ROMANCING CHRISTMAS

By Kim Boykin

The holidays are all about togetherness and food and family and FOOD! And love and

FOOD! It is not lost on me that every story I’ve ever written is bound together with passion and food. In many cases, the hero or heroine uses a delicious dish to say, "I love you, I care about you." Just like in my holiday romance, Just In Time For Christmas.

Set in Magnolia Bay, a fabulous little Lowcountry town with its own unique twist on the holidays, Just in Time for Christmas is the story of smoking hot Logan Mauldin

and Miranda Hamilton, a sassy Southern woman who is bit obsessed about making the holidays perfect for her guests at her historic B&B.

Growing up my mom was a master at saying I FREAKING LOVE YOU (of course she NEVER said freaking, but it felt like it ;-) with dishes she made that were to die for. Especially on Christmas morning, when she always made a special breakfast for us to savor after we tore into our gifts.

Sometimes this breakfast was huge, elaborate, and most decidedly Southern. Bacon, grits, eggs, sausages. Chocolate pancakes. Other times it was just a few yummy finger foods. Sausage balls. Tiny quiches. Date nut balls. Carrying that tradition forward, breakfast on Christmas morning at my house can be anything from crab cakes and grits to a festive breakfast casserole.

Food. Love. Holidays. They all go hand-in-hand, especially in the South. So, mosey on

down the page to a few recipes from Miranda’s kitchen, from my mother’s, and from mine, including my recipe for the prefect turkey. All of this comes with my warmest wishes for you and your family to have wonderful and blessed holiday season.

And here’s a little taste of Just in Time for Christmas--

Nobody does Christmas likr Miranda Hamilton, and now that she finally has her chance to chair Magnolia Bay's tree lighting and the cotillion, which benefits her late mother’s breast cancer

foundation, this Christmas is shaping up to be the best ever. That is until her childhood nemesis Logan Mauldin buys his way on her committee and starts making plans of his own.

Logan Mauldin loves to get under Miranda's very sexy skin, and it's only fair. She's

been getting under his since long before their first kiss at 13. Logan’s the last man

interested in co-chairing a Christmas committee or participating in a sexy bachelor

auction, but since that night he interrupted Miranda on a date and cornered her under the mistletoe, he can't stop thinking about her

Christmas cheer isn’t the only thing that heats up between the Miranda and Logan, but, thanks to a lie that is as much her fault as it is his, he loses the woman he’s loved since forever. Logan will need a Christmas miracle for Miranda to forgive him. A grand gesture to melt her heart and win her back just in time for Christmas.

FABULOUS HOLIDAY RECIPES !!!

From Just in Time for Christmas and Miranda’s kitchen, Red Velvet Pancakes!

1 can cream cheese frosting

1 cup whole pecans toasted

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 2 tablespoons white sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1/4 cup milk

1 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar

2 teaspoons red food coloring

DIRECTIONS

Whisk the flour, white sugar, baking powder, cocoa powder, and salt together in a

bowl until evenly blended; set aside. Beat the eggs in a separate mixing bowl until

smooth. Whisk in 1/4 cup milk with the buttermilk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract,

vinegar, and food coloring. Stir in the flour mixture until moistened. Drizzle in the

melted butter, and stir until the butter has incorporated and small lumps of flour

remain.

Heat a lightly oiled griddle over medium-high heat. Drop batter by large spoonfuls

onto the griddle, and cook until bubbles form and the edges are dry. Flip, and cook

until browned on the other side. Repeat with remaining batter. Top with syrup and

pecans (and an optional dollop cream cheese icing) to serve.

From my mom’s Kitchen Easy Peasy Sausage Balls

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2 cups of Bisquick

1 pound of pork sausage

1 pound extra sharp cheddar

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (more if you like them spicy!)

Mix all ingredients until blended together and form into walnut size balls. Bake for

20-25 minutes until cooked through. Experiment with the doneness and do not over

cook as they will be dry.

From my kitchen, Zucchini Breakfast Casserole

This dish is vegetarian, but I’ve pan seared a mixture of sweet and spicy sausages

together and served them on top of the casserole and it was delicious!

Ingredients

6-8 eggs

1 cup ricotta cheese

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce or other hot chili sauce

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup thinly sliced red sweet pepper

3 cups grated zucchini (from 2-3 fresh zucchinis)

1 1/2 cups chopped plum tomatoes (from 4-5 fresh tomatoes),

1/2 cup sliced fresh basil (from about 20 leaves)*

4 cups cubed day-old bread (from about 4 slices) I use the flavored artisan

breads. If you can find jalapeno cheese bread, it’s fabulous!

Olive oil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl beat the eggs. Add the ricotta and beat until

smooth. Mix in the grated Parmesan cheese, Tabasco, salt and pepper.

2. Prepare the vegetables and bread. Once you chop the tomatoes, squeeze excess

moisture out of them by pressing them in a sieve, or wrapping in paper towels and

squeezing. Add the tomatoes, basil, and zucchini to the egg mixture. Moisten the

bread cubes with a little water then squeeze out any excess moisture using paper

towels. Mix the bread cubes into the egg mixture.

3 Coat the bottom and sides of a 9x13 baking dish generously with olive oil. Pour the

egg vegetable mixture into the baking pan and even it out in the pan. Sprinkle the

red peppers over the top and press lightly into the mixture to dampen. Place in the

middle rack of the oven. Bake for 30 minutes at 350°F. The casserole should puff up

and brown lightly. If it hasn't after 30 minutes at 350, increase the heat to 425° and

cook for 5-10 minutes further. Remove from oven and let cool on a rack for 10

minutes before cutting into squares to serve.