Welcome to the 2021 Summer BBQ Recipe Roundup! We have a fabulous lineup of authors with new books, delicious recipes perfect for summer parties, and BOOK GIVEAWAYS. Follow along all week to see who is joining us. You’ll learn about new books and find your next great recipes. Plus, there are chances to win books, too!
To kick things off, historical romance author Minvera Spencer shares a sweet treat, perfect to nibble on while chatting with friends on a deck or patio. Her new book, OUTRAGEOUS, the second in the Rebels of the Ton series, is a high stakes battle of wits that pits two people against each other initially… until pesky attraction starts to come into play!
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“TWO-FILLING” PECAN BRITTLE
My mom calls this pecan brittle “Two-Filling Pecan Brittle” because she broke not one, but TWO dental fillings one Christmas. But that didn’t make her stop eating it….
(Image from Food Network)
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups toasted chopped pecans (the toasting is up to you and you can substitute other nuts if you don’t have pecans)
- 1 heaping tablespoon salt
- 1 cup water
- 1 1/4 cups light corn syrup (you could use dark but you’d get a different flavor)
- 2 1/2 cups sugar
- 4 tablespoons margarine or ultra-processed coconut oil (the one that doesn’t smell or taste like coconuts)
- 1 tablespoon baking soda
Optional: You can put chocolate chips on top of the hot mix after you’ve poured it into the pan and then top it with more chopped nuts. This will give you a sort of Pecan Roca product.
Directions
1 Heat and stir sugar, corn syrup, water and salt over medium heat until sugar has dissolved. Once it has dissolved, raise the heat all the way up. Use a candy thermometer (clip it to the pot) and cook the mixture to the hard crack stage (290 °F). (see note 1 below)
2 Add nuts and margarine and keep cooking until you reach 300 °F stirring all the time to keep the nuts from burning. Pull off heat at 300 °F and stir in baking soda while beating to froth for 30 seconds (a wire whisk works best).
3 Pour onto a well-greased cookie sheet (use something big with a lip on it).
Spread it as thin as you want it. I sometimes leave it thick as it has a honeycomb texture that is really nice.
Don’t give in to temptation and put any of this into your mouth (does that sound like I speak from experience?) since it’s the temperature of volcanic lava.
**NOTES**
Note 1: I stop stirring after the mixture starts to boil and I’ve never had it stick to the pot. But don’t take your eyes off it!
This process will really vary depending on altitude. I’m at 8,000 feet and this takes a long time and I have to use different temperatures since water boils at 194 degrees up here rather than 212.
Make sure you adjust for altitude or your brittle won’t harden or might be overcooked and too grainy.
If you’re near sea level, this recipe will be a snap.
You can keep the brittle for months if you put it in an airtight container. It never lasts more than a few days around here…
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COMMENT TO WIN: Thanks to Minerva Spencer and Kensington Books for starting off our Summer BBQ Recipe Roundup!
To enter to win a print copy of OUTRAGEOUS, leave a comment with your favorite summer activity! Hanging out by the pool, camping under the stars, or staying inside and reading (LOL)… the options are endless. And don’t forget to come back tomorrow for more Summer FUN! US & Canada only; GOOD LUCK!
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OUTRAGEOUS by Minerva Spencer
Rebels of the Ton #2
Bridgerton fans and readers of Grace Burrowes, Sophie Jordan, and Alexa Aston won’t want to miss this clever and exciting new love story from the acclaimed author of Notorious.
“This daring, emotional page-turner is a delight.” —Publishers Weekly
When Eva de Courtney kidnaps Godric Fleming, her only plan is to stop the irritating earl from persecuting her beloved brother. But once she has the intriguing rogue in the confines of her carriage, she longs to taste the passion she senses simmering beneath his rugged exterior. Her forbidden plan is foiled, however, when Godric turns the tables, taking her hostage instead—and demanding they marry at once…
The last thing Godric wants to do is make the fiery, impulsive Eva his wife, despite her delectable mouth and alluring innocence. He knows from experience that nothing is forever, not even love. But honor demands he do right by the lady, no matter how stubbornly Eva tries to hold on to her independence. And while the road to the Scottish border is beset with danger, Godric’s greatest challenge is to keep his hands—and his heart—from his captivating bride-to-be…
Praise for Minerva Spencer’s Outcasts series
“Fans of Amanda Quick’s early historicals will find much to savor.”
—Booklist (Starred Review)
“A standout. . . . brilliant and original.”
—Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)
“Sexy and wildly entertaining.”
—Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review)
Women’s Fiction Historical [Kensington, On Sale: June 29, 2021, Trade Size / e-Book, ISBN: 9781496732859 / eISBN: 9781496732866]
Buy OUTRAGEOUS: Amazon.com | Kindle
| BN.com | Apple Books | Kobo | Google Play | Powell’s Books | Books-A-Million | Indie BookShops | Ripped Bodice | Love’s Sweet Arrow |
Walmart.com
| Book Depository | Target.com | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | Amazon DE | Amazon FR
About Minerva Spencer
Minerva Spencer is the pen name of S.M. LaViolette.
S.M. is a Canadian transplant who now lives in the mountains of New Mexico. She began writing in 2013 after closing her 8-room bed and breakfast (a subject she will never write about. . . )
She’s been a criminal prosecutor, college history professor, and bartender, among many other things.
She currently writes smart and sexy historical romance full-time and operates a small poultry rescue on her four-acre hobby farm, where she lives with her wonderful, tolerant husband and many animals.
When she isn’t writing or editing she’s playing with birds and dogs or doing a little DIY.
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