Hallmark Publishing Presents “A Royal Christmas Wish” and “A Gingerbread Romance” out now!
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! If it were up to me I’d keep a Christmas tree up all year and listen to Christmas music all year long. I love winter time and curling up by the fire reading a good book. I love shopping for gifts for my loved ones. I love the holiday season and I especially love Hallmark Christmas Specials!
Hallmark Publishing is releasing new books based on Hallmark Original Movies! Say what?! I’m so excited and these will make great stocking stuffers. A Royal Christmas Wish and A Gingerbread Romance are out now and An Unforgettable Christmas comes out Tuesday, Sept 24th and Unwrapped in Christmas the Tuesday after on Oct 1st!
These books come in Paperback, e-books, and Audiobooks so there’s something for everyone! They even have recipes in them inspired by the story. Scroll below to find out more about the books, the authors, and even grab two tasty recipes from the books!
In fact in celebration one lucky fan will receive a copy of A Gingerbread Romance and A Royal Christmas Wish. All you have to do is enter on the rafflecopter below. Good luck!
*Giveaway open to the US only and ends Sept 27th at 11:59pm
About A Royal Christmas Wish Book
Life isn’t a fairytale…
Until it is.
Jenny knows she isn’t the princess type. Sure, she’s friendly and caring, but with her clumsiness and lack of self-confidence, glass slippers would only make her trip. When Dom, the cute guy she runs into in the park, turns out to be the prince of San Noelle, she figures he must not be her happy ever after.
But a mysterious countess grants Jenny’s one wish, and she finds herself married to this handsome prince! Unfortunately, at the stroke of midnight on Christmas night, her life will go back to normal.
In funny and touching ways, Jenny navigates royal traditions the best she can. But even as she grows closer to Dom, the clock is ticking. With love and a little holiday magic, could she somehow make the enchantment last forever?
About Author Lizzie Shane:
Contemporary romance author Lizzie Shane was born in Alaska and still calls the frozen north home, though she can frequently be found indulging her travel addiction. Thankfully, her laptop travels with her and she has written her way through fifty states and over fifty countries. Lizzie has been honored to win the Golden Heart Award and HOLT Medallion, and has been named a finalist three times for Romance Writers of America’s prestigious RITA Award®, but her main claim to fame is her recent appearance as a contestant on Jeopardy! For more about Lizzie and her books, please visit www.lizzieshane.com.
About A Gingerbread Romance Book:
Nothing could be sweeter
than knowing your heart is at home…
Taylor’s architectural firm enters her in a contest in which the teams will design and build life sized gingerbread houses. After the contest, Taylor will likely be getting a promotion to a position in another city. But Taylor’s original partner soon backs out, and she needs to find a replacement.
When she meets Adam, a baker and single dad, at a local bakery, she convinces him to partner with her for the contest. After all, winning would give the bakery and his designs much needed exposure.
For years Taylor has been resistant to call anywhere “home” for fear it would only be temporary. But the time she spends with Adam and his daughter Brook in their cozy home, decorating for Christmas, and enjoying Philadelphia’s holiday traditions, fills her with a longing for a place to call her own.
About Author Lacey Baker:
Lacey Baker, a Maryland native, lives with her husband, three children, grandson and English Bulldog in what most would call Suburban America–a townhouse development where everybody knows each other and each other’s kids. Family cook-outs, reunion vacations, and growing up in church have all inspired Lacey to work towards her dreams and to write about the endurance of family and the quest to find everlasting love.
To date she has written in several genres including small town romance, YA paranormal (as Artist Arthur), a cozy mystery series titled Rumors and adult paranormal (as A.C. Arthur).
About Hallmark Publishing:
https://www.hallmarkchannel.com/hallmark-publishing
Now, you have even more ways to relax and indulge in a Hallmark story. The kinds of heartwarming romances and intriguing mysteries you love are now available as books! In addition to companion novels to beloved Hallmark movies, you’ll discover brand-new novels to brighten your day and leave you feeling good about life. With the same attention to storytelling that goes into every Hallmark movie, we’ll bring you new characters, relationships, romances, and intriguing mysteries. And each book includes an original recipe inspired by the story!
Gingerbread Cake with Lemon Sauce Recipe
There’s nothing like the smell of gingerbread to make you think Christmas—but why build a house when you can eat Gingerbread Cake! In A Gingerbread Romance, Taylor finds herself baking and rebaking the layers needed for a life sized gingerbread house, but you can pop this easy-to-make cake in the oven and sit back and enjoy your book while it bakes.
Yield: 12 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
INGREDIENTS
Gingerbread Cake
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ cup unsulfured mild molasses
- ¾ cup hot water
Lemon Sauce
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest (optional)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- As needed whipped cream
DIRECTIONS
- To prepare gingerbread cake: preheat oven to 325°F. Butter a 9-inch springform pan; set aside.
- Combine butter and brown sugar in bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment; beat at medium speed until light and fluffy.
- Add egg and vanilla extract and mix until well combined.
- In a separate bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda, nutmeg and salt; stir to blend. In a separate bowl; combine molasses and water; stir to blend.
- Alternately add about 1/3 dry and wet ingredients to mixing bowl and mix until just combined. Scrape down sides of bowl; pour batter into pan.
- Bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Cool cake in pan on rack. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.
- To prepare lemon sauce: combine all ingredients in saucepan; bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer over low heat for 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until sauce thickens.
- Slice cake into wedges; top each with warm lemon sauce and whipped cream.
Chicken Shawarma Recipe
In A Royal Christmas Wish, Jenny wakes up to find herself married to a real-live prince. As she attempts to navigate the royal lifestyle—with less-than-successful results—she does miss a few things about her old life in New York City, including the chicken shawarma from the place around the corner. Our recipe for it is so delicious, it’s fit for a princess. Make it once, and you’ll be craving it, too!
Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 2 hours, 20 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes
INGREDIENTS
Spice-Rubbed Chicken
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 garlic cloves, smashed
- 3 large or 4 average boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Garlic-Cumin Sauce
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 garlic clove, fine minced
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Marinated Cucumber Salad
- 1 cup halved grape tomatoes
- ½ cup thin sliced cucumber
- ½ cup drained chick peas
- ¼ cup thin sliced red onion
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 8 bamboo skewers, soaked in water
- 4 naan (or pita or flatbread), warmed on grill, in oven or in a skillet
- ¼ cup spicy hummus
- As needed, flatleaf (Italian) parsley, chopped
- 4 grilled lemon halves (optional)
DIRECTIONS
- To prepare spice rubbed chicken: combine dry spices, olive oil, lemon juice and garlic in a large bowl (or zip-lock bag) and stir to blend.
- Slice chicken into thin 2-inch pieces: place in bowl with spice rub and toss to evenly coat. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
- To prepare garlic-cumin sauce: combine all ingredients in bowl and whisk to blend. Refrigerate.
- To prepare marinated cucumber salad: combine in ingredients in bowl and toss to blend. Refrigerate.
- Heat grill to medium heat. While grill is heating, thread spice rubbed chicken pieces evenly on bamboo skewers.
- Grill chicken skewers for 10 minutes, or until fully cooked, turning frequently.
- To assemble chicken shawarma: spread each piece of naan with hummus. Top evenly with marinated cucumber salad, spice rubbed chicken skewers and garlic-cumin sauce. Garnish with chopped flatleaf parsley and a grilled lemon half, if desired.
Debbie P says
These romances sounds fantastic and so do the recipes!
Tracy Shafer says
Baking cookies!!
Kelly Woods says
Baking Jesus a birthday cake and singing Happy birthday to Him with family. He is the reason for the season..
Holly Flores says
Making tamales together with family.
Sabrina Zehner says
Making cookies with the kids
DanielM says
watching all the holiday movies
Lori Thomas says
Decorating the tree while watching Christmas movies
NANCY says
Cooking with mom is my favorite tradition.
michelle K says
Putting out our Santa Bags Christmas Eve
Tracy Martinez says
I can’t wait to read these.
Lori says
I love picking up my Grandmother and going to my mom’s to stay for Christmas Eve. We wake up on Christmas morning and open our presents together just as we did when I was little. Then more family comes to my mom’s for the day and for dinner. My Grandmother and I stay another night, then go home. We do this every year. I love it.