#COOKING WITH CLORIS--GUEST AUTHOR ANNE CARROLE AND BUTTER-BAKED CHICKEN

Anne Carrole was raised on a farm with horses, dogs, cats, chickens, rabbits and whatever other animals she could convince her parents to shelter. Married to her own sweet-talking hero, she has a college-aged daughter and a sleek black cat with way too much attitude. Anne writes contemporary romances and gilded-age and western historical romances. Learn more about Anne and her books at her website. 

How did you learn to cook?

Many of us, I imagine, learned to cook from our mothers. My mother was a wonderful cook of basic recipes (I still use her pot roast recipe to family applause), but I have to thank my girlfriend, whose heritage is Italian, for finding a way to my Italian-American husband’s heart. I truly think my husband started thinking about marriage when I served him my homemade lasagna, following my girlfriend’s family recipe. (Thank you, Denise.)

Libby Brennan, the heroine of my latest book, signs on to nurse her ex-husband, Chance Cochran (they were married for all of forty-eight hours five years ago), attempting to make amends for how things turned out. Chance, a saddle bronc rider, has taken a spill that results in a broken foot and bruised ribs, and he can’t get around to help himself. Part of her argument to persuade our reluctant hero (he is so over her, or so he thinks) is that she can cook for him, as he obviously can’t get around to cook for himself. Only she can’t cook and she has to figure out how fast. Recipe books, YouTube videos, and Internet searches can’t save her from some spectacular disasters.

Libby finally does succeed, after a few struggles. Below is the recipe for her Butter-Baked Chicken.

Butter-Baked Chicken

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup crushed buttery round cracker crumbs (like Ritz crackers)

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

1/2 teaspoon Italian seasonings

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

1 stick of butter cut into small pieces

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C)

Place eggs and cracker crumbs in two separate shallow bowls. Mix cracker crumbs with seasonings. Dip chicken in eggs, then dredge in crumb mixture to coat. (Note: I use a plastic bag for the crumb mixture and do a little shake to coat.) Arrange coated chicken in a 9” x 13” baking dish. Place pieces of butter around the chicken.

Bake in preheated oven for 30-40 minutes, depending on thickness of breasts, or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.

So how did you learn to cook? Any spectacular disasters you care to share?

Loving a Cowboy

Saddle bronc rider Chance Cochran knows a bad omen when he sees one, and Libby Brennan isn’t just a bad omen, she’s the woman he was married to, five years ago, for all of forty-eight hours—before her father dragged her away and started divorce proceedings.

It isn’t by coincidence Libby Brennan shows up where Chance is celebrating the win that put him in the million-dollar cowboy class. Older and hopefully wiser, she’s come to clear up a legal technicality as well as ask his forgiveness. Then maybe she can move on with her life.

But saying she’s sorry won’t be enough to make amends to this cowboy who has endured a lifetime of people abandoning him. When Chance needs some help after sustaining an injury however, Libby may have a second chance—at love.

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