Good Morning,
Today is Bayou Writer's Group's annual Christmas party/meeting so I'm not going to take up too much of your time. Vicki Batman has been a guest here before but please welcome her back with her collection of short stories, Sommerville holidays too and a holiday recipe for Tomato Cake!
Oh, BEFORE I forget! My books are on sale 50% Off through Jan 1st @ Smashwords only! Click on the graphic in the sidebar to get copies for the readers on your Christmas list. Now on to Vicki's post....
Holiday Treats!
I am positive many of you are a baking fiend. Or a crafty fiend. Or Christmas everything fiend. LOL.
Friends and family come together over food. I especially crave my brother-in-law's snack mix. A friend gives me homemade treats. But what do I do?
I turn to fruitcake. Before you go all wonky over fruitcake, know I use the very best—Collin Street Bakery in Corsicana, Texas. I cut the cake into bite-sized chunks and set the pieces on wire racks. I melt chocolate and spoon it over the cake. Trust me, this tastes like candy.
My grandmother baked a special cake for Thanksgiving and Christmas—Tomato Cake. I know, again, you are thinking I am off my rocker. Trust me. This cake does not taste like tomatoes. Tomato soup is the wet ingredient. It's filled with fruit and spices. My sister tops hers with a sugar glaze.
So what does fruitcake have to do with anything?
Because inspiration can be found in so many places, I found mine for a story in fruitcake. I researched many varieties. The story is funny and romantic. Here's a tagline and excerpt from "The Great Fruitcake Bake-off:"
When a five-time baking champion teams up with her new neighbor for The Great Fruitcake Bake-off, they discover baking a prize-winning entry is complicated, bad guys are plotting to take the crown, and first prize isn't just about a ribbon.
"I'm not entering this year." I pinned an unbreakable stare on Bethany, my co-worker and long-time friend, who lived in the same apartment complex as me. We arrived early for work and piddled over coffee in her cubical like we always did before diving into the nuts and bolts of company business. Standing firm, I crossed my arms. "Period."
Bethany rolled her eyes in the "I'm so not believing this" fashion and tweaked the Santa garland decorating her cube's walls. "Why not, Samantha? You should be proud to be the five-time winner of The Great Fruitcake Bake-off. You're a-a"--her words trailed off as she searched the ceiling for the ultimate in descriptive--"legend."
I twitched my black skirt in place, and then I tucked my shoulder-length hair behind my ear. I let loose a long exhale. "Is being a legend in the fruitcake world a good thing?"
Find "The Great Fruitcake Bake-off" in Sommerville holidays at:
Amazon &
Smashwords
More about
Vicki Batman: Funny, sweet, and quirky, Vicki Batman's stories are full of her hallmark humor and romance and will delight all readers. She has sold many romantic comedy works to magazines, several publishers, and most recently, three humorous romantic mysteries. Along the way, she has picked up awards and bestsellers. Avid Jazzerciser. Handbag lover. Mahjong player. Yoga practitioner. Movie fan. Book devourer. Chocaholic. Best Mom ever. And adores Handsome Hubby.
Find Vicki at the following locations:
Instagram: vickilbatman
Check out Vicki's previous visite
HERE.
Thanks for sharing your grandmother's recipe with us Vicki! Good luck and God's blessings with your new collection of short stories and Merry Christmas!
Hope you're enjoying these All Christmas thru Christmas posts friends and that you'll check back next week for more great Christmas books on Wednesday Words with Friends and Saturday Spotlight.
Until next time, take care and God bless.
PamT
11 comments:
I've never actually had fruitcake, but yours sounds delicious, as does the tomato cake. Best of luck with your book!
Love this post. I'll have to check out the tomato cake. Merry Christmas.
Thank you, Jennifer. Fruicake gets such a bad rap.
Its an oldie but goodie. Grandmothers was the best. :)
I grew up with this recipe! People say, "what." It tastes like spice cake. Thanks for bringing back a memory. D.
I LOVE fruitcake, and your chocolate-covered bites sound delicious. And thanks for including the recipe for Tomato Cake! When I taught third grade, there was a story in the reading book called “Thunder Cake” which included a recipe for a chocolate cake with tomatoes in it. I always had a class mom bake the cake so we could eat it after we read the story, and they loved it. You never know until you try!
Hi D V Stone! Exactly a spice cake. Grandmother added raisins, dates, walnuts, etc. So we called hers a fruitcake. Happy holidays!
Hi, Patricia! So nice to see you today!!! Chocolate cake with tomatoes??? I'd try. Because you are correct, you never know until you try. Hugs!
You have some interesting desserts. As a fruit lover, they sound good to me, and what a neat idea for your book.
Thank you so much for mentioning my stories. The Great Fruitcake Bakeoff is fun!
Never heard of tomato cake before. Sounds like an interesting dessert. The fruitcake sounds great.
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