Beyond Control (35 page)

The doctor looked at me and then at Aaron. He knelt in front of us and took in a deep breath. I noticed Jason stiffen next to me, and I knew he recognized the doctor’s demeanor.

My heart crashed into a world of sorrow, but my mind brought me quickly out of it. Some things were beyond control, but this wasn’t one of them. Brandy couldn’t be one of them…

To read more about Brandy, Gabby, and Lily, be on the lookout for

(Book 2)

Turn the page for some of Gabby’s delicious recipes…

Apricot Bar Ingredients

3/4 cup butter, softened

3/4 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup + 1 tbl sugar

1 egg

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1-1/2 cups flaked coconut

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1-12 oz jar apricot preserve

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan.

Cream butter, sugar, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl and then add egg, continuing to mix until creamy. Gradually add flour and baking powder. Slowly mix in coconut and chopped walnuts.

Press two thirds of cookie dough into greased baking pan and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and lightly spread preserves over cookie bottom. Crumble remaining dough over preserves.

Bake for another 25 minutes or until cookie is a light golden brown. Once cooled, cut into bars.

24 Bars

Cookie Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed

1 teaspoon orange zest

2 large eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla

3 cups oats (not instant)

3/4 chopped pecans

1 1/2 cups dried cranberries

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F and prepare cookie sheet with parchment or use a non-stick sheet.

Blend the first 4 dry ingredients. Cream butter, vanilla, and sugar and then add eggs, stir until completely mixed. Add flour mixture and mix until creamy. Add oats, orange zest, cranberries, and pecans and stir lightly.

Drop dough about 2-inches apart and Bake 11- 13 minutes (until golden brown).

Ingredients

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup coconut

1 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cups white sugar

1 egg

2 teaspoon vanilla extract

6 coconut marshmallows

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Ungreased cookie sheet. Quarter the coconut marshmallows.

Stir together flour, coconut, baking soda, and baking powder in a small bowl and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Once smooth, beat in the egg and vanilla. Gradually blend in the dry ingredients, but don’t over mix.

Roll rounded dough into balls, and place onto ungreased cookie sheets, topping each with a coconut marshmallow piece.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden.

Let stand on cookie sheet a couple minutes before removing to wire racks.

Scone Ingredients

4 cups all-purpose flour

6 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon orange zest

1/2 teaspoon salt

4-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons cold butter

2 eggs

3/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons milk

1-3/4 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°F and grease cookie sheet.

Combine flour, orange zest, sugar, salt, and baking powder in bowl. Use pastry cutter (or fork) to cut in butter until mixture resembles crumbs that are coarse.

Whisk only 3/4 cup milk and eggs and add it to the dry ingredients. Mix until barely moistened. Turn dough onto a surface that is lightly floured. Gently knead in fresh blueberries.

Divide the dough in half. Gently pat onto flat surface without overworking dough. Use circular cookie cutter and press out scones and place on greased cookie sheet or cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush with the remaining 3-tbl. milk.

Bake at 375°F for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown.

Dribble Orange Glaze on scones while still warm.

Orange Glaze Recipe

3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar

¼ teaspoon grated orange zest

2 tablespoon orange juice, + as needed

Warm orange juice in small pot. Add sugar and zest, whisking quickly until consistency is reached. Remove from heat and sprinkle over scones.

Cake Ingredients

6 ounce semisweet, chopped

6 ounce bittersweet, chopped

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter

4 large eggs

1/2 cup+ 1 tablespoon sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F and Butter a 9 x 2 round cake pan or spring form pan and line bottom with parchment paper and butter. Dust pan with flour.

Beat together sugar and eggs with an electric mixer until a thick, pale yellow ribbon forms when beaters removed (about 7 min).

Melt butter and chocolate in a double boiler (metal bowl set over saucepan with simmering water also works), stirring until smooth. Remove from heat let cool slightly.

Fold 1/4 of egg mixture into chocolate, and gently fold the rest into mixture.

Pour batter into prepared baking pan and

Bake pan in hot water bath in center/middle of oven. Bake for 47 minutes. Toothpick will NOT come out clean, but top will appear set.

Run a knife around edge of pan and chill cake for a minimum of 4 hours, up to 12, before serving.

If not using a spring form pan, gently warming pan edges can help remove cake, but too long and cake melts.

Serve chilled with raspberry sauce.

Raspberry Sauce

12 ounce bag of frozen raspberries

1/2 cup granulated sugar (to taste)

Thaw raspberries in a fine mesh strainer. Once, defrosted, gently press the berries using the back of a spoon through the mesh into a bowl. The only thing that should remain in the strainer are seeds and minor tidbits of raspberry. Mix the raspberry puree and sugar together. Drizzle over cake.