Page 120 of A Shot at Love
She pulled him down so their lips were firmly pressed against one another now.
When they came up for air, he squinted down at her and asked, “You’re sure?”
Her lips pulled into the wicked, heart-stopping grin he loved beyond all else. “I’m sure.” She kissed him, hard and fast. “Trust me.”
Recipes Grandma Sophie’s Creamy Tomato Soup Grandma knew the benefit of using plant-based products way before they became the current rage. Adding unsweetened almond milk to this delicious soup instead of a heavy cream not only makes the soup more nutritious, it eliminates a ton of excess calories as well! Grandma used her own tomato sauce, canned from her garden tomatoes, but you can use commercially canned tomato sauce if you don’t garden.
Ingredients: Serves 8
½ stick (¼ cup) unsalted butter at room temperature 1 small onion, peeled and chopped
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped fine ¼ cup tomato paste—any commercial brand will do 2 quarts home-canned tomato sauce OR 2-28 ounce cans commercial sauce, plain and unflavored 2 tablespoons sugar, divided
8 cups warm water
¾ cup unsweetened almond milk at room temperature ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
Parsley flakes to garnish—to taste, if so desired.
Preparation:
Melt the butter in a heavy, large stockpot over medium heat. Do not let it burn. Once melted, add the onion and the garlic and cook until the onion is soft and translucent—about 10–11 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring often, until the paste begins to caramelize—about 5–7 minutes. Do not let it burn.
Add the tomato sauce, 1 tablespoon of the sugar, and 8 cups of warm water to the pot. Increase the heat level to high and bring the liquids to a simmer. Once it simmers, reduce the heat and continue simmering, uncovered, until the soup reduces to about 2 quarts, total (8 cups). This will take one hour, to one hour and ten minutes.
After that time, remove the soup from the heat and let it cool for approximately 15 minutes. Then, in batches of two cups at a time, add the liquids to a blender or processer, and puree until smooth. Return the pureed soup to the stockpot. Add the remaining sugar, stir in the cream, and simmer for 15–20 minutes again, uncovered.
Once the flavors are all melded together, add the salt, stir, and serve.
Garnish with parsley flakes, if you so desire.
YiaYia’s Lemon Chicken You can serve this with roasted potatoes or couscous.
Ingredients: Serves 4
2 teaspoons lemon zest
¼ cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
4–5 minced garlic cloves
1 tablespoon oregano
¾ teaspoon Kosher salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper 1 green pepper, cubed
1 small onion, peeled and cubed
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
Preparation:
In a small bowl, combine the lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, oregano, and salt and pepper. Set aside.
In a large frying pan, drizzle some olive oil to coat the bottom and place over a low-medium flame (heat) on top of the stove. Once the oil is heated, place the chicken breasts in it, cover, and cook over low-medium heat for 4–5 minutes per side, until the chicken is somewhat brown and doesn’t stick to the pan when pulled away. Remove when done and set aside.
Drizzle a large casserole pan with a little olive oil to coat the bottom and the sides. Spread the cubed vegetables along the bottom of the pan and then drizzle half the lemon mixture over them. Lay the 4, browned, chicken breasts over the vegetables and drizzle with the remaining lemon mixture to coat the breasts. Cover and cook on low-low/medium heat until chicken is cooked and vegetables are soft (approximately 15–20 minutes, depending on the type of stove and thickness of casserole pan.) Uncover, check chicken for doneness, and serve with roasted potatoes or couscous as a side dish.
Keep reading for a sneak peek at Stacy’s Story
CAN’T STAND THE HEAT
Coming soon from
Peggy Jaeger
And
Lyrical Shine
Chapter One
“I can’t believe I let Teddy Davis talk me into this,” Stacy Peters mumbled as she rifled through her underwear drawer. “I could be on a tropical beach right now, sipping some exotic, fruity drink, instead of packing for a trip to Hell.” She tossed two bras into the open suitcase on her bed.
