A few weeks ago I wrote an article about an anthology of Christmas romance stories put together by 21 authors of the group Exquisite Quills.
Exquisite Christmas: 21 romance authors share stories and recipes is an ideal Christmas gift and the perfect book to dip into over the holidays. With around forty heartwarming stories and lots of recipes it’s a fabulous book to curl up with by the fire and lose yourself in.
I’m very proud to have been part of this project, especially as all the authors were a delight to work with. One of those authors is here today to introduce her own stories and share an extra recipe.
Welcome, Beverley. It’s lovely to talk to you again. Please introduce yourself, and thanks so much for dropping in!
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I’m a Canadian author and I live in the Okanagan valley in British Columbia. I write romantic suspense. For the anthology I wrote two stories. Christmas Traditions is about a young couple who move to a small town just before Christmas. She left family, friends and their Christmas traditions behind and is feeling lonely.
The second story is The Christmas Risk. A small town doctor in Montana is doing Christmas Eve home visits and gets caught in a blizzard. With the possibility she might not make it home she realizes the important things in her life.
Here’s my recipe for Christmas Quick Bread
Ingredients:
2 ½ cups (225gsm) flour (plain flour)
¾ cup (140gsm) sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk (UK – just under half a pint)
1/4 cup salad oil (4 tbls vegetable oil)
1 egg
1 cup (165 gsm) crushed pineapple, drained
1/2 cup (80 gsm) maraschino cherries (cut in quarters)
1/3 cup (55 gsm) blanched slivered almonds
Additional almonds and cherries for topping.
Directions:
You will need a large mixing bowl, small mixing bowl, a 9”x5” (22 x 12cm approx) loaf pan, and a cooling rack.
- Preheat oven to 350° F (170° C / gas mark 4)
- Grease and flour loaf pan.
- Blend dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.
- Combine milk, oil, and egg in a small bowl. Beat slightly.
- Add milk mixture to dry ingredients. Stir until moistened.
- Stir in pineapple, cherries, and almonds.
- Pour batter in a greased 9” x 5” x 3” loaf pan.
- Let rest for 20 minutes.
- Bake 65-70 minutes. When golden and sounds hollow when rapped on the bottom, turn out on cooling rack.
To decorate top, pierce a cherry with an almond and press into cake. Continue with the remaining cherries and almonds.
Makes 12-14 1/2-inch slices.
I am so proud to be part of the wonderful anthology. Rose Anderson, a great author, suggested it to one of my groups. She handled everything for us. The authors wrote a holiday story, sometimes two stories along with a recipe. They’ve all been edited and Rose did our beautiful cover, which I love.
I also love the stories in the book. Each is so different. They’re romantic and positive. And trust me, the recipes are yummy. I’ve read all of them and tried several. This book would make a great Christmas gift.
Get one or yourself and maybe a couple for gifts. Here are the buy links:
Amazon US / Amazon UK / Amazon CA / B&N / iBooks
Merry Christmas and enjoy the book!
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Merry Christmas, Beverley, and thanks so much for the delicious recipe. I loved your stories and I agree that there is such a great variety in the anthology, and yet all the stories are romantic, positive and uplifting.
If you’ve enjoyed Beverley’s post, or have any questions or comments at all, please let us know. We’d love to hear from you!
Helena Fairfax 
Definitely going to try this one!
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Me too, Helen. I love this type of bread. Goes great with a cup of tea!
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Thanks Helen. I hope you enjoy it. It’s a family favorite.
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Looks delicious. Just curious, did you ever try this with pecans or walnuts, or both?
Helena, I didn’t have to Google for meanings of words, but I did look up the Okanangan Valley. A reminder that we are all immigrants.
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Adding pecans is a great idea! I also had to look up the Okanangan Valley, Ken (wonderful name!) and the only ingredient I had to check was “salad oil”, which I’d never heard of until now.
And that’s so true that we’re all immigrants. My own family only came across the Irish sea to England, but I have a brother in Canada now, and cousins all around the world. Next time I see my brother I’ll ask him if he’s started measuring things in cups now, or if he still sticks to pounds and ounces :)
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Thanks actually funny, because my original recipe just oil and when the person was standardizing the recipes she used salad oil. It could be corn oil or canola oil. And thank you for having me on your blog and have a chance to share this wonderful Christmas anthology.
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I agree with Helena. I think pecans would b great. Not so sure about walnuts.
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Beverley, your Christmas quick bread looks delicious. I wouldn’t mind a piece right now. I just woke and I’m having a cup of coffee reading this, minus anything sweet on my plate next to me.
Best wishes on your novels. Merry Christmas!
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It would go great with morning coffee. Thanks for your wishes and merry Christmas to you.
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Hey, Helena. And I know Beverly from our RWA Kiss of Death Chapter. Don’t you love how boundaries don’t mean anything on the internet? The Christmas book sounds delightful. I love the stories you mention, Beverly. And yes, I’d love a slice of the quickbread. Tried my own version recently with Gluten Free Bisquik and it just wasn’t as good as I expected. Probably a good thing or I’d have eaten way more of it. Best to you both. I shared. :)
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Hi Marsha, nice to see you here. And I completely forgot about gluten free. The recipe has been around for so long, nobody thought abut gluten free back then.
I know you can buy rice flour or gluten free flour. That might work.
And yes I do love the internet for touching people in many countries.
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That’s lovely that you already know each other, Marsha. The romance writing world is a small and supportive world. I’m delighted you met up here. Thanks so much for sharing!
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Hi, Beverley! Congratulations on the anthology!!! And wish someone would bake me some. LOLOL Hugs!
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Thanks for dropping by, Vicki. You’ve had some yummy recipes on yur blog.
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Lovely to ‘meet’ you here, Beverley – I’m enjoying all the stories in the collection and I’m very pleased to be a part of it (as Romy). Your recipe sounds delicious and one I may well try out!
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Thanks for dropping in, Rosemary. I’ve really enjoyed joining you all in this anthology. It’s been a lot of fun, and the stories and recipes are lovely. Have a great Christmas!
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It’s nice to ‘meet’ you, too, Rosemary, especially since you’re one of the awesome authors who participated.
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Hi Bev,
The bread looks yummy. My hubby and I love to have a quick snack to go with morning coffee, looking forward to trying your recipe.
Best wishes to you and Rose with the anthology.
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Thanks, Reggi. I appreciate you dropping by.
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Beverly, this quick bread sounds so delicious. I love making quick breads cause they’re so easy and, well, quick! LOL..They make great gifts for Christmas. I’ll be trying it for sure. I wonder if it would work with cranberries? Cherries are perfect for Christmas. The anthology sounds like a perfect gift Christmas gift too!
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Hmm, I never thought of cranberries. The cherries are much sweeter, but if you wanted something with a little bite, cranberries might work. Or use the cranberries to decorate the top.
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Beverley I made the bread for Christmas day and used the cherries. The bread makes such a beautiful presentation and was so pretty on an antique Italian Christmas plate my mother gave me many years ago. Tasty too! Thank you.
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It’s quite a while since I made any quick breads, JQ. I’d forgotten how easy they are to bake. What a great idea to make this recipe as a gift! I’m planning on baking a few items as gifts this year, and this would be ideal.
Thanks so much for dropping in!
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Sounds Yummy! I wish you a wonderful holiday and all the best with your anthology!
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Thanks for dropping in, Melissa. Merry Christmas to you!
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Thanks for dropping by, Melissa. Merry Christmas to you and your family.
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