Blog Tour: Bar Bites (Man of the Month Series) by J. Kenner & Suzanne M. Johnson

Join Man of the Month creator, New York Times bestselling author J. Kenner, and USA Today bestselling Southern food expert Suzanne Johnson as they guide you through their favorite bar bite and drink recipes served at The Fix on Sixth. And don’t forget to spend some time learning a little bit more about the private lives of your favorite characters in all new snippets and short stories! Brought to you by 1,001 Dark Nights, BAR BITES is now available! Grab your copy today!

Title: Bar Bites

Series: Man of the Month Series
Author: J. Kenner & Suzanne M. Johnson

Release Date: May 15th, 2018

Synopsis:

Before Austin’s hotspot, The Fix on Sixth, became known for its sexy and fun Man of the Month calendar contest, the fictional downtown bar had already developed a reputation for fabulous drinks and mouthwatering bar bites—exactly the kind of venue to take a date and strike up a romance. Now it’s your chance to see exactly what’s on the menu … and to get a peek at the private lives of the men and women who not only work at The Fix, but who’ve made it the place to be in Austin, Texas.

Join Man of the Month creator, New York Times bestselling author J. Kenner, and USA Today bestselling Southern food expert Suzanne Johnson as they guide you through their favorite bar bite and drink recipes served at The Fix on Sixth. Learn how to make the delicious bar bites that Tyree’s bar has become famous for. Whip up your favorite cocktail with the same flare as Cameron or Eric. And don’t forget to spend some time learning a little bit more about the private lives of your favorite characters in all new snippets and short stories!

Most of all, come share a drink, a bite, and a laugh with us! We’re so glad you’re here.

So pull up a chair, raise a glass, and dig in with your favorite Man of the Month characters, and meet a few new ones, too!

Cheers!

Purchase Links:

Spencer Dean knew her better than anyone in the world, and in that moment, she knew that she didn’t have to explain. He got it. More important, he got her.

He reached down and she put her hands in his, relishing the comfort of their connection as he tugged her gently to her feet. “They’re gone,” he repeated. “At least for now. And I’m so, so sorry.”

It was that apology that finally got her mind humming again. That, and the simple fact that having him beside her had sent relief coursing through her with so much power that she didn’t have any room left inside her for the irritation and frustration.

“You don’t have anything to apologize for,” she said. “I’m the one who lost it.” She released his hands and dragged her fingers through her long, blond hair. “I tripped over my own damn feet and everything inside me just exploded, but it’s not your fault.”

“Isn’t it?” He cocked his head toward the den, then pressed his palm gently against her back and steered her off the sunporch and into the house proper. She sat on the sofa they’d picked out two episodes ago. This was the first room to be fully finished, and as she settled back against the thick, comfortable cushions, she looked up at the high, tiled ceiling and the restored period molding. Not a detail had been ignored, and the room was a showplace now. And she and Spencer owed that to the television program as much to their own hard work and planning.

She drew in a long breath, then released it again. “No,” she said firmly. “It’s not your fault.”

“I’m the one who pushed for Mansion Makeover. I’m the one who made this show happen.” He sat down next to her, his thigh hard against hers. Then took her hand and twined their fingers together. She squeezed, relishing this connection to him. The man she loved. The man she’d lost once, but had miraculously regained.

“I want it, too,” she said. “I love this place.” The historic mansion had been stunning even in its dilapidated state, and slowly but surely they were bringing it back to life. It was work she loved with a man she loved. There was just that one little hitch. “It’s only…it’s just…I mean, I guess I finally reached my limit of being under the microscope. I don’t normally mind—I really don’t. I knew what I signed on for when I agreed to do the show with you. But they’re here all the time. And tomorrow—our engagement party? Except it isn’t even really our party because it was their idea. Molly and Adam’s.”

She sucked in another breath and leaned against him. “I know I sound whiney and ungrateful considering that once it’s over we’re going to have this incredible home. It’s just that every time I turn around it feels like someone from the production is behind me.”

“I get it,” he said, brushing his thumb along the curve of her jaw, the contact sending shivers through her. “I really do.”

Slowly, he kissed her. His mouth firm against hers. Tender at first, then with rising heat, until the ache inside her consumed her, so that she gasped with love and longing when he pulled away, his eyes shining with need.

“And Angel,” he said, “they’re not here now.”

About the Authors:

J. Kenner

Julie Kenner (aka J. Kenner and J.K. Beck) is the New York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of over forty novels, novellas and short stories in a variety of genres. Praised by Publishers Weekly as an author with a “flair for dialogue and eccentric characterizations,” J.K. writes a range of stories including super sexy romances, paranormal romance, chick lit suspense and paranormal mommy lit. Her foray into the latter, Carpe Demon: Adventures of a Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom by Julie Kenner, is in development as a feature film with 1492 Pictures. Her most recent trilogy of erotic romances, The Stark Trilogy (as J. Kenner), reached as high as #2 on the New York Times list and is published in over twenty countries. J.K. lives in Central Texas, with her husband, two daughters, and several cats.

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Suzanne M. Johnson

USA Today bestselling author Suzanne Johnson is family trained, a south Georgia native who's been cooking all of her life, creating not only some really unique food, but precious memories that re-occur every time she smells something simmering in the oven. In all of her books, Suzanne shows that making a delicious meal doesn't have to be complicated--it just has to be made with love. So go ahead, don't be bashful, dive right in. Who knows? You might just make a few memories of your own.

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My Review:

Cooking is one of my favorite past times. Coming close only to reading. So combining great recipes with short stories by one of my favorite authors, is a winning combination in my book. If you are a fan of the Man of the Month series, you will definitely love the short stories that give you a little glimpses in the lives of some of your favorite couples: Reece and Jenna, Nolan and Shelby, Brooke and Spencer. And as a cherry on top, you will get one extra. The story of Tiffany and Eric. All these short stories are sweet, romantic, a little bit funny and just the right amount of sexy :) So be sure to check them out.

And if you love good food and great cocktails, then you should definitely explore the recipes in the book. I already tried a couple and I am definitely a fan of everything The Fix on Sixth has to offer :D And just so I don't leave you in the dark, I figured I will share with you the two recipes I tried. They are fast and easy and just sinfully good. So let's start with the salty one :)

Butternut Squash Soup

Products:

1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch pieces

1 onion, diced

2 carrots, diced

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon minced garlic

Salt and pepper to taste

3 cups chicken stock

4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

I started by pre-heating the oven to 400°F (200° C). After I diced all the ingredients, with the exception of the garlic. I like using a garlic press instead of mincing it because it saves me a bunch of time :) And it also makes the garlic into really small pieces. Not that it really matters when you are going to blend everything in the end but it is much easier to mix the ingredients.

Once everything was prepared, I mixed the vegetables with the olive oil and garlic. Once everything was well coated with oil and garlic, I put the vegetables in a single lair on a cookie sheet and seasoned with salt and pepper. I baked the vegetables for around 40 min but that will pretty much depend on your oven. Basically, you need to bake them until the squash is tender :)

According to the recipe, the roasted vegetables are put into a pot, together with the chicken stock and brought to a boil. So that's exactly what I did :) When the soup started boiling, I reduced the heat and left to simmer for another 10 min or so (the soup needs to thicken slightly). To be honest, I didn't wait for the soup to really thicken as I use my Vitamix to blend soups. The blender creates additional heat and thickens the soups additionally :) As it is, I actually needed to add some additional hot water because it became too thick.

I served the soup with crumbled bacon and Parmesan cheese as the recipe instructed and it was so, so good. I just might reduce the garlic next time and see how that works. And I know this is a winter soup but as I live in the UK, half of our May was practically winter :D So I thoroughly enjoyed warming up in the evening while reading Tiffany and Eric's story :)

Now it's time for the desert <3 As I was looking for something else fast and easy and most importantly a recipe in which I don't have to make substitutes (it's really a pain when you can't find the ingredients you need), I decided to make chocolate chip cookies :)

White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies

Products:

1 stick (113g) butter, softened

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips

1 cup dried cranberries

Chocolate chip cookies are a pretty straight forward affair. But finding a recipe with the right ingredients and proportions that will give you that crispy outside and chewy inside is definitely not the easiest task in the world. But this recipe creates exactly that elusive masterpiece of a chocolate chip cookie :) Yum!!!

So let's do the basics. Using a hand mixer, I creamed together the butter and sugar until smooth, then added the eggs and vanilla. Once everything was mixed well, I spooned in the flour, baking soda and baking powder and continued mixing until blended. In the end I added the white chocolate chips and cranberries and folded them into the batter with a spoon. I probably could've used the mixer but I didn't want to break the chocolate chips or tear the cranberries.

The recipe calls to place 1 tablespoon at a time on a greased cookie sheet but I prefer to use an ice-cream scooper. It helps make the cookies more uniform and for me it is definitely much easier than using a normal spoon. Just make sure you leave enough space between the cookies so you don't get one giant cookie in the end :D

The cookies need to be baked for 12-14 minuets (I baked them for around 13) at a preheated oven on 300°F (175° C). Once baked, I left them to cool down on a wire rack for around 30 min :) After that, I thoroughly enjoyed them with my morning coffee. Even brought some to work and now I have requests for more :D The only thing I might change in this delicious recipe, is exchange the white chocolate chips with a dark one but in the end, no matter how you make it, I am sure you will love these cookies <3