by J A Whiting
Soon everyone was racing each other down the hill and the crisp, cold air rang with laughter and whoops of glee. A playful snowball fight started at the bottom of the hill and by the end of the afternoon, each person was covered in snow from head to toe.
As the car was being loaded up to head back to the Victorian for hot chocolate and slices of cake, Angie plopped backwards in the snow and flailed her arms and legs side to side to make a snow angel. Resting on her back for a moment, she stared up at the bright blue sky and watched the perfect white puffs of clouds gracefully floating overhead. Thinking about how lucky she was, Angie sighed contentedly and her heart flooded with warmth.
Josh called from beside Ellie’s van. “Come on, Angie. We’re ready.”
Angie stood up and crunched over the sparkling snow to the van where Josh stood waiting for his sweetheart with a beaming smile and love shining in his eyes.
And all was right with the world … for now.
Thank you for reading!
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Some Recipes From The Sweet Cove Series
Chocolate Pudding Cake
INGREDIENTS
¾ cup all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ cup sugar
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup milk (2 percent or whole)
2-3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
½ cup packed brown sugar
¼ cup of mini semisweet chocolate chips
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1⅓ cup hot water
DIRECTIONS
Heat oven to 350°F.
In a mixing bowl, mix together flour, sugar, ¼ cup of the cocoa, baking powder, and salt.
Add milk and oil and mix well.
Pour the mixture into a 8 X 8 square pan.
Sprinkle the brown sugar, the rest of the cocoa, and the chocolate chips over the top.
Add vanilla to the hot water.
Gently pour the hot water over the top of the mixture.
Bake for 30-35 minutes in the preheated oven.
Remove from the oven when the top of the mixture looks dry.
Serve with ice cream or whipped cream!
Honey Cake
INGREDIENTS
½ - ¾ cup honey
8 ounces unsalted butter
1/4 cup sugar
3 large eggs, beaten
¾ cup of self-raising flour
DIRECTIONS
Heat oven to 325°F.
Grease and line (parchment paper) an 8 inch round springform cake pan.
Cut the butter into pieces.
In a medium saucepan, place the butter, sugar, and honey. Melt slowly over low heat. When the ingredients have turned to liquid, increase the heat and boil the mixture for about one minute.
Cool the mixture for 20 minutes.
Using a fork, beat the eggs into the melted honey mixture.
Place the flour into a bowl and pour in the egg and honey mixture. Beat with the fork until the mixture is smooth and runny.
Pour the mixture into the prepared cake pan.
Bake for 40-50 minutes until golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Optional: Warm 2-4 Tablespoons of honey in a saucepan. Brush over the top of the cake.
Cool.
Blueberry Crumble Cake
INGREDIENTS
1 16 ounce package of frozen blueberries or 4 cups of fresh blueberries
2½ Tablespoons lemon juice
¾ cup light brown sugar
2 teaspoons corn starch
¾ cup quick-cook oats
½ cup all-purpose flour
pinch of salt
⅓ cup butter, cut into pieces
DIRECTIONS
Heat oven to 350°F.
Toss the blueberries with the lemon juice and place in a 1½ quart casserole dish.
Mix ¼ cup of the brown sugar with the cornstarch. Mix into the blueberries.
Mix oats, ½ cup of the brown sugar, flour, and salt until well combined.
With a fork, cut the butter into the oats mixture. Sprinkle the mixture over the blueberries.
Bake until the topping is light brown and blueberries bubble (about 35-40 minutes).
Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.
Easy Sopaipilla Cream Cheese Squares
INGREDIENTS
2 8-ounce containers of Pillsbury crescent rolls
2 8-ounce packages of cream cheese (room temperature)
¾ cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ cup melted butter
2 Tablespoons cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
4 tablespoons sugar
DIRECTIONS
Heat oven to 350°F.
Spray a 9 X 13 inch baking dish with cooking spray.
Open a can of crescent rolls and lightly press them into the bottom of the baking dish. Pinch edges together so there are no spaces.
Bake this first layer in the oven for 5 minutes.
Combine softened cream cheese, ¾ cup of sugar, and vanilla.
Spread the mixture over the crescent rolls.
Open the second container of crescent rolls and lay them over the top of the mixture. Gently stretch the layer of rolls to the edges of the pan and seal.
Brush the top with the melted butter.
Mix together the cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugar and sprinkle evenly over the top of the rolls.
Bake for 30 minutes until golden in color.
Chill for 1-2 hours.
Slice into bars.
Creamy Caramel Flan
INGREDIENTS
1 cup sugar
½ cup water
¼ teaspoon of lemon juice
1 8-ounce package of cream cheese, softened
5 large eggs
1 can (about 14 ounces) condensed milk
1 can (about 12 ounces) evaporated milk
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
DIRECTIONS
In a heavy saucepan, on medium-high heat, constantly stir sugar and water with a wooden spoon until melted.
When melted, add the lemon juice and stir.
Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat to medium and stop stirring.
Simmer for about 10 minutes. Watch the color carefully – it will turn to golden and then to amber very quickly! Remove from the heat as soon as it turns an amber color.
Quickly pour the melted sugar mixture into a 2 quart round baking dish. Tilt the dish so that the sugar swirls around and coats the bottom. Let stand for about 10 minutes.
In a bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth.
Beat in the eggs, one at a time.
Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
Pour over the caramelized sugar in the baking dish.
Place the baking dish into a larger baking pan. Pour boiling water into the outer baking pan to create a depth of about 1 inch.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 50 minutes or until the center looks set. The mixture will jiggle.
Remove the baking dish to a wire rack and cool for 1 hour.
Place in the refrigerator over night.
When ready to remove the flan from the pan –
Run a knife gently around the edges of the pan.
Invert onto a serving platter.
Cut into wedges and serve.
Veggie And Lentil Bolognese
INGREDIENTS
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 carrots, chopped into small cub
es
1 sweet potato, chopped into small cubes
1½ cups of sliced mushrooms
2-3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 cup lentils (any color)
15-ounce can of chopped tomatoes
1 cup of vegetable stock
3 Tablespoons tomato paste
2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
½ cup red wine (if you prefer, you may substitute water)
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon rosemary
DIRECTIONS
Chop the vegetables as noted above
Heat the oil in a frying pan on low
Saute the onions, garlic, carrots, sweet potato, and mushrooms until softened
Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 25 minutes until sauce has thickened
Serve over pasta and sprinkle with cheese of your choice.
Also by J. A. Whiting
SWEET COVE COZY MYSTERIES
The Sweet Dreams Bake Shop (Sweet Cove Cozy Mystery Book 1)
Murder So Sweet (Sweet Cove Cozy Mystery Book 2)
Sweet Secrets (Sweet Cove Cozy Mystery Book 3)
Sweet Deceit (Sweet Cove Cozy Mystery Book 4)
Sweetness and Light (Sweet Cove Cozy Mystery Book 5)
Home Sweet Home (Sweet Cove Cozy Mystery Book 6)
Sweet Fire and Stone (Sweet Cove Cozy Mystery Book 7)
Sweet Friend of Mine (Sweet Cove Cozy Mystery Book 8)
Sweet Hide and Seek (Sweet Cove Cozy Mystery Book 9)
And more to come!
LIN COFFIN COZY MYSTERIES
A Haunted Murder (A Lin Coffin Cozy Mystery Book 1)
A Haunted Disappearance (A Lin Coffin Cozy Mystery Book 2)
The Haunted Bones (A Lin Coffin Cozy Mystery Book 3)
A Haunted Theft (A Lin Coffin Cozy Mystery Book 4)
A Haunted Invitation (A Lin Coffin Cozy Mystery Book 5)
The Haunted Lighthouse (A Lin Coffin Cozy Mystery Book 6)
And more to come !
MYSTERIES:
The Killings (Olivia Miller Mystery – Book 1)
Red Julie (Olivia Miller Mystery - Book 2)
The Stone of Sadness (Olivia Miller Mystery – Book 3)
About the Author
J.A. Whiting lives with her family in New England where she works full time in education. Whiting loves reading and writing mystery and suspense stories.
Visit me at:
http://www.jawhitingbooks.com/
www.facebook.com/jawhitingauthor
www.amazon.com/author/jawhiting