Jenny Gardiner is cooking up a storm and has a book to give away!

**Giveaway is now closed**

Jenny Gardiner was here last year around Thanksgiving to share what she was most thankful for. This past summer, she was at Trixie and Peanut in NYC to celebrate the release of "I'm Not the Biggest Bitch in this Relationship" and Amy got to meet her! Now she is back to share her favorite holiday recipe! She also has one e-book of "Slim to None" (which will be a good motivator during the season of yummy food) for a lucky reader anywhere in the world!


Jenny Gardiner is the author of "Sleeping with Ward Cleaver," "Winging It," "Slim to None," "House of Cards," "Over the Falls" and a contributor to the humorous dog-lovers anthology, "I’m Not the Biggest Bitch in This Relationship." She also wrote "Accidentally on Purpose" and "Compromising Positions" under the name Erin Delaney. In the past, she has held jobs ranging from orthodontic assistant to waitress to photographer (claim to fame: being hired to shoot Prince Charles--with a camera, silly!). She lives in Virginia with her husband, three kids, two dogs, one cat, one rabbit, and a gregarious parrot. In her free time she studies Italian, dreams of traveling to exotic locales, and feels very guilty for rarely attempting to clean the house. Visit her at her website, her blog, on Facebook or on Twitter.

Author photo by Jen Fariello

Hi! I'm sharing an old family recipe we call Rice Croquettes, something my mother made when I was growing up and her mother made and her mother's mother made and so on. We always serve it on Thanksgiving and Christmas though my kids love them so much sometimes I'll throw together a batch just to placate them during the rest of the year. Though they're pretty labor intensive, but the results are well worth it! I included this recipe in my novel SLIM TO NONE (which was recently the #1 Bestselling Kindle book), and since we're sharing holiday recipes I figured this was a perfect one to include. Slim to None has loads of recipes in it. though, so if this seems a little more than you're willing to do, no worries! There are simpler ones.

RICE CROQUETTES
Ingredients:
1 quart (4 cups) milk
3 tbl. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract (not vanilla flavoring)
1 tsp. kosher salt
4 sticks cinnamon
¾ c. raw rice (long-grain)
Kellogg's Corn Flake Crumbs (about 3-4 cups)
Peanut oil (2-3 bottle of Planter's brand)
Red currant jelly

In double boiler on high, with water in bottom pan just shy of touching the bottom of insert pan, bring to scald one quart (four cups) whole milk. You will know it is scalded when a thin skin forms on surface of the milk. Then add 3 tbl. Sugar, 1 tsp. vanilla, 1 tsp. salt, 4 sticks cinnamon, and ¾ c. raw rice. Stir well.
Cook on low to medium temperature for several hours, stirring occasionally, and checking to be sure water doesn't boil away from bottom pan (add more when necessary), until mixture is so thick you can barely stir it with a wooden spoon. Let cool (can refrigerate overnight if need be).
Shape into 1" balls, roll in egg and then in corn flake crumbs to coat.
Deep-fry in peanut oil at 375• or in wok on medium high. Can be refrigerated and re-heated in 350• oven for about 12-15 minutes.

Serve warm with red currant jelly.

Thanks to Jenny for coming back for a visit and sharing her recipe and e-book!

How to win "Slim to None":
Please comment below with your e-mail address. (Please note:Entries without an e-mail address will NOT be counted. You can use AT and DOT to avoid spam. Or provide a link to your facebook page or blog if you can receive messages there.)

Bonus entries (can be listed all in one post):
1. Please tell us: What is your biggest temptation during the holidays?
2. Follow this blog and post a comment saying you are a follower (if you already follow, that's fine too).
3. Post this contest on Facebook or Twitter or in your blog, and leave a comment saying where you've posted it.
4. Join Chick Lit Central on Facebook. Edit settings if you don't want to receive a lot of messages at your e-mail account. Please read our posting guidelines, as well. (If you're already a member, let us know that too.)
5. Add a friend to our Facebook group. (Tell us who you added.) Be sure to remind them to edit their settings.


Giveaway ends December 11th at midnight EST.