The Twelve Days of Christmas Blog - Day 2

What's going on here??

This is my 12 Days of Christmas Blog Giveaway:
In addition to posting a recipe, I'll be asking a trivia question each day.  At the end of the 12 Days, if you answered one of my trivia questions or if you left a NEW comment on my blogs, you will be entered to win a $25.00 gift card to your choice of either Amazon or Barnes and Noble.

That's 2 ways to enter to win the gift card:
1.  Send a trivia question answer to me at: annlawrencetrivia@gmail.com
**DO NOT ANSWER IN THE COMMENT SECTION!**
2.  Make a comment on this blog.
(It is also okay to go back to any of the 12 Days of Christmas blog entries and answer that question or leave a comment.)

Trivia Question #2

Visit my website and tell me in which state you can find Savage Bay, the fictitious seaside village in which I've set my holiday book, CHRISTMAS IN SAVAGE BAY.

My website:  http://www.annlawrence.com

CHRISTMAS IN SAVAGE BAY was fun to write.  One inspiration for the story was a sled.  When I first wrote the story, there was no sledding scene.  But the moment I saw the cover art, I knew I had to include the sled in the book.  What resulted is one of my favorite scenes...for a snippet, scroll past the recipe!

Recipe #2
Here is the second of my recipes, one my mom has been making since about 1945!
English Plum Pudding (circa 1945)
**Pudding molds can be found in cookery shops or online***
3/4 cups sifted flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp mace
3/4 cup plain bread crumbs
1/2 c. butter
3/4 c. firmly packed brown sugar
3 eggs
1-1/2 c. raisins
1 c. currants
1/2 c candied fruit (optional)
1/2 c slivered almonds (optional)
2 T brandy
Directions:
Sift flour, soda, salt, and spices into a small bowl.  Stir in bread crumbs.  Cream butter with brown sugar until fluffy in a large bowl.  Beat in eggs one at a time along with the brandy.  Stir in flour mixture until blended.  Fold in raisins and currants (and candied fruit and nuts if using them).  Spoon into a buttered mold. (You could spray oil the mold instead to make your life easier, but set upside down on paper towels to be sure all excess oil is drained out.) Place the lid on the mold.  Set it on a trivet in a pot of gently simmering water (Water should come 1/2 way up the mold).  Cover the pot tightly.  Steam 3/4 to 1 hour.  Sorry, can’t be more precise here.  It depends on the mold.  Test occasionally as you would any cake.  A skewer or sharp knife should come out of the pudding clean if it is done and it should be coming away from the sides of the mold.  Do not, however, over bake or it will be dry.  Add boiling water to pot as necessary.   Serve warm with brandied hard sauce or custard cream.
Tip:  Make a “sling” out of string and lower and lift the pudding mold from the steaming pot with the string to avoid burning your fingers.
Serves 6.

Traditionally, you could douse the pudding in brandy and light it, but I've never had any luck doing this! Vanilla ice cream is also good with this dessert, and it reheats in the microwave really well if made ahead of time.

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CHRISTMAS IN SAVAGE BAY staring Kara Sinclair and Reed Savage

A sledding snippet...

     The night was crisp and cold.  The afternoon drizzle had put an icy coating on the snow.  It crunched beneath their feet as they walked hand-in-hand behind the Sinclair stables.  Reed took them to the top of a hill that had looked far higher and longer when he’d been eight.  But it would do.

      He sat on the back of the sled, his legs spread, and patted the wood between his thighs.  Kara sat in front of him and wiggled her butt close against him.  He wrapped his arms around her, kissing her warm cheek, and enjoying the feel of her in his arms.

     “I think we weigh too much to get this sled going,” she said.

     “It’s going just where I planned it would.”

CHRISTMAS IN SAVAGE BAY is a fun and hot holiday read . . . think men in kilts, sledding, mistletoe, and a touch of arson!

Start reading NOW!  Click here.

Book 1 in my new Savage Bay Series

Savage Bay  . . . Where all the men need taming and the women are up to the task!

Come back tomorrow for another recipe and trivia question!

REMEMBER TO EMAIL THE ANSWER TO THE TRIVIA QUESTION:  annlawrencetrivia@gmail.com