by JC Calciano
• Holding the strawberry by the stem, dip the bottom half of each strawberry in the melted chocolate
• Twist the strawberry so that the chocolate forms a "tail" at the end
• Set strawberries on the parchment paper
Myles' Homemade Tiramisu Recipe
Ingredients:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
Half cup prepared coffee
1 double shot espresso
1 lb mascarpone cheese
Half cup granulated sugar
3 Tbsp rum or brandy
20 ladyfingers (a light, oblong Italian cookie with powdered sugar on one side)
Cocoa powder
1 oz unsweetened dark chocolate shavings
Directions:
• Chill whipping cream and bowl of electric mixer (or standard metal mixing bowl)
• Mix coffee and espresso and chill
• Whisk the whipping cream until it reaches stiff peaks - this can be accomplished in a few minutes with an electric mixer or by hand, times will vary depending on arm strength and stamina
• Put the cheese, sugar, and brandy into a medium bowl and mix until smooth
• Add more sugar or alcohol as desired
• Fold in the whipped cream to create the cheese mixture
• Dip the ladyfingers in espresso for a couple seconds, rotating to coat all sides
• Place ladyfingers side by side on bottom of a 8-by-8-inch pan
• Put half the cheese mixture on ladyfingers
• Smooth with a spatula or spoon
• Sift cocoa powder liberally on surface of layer
• Apply second layer of lady fingers and remaining cheese
• Sift cocoa powder and half of chocolate shavings
• Cover in plastic wrap and chill
To serve, use the remaining chocolate shavings by sprinkling a bit onto eight plates. Cut tiramisu into eight rectangles and serve on plates (or simply spoon them out).
French Onion Soup
Ingredients:
6 Tbsp unsalted butter
4 lbs onions (about 6 medium), thinly sliced
Kosher salt and black pepper
1 cup dry white wine
2 cups low-sodium beef broth
8 1/2-inch-thick slices country bread, halved crosswise if necessary to Fit serving bowls
2 cups grated Gruyere or Swiss cheese
1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves
Time 120 minutes / Serves 8
Directions:
• Heat the butter in a large pot over medium-high heat
• Add the onions, 1¼ salt, and ¼ Tsp pepper and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until tender, 12 to 15 minutes
• Reduce heat to low and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the onions are golden brown, 50 to 60 minutes
• Add the wine and cook until slightly reduced, about 2 minutes
• Add the broth and 6 cups water and bring to a boil
• Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes
• Meanwhile, heat broiler
• Place the bread on a broiler-proof baking sheet and broil until golden brown and crisp, 1 to 2 minutes per side then sprinkle with the cheese and broil until melted, 1 to 2 minutes
• Divide the soup among bowls, top with the toasts, and sprinkle with the thyme
Pan-seared Steak Au Poivre
Ingredients:
4 small filet mignons, 1-inch thick
1 Tbsp cracked black peppercorns
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup beef broth
1/4 cup cognac (optional)
2 Tbsp butter, cut into 4 pieces
Time 15 minutes / Serves 4
Directions:
• Pat each filet mignon dry with paper towels, then sprinkle each side with the pepper
• Heat a heavy skillet, preferably cast iron, on the stovetop over medium-high heat until a few drops of water dance across the surface
• Add the oil, then the steaks, and cook 3 to 4 minutes, adjusting the heat as necessary so the oil stays hot but does not smoke
• Turn the steaks and cook until small drops of red juice come to the surface, about 5 minutes for medium
• Transfer to a platter and keep warm
• Add the broth to the skillet over high heat and scrape up any browned bits
• Pour in the cognac (if desired) and boil 1 to 2 minutes to burn off the alcohol
• Remove the skillet from the heat and whisk in the butter, one piece at a time, until melted
• Pour the sauce over the steaks
Brody's Rules to Live By
1. Appreciate and accept yourself. Be good with who you are.
2. Just like in bed - if you like it done to you- they’ll like it done to them. Be as generous as possible. You need to give in order to get.
3. Nothing is more attractive than confidence. Don’t play coy or play games.
4. Don’t spend money on fancy stuff. Expensive stuff is a waste of money. Buy affordable, quality goods. No one needs $300 jeans. Nothing is as sexy as a pair of $40 Levis.
5. Nothing is sexier than a man who is smart. Speak well and be informed. Education is hot.
6. Be honest. Liars always get caught. It takes time and energy trying to remember stories that aren’t true. No one wants to be with a liar.
7. Don’t complain or talk badly about other people. No one wants to listen to someone bitch and moan or talk about other people.
8. Push yourself. Try new things. Be someone who is exciting and always exploring new stuff.
9. Enjoy today. Do something that will make you happy.
10. Stop caring what others think of you. If you’re okay with it, then that's the way it is.
11. No one likes to be with a bummer. Have fun – be the person people want to be around.
12. Embrace your generous nature. Give freely and others will give to you in return.
13. Own your shortcomings. Don’t make excuses for all the things you aren't. Either fix them or accept them as part of who you are.
14. Surround yourself with good people. Your circle should consist of awesome friends.
15. Remove people from your circle who don’t fit the qualities listed above. Why would you want to hang out with people who bring you down?
16. Forgive those who have wronged you in the past. Let it go, learn from it and move on to a better place.
a letter from the author
Dear Reader,
I find nothing more fascinating than love. Why do people fall in love? What is it like to be in love? What makes you love one person and not the other? Questions like that keep me up at night. Other than being obsessed with love, I enjoy telling a good story. There are many stories out there, but of course my favorite are those about falling in love. I'm a big softy. My partner teases me since I could get teary at a Pepsi commercial. Stories that re-unite people turn me into a ball of mush. These feelings connect us.
I guess that's why out of all professions I could have pursued, being a storyteller is the one that makes me the happiest. Connecting people with their emotions, exploring thoughts that are universal to us, and certainly making us feel all warm, happy and tingly inside. Romantic comedy is the perfect book and movie genre as far as I’m concerned. They show the best in a person as well as the worst but always end with the promise that everything will work out for the best in the end.
As a gay man, my work creates a world that I hope we can all live in – one of total acceptance. Of course, I know ignorance and bigotry exist, but in my stories, we have evolved beyond that. My stories take place where our protagonists are dealing with the universal problems that we all face as people, which is to find and/or keep love. It's not about gay, straight or bi love. It's about love between people. Male or female, trans or otherwise. I hope to create a place where we can recognize the universal truths about ourselves and those who we hope to be with. Prejudice doesn’t exist in my world. Hopefully these stories will set
an example of how things can be in the real world if we just learn to look past the biases we've been taught to have and learn that love is love - regardless of how you couple the sexes.
The 10 Year Plan is my third story of the exploration of love. The first Is It Just Me? explores self-love and acceptance and the idea of being good enough and deserving of the man of your dreams. My second film eCupid investigates the "seven year itch". I believe that often in a relationship one, if not both, of the partners wonder "is this the person I want to be with - forever?" The 10 Year Plan delves into the question "what's the difference between friendship and love?"
It's based on my life and my two best friends. The idea came about fifteen years ago while we were all out drinking. The real life “Myles” and “Brody” made the exact same 10 year plan as in the film: to be a couple if both of them were still single in ten years. I chuckled to myself, thinking how perfect they both were for each other and how ridiculous it was that they would wait a decade before actually doing something about it.
True to form, 10 years later and the arrangement almost due, each asked me privately about what they should do. They cared for each other deeply but both felt it was unwise to start a romantic relationship. They didn’t want to hurt each other’s feelings by backing out.
Their predicament made me wonder about the line between friendship and love. Love is certainly friendship, but what makes one relationship plutonic and another romantic? I still don’t know the answer, but it was great fun exploring it in writing the The 10 Year Plan.
I’ve come to discover that such back-up plans are relatively common. My cousin reminded me that I made a pact with her when we were kids. We were very close growing up and agreed that if we never found someone to love us, we could always depend on each other.
Enjoy!
- JC
Discover more by JC Calciano
Laugh-out-loud funny and seductively sweet, Is It Just Me? is a gay romantic comedy about one gay boy’s search for Mr. Right. Adorable Blaine, (Nicholas Downs) can’t seem to meet guys, let alone form a relationship. His beefy go-go boy roommate Cameron, who has no shortage of willing partners, can’t understand why he doesn’t just pounce and enjoy some one-nighters.
Instead, Blaine hides in chat rooms where he meets Zander, a shy, recently relocated Texan. But when the time comes to exchange photos, Blaine accidentally sends an image of his hunky roomie, and things go from romantically promising to downright confusing. Full of witty charm and cute guys, Is it Just Me? is a bona fide feel-good winner!
From the director of Is It Just Me? comes this sparkling romantic comedy that takes online dating to the extreme! Marshall is an overworked ad exec who is suffering from a serious case of the seven-year itch with his loving boyfriend. As his 30th birthday nears, he is hell-bent on changing his life and he comes across a mysterious dating app called eCupid. Turning his world upside down and overwhelming him with sexy, horned-up guys at every turn, Marshall gets much more than he bargained. Firing on all cylinders with sharp wit, hot cast, and even an extended cameo from Hollywood legend Morgan Fairchild, eCupid will win your heart.
Images from the Movie The 10 Year Plan
"The Photo"
Strawberries Dipped in Chocolate
Myles' First Time on Grinder
Myles' Hook-up with Hunter
Movie Night at Diane's
Brody Sleeps with Stone
Brody's Tough Night
Myles Leaves Brody Behind
Richard and Brody Reach Nevada
Happily Ever After
About the author
JC Calciano has worked as a film producer for 25 years and has worked in various capacities on films such as: Mission: Impossible, The Fisher King, Star Trek, and others. When not working on features, JC worked as a writer/producer/director on a great many television programs. After 25 years of producing professionally, his mid-life crisis kicked in. He realized that although he loved producing, the dream that had originally brought him into the film business was to write and direct. JC stopped producing and started writing.
At 45 years old, he wrote his first feature film, Is It Just Me? (2010) It was his first film as a writer and director. It was an over-night hit and became the official selection of over 50 international film festivals and won several awards and honors, including audience choice and best picture. From that point on, he was hooked. He had the writing bug and set forth to make another film.
JC’s second feature film, eCupid (2012), became another best seller in the LGBTQ market and won four best picture and audience choice awards.
His newfound passion for romantic comedy films, as well as the desire to tell the story of his best friends’ semi-romantic tryst, inspired him to write his third feature film, The 10 Year Plan (2015). The film was screened at over 51 international film festivals and winner of 10 awards for best feature and screenplay. The 10 Year Plan screenplay was selected as a finalist in the Rainbow Literary Awards. This honor inspired JC to write the screenplay into a novel for those who enjoy reading rather than watching a film.
This book is JC's first novel and his faithful adaptation of the screenplay and movie of the same name. He hopes that you enjoy the book as much as the audience has enjoyed the movie.
To learn more about JC Calciano and his work go to: JcCalciano.com