by Mary Maxwell
As I poured the wheat flour into the mixer, I heard a muted knock on the backdoor. I wasn’t expecting Zack until six, so I guessed it was Miriam coming to claim her special order.
But when I crossed the room and peered through the window, I saw the world’s most handsome photographer. He was standing on the back porch with a bouquet of roses, a bottle of wine and carryout from our favorite Chinese restaurant.
“Lucky Jade?” Zack said, holding up the large paper bag as I opened the door.
“No,” I said. “Lucky Katie!”
Once he was inside and the packages were unloaded on the counter, we disappeared beneath an avalanche of tender kisses. He smelled like stale airplane air laced with his usual cologne, a fragrant and subtle blend of jasmine, sage, basil and rosemary.
“I missed you,” he murmured against my neck.
My reply was lost in a kiss. When we came up for air, I said, “Missed you, too. Was it a good trip?”
He squeezed his arms tighter. “Besides catching an earlier flight today, the only good thing about being gone is this,” he whispered, pulling me closer. “I know we’ve both got separate lives and we’re busy and—”
My mouth found his and the barrage was interrupted briefly.
“I’m just glad you’re home safely,” I said as his arms fell away and he took my flour-speckled fingers in his hands.
“Ditto,” he said. “I brought food. I thought maybe we could…” He wiggled his eyebrows and nodded toward the ceiling. “Spend a few hours upstairs getting reacquainted.”
I smiled. Then I leaned in and pressed my lips against his ear. “Or we could do some of that down here.”
He glanced around the room. “You mean…” His laugh was deep and husky. “On the counter?”
I swatted his rear. “The food, handsome. I meant we could have a bite to eat and a glass of wine down here before we go upstairs for dessert.”
He lifted his hands and cupped my face. “Am I looking at dessert right now?”
“You are if your eyes are wandering over my shoulder to the vanilla bean mousse I prepared earlier.”
He kissed my forehead. “I was talking about—”
“I know what you meant, handsome. And there will be plenty of time for that and a few bites of something sweet.”
His forehead crinkled as his eyebrows lifted. “See? All of that sounds like—”
I pressed my lips to his again and felt a warm surge of pleasure as we leaned into one another for an extended moment. My eyes were closed as I listened to the hushed tempo of his heart. When I heard his voice a second later, I couldn’t tell what he was saying.
“Hmmm?” I mumbled, pushing away from his embrace. “What was that?”
“Moo goo gai pan,” he said, kissing the tip of my nose. “You hungry?”
I nodded. “I am, but I need to finish a batch of dough first.”
“I can wait,” he said. “Maybe keep the Chinese warm in the oven?”
“Did you have lunch?”
He shook his head.
“Breakfast?”
“Protein bar,” he said, smiling. “But it’s okay, Katie. Finish what you’re working on and then—”
I kissed him again. “And then we can start working on a different kind of recipe.”
He winked. “One part me, one part you?”
“You got it, handsome. Now, how about you open the wine while I finish the dinner rolls?”
“I’ll be happy to,” he said. “And after that, I can be your pastry assistant.”
“Oh, yeah?”
He shrugged. “You’ll have to tell me what to do.”
“I can do that,” I replied. “Or we could just figure it out together.”
“Teamwork?”
“Absolutely,” I said, heading over to the mixer to finish the dough. “One part me, and one part you!”
Nana Reed’s Sky High Recipes
Ham & Cheese Scones
Ingredients
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
2-1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed
2 large eggs
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2/3 cup diced ham
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C).
2. Prepare two baking sheets: lightly grease or line with parchment paper.
3. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and garlic powder.
4. Blend cubed butter into dry ingredients with pastry blender, fork or fingers until mixture is coarse and crumbly.
5. Combine eggs and cream.
6. Add wet to dry ingredients; hold aside 2 tablespoons of the egg and cream mixture.
7. Fold in shredded cheddar cheese and diced ham; mix until all ingredients are combined.
8. On a floured surface, shape the dough into a circle (8- to 9-inches in diameter).
9. Brush top of dough with remaining wet mixture.
10. Divide the dough into 14 scones with cutter or knife.
11. Arrange scones evenly on prepared pans.
12. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
13. Cool on wire rack briefly before serving warm with butter, cream cheese or other favorite condiments.
Snazzy Snickerdoodle Bars
Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter
2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2-2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon candied ginger
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C).
2. Lightly grease 9x12 inch baking pan.
3. Cream butter and sugar in mixing bowl before adding eggs, vanilla extract, baking powder and salt.
4. Slowly add all-purpose flour and blend until fully incorporated.
5. Transfer batter into baking pan with spatula and distribute evenly.
6. Combine sugar, cinnamon and candied ginger before lightly dusting the top of batter.
7. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
8. Remove from oven and cool thoroughly before slicing into bars.
Red, White & Blueberry Breakfast Smoothie
Ingredients
1 cup frozen raspberries
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 cup frozen blueberries
1-1/2 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon flax seed
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
Directions
1. Combine all ingredients in blender.
2. Puree until smooth.
3. Serve in chilled glass or mug.
4. If desired, garnish with fresh mint and finely-chopped walnuts.