Susan Mallery's Fool's Gold Cookbook: A Love Story Told Through 150 Recipes (Fool's Gold #12.1)

The moment was lost, she realized. Or maybe it had never been there at all. Maybe she was the only one thinking there could be more between them.

“As long as there’s no pressure,” she said, determined to sound upbeat and cheerful. First the dinner tonight. In the morning she would figure out the state of her heart and decide what to do about it.

Move Directly to Chapter 11

winter

Comfort Food

Homemade Hot Cocoa

Cheesy Bread Blossom

Diner Meatball Hoagies

Oven-Baked Chimichangas

Ethan’s Favorite Macaroni and Cheese with Toasted Garlic Bread Crumbs

Lillie’s Lasagna Night Special with a Bonus

Liz’s Spaghetti for the Girls

Creamed Spinach and Spiced Chickpea Stir-fry with Coconut Rice

Golden Squash Risotto with Goat Cheese

Simple Roast Chicken with Smashed Potatoes

Rosemary Roast Pork Loin

Pan-Seared Filet Mignon with Wild Mushroom Ragout

Pan-Fried Chicken Breasts with Crisp Rosemary Roast Potatoes

Seared Pecan Salmon with Warm Lentils

Sunday Night Fried Chicken

Classic Frosted Brownie

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

White and Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookie Pie

Chocolate Marble Gooey Bars

Chunky Chewy Oatmeal Toffee Cookies

WINTER

Homemade Hot Cocoa

This cocoa mix makes a sweet holiday gift. Seal the powder in a clear bag and present it in a colorful mug along with mixing instructions.

Makes 3 cups

1½ cups nonfat dry milk

1 cup powdered sugar

¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

½ cup white chocolate chips

1 tablespoon instant espresso powder

Pinch of salt

Hot milk, as needed

1. In a food processor, pulse the first 6 ingredients until a powder forms. Pour into a container that can be sealed.

2. For each serving, spoon 1/3 cup cocoa mixture into 1 cup hot milk.

TIP: If kept tightly covered, this mix should keep for months.

WINTER

WINTER

Cheesy Bread Blossom

Dip and bread all in one fun dish. Experiment with different breads and dips. To try: pumpernickel bread and spinach dip, whole-grain bread and artichoke dip. Just make sure it’s a dense loaf of bread so it can hold up to the slicing, and a dip that would taste good warm.

Serves 10

1 loaf dense bakery bread, unsliced

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted, plus additional for greasing foil

½ cup dip of your choice

1 cup sharp cheddar cheese shredded

¼ cup fresh chives, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. Using a serrated knife, slice bread lengthwise and then widthwise, cutting almost to the bottom, but not all the way through.

3. Drizzle melted butter into the crevices of the sliced bread. Stuff dip into the crevices. Sprinkle cheese, stuffing to fill each crevice. Sprinkle chives on top.

4. Lightly grease a large square of foil. Loosely wrap bread in prepared foil; place on a baking sheet and bake 15 minutes. Remove foil; bake uncovered an additional 10 minutes.

TIP: Baking time will depend on the size of your loaf and the type of dip you use.

WINTER

Diner Meatball Hoagies

Meatballs are usually made for pasta sauces, but sandwiching them with melted cheese and warm marinara sauce is so much more fun!

Serves 4

Nonstick cooking spray

1 pound sweet sausage, removed from casing and crumbled

½ cup bread crumbs

1 large egg

⅓ cup ricotta cheese

Salt and black pepper

1 cup prepared marinara sauce

4 hoagie or Italian sandwich rolls, halved

1 cup shredded provolone or mozzarella cheese

1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Lightly coat a wire rack with nonstick cooking spray; place inside a large-rimmed baking sheet. Place baking sheet in the oven while it warms.

2. In a large bowl, combine sausage, bread crumbs, egg and ricotta until combined. Season with generous amounts of salt and pepper. Using your hands, form mixture into 2-inch balls. You should have about 16 meatballs. Carefully transfer the meatballs to the hot rack on the sheet. Bake 20 minutes, until cooked through. Meanwhile, warm marinara sauce in the microwave or a small saucepan and toast rolls.

3. Layer meatballs, cheese and sauce on the bottom of each warmed roll. Sandwich with the top of the roll.

TIP: To start the meatballs cooking on a hot surface helps ensure a nicely browned crust. But be careful—the sheet will be hot!

WINTER

Oven-Baked Chimichangas

Don’t be put off by the number of ingredients—the recipe is a cinch to put together.

Serves 8

Butter, to grease pan

2 cups cooked chicken, from a rotisserie chicken, shredded

1 can (6 ounces) green chilies, in desired spiciness, drained and chopped

1 cup Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese, shredded

1 tablespoon olive oil, plus additional for brushing tortillas

1 small onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced

1 can (16 ounces) refried beans

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

2 large tomatoes (or 3 canned, whole, peeled plum tomatoes), chopped

¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Salt and black pepper

8 flour tortillas, burrito-size

Garnishes

Salsa

Sour cream

Guacamole