under a broiler for 5 minutes or until melted and bubbly. Place 3 meatballs in the roll, and top with a spoonful of sauce. Sprinkle with Parmesan and chopped parsley.
Twenty-Four
Pizzelles
Ingredients
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup (two sticks) butter, melted
2 Tbsp. grated orange peel
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. anise
1 Tbsp. orange juice
4 tsp. Baking powder
1 tsp. ground cardamom
1/4 tsp. salt
6 large eggs
Powdered sugar for dusting
1) Preheat electric pizzelle iron
2) Measure all ingredients into a large bowl. Mix at low speed until well blended, scraping sides of bowl with rubber spatula.
3) Follow the instructions of pizzelle iron manufacturer (you might need to use cooking spray). When iron is ready, spoon a small amount of batter into the center of each form. Close the iron and cook until light golden-brown, about 1-1 1/2 minutes (check instructions on your iron). Gently transfer cookies to cooling rack—they will crisp up as they cool.
4) Dust with powdered sugar before serving.
Twenty-Five
Italian Wedding Soup
Ingredients
Meatballs:
1 lb. ground beef
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 egg
1/8 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 cup Parmesan
1/8 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 tsp. salt
Olive oil
Soup:
4 cups chicken broth
1 bunch escarole, roughly chopped
1 lb. raw chicken breast, bone in
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2) Mix meatball ingredients together in medium bowl until well combined. Form meatballs into marble-sized balls. You will get around 60 meatballs, but can freeze about half of them for future use, depending on your preference.
3) Place meatballs on silicone or tin foil lined sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 6 minutes.
4) Meanwhile, place chicken in large pot and cover with water. Boil for 20 minutes. Remove chicken from water and let cool. Once cooled, remove meat from bones and shred. Discard the bones and water, and set shredded meat aside.
5) Heat broth in large pot on medium-high heat. Add escarole and cook on medium until the escarole is cooled down, around 10 minutes. Add shredded chicken and meatballs. Simmer on medium-low heat for 5-8 minutes to let the flavor from the meatballs infuse the broth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
6) Serve the soup topped with grated Parmesan.
Twenty-Six
Toasted Sourdough and Tomato Bruschetta
Ingredients
1 lb. tomatoes, diced
1/2 red onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. fresh basil, about 5 large leaves, chopped
1/8 cup grated Parmesan
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
12 slices sourdough bread
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1) Add tomatoes, onion, garlic, basil, Parmesan, salt and pepper to medium bowl. Stir until combined. Add 1/4 cup olive oil and combine.
2) Brush tops of sourdough slices with olive oil. Place under broiler for about 3 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with bruschetta.
Twenty-Seven
Zeppole
Ingredients
Dough:
4 oz unsalted butter
1 cup whole milk
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. orange zest
Pinch of salt
1 cup flour
4 eggs room temperature
Filling:
1 lb. ricotta, drained
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
Vegetable oil
Powdered sugar
Cherries in syrup
Filling:
1) Place ricotta, powdered sugar and vanilla in food processor and and blend until smooth. Slowly add the heavy cream while the mixer is on high and blend until the ricotta is smooth and thick, about 20-30 seconds. Add chocolate chips and pulse about 10-15 times to combine.
Dough:
1) In a medium pot, bring butter, milk, sugar, orange zest and salt to a boil. Immediately add the flour and stir vigorously with wooden spoon until the dough comes together to form a ball. Remove from heat and continue to stir dough to cool down slightly, 2-3 minutes.
2) Add eggs one at a time and mix until well incorporated between each addition. Once all eggs are added, you will have a smooth, thick paste. Add the dough to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip.
For Fried Zeppole:
1) Cut 12-14 four-inch square parchment pieces.
2) Fill a deep saucepan with 1-2 inches of vegetable oil or shortening. Heat oil to around 350-375 degrees.
3) Pipe 2.5-3 inch rings onto the parchment squares. Drop the rings, dough side down into the hot oil. The parchment will peel away once heated. Fry until golden brown, then flip. Flip several times to cook evenly until deep golden brown and puffed up.
4) Remove from oil and place on paper towel to remove excess oil. Let cool. Once cooled, slice in half and fill with ricotta cream. Dust with powdered sugar and top with a cherry.
For Baked Zeppole:
1) Heat oven 400 degrees.
2) Pipe 3 inch rings on a parchment lined or silicone lined sheet pan. Bake for 25 minutes. Turn off oven, and let puffs sit in oven for another 10 minutes or until deep golden brown.
3) Remove from oven and let cool. Slice in half and fill with ricotta filling. Dust with powdered sugar and too with a cherry.
Acknowledgments
Once again, I need to thank Dina Cimarusti for all the delicious recipes in this book. I hope you enjoy making them as much as I do!
As always, my appreciation and gratitude go to the following people for their talent, support, wisdom, friendship, and encouragement…
Melissa Gaston, Brandi Zelenka, Jenn Watson, Hang Le, Devyn Jensen, Kayti McGee, Laurelin Paige, Corinne Michaels, the entire Social Butterfly team, Anthony Colletti, Rebecca Friedman, Flavia Viotti & Meire Dias at Bookcase Literary, Nancy Smay at Evident Ink, Julia Griffis at The Romance Bibliophile, proofreaders Michele Ficht, Shannon Mummey, and Alison Evans Maxwell, Stacey Blake at Champagne Book Design, Katie Robinson at Lyric Audiobooks, narrators Teddy Hamilton and Samantha Brentmoor, the Shop Talkers, the Sisterhood, the Harlots and the Harlot ARC Team, bloggers and event organizers, my Queens, my betas, my proofers, my readers all over the world…
And once again, to my family, with all my love.
About the Author
Melanie Harlow likes her heels high, her martini dry, and her history with the naughty bits left in. In addition to the Bellamy Creek Series, she’s the author of the Cloverleigh Farms Series, the One & Only series, the After We Fall Series, the Happy Crazy Love Series, and the Frenched Series.
She writes from her home outside of Detroit, where she lives with her husband and two daughters. When she’s not writing, she’s probably got a cocktail in hand. And sometimes when she is.
Find her at www.melanieharlow.com.
Also by Melanie Harlow
The Frenched Series
Frenched
Yanked
Forked
Floored
The Happy Crazy Love Series
Some Sort of Happy
Some Sort of Crazy
Some Sort of Love
The After We Fall Series
Man Candy
After We Fall
If You Were Mine
From This Moment
The One and Only Series
Only You
Only Him
Only Love
The Cloverleigh Farms Series
Irresistible
Undeniable
Insatiable
Unbreakable
Unforgettable
The Bellamy Creek Series
Drive Me Wild
Make Me Yours
Call Me Crazy
Co-Written Books
Hold You Close (Co-written with Corinne Michaels)
Imperfect Match (Co-written with Corinne Michaels)
Strong Enough (M/M romance co-written with David Romanov)
The Speak Easy Duet
The Tango Lesson (A Standalone Novella)
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