Cooking for Christmas

I'll confess that cooking food isn't my favorite past time. However, I do like to bake, and the holidays--with the cool weather and happy atmosphere--put me in the right frame of mind for creating not only yummy holiday treats, but also sweet stories.

Now don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with spice, both in cooking and in writing. Anyone who's read any of my erotica titles: Twice is Not Enough (Regency), Riding Rodeo (contemporary cowboy menage), Slave to Innocence (ancient Greece F/F), Tempting Terms (contemporary) or Not Just Friends (contemporary) can tell you I don't mind heat. However, there's still something special about a sweet story.

And just in time for Christmas, Time-lost Love, has been released. Like the Mates of the Guardians series-- which includes His Ship, Her Fantasy and His Hope, Her Salvation with His Capture, Her Rescue due out in 2012--Time-lost Love crosses the genre boundary. There's a little science fiction, a little fantasy, a little mystery and a little romance packed into this holiday short story.

Winter delivers a mystery into Sarah's lap when she finds the diary of a young woman who once lived in the renovated farmhouse Sarah and her husband, Robert, recently moved into. The diary hints at a lost love and further research reveals an untimely death.

But when Nisse, the Norwegian spirit of Christmas, gets his due, all things are possible, and time's lost love might be found anew.

Now, for a recipe, Banana Nut Bread, a holiday favorite around my house.

2/3 cup sugar (Can use 1/3 cup of brown sugar and 1/3 cup white sugar)
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup milk
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup butter, melted (1 stick)
1 tsp vanilla
4 bananas, mashed
1 cup nuts, chopped (I use pecans or walnuts)

 Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease 9 x 5 loaf pan or 4 small loaf pans and set aside.

Sift together the dry ingredients (not including nuts). In separate bowl, combine wet ingredients (not including bananas). Set mixer on low and pour wet ingredients into dry. Mix. As the batter thickens into dough, add bananas. Beat until everything is combined then add nuts. Bake for 45 minutes or until lightly brown.

(Note: I've always had to add time for the big loaf pan...sometimes up to 30 minutes depending on altitude and oven variations.)