Welcome to Recipe for Romance!
We made it to 2025 and I’m both glad and apprehensive. I’m just kinda riding along and trying to miss the potholes. If you’re in the same SUV, how about some fantasy with a side of comfort food? Sound good?
Let’s get started. I’m sharing a snippet of ANGEL INK, book 3 in the Concrete Angels MC, available now. Haley Michaels is a fluff-piece reporter and she’s covering a Museum exhibit. Until a hot guy appears out of nowhere, smelling like rosemary and basil.
Available Now: ANGEL INK
Damn, I was bored with writing fluff pieces. To be honest, I wanted to run through the vaulted rooms of the museum screaming, “Let It Go” at the top of my lungs. Maybe with a cute, long-haired electric guitarist following along. It would definitely be more exciting than this story.
A scuffle in one of the side rooms drew my attention and I slipped to the entrance to see what was going on. A tall guy with angelic features around his large nose and wearing a leather cut ran through the room, but paused in front of a painting with light filtering through an autumn forest. For just a moment, I swore I saw huge black wings rising up behind him.
He met my gaze and darted to me before he grabbed me by the strap of my camera bag, pulling me to his chest. He planted a hot and stunning kiss on my lips. I dropped my jaw and his tongue slid along mine, electrifying me more than the long-haired guitarist in my fantasy. I tasted cinnamon rolls and hot coffee before he pulled back with a wild smile.
“I saw wings.” Okay, not the best response to a sexy kiss.
“Don’t worry, love. It’s an illusion.”
And then he was gone.
I stood there, completely non-plussed and out of words for the first time in my life, only barely registering the rest of security streaming past me. It took me several minutes to get over the kiss and the scent of the man who’d laid it on me. He’d smelled like freshly baked bread with a hint of rosemary and basil. They reminded me of safe, comfortable places where I’d always had enough.
My cellphone rang, bringing my attention back to the room. The art and people around me came back into focus like hoodoos reappearing as the fog retreats from the lowlands. Hell, a lot of them look like hoodoos.
Gluten-Free Rosemary Focaccia Bread
For many meals, most folks want a good bread to go with it, but some breads take forever to make. Focaccia is a quick and easy bread that allows for all sorts of flavors. We’re making Rosemary Focaccia, but you could choose garlic, onion, tomato, olives, or any combo of flavors.
INGREDIENTS
- 3 cups gluten free 1:1 baking flour
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 1 pkg or 2 1/2 tsp instant active yeast
- 1 1/2 cups warm water
- 2 Tbsp oil in dough
- 1 Tbsp oil on bread
- 2 Tbsp dried Rosemary or 1 sprig fresh Rosemary
- 2 Tbsp grated hard cheese (Parmesan, Asiago, Romano, Manchego)
DIRECTIONS
Add flour, salt, sugar, and yeast to a large bowl, and whisk it together. Add water, and 2 Tbsp oil, mixing until the dough is pliable.
Knead dough on a lightly floured surface for a short time until smooth. With gluten free dough, it’s dry enough you don’t have to work it hard or with much extra flour.
Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and let rise for 45 minutes. Because it’s gluten free, it won’t rise much.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and gently press risen dough out until it’s 1/2 inch (13 mm) thickness. Brush 1 Tbsp of oil over the top of the dough.
Using a fork, make dimples in the dough all over. Sprinkle the cheese and Rosemary all across the top.
Let rise for another 20 minutes. Preheat your oven to 375 F (191 C). Bake for 25 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes and serve.
