by J. Kenner
8 burrito size flour tortillas 1 cup sliced baby bella mushrooms Nonstick cooking spray 1 cup sliced bell pepper (red, yellow or green) 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend 1 packet taco seasoning mix
In a medium skillet over low heat, melt butter and saute onions, mushrooms, and bell pepper for 8-10 minutes. Add taco seasoning and water. Simmer for 5 more minutes and remove from heat. In a medium skillet over low heat, coat with cooking spray and lay a tortilla flat in the skillet. Cover half of the tortilla with sauteed veggies and cheese. Then fold the empty side on top of the mixture and allow to cook for 2 minutes, pressing down with a spatula. Next, flip the quesadilla and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Remove from heat and repeat this process with remaining ingredients. Cut quesadillas into thirds and serve with Avocado Dipping Sauce. (Click here for recipe.)
AVOCADO DIPPING SAUCE
2 avocados
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt 1 teaspoon minced garlic 1/2 teaspoon salt Juice of 1 lime
In a stand-up mixer, add avocado, yogurt, garlic, salt, and lime. Blend on low for 1 minute. Serve with Veggiedillas.
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Honey Sriracha Chicken Tacos
Oil for frying
3 eggs
6-8 boneless, skinless chicken breast tenders 1/2 cup milk
3 cups flour
8 (6-inch) flour tortillas 1 tablespoon seasoning salt
Heat oil in a deep fryer or Dutch oven to 350 degrees. Cut the chicken tenders into 1-inch chunks. Mix together the flour and seasoning salt. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk. Place the chicken in the egg mixture. Take 6 chicken pieces at a time and dredge in flour, shaking off excess. Fry chicken in the oil until golden brown, about 4-6 minutes. Remove from oil and drain on paper towels. Continue with remaining chicken.
SLAW
1/2 cup mayonnaise 2 tablespoons white vinegar 1 tablespoon sugar 1 (16 ounce) bag of tri-color slaw
Mix together mayonnaise, sugar and vinegar until sugar is dissolved. Pour over slaw and mix well. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.
HONEY SRIRACHA SAUCE
1 cup of honey
1/4 cup of mayonnaise 1/4 cup of Sriracha
Add all ingredients to a small blender and mix on low for about 1 minute.
TO SERVE:
On each flour tortilla, place 3-4 chicken tenders, top with 2 tablespoons of slaw, and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of Honey Sriracha Sauce. Fold tortillas in half.
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Bloody Mary with Candied Bacon
2 ounces Grey Goose Vodka 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 4 ounces tomato juice 1/4 teaspoon celery seed 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce 1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon horseradish 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Fill pint glass with ice. In a separate glass, stir all ingredients together until blended. Pour over ice and garnish with Candied Bacon. (Click here for recipe.)
CANDIED BACON
1/2 cup dark brown sugar 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1/2 cup honey
12 slices bacon
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Mix together sugar, honey, and cayenne pepper. Place bacon on the parchment paper and baste top side with sugar mixture. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven, flip bacon and baste other side. Return to oven for an additional 10 minutes.
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ALL I NEED: REECE & JENNA
Slice of Life
Jenna walked through the doorway of The Fix on Sixth, paused, then released a long, slow sigh.
Walked?
She hadn't walked through that doorway. She'd left the art of walking behind weeks ago.
No, today Jenna was waddling. With the occasional lapse into teetering thrown in for good measure.
"It's worth it, though," she whispered, her hand rubbing her huge belly. "Even if you are the reason I can't see my ankles."
She was rewarded with a solid kick, and she jumped, then laughed out loud. Nearby, a hipster couple exchanged a beware the crazy pregnant woman glance.
She ignored them, then hurried in a waddling sort of way toward Amanda, who was sitting at the bar chatting with Eric Shay, a wickedly hot bartender who'd somehow managed to avoid being an entrant in the Man of the Month calendar contest.
"Hey, Jenna," he called. "What's your pleasure? Sparkling Pineapple or Bloody Mary with Candied Bacon?"
Amanda's eyebrows shot up to her hairline. "She can't drink! She's pregnant! Or are you trying to get her drunk enough that she'll let us roll her across the room like a bowling ball?"
"You're a hoot," Jenna said, scowling at the bar stool. No way could she get her almost thirty-seven weeks pregnant tush up that high.
"That's me." Amanda winked at Eric. "Providing nightly entertainment to the masses."
"Nightly?" Eric shot back. "I'm pretty sure the only one you're entertaining after dark is Derek."
"Zing!" Jenna teased. Amanda, however, just smiled happily. After years of remaining stubbornly single, she was now firmly rooted in the land of coupledom.
"What about you?" Amanda's attention focused on Eric. "Anything cooking in your relationship repertoire?"
Jenna thrust out a foot, kicking Amanda's shin. For months, Jenna had been trying to push Eric closer to Tiffany Russell, a waitress who Jenna happened to know had a crush on the bartender. But matchmaking was a delicate game, and in this case it was made trickier by the fact that Tiffany used to date Eric's older brother. Any and all relationship maneuvers required chess-like planning and careful deliberation, and Amanda had all the subtlety and finesse of a sledgehammer.
A red flush crept up Eric's neck. "Nothing really." He cleared his throat, then looked straight at Jenna. "Go with the Bloody Mary. I don't have any pineapples prepped."
"Throw in some extra candied bacon, and you've got a deal."
"You got it."
The Bloody Mary recipe was unique to The Fix, and it was excellent even without vodka. But what really made the drink rock was the candied bacon garnish that Tyree, owner and chef, had created. It was like a little strip of heaven in your mouth, washed down with a splash of ambrosia.
"Go have a seat," Eric ordered, nodding at a table. "I'll bring it out to you."
"And that's why we keep you around," she teased, making him laugh. Technically, Jenna was one of four owners of The Fix, along with the original owner, Tyree, her best friend Brent, and her other best friend-turned-husband, Reece.
Not that she'd ever presume to hire or fire a bartender. Her bailiwick was marketing. And ever since the Man of the Month campaign had reached its successful conclusion, she was feeling more than a little at loose ends.
The contest had wrapped in October, and Jenna and her team had rushed to get calendars printed, the pre-sold inventory shipped, and the open inventory stocked in the bar and other local businesses. They'd been simultaneously working on a cookbook filled with Tyree's amazing recipes, and now both Bar Bites and the Man of the Month calendar graced the retail shelves of many an Austin boutique.
But both projects had wrapped by mid-December. Then she'd been occupied with her first Christmas as a married woman--that reality still made her giddy-- and now here she was. The second day of January. A brand new year.
And she didn't have a single idea what to do with herself.
Sure, she could whip up some flyers to promote the bar. Maybe coordinate drink specials or arrange special events surrounding some of the live bands. But the Man of the Month contest had been her brainchild, and it had turned into a big deal. A citywide event. Something that folks talked about on social media and chatted about with their friends. The guys--winners and contestants--were recognized around the town. All in all, it had been a triumph.
And she had absolutely no idea how she was supposed to follow her own success.
"What's with you?" Amanda asked as they settled in at one of the two-tops near the bar. "You've gone from
perky to pensive. Something wrong? Or is it hormones? I know it's not Reece."
At the mention of his name, Jenna's mood lifted. "No," she agreed. "Not a thing wrong there. Right, peanut? Your daddy's pretty much perfect." She smiled down at her belly, and when she looked up, a minor miracle took place. Not only did Eric deliver her drink that very second, but Reece stepped out of the back hallway and entered the bar at the far end of the room.
He was yards and yards away from her, but it didn't matter. Even across the cavernous bar--even despite the happy hour crowd that filled the room and kept blocking him from her sight--even then, she could feel him. Could sense him.
The heat of him. The power. The strength...and the tenderness.
With his shaved head, shadowy beard, broad shoulders, and rock hard muscles, Reece Walker was the kind of man who never lacked for attention. Add in the intricate tats that covered his chest, back, and arms--today only visible emerging from the short sleeves of his T-shirt--and he radiated a dangerous sex appeal, like a bad boy biker on a mission to ravage a woman.
Her whole body tightened in response to that particular thought, and as she rubbed her hand over her belly, Technicolor memories of the reason she was in this particular state filled her mind, making her breasts ache and her sex throb with such an intense need that she squirmed on the chair, disguising the sudden, demanding sexual craving by reaching for another piece of candied bacon.
The pregnancy hormones were doing a number on her; she was certain of that. She was ridiculously horny all the time. A little fact that really hadn't bothered her husband one bit.
But this wasn't a hormone reaction. This was a Reece reaction. The man called to her without saying a word. Possessed her without using his hands. Captured her with only his eyes.
They'd started out as best friends, and thank God they still fit that definition. But they were so much more.
"Hey, Beautiful," he said, reaching for her. With one hand, he pulled her to her feet. The other he spread wide over her belly. "I missed you both."
Warmth and love spread through her, and she laughed lightly. "I've only been gone a few hours." She'd cut out that morning to go check on the various retailers stocking the calendar and to talk with the printer about a second print run since sales were so high.
"That's a few too long."
"You two have crossed the line from sappy to downright gooey," Amanda said, her lips twitching with amusement. "You know that, right?"
"I've seen you with Derek," Jenna countered. "I'd say you two are contenders for the title in the sappy and gooey department."
"Nothing wrong with sappy," Reece said. And before either Jenna or Amanda could answer, he pulled Jenna close. Her very pregnant belly pressed against his tight, firm body as his arm curled around her non-existent waist to hold her steady. And then, with a passion that made her knees go weak, his mouth claimed hers, hot and wild, and full of demand and promise.
"Wow," she said when he slowly drew back. "What was that for?"
"A preview," he said. "Come on, baby. I'm taking you home."
"You're being unfair, you know," Jenna complained as Reece maneuvered their shiny new-to-them Volvo into the driveway of Reece's father's home. She missed driving her 1972 El Camino that Reece had fixed up for her almost as much as she missed Blue, his restored Chevy truck. But about five minutes into her fourth trimester, Reece had dragged her to a car lot, insisting that they have a newer, safer car now that they had the baby to think about.
She'd burst into tears--damn hormones--and blubbered about how much she loved him for taking care of her and the baby.
As for the other cars... Well, she'd fit behind the wheel eventually.
Now, Reece parked the Volvo next to Blue, then turned to face her, his brow furrowed. "Unfair?"
"A kiss like that, an announcement that we're going home--honestly, Reece, I'm so on edge right now I'd straddle you in the driver's seat and fuck you silly, except for the fact that I can't fit behind the wheel."
"Christ, Jenna..." The heat in his voice was unmistakable, and it curled through her, soaking her panties and making her already aching breasts tighten with a wild, demanding need.
"Yeah, well, I didn't want it to be just me that was suffering. You were at Dr. Blake's this morning, too. No more sex, remember?" Apparently semen could induce labor. And her doctor wanted her to make it full term.
A devious grin slid over Reece's mouth. "I was there. And I talked with Dr. B while you were getting dressed."
"And?"
"And I'm taking you inside."
She frowned, confused. But she also wanted out of the car. So she let him come around to get the door, and then they headed into the house.
For years, Reece had been living in the apartment above the garage, and she'd moved in when they got together. Small but cozy, the place was perfect for two. It would be a little bit crowded with an infant, but they'd make do, and Jenna did love the place. Reece had refurbished it, and the interior gleamed.
Not that they were staying in the apartment now. For the last month, Reece and Jenna had been living inside Charlie and Enid Walker's house, simply because the stairs to the apartment were steep, and she was getting winded and light-headed every time she climbed them. Fortunately, Charlie and his girlfriend, Enid, had gone to Vegas to tie the knot, then they were driving to California to go to Disneyland, Monterrey, and San Francisco.
They promised they'd be back by the time the baby was born, but until then, Jenna and Reece had the house to themselves. They'd entered through the kitchen, and now they moved to the guest bedroom--a room that used to be Reece's when he was a teen, and where Jenna and Brent had spent many hours hanging out with Reece, listening to music, and talking their way through all the world's problems.
At the moment, Jenna's only problem was the fact that Reece wasn't touching her--and the fact that doctor's orders meant that he couldn't touch her the way she wanted. "You're mean for teasing me, you know," she said. "Somehow, I'm going to extract my revenge."
"Hold that thought," he said, then he stepped closer to her and with slow, deliberate movements, he pushed her coat off her shoulders, letting it fall carelessly to the floor. She hadn't buttoned it--for January, it wasn't that cold, and lately she was running so hot that the winter air felt good against her skin.
She was hot now, too, but in a different sort of way. Hot and itchy and so keenly needy that she actually had to fight to keep from whimpering. "Reece," she whispered. "Please. We can't."
"Oh, but we can." His fingers moved to the buttons of her shirt as his lips teased at the corner of her mouth, then traced gently along the curve of her jaw before easing down to her neck. Shivers ran through her, following a path of tiny electric threads that connected all of her erogenous zones. Except, dammit, he'd turned her entire body into an erogenous zone, and every touch, every kiss, every caress was making her more and more wet, more and more hungry for him to take her. To fill her.
Now she really did whimper, and she felt his answering smile as his lips brushed the curve of her breast.
"Ree--"
"Hush," he ordered. "No more words. Just close your eyes and let me handle this."
She wanted to protest even as she wanted to submit--and it was submission that won out. She wanted this. Hell, she needed it. To feel his hands on her, his lips against her skin. And when he pushed back the halves of her shirt to bare her to her bra, she moaned from nothing more than the pleasure of the cool air against her overheated skin.
"I love your breasts like this," he said.
"Huge, you mean?"
"Ripe." He met her eyes. "Not that I didn't love the smaller version. Normally, your tits fit perfectly into my hands. But to see you like this, and to know it's because you're going to have our baby. Jenna, I--"
"Kiss me," she demanded, her body--no, her soul--craving him. He didn't disappoint, and he pressed hard against her, her belly making the kiss a little more complicated, but no less heated. And as
his tongue teased and danced with hers, his nimble fingers went to the very stretchy waistband of her boring-but-comfortable maternity pants.
He slid them down, taking her panties along with them. He broke the kiss so that he could ease down as he undressed her, holding her steady as she slipped out of her shoes and pants.
He stayed there for a moment, kneeling on the floor, his face tilted back to look up at her. The large belly, her heavy breasts still in the less-than-sexy bra. And there was such awe and hunger in his expression that she felt like the most desirable woman on the planet.
"Reece, please. You're making me crazy, but we can't--"
"Take off the bra and get on the bed," he ordered in a tone that brooked no argument.
She did as he told her, trembling when he stretched out beside her, his hands caressing her bare skin, making rocket flares of awareness shoot through her. He was torturing her, no doubt about that, but it was such sweet torture, and right then, she never wanted it to end.
Gently, his hands brushed over her breasts, his fingers teasing her oh-so- sensitive nipples. She gasped a little, arching up as if to escape the overload of sensations the simple touch launched inside her. "Reece," she murmured, but that was the entire thought. He'd filled her head. He was all she felt. It was just her and him and the wonderful things he was doing to her.
After a moment, he shifted. His mouth replaced his hands, his tongue teasing her sensitive nipple as his fingers moved lower, tracing random patterns on her belly. Then lower still, easing around the mound of her belly to settle between her legs. Just the slightest flicker of a finger over her clit, but it was enough to send strands of pure electricity racing between his finger and his mouth, the heat of his touch connecting her from sex to breast, and then branching out to fill her.
"Please," she said, overwhelmed by the sensations. But that was all she could manage. He swirled his tongue around her nipple, and the resulting awareness in her built between her legs, taking her so close to the edge.
She'd never been a woman who could reach orgasm from a man playing with her breasts, but pregnancy had definitely taken her closer to that state, because she was close now, and it was everything she could do not to beg Reece to fuck her, no matter how much she wanted it.