We're so excited to be apart of the blog tour for. . .
One & Only by Viv Daniels!
Series: Canton #1
Author: Viv Daniels
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: Nov. 8, 2013
Genre: NA Contemporary Romance
Buy: Barnes & Noble | Amazon | Amazon UK | Kobo | Smashwords
Summary:
One night they can't forget...
Tess McMann lives her life according to the secrets she's sworn to keep: the father who won't acknowledge her, the sister who doesn't know she exists, and the mother who's content playing mistress to a prominent businessman. When she meets the distractingly cute Dylan Kingsley at a prestigious summer program and falls in love, Tess allows herself to imagine a life beyond these secrets. But when summer ends, so does their relationship -- Dylan heads off to Canton College while Tess enrolls at the state university.
One love they can't ignore...
Two years later, a scholarship brings Tess to Canton and back into Dylan's life. Their attraction is as strong as ever, but Dylan has a girlfriend…who also happens to be Tess's legitimate half-sister. Tess refuses to follow in her mother's footsteps, which leaves her only one choice: break the rules she’s always followed, or allow Dylan to slip away for a second time.
...And only one chance to get things right.
~~~~~
The Guest Post (by Viv Daniels)
In my book, ONE & ONLY, the hero, Dylan Kingsley, is a bioengineering major and an avid foodie. When he first meets the heroine Tess, he extols the virtues of Cornell cheese. Later, he makes her dinner based on a recipe for baked shrimp and feta cheese that he learned while on a trip to Greece the summer before. This is how you make it:
Dylan’s ONE & ONLY Shrimp and Feta
—1 Tbsp olive oil
—1 medium onion, chopped
—2 cloves garlic, minced
—2 cans of diced tomatoes
—1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
—1 Tbsp minced fresh dill or 1 teaspoon dried dill
—1 lb medium sized raw shrimp, peeled and deveined (can leave tails on), thaw if frozen but running under cool water for several minutes
—Salt and pepper to taste
—1 cup feta, crumbled
1) Preheat oven to 425°F. Heat oil in a large skillet on medium high heat. Add the onions and cook until softened, 3-5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook about 30 seconds more.
2) Add the tomatoes (with juice) and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer for 5-10 minutes, until the juices thicken a bit.
3) Prepare an oven-proof casserole dish with thawed, raw shrimp, herbs, and feta. Remove onion/tomato mixture from heat, pour over the shrimp, etc., in the casserole dish. Place pan in the oven and bake, uncovered, until shrimp are cooked through, about 10-12 minutes.
Serve immediately with a loaf of crusty bread and the person you love most in the world.
—1 Tbsp olive oil
—1 medium onion, chopped
—2 cloves garlic, minced
—2 cans of diced tomatoes
—1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
—1 Tbsp minced fresh dill or 1 teaspoon dried dill
—1 lb medium sized raw shrimp, peeled and deveined (can leave tails on), thaw if frozen but running under cool water for several minutes
—Salt and pepper to taste
—1 cup feta, crumbled
~~~
1) Preheat oven to 425°F. Heat oil in a large skillet on medium high heat. Add the onions and cook until softened, 3-5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook about 30 seconds more.
2) Add the tomatoes (with juice) and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer for 5-10 minutes, until the juices thicken a bit.
3) Prepare an oven-proof casserole dish with thawed, raw shrimp, herbs, and feta. Remove onion/tomato mixture from heat, pour over the shrimp, etc., in the casserole dish. Place pan in the oven and bake, uncovered, until shrimp are cooked through, about 10-12 minutes.
Serve immediately with a loaf of crusty bread and the person you love most in the world.
But wait! There's more:
The first time he and Tess spend the night together, he makes her homemade baklava. Baklava is a sticky, buttery, decadent Greek dessert, and it’s not actually that hard to make on your own. Here’s Dylan’s recipe:
Dylan’s ONE & ONLY Baklava
—1 package phyllo dough
—4 cups chopped walnuts
—1 teaspoon cinnamon
—1 1/2 sticks melted butter
—2 cups honey
—1/2 cup water
—1/2 cup granulated sugar
—2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1) Thaw a package of phyllo dough in fridge for 24 hours. When ready to make baklava, take dough out of package and cover with a damp cloth to keep moist while working.
2) Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit. Butter the bottom and sides of a glass, 9x13 inch baking pan.
3) Toss the chopped nuts with the cinnamon.
4) Butter a sheet of phyllo and place it in the pan. Repeat this process six more times.
5) Spread a thin layer of the nut mixture on the top sheet.
6) Butter two more sheets of phyllo and place them in the pan.
7) Repeat steps 5-6 until you run out of nuts (usually this is 3-4 layers, total).
8) Top with 6 more sheets of buttered phyllo dough. Butter the top sheet.
9) Cut the pan through all the layers into a diamond shape by cutting 5-6 long diagonal cuts from corner to corner across the pan.
10) Bake for 45 minutes, or until golden brown.
11) While baklava is cooking, make sauce by simmering water and sugar until melted, then stirring in honey and vanilla until smooth and melty. Reduce heat to low, then simmer for about 20 minutes.
12) As soon as baklava leaves oven, drizzle sauce over the top. Start with half the sauce, then keep adding until it’s good and saturated.
13) Leave sit for several hours until it’s all nice and sticky. Eat it all up. If you have leftovers (and why would that be?) don’t cover them, as it makes the baklava soggy.
Enjoy with a loved one!
—1 package phyllo dough
—4 cups chopped walnuts
—1 teaspoon cinnamon
—1 1/2 sticks melted butter
—2 cups honey
—1/2 cup water
—1/2 cup granulated sugar
—2 teaspoons vanilla extract
~~~
1) Thaw a package of phyllo dough in fridge for 24 hours. When ready to make baklava, take dough out of package and cover with a damp cloth to keep moist while working.
2) Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit. Butter the bottom and sides of a glass, 9x13 inch baking pan.
3) Toss the chopped nuts with the cinnamon.
4) Butter a sheet of phyllo and place it in the pan. Repeat this process six more times.
5) Spread a thin layer of the nut mixture on the top sheet.
6) Butter two more sheets of phyllo and place them in the pan.
7) Repeat steps 5-6 until you run out of nuts (usually this is 3-4 layers, total).
8) Top with 6 more sheets of buttered phyllo dough. Butter the top sheet.
9) Cut the pan through all the layers into a diamond shape by cutting 5-6 long diagonal cuts from corner to corner across the pan.
10) Bake for 45 minutes, or until golden brown.
11) While baklava is cooking, make sauce by simmering water and sugar until melted, then stirring in honey and vanilla until smooth and melty. Reduce heat to low, then simmer for about 20 minutes.
12) As soon as baklava leaves oven, drizzle sauce over the top. Start with half the sauce, then keep adding until it’s good and saturated.
13) Leave sit for several hours until it’s all nice and sticky. Eat it all up. If you have leftovers (and why would that be?) don’t cover them, as it makes the baklava soggy.
Enjoy with a loved one!
About the author:
Viv Daniels writes love stories for the young and young at heart. Like many of her characters, she met her husband in college, and knows all the ins and outs of navigating that kind of relationship — from how to date when you’re both flat broke to how to fit two people in narrow dorm room bed.
Her favorite new adult authors include Tammara Webber, J. Lynn, and Cora Carmack.
Viv can usually be found on her Facebook page or Twitter feed, chatting with readers about her favorite New Adult fiction, or sharing pictures of cute boys.
~~~~~
The Giveaways
Viv is generously offering a One & Only "swag pack" (including a O&O bookmark & charm, and assorted gifts and books by Viv and other NA authors) to one lucky T3 reader! All the rules are in the rafflecopter.
Viv is also hosting a blog tour-wide giveaway, for a myriad of prizes! View all the rules in the rafflecopter.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
