Our guest today: Jamie Brenner aka Logan Belle
Why we love her: Her writing delights us!
Her latest: The novella Now or Never
The scoop: Claire is looking forward to some romance now that her son is finally off to college. As a devoted single mother she desperately needs to get her groove back and make up for lost time. But a sudden crisis has her wondering if her sex life will be over before she even goes on her first date.
Giveaway: Two E-copies! Leave a comment and you'll be entered to win! We'll choose the winners on Sunday, October 20th after 8am PST.
Where to read more about Jamie: Her website, Facebook and Twitter.
Liz & Lisa present...Jamie Brenner's 5 Fall Faves
Memory
I moved to New York City on Halloween day, 1996. My apartment was in Bank Street in the West Village. I will never forget the energy of the neighborhood that day – the crisp air, the decorations in ever shop window, the police barricades on Sixth Avenue in preparation for the annual parade. I felt like I’d just landed in the center of the universe. And this time of year always brings me back to that exhilaration.
Favorite recipe
My favorite fall recipe, for the past ten years, has been a very simple pumpkin bread recipe that I got from one of my daughter’s nursery school class cookbook projects. But I’ve recently gone gluten-free, so this year I’m trying something a new recipe from Martha Stewart Living:
INGREDIENTS
- 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
- 1 3/4 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled) ** Martha recommends King Arthur Flour's Gluten-Free Multi-Purpose Flour for this bread.
- 1 1/2 teaspoons gluten-free baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cups pure pumpkin puree
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
STEP 1
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter a 4 1/2-by-8 1/2-inch loaf pan. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. In a large bowl, using a mixer, beat butter and sugar on medium-high until light and fluffy, 7 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla. With mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture and beat until just combined. Add pumpkin and buttermilk and beat until just combined.
STEP 2
Transfer batter to pan, smooth top, and bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, about 1 hour 15 minutes (cover with foil if overbrowning). Let cool in pan on a wire rack, 15 minutes. Turn out onto rack and let cool completely.
Drink
At restaurants this time of year, I start switching from wine before dinner to coffee with Bailey’s after dinner. For daytime, I reward myself after a good writing morning with a Pumpkin Spiced Latte at Starbucks.
Activity/hobby
I grew up in Philadelphia in a family of rabid Flyers hockey fans. For me, fall is always hockey season. It’s the only professional sport I watch. It took me a long time to be able to root for the Rangers. And when the two teams play each other, I’m still a Flyers girl at heart.
Writing inspiration
I love fall/winter fashion. Walking up and down Madison Avenue and seeing all the creative store windows: Chloe, Chanel, Dolce and Gabanna, Michael Kors, Tory Burch. The visual inspiration always triggers stores in my mind about the characters who might wear these dramatic, expensive, gorgeous outfits. (I’ve attached a photo of a pic I snapped outside of Dolce and Gabanna last weekend)