Suzanne would come down from Georgia, lugging massive amounts of food in tow, and she’d cook for us…for hours.
Hours.
Sometimes, Liz and I would leave her alone to do her thing.
Sometimes, Liz and I would sit and chat with her.
Most of the time, we all had wine.
One of these times, Liz’s husband, Steve, who I utterly adore, but who has the palate of a three-year-old (one day, I may share the story of Steve accidentally biting into a slice of my fig, goat cheese and prosciutto pizza, the results not being pretty…for Steve, but they were hilarious…for Liz and me), kept us regaled with his usual hilarity.
In this instance, going on and on and on about his favorite dessert…“Puddin’ Pie.”
Now, Chicklets, Suzanne is making gourmet deviled eggs and bruschetta and bacon knots, and when I say this, she’s been cooking for eight freaking hours, and Steve wants her to make “Puddin’ Pie,” which is a store-bought pie crust filled with boxed chocolate pudding.
The woman is sprinkling cotija cheese on top of deviled eggs with an eagle eye akin to Van Gogh painting a sunflower and Steve wants her to whip up boxed pudding.
Needless to say, watching these two interact, I’m almost paralytic with laughter.
In the end, she shares the kitchen while Steve makes his pie.
Because she loves him.
That’s what it’s all about.
And straight up, that Puddin’ Pie did not suck.
These, my Chicklets, are precious memories.
And from those, the words and the food in this book, from Suzanne and me to you, is a labor of love.
I hope you open this book often and make these recipes for your family and friends and create your own precious memories.
I hope that with all my heart.
PS: I mention food in my books often. And if I have the recipe, I post it on my website. So if you want more, feel free to peruse my beloved family and life recipes here: www.kristenashley.net/encore/recipes/
PPS: For more awesomeness from Suzanne, and her cadre of author friends (who also are mine), be certain to find her Southern Bits and Bites series, as well as the books she’s done with Lexi Blake, Larissa Ione, J. Kenner, and Kristen Proby. For ease to get you this goodness, a list of these are at the end of this book.
* * * *
Coming soon from Suzanne M. Johnson and New York Times bestselling author Lorelei James…
Cowboy Bites: A Rough Riders Cookbook
Coming February 23, 2021
Click here to purchase.
Saddle up and get ready to ride again with the infamous McKay family!
New York Times bestselling author Lorelei James has whipped up six brand new Rough Riders short stories featuring fan favorite couples—Cord and AJ, Colby and Channing, Keely and Jack, Colt and India, Carter and Macie, and Boone and Sierra.
These slice of life tales are the perfect accompaniment to USA Today Bestselling author Suzanne Johnson’s delicious, down home recipes—family fare created to share round the table with love, laughter, and plenty of second helpings.
So kick off your boots, hang up your hat and prepare to stay awhile as you’re entertained and tantalized with Cowboy Bites!
Dream Bites Character Reference
Dream Team Series
Evie and Mag – Dream Maker (available)
Boone and Ryn – Dream Chaser (at publication of this cookbook, as yet unpublished, releasing December 22, 2020)
Hattie and Axl – Dream Spinner (at publication of this cookbook, as yet unpublished, releasing Summer 2021)
Pepper and Auggie – (Title TBD: at publication of this cookbook, as yet unpublished, releasing Winter 2021)
Brett “Cisco” Rappaport, all of the above.
Chaos Series
Hound – Wild Like the Wind (available)
High and Millie – Walk through Fire (available)
Dream Man Series
Hawk and Gwen Delgado, Elvira – Mystery Man (available)
Tack and Tyra Allen (and Elvira) – Motorcycle Man and Chaos Series (all available)
Lottie and Mo Morrison – Quiet Man (available)
Rock Chick
Tex, Duke, Indy, Lee, Ally, Jet, Eddie, Sadie Daisy, Shirleen, Smithie, Ray, Tod and Stevie, Slick.
All ten titles in the Rock Chick series are available. Click here for more information.
Other Books by Kristen Ashley
Rock Chick Series:
Rock Chick
Rock Chick Rescue
Rock Chick Redemption
Rock Chick Renegade
Rock Chick Revenge
Rock Chick Reckoning
Rock Chick Regret
Rock Chick Revolution
Rock Chick Reawakening, a 1001 Dark Nights Novella
Rock Chick Reborn
The ’Burg Series:
For You
At Peace
Golden Trail
Games of the Heart
The Promise
Hold On
The Chaos Series:
Own the Wind
Fire Inside
Ride Steady
Walk Through Fire
A Christmas to Remember
Rough Ride, a 1001 Dark Nights Novella
Wild Like the Wind
Free
Wild Fire
Wild Wind
The Colorado Mountain Series:
The Gamble
Sweet Dreams
Lady Luck
Breathe
Jagged
Kaleidoscope
Bounty
Dream Man Series:
Mystery Man
Wild Man
Law Man
Motorcycle Man
Quiet Man
Dream Team Series:
Dream Maker
Dream Chaser
The Honey Series:
The Deep End
The Greatest Risk
The Fantasyland Series:
Wildest Dreams
The Golden Dynasty
Fantastical
Broken Dove
Midnight Soul
The Magdalene Series:
The Will
Soaring
The Time in Between
Moonlight and Motor Oil Series:
The Hookup
The Slow Burn
The Three Series:
Until the Sun Falls from the Sky
With Everything I Am
Wild and Free
The Unfinished Hero Series:
Knight
Creed
Raid
Deacon
Sebring
Ghosts and Reincarnation Series:
Sommersgate House
Lacybourne Manor
Penmort Castle
Fairytale Come Alive
Lucky Stars
The Rising Series:
The Beginning of Everything
The Plan Commences
The Dawn of the End
The Rising
The Mathilda Series:
Mathilda SuperWitch
Mathilda SuperWitch, The Rise of the Dark Lord
Other Titles by Kristen Ashley:
Heaven and Hell
Play It Safe
Three Wishes
Complicated
Loose Ends
Fast Lane
CLICK HERE TO ORDER TITLES by KRISTEN ASHLEY
Other Books by Suzanne McCollum Johnson
Southern Bits & Bites
Southern Bits & Bites, Volume II
Southern Bits & Bites: Our 150 Favorite Recipes
Writing with Lexi Blake
Master Bits & Mercenary Bites
Master Bits & Mercenary Bites~Girls Night
Writing with J. Kenner
Bar Bites: A Man of the Month Cookbook
Writing with Kristen Proby
Indulge With Me: A With Me in Seattle Celebration
Writing with Larissa Ione
Dining with Angels: Bits & Bites from the Demonica Universe
About Kristen Ashley
Kristen Ashley is the New York Times bestselling author of over seventy romance novels including the Rock Chick, Colorado Mountain, Dream Man, Chaos, Unfinished Heroes, The ’Burg, Magdalene, Fantasyland, The Three, Ghost and Reincarnation, The Rising, Dream Team and Honey series along with several standalone novels. She’s a hybrid author, publishing titles both independently and traditionally, her books have been translated in fourteen languages and she’s sold over three million books.
Kristen’s novel, Law Man, won the RT Book Reviews Reviewer’s Choice Award for best Romantic Suspense, her independently published title Hold On was nominated for RT Book Reviews best Independent Contemporary Romance, and her traditionally published title Breathe was nominated for best Contemporary Romance. Kristen’s titles Motorcycle Man, The Will, and Ride Steady (which won the Reader’s Choice award from Romance Reviews) all made the final rounds for Goodreads Choice Awards in the Romance category.
Kristen, born in Gary and raised in Brownsburg, Indiana, was a fourth generation graduate of Purdue University. Since, she has lived in Denver, the West Country of England, and she now resides in Phoenix. She worked as a charity executive for eighteen years prior to beginning her independent publishing career. She now writes full-time.
Although romance is her genre, the prevailing themes running through all of Kristen’s novels are friendship, family, and a strong sisterhood. To this end, and as a way to thank her readers for their support, Kristen has created the Rock Chick Nation, a series of programs that are designed to give back to her readers and promote a strong female community.
The mission of the Rock Chick Nation is to live your best life, be true to your true self, recognize your beauty, and last but definitely not least, take your sister’s back whether they’re at your side as friends and family or if they’re thousands of miles away and you don’t know who they are.
The programs of the RC Nation include Rock Chick Rendezvous, weekends Kristen organizes full of parties and get-togethers to bring the sisterhood together, Rock Chick Recharges, evenings Kristen arranges for women who have been nominated to receive a special night, and Rock Chick Rewards, an ongoing program that raises funds for nonprofit women’s organizations Kristen’s readers nominate. Kristen’s Rock Chick Rewards have donated over $146,000 to charity and this number continues to rise.
You can read more about Kristen, her titles and the Rock Chick Nation at KristenAshley.net.
Connect with Kristen Ashley
Official Website: www.kristenashley.net
Kristen’s Facebook Page: facebook.com/kristenashleybooks
Follow Kristen on Twitter: @KristenAshley68
Discover Kristen’s Pins on Pinterest: pinterest.com/kashley0155/
Follow Kristen on Instagram: KristenAshleyBooks
About Suzanne M. Johnson
Suzanne Johnson is the USA Today bestselling author of three cookbooks, and the recipe developer for six other books with: Lexi Blake, J. Kenner, Kristen Proby, Larissa Ione, and Kristen Ashley. A family-trained south Georgia chef, Suzanne has been cooking all her life, creating not only unique food, but precious memories of meals shared with family and friends. In all her books, Suzanne shows that making delicious meals doesn’t have to be complicated—they just have to be made with love.
Connect with Suzanne Johnson:
Website: http://southernbitsandbites.com/
Facebook: facebook.com/Southern-Bits-Bites
Instagram: SouthernBitsand_Bites
Table of Contents
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight