Cathy Bryant – Recipe for Romance – Part 1 of 2

Shannon here: Cathy Bryant shares recipes from her latest contemporary romance. Comment or answer the question at the end of the post to enter the drawing for an e-copy of Crossroads. Deadline: May 23rd, 11:59 pm central time. Here’s Cathy:

A HEALTHY SERVING OF CROSSROADS by Cathy Bryant, author of the Miller’s Creek novels:
DISCLAIMER: This post is guaranteed to make your mouth water!
Not only am I a foodie, but I married a foodie. And as a self-confessed foodie, I see it as my responsibility to tantalize my reader’s taste buds with lots of food descriptions in the course of the Miller’s Creek novels. (In writer’s lingo, it’s called sensory detail.)
Anyway, I thought you might enjoy a couple of recipes from the characters in my latest stand-alone Christian romance, CROSSROADS. Bon appetit!
Carter’s Crab Dip
(Carter, the brawny soldier-turned-policeman and hero of CROSSROADS, uncovers the heroine’s penchant for seafood. He creates this special seafood dip for a picnic lunch the two share.)
INGREDIENTS:
1 8-oz. cream cheese and 1 3-oz. cream cheese, softened
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
1 T. lemon juice
2 T. mayonnaise
1/2 small finely chopped white onion
garlic powder and salt to taste
1/2 bottle of cocktail sauce on top (can substitute Tabasco sauce if you want the heat)
1 7-oz. can of crab meat
fresh or dried parsley
cocktail crackers
DIRECTIONS:
1. Blend the first six ingredients together well, and spread thin on a serving dish.
2. Spread the cocktail sauce on top as a sort of icing.
3. Garnish with fresh or dried parsley.
4. Chill in the refrigerator, and serve with cocktail crackers.
Mara’s Roast Beef
(Mara, the bitter single mom, cynic, and heroine from CROSSROADS, knows full well that Carter Callahan is a meat-and-potatoes kinda guy. She fixes this meal when he and his daughter Chloe come over for dinner.)
INGREDIENTS:
1 (3-1/2- to 4-pound) boneless chuck roast, trimmed
1/2 c. soy sauce
1 can beef broth
1 bay leaf
3 to 4 peppercorns
1 t. dried and crushed rosemary
1 t. dried thyme
1 t. garlic powder
12 French sandwich rolls, split
Provolone cheese
sautéed onion (if desired)
DIRECTIONS:
1. Place trimmed roast in a 5-quart slow cooker. Combine soy sauce and next six ingredients; pour over roast. Add water to slow cooker until roast is almost covered.
2. Cook, covered, on LOW for 7 hours or until very tender. Remove roast and reserve the broth for dipping, if desired. Shred roast with a fork.
3. Can be eaten alone or with sandwich rolls. If eaten with rolls, place the roast on the open-faced rolls, add sautéed onions (if desired), and Provolone cheese. Place in your oven on high broil, until bread is toasty and cheese is bubbly.
Yield: 12 servings (or enough for one hungry policeman)
About Cathy: Amazon best-selling author Cathy Bryant writes Christian fiction set in the heart of Texas. Her popular romance and romantic suspense novels take place in the fictional town of Miller’s Creek, where folks are friendly, the iced tea is sweet, and Mama Beth’s front porch beckons. All the Miller’s Creek novels have been on the Amazon Best-Seller list and are rated at 4.5 stars or higher on Amazon. Her debut novel, TEXAS ROADS, was a 2009 ACFW Genesis finalist. Since then five other stand-alone novels have been added to the series, one of which was a reader-nominated 2013 Grace Award nominee (PILGRIMAGE OF PROMISE). Readers have compared her work to that of Karen Kingsbury and Nicholas Sparks.
A native Texan, Cathy currently resides in the beautiful Sangre de Cristo mountains of northern New Mexico with her minister husband of over thirty years. She’s written devotions for The Upper Room devotional magazine, two devotional books in collaboration with other Christian authors, and for online sites. She also has released a Bible study book, THE FRAGRANCE OF CRUSHED VIOLETS. In addition to her writing, she enjoys thrift store shopping, romping in the great outdoors, and mini-farming. To learn more about Cathy and her books, visit her website at www.CatBryant.com or make contact with her in these places:

https://www.facebook.com/Cathy.Bryant.Author                 https://twitter.com/Cathy_Bryant

https://www.pinterest.com/cathyjbryant/                     https://plus.google.com/+CathyBryant/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2666708.Cathy_Bryant

http://www.amazon.com/Cathy-Bryant/e/B002SKQCDO/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCY8zZ56eUyb4Eohvq5fVCHA

About the book – Crossroads – a Miller’s Creek novel:
A former soldier battles for a prodigal’s soul…
A bitter single mom and prodigal starts her own real estate company in the picturesque town of Miller’s Creek, Texas. Then her young daughter’s disturbing symptoms lead to a diagnosis of leukemia. With her new life now turned upside down, Mara struggles to keep her business afloat. And her daughter’s worsening condition forces her to rethink her beliefs about Carter Callahan and his God. Will Mara make the return to Christian faith in the face of life’s greatest challenge?
An ex-military operative struggles with the return to civilian life while coping with his rebellious teen-aged daughter. During a house-search, Carter meets Mara, a headstrong Realtor who wants nothing to do with his God. But when Mara’s little girl is diagnosed with leukemia, the clock begins ticking for him to convince Mara to return to a life of faith. Just as he seems to be making headway, circumstances beyond his control throw his efforts into a tailspin. Can Carter learn to rest in the sovereignty of God?
Purchase the print version: http://www.amazon.com/CROSSROADS-Christian-Contemporary-Romance-Millers-Volume/dp/1941699057/
Purchase the Kindle version: – http://www.amazon.com/CROSSROADS-Christian-Contemporary-Romance-Millers-ebook/dp/B00U8KE12K/
Watch the book trailer on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5AhXfa1pKs
Read/Download a sample chapter: http://www.catbryant.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/CROSSROADS-Chapter-1.pdf

Question: Which do you prefer – beef, chicken, seafood, pork, or lamb?

Come back May 15th for Cathy’s romantic character interview!