Holiday Cheer - Chocolate Chip Cookies

By Anna Kathryn Lanier

Why is it that there are certain foods that we only fix during the holiday season? Fudge is one thing I only make at Christmas time, yet I love it...so why don't I fix it in July?  My family also likes pumpkin bread  (find the recipe HERE), but also, I seem to only make it at Christmas. Contrary to the fact that I post a lot of recipes on this blog, I am not really a big baker/cook.  But during the holidays, from Thanksgiving through New Year's, I bake, make and cook.  Since Saturday, my family has made: pumpkin bread, Mystical Christmas Bars, Oatmeal Candied Chippers, chocoate covered peanuts (find the recipe HERE), and Santa Hats (find the recipe HERE).  I've also put together some Country Six-Bean Soup Mix and plan to make some more 'mixes in a bag' for friends....and soon, since I need to mail some of them across country. 

What do you usually only make during the holiday season?  Be sure to leave a comment so you're eligible for the nook HD drawing and I'll give away a copy of A GIFT BEYOND ALL MEASURE. Scroll through the blurb and excerpt for a chocolate chip cookie recipe, yummy!
 

Blurb:

Arriving home for Christmas, the last thing Jacob Scott expects in his house is a sexy, shotgun-toting stranger. Worse, his attraction to her bothers him even more than the gun. Still reeling from the deception of his long-time girlfriend, he’s not looking for romance.

Tessa Jones has learned one hard lesson—when everyone in your life has failed you the only one you can trust is yourself. Facing the whispers of the townsfolk and an arson charge, Tessa unexpectedly finds herself trusting Jacob with more than her legal troubles.

Struggling between the promise of the present and the hurts of the past, can these two lost souls overcome their pain long enough to discover a gift beyond all measure?

Unedited Excerpt:

In all of her Christmases, Tessa couldn't remember a time when she'd baked cookies. If she left cookies for Santa, they'd have been store bought. Her mother was always too busy to bother with something as time consuming as cookie baking. And the group home didn't allow such activities. Someone probably would have burned the place down.

She was happy to let Jacob take control of the cookie making; it was his tradition after all. She satisfied herself with standing on the sidelines, handing him ingredients as he needed.

"Now, comes the important part," he said. "Putting them on cookie sheets. They have to be just the right sized balls, or they don't cook correctly."
She grinned. "Really? Do they taste bad?"

He nodded. "Yes, that's why you have to eat them before anyone else does. You don't want anyone to eat yucky cookies."

Laughing, they each filled a cookie sheet with dough. Tessa noticed that more than one of his cookies were not the same size as the others. He caught her looking and winked.

She turned back to her task and sighed. It almost felt normal to be doing this with him. For a brief moment, she had a flash of them doing it together in future years, perhaps with children of their own. Ah, Christmas wishes, the stuff dreams were made of.

Best to remember reality.

"You never answered my question," he was saying.

"What question?"

He finished his own sheet of dough and put both in the oven. "How did you end up in Spencerville? Most people leave Spencerville for a big city. They don't leave the big city for it." He set the timer and faced her.

With her back to the island, she leaned against it, her hands gripping the cool marble surface. "It wasn't meant as my final destination. I was heading to Washington with a classmate from my cooking school. He wanted to take the scenic route through Montana and Idaho. His car broke down just outside Spencerville. After we got it towed and looked at, we knew we didn't have the money to fix it. So, we got rooms in the boarding house and found jobs. I got hired on at Baxter's Diner. He got a job with the feed store."

Jacob raised a brow, but didn't ask any questions.

"We planned to stay until we got the money to fix the car, which we did in about two months. We were all set to leave town when I woke up one morning to find the car, our money and Bobby gone." She brushed flour off her sleeve. "So was the daughter of the feed store owner."

Trust me, he’d said. Ha!

"Bobby did leave me a note. Something about destiny and how he needed to follow it. He always was a little dramatic. Personally, I think it was just lust between him and Priscilla."

Jacob leaned against the counter near the sink and crossed his arms over his chest. "When was this?"

His hazel eyes held interest. In her? Unexpected warmth surged through her. She cleared her throat.

"Two years ago. Old Man Baxter took me back, since I’d quit my job in anticipation of leaving. I worked there until....well, last month."

"Did you love him?"

"Old Man Baxter? Hell, no." She cleared her throat, picked up the bowl and moved to the sink.. She knew who he meant.

His lips twitched as he moved out of the way. "No, did you love Bobby?"

"I don't think so." She put the bowl in the sink and rinsed it out.. "Mostly, I trusted him. I trusted he'd fulfill his promise and get me to Washington, to the new life we discussed."

"A new life together?"

His interest was getting too personal for her comfort. She glanced at the timer. Maybe he’d end the interrogation when the cookies were done.

"Not the way you’re thinking. He had family there, but we talked about getting a place together. He thought we were already living together and that living together meant …." She stopped. Good Lord, what was she doing? Jacob didn't need to know that about her.

He cocked his head. "Meant what?"

Having sex. She clamped her mouth shut and shook her head. Thankfully, the timer went off and she didn't have to answer. Hopefully, he'd drop the subject. Mercifully, he did.

True to his word, Jacob ate the cookies he'd made that weren't the right size. A bit of the lightheartedness returned when he did.

It was nearly ten when they finished washing the dirty dishes. She hid a yawn behind her hand.

"That was fun. Thank you, Jacob."

He stood a few feet from her, hands flat atop the counter. "No, Tessa, thank you. It helps to remember the traditions of the holiday."

A dizzying current raced through her, ending with a tingling in her stomach. She swallowed the desire rising in her breast. The desire to fling herself into his arms and beg him for a kiss like the day before.

"Well," she breathed. "I'm off to bed. I still have to get up at four-thirty."

Instead of moving toward the door, though, she stood where she was. Something in his eyes shifted. Her stomach did a flip. He stepped toward her, ran a finger down her cheek, smoothed his thumb over her lips.

"Merry Christmas, Tessa."

His lips brushed hers in a soft touch. She sighed and he pulled her closer, kissed her harder. He cupped her head as his tongue parried deep into her mouth. She suckled it, tasting decant chocolate chip cookies.

She clung to him, to the promise he held in his eyes, to the promise his mouth gave and for this moment she wanted to believe them.

Shaky fingers slipped the buttons of his shirt free, then smoothed over the hard planes of his chest. A deep groan escaped him when she brushed his nipple. She paused, then teased the nipple again, eliciting another groan. Joy erupted in her heart. She did that to him, little Tessa who nobody wanted.

A Gift Beyond All Measure - The Wild Rose Press

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

1 stick butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 tbsp water
½ tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
½ tsp baking soda
1 ½ cups quick-cooking oats
1 cup chocolate chips
½ cup chopped pecans

Directions:

Preheat oven 350°. Mix together butter, sugars, egg, water and vanilla. Beat well. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Add oats, chocolate chips and pecans. Mix. Drop by the spoonful onto baking sheet and bake 12 to 15 minutes or until light brown.

Holiday Cheer - Pistachio Cake

First things first, I have to send out a BIG kudos to the U. S. Post Office and in particular, the Deer Park, TX branch.  On Monday, my granddaughter, aged 4, scribbled on a piece of paper and proclaimed it a letter for Santa. She insisted we put the letter in the mailbox.  I folded the paper in half and wrote, For Santa.  She didn't sign it and we didn't have our address on it.  I saw the mailman come to our mailbox and take the mail.  Then Lacey and I went out to check the mail.  She was upset that the letter was gone, but I explained that the mailman was taking it to Santa, that was his job (I guess she thought Santa would pick it up himself). Anyway, today, in the mail, Lacey received a letter from Santa, thanking her for her letter. Since we didn't put her name on the letter, it was addressed to "Dear Friend," but it had our address on the envelope.  In all the years I've sent letters to Santa, I don't recall getting an answer back, so this was a huge surprise and let me tell you, Lacey is a Santa FAN! (For proof, check out this youtube video of her taken last year, while waiting for the Deer Park Fire Dept.'s Santa Visit)  She was excited by the letter! So, thank you, Post Office, for making a little girl very happy!

Secondly, congrats to Jerrica for winning last week's drawing.  This week's prize a copy of my two related Christmas Stories: THE PRICELESS GIFT and A GIFT BEYOND ALL MEASURE. These will be sent as PDF books.  So be sure to leave your comments to be eligible. I'll draw a winner next Wednesday, December 28th.

Pistachio Cake

Ingredients:

1 box yellow cake mix

1 large box instant pistachio pudding

4 eggs

1 cup sour cream

¼ cup oil

Cinnamon/sugar mixed to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a Bundt pan.

Mix together cake mix, pistachio pudding, eggs, sour cream and oil.

Pour 1/3 batter into pan. Sprinkle heavily with cinnamon/sugar mixture. Repeat layers.

Lightly sprinkle top with cinnamon/sugar mixture.

Bake 50-55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Cute Graphics

Hanukkah is about the spark of the divine in all of us made in God's image. ~Suzanne Fields

Holiday Cheer - Italian Cream Cake

I've uploaded A GIFT BEYOND ALL MEASURE COOKBOOK, 'published' last year as a companion to my story A GIFT BEYOND ALL MEASURE.  Below is one of the many mouth-watering recipes, as well as the link to download this FREE PDF cookbook.  Get yours today.

This recipe was submitted by Paisley Kirkpatrick, one of the contributing chefs.

To get your FREE COOKBOOK- get your copy of A GIFT BEYOND ALL MEASURE COOKBOOK, click HERE.

Italian Cream Cake

Paisley Kirkpatrick

Ingredients:

½ cup shortening

1 stick margarine

2 cups sugar

5 eggs, separated

2 cups flour, sifted

1 teaspoon soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon butter pecan flavoring

½ cup chopped maraschino cherries, drained

2 cups coconut

1 cup chopped nuts (walnuts/pecans)

Directions:

Mix together the cherries, coconut and nuts and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, put the shortening, margarine, sugar, flavoring, egg yolks, salt and soda; set aside. Sift flour and set aside. Place the egg whites in a medium sized mixing bowl and with mixer on high speed beat stiff, but not dry. Set whites aside. With same beaters, cream together the sugar mixture with mixer on high speed. Beat until very light and fluffy. Add flour and buttermilk and beat on low speed until flour is moistened, then on medium speed until batter is smooth and well mixed. Stir in the coconut mixture and mix well. Fold in the beaten egg whites. Bake in three 8 inch or 9 inch layers, well greased and floured. Bake in 350 degree oven for about 25 minutes until cake tests done. Cool before frosting.

Frosting:

8 ounces cream cheese

1 pound powdered sugar

½ stick margarine

1 teaspoon butter pecan flavoring (or maple)

In medium sized mixing bowl, mix together the icing ingredients; beat on low speed first, gradually increasing mixer speed until well blended.

Cute Graphics

As we struggle with shopping lists and invitations, compounded by December's bad weather, it is good to be reminded that there are people in our lives who are worth this aggravation, and people to whom we are worth the same. - Donald E. Westlake

The Feast of St. Nicholas - December 6th

*Also known as Little Christmas

I first learned of Little Christmas in 1978, when I was an exchange student in Finland. My host family celebrated the day with a party and the exchange of small gifts. December 6th is the Feast Day of the Roman Catholic Saint Nicholas, a fourth century bishop of the city of Myra in what is now Turkey.

According to the website Women For Faith and Family “Saint Nicholas was renowned for his great kindness and his generous aid to those in distress. Among the kind and miraculous acts attributed to him are saving three young girls from prostitution by secretly providing them with dowries, raising three murdered boys from the dead, and saving sailors caught in stormy seas. For these reasons, he is considered the patron saint of children, unmarried girls, and sailors, among others.”

But it is wrong to assume that he alone is the legend of Santa Claus. He is one of many, including the pre-Christian Scandinavian legend of Odin, who rode throughout the world in winter on his eight-footed horse, Sleipnir, giving out gifts or punishments. Other legends include Knecht Ruprecht from Germany, Sinterklass from The Netherlands and Father Christmas from England.

The custom of hanging stockings also derives from these legends. From Bishop Nicholas comes the story that when he threw the three bags of gold to save the three sisters from slavery, they landed in their stockings, hung out to dry. Later, Dutch children would put out their wooden shoes for Sinterklass to leave them goodies – apples, candies, cookies and sometimes money to represent the dowries of the three young girls. Of course, those who were bad received coal or switches instead.

History.com explains that Santa Claus came to America via the Dutch. In 1773 and 1774, New York newspapers reported gatherings of Dutch families in honor of the anniversary of Bishop Nicholas’s death, December 6^th.  In the early 19^th Century, John Pintard, distributed woodcuts of St. Nicholas at the annual meeting of the New York Historical Society.  The carving’s background included background images of stockings filled with toys and fruit hung over a fireplace. In 1809, the stories of Sinter Klass was further popularized by Washington Irving when he referred to St. Nicholas as the patron saint of New York in his book, The History of New York.

I know that we complain about stores taking the meaning out of Christmas with all their advertisements. But this is nothing new.  In 1820, stores were advertising Christmas shopping and by the 1840’s, newspapers were creating separate sections for holiday advertising.  The first Santa in a store was here by 1841.  In the early 1890’s the Salvation Army recruited unemployed men to dress up as Santa and solicit money for the free meals they gave away on Christmas. Though today it is rare to see someone dressed as Santa, the bell ringers are still holiday icons.

The publication of “An Account of a Visit From St. Nick” by Clement Clarke Moore in 1822 also helped to further the image and popularity of Santa Claus. Moore also gave the familiar description of Santa (Jolly old elf) and named the reindeer, though two of them have since been renamed.  The poem has also been attributed to Henry Livingston, Jr.

For a great timeline of St. Nicolas in America, check out The History of Christmas’s America’s page.

SANTA WHISKER’S

Ingredients:

¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) butter

2 cups flour

¾ cup sugar

1 tbsp milk

1 tsp anilla

¾ cup finely chopped candied red and/or green cherries

1/3 cup finely chopped pecans

¾ cup coconut

Directions:

Beat margarine with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add about half the flour, then add the sugar, milk, and vanilla. Beat till thoroughly combined. Stir in remaining flour, cherries and pecans.

Shape into 8-inch long rolls. Roll in coconut. Wrap in wax paper; chill 2- 24 hours.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375°F. Cut dough into 1/4-inch slices. Place on an un-greased cookie sheet, for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are golden.

Cool cookies on a wire rack.

Now, for some promotional stuff. In my novella, A GIFT BEYOND ALL MEASURE, Santa Claus pays a visit to Tessa and Jacob in this excerpt:

“Did you open your stocking?”

“My stocking?” She closed the dishwasher and turned it on.

“Yeah, that red thing hanging on the mantle. Did you open yours?”

She cocked her head and smiled. What had he done? “No.”

He hustled her out of the kitchen to the living room. Two red velvet stockings with white trim hung from the mantle, both obviously stuffed with gifts. He removed one and handed it to her, then retrieved his own. 

She squeezed the stocking, the soft velvet rubbing her hands as a hard object pressed back. It had been years since she’d had a stocking, not since leaving the home. Childish excitement bubbled inside her, along with gratitude at Jacob’s thoughtfulness.

He waved a hand to the couch and she sat on one side while he sat on the other. She watched as he removed a candy bar, then a small, thin wrapped gift. He shook it.

“No rattle. I wonder what it can be.” He ripped off the paper to reveal a little black date book. “Santa gets me one of these every year. Hey, you’re not opening your stocking.”

The heat of a blush crept up her face. “I’ve had a stocking before. The group home always gave us one.” She delved into the red velvet, anxious to see what Santa had left her.

He opened his candy bar and took a large bite. “I never said you hadn’t,” he spoke around the chocolate.
Bright green paper fell away from a bottle of perfume, the sort you got from the drug store. She loved it.

The next few minutes revealed a pair of gloves, aftershave and a movie DVD for Jacob. She received bath salts, a word search book and her own candy bar. Both stockings had an orange and nuts in the bottom.
Sighing happily, Tessa fell back against the couch. “That was a pleasant surprise.”

“Well, I’d love to take the credit, but Christina did it. She gave me the gifts last night.”

Ah, so that was the bag he’d carried home.

“But you played Santa.”

“I suppose I did.” His hazel gaze bore into her. “And you played Mrs. Claus.”

Her forehead wrinkled in confusion. “How do you figure?”

“Last night you helped me make cookies. And you’ve fixed that strudel for Pee Wee and Taylor. Isn’t that what Mrs. Claus does, bake cookies?”

Tessa grinned. “I suppose it is.”

She couldn’t remember a time when she’d felt so…joyful, if she’d ever felt joyful. She laughed.

Blurb – A Gift Beyond All Measure 

Arriving home for Christmas, the last thing Jacob Scott expects in his house is a sexy, shotgun-toting stranger. Worse, his attraction to her bothers him even more than the gun. Still reeling from the deception of his long-time girlfriend, he’s not looking for romance.

Tessa Jones has learned one hard lesson—when everyone in your life has failed you the only one you can trust is yourself. Facing the whispers of the townsfolk and an arson charge, Tessa unexpectedly finds herself trusting Jacob with more than her legal troubles.

Struggling between the promise of the present and the hurts of the past, can these two lost souls overcome their pain long enough to discover a gift beyond all measure?

"This is a must read for anyone who needs a good dose of Christmas romance. You won’t be disappointed."  A Five Star Review by Ginger Simpson 

Available from The Wild Rose Press, Kindle and Nook.

FREE COOKBOOK! Download a free pdf of A GIFT BEYOND ALL MEASURE COOKBOOK. Just visit my website for the link. The cookbook contains 27 mouth-watering recipes. 

Learn more about Anna Kathryn and her stories at http://www.aklanier.com/.

Holiday Cheer - Chocolate Covered Cherry Cake

I had hoped to 'publish' a new cookbook this year, but life got in the way and I didn't do it. So, I decided to upload last year's A GIFT BEYOND ALL MEASURE COOKBOOK.  Below is one of the 27-mouthwatering recipes in the cookbook.

Chocolate Covered Cherry Cake


Ingredients:

Cake:

1 (18.25 oz) plain devil's food cake mix
or devil's food cake mix with pudding
1 (21-oz) can cherry pie filling
2 large eggs
1 tsp. pure almond extract

Glaze:
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup whole milk
1 cup (6-oz pkg) semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat 350 degrees. Lightly mist a 9x13-in baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.

Place the cake mix, cherry pie filling, eggs and almond extract in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Stop mixer and scrape down the sides of bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes more, scraping the sides down as needed. The batter should look thick and well blended.

Pour batter into the prepared pan, smoothing top with rubber spatula. Place pan in oven. Bake until the cake springs back when lightly pressed with your fingers and just starts to pull away from pan (30-35 minutes).

For the glaze, place the sugar, butter and milk in small saucepan over medium-low heat and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil, about 10 minutes. Boil, stirring constantly for 1 minute.

Remove the pan from heat and stir in chocolate chips. When the chips have melted and the glaze is smooth, pour it over the warm cake so that it covers the entire surface. The glaze will be thin, but will firm up as it cools. Cool cake 20 minutes before cutting into squares and serving.

Serves 20.

A GIFT BEYOND ALL MEASURE COOKBOOK

Holiday Cheer - Peanut Butter Fudge

Peanut Butter Fudge

Ingredients:

2 c sugar
½ c milk
1 ½ c peanut butter
1 jar (7 oz) marshmallow cream

Directions:

In a saucepan, bring sugar and milk to a boil. Boil for 3 minutes. Add peanut butter and marshmallow cream; mix well and fast. Quickly pour into a buttered pan (size depending on how thick you want fudge to be). Chill until set.

No Santa Claus! Thank God! he lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood. ~ Francis Pharcellus Church

New Reviews for A GIFT BEYOND ALL MEASURE
 
"A GIFT BEYOND ALL MEASURE...captures its readers' attention from the very first page." ~ Danielle; The Romance Reviews 4 Stars
 
"I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys romance especially at Christmas time." ~ Lisa, Happily Ever After Reviews 3 1/2 Tea Cups

Holiday Cheer - Sugar and Spice Pecans

A great little snack for those family gatherings and holiday parties or just for sitting on the coffee table.

Sugar and Spice Pecans

Ingredients

1 egg white

1 cup sugar

¾ tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tbsp water

1 lb pecan halves

Directions

Beat egg white until frothy, but not stiff. Stir in sugar, salt, cinnamon and water. Add pecans and stir until all pecans are coated. Spread pecans on large cookie sheet. Bake at 200° for 45 minutes, stirring pecans every 15 minutes until dry and toasty. Be careful not to overcook and burn. Let cool and seal in airtight container.

Still available A GIFT BEYOND ALL MEASURE COOKBOOK.  Twenty-seven mouth-watering recipes.  Get your FREE download now!

Anna Kathryn Lanier
Where Cowboys Hang Their Hats
http://www.aklanier.com/

Night Owl Reviews - 3 1/2 Stars for A Gift Beyond All Measure

Night Owl Reviews has given A GIFT BEYOND ALL MEASURE  3 1/2 stars and a grade-A review.

"A seasonal read, A Gift Beyond All Measure delivers on it's title. If you are looking for a heart warming story and don't mind a hero that needs to be taught a thing or two about tenderness, then I think you will like this story. Tessa is a character that steps right out of the page and into your heart. She's a tough cookie that you want to find love and happiness." ~ Talina

Buy  A GIFT BEYOND ALL MEASURE now.

Holiday Cheer - Seven Layer Cookies

The first time I had these cookies was at a goodie exchange at my church. I have to admit, it took me a couple of years to finally ask for the recipe and am I sure glad I did.  These are a holiday staple in my house.  They are VERY rich, but well worth the extra ten pounds you gain just by looking at them.  Enjoy!

Seven Layer Cookies

Ingredients

1/2 cup margarine
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 cup flaked coconut
6 ounces butterscotch chips
6 ounces chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1 can sweetened condensed milk

Directions

Melt margarine and put in 13x9 pan. Sprinkle graham cracker crumbs over margarine. Spread flaked coconut over crumbs. Pour butterscotch bits over coconut. Pour chocolate chips over butterscotch bits. Sprinkle chopped nuts over all. Slowly pour sweetened condensed milk over all. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Struggling between the promise of the present and the hurts of the past, can Jacob and Tessa overcome their pain long enough to discover a gift beyond all measure?

A Gift Beyond All Measure - Available now at The Wild Rose Press.

I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.

~Charles Dickens

Holiday Cheer - Release Day and Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Release Day!!!

A GIFT BEYOND MEASURE is hitting the ‘shelves’ today at The Wild Rose Press! Whoo Hoo!

Blurb:

Arriving home for Christmas, the last thing Jacob Scott expects in his house is a sexy, shotgun-toting stranger. Worse, his attraction to her bothers him even more than the gun. Still reeling from the deception of his long-time girlfriend, he’s not looking for romance.

Tessa Jones has learned one hard lesson—when everyone in your life has failed you the only one you can trust is yourself. Facing the whispers of the townsfolk and an arson charge, Tessa unexpectedly finds herself trusting Jacob with more than her legal troubles.

Struggling between the promise of the present and the hurts of the past, can these two lost souls overcome their pain long enough to discover a gift beyond all measure?

Unedited Excerpt:

In all of her Christmases, Tessa couldn't remember a time when she'd baked cookies. If she left cookies for Santa, they'd have been store bought. Her mother was always too busy to bother with something as time consuming as cookie baking. And the group home didn't allow such activities. Someone probably would have burned the place down.

She was happy to let Jacob take control of the cookie making; it was his tradition after all. She satisfied herself with standing on the sidelines, handing him ingredients as he needed.

“Now, comes the important part,” he said. “Putting them on cookie sheets. They have to be just the right sized balls, or they don't cook correctly.”
She grinned. “Really? Do they taste bad?”

He nodded. “Yes, that's why you have to eat them before anyone else does. You don't want anyone to eat yucky cookies.”

Laughing, they each filled a cookie sheet with dough. Tessa noticed that more than one of his cookies were not the same size as the others. He caught her looking and winked.

She turned back to her task and sighed. It almost felt normal to be doing this with him. For a brief moment, she had a flash of them doing it together in future years, perhaps with children of their own. Ah, Christmas wishes, the stuff dreams were made of.

Best to remember reality.

“You never answered my question,” he was saying.

“What question?”

He finished his own sheet of dough and put both in the oven. “How did you end up in Spencerville? Most people leave Spencerville for a big city. They don't leave the big city for it.” He set the timer and faced her.

With her back to the island, she leaned against it, her hands gripping the cool marble surface. “It wasn't meant as my final destination. I was heading to Washington with a classmate from my cooking school. He wanted to take the scenic route through Montana and Idaho. His car broke down just outside Spencerville. After we got it towed and looked at, we knew we didn't have the money to fix it. So, we got rooms in the boarding house and found jobs. I got hired on at Baxter's Diner. He got a job with the feed store.”

Jacob raised a brow, but didn't ask any questions.

“We planned to stay until we got the money to fix the car, which we did in about two months. We were all set to leave town when I woke up one morning to find the car, our money and Bobby gone.” She brushed flour off her sleeve. “So was the daughter of the feed store owner.”

Trust me, he’d said. Ha!
“Bobby did leave me a note. Something about destiny and how he needed to follow it. He always was a little dramatic. Personally, I think it was just lust between him and Priscilla.”

Jacob leaned against the counter near the sink and crossed his arms over his chest. “When was this?”

His hazel eyes held interest. In her? Unexpected warmth surged through her. She cleared her throat.

“Two years ago. Old Man Baxter took me back, since I’d quit my job in anticipation of leaving. I worked there until....well, last month.”

“Did you love him?”

“Old Man Baxter? Hell, no.” She cleared her throat, picked up the bowl and moved to the sink.. She knew who he meant.

His lips twitched as he moved out of the way. “No, did you love Bobby?”

“I don't think so.” She put the bowl in the sink and rinsed it out.. “Mostly, I trusted him. I trusted he'd fulfill his promise and get me to Washington, to the new life we discussed.”

“A new life together?”

His interest was getting too personal for her comfort. She glanced at the timer. Maybe he’d end the interrogation when the cookies were done.

“Not the way you’re thinking. He had family there, but we talked about getting a place together. He thought we were already living together and that living together meant ….” She stopped. Good Lord, what was she doing? Jacob didn't need to know that about her.

He cocked his head. “Meant what?”

Having sex. She clamped her mouth shut and shook her head. Thankfully, the timer went off and she didn't have to answer. Hopefully, he'd drop the subject. Mercifully, he did.

True to his word, Jacob ate the cookies he'd made that weren't the right size. A bit of the lightheartedness returned when he did.

It was nearly ten when they finished washing the dirty dishes. She hid a yawn behind her hand.
“That was fun. Thank you, Jacob.”

He stood a few feet from her, hands flat atop the counter. “No, Tessa, thank you. It helps to remember the traditions of the holiday.”

A dizzying current raced through her, ending with a tingling in her stomach. She swallowed the desire rising in her breast. The desire to fling herself into his arms and beg him for a kiss like the day before.

“Well,” she breathed. “I'm off to bed. I still have to get up at four-thirty.”

Instead of moving toward the door, though, she stood where she was. Something in his eyes shifted. Her stomach did a flip. He stepped toward her, ran a finger down her cheek, smoothed his thumb over her lips.
“Merry Christmas, Tessa.”

His lips brushed hers in a soft touch. She sighed and he pulled her closer, kissed her harder. He cupped her head as his tongue parried deep into her mouth. She suckled it, tasting decant chocolate chip cookies.
She clung to him, to the promise he held in his eyes, to the promise his mouth gave and for this moment she wanted to believe them.

Shaky fingers slipped the buttons of his shirt free, then smoothed over the hard planes of his chest. A deep groan escaped him when she brushed his nipple. She paused, then teased the nipple again, eliciting another groan. Joy erupted in her heart. She did that to him, little Tessa who nobody wanted.


Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

1 stick butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 tbsp water
½ tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
½ tsp baking soda
1 ½ cups quick-cooking oats
1 cup chocolate chips
½ cup chopped pecans

Directions:

Preheat oven 350°. Mix together butter, sugars, egg, water and vanilla. Beat well. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Add oats, chocolate chips and pecans. Mix. Drop by the spoonful onto baking sheet and bake 12 to 15 minutes or until light brown.

Find this recipe and 26 more in A GIFT BEYOND ALL MEASURE COOKBOOK. Download it now, for FREE off my website.

FREE Cookbook

Want a cookbook with 27 mouth-watering recipes, including Cheesy Biscuits, Son-of-a-Gun Stew, Green Beans with Basil, Chocolate Cherry Cake, Apple Strudel, Tortellini Soup, Taco Casserole, and Italian Cream Cake?

It can be yours....for FREE, when you purchase my upcoming book A GIFT BEYOND ALL MEASURE.

Sorry, you will need to wait for both the story and the cookbook....A GIFT BEYOND ALL MEASURE doesn't come out until December 8th from The Wild Rose Press.  But I wanted to give everyone a heads up....if you purchase the book between December 8the and December 31st, 2010, you can get the book for free off my website.  More details will come on how to obtain the A GIFT BEYOND ALL MEASURE COOK BOOK.

Anna Kathryn Lanier

Release Date

If you've been waiting for Jacob's Story.....your wait is almost over!

I just heard today that A Gift Beyond All Measure will be released on December 8, 2010!

This is book is the sequeal to my first The Wild Rose Press story, The Perfect Gift. 

Arriving home for Christmas, the last thing Jacob Scott expects in his house is a sexy, shotgun-toting stranger. Worse, his attraction to her bothers him even more than the gun. Still reeling from the deception of his long-time girlfriend, he’s not looking for romance.

Tessa Jones has learned one hard lesson—when everyone in your life has failed you the only one you can trust is yourself. Facing the whispers of the townsfolk and an arson charge, Tessa unexpectedly finds herself trusting Jacob with more than her legal troubles.

Struggling between the promise of the present and the hurts of the past, can these two lost souls overcome their pain long enough to discover a gift beyond all measure?


Anna Kathryn Lanier
http://www.aklanier.com/