What's your favorite dessert? (plus a sweet reads prize package!) | "We Talk to Ourselves...a Lot!" by Loree Lough and Cerella Sechrist

“We Talk to Ourselves…a LOT!” celebrates NATIONAL DESSERTS DAY

Yup, you read that correctly: Today, Friday, October 14th, we get to enjoy desserts, guilt free, all day long!



We did some research, and couldn’t find any interesting tidbits about the history of this sweet event. Unlike Valentine’s Day, which has long and rich history, or Father’s Day and Mother’s Day, that made their way onto calendars by way of presidential proclamations, National Desserts Day just…is. If we had to guess, we’d say it started as a promotion for a bakery or restaurant, and caught on. And why wouldn’t it, because…DESSERT!

Thinking about this made us wonder about crazy things like:

Why do we eat dessert last?

Because…a whole lot of people believe in saving the best for last.

When did dessert go from being a ‘mostly enjoyed by the wealthy’ to a treat enjoyed by all?

In the beginning, only those with ample financial means could afford the often-rare ingredients that went into the recipes—or the servants who prepared and served it. As shipping practices made these food items easier to get, and more affordable, even the ‘peasants’ could indulge!

Is dessert enjoyed around the world?

Yup, and really, why wouldn’t it be!

But we digress…

Thanks to all this talk of cakes, cookies, pies, and other sweet luxuries, we were inspired to put our heads together, and you know what happens when we do that: Food, food, glorious food, complete with tastebud-tempting recipes and mouthwatering photos! What better way to celebrate than by highlighting a few delectable desserts, featured in our novels…

In Gentle Persuasion, Ophelia Reid is a top-notch executive “headhunter” who flies to Hawaii to recruit retired executive, Dane Montgomery, back to corporate advertising. While staying at Dane’s B&B in Kona, Ophelia experiences the flavors of the islands, including haupia, a custard-like dessert made from coconut milk and cut into squares for serving. Haupia (pronounced how-pee-ah) is creamy and mild with the faint sweetness of coconut and the smooth consistency of gelatin. It is such a staple in Hawaii that you can even find “Haupia pies” in McDonald’s across the islands.

Haupia image by Arnold Gatilao

And then there’s Finn Leary, heroine of The Firefighter’s Refrain (#3 in Heartwarming’s “Those Marshall Boys” series), who altered a traditional apple pie recipe until it became the favored meal-ender at her Right Note Café. You can be sure hunky firefighter Sam Marshall went crazy for it, in part because it reminded him a little of Finn, who at first seemed as sour as the apples she uses in her special concoction…then surprised him with her sweetness.


Emma Brooks, from The Paris Connection, may be American born and bred, but after living in Paris for ten years, she’s a true Frenchwoman at heart. She loves everything about her adopted city…especially macarons from the iconic French patisserie, Ladurée. Macarons (not to be confused with the cookie, macaroon) are meringue-based cookies with buttercream, jam, or ganache filling. They can be had in every flavor imaginable from Rose to Licorice to Lemon and everything in between. When Emma’s corporate rival, Cole Dorset, tries to win her heart, he has a secret weapon: macarons, her favorite dessert.



Eden Quinn, charged with caring for a houseful of formerly-delinquent boys in Sweet Mountain Rancher (#2 in Heartwarming’s “Those Marshall Boys” series), put her unique spin on a chocolate chip cookie recipe that almost prevented her greedy landlord from selling The Last Chance house for profit. (Almost, because for that wanna-be real estate tycoon, nothing tasted sweeter than money!)


So, are you ready to satisfy that sweet tooth? In the spirit of National Dessert Day, we invite you to share your favorite desserts, with or without recipes! You can enter to win a Sweet Reads prize package that includes a copy of each of the four Harlequin Heartwarming novels by Loree Lough and Cerella Sechrist mentioned in this post along with this prize package:



You can earn you first entry by commenting below and telling us your favorite dessert. Find more ways to enter here:

Sweet Reads National Dessert Day Giveaway! from Loree Lough and Cerella Sechrist

And FOUR lucky runners-up will be selected to win a copy of Cerella’s novel, Love Finds You in Hershey, Pennsylvania featuring plenty of romance, laughs, and chocolate!


We’re looking forward to seeing your replies! And if you're interested in the recipes to any of the delicious desserts mentioned from our books, you can find each of them at the very end of this post!

Until next month, we hope you’ll enjoy the crisp fall weather and (you know what we’re gonna say, right?) plenty of opportunities to devour your favorite desserts!







Comments

  1. This has got to be the most innovative and mouth-watering way to introduce your books, Loree and Cerella! No surprise, I love this post!! (Since you put me in the mood, is it wrong to have dessert after breakfast?)

    A dessert I like to make because I enjoy it and it always seems to please or guest is a raspberry almond crepe.

    Happy reading . . . and eating everyone!

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    1. Thanks for the sweet compliments, Kate! Featuring food with the blogs is just so much fun! Your raspberry almond crepes sound fantastic. I'm thinking these would be great for breakfast. ;)

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    2. Thank you, Kate, for your kind words and your support! (And yes, it's perfectly acceptable to have dessert for breakfast...now and then, anyway!) :-)

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  2. It's never the wrong time for dessert, and these look wonderful!

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    1. I'm with you, Liz! I say we join with Kate and have dessert for breakfast!

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    2. You're 100% right, Liz! I'm with Kate and Cerella: Let's choose a date and have dessert for breakfast, soon!

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  3. I like to make and especially to eat cream cheese pecan pie. While they are not called for in the recipe, I also add coconut and chocolate chips. Yum!

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    1. That sounds good, m'dear! I might just sneak a little of each into my recipe next time I make pecan pie! Thanks for the tip!

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    2. This sounds almost perfect! I'm not a huge fan of pecans, but I love the idea of adding in coconut and chocolate chips. Totally delicious!

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  4. I don't know how I was logged in using our business name but that's me- No Excuses No Limits. Apologies.

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    1. Blogger does that to me now and then, too, Nora. Not sure how or why, either! No need to apologize here...we're just pleased as punch that you stopped by!

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    2. No worries, Nora! We're glad you got us thinking about more dessert ideas! ;)

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  5. I am now having apple pie with whipped cream for breakfast!!
    Well, when I get finished here... 😍

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    1. Okay, Michelle...now you've made me hungry for apple pie...again! Thanks...and I mean that! LOL

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    2. Oh, let's just go big and warm it up and have some vanilla ice cream on top! :D

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  6. This is a fantastic giveaway and all my favorite color as well!!

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    1. I agree, Teresa; my kitchen went from butter yellow to sunflower yellow. (It's now a golden color.) Good luck in the giveaway!

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    2. It just kind of worked out that way, Teresa! I kept finding all these adorable, yellow foodie items and decided to make it a theme! :) Good luck!

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  7. Beautiful post, ladies! These desserts all sound yummy. Of course so do your books!!

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    1. Thanks, Leigh! So glad you could stop by (and if you test out one of the recipes, be sure to let us know)! Wishing you a wonderful weekend!

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    2. You're such a sweetheart, Leigh! Thank you!

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  8. Shame on you ladies for tempting us so early in the morning. Now I don't want to go eat good-for-me breakfast things. I recall having read one time that Conrad Hilton always ordered dessert first when he traveled, because he ate what he liked best while his entre was being cooked, and he got to business quicker. Your desserts all look so fantastic.

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    1. I think ol' Conrad had the right idea, so thanks for the reminder, Roz! Here's hoping your weekend is fantastic!

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    2. Let's all use Conrad Hilton's advice this upcoming week and see if it makes us more productive, Roz! We'll say it's in the name of science. Yeah, that's right...science. ;)

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  9. I didn't realize macarons were different from macaroons. Who knew dessert was educational? I love almost all desserts, but nothing beats cherry pie - the kind with a touch of almond extract.

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    1. I didn't know that either, Beth! Guess it's true: We really can learn something new every day! As for cherry pie...I've never been known to turn down a slice! Wishing you a great weekend and much luck in the giveaway!

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    2. Macaron vs. macaroon is a common misconception, Beth, but they're two totally different things! But I like your way of thinking - dessert can be educational! ;) Oooh, I love ANYTHING with almond extract in it. I even put it in my coffee sometimes. Love this idea of adding it to cherry pie!

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  10. Replies
    1. Anyone who's known me longer than half an hour knows I'm a sweets-a-holic, so depending on what's available at any given time, I might say the same thing, @jcp! Good luck in the giveaway and happy weekend wishes to you!

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    2. I feel like cake is the perfect standby dessert, @jcp! I admit, I love boxed cake mixes. I just made a spice cake last night with buttercream frosting - so quick and easy with the box mix and still delicious! Cake is the best. ;)

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  11. My favorite dessert is brownies with chocolate chips in them and ice cream on top of the brownie. Sometimes I will skip eating the dinner because I never have room for dessert if I eat the food :)

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    1. Now THERE's something I haven't made in a while, Darlene! With or without ice cream (and chocolate sauce, and whipped cream, and a cherry on top), I might just do the same thing, and skip dinner to leave room for this dessert! Have a happy weekend, and good luck in the giveaway!

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    2. Mmm, warm brownies with ice cream is up there in my top ten, Darlene! You have good taste! ;)

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  12. Dessert first...when there's still room!

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    1. Remember that old commercial, "There's always room for Jell-O!"? I like the stuff (with or without ice cream/whipped cream), but I have to admit: I'd rather eat something decadent! LOL Good luck in the giveaway, and here's hoping your weekend is wonderful!

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  13. My favorite dessert is ice cream. I have always loved it and doesn' matter what kind but I do favor maple nut!

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    1. Another of my favorites, but I'll eat anything BUT ice cream with nuts in it! (I love nuts, but not in fudge, brownies, ice cream, cake, etc. Yes...I'm weird! LOL) Wishing you a happy weekend and luck in the giveaway!

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    2. I'm not sure I've ever had maple nut ice cream, but I would definitely try it! It sounds amazing!

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  14. Oh. My. Gosh. I've had a sweet tooth all day. Now I know why! I can't wait to try out these recipes. A friend of mine once showed me how to make "brownie lumps" which is basically brownies, without the egg and water. Lots of butter and sugar and you eat it by the spoonful. It's a quick and easy way to get your chocolate fix with no baking. I'll have to see if I can dig up the recipe somewhere!

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    1. That sounds delicious, LeAnne - I'm guessing it's like a fudge consistency? Feel free to share the recipe if you find it. ;)

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    2. Brownie lumps sound delicious! Good luck finding that recipe!

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  15. I had no idea there was a national Dessert Day. woohoooo. And those recipes have triggered my sweet tooth. No fair. chuckle. Thanks for sharing. And what a fun thing to have in your novels. Desserts. yay

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    1. Loree and I can't help it - we love food so much that it always ends up in our novels in one way or another. All of my novels have some sort of food theme running through them, it seems, or so I've been told! I hope you celebrated National Dessert Day appropriately, Sandra! ;)

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    2. Cerella is right, Sandra, we LOVE food so much that adding it to our books and blogs is almost second-nature! If you test the recipes, be sure to let us know how much you enjoyed them because, as you said, desserts...yay!

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  16. Well. How great to have an excuse to indulge all day long. My favorite quick treat in the whole world is ice cream, but when we go out for dinner and finish with dessert, I adore Mud Pie - coffee ice cream and chocolate and cookie crust and whipped cream - oh, my!

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    1. You had me at "coffee ice cream", Muriel. lol Now I'm going to be craving Mud Pie!

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    2. I hear ya, Muriel! I seem to be on a rainbow sherbet kick these days, but who knows how long it'll be before I'm craving hot fudge sundaes, chocolate cake, or cheesecake! LOL

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  17. I love dessert!! My favorite is anything with chocolate - cookies, bars, cakes, ice-cream. But I particularly love a chocolate and peanut butter combination. My favorite ice cream is Edy's French Silk, and more recently I tried and fell in love with a new Breyers flavor(s): Ice Cream Cake with Chocolate Crunchies and Chocolate Peanut Butter. Yum!!!

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    1. Yes, Laurie! Me too on peanut butter and chocolate! It's one of my favorite combinations. I've been known to eat chocolate ice cream with a spoonful of peanut butter on the side because it's just better that way!

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    2. Edy's French Silk! Be still my heart! Our nearby grocery store doesn't carry it anymore. (I need to find a new store, right! LOL) Meanwhile, I'll try your Breyers recommendation, Laurie! Thanks for the tip!

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  18. My favorite pumpkin pie

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    1. Shhh...don't tell anyone, but I make pumpkin pie all year long...just because! LOL

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    2. Like Loree says, pumpkin pie is good all year long but especially in the autumn. :)

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  19. Pretty much everything chocolate and peanut butter combo dessert wise I like allot!!!
    Hi Loree and Cerella!!

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    1. Hi Jennifer!! Yes, to the chocolate and peanut butter combinations! Honestly, when I wrote Love Finds You in Hershey, I craved Reese's PB cups the most because they are also produced by Hershey. They're still one of my faves!

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  20. I just found the link to this yummy post. While I enjoy many desserts, my favourite is apple pie! The one I haven't tried yet is Macaroons, they look delicious.

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