Sunday, September 26, 2010

BRUNCH WITH BINGO DAY: JUST ONE TASTE-REVIEW, RECIPES, & GIVEAWAY

WELCOME TO
BOOKIN' WITH BINGO'S
"BRUNCH WITH BINGO DAY"
I AM EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE THIS SUNDAY'S
"BRUNCH WITH BINGO DAY"
"TASTY" FOOD BOOK CHOICE IS.....

 GIVEAWAY ENDED
JUST ONE TASTE
BY LOUISA EDWARDS


ABOUT THE BOOK:
He has a hungry mind.
 

Bad-boy chef Wes Murphy dreads his final semester cooking class—Food Chemistry 101—until he meets the new substitute teacher. Dr. Rosemary Wilkins is a feast for the eyes, though her approach to food is strictly academic. So Wes decides to rattle her Bunsen burner by asking for her hands-on advice—on aphrodisiacs . .
 

She’s got love down to a science.
 

Rosemary is a little wary about working with Wes, whose casual flirtations leave her hot under the collar. But once they begin testing the love-enhancing power of chocolate, oysters, and strawberries, it becomes scientifically evident that the brainy science nerd and the boyish chef have some major chemistry together—and it’s delicious . . 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Louisa Edwards grew up in Virginia, surrounded by the beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains. By age 11, she was sneaking Harlequins out of her visiting grandmother’s suitcase, making her parents nervous about what, precisely, their little girl was learning from those books. Naturally, they were relieved when Louisa decided to attend Bryn Mawr College, hoping the Seven Sisters vibe might instill the intellectual rigor she thus far seemed to lack.

To their dismay, however, even the ivy-covered halls of Bryn Mawr couldn’t distract Louisa from her addiction to romances. Instead, she traded in her Harlequins for longer, juicier single titles, reading everything from Laura Kinsale to Jennifer Cruisie. She also managed to graduate cum laude with a degree in Romance Languages (which is not as sexy as it sounds—mostly she studied Spanish, French, and Italian literature, although some of that French stuff did get fairly racy.)

After graduation, Louisa moved to Manhattan, landing a job as an editorial assistant at Penguin Group (USA), where she worked directly for the smart, savvy president of Mass Market Paperbacks, Leslie Gelbman, who guided Louisa as she built her own list.

Vindication! It was possible to make a living from reading romance novels. Louisa’s parents were equal parts surprised and thrilled. While at Berkley, Louisa was lucky enough to work with some great authors, assistant editing Leslie’s heavy hitters, Nora Roberts and Jayne Ann Krentz. Louisa’s own list included, among others, Lucy Monroe, Jennifer St. Giles, and Shelley Bradley. All of which led to Louisa being promoted to assistant editor.

Then real life romance ensued: Louisa married a journalist and was promptly exiled to Ohio so her husband could work for his family’s newspaper. There Louisa started reviewing romances for FreshFiction.com and took a part-time job at the Culinary Vegetable Institute. Personal interaction with chefs, plus the limited repertoire of local restaurants stoked Louisa’s interest in food. She began critiquing restaurants for the local newspaper, got sucked into Gordon Ramsay’s Hell’s Kitchen, trailed a chef friend at his restaurant in Raleigh, North Carolina, started cooking her way through Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking, and decided to bring it all together by writing CAN’T STAND THE HEAT.

Now she awaits the response of the masses to her foodie-inspired Recipe romances for St. Martin’s Paperbacks. Meanwhile, Louisa will continue to eat in as many wonderful restaurants as possible—purely for research, of course.


Roasted Beet Salad with Feta & Mint

2 bunch of beets
3 T olive oil
Sea salt
1/2 C fresh mint, chopped
1/2 C crumbled feta cheese
2 t lemon zest
1 T maple syrup

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Cut off beet greens, if they’re still attached, then scrub the beets under running water. Wrap each beet individually in aluminum foil and place directly on the rack of the preheated oven. Roast until tender all the way through, about half an hour. (Timing may vary depending on the size of the beets.)

Remove beets from oven and allow to cool completely. They’ll now be easy to peel; the skin will slide right off if you just use your fingers. Once beets are peeled, dice into bite-size pieces and divide between four bowls.

Drizzle one tablespoon of olive oil and half a tablespoon of lemon juice over each bowl. Sprinkle each salad with one ounce of feta and half a tablespoon of chopped mint.

Season with freshly ground pepper and salt to taste, and you have a deliciously refreshing first course, or a great side dish for a simple grilled fish or chicken entree.

(All measurements here are really to taste. Sometimes I want more lemon juice, or extra feta—just follow your taste buds and it’ll be great! And remember: since it’s such a simple salad, the better and fresher your ingredients, the better the end result.)

Molasses Cake

2 large eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup shortening (the original recipe, in my
grandmother’s handwriting, calls for lard!)
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup molasses
2 teaspoons “mixed spices”
2 teaspoons baking soda
 2 cups all purpose flour (for a very authentic flavor,
 sub in one cup of whole wheat flour—flours were
 less processed in my great-grandmother’s day)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cream shortening and sugar together. Add molasses and beat. Add eggs one at a time and mix well after each.

Sift together the dry ingredients. For “mixed spices” you can use whatever you like from the cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ground ginger, allspice, mace area of your spice rack.

Alternate adding buttermilk and flour mixture to the shortening/sugar/egg mixture in small amounts until all ingredients are combined.

Pour into prepared pan. In my family, and in the original recipe, we bake this cake in a buttered 11-inch, cast-iron skillet, which gives it a gorgeous, dark, crunchy-sticky crust. If you don't have a cast-iron skillet (which, really, I don't know how you can live without one!), you can also use a 9-inch-x-9-inch square baking pan, buttered and floured. And bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean, about 50 minutes.

Serve the cake with a dollop of whipped cream, and you’ll see why this recipe has been a family favorite for generations!


MY REVIEW:

Author Louisa Edwards’ clearly loves to combine romance and food as is evident in her "Recipe for Love" series, and this new installment JUST ONE TASTE just may be her best recipe yet for cooking up some satisfied readers as well as new customers. JUST ONE TASTE is rich with charismatic characters and imaginative ingredients, romantic  recipes, and passionate presentations of culinary delights.

Wes Murphy and Dr. Rosemary Wilkins are the main ingredients for this enjoyable and entertaining read. Wes is a culinary student who thinks Food Chemistry 101 will be the one stumbling block that may keep him from passing and being able to apply for his goal of an externship in a famous New York City restaurant. Wes is normally a laid back guy who however has had a pretty rocky past. He harbors the secret of a childhood that totally lacked in any kind of nurturing. His father is a con man who would take advantage of his own family, and has! This is still something Wes tries to overcome daily and because of it, he is filled with self-doubt and poor self-esteem, but tries not to show it. 

Dr. Rosemary Wilkins is one of the new substitute instructors who takes over for the professor who would have taught Food Chem 101 but took a sudden leave. This is a course that Rosemary can sink her teeth into as it is quite academic as it shows how molecular cooking is the new hot trend and a chef needs the chemistry background in order to carry out these procedures. Dr. Wilkins also has family background issues and so she is very closed and hard to get to know as her students can tell. She is, however, interested in the possibilities of aphrodisiacs created through this new molecular study.

Once Wes finds this out, he finds the opening to getting to his professor who for some reason that he can’t put his finger on, he is attracted to. She is lovely, intelligent but seems to have little emotion for anything in life other than her subject matter. Wes looks at Rosemary like a recipe that needs to be deconstructed so that he can get to the fire that he knows is deep inside her waiting to have the burner lit. Once Rosemary becomes aware of the genuine interest and talent that Wes has in the kitchen, the walls finally start to come down and we soon find them in a wonderfully obsessive and ardent love affair.

By the time Wes starts working at Market, the minor characters bring in some delightful subplots. These characters were a lot of fun to follow and read about. I particularly liked the manager, Grant, as well as sous chef Frankie, and waiter Jes and his former heart throb, Brit. It is also at this point that the relationship between Wes and Rosemary really gets going and Wes is quite successful at bringing this tasty escargot out of her shell. The passion between the two of them is palpable but when Wes’s father enters the picture with a scheme that involves Wes taking advantage of Rosemary, decisions need to be made. Will Wes go along with his father and take advantage of Dr. Wilkins, or will his respect as well as serious feelings for her hold him back? The fact that “Dad” knows about Rosemary’s background makes a relationship with Rosemary impossible to continue unless Wes is OK with hurting her. What now? What will happen to Rosemary who has finally put her trust in someone?  Reading JUST ONE TASTE is sure to give fans of  Louisa Edwards one more delight to engage in while readers who are new to her work, will get a taste and want to go back for more!


GIVEAWAY

THANKS TO JEANNE AND THE GOOD FOLKS
AT NANCY BERLAND PUBLIC RELATIONS,
I HAVE ONE GRAND PRIZE OF THIS FUN
READ TO GIVE AWAY TO ONE LUCKY WINNER!
HERE IS WHAT YOU WILL WIN! Autographed copy of "JUST ONE TASTE" 
A set of "On the Steamy Side" champagne flutes 
from the last book 
A set of "Recipes for Love and Just One Taste" red spatulas 
A "Recipe for Love/Can’t Stand the Heat" from first book apron
   
--U.S. RESIDENTS ONLY  
--NO P. O. BOXES, PLEASE
--INCLUDE EMAIL ADDRESS IN COMMENT
--ALL ENTRIES/COMMENTS MUST BE 
SEPARATE IN ORDER TO COUNT
AS MORE THAN ONE ENTRY
  
HOW TO ENTER:

+1 ENTRY: COMMENT ON WHAT YOU THOUGHT ABOUT THE INFORMATION ABOUT THE BOOK JUST ONE TASTE ABOVE AND WHY YOU'D LIKE TO WIN THIS GIVEAWAY PACKAGE  

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON HOW YOU FOLLOW MY BLOG. IF YOU FOLLOW MORE THAN ONE WAY, YOU CAN PUT THEM ALL AND AS LONG AS YOU COMMENT SEPARATELY, THEY WILL EACH COUNT AS A SEPARATE ENTRY 

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON LOUISA EDWARDS' RECIPES ABOVE AND WHETHER YOU THINK YOU WOULD ENJOY MAKING AND/OR EATING ONE OF THEM...AND BE HONEST AS IT DOESN'T MATTER WHICH WAY, YOU STILL GET THE ENTRY!  

+1 MORE ENTRY: GO TO LOUISA EDWARD'S WEBSITE HERE AND COMMENT ON SOMETHING NEW AND INTERESTING YOU FIND AT HER SITE. PERHAPS, YOU WILL EVEN FIND ANOTHER YUMMY RECIPE OR A CONTEST TO ENTER WHILE YOU ARE THERE!

GO HERE FOR MY LOUISA EDWARDS INTERVIEW AND BONUS ENTRIES!

GIVEAWAY ENDS AT 
6 PM, EST, OCTOBER 11!
GOOD LUCK!



52 comments:

holdenj said...

I think the book looks great! I love to cook to and her romances seem to be pretty good. Thanks for the chance to win!
JHolden955(at)gmail(dot)com

holdenj said...

I am a GFC follower.
JHolden955(at)gmail(dot)com

holdenj said...

I subscribe via RSS feed.
JHolden955(at)gmail(dot)com

holdenj said...

I think the molasses cake recipe looks like something I'd love to try, especially for fall!
JHolden955(at)gmail(dot)com

Anonymous said...

I love books that add receipes as bonus to a great story.


CarolNWong(at)aol(dot)com

Anonymous said...

+ 5 Swag


CarolNWong(at)aol(dot)com

Anonymous said...

I follow by GFC.

CarolNWong(at)aol(doy)com

Anonymous said...

I am an e-mail subscriber to this blog.


CarolNWong(at)aol(dot)com

Anonymous said...

I also follow by way of Facebook.

CarolNWong(at)aOL(dot)com

Anonymous said...

I would like to try eating the Roasted Beet Salad with Feta and Mint. I get tired easy so I would like to eat it rather than prepare it.


CarolNWong(at)aol(dot)com

Linda Kish said...

The book sounds great and I like a few recipes thrown in, too.

lkish77123 at gmail dot com

Linda Kish said...

The molasses cake looks good but no beets for me.

lkish77123 at gmail dot com

Linda Kish said...

I am a GFC follower

lkish77123 at gmail dot com

Linda Kish said...

Lemon-cranberry bread looks tasty.

lkish77123 at gmail dot com

Connie said...

Hi! The book looks really fun to read and sounds very interesting.
I have heard good things about this author. Thank you for a wonderful chance to win this! :)

aliasgirl1976@yahoo.com

Connie said...

I follow you by email. :)

aliasgirl1976@yahoo.com

traveler said...

this book combined with the recipes sounds appealing. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

traveler said...

I am an e-mail subscriber. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

traveler said...

The roasted beet salad with feta and mint is something that interests me. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

petite said...

This book sounds excellent and the ideas fun. rojosho(at)hotmail(dot)com

petite said...

The Roasted Beet salad with feta and mint sounds yummy. rojosho(at)hotmail(dot)com

debbie said...

I think the characters sound funny, and I would love to see what happens with them.Plus I love any book with cooking in it.
twoofakind12@yahoo.com

debbie said...

I am a email subscriber.
twoofakind12@yahoo.com

debbie said...

I am a gfc follower.
debbie
twoofakind12@yahoo.com

debbie said...

I am a gfc follower.
debbie
twoofakind12@yahoo.com

debbie said...

I think the molasses cake would be really good.
twoofakind12@yahoo.com

Unknown said...

I love the book with the recipes. Please enter me in contest. Tore923@aol.com

Meredith said...

I've never heard of molecular cooking! I'd love to read more about it.

meredithfl at gmail dot com

Meredith said...

I'm a GFC follower

meredithfl at gmail dot com

Meredith said...

I'd love to try them! I always love to try new recipes because our family easily gets stuck in that "what's for dinner?" rut.

meredithfl at gmail dot comn

Lisa Richards/alterlisa said...

I an an email sunscriber also
(\___/)
(='.'=)
(")_(")

alterlisa AT yahoo DOT com
http://lisaslovesbooksofcourse.blogspot.com

Lisa Richards/alterlisa said...

I follow on Networked Blogs.
(\___/)
(='.'=)
(")_(")

alterlisa AT yahoo DOT com
http://lisaslovesbooksofcourse.blogspot.com

Lisa Richards/alterlisa said...

Snagged a copy of the Molasses Cake recipe, my daughter's in laws run a BBQ place and their Molasses Festival is next weekend. wanted to compare it to others I have.

(\___/)
(='.'=)
(")_(")

alterlisa AT yahoo DOT com
http://lisaslovesbooksofcourse.blogspot.com

Lisa Richards/alterlisa said...

http://twitter.com/#!/alterlisa/status/25780237070

(\___/)
(='.'=)
(")_(")

alterlisa AT yahoo DOT com
http://lisaslovesbooksofcourse.blogspot.com

Lisa Richards/alterlisa said...

I love Edward's romances and love that she grew up in an area very similar to ours.

(\___/)
(='.'=)
(")_(")

alterlisa AT yahoo DOT com
http://lisaslovesbooksofcourse.blogspot.com

bison61 said...

my grandmother made Molasses Cake. I'd love the book and the apron

tiramisu392 (at) yahoo.com

hendy said...

Book looks HOT, I would love the book to read about the student seduces substitute teacher storyline.
hmhenderson AT yahoo DOT com

hendy said...

Follow via GFC
hmhenderson AT yahoo DOT com

hendy said...

Subscribe via email
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hendy said...

Subscribe to feed via google reader
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hendy said...

The Beet Salad looks very interesting, I don't know if I have the guts to make or try this receipe but it's definatly different.
hmhenderson AT yahoo DOT com

hendy said...

Her other three books look amazing, I want to read "Can't Stand the Heat." AND I also entered her contest.
hmhenderson AT yahoo DOT com

rubynreba said...

I think it is fun to read books with recipes in them.
pbclark(at)netins(dot)net

rubynreba said...

I follow on google
pbclark(at)netins(dot)net

rubynreba said...

Facebook friend
pbclark(at)netins(dot)net

rubynreba said...

I would like to try the molasses cake.
pbclark(at)netins(dot)net

rubynreba said...

Went to her website and entered a contest there!
pbclark(at)netins(dot)net

Unknown said...

I am not a huge fan of romance but I find the food aspect interesting.

misaacmom at gmail dot com

Unknown said...

I follow via GFC

misaacmom at gmail dot com

Unknown said...

the molassass cake looks supurb!

Ruthie said...

The first novel I read with recipes in it was 'Garlic & Sapphires' & I loved it. Please enter me for this one, thanks.

ruthiekb72@yahoo.com

Ruthie said...

I follow you on Facebook.

ruthiekb72@yahoo.com

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