life?

He didn’t know what my life was like before he offered me a seat at his table.

I don’t know how, but he could see I was crumbling inside.

I had become an expert at hiding my true feelings and life’s desires but with Cash, he saw through the mask I had grown accustomed to wearing.

That night with him was the first time I was able to be myself. He listened to me.

For the first time in my life, I felt free, wanted, and cherished. But more than that, I felt seen.

Our time together was effortless but unforgettable.

But the night came to an end too soon.

The first time I saw her I could see a sadness in her eyes. As the night went on, the sadness lifted and I found myself doing anything I could to make it disappear.

But the night we spent in each other’s arms wasn’t enough. I needed more with her. Not just her body, her heart and mind.

For the past sixteen years I’ve dreamt of her, compared everyone else I meet to her, and longed for just one more night with her.

Then she walked into my small town and changed my life forever.

Now I can only hope her accepting my love comes as effortless as loving her.

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“Tied up or blindfolded?”
“Umm…” I don’t know which to ask for because both sound incredibly hot.
“Blindfold,” he decides. “We’ll tie you up later.”
“What if I want to tie you up?”
“I’m open to that. Whatever I do to you, you can do to me,” he promises.
My breath comes out in a tremble, excited for what’s not just next to come for me, but for the fun we’ll have with me tying him up.
With tender movements, he binds the silky material around my head, cloaking me in darkness.
“You trust me?”
“Completely.”
“Good. Can you see?”
“Only a little bit of light.”
“Good girl. You were honest with me.”
My legs rub together at the term good girl.
Without my eyesight, every sensation is heightened. The way his calloused fingertips trail over my soft skin. His woodsy, spicy scent mixed with sex. The sound of our heavy breathing.
“Hang tight,” he tells me and I feel the bed shift.
“Cash?”
“I’ll be right back,” he says, but I can tell he’s not next to me.
I wait impatiently for him to return and feel him climb onto the bed. The sound of ice clinking in a glass alerts me of what’s about to happen.
I tense up at the first touch of ice to my scorching skin, over my nipple, down the center of my stomach, across my smooth mound.
The air around us feels as if it’s crackling.
“Ahh!” I cry out when he slides the ice cube over my most sensitive part.
All while he’s murmuring sweet words that feel like a caress.
My hands reach for him and he chuckles. “Not your turn, babe.”
“I want to touch you.”
“Leave your hands on the bed or I’ll tie you up, too.”
I can hardly breathe, I’m so turned on.
I hear him reach into the glass for another ice cube and he places it once again between my legs before trailing it up my body, over my nipple. “Open.”
Cash traces my lips with the ice cube before placing it in my open mouth. “Suck.”
I suck and he asks, “Do you taste yourself?”
“Mmm,” I hum, letting him know I do taste myself on the ice and that I love it.
“Good girl,” he repeats words to me he used earlier that had me squirming beneath him.
“I’m going to fuck you now, Hadley. It’s not going to be gentle or soft and you’re going to keep this blindfold over your eyes the entire time. You understand?”

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From the Ground Up is Jennifer’s first published novel, with the hopes of many more to come. Jennifer makes her home in rural Iowa with her high school sweetheart, three beautiful and amazing kids, one crazy Jack Russell terrier. This is where her love for all things reading, baking, and cooking happen. Jennifer’s family enjoys camping, boating, and spending time outside as much as possible. When she’s not writing or editing/proofreading manuscripts for the many talented authors she’s come to love, she’s sipping coffee or iced tea with her kindle in her lap or binging on Netflix.

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When Hate and Love Collide by Mia Kayla

Title: When Hate and Love Collide

Author: Mia Kayla

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: December 8, 2022

Cover Design: Sommer Stein at Perfect Pear Creative

★★★★★ Goodreads Review - “I loved When Hate and Love Collide! This book has me on the edge of my seat with my heart in my throat until I finished it.”

★★★★★ Goodreads Review -“When Love and Hate Collide was spectacular! I was crying the entire second half of this book because of all the angst, insecurities and emotions this book pulled out of me.”

★★★★★ Goodreads Review - “When Hate and Love Collide is a phenomenal read. I love this one so much. I could not get enough of Sydney and Austin.”

For me family is everything so I cannot fall for the enemy.

With six siblings and a failing ad agency, I’m single by choice.

I have no room in my life for men, especially not friend-of-the-family MLB pitcher Austin Callaway.

He’s probably got all sorts of ways to hit home runs. But with other women and thankfully, not with me.

Especially since his younger sister is the girl who just cheated on my baby brother.

I thought I’d never have to talk to him again, but to save my family’s ad agency I will take one last swing, and make a deal with the devil.

Austin needs me to act as his pseudo-nurse. Talk about a curveball. Why would I ever—?

If I do, he’ll give me a deal that will save our family business and just like that all my problems will be solved, right?

Wrong.

Because Austin is always there. Which means Austin is always close by. Always with me. Always smiling like he’s about to steal first base. That smile will be the end of me.

I could fall for him. Madly. Deeply. And completely.

And that alone is the reason I can’t date him. My family can never find out what play made the difference, not when his sister destroyed my brother's life.

How can I finally find happiness when hate and love are about to collide?

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Mia Kayla is a USA Today and Amazon Top 13 Bestselling author, who lives in Illinois. She is the wife to the husband of the year, and mommy to three unbelievably cute little girls who have multiplied her grey hairs.

In her free time she loves reading romance novels, jamming to boy bands, catching up on celebrity gossip and designing flowers for weddings.

Most of the time, she can be caught on the train with her nose in a book sporting a cheeky grin because the main characters finally get their happily-ever-after at the end.

She loves reading about happy endings but has more fun writing them.

Here's where you can find her.

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ONE KIND NIGHT by Christine DePetrillo

ONE KIND NIGHT by Christine DePetrillo is a new small town romance in the One Kind Deed Series–check it out and be sure to grab your copy today!

Title: One Kind Night

Author: Christine DePetrillo

Genre: Small Town Romance

About One Kind Night:

Everyone knew if you shared your birthday wish, it wouldn’t come true. And Jackson wanted this one to come true. What’s better than digging in the dirt and putting together the pieces of history? For archaeologist Jackson Henley, absolutely nothing. Unfortunately, lost funding forces him to head to his hometown in Vermont. It’ll be great to see all his brothers who still live in town, but Jackson’s stay is definitely temporary. He’s got valuable treasures to unearth in far more interesting spots than a small town deep in the woods. An injured dog, however, leads Jackson to an unexpected reunion with his high school sweetheart. Isabel Perri is not supposed to be in town. She shouldn’t be running Pine River Cottages where he’s staying either. She definitely shouldn’t look even hotter than she did as the teenager who had broken up with him when he’d entered college ahead of schedule. Isabel also swears she’ll be out of Maplehaven before it gets its hooks back into her. She’s got dreams of opening her own resort in a busy tourist area. Getting replanted in her hometown won’t make those dreams come true. Neither will giving in to the magnetic pull she feels every time Jackson is around. Will this second chance alter their escape plans? Is one kind night enough to uncover a love buried in the past? One Kind Night is a second-chance, small-town, contemporary romance that features a business-minded heroine and an archaeologist hero who both return to their hometown.  

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Catching Up with the Series:

One Kind Heart | One Kind Kiss | One Kind Touch | One Kind Ride

One Kind Note | One Kind Wish | One Kind Word | One Kind Love

One Kind Walk | One Kind Dance | One Kind Soul | One Kind Hand - Pre-Order Now!

About the Author:

Christine DePetrillo can often be found hugging trees, conversing with dragonflies, and walking barefoot through sun-warmed soil. She finds joy in listening to the wind, bathing in moonlight, and breathing in the fragrances of things that bloom. If she had her way, the sky would be the only roof over her head.   Her love of nature seeps into every story she tells. As does her obsession with bearded mountain men who build, often smell like sawdust, and know how to cherish the women they love. Today she writes tales meant to make you laugh, maybe make you sweat, and definitely make you believe in the power of love.   She lives in Vermont with her husband and many woodland creatures who defend her fiercely from all evils.  

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Trapped with Mr. Walker by Elle Nicoll

Title: Trapped with Mr. Walker

Series: The Men #6

Author: Elle Nicoll

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: December 8, 2022

BLURB

“You need to understand something, Angel. Once you let me touch you, there’s no going back.”

Reed Walker, notorious playboy is running for New York Mayor.

He wants to deflect attention away from his less than wholesome image. The past has no place when you’re trying to win the people’s vote.

So he propositions me.

Pretend to be his girlfriend until election day. Help him to look dependable, trustworthy, loving; someone people can relate to.

It should be easy. I’ve spent years playing a role. What’s one more?

But slowly I begin to glimpse the man beneath the suit and perfect smile.

And what I discover takes my breath away.

There is more to Reed Walker than I ever dreamed.

Good and bad.

Light and dark.

Everything I know is reversed.

And suddenly I’m forced into making the hardest decision of my life.

And his.

I thought I knew what I wanted.

But I never factored in getting trapped with Mr. Walker.

What to expect – Suits, spice, scandal, singing, pink fluff, houseplants, sloths, letting go of the past, healing, forgiveness, trusting your instincts, redemption, a love so deep it makes your eyes water, and of course, a happily ever after because love always wins.

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AUTHOR BIO

Elle Nicoll is a British, ex long-haul flight attendant and mum of two.

She writes sweet, but dirty, contemporary romance novels, all based around love.

Not all the men she writes will be rich alphas. Not all the women will be sassy. Just like we are all different, they will be too.

But she hopes they will feel real. Flawed, insecure, broken maybe. But also warm, considerate and loyal. Any elements that you think of when you consider the people you know.

Because no one is perfect.

When Elle isn't writing or falling for another new book boyfriend she is trying to look like a parent who knows what they're actually doing. That, or staring at the sky day-dreaming and running another book idea by her husband, who has perfected his 'listening with interest' face.

It means the world to Elle that you're considering reading her stories, and she loves to hear from readers.

Find her at www.ellenicollauthor.com

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