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Brownies with Coffee and Almond Extract

September 30, 2015 by Mia Fox Leave a Comment

Coffee Almond Brownies

These Brownies with Coffee and Almond Extracts are the best brownies ever — I promise! So moist, delicate and easy to make, these aren’t your every day brownies. So, without further ado, let’s get to the recipe.

Ingredients:

brownie prep

5 oz. unsweetened chocolate

10 1/2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon instant coffee

4 large eggs

2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup flour

Start off by pre-heating the oven to 450 degrees. Then, use a spray oil to lather up your 9 x 13 pan. Place a sheet of wax  paper on top of the oil so it stays in place and give that a little spray as well.

Place the butter and chocolate in the top  of a double boiler. If you don’t have a double boiler (like moi!) don’t fret. Just stick a bowl on top of a pot filled about 1/3 of the way with water. Boil the heck out of that water and cover the bowl.  Occasionally stir the chocolate and butter to melt,  but use a hot pad because that bowl isn’t the same as using a double boiler and it will toast your little fingers right off.

chocolate

While it’s boiling away, add the eggs to a mix master. (Do you think of cool rap music when I say “mix master”? Anyway, I digress…) Whip those eggs until light then slowly add the sugar and continue to beat on a medium speed for 15 minutes.  Yes, 15. It changes the consistency and this is important. At the end of the 15 minutes, add the vanilla and almond extracts.

Add the salt and coffee to the melted chocolate while it’s still fairly hot so the coffee melts. When the chocolate is completely cooled, add it to the eggs.  If it’s not cooled, you’ll end up with scrambled chocolate eggs and that’s an entirely different recipe!

Finally, add the flour to the chocolate mixture and blend until just combined. Pour into your prepared pan and immediately turn the oven down to 400 degrees. This is super important or your brownies won’t be little fudgy nuggets of amazingness. Bake for 21 minutes.

Invert your pan onto a cookie sheet and peel away the wax paper. Then invert again and allow to cool before eating…if you can!

brownie

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Filed Under: Blog, What's Mia Making Tagged With: brownies, coffee almond brownies, coffee brownies

A Bridge Through Time

September 16, 2015 by Mia Fox Leave a Comment

Bridge Through Time - Banner

BOOK INFORMATION

TITLE – A Bridge Through Time AUTHOR – Gloria Gay GENRE – Time Travel PUBLICATION DATE – July 10, 2015 LENGTH (Pages/# Words) – 1678 Words PUBLISHER – Kindle Direct COVER ARTIST – Killion Group


BOOK SYNOPSIS

GloriaGay_ABridgeThroughTime_1400pxTrapped in another era, Jane is forced to choose between her very life and the young man of the portrait, for she has fallen in love with the real version of Jestyn Greywick.

Years ago, at the age of fourteen, Jane Fielder visited England, the birth country of her parents, with her mother. A that time a strange event took place, and one that Jane never forgot. On a tour of a great estate with her mother, Jane became entranced by the portrait of a young man. She noticed that he had a pendant with the gold chain wrapped around his hand. Impulsively, Jane touched the young man’s hand and it felt warm. Now, years later, and devastated by the death of her parents, Jane returns to England as a foreign correspondent. She hopes the change of scene will make the loss of her parents easier to bear, for her health has lately taken a hit. Jane is as anxious to start her new job as she is to see the portrait again, for she wants to find out if she just imagined that the young man’s hand felt warm to her touch. Then when Jane touches the young man’s hand on the portrait again, she is blasted back in time to 1803.


BUY & TBR LINKS

AMAZON KINDLE US AMAZON KINDLE CA AMAZON KINDLE UK AMAZONPAPERBACK GOODREADS


 

EXCERPT

She stared at him. Now that he had leaned toward her she could see his face clearly. This was the second time she had seen this man. The first time had been when she had stared at his portrait. Electricity zig-zaged through her body, clear down to her toes. What did this mean?

Jane took out a tissue from her front jacket pocket and pressed it against her cut, mopping up the blood that had trickled to her chin and neck all the time the man was speaking to her in an irate tone:

“My brother is hurt and it appears you were also injured and it serves you right!”

Jane shifted her leg to ease the shooting sparks of pain going up her side and on her right arm.

“What’s your name?” Jestyn asked when Jane just stared at him.

“What’s yours?”

“Of all the insolent…I have a good mind to give you a thrashing.”

“So you beat women?”

“You’re a woman? A woman wearing breeches?” His voice was incredulous as he continued asking, “And what kind of strange breeches are these? And where did you get this lantern? Is it magic?” The man looked keenly at the strong light coming from the flashlight. “Did you use magic?”

“Magic?” said Jane looking down at her flashlight. A flashlight was magic to this guy?

“Listen,” she added when he just stared at her, “this pain is more than I can bear. I – could you help me up? My leg – something’s wrong with my left leg. I can’t get up.”

“It’s either sprained or broken,” the man replied. “You cannot walk on that – uh – limb for now.” His tone had changed on hearing she was a woman rather than a rascally youth spooking his horses on purpose.

“My name is Jane Fielder,” Jane said, in a more appeasing tone, I’m a reporter for CBS and I – I seem to have lost my way.” If this man was the only one that could help her,
in spite of his strange attire, she should try to ask nicely.

“I’m Jestyn Greywick, miss,” he replied.

For a stunned moment Jane said nothing. Then she dragged out a few words. “You’re kidding, aren’t you?”

“I beg your pardon?”

“This whole thing…” Jane said, “…your costume, dressed as Jestyn Greywick…the carriage…were you – are these scenes arranged for tourists?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Miss Fielder,” he said.

“What I mean is you can’t really be serious about your name unless you’re – oh, I get it. You’re pretending to be Jestyn Greywick. That was the name of the man in the portrait I saw moments ago.” Jane felt dizzy and probably wasn’t making sense, judging by the look in the man’s eyes.


AUTHOR BIO

Scandal At Almacks - Author PhotoWriting and painting have been Gloria’s main obsessions ever since she can remember. She and her husband consider themselves very lucky to be living in a beautiful place like San Diego, California, but most of all to have their children and grandchildren living nearby. Gloria is inspired by the sea and couldn’t think of living away from it.

A Bridge Through Time is Gloria’s first time travel romance. Her latest Regency romance, Enchanted Summer, is Gloria’s seventh Regency romance Her other Regencies include the recently published Lovely Little Liar and Scandal at Almack’s, both with Boroughs Publishing Group, as well as Love In A Dangerous Season and Kissed In The Dark that she self-published with Kindle Books.


AUTHOR FOLLOW LINKS

AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE WEBSITE / BLOG FACEBOOK TWITTER


 

GIVEAWAY PRIZES

5 ebooks

a Rafflecopter giveaway


 

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Filed Under: Authors Tagged With: A Bridge Through Time, Gloria Gay

5 Worst Date Foods

August 24, 2015 by Mia Fox Leave a Comment

5 worst date foods

Going out to eat is one of the most common ways to spend a date. It can be a wonderful  entry into a relationship as you linger over witty conversation or it can result in a never again attitude as manners are tested. Avoid these 5 worst date foods to ensure your dinner date results are strictly romantic.

Spaghetti

It might have been cute for Lady and the Tramp, but spaghetti (or any long noodle) oozing with sauce that dares to drip down your chin, onto the white linen tablecloth or even worse, across your shirt, should be avoided on a first date. It’s unlikely that your date will grab the opposite end of the noodle in order to gain a kiss and let’s face it, wouldn’t that be kind of creepy?

Peanut butter

True, a restaurant probably won’t have peanut butter sandwiches on the menu, but there’s always a chance that your first date might be a picnic outing. If so, avoid these. Unless you’re both partaking, the smell is offensive and today, peanut allergies run rampant. Wouldn’t want to put your date into anaphylactic shock before you get a second chance.

Garlic

Do I have to even mention it? Yes, I know garlic is delicious and enhances so many dishes. Giada de Laurentis uses it all the time and let’s face it, she’s adorable. But garlic is not the food of choice for a first date. It’s not just that it causes bad breath, ordering food laden in garlic basically tells your date, “Don’t even think of trying to kiss me goodnight.”

Raw onions

The best friend to garlic, raw onions is also a warning to your date that you want to stay in the friend zone. If you order a burger and tell them to hold the onions, your date will know that you’re thinking of that possible kiss that will come at the end of the evening. Keep the onions and you’re sending a definite message that he’s not worthy of a tasty sacrifice.

Cereal

Take a hint from “Silver Linings Playbook” and never order cereal on a first date. If you’re a guy and you do this your date is forced to order on par with you, which leaves her with such imaginative choices as jello or a cup of soup. If you’re a girl and you do this, your guy is likely to think you enjoy spending endless hours in your pajamas.

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Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: #dating, #MondayBlogs, 5 worst date foods, romance

Spoon Heaven!

August 17, 2015 by Mia Fox Leave a Comment

spoons

As a writer, I’m always looking for new ideas. Fortunately, I have an active imagination and it doesn’t take much to spark it. Case in point…I found Spoon Heaven! No, not spooning…let’s get our mind away from romance for just a minute. I’m really talking about spoons of the utensil variety.

While recently perusing Pinterest…actually, I was lost in the Pinterest portal. I have a tendency to do that. But I digress…while perusing Pinterest I found a cute pin that showed an old spoon that had been used as a kitchen cupboard handle. Rather than go back to my writing, I decided to type in “spoon” in my Pinterest search box and wow! Who even knew that one could get so excited about spoons?

There were spoon wind chimes, spoon necklaces, spoon garden markers. So many choices and such creativity. It was inspiring and it reminded me of why I love writing so much. Inspiration can come from any direction…even a spoon.

Click if you’d like to check out my new Pinterest board dedicated to spoons. Warning: do not view if you have a job to go to!

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Filed Under: Blog, Inspiration Tagged With: #MondayBlogs, inspiration, spoons, vintage

Malibu Top Five

August 10, 2015 by Mia Fox Leave a Comment

malibu-pier

My book, “Malibu Angel,” is set in Malibu, California, one of the most beautiful beaches and home to surfers, celebrities, and regular folk. If you’re able to make a visit, here are my Malibu Top Five favorite things to do — some taken from the pages of my book.

El Matador Beach

This is the most beautiful beach…ever! Rock caves, surfing, a wooden staircase that leads down to the shore. It’s perfection.

Malibu Pier

Relaxing, walking, shopping, eating. Malibu Pier has it all.

Solstice Canyon

If you’re a hiker, this is a gorgeous venue. It’s famous for its waterfall, the only year-round one found in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation area. The full hike is six miles, but there are shorter versions.

Pepperdine University

The university sits atop a hill with views of the Pacific Ocean yet somehow students manage to get their work done free of distractions.

Malibu Country Mart

This open air shopping center features amazing boutiques and restaurants for definitive foodies. There’s even a child’s playground in the center.

If you’ve taken part in any of these activities, tell me about your experience.

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Filed Under: Blog, My Books, Reading, Uncategorized Tagged With: #MondayBlogs, contemporary romance, ebooks, Malibu, Malibu Angel, Pepperdine University, Solstice Canyon

Aromatherapy for Writers

August 3, 2015 by Mia Fox Leave a Comment

lavender

Let’s face it, writer’s block is real. It hits even the best writers from time to time. I know that people use aromatherapy for healing physical ailments, but I find that it works for mental stimulation as well. Here’s a helpful guide to aromatherapy for writers…and everyone else.

  • Feel Alert with peppermint

  • Feel Relaxed with lavender

  • Keep your Cool with bergamot

  • Tame Anxiety with orange oil

  • Feel Happy with lemon oil

  • Get in Focus with rosemary

Sometimes getting into the groove of writing is a matter of being in the right frame of mind. Writers have a tendency to procrastinate if their mindset isn’t perfect. Life is rarely perfect. You have to follow the Nike mindset and Just Do It. Try these essential oil fixes and you’ll be on your way.

Got another way to beat writer’s block? I’d love to hear from you.

 

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Filed Under: Blog, Inspiration, Writers Block Solutions Tagged With: #MondayBlogs, essential oils, essential oils for inspiration, writers block, writers block solutions

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