Nicki Bennett’s Top 5 Favorite Recipes – Guest Blog and Giveaway


Long and Short Reviews welcomes Nicki Bennett who is celebrating today’s release of Bad to the Bone. Check out the end of the post for a special giveaway.

Nicki Bennett’s Top 5 Favorite Recipes
Anyone who’s known me for long knows I love to bake. It’s something I inherited from my mother, who was Sicilian. It’s an Italian tradition—among Chicago Italians, anyway—to make huge sweet trays for holidays, weddings, or even just family get-togethers. So at Christmas, I bake cookies—a lot of cookies. At least twenty different kinds. Because nearly every time I try something new, it becomes someone’s favorite, and I have to make it again next year, so the number keeps growing. Most of them end of being given away to family and friends—and that number keeps growing too. It’s hard to narrow down to just five favorites, but here are the ones that mean the most to me.

Giuggiulena

This recipe came from my Sicilian grandmother, who I never met since she died before I was born, and is one of the most iconic Italian cookies. When my mom passed away last year, my younger son baked a batch of them to bring to the visitation, so I know the tradition will continue.

Dad’s Cinnamon Cookies

My dad was not a cook. Most days, the only time he stepped into the kitchen was to refill his coffee cup. But he loved cinnamon, and always complained that my mom’s apple pies never had enough cinnamon in them. One year he stunned us during our annual Christmas cookie baking orgy by announcing that he had a recipe he wanted to make himself. This is the result, and though my dad’s been gone for almost fifteen years, I still feel his presence every time I bake these.

Chocolate Chip Shortbread

This was a recipe I found in a women’s magazine that became my mother’s favorite. Every year in early December when I got ready to start baking, she’d tell me “Don’t forget to make the dipsticks!” Last year was our first Christmas without her, and baking these cookies brought back so many happy memories.

Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies

These are a family favorite—I have to make a double batch every year because they go so quickly. I actually won a weekend getaway vacation by entering these in a baking contest sponsored by a former EDJ. They took first place!

Neapolitan Cookies

These look complicated, but they’re really very easy to make and add a lot of color to a cookie tray. And they’re slice-and-bake, which is a relief after a so many batches that have to be rolled or dropped or pressed onto trays. Sometimes I’ll change the vanilla layer to pistachio to turn them into spumoni cookies.

What’s your favorite Christmas cookie? I’m always on the lookout for something new to try. Answer in the comments for a chance to win an autographed copy of my first Dreamspun, The Cattle Baron’s Bogus Boyfriend. And if you’d like any of the recipes, email me at nickibennett1@gmail.com and I’ll be happy to send it to you.

A second chance at first love—if he has the courage to take it.
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Alex can’t think of himself as anything but a failure. In high school, he was on the fast track to a career in pro football when he forged an unlikely friendship with a half-Comanche boy from the wrong part of town, Ricky Lee Jennings. Their shared love of books could have grown into more—but a homophobic teammate attacked Ricky Lee, and Alex wouldn’t risk his scholarship to defend him. Ricky Lee was kicked out of school, and Alex never heard from him again.

Now Alex’s glory days are nothing but a memory. An injury ended his football aspirations, his marriage fell apart, and his dreams of making a difference as an environmental lobbyist are as dead as his fantasies of sports stardom.

But all that could change in one magical night, when Ricky Lee shows up at their high-school reunion.

Enjoy an Excerpt

“You have any preference on where to have dinner tonight?” Ricky Lee asked. “There’s a restaurant in the hotel, but it’s mostly burgers and sandwiches.”

“Freeland hasn’t exactly become a mecca of fine dining since you left.” Alex tilted his head, considering. “There’s not much unless you want to head up 44 to Lawton.” Stupid, Morrison, he told himself as soon as he said it. Remind him again of having to leave town.

“Maybe some other time,” Ricky Lee answered, and Alex could swear his deep voice went even huskier. “I think I’d rather stay close tonight.”

Alex hoped that was because he was tired from working on the build all morning and not because he’d put his foot in his mouth mentioning Lawton. At least it implies there may be another time. “Honestly, some of the best food in town is at the little mom-and-pop places along Wichita and Main. There’s a pretty good taqueria we could walk to from your hotel, or if you’ve had enough Mexican for the day, there’s the pizzeria, though they mostly do carryout.”

“Tacos sound good. Want to meet in the hotel lobby around six?”

“If you can wait until six thirty, that will give me time to help Alanna close up.”

“Works for me.” Ricky Lee unhooked his thumbs and took a step forward. “There’s just one more thing.” He moved even closer, backing Alex up against the ladders he’d just racked. “I’ve been wanting to do this all day.”

Ricky Lee lowered his head and brushed his lips against Alex’s. Alex drew in a startled breath, and Ricky Lee swallowed the exhale, closing his mouth over Alex’s. He raised his hands to grasp the shelves on either side of Alex’s head, pinning him in place—not that Alex made any move to get free. He clutched at Ricky Lee’s hips and opened himself to the kiss that bore as little resemblance to the innocent touch of eleven years ago as a wildfire did to the flicker of a birthday candle.

About the Author: Growing up in Chicago, Nicki Bennett spent every Saturday at the central library, losing herself in the world of books. A voracious reader, she eventually found it difficult to find enough of the kind of stories she liked to read and decided to start writing them herself.

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Buy the book at Dreamspinner Press.