Apple Cinnamon & Walnut Cookies, Love at First Bite, The Unofficial Twilight Cookbook

Apple Cinnamon and Walnut Cookies

INGREDIENTS:

½ cup shortening

1 1/3 cups packed brown sugar

1 egg

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground cloves

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 cup chopped California walnuts

1 cup apples – peeled, cored and finely diced

1 cup raisins

¼ cup milk

1 ½ cups sifted confectioners’ sugar

1 tablespoon butter

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

2 ½ tablespoons half-and-half cream

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Beat shortening and brown sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and blend thoroughly.
3. Stir together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg.
4. Stir half the dry ingredients into creamed mixture. Stir walnuts, apples, and raisins, then stir in remaining half of dry ingredients and milk. Mix well.
5. Drop from tablespoon 1 ½ inches apart onto lightly greased baking sheet. Bake in the preheated 400 degree oven for 10-12 minuets. Remove cookies from oven, place on racks to cool slightly, and while still warm, spread with glaze.
6. To make glaze: Combine powdered sugar, butter, vanilla, and enough cream to make glaze of spreading consistency. Beat until smooth. Spread on warm cookies.

Critics Comments on Love At First Bite, The Unofficial Twilight Cookbook

“What’s the best way to get into the holiday mood (we’re talking about the Twilight holiday, of course)? By whipping up a vamp-inspired meal courtesy of Gina Meyers’ Love at First Bite: The Unofficial Twilight Cookbook. Not only does the book have recipes for werewolf chow, full moon pancakes, and salad a la Cullen, but it also contains Twilight trivia and memorable food-quotes that’ll have you saying “Chow, Bella!”-Teen Vogue

“Now fans can sink their fangs into a whole new set of flavorful offerings inspired by the fictional residents of Forks, Washington.”-WCF Courier

“Don’t suck at cooking: Cookbook gives taste of Twilight.”-Daily Herald

“Pick up those knives and forks! Author Gina Meyers is tempting home cooks to sink their teeth into recipes inspired by the popular “Twilight” movies.” – NWI Times

“With her book, Love At First Bite, The Unofficial Twilight Cookbook, author Gina Meyers combined her fascination with the series and her love of cooking to offer fans recipes, party planning ideas and trivia.” -Rocky Mount Telegram

“Love At First Bite, It’s a book that cooks and one Twilight fans can sink their teeth into.”-The Macomb Daily

Love At First Bite

Love At First Bite

Question from LA Weekly Magazine: Most Difficult Dish To Prepare?

4. Which is the most difficult dish to prepare?
Harry’s Famous Fish Fry is pretty difficult since it calls for fish, so you have to go fishing. Jokes aside, The Lion and the Lamb Stew is a very complex recipe, quite like the relationship between Bella and Edward …and so the lion fell in love with the lamb.

Question from LA Weekly Magazine: Are the recipes geared toward teenage girls?

3. Are the recipes geared towards teenage girls?
I have a three Fork designation, one fork recipes are very easy recipes that anyone can cook with ease and enjoyment, two fork recipes are slightly more difficult and the three fork recipes are the hardest. I used the Fork designation as a play on words, since Stephenie Meyer uses the town of Forks, Washington as a backdrop in her book series. Also, Stephenie initially named her manuscript Forks, as opposed to Twilight. Teenagers enjoy cooking from LAFB because there are easy instructions and directions. Like Stephenie, she wrote Twilight because of a dream, and didn’t have a particular audience she was writing for. I enjoy cooking and have taught cooking classes for children as well as adults. So my goal is to reignite the spark of passion for cooking in the kitchen, to bring people of all ages back into the kitchen enjoying one another’s company through unique themed recipes.

Question from LA Weekly Magazine: Who has better culinary options, vampires or werewolves?

2. Who do you think has better culinary options, vampires or werewolves?

Well, since vampires don’t eat, werewolves would seem to have better culinary options. In Love at First Bite, I make sure there are plenty of Team Jacob culinary treats, such as Werewolf Chow, Wolf pack Waffles, and Jacob Black’s Grilled Cheese Sandwich. Sprinkled in Love at First Bite, are food quotes from the Twilight Saga books. Edward says, “I wasn’t hunting for food. I was actually trying my hand at, tracking. I’m not very good at it.” For that quote I have an Irritated Grizzly Bear Steak recipe. I also have for the Team Edward fans, I Dare You To Eat Pizza, Edward, Butterscotch Eyes (Bella says Edward’s eyes are the color butterscotch, it is a dessert with butterscotch pudding and little teddy grahams), as well as Vampire Blood Punch, and Edward’s Thirst Quencher.

Question from LA Weekly Magazine: Have Any Vampires bought my Love At First Bite Book?

1. Have any people claiming to be vampires bought your book?

No one claiming to be a vampire, but a tattoo artist did purchase the book. And a lot of Team Edward and Team Jacob fans. A female prison guard by the name of Velma (not to be confused with Scooby Doo’s Velma Dinkley), after seeing my culinary talents as broadcast on the evening news, camped out all night in her car to come to my book signing and drove a total four hours.

Werewolf Chow, excerpt from Love At First Bite, The Unofficial Twilight Cookbook

How comfortable they seemed to be with their fate, here in this happy kitchen, none of these werewolves wanted the same fate for their friend.-Bella Werewolf Chow 9 cups rice cereal, such as Chex brand 1/4 cup butter or margarine 1 cup chocolate chips, semisweet, or a combination of 1/2 cup chocolate chips and 1/2 cup peanut butter chips 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter, not crunchy 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar Directions: Place the cereal in a large zip-seal bag. Next, microwave the chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter or margarine for about 1 minute. If the mixture hasn’t melted, stir and place in microwave for another 20 to 30 seconds. Once melted, stir in the vanilla extract. Pour the chocolate chip–peanut butter mixture over the cereal; then add the powdered sugar and shake. Spread the mixture on waxed paper to cool.

Lyonnaise Salade, excerpt from Love At First Bite, The Unofficial Twilight Cookbook

Lyonnaise Salade

2 strips of Bacon cut into one-inch pieces

A handful of fresh frisee lettuce, torn into bite size pieces

1 poached egg

1 teaspoon diced red onion

Baby potatoes

1 tablespoon of Red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

½ teaspoon of Dijon mustard

1 slice of French or Italian bread and a little butter to make buttered croutons (1 teaspoon of butter)

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions: Sauté bacon over medium-high heat until done, about five minutes and then drain fat. It is best to drain the excess fat from the bacon by removing the bacon from the pan or skillet, blotting the extra oil from the bacon with a paper towel. Allow bacon to cool, then cut strips into one inch pieces. Next, cut a slice of French or Italian bread into cubes. Toast on medium-high heat in a small saucepan with a teaspoon of melted butter. Only stir the bread only to turn to the other side once it is toasted. Poach your egg and please review tips for how to poach an egg. Once egg is poached, please set aside. Next, Dice red onion and prepare salad dressing. In a small jar, mix the olive oil, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper. On a salad plate, arrange the washed frisee salad (that has been torn into bite size pieces) and add the bacon, onions, and croutons. Top with poached egg and pour dressing over the salad. Please see tip on how to make the salad dressing. Serve one.

Tip: How to poach an egg

Crack the egg and empty the contents of the shell into a small bowl. Pour 4 inches of water into a pan, and over medium heat, bring the water to a boil. Stir the water in a circular motion, then drop the egg into the middle of the swirl of water. Turn down the heat slightly and cook three to five minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the egg and place it on a plate.