Sugarbeat’s Books is welcoming Candace Shaw to the blog today! She is the author of a contemporary romance, Cooking Up Love. She’s dropping by today to say hi, share a guest post and offer a $10 Starbucks Gift Card for a giveaway! To be entered please enter your name on the form at the bottom.
Guest Post and Giveaway with Candace Shaw, author of Cooking Up Love
Thank you so much Barb for having me on your blog today. You are the last stop on my first virtual blog tour for my debut novel, Cooking Up Love. 
Cooking Up Love is a contemporary romance novel set in Memphis, Tennessee. The heroine, Shelbi Arrington, has recently graduated from medical school. However, she accepts a position as a food critic in the hopes of burying her medical career because of something that happened during her internship. The last thing she’s searching for is love, but that’s just what the doctor ordered when she laid eyes on the handsome chef, Justin Richardson. While sorting out her secret conflict of continuing her medical career and starting a residency program, she falls for his mouthwatering charm, leaving her hungry for anything he has to offer.
The hero, Justin Richardson, is the executive chef and owner of Lillian’s Dinner and Blues Club in downtown Memphis. Justin is leery of doctors because a doctor’s negligence caused his mother’s death when he was twelve. He has put his focus and energy into his restaurant, which had been a dream he and his mother shared. Justin is immediately smitten by the cute, sassy food critic that has him cooking up different ways to please her appetite. But when things start to heat up, Shelbi learns of a shocking revelation that could extinguish the flame of their relationship. Will Justin be able to forget his pain and commit to the woman who has stolen his heart?
I got the idea to write Cooking Up Love when I was in Memphis for the Memphis in May Festival and to visit my husband’s family. We stayed in his cousin’s loft downtown, rode the trolley, listened to blues, jazz and ate barbecue. I loved the experience and I wanted to remember it, so on the way home, I typed notes into my iPhone and by the time we arrived back in Atlanta, I had an outline. I named the heroine Shelbi because the county of Memphis is Shelby. I decided to incorporate places I’d been while there including The Cheesecake Corner and Rendezvous, a barbecue restaurant as well as riding the trolley, which was my favorite thing to do. I made the hero a chef because my grandfather was a chef who owned restaurants in Atlanta and I love to cook, which definitely runs in the family.
Below is an excerpt of Cooking Up Love where Shelbi is sampling dishes that Justin has prepared. One of the ones is shrimp and grits, which is my favorite dish. I’m from Florida, so I grew up eating a lot of seafood. In the comment section, let me know what is your favorite food or dish for the giveaway.
Giveaway Information:
One tour follower will win a $10.00 Starbucks gift card. Follow the tour (this is the last stop) and leave a comment at each stop to give you more chances to win. Plus, if you are a subscriber on my blog, you’ll have an extra entry. The winner will be selected on Random.org and I’ll announce the winner on June 1st on my blog. All entries must be in by 11:59 PM on May 31
Excerpt
He studied Shelbi as she took a bite of the shrimp and grits. Her eyes closed while she moaned, and he imagined her doing the same underneath him with her smooth legs wrapped around his waist.
“Justin, I’ve had shrimp and grits before, but never quite like this,” she said, then took another bite. “I don’t want the bowl to ever be empty. It’s better than mine.”
“I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself.” He pushed his plate aside and rested his hands in a crossed position on the table.
She sampled another dish as her eyes fluttered shut again. Her sweet, sensual moans turned him on in ways he couldn’t even explain. If he weren’t in a professional setting, he would’ve pushed the table out of the way and pulled her to him to settle her on his lap and devour her kissable lips.
Her sculpted face, a little beauty mark on her right cheek, and her pouty mouth partaking of the food he’d prepared especially for her, made him want to stare at her all day. She was sexy in skinny jeans that fit her curvy hips like a glove, and a yellow blouse enhanced her perky, rounded breasts, which rose and fell while she oohed and aahed over the meal. When she licked her finger after eating a shrimp, the bear rose in his boxer shorts and pointed directly at the sweet honey pot in front of him. Justin took a long gulp of his water to cool down the erection interrupting his business meeting.
Her sultry voice filled his ears like sexy jazz as she continued to compliment him on the meal.
“This is so good.” She glanced at the plate he had pushed aside. “Why aren’t you eating?” She took a swig of her water before continuing. “You didn’t poison it, did you?” she asked with a laugh.
“No, baby. I sample as I cook. Besides, I enjoy watching you eat.”
“Well, you definitely can cook. I see why your restaurant is so successful.” She dabbed her mouth with her napkin and stood to retrieve her laptop from his desk. “I do have a few more questions.”
Her hips rocked back and forth in the jeans, and he almost poured his ice water over his head to cool down the burning desire to kiss more than just her hand.
*****
You can buy Cooking Up Love at Amazon, Barnes& Noble and All Romance eBooks
Ways to Contact Candace Shaw
Email: Candace.Shaw@aol.com
Website: http://candaceshaw.net
Twitter: twitter.com/Candace_Shaw
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/
Want to know how to make Justin’s shrimp and grits? The recipe is below.
Ingredients You’ll Need For 2 Servings
- 1 pound no shell deveined medium shrimp (21-25 per pound)
- 6 tablespoons of grits
- 1 ½ cups of chicken broth
- 1/2 cup of whipping cream
- ½ pound of turkey sausage or any sausage of your choice cut into small rounds
- 1 medium bell pepper (red or green)
- 1 small onion
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- salt and pepper to season to your liking.
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup shredded cheese (your choice)
Directions
Boil the chicken broth and the whipping cream in a sauce pan. Add 6 tablespoons of instant grits. Turn down heat to low and cover. Simmer for 15 minutes or follow the directions on your grits box for the correct amount of time for your brand of grits. While they are simmering, chop the onion and bell pepper or you can chop prior to cooking the grits.
Place 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Sauté the onions, bell peppers and sausage for about 5 minutes. Add the shrimp and continue to sauté for 2 more minutes. Don’t forget to check on the grits. Place the grits in a bowl and add the cheese. I usually use mozzarella because it melts very well. Place the sautéed meat and vegetable mixture on top. You can garnish with chives or parsley.
*If you wish to add garlic, add it into the sauté at the same time as you add the shrimp. Garlic burns easily.
I’d like to thank Candace for dropping by! I”m off to try the recipe…..please enter your information in the form below if you want to be entered into the giveaway!
Nice post! Can’t wait to try out the recipe!
Wooo Hooooo Thanks for sharing the recipe! Sounds YUMMY!!!!