Wednesday, March 16, 2016

Simply #goldendelicious! #recipe #apples #newbook with Mari Manning #MFRWorg #RssosSisters



Recipe & Book with

Mari Manning
A lot of people don’t know this, but the Golden Delicious Apple was born in West Virginia. It was the result of a one night stand between two native apple trees who met by chance. The unwelcome offspring started life as a scrawny weed on the Mullins’ farm in Clay County. Needless to say it proved itself worthy despite its rocky start and is the official apple of West Virginia.
Since my story, Holding Out for a Hero is set partially in West Virginia (and partially in Chicago) I give my favorite apple crisp. Use golden delicious apples if you want to be authentic.
Mari’s Apple Crisp
5-6 Golden Delicious apples, peeled and sliced
1/3 cup of Craisins (raisins are okay, too; dried cherries are amazing as a substitute)
3 Tbsp sugar
2/3 cup + 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
2/3 cup + 2 tbsp old-fashioned rolled oats
½ cup brown sugar    
1/3 cup sugar
½ tsp cinnamon
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Toss apples with 3 tbsp sugar and Craisins in a 9x12 glass dish
Stir together flour, oatmeal, sugars and cinnamon. Drizzle in butter, tossing ingredients with fork to blend. Do not overmix. Mixture should be crumbly. Sprinkle over apples. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.
One month before her wedding, Seneca Simms discovers that everything she believed about her life is a dangerous lie. Will Collin Atlee, the detective she hired to find the truth, be able to protect her when the past comes calling?
Seneca Simms hurried down the narrow corridor. Her eyes scanned the numbers on the office doors as she brushed past them. When she reached number 425, she stopped. Through frosted glass and thick black letters announcing Collin Atlee, Private Investigator, the shadowy figure of a man hunkered over a computer.
“Gottcha.”
She twisted the knob and pushed. For a moment the door stuck in the frame. Then it gave, banging against the wall with a dull thud, and Seneca gazed at the most beautiful man she’d ever seen. His features were sharply cut, forehead high, cheekbones prominent, nose straight. His mouth was generous, almost sensual, a feature the dark stubble covering his square jaw failed to hide. Beneath blond hair and dark brows, long-lashed eyes glittered like a king’s ransom of sapphires. 
A few seconds ticked by while Seneca adjusted to the presence of a handsome stranger sitting in Collin Atlee’s office. He frowned at her, perfect brows knitting over the sharp bridge of his nose. Concern creased the corners of his mouth.
Seneca hitched up the heavy purse slung over her shoulder and folded her arms. “Where is Collin Atlee?”
Mr. Beautiful’s eyes narrowed until the blue barely showed beneath his sweep of lashes. “If you are looking for Richard, ma’am, you’re on the wrong side of town.”
“I’m looking for the guy whose name is on the door.” She jerked her head sideways at the lettered glass. “Collin Atlee.”
His head tipped back. His eyes widened in surprise. “I’m Collin Atlee.”
“I’ve met Mr. Atlee, and you are not him. If you don’t tell me where he is right now, I’ll-I’ll . . .” What would she do? She itched to punch him, but from the width of his shoulders, she guessed a jab delivered by a woman barely five-foot-two wouldn’t convince him to start talking.
“Who are you?” he asked.  
“You know very well who I am. Mr. Atlee put you up to this, didn’t he?”
Mr. Beautiful rose to an intimidating height, requiring her to tilt her head to keep an eye on him. As he came around the desk, he fished something out of the back pocket of his desert camo combat pants. He produced a worn leather wallet and flipped it open. An Illinois state driver’s license with the name Collin R. Atlee stared out at her along with a fairly hot DMV photo.

 
Mari Manning’s romantic suspense, Holding Out for a Hero is part of Crimson Romance’s new bundle of stories featuring hot detectives, Noir Nights. Find the bundle here: Noir Nights

You can see Mari’s weekly blogs and upcoming releases at: Website

Oh, Mari, you have no idea how much I love apple crisp! Thanks for the yummy recipe.

How about you, readers--Apple or Cherry???

8 comments:

Angela Adams said...

My favorite kind of apple is a Gala. I can't wait to try this recipe, Mari. Thanks!

Liese said...

Oh, yum!
Both the book and the dessert sound delish!

Liese

Vicki Batman, sassy writer said...

Hi, Angela! I love Gala too. And the recipe--yummy!

Hi, Liese! I agree!

Unknown said...

Hi Angela and Liese, I've tried this recipe with half golden delicious and half Granny Smith, too. In the fall, the fruit seller puts together little bags of 5-7 apples that she calls the apple pie mix. I suspect they're the less than perfect apples, but those crisps
always turn out great.

Mari Manning said...

I forgot to include my name ... the "unknown" commentator is Mari Manning.

Vicki Batman, sassy writer said...

Lol, Mari! Happy you're here.

Mari Manning said...

Happy to be here. Thanks so much for hosting me. As much as I love apple crisp, I am trying to decide to dessert to make for Easter. Something springy.

Melissa Keir said...

Exciting excerpt. I'm a cherry girl! But you knew that!