Title: SWEET UNREST
Author:Lisa Maxwell
Pub. Date: October 8, 2014
Publisher: Flux Books
Pages: 336
Formats: Paperback & eBook
Find it: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Goodreads
A world where souls walk free and dreams become portals to the past…Lucy Aimes has always been practical. But even her rational mind can't explain her dark and familiar dreams of a time long ago, filled with people she shouldn't know, but does. When her family moves to New Orleans, Lucy's dreams suddenly become more intense. Reluctantly drawn into the old city's mystical undercurrent, she searches for answers about the nighttime visions that haunt her.What Lucy finds is Alex, a mysterious boy who behaves as if they've known each other forever. They've only just met, and she shouldn't be drawn to him, but she is. As she tries to unlock Alex's secrets, a killer strikes close to home and a century-old vendetta unspools, putting Lucy and everyone she loves in mortal danger.
Now on to the food!
Eating
Your Way Through New Orleans:
One
of the best things about writing a book set in New Orleans is traveling there
for research. And the best part of traveling to New Orleans for research is the
food.
New
Orleans is one of the greatest cities for eating, and the food that’s native to
the area is some of the best regional food in the US.
So
if you’re going to go to New Orleans (or if you just want to feel like you’re in New Orleans), what
should you eat?
Oysters:
Oysters of any kind are at about every restaurant you can imagine. I’m still
too chicken to try them raw, but I love them fried (I love anything fried) and
my absolute favorite, Oysters Bienville, which was invented at Antoine’s
Restaurant—chargrilled oysters with white wine, shallots, and some other yummy
stuff.
Beignets
and Chicory Coffee: If you go to New Orleans and you don’t eat beignets with a large café au lait for every breakfast,
you’re doing it wrong. Want to make them at home? It’s actually pretty easy!
Café du Monde sells their Beignet mix in some
supermarkets or online. You don’t
get the mournful cornet player wailing out “Amazing Grace” for atmosphere, but
dump enough powdered sugar on them, and you won’t care.
Muffuletta:
The classic Italian cold cut sandwich slathered in a chopped olive salad is
available at some delis now, but you can’t beat the original. If you make a
trip to New Orleans, you can bring home some of the famous olive mix and make
your own at home.
Bananas
Foster: The famous desert that features a flaming pan of caramelized bananas
was invented at Brennan’s Restaurant in New Orleans in the 1950s. If you can’t
make it to the city, tons of restaurants across the country have it. Or you can
try to make your own… just have a fire extinguisher nearby.
Red
Beans and Rice, Étouffée, Jambalaya, Dirty Rice, Crawfish, Gumbo, Pralines… I
think I just gained five pounds thinking about this post. The food in New
Orleans is such an amazing mix of Spanish, French, Italian, and African
cuisines that it’s unlike anywhere else in the states. No matter what you
order, you can’t go wrong.
One
of my favorite desserts that is often traced back to New Orleans is Pecan Pie.
There are lots of recipes for this super-sweet dessert, but I’m going to share
my favorite with you today. When I make it, I use a homemade butter-based
crust, but the filling is so good that you can just buy a frozen pie shell and
have an amazing dessert in less than an hour.
PECAN PIE
PECAN PIE
Preheat oven to 375°
½
cup sugar
½
cup brown sugar, packed
2
Tbsp Flour
4
Tbsp Heavy Whipping Cream
2
Eggs
1
Stick Butter, melted
1
tsp. Vanilla
1
Cup Pecans (optional: Soak in Bourbon for 1 hr before adding)
Directions:
Melt butter in a microwave safe
bowl. Let cool a bit so butter doesn’t cook eggs when you add them.
Add the rest of the
ingredients and beat until everything is combined.
Bake 20 Minutes at 375°
Reduce oven temperature to 275°
Bake an additional 20
minutes.
Center
should be slightly soft, but not liquid.
Let
cool a bit and serve with ice cream and/or whipped cream.
Thanks for stopping by Lisa I loved pecan pie!!!!
About Lisa:
Lisa Maxwell is the author of Sweet Unrest
(Flux, Fall 2014) and Heartless Things (Simon Pulse,
Spring 2016). She has a PhD in English, and when she's not writing books, she’s
a professor at a local college. She lives near DC with her very patient husband
and two not-so patient boys.
Giveaway Information:
One (1) Art Print bought in the French Quarter (US Only)
One (1) $25 Gift Card to the bookstore of your choice (US Only)
One (1) Art Print bought in the French Quarter (US Only)
One (1) Vodoo Doll Charm (US Only)
Eight (8) Signed Copies of SWEET UNREST with swag (US Only)
Eight (8) Signed Copies of SWEET UNREST with swag (US Only)
Mmm yummy. I've only visited New Orleans once but I did try many of the foods on the list. This makes me hungry to go back sometime. Sweet Unrest sounds really good as well and has the perfect setting as that city just oozes mysticism.
ReplyDeleteInteresting! Enjoy! My WOW
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for hosting me!! *gives everyone pie*
ReplyDeleteI love your blog. Inspiring. I just started making one btw if you want to check it out and leave some comments please feel free to visit it at http://wackylibrary.blogspot.com/#/page/1
ReplyDeleteOkay, now I'm hungry. LOL
ReplyDeleteThat's a beautiful cover and the plot is intriguing. Thanks for a new author and the giveaway.
((Waves hi to Lisa)) I only like two kinds of pie - hot or cold :D
ReplyDelete