Greeting card manufacturers have decided Valentine’s Day is the most romantic holiday of the year. Okay, I’ll almost give them that, but there’s 364 other days that shouldn’t be ignored.

Below is an easy menu that will satisfy all your hunger on any day of the year. Think Tom Jones, the old movie not the actor, and the eating scene. Go for it. These cold winter nights might just heat up for you!

• Warm Belgian Endive and Pine Nut Salad
• Almost Homemade Pizza
• Dry Red Wine – Ruffino Chianti

Warm Belgian Endive and Pine Nut Salad

1 tbs. Dijon mustard
pepper to taste
1 tbs. red wine vinegar
2 - 4 heads Belgian endive
1/2 tbs. lemon juice
1/3 cup pine nuts
3 tbs. extra-virgin olive oil, or as needed so the salad isn’t dry
1 tbs. chopped fresh parsley, dried will work but isn’t as bright a contrast

In a medium bowl, whisk together the Dijon mustard, red wine vinegar and lemon juice. Whisk in olive oil slowly until you have an almost creamy consistency. Taste and season with pepper. Set aside.

Cut endive heads crosswise into rings. Remove the hard end of the stems and discard. Rinse in a colander, shaking to separate the slices into rings. Set aside to drain.

In a large dry skillet over medium heat, toast the pine nuts. Stir constantly so that they do not burn. Once the pine nuts are golden, throw in the endive rings. When it has warmed just slightly, pour in the dressing and toss to coat. Reduce the heat if the endive is wilting too quickly. You want to maintain some crispness and texture.

If you have guests to impress, throw in the parsley. The sharp green flecks will brighten the dish and enhance the flavor, but the salad is in no way lacking without. Serve immediately. It is best served directly from the pan to the plate. If is put in a bowl, the dressing will settle at the bottom and be difficult to toss again without damaging the endive.

Almost Homemade Pizza

1 (12 inch) pre-baked Italian bread pizza crust. I prefer Boboli
1 cup pizza sauce
1 ¼ cups shredded mozzarella
½ lb. Italian sausage, pinched into dime sized pieces
Fresh Parmesan or Romano to grate over the top
Mushrooms, peppers or what ever else you enjoy can be added

Preheat the oven to the temperature recommended on the crust package. Lay the crust onto a baking sheet of appropriate size. Spread the sauce over the crust. Sprinkle with half the mozzarella. Lay your other sausage etc. on top. Cover the pie with the remaining mozzarella then grate some fresh Parmesan or Romano over that.

Bake according to the crust package directions or until the sausage is no longer pink and the cheese is melted.

The pizza makes a great leftover lunch, but the salad will turn bitter and limp.

Don’t forget the candles, lots of them. Every woman likes to set the mood. Also, omitting forks can be most sensual when you feed your partner small bites.

Have a great Valentine’s Day.

Sloane Taylor ~ Sweet as Honey…Hotter than Hell
Francine on Fire www.aspenmountainpress.com
www.sloanetaylor.com www.myspace.com/sloanetaylor

Today on the Aspen Mountain Press community loop at yahoo, we are celebrating NOT watching the Super Bowl. 

What will we do instead?  Why share excerpts, recipes, chat and give out prizes.

Come one, come all, and let’s have some fun!

I just wanted to stop by and let you know a few wonderful things that have happened to me lately.  First, I was nominated by the lovely folks at Love Romances and More as Best New Author of 2007 and my book, The Reckoning of Asphodel was nominated for Best Sci Fi/Fantasy Novel of 2007.  Thanks, everyone, for the honor and to everyone who voted.  Then, Asphodel was nominated for Best Sci Fi/Fantasy Novel of 2007 by Preditors & Editors for their annual Readers Poll.  I’m very proud to announce that Asphodel placed tenth–and I now have a shiny new .gif image to add to my various sites.  Asphodel has been getting great reviews (again, thank you LR&M for the fabulous five hearts review!) which is fabulous because the second book in the series, The Gift of Redemption is due out this spring from Aspen Mountain Press.

So, because of all these wonderful things, I’m running a BLOG CONTEST!  Yep,  you too can win a copy of The Reckoning of Asphodel!  All you have to do is visit my blog and post a comment and you’re entered.  Contest ends on Valentine’s Day (cuz I luvs you guyz) and the winner gets not only a copy of my book, but a brand spanking new not shared with anybody LOLCat AND a reserved copy of Book Two.  You’ll get your copy the day that Redemption is released!

On top of that, if you bring a friend and have them mention your name in their post, I’ll enter you again.  Just think how many entries you could have if all of your friends stop by! Go to Elf-Killing and Other Hobbies (follow the linkie) and enter.

So this is my universal ‘thank you’ for everyone who has helped Asphodel become successful.  Have a great day!

Celina

You Are Rum

You’re the life of the party, and a total flirt. You are also pretty picky about what you drink. Only the finest labels and best mixed cocktails will do. Except if you’re dieting - then it’s Diet Coke and Bicardi all the way.

What Alcoholic Drink Are You?

Don’t be shy, try this quiz and then post your response on the Aspen Mountain Press yahoo loop. We have a whole series featuring alcoholic drinks…maybe yours will show up as one of the Del Fantasma titles…

So far we have:
Texas Tea
Sea Breeze
Screaming Orgasm
Undertow
Slow Fuzzy Screw
and Black Wolf

This week, our drink of the month is Silk Panties, number seven in the series set in a paranormal bar just outside San Diego in the fictional Vista Loma area.