Cathie Dunn writes...

Romance author Kristi Ahlers is celebrating the release of her latest book, The Trouble with Cupcakes , available through Tirgearr Publishing. Not just about those deliciously sweet afternoon tea treats, the story is full of recipes - and romance. I recently read her last release, The Trouble with French Kisses , which I thoroughly enjoyed and rated 4 stars. Can't wait to get into this new one. With a cuppa tea and a cupcake... Blurb: Heather Ryan is the proud owner of Cupcakes on Royal. It’s a thriving business, but if she wants to put her cupcakery on the map, she needs to win the coveted Krewe of Bacchus after-party contract. When she finds out who’s leading the Krewe, Heather realizes she’s about to get a second chance with her first true but unrequited love, Alec Carlisle. Alec is a successful New Orleans lawyer. As the leader of the Krewe of Bacchus, it’s up to him to put together the top caterers from around the city to cater the Krewe’s Fat Tuesday event. He h...

Are you in Christmas mood yet? I am, even though there's not a snowflake in sight. Our Christmas shopping done early this morning, we just managed to escape the (unsurprisingly unhappy) crowds arriving to do the same. Now we can relax. Off to see the in-laws near Loch Ness tomorrow for a couple of nights - and dinner / Christmas lunch, then back home in time for Christmas eve. This year marks the first Christmas I won't hear from my Gran. She quietly passed away on 17th March, aged 91. So to honour her memory, I decided to bake for Christmas - for us, my mum, and my in-laws. Now, this doesn't happen every year. I'm no domestic goddess. But preparing everything for the cookies and cake, over several hours, and watch them take shape, was fun. Apart from discovering that I'd made the wrong dough for the type of cookies I wanted to bake. Hey ho! ;-) So I made buttery biscuits, covered in chocolate or icing, sprinkled with Hundreds & Thousands instead of the ...