So here's the first in a brand new blog series, BOOKY BAKE OFF, where writers share their book news along with their recipes and baking stories – good and bad!!!
And today I'm very excited to welcome the lovely Katie Oliver...
And today I'm very excited to welcome the lovely Katie Oliver...
Meet Katie...
Katie Oliver loves romantic comedies, characters who "meet cute," Richard Curtis films, and Prosecco (not necessarily in that order). She currently resides in South Florida with her husband, two parakeets, and a dog.
Katie’s been writing since she was eight, and has a box crammed with (mostly unfinished) novels to prove it. With her sons grown and gone, she decided to get serious and write more (and hopefully, better) stories. She even finishes most of them.
And Katie's latest release is...
Who Needs Mr Willoughby (The Jane Austen Factor)
Katie Oliver loves romantic comedies, characters who "meet cute," Richard Curtis films, and Prosecco (not necessarily in that order). She currently resides in South Florida with her husband, two parakeets, and a dog.
Katie’s been writing since she was eight, and has a box crammed with (mostly unfinished) novels to prove it. With her sons grown and gone, she decided to get serious and write more (and hopefully, better) stories. She even finishes most of them.
And Katie's latest release is...
Who Needs Mr Willoughby (The Jane Austen Factor)
Who should rule – your head or your heart?
When sisters Marianne and Elinor Dashwood are forced to leave their family home to live in a rural Northumberland cottage, Marianne is convinced her social life is over. Somehow, she can’t see kitten heels coping well in the countryside – and being stuck in the middle of nowhere, miles from London, sounds about as exciting as watching paint dry. Not to mention her arrogant new boss, Dr Brandon, who doesn’t seem to think much of her city ways.
When she meets the gallant, charming and handsome Mr Willoughby, Marianne begins to think that country life might not be so bad after all…especially when he suggests that marriage might be on the cards. But the countryside still has a few tricks up its sleeve for Marianne…after all, love rarely blossoms in the most convenient places!
BUY LINKS for Who Needs Mr Willoughby? (The Jane Austen Factor)
Amazon US
Amazon UK
There are also two other books in this fabulous series, The Trouble with Emma, and What Would Lizzie Bennet Do. Details on Katie Oliver's Author Pages...
Amazon Author Page US
Amazon Author Page UK
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And now for Katie's BAKE OFF post, complete with a recipe...
A FICTIONAL FEAST: BOOKISH REPASTS
Every woman has her culinary claim to fame, the one delicious dessert she's known for, whether it’s cake, cookies, a flaky apple pie, or some other delectable homemade delight.
It's the dessert everyone asks her to bring to the potluck or serve at Christmas or Thanksgiving dinner. It’s Grandma Mary's Spice Cake with Cream Cheese frosting, or Aunt Mae's Lemon Meringue Pie; it’s mom’s Two-Minute Fudge, or Mrs Greenbaum's Rugelach. They're the dishes that make our mouths water, the baked goods that set everyone’s taste buds tingling in anticipation.
In literature, too, food often plays a part. There's Dickens's celebrated plum pudding, triumphantly aflame with brandy in A Christmas Carol; the blancmange (still not sure exactly what that is!) that Jo serves to the ailing Laurie in Louisa May Alcott's Little Women; the exotic allure of Turkish delights offered by the White Witch to tempt Edward in C.S. Lewis’s The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe; even the humble loaf of bread Jean Valjean steals to feed his starving sister in Victor Hugo's classic, Les Miserables.
And who can forget little Sarah Crewe, desperately hungry herself, who gives her penny bun over to a starving girl in Frances Hodgson Burnett’s A Little Princess?
A FICTIONAL FEAST: BOOKISH REPASTS
Every woman has her culinary claim to fame, the one delicious dessert she's known for, whether it’s cake, cookies, a flaky apple pie, or some other delectable homemade delight.
It's the dessert everyone asks her to bring to the potluck or serve at Christmas or Thanksgiving dinner. It’s Grandma Mary's Spice Cake with Cream Cheese frosting, or Aunt Mae's Lemon Meringue Pie; it’s mom’s Two-Minute Fudge, or Mrs Greenbaum's Rugelach. They're the dishes that make our mouths water, the baked goods that set everyone’s taste buds tingling in anticipation.
In literature, too, food often plays a part. There's Dickens's celebrated plum pudding, triumphantly aflame with brandy in A Christmas Carol; the blancmange (still not sure exactly what that is!) that Jo serves to the ailing Laurie in Louisa May Alcott's Little Women; the exotic allure of Turkish delights offered by the White Witch to tempt Edward in C.S. Lewis’s The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe; even the humble loaf of bread Jean Valjean steals to feed his starving sister in Victor Hugo's classic, Les Miserables.
And who can forget little Sarah Crewe, desperately hungry herself, who gives her penny bun over to a starving girl in Frances Hodgson Burnett’s A Little Princess?
For me, the baked dessert everyone requests, especially during the holidays, is my pumpkin roll. Everyone always asks for the recipe. It's no secret; you can find it right on the back of any can of Libby's pumpkin. It takes a little time to put together, but it's well worth the effort. (Tip - don't over bake, or it'll crack as you roll it up…not pretty, but you can camouflage it with lots of powdered sugar.)
Here’s the recipe:
LIBBY'S PUMPKIN ROLL
1/4 cup powdered sugar (to sprinkle on towel)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)
FILLING:
1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
6 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Powdered sugar (optional for decoration)
[You can add finely chopped pecans or walnuts, if you like. -Katie]
PREHEAT oven to 375° F. Grease 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan; line with wax paper. Grease and flour paper. Sprinkle a thin, cotton kitchen towel with powdered sugar.
COMBINE flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt in small bowl. Beat eggs and granulated sugar in large mixer bowl until thick. Beat in pumpkin. Stir in flour mixture. Spread evenly into prepared pan. Sprinkle with nuts.
BAKE for 13 to 15 minutes or until top of cake springs back when touched. (If using a dark-colored pan, begin checking for doneness at 11 minutes.) Immediately loosen and turn cake onto prepared towel. Carefully peel off paper. Roll up cake and towel together, starting with narrow end. Cool on wire rack.
FOR FILLING:
BEAT cream cheese, 1 cup powdered sugar, butter and vanilla extract in small mixer bowl until smooth. Carefully unroll cake. Spread cream cheese mixture over cake. Reroll cake. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving, if desired.
Where to find Katie:
Website/blog: http://katieoliver.com/ko/blog/
Facebook Author Page: http://www.facebook.com/KatieOliverWriter
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/katieoliver01/
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7565829.Katie_Oliver
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/@katieoliver01
Carina UK/Pink Ink blog/website - https://pinkinkladies.wordpress.com
Thank you so much for coming on BOOKY BAKE OFF today Katie. Your pumpkin roll looks yummy!
Website/blog: http://katieoliver.com/ko/blog/
Facebook Author Page: http://www.facebook.com/KatieOliverWriter
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/katieoliver01/
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7565829.Katie_Oliver
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/@katieoliver01
Carina UK/Pink Ink blog/website - https://pinkinkladies.wordpress.com
Thank you so much for coming on BOOKY BAKE OFF today Katie. Your pumpkin roll looks yummy!
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