Friday Feast Celebration | #NewRelease "Meringue Snowflake Magic" by Tena Stetler
Welcome to another special Friday Feast in the Tavern! I'm thrilled to have a sister rose (from The Wild Rose Press) and good friend here with me today. We're celebrating Tena Stetler's new release, Meringue Snowflake Magic! Isn't the cover beautiful? As a special treat, Tena is sharing a special cookie with us.
Grab a cup of mulled cider and let's hear what Tena has to say about her latest story...
Let start with the recipe for Snowflake Lemon Meringue Cookies
4 egg whites, room temperature
½ teaspoon cream of tartar
1 ½ cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon lemon extract (or lemon zest)Zest will bring the lemon flavor to the forefront.
¼ teaspoon of salt
This cookie recipe is just in time for the holiday season! A bit different that your usual holiday fare.:And if you've never had a lemon meringues cookies before, you're in for a treat. These little puffs are light and airy, with a fresh lemon flavor that melts in your mouth and tastes like sunshine. Makes about 40 cookies, depending on the size of the snowflakes you pipe. So you'll have plenty for everyone to enjoy for any occasion!
TIPS FOR MAKING LEMON MERINGUES
Room temperature egg whites is crucial for this recipe! Egg whites whip best at room. Make sure you separate the egg whites from the yolks in a SEPARATE bowl. Any speck of yolk will ruin this recipe.
Another important part of this recipe is using the cream of tartar. Although it may seem unnecessary, the cream of tartar is what gives the meringue cookies their stability, so use it!
MIXING THE INGREDIENTS
The first thing preheat your oven to 225°F (107°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Next, take out a large clear glass bowl and combine egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt.
Then using an electric mixer with a whisk attachment, beat ingredients on medium speed for about one minute. After a minute, increase your speed to high. Then very slowly add in your powdered sugar 1 tablespoon at a time.
Continue beating after all of the powdered sugar is added until stiff peaks form - this can take up to 5 minutes. As you mix the meringue will begin to turn shiny and stiffen. And make sure you stop beating right when stiff peaks form - you do not want to overbeat the mixture. Once the peaks stay up, instead of softly falling over and losing shape, you’re ready.
Lastly, after you have stiff peaks, gently fold in your lemon extract and/or lemon zest until combined – DO NOT over stir.
Transfer the meringue mixture from the bowl to a large piping bag (16 or 18 inch is best). Freehand or use a pattern to draw the snowflakes on the parchment paper. Then bake your meringue cookies for one hour. After an hour (cooking time may depend on your location) turn off the oven and leave the cookies in the oven with the door closed for one – two hours until they are completely cooled. DO NOT open the oven during baking or cooling!!
Once they are cooled, serve immediately and enjoy.
Note – while snowflakes are white, sometimes I like to add color to my meringue. To do this you can drizzle just a little color (gel or regular food coloring) down the inside of your piping bag then add meringue. When you pipe it onto your baking sheet it will have streaks of color in it. Fun!
Now a little about Meringue Snowflake Magic
After being in the wrong place at the wrong time, Wynter Dahl finds herself with a new name and new home. Whisked into the Witness Protection program she finds herself in the Podunk town of Raven’s Hollow, Colorado. She has more than one secret to keep and is not sure who she can trust, though the deputy sheriff is hard to resist.
Braydon “Blaze” Nightwing, owns Dragon Fire Pizza and takes his job as deputy sheriff seriously. He means to protect his town and its residents, including the mysterious newcomer. He rescues her after a tumble and finds himself in over his head. He senses she’s more than she seems but so is he.
When her cover is blown and her life is in danger it will take the whole town to save her and their annual holiday festival and cookie contest. What is Christmas without a little magic?
A sneak peek between the pages of MERINGUE SNOWFLAKE MAGIC
After toting the last cardboard box into her new cottage in Raven’s Hollow, Colorado, she kicked the door shut with her foot and collapsed into the purple recliner. She’d bought the chair along with its matching sofa at a thrift store before falling off the grid. Both pieces of furniture were in perfect shape. She pushed the button, and the footrest came up. She sighed. Guess the color was off-putting to some. Resting her head against the soft back pillow, she glanced reassuringly at the 9mm pistol she’d taped under the coffee table next to the chair and closed her eyes for only a moment.
An insistent pounding startled her out of an impromptu nap. She kicked the footrest down and bounded out of the chair. Who the hell is at my door? A door belonging to her that no one should know existed. Silently padding to the door, she grabbed the weapon and stared out the peephole. You got to be kidding! She rubbed her eyes, peeked again, snapped the tape from under the table, and then tucked the gun in her waistband.
A large woman in a floral dress holding a basket stood on her porch. The woman peered over wire-rim spectacles at the door. Her dark hair wound up in a towering bun on top of her head. Glancing to the right, then to the left, she paused for a moment to glare at the pickup truck parked in the driveway, then pounded once more.
“Wynter Dahl, you in there?” The woman scooched to the left and peeked in the large bay window, and pressed her nose against the pane steaming the glass.
Available from these online retailers:
Meet the Author
Tena Stetler is a best-selling Colorado author of award-winning paranormal romance/mystery tales. Some call her crazy others creative. She deals with the voices in her head by writing them down and creating a fantasy world and characters you won’t soon forget. Her books tell tales of magical kick-ass women and mystical alpha males that dare to love them. Travel, adventure, magic, and a bit of mystery flourish in her books along with a few companion animals to round out the tales.
She shares her life with her own hero of many moons, a brilliant Chow Chow, a spoiled parrot and a fifty-year-old box turtle.
Connect with Tena here:
Website: https://www.tenastetler.com
Authors’ Secret’s Blog - https://www.tenastetler.com/category/authors-secrets-blog/
My Say What Blog - http://www.tenastetler.com/category/my-say-what-blog/
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/tenastetler.author
Twitter Page: https://www.twitter.com/TenaStetler
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/tenastetler
Newsletter: https://www.tenastetler.com/newsletter-signup/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/tenastetler
Tribber - http://triberr.com/TenaStetler
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tenastetler/
