by Jennifer LaBrecque

It’s the holidays and I’m so excited to be part of a Blaze Holiday anthology entitled SECRET SANTA with Janelle Denison and Isabel Sharpe where each story revolves around a Secret Santa exchange at the office of Connoisseur, a travel/food magazine. And since it’s Blaze, are you really surprised that it’s always nicer to be naughty?

I think there’s definitely merit to the adage “It’s better to give than receive” although receiving can be quite nice as well. One of the things that make the holidays special to me is the surprise element. I love picking out gifts and surprising people. I really put a lot of thought into it. What are the particular interests of this person? What do they enjoy? What will make them pause and go, “Oh, wow! She really knows what I like and I love this.” I’ve never done a Secret Santa, but I’ve always wanted to because that kind of thing is right up my alley. So…when I had the opportunity to be part of the Harlequin Blaze Secret Santa anthology, I was tickled. Hey, if you can’t live it, the next best thing is to write it.

Each of us had to give our editor some idea that built on the Secret Santa premise. I instantly knew I wanted the two people in the office that hated each other the most. You know, there’s that very thin line separating hate from love. And hey, it makes the naughty gift-giving so much nicer.

The other really fun aspect of this story was that my hero and heroine, Tatiana and Cole, are food critics for a gourmet travel magazine. I’m something of a foodie, so the idea of living vicariously as a food critic through Tatiana and Cole was great. It also gave me a whole new perspective. Sure, it’s cool to eat these really great meals with someone else footing the bill, but the truth of the matter is every meal isn’t great. Sometimes the meal is awful or the food is awful and if you’re a food critic…well, you’ve still got to taste and sample enough to give fair feedback.

Also, unless you’re aiming for serious weight issues, if you’re a food critic you don’t finish your plate or even come close. Health and weight-conscious food critics work out often and usually only have a couple of bites of each dish they’re served. Another nifty food critic trick is inviting a friend out with you so you can sample off of their plate, enabling you to give feedback and base your review on a wider variety of dishes. Smart, huh?

And since we’re dealing with a foodie hero and heroine, let me throw out the teaser, without giving anything away, that there’s a scene where cookies play an important role. Sorry, nothing kinky. Anyway, they’re these fabulous almond cookies, so I thought I’d include the recipe for those of you that might be interested in baking Tatiana’s almond cookies.

Almond Butter Cookies:

INGREDIENTS:

• 6 Tablespoons salted butter, softenend
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1-1/3 cups flour
• 1-1/2 oz. ground almonds
• 1 egg
• 1-2 Tablespoons kirsch
• For the wash: 1 egg yolk beaten with 1 Tablespoon milk

PREPARATION:

1. Cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl.

2. Add all the other ingredients and mix until a smooth dough forms.

3. Shape the dough into a ball, wrap with plastic and chill for 1 hour.

4. Preheat the oven to 400F.

5. Lightly flour your counter and roll out the dough till it’s 1/4-inch thick.

6. Cut out the cookies with a cookie cutter and place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Brush the tops with some of the egg wash and bake for 8-10 minutes.

Bon appetite!

And in the holiday spirit of giving, I’d like to give away three copies of SECRET SANTA. All you have to do to enter the drawing is show up and answer Question 1 or 2…plus it’s fun and I want to read your answers.