by Donna Fasano
“And dinner,” she quipped. “I’m starved.”
He leaned closer. “I’m looking forward to dessert, myself.”
Desire curled in her belly and she suspected his reference had nothing to do with food.
“That’ll have to wait until later.” She wrapped an arm around his waist as they walked and breezily said, “If you play your cards right, you just might get me to do this one day.”
He stopped in his tracks. “What? Really?”
Her throaty chuckle was carried away on the sea breeze. She loved keeping this man on his toes.
* * *
Thank you for reading the Ocean City Boardwalk Series Bundle, Books 1-3. If you enjoyed these books, please consider leaving a review. Good reviews help new readers find Donna’s books. Please tell your friends too. Word of mouth is the best advertisement an author can get!
Blueberry Pancakes
Ingredients:
1 egg
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoon sugar
3 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pint fresh blueberries, picked over, washed, and dried
Directions:
Whisk the egg until fluffy. Add the flour, milk, oil, sugar, baking powder, and salt and beat just until smooth. Gently stir in blueberries, being careful not to mash the fruit.
Spray a frying pan with cooking spray and heat over medium flame. Once the pan is hot, pour about 3 tablespoons of batter into the pan. Cook pancake until puffed in the center and dry around the edges. Flip the pancake and cook the other side until golden brown.
Keep pancakes warm in a 250°F oven until all pancakes are cooked. Serve with butter and maple syrup.
Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with Lemon Curd and Raspberries
Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoon sugar
1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
2 eggs
2/3 cup milk
1 large lemon, zested and juiced
1 11-ounce jar of lemon curd
1/2 pint of fresh raspberries
Directions:
In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and sugar. In a large bowl, whisk together the ricotta cheese, eggs, milk, lemon juice, and zest. Whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined. Do not over mix.
Spray a frying pan with non-stick spray and heat the pan over medium heat. Add 1/4 cup of batter to the hot pan and cook until puffed in the center and dry around the edges. Flip and cook other side. Keep pancakes warm in a 250°F oven until all pancakes are cooked.
Heat lemon curd in a small saucepan, stirring constantly, until heated through. Drizzle lemon curd over pancakes and top with a few fresh raspberries.
Prosciutto Wrapped, Gorgonzola Stuffed Dates With Balsamic Honey Syrup
Ingredients:
For the Dates:
20 Dates, pitted
4 ounces Gorgonzola cheese
1 6-ounce package Prosciutto, sliced lengthwise
For the Syrup:
1 cup Balsamic Vinegar
3 Tablespoons Honey
Directions for the dates:
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Slice one side of the dates and stuff with cheese.
Wrap each date with a piece of prosciutto and place on foil-lines sheet pan. Bake for 15 minutes.
For the syrup:
Place the vinegar and honey in a small saucepan.
Simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly, until liquid is reduced by half and has thickened, about 20 minutes.
Drizzle syrup over dates. The dates can be served warm or at room temperature.
Roasted Eggplant Spread
Ingredients:
2 medium eggplants, sliced into 1 inch rounds
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 large yellow onion, sliced thin (about 2 cups)
1 clove garlic, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Heat oven to 450°F. Drizzle 1/4 cup olive oil over eggplant rounds and roast in hot oven until golden brown and soft, about 30 minutes, turning midway through the roasting process.
While eggplant is roasting, heat a frying pan over medium flame. Add 1/4 cup olive oil and the onions to the pan. Turn down heat to medium low and cook for 10 minutes. Add the garlic to the pan. Cook another 10 minutes or until onion is golden brown.
Scrape the eggplant meat from the skin. Place the roasted eggplant in a food processor along with the onions and the final ¼ cup oil. Season with salt and pepper. Process to a spreading consistency. Serve with crusty bread.
Black Olive and Artichoke Spread
Ingredients:
2 15-ounce can chick peas, rinsed and drained
1 cup black olives, pitted and chopped
1 12-ounce jar of marinated artichoke hearts, drained
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper (optional)
Directions:
Place all ingredients in a food processor and process to a spreading consistency. Check for seasoning. If salt and pepper are needed, add a bit and process a bit longer. Serve with crusty bread.
Smith Island Cake
Ingredients:
For the cake:
1 cup butter, room temperature
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 cups sugar
5 large eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For the icing:
2 cups sugar
1 cup evaporated milk
5 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup butter
2 teaspoon vanilla
Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 350°F. Prepare 10 9-inch round cake pans with non-stick cooking spray. If you don’t have 10 pans, you can cook the layers in batches using 2 or 3 pans.
Prepare the cake batter: Whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder. In a second bowl, combine the butter and sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time and beat until well incorporated.
Add the flour and the milk to the butter mixture, and stir until just combined.
Put 2/3 cup of the batter into each pan. Use the back of the spoon to spread it evenly, then tap the pans on the counter until batter is evenly distributed. This step is crucial to having nice, even cake layers. Bake in the middle of the oven for 8-11 minutes. Cake will pull away from the sides of the pan a bit when fully cooked. Remove from oven. Let sit for a few minutes. Remove cakes from pans and set aside to cool.
For the icing: Combine the sugar and milk in a medium saucepan. Add the chocolate and butter. Over medium-low heat, warm through, stirring constantly, until sugar is dissolved, and chocolate and butter are melted. Increase the heat to medium and cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. The icing will thicken as it cools.
Place the first cake layer on a plate and ice with 2 or 3 tablespoons of icing, spreading to the edges. Keep adding cake layers and icing. Ice the top and sides with remaining icing.
A Note From the Author
I can’t think of anything more calming than the rhythm of the ocean waves, warm sunlight on my skin, and sand between my toes. The beach is one of my favorite places to while away a lazy day. I hope you enjoyed spending a little time in Ocean City, Maryland. If you did, please consider leaving a review for the series and don’t forget to tell a friend. Word-of-mouth recommendations are the best advertising an author can get.
Please look for the spin-off stories in the series: An Almost Perfect Christmas, Grown-Up Christmas List, and The Wedding Planner’s Son. I
hope all the books I’ve set in Ocean City make you want to grab a towel and a bottle of sunscreen and head to the beach!
Happy Reading,
Donna Fasano
About The Author
USA Today Bestselling Author has won 3 HOLT Medallions as well as other awards for her romance and women’s fictions novels. Her books have sold 4 million copies worldwide and have been translated into at least 2 dozen languages.
Other Books By Donna Fasano
Ocean City Boardwalk Series:
Following His Heart, Book 1
Two Hearts In Winter, Book 2
Wild Hearts of Summer, Book 3
An Almost Perfect Christmas, Book 4
Grown-Up Christmas List, Book 5
The Wedding Planner’s Son, Book 6
~ ~ ~
Reclaim My Heart
The Merry-Go-Round
Her Fake Romance
Take Me, I’m Yours
His Wife for a While
An Accidental Family
Mountain Laurel
~ ~ ~
The Single Daddy Club Series:
Derrick, Book 1
Jason, Book 2
Reece, Book 3
~ ~ ~
A Family Forever Series:
A Beautiful Stranger , Book 1
Made in Paradise , Book 2
and others
~ ~ ~
Non-fiction Books
Cooking In All Directions
Prayer of Quiet
Favorite Christmas Cookies
Recipes of Love
Guy Food