First, let me tell you about the book...
Expected publication: July 8th 2013
Publisher: Entangled (Bliss Line)
One sexy fire captain. One Cajun chef, One combustible kitchen…
When chef Colby Robicheaux returned home to New Orleans to save her family restaurant, the last person she expected to reconnect with was her brother’s best friend and her childhood crush. As tempting as a sugar-coated beignet, Jason is one dish she doesn’t want to taste. Colby is counting down the days till she can leave the place where her distrust of love and commitment originated and go back to Vegas.
Fire captain Jason Landry isn’t looking for love, either. He knows he should focus on finding the perfect mother for his daughter, but when he first sees Colby, all grown up and gorgeous, he can’t help but be drawn to her. And when she suggests a no-strings-attached fling, Jason doesn’t want to say no.
As their relationship grows more intense, Colby finds that Jason isn’t as easy to leave behind as she thought. Could turning up the heat on something real be worth the possibility of getting burned?
Ok, so yesterday Taste The Heat went live. If you don't have it already, go! The book is about this super funny Cajun Chef and a super sexy Fire Captain who has a daughter who wants to be a chef. In other words, the food is a very important element to the story. You can read more about it in my review here
Welcome to my little corner of Taste The Disaster ;)
You see, originally I was gonna write about how much it means to me when the entire family comes together for a meal. We all cook and we have a good laugh eating. And even washing the dishes, because I'm talking about 15 people at least.
BUT there's this scene in the book where Colby burns toast, now that's not uncommon for me but a pretty big deal for a chef!
I did mention once I actually burned water.
Are over your shock? Is not that hard, really!
So instead of telling you about my best moments in the kitchen, I'll tell you my worst.
#1 Burning Water
Ok, so.. I know this is funny... and as much as I'm embarrassed to say this, it's not that weird for me.
You see I get easily distracted...
Anyways, I was suppossed to do some pasta while my parents went out to get something. Forgive my lack of memories for detail here... So you know I needed boiling water. Super easy right? I grabbed a pot, put some water and salt and turn on the stove. But then I decided it was a totally good idea to go see something in the computer while I waited for the water to boil. Completely understandable, right? What else was I supposed to do?And suddenly, my parents came in to a kitchen full of smoke. The poor pot was out of water and pretty much all black...
Parents weren't very happy to be honest.... the good thing was that dinner wasn't ruined, I mean I never got to the part where you put the pasta in the water! And you know, the house wasn't on fire by the time they came back...
In my defense: A) The book or music was probably really good
B) The wind to the smoke to the other side of the house, I never smelled it!
Against me: I did mention is not uncommon for this to happen... more than one of my brother's lunch was lost to this because I forget the pasta in the boiling water. He loves Ravioli and can eat the stuff like 3 times a week. I'm proud to say I learn how it sounds when they are of water hehe
Against me: I did mention is not uncommon for this to happen... more than one of my brother's lunch was lost to this because I forget the pasta in the boiling water. He loves Ravioli and can eat the stuff like 3 times a week. I'm proud to say I learn how it sounds when they are of water hehe
#2 Exploding Chocolate
I don't know if you guys pin food stuff on Pinterest but when I saw this I knew I had to try it!So last easter I had the awesome idea of trying it out...
Now, I didn't do that one exactly, more like this one but the image was too big for here.
Anyway, if you ever tried to melt chocolate, you probably know is not as easy as people in the shows make it look like. The first few times you'll probably end up with burned chocolate but this wasn't my first time melting chocolate, I was confident. I knew what I was doing. I could do this!
Not so much.
Let me tell you something about mixing balloons and chocolate that the lovely picture here doesn't say...
You need good quality balloons. If they are too thin you'll have problems because they pop as you put something sharp against them.
And you CAN'T pop them. Don't do it. If you pop the balloon, it sticks to the chocolate and then you have the inside of your pretty chocolate with plastic. My first thought at this was "well, you'll have to unstick it now"
Yeah, some parts just won't. So you actually have to let out the air slowly... making it little so it will unstick on it's own.
But then, you face another problem. Is not a quick job if you don't have experience, so it takes time which means your chocolate keeps heating.
And if the chocolate gets too hot it pops the balloon! Imagine my surprise when I was finally getting around to making them and then boom! The balloon I just covered explodes!
After a LOT of wasted chocolate I manage to make enough for my little cousins and nieces.
#3 Cake Tower
So with this one you'll probably think I'm insane... but I turned 21 this year and I had the awesome idea of having 21 cakes to celebrate! My friends were asking for cakes instead of slices hehe
Anyway, for years I've tried to master this kind of cakes.
And tell me about your worst moment in the kitchen!And you CAN'T pop them. Don't do it. If you pop the balloon, it sticks to the chocolate and then you have the inside of your pretty chocolate with plastic. My first thought at this was "well, you'll have to unstick it now"
Yeah, some parts just won't. So you actually have to let out the air slowly... making it little so it will unstick on it's own.
But then, you face another problem. Is not a quick job if you don't have experience, so it takes time which means your chocolate keeps heating.
And if the chocolate gets too hot it pops the balloon! Imagine my surprise when I was finally getting around to making them and then boom! The balloon I just covered explodes!
After a LOT of wasted chocolate I manage to make enough for my little cousins and nieces.
#3 Cake Tower
So with this one you'll probably think I'm insane... but I turned 21 this year and I had the awesome idea of having 21 cakes to celebrate! My friends were asking for cakes instead of slices hehe
Anyway, for years I've tried to master this kind of cakes.
And failed every time. This year takes the prize though.
Of course I never meant to make it 21 floors, that would be insane, right? I made 3 cakes of 7 floors each.
Turns out cakes are heavy! and they wouldn't stay put or as uneven I as planned. And worst of all the fondant broke! So yeah, total failure there! We had to take a few of the top floors down, they wound't stay for the picture!
And my once perfect idea of a rainbow colored cake with the dysney theme (each floor had a different character) came crashing down. Literally. Anyway, this was the ending result: (I won't bore you with the picture in each cake and why ;)
Wow that was long! Hope you had fun!
ABOUT RACHEL HARRIS
Rachel Harris grew up in New Orleans, where she watched soap operas with her grandmother and stayed up late sneak reading her mama's favorite romance novels. Now a Cajun cowgirl living in Houston, she still stays up way too late reading her favorite romances, only now, she can do so openly. She firmly believes life's problems can be solved with a hot, powdered-sugar-coated beignet or a thick slice of king cake, and that screaming at strangers for cheap, plastic beads is acceptable behavior in certain situations.
When not typing furiously or flipping pages in an enthralling romance, she homeschools her two beautiful girls and watches reality television with her amazing husband. Taste the Heat is her adult romance debut. She's the author of MY SUPER SWEET SIXTEENTH CENTURY and A TALE OF TWO CENTURIES. She loves hearing from readers! Find her at RachelHarrisWrites.com
I love this post SO stinking much!! he he he As a girl who forgot the seasoning packet in the Pasta Roni the first time she made dinner for her future husband, I love failed cooking stories. So much more fun to read than everything going right (*wink*)
ReplyDeleteActually, I applaud all of this--they might not have been as easy as expected (which sounds like something that would happen to me, by the way)--but that you wanted to make those chocolate treats for Easter, and were adventurous enough to not only attempt FANCY cakes, but 21 of them??? Dude, *bows down* You rock <3
Thanks so much for helping spread the word about Taste The Heat!
xoxo
Rachel