Today I have a treat for you. Today’s christmas Spotlight is with Holly Martin. Not only do I have a guest post for you I also have the first chapter from Holly’s two Christmas Releases.
How NOT to make egg nog
My sister in law is American so many years ago, me and my mom decided to make her egg nog for when she came round to celebrate Christmas. We got the ingredients and the recipe, it looked relatively easy, how hard could it be?
Step 1; Test the brandy and the rum
Me: Which should we put in, brandy or rum?
Mom: Let’s see which one tastes better
*I take a sip of brandy
Me: The brandy is nice.
Mom: I like the rum.
Me: Let me try, oh yes the rum is nice.
*take another drink of brandy.
Me: I like the brandy though
Mom: Let’s put both in.
Me: Great idea.
Step 2:Separate the eggs.
Me: How do you separate eggs?
Mom: You put an egg cup over the yolk to trap it and tip the egg white into a different bowl.
Me: I’ve broke the egg yolk… On two eggs
Mom: It doesn’t matter, it’ll get mixed together in the end anyway.
Me: I’ve dropped the egg white on the floor, it just sort of slithered off the plate.
Mom: Well clean it up
Me: But won’t we be short of egg whites, the egg white/yolk ratio will be off.
Mom: It’ll be fine.
Step 3: Whisk egg yolks and sugar in a saucepan over a medium heat
Mom: I’m not whisking anything in the saucepan, the saucepan will get damaged.
Me: What do you suggest then?
Mom: We can use a pyrex dish.
Me: It’s glass, won’t it break over the heat?
Mom: No, it’s fine. Its strong enough to put in the oven on a high heat, I’m sure the hob won’t be hotter than the oven
*put eggs and sugar into a pyrex dish and stick it on the hob. I start whisking the eggs and sugar together.
Me: This dish is getting really hot
Mom: It’ll be fine
Me: Oh my god! The dish has just snapped in half.
Mom: You’re getting egg all over the hob.
Me: Quick scoop up the egg, put it in a different bowl.
Mom: The egg is burning on the hob
Me: It’s fine, we’ll clear it up once the hob cools down. Just save the egg that isn’t burning.
*After several minutes we manage to rescue half the egg mixture.
Step 4: In a bowl, whisk egg whites with sugar until soft peaks form.
Mom: I’ve been whisking these egg whites for ten minutes, they still aren’t getting peaky
Me: We’re not looking for Mount Everest here Mom, it just needs to be fluffy. Are they fluffy?
*Mom looks at the egg whites and pulls a face.
Mom: They’re frothy?
Me: That’ll do.
Step 5: Whisk Rum or Brandy (both) with egg yolks, egg whites, milk, cream, nutmeg, and cinnamon in the saucepan
Me: Are we using a saucepan this time?
Mom: No, that pyrex dish was very old, thats why it broke.
Me: Nothing to do with the heat?
Mom: No, we’ll use a new pyrex dish. It’ll be fine.
*pour all ingredients into a new pyrex dish, put it on the hob and start whisking.
Me: Oh my god. This dish has just snapped too.
Mom: Its going everywhere.
Me: Scoop it up, quick.
Mom: Its going all over the rings.
Me: Turn the heat off
Mom: I’ve saved some.
Me: You’ve saved enough for one shot glass.
Mom: It’ll be fine.
Step 6: Pour into a glass and chill in the fridge.
Mom: Its not really pouring
Me: Its very thick isn’t it. Just spoon it into the shot glass.
Mom: Looks like custard.
Me: What does it taste like.
Mom: I don’t know, there’s not enough there to taste, let’s save it for Julie.
Me: I don’t think Julie will want to drink it, it’s got black bits floating in it.
Mom: It’ll be fine.
Step 7. Serve
*sister in law arrives.
Me: We made you egg nog!!!
Julie: Oh. I’m probably one of the only Americans in the world that doesn’t like egg nog.
*sees our disappointed faces
Julie: But I’m sure its lovely.
*picks up glass and tries to drink it, egg nog stays in glass.
Julie: Erm do you have a spoon.
*I rush off to get a spoon.
*Julie scoops some out of the glass and chews (yes that’s right, chews) on the mixture.
Julie: tastes delicious
*puts the glass down
Julie: I’ll probably have the rest later, I don’t want to spoil my appetite
*she never did finish it later
White Cliff Bay Teasers
Chapter One of Christmas At Lilac Cottage
Chapter One of Snowflakes on Silver Cove
Christmas at Lilac Cottage by Holly Martin Also by this author: One Hundred Proposals, One Hundred Christmas Proposals, The Sentinel, Tied Up with Love
Series: White Cliff Bay #1
Also in this series: Christmas at Lilac Cottage, Snowflakes on Silver Cove, Summer at Rose Island
Published by Bookouture on 25th September 2015
Pages: 289
Goodreads
Amazon Kindle, Audible
Welcome to the charming seaside town of White Cliff Bay, where Christmas is magical and love is in the air…
Penny Meadows loves her home – a cosy cottage decorated with pretty twinkling fairy lights and stunning views over the town of White Cliff Bay. She also loves her job as an ice-carver, creating breathtaking sculptures. Yet her personal life seems frozen.
When Henry and daughter Daisy arrive at the cottage to rent the annex, Penny is determined to make them feel welcome. But while Daisy is friendly, Henry seems guarded.
As Penny gets to know Henry, she realises there is more to him than meets the eye. And the connection between them is too strong to ignore…
While the spirit of the season sprinkles its magic over the seaside town and preparations for the ice sculpting competition and Christmas eve ball are in full swing, can Penny melt the ice and allow love in her heart? And will this finally be the perfect Christmas she’s been dreaming of?
Like a creamy hot chocolate with marshmallows, you won’t want to put this deliciously heartwarming novel down.
Spend the perfect Christmas in White Cliff Bay this year. Snowflakes on Silver Cove coming very soon.
Snowflakes on Silver Cove by Holly Martin Also by this author: One Hundred Proposals, One Hundred Christmas Proposals, The Sentinel, Tied Up with Love
Series: White Cliff Bay #2
Also in this series: Christmas at Lilac Cottage, Snowflakes on Silver Cove, Summer at Rose Island
Published by Bookouture on 30th October 2015
Pages: 294
Goodreads
Amazon Kindle, Audible
Libby Joseph is famous for her romantic Christmas stories. Every December, readers devour her books of falling in love against the magical backdrop of the Christmas season. If only Libby believed in the magic herself…
Struggling to finish her current novel, Libby turns to her best friend and neighbour George Donaldson to cheer her up. But George also needs a bit of support himself. Nervous about getting back into the dating saddle after splitting from his wife, he and Libby strike a deal. She will teach George how to win over the ladies, and Libby will in turn be inspired to inject her novel with a good dose of romance.
As Libby and George explore the beautiful White Cliff Bay on a series of romantic Christmas-themed dates, Libby finds herself having more fun than she’s had in ages and…discovers feelings that she never knew she had for George.
But is it too late? Will George win someone else’s heart or can Libby act like the heroine in one of her stories and reach for her own love under the mistletoe this Christmas?
Snuggle up with a piece of Christmas cake and mulled wine, and spend the festive season at White Cliff Bay. You won’t want to leave! Christmas at Lilac Cottage also out now.
About Holly Martin
Holly has been writing for six years. She was shortlisted for the New Talent Award at the Festival of Romance. Her short story won the Sunlounger competition and was published in the Sunlounger anthology. She won the Carina Valentine's competition at the Festival of Romance 2013 with her novel The Guestbook. She was shortlisted for Best Romantic Read, Best eBook and Innovation in Romantic Fiction at the Festival of Romance 2014. Holly lives in Bedfordshire.
About Holly Martin
Holly has been writing for six years. She was shortlisted for the New Talent Award at the Festival of Romance. Her short story won the Sunlounger competition and was published in the Sunlounger anthology. She won the Carina Valentine’s competition at the Festival of Romance 2013 with her novel The Guestbook. She was shortlisted for Best Romantic Read, Best eBook and Innovation in Romantic Fiction at the Festival of Romance 2014. Holly lives in Bedfordshire.
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