Challenging the Chef

 

I am excited to have a new sweet and wholesome western small-town contemporary romance to share with you!

Challenging the Chef releases October 19. 

It involves a celebrity chef who can ride and rope with the best of them, a school psychologist who cooks as a way to deal with the stress of her job, and the town of Summer Creek, filled with a cast of quirky characters. 

When an interloper arrives in his kitchen, will romance start to simmer?

 Chef Owen Thorpe left behind his celebrity status when he moved to Summer Creek. The quaint town and country atmosphere allow him to seek solace in his recipes. His peace and quiet is threatened when he’s coerced into being part of a big auction package that includes the winner spending a week cooking with him in his restaurant. The last thing he wants is some chef wannabe in his way. However, the real danger he faces is losing his heart when the winner turns out to be a beautiful woman who knows her way around a kitchen.

 Burdened by the weight of her demanding career as a school psychologist, Tawni Young turns to cooking and gardening to escape from the never-ending stress of her work. When her aunt gifts her an auction package that includes cooking lessons in the small town of Summer Creek, Tawni realizes the chef she’ll be working with is none other than a celebrity she had a huge crush on during her college years. From the moment the two of them meet, an undeniable attraction sizzles while wits collide.

 As they embark on a tantalizing journey of culinary delights, will Tawni and Owen discover the most important ingredient is love?

 In this heartwarming and deliciously wholesome tale, Challenging the Chef takes readers on a savory adventure filled with sweet romance.

Writing this story made me so hungry. Here's one of the recipes shared in the book!

INGREDIENTS

CRUST

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup butter, softened

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

FILLING

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons corn starch

1 tablespoon lemon juice

20-ounce can crushed pineapple

1/2 cup chopped macadamia nuts

1/2 cup shredded sweetened coconut

DIRECTIONS

Mix together flour, butter and cream cheese until dough forms a ball. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for an hour (or overnight).

While dough chills, combine pineapple with sugar, corn starch and lemon juice in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Stirring continually, bring to a boil (about 4 minutes) and continue boiling for two minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

When ready to bake tassies, preheat over to 350 degrees.

Spray a mini muffin pan with non-stick spray, then roll dough into balls about the size of a pecan and drop into muffin cups. Using a tart tamper, press it into the dough until it flattens on the bottom and comes up the sides of each cup. If you don't have a tart tamper, use the bottom of a small jar or glass to press the dough.
Stir nuts and coconut into filling, then spoon filling into each cup. Bake for about 30 minutes, until filling is bubbling and the dough is just starting to brown.

Cool  in pans, then enjoy!
Yield: 24 tassies

USA Today bestselling author Shanna Hatfield grew up on a farm where her childhood brimmed with sunshine, hay fever, and an ongoing supply of learning experiences.

Today, Shanna draws on her rural roots to create sweet romances filled with hope, humor, quirky small-town characters, realistic heroes, and women of strength.

When this award-winning author isn’t writing or testing out new recipes (she loves to bake!), Shanna hangs out at home in the Pacific Northwest with her beloved husband, better known as Captain Cavedweller.

http://shannahatfield.com