So as all of you who follow my blog know, my first two novels, Red Hot Steele and The Genesis Allegory, were released in the middle of last month. When some of my friends and neighbors learned that the date had finally arrived, of course they encouraged me to have a release party, and I was more than happy to oblige. Unfortunately, various factors conspired to make it so that we couldn’t have my release party until almost a month after the actual release of my books, but have it we did.
Now, I won’t bore you with the details: we ate, we drank, I sold some books. Fun was had by all. But I thought I’d do something a little different for both the party and this blog.
The fun thing for the party was that, in addition to snacks and a make your own pizza bar, we decided to do themed drinks based on the characters in Red Hot Steele: homicide detective Jake Daggers and his sexy, half-elf partner Shay Steele. Daggers is a surly, grizzled detective, so of course he likes whiskey sours, but he also has a thing about apricots, so we worked that into the drink as well. Steele, being an elf, is a bit more flowery and effeminate, so we concocted a drink for her out of pear and elderflower, but just like her, it’s got a bit of a kick, too.
The different thing for the blog is that I decided to turn my normally writing, science-fiction, fantasy, and heavy metal-based blog into a food blog (at least for a day). I thought it might be nice to branch out with my blog posts, and at the same time give my wife an opportunity to stretch her photography skills.
So, without further ado, gaze your peepers upon some of our delectable creations, and, in case you’re interested in the drinks, we’ve got the recipes available next to each. Full-sized photos are available upon clicking.
Fried chicken in a biscuit. My wife made 115 for a party with about 30 people, and almost all were gone by the end.
Mini spice cakes, with cardamom and powdered sugar. We thought this would be more interesting than brownies or cookies.
The Shay Steele Collins—flowery, effeminate, but delectable and with a decent bite.
Recipe for the Shay Steele Pear Collins:
1.5 oz Gin
1 oz Pear Simple Syrup
0.5 oz Elderflower Liquor
0.5 oz Lemon Juice
Pear Simple Syrup: Peel and chop 4 pears. Combine with 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar. Boil until sugar is dissolved and pears are soft. Transfer to a blender and puree until smooth. Strain and discard solids.
The Jake Daggers Sour—it’s got quite a kick, more from the lemon than the whiskey, though it is strong.
Recipe for the Jake Daggers Whiskey Sour:
2 oz Whiskey
2 oz Lemon Juice
2 oz Apricot Simple Syrup
Apricot Simple Syrup: Combine 1 jar apricot preserves and 1/2 cup water. Boil until preserves are melted. Transfer to a blender and puree until smooth.
Red Hot Steele and The Genesis Allegory in all their real, physical, papery glory.