It's Wednesday. So What's Cooking?

Sara Daniel is with us today to share a recipe that is so delicious you'll want to make it often. The kitchen is all yours, Sara!

Scones are a specialty of The Scot's Mansion in my novel Mr. Forever. Olivia Wells makes plain scones and several flavors of the day, and serves them with jam and hot tea. All her guests rave about them. Then Dr. Caleb Paden shows up. He insists that scones are dry and heavy and not to his liking at all.

Well, if he thinks that, he certainly hasn't tried her scones. Ethan Paden knows exactly what his brother is missing out on. The moment he bites into one of Olivia's scones, he is enraptured. He dubs her a "scone sorceress" and asks to marry her on the spot.

I can't guarantee instant marriage proposals and a sorceress-level following, but these scones are sure to inspire devotion from all who try them. And hey, if you've been waiting for years for a marriage proposal that hasn't come yet, they're certainly worth a shot.

The Scone Sorceress's Almond-Poppy Seed Scones

1 cup flour
3 tbsp. sugar
1 ½ tsp. poppy seeds
1 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
¼ cup unsalted butter
3 tbsp. sour cream
1 egg
1 tsp. almond extract
1 tbsp. milk
Powdered sugar
Sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 400° F.

Chill butter and cut into pieces. Combine dry ingredients in bowl. Add butter pieces. Use pastry cutter to mix butter and dry ingredients, until mixture is coarse.

In a small bowl, combine sour cream, egg, almond extract and milk. Pour into dry ingredients and mix with a rubber spatula.

Finish mixing by kneading the dough with your hands. Pat into a 5-inch circle.

Set circle on cookie sheet and use a pizza cutter to cut into 8 triangle wedges. Spread pieces apart.

Bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown.

Dip warm scones into powdered sugar and sprinkle with sliced almonds.

Enjoy!

(optional but highly recommended) Serve to the person you love. Watch them kneel in front of you. Savor their vow of love and devotion. Accept proposal. Live happily ever after.

The discovery of a secret baby threatens Caleb's professional reputation. Falling for the woman who loves this baby would ruin him.

Marriage therapist Caleb Paden has just found out he has a son from a one-night stand, making a mockery of his core belief of stable relationships--"friendship above all physical encounters." On his way to take the child for a paternity test, a snowstorm leaves him stranded with single mom Olivia Wells, who blames his advice for breaking up her marriage. Caleb finds himself fighting the urge for the most basic of physical encounters. Olivia would like nothing more than to destroy the career he spent a lifetime building, but her maternal instincts draw her to help Caleb bond with his child. Soon, she finds herself falling for both of them. Nowhere in any of his advice does Caleb have an answer for how to make a relationship work if he loses his heart to love.

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Sara Daniel Writes What She Loves

which is irresistible romance and captivating family drama. Sara writes to entertain and to give people hope and a belief that everything can and will turn out happily ever after. With each terrific novel, no matter what genre she is writing, Sara succeeds to provide readers with what they have come to expect and a lot more.

On the personal side, Sara’s a frazzled maid, chef, chauffeur, tutor, and personal assistant (aka mom). She was once a landlord of two uninvited squirrels. She’s crazy about country music and the drama of NASCAR. And she has her own happily-ever-after romance with her hero husband.

MR. FOREVER
Sara Daniel
ISBN: 978-1-61937-001-2
Musa Publishing

The discovery of a secret baby threatens Caleb's professional reputation. Falling for the woman who loves this baby would ruin him.

Buy Links:
Musa Publishing
Amazon
Barnes and Noble

BLURB:
Marriage therapist Caleb Paden has just found out he has a son from a one-night stand, making a mockery of his core belief of stable relationships--"friendship above all physical encounters." On his way to take the child for a paternity test, a snowstorm leaves him stranded with single mom Olivia Wells, who blames his advice for breaking up her marriage. Caleb finds himself fighting the urge for the most basic of physical encounters. Olivia would like nothing more than to destroy the career he spent a lifetime building, but her maternal instincts draw her to help Caleb bond with his child. Soon, she finds herself falling for both of them. Nowhere in any of his advice does Caleb have an answer for how to make a relationship work if he loses his heart to love.

EXCERPT:
She shoved his hand away. "Don't give me that mellow, understanding voice. You're not my therapist."

"I'm not trying to be. But if there's a problem with Forever, I want to fix it."

"That's not what you want." Maybe coming close to her wasn't the best idea. She was livid. "You want me to tell you something I did, so you can prove your model's perfect and I'm at fault. Yes, my marriage failed, and I carry some responsibility. I blame myself for reading your books and believing they held the secret to everlasting happiness."

He'd met a lot of irate people over the years. But they were angry with their spouses, themselves, parents, and bosses. Not him. He was the one with the answers, the one who redirected the rage into something healthy. "I'd like to interview you after we've both cooled down and are well rested. We'll go through the points of Forever one by one and determine where your marriage broke down. If any problems surface with the model, I can address them in my next book."

"I'll tell you what's wrong. You underestimate the power of sex." She advanced toward him.

All the physical senses he thought he'd gotten under tight rein ran wild. Caleb backed up a step, trying to regain his control, but came up hard against the counter. Olivia kept coming, boxing him in. He pulled on his tie again, hoping it was knotted tightly. He needed his tightly buttoned image to remind himself he was a professional, and his question was strictly as a therapist. "How was the sex in your marriage?"

"Sometimes mediocre. Usually lousy."

With the unholy gleam in her eye, he had trouble comprehending the possibility of a sexual experience with her being less than earth-shattering. Heat radiated from her. His body was dying for her to lean her hips into his.

"How's your sex life?" She reached up and unknotted his tie with deft, sure fingers.

"Good enough," he lied. Too late he realized she'd broken the wall of one-way revelation he always maintained. Even with his lie for an answer, she'd drawn him in and was consuming him with sexual fantasies.

"Since you're judging me, I ought to get a chance to judge your statement for myself." She yanked the tie, sliding it out from under his starched shirt collar and heating the back of his neck.

"Stop it." He was unnerved to find his voice wasn't quite steady. Women who wanted to be part of his life wrote letters highlighting the benefits of friendship. "Let's focus on what went wrong in your marriage."

She worked her fingers under his collar, pushing the top button through the hole. "How can you stand having this so tight? You can't take a full breath."

He'd been able to breathe just fine until her knuckles rubbed over his Adam's apple. Her fingers were smooth and competent. Despite his resolve, he could feel his arousal pulsing with each of her movements.

Buy Links:
Musa Publishing
Amazon
Barnes and Noble

Learn more about Sara Daniel on website and blog. Connect with her on facebook, her fan page, and twitter.

I'll be back Wednesday with a new menu. Until then...

Happy Reading!

Sloane Taylor