Start Me Up
Page 27
Mike ignored Anne’s question and grabbed her hand before sliding a ring on her finger. “Joanne assured me next spring this garden will be full of blooming lilac bushes. So Anne, I’ve decided this would be the most perfect place for me to marry you. What do you say?”
“Oh my gosh.” Her chest constricted and tears rolled down her cheeks. She heard the snap of the camera and Claire’s small giggles.
“Say yes, Mommy!”
“Yes. Of course. Yes, yes, yes, but why is Claire taking pictures?”
“Why do you think?” He looked incredulous and squeezed her fingers. “You’ve got to blog this as soon as we get home.”
Anne’s Breaking the Silence Triple-Chocolate Brownies
½
teaspoon baking powder
½
teaspoon salt
1
cup flour
½
cup cocoa powder
3
eggs
1½
cups sugar
1
cup (2 sticks) salted butter
1
cup 60% dark chocolate chips
1½
teaspoons vanilla extract
½
cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
½
cup chopped pecans
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Mix the baking powder, salt, flour, and cocoa powder and set aside. In a mixing bowl, lightly beat the eggs; add in the sugar.
In a double boiler (or microwave if you’re careful not to overcook), heat the butter and 60% chocolate chips until they’re melted but not hot. (Check their temp before the next step.) Stir in the vanilla, and then stir the chocolate-butter mixture into the egg-sugar mixture. Gently mix in the dry ingredients until fully blended, but be careful not to overmix.
Pour the batter into a lightly greased 9 x13 pan. Drop the pan on the counter a couple of times to remove any air bubbles. (We want these suckers dense and fudgy!) Sprinkle with mini chips and pecans and then bake for about 20 to 24 minutes or until a knife comes out clean. Careful not to overbake. Let cool and then serve to the hot man in your life!
Don’t miss the next book in this romantic and crafty series
Win Me Over
Coming Fall 2015 from St. Martin’s Paperbacks
And look for Nicole’s e-original holiday romance
Blame It on the Mistletoe
Available Now!
About the Author
When she’s not writing, cooking, or hanging out with her family, NICOLE MICHAELS is a portrait and wedding photographer. She enjoys writing love stories with happy endings and lives outside of Kansas City with her husband and three sons. Sign up for email updates here.
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Contents
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Acknowledgments
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven
Twelve
Thirteen
Fourteen
Fifteen
Sixteen
Seventeen
Eighteen
Nineteen
Twenty
Twenty-one
Twenty-two
Twenty-three
Twenty-four
Twenty-five
Twenty-six
Epilogue
Recipe
About the Author
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
START ME UP
Copyright © 2015 by Nicole Michaels.
All rights reserved.
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eISBN: 9781466862227
St. Martin’s Paperbacks edition / March 2015
St. Martin’s Paperbacks are published by St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.