A Sweet & Spicy Holiday
with Tara Taylor Quinn
Tara is sharing some fabulous holiday recipes along with her holiday Superromance books in conjunction with Harlequin's A Sweet & Spicy Holiday.
Tour Schedule
December 9th: Brooke Blogs - Excerpt from The Holiday Visitor & Golden Tassies
December 10th: Book Munchies - The Heart of Christmas & Chocolate Pixies
December 11th: Grand Finale
A Holiday Message & Recipe
I love Christmas time. I always have. I love the lights and the bustle. The decorations and presents under the tree. But most of all, I love the Heart of it all. I love how people open their hearts a little more, forgive a little more, look at the good in people more than they focus on the bad. With shopping and gift giving, we are forced out of our own heads and daily grind, forced to think about the people in our lives. To buy for them instead of for ourselves. To think about who they are, what they’re in to, what they’d like. Christmas is about giving, not taking. And the more we give, the more the world is filled with goodness. Christmas celebrates the existence of hope. The celebration takes that spark of hope in each of us and kindles it into a blaze. I love it that Christmas helps us tap into the heart of ourselves. It reminds us of our softer sides. It is my prayer and my hope that this year, we can all grasp hold of that softer side. Hang on to it and bring it with us into the new year – not packed away with the Christmas decorations to be brought out again next December. But open, out, active, a part of our days and nights, our relationships and our choices, throughout the entire year.
And now for a special TTQ recipe:
Party Casserole
Party casserole has been in my family my whole life. I don't even know where it originated. But anytime there is a particularly festive special occasion, it's party casserole time. When new friends enter our circle, they get party casserole. I've never served anyone who didn't like it!
2 8 oz. cans tomato sauce
1# egg noodles, cooked to package directions
1 bunch green onion, finely chopped
Brown ground beef. Add tomato sauce. Simmer for ten minutes.
While ground beef is simmering mix cream cheese, cottage cheese, sour cream, green onion and butter in large bowl until fully combined.
In three quart casserole dish lightly cover bottom with small amount of ground beef mixture. Layer 1/2 of the noodles, 1/2 cheese mixture, 1/2 of ground beef and repeat.
Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
Great as a leftover, too!
— Tara
Holiday Superromance Books
Merry Christmas, Babies
Adult Contemporary Romance
ebook, 296 pages
November 1st 2006 by Harlequin Books
Business hotshot Elise Richardson is successful, beautiful, single... and her biological clock is clanging like a church bell. So independent Elise takes matters into her own hands and now she's pregnant--with quadruplets! Her business partner and best friend, Joe Bennett, can't believe she's going to be a mom--times four! There's no way he's ready for the chaos of parenthood. Being one of seven children has taught him that much. But now that Elise's doctor says she shouldn't be home alone, Joe's ready to move in. Strictly as a friend, of course. At least until Christmas...
The Heart of Christmas
Adult Contemporary Romance
ebook, 304 pages
July 15th 2011 by Harlequin Treasury - Harlequin Superromance
This Christmas, she's got her very own St. Nick!
With her business sold and her family out of reach, Abby Hayden's at loose ends.
But if Abby doesn't have enough to occupy her time, Dr. Nick McIntrye has too much. So many people rely on him for help and guidance.... No wonder Abby calls him "St. Nick."
Nick has a proposition for Abby, one he thinks will benefit them both. He persuades her to work at a home he's established for pregnant teens, girls who'll be giving up their babies for adoption.
That's where Abby learns she has a special gift: she knows how to make these girls feel loved and valued, despite their mistakes, despite their fears and lost confidence. And she receives a special gift herself--her very own St. Nick. Not just this Christmas, but for all the Christmases to come!
For the Children
Adult Contemporary Romance
ebook, 304 pages
December 1st 2003 by Harlequin Books
Kirk Chandler and Valerie Simms--two people who'll do anything for children
Valerie is a juvenile court judge. She spends her days helping troubled kids--including her own fatherless twin boys.
Through her sons, she meets Kirk Chandler. Kirk's given up a successful corporate career and dedicated himself to helping the children in his Phoenix community...as a basketball coach, as a crossing guard, as an adult who encourages them to strive for the best.
Kirk becomes an increasingly important part of her family's life, even spending Christmas with Valerie and her twins. And Valerie discovers that she and Kirk not only share a commitment to protecting children, they share a deep attraction--and a personal connection that shocks them both.
The Promise of Christmas
Adult Contemporary Romance
ebook, 304 pages
November 1st 2005 by Harlequin Special Releases
Leslie Sanderson's brother, Cal, is dead--and he's left behind two children no one knew he had. She and Kip Webster, Cal's closest friend, "inherit" these secret kids.
As they form their makeshift family, Leslie and Kip decide to share a house. And that leads to other kinds of sharing.... One night, just before Christmas, Leslie tells him about the devastating thing that happened when she was young--something she's kept secret all this time.
Because in Kip, she finds the promise of safety, acceptance and love. The promise of what family should be. The promise of Christmas....
The Holiday Visitor
(Cover used from to-be reissued paperback.)
Adult Contemporary Romance
Paperback & ebook, 256 pages
April 1st 2008 by Harlequin Special Releases
Marybeth Lawson has the life she's always wanted. And it all revolves around her cozy bed-and-breakfast. As busy as it keeps her, there is no room for romance, which is fine with her. Then one Christmas, the very good-looking Craig McKellips reserves a room--and everything changes. The attraction between them is intense and instant.
With each visit, the connection between them deepens and Marybeth marvels as the wall around her heart crumbles. Could Craig be the one? Then he reveals a shocking secret that threatens their relationship. Now Marybeth must pick up the pieces and discover what it means to really know someone...and love them anyway.
Praise for Tara Taylor Quinn
Her writing is dramatic, her characters realistic, her stories involving.
—#1 New York Times Bestseller, Debbie Macomber
One of the skills that has served Quinn best...has been her ability to explore edgier subjects.
—Publisher's Weekly
Quinn writes touching stories about real people that transcend plot type or sub-genre.
—Rachel Potter, All About Romance
Tara Taylor Quinn's deeply felt stories of romance and family will warm your heart.
—Jennifer Crusie, New York Times Bestseller Author
Tara Taylor Quinn's attention to craft is exquisitely fine-tuned. Ms. Quinn intertwines captivating characters, emotional fervor and compelling conflict into a poignant love story.
—Romantic Times Magazine
Character-driven suspense at its best with rapid-fire pacing that makes you feel as if the pages are turning themselves. I inhaled it in two sittings.
—Hallie Ephron, reviewer, Boston Globe
About the Author
The author of more than 70 original novels, in twenty languages,
Tara Taylor Quinn is a USA Today bestseller with over six million copies sold. A 2015 RITA finalist Tara appears frequently on bestseller lists, including #1 placement on Amazon lists, and multiple showings on the Publisher’s Weekly Bestseller list. She has appeared on national and local TV across the country, including CBS Sunday Morning.
Tara is a supporter of the National Domestic Violence Hotline. If you or someone you know might be a victim of domestic violence in the United States, please contact 1-800-799-7233.
$10 VISA Gift Card (US only)
2 ebook Winner's: Wife by Design, Once a Family, and Husband by Choice (open internationally)
Ends December 15th
Someday, Maybe
Someday, Maybe
