Lynette Eason | Code of Valor + a recipe!

Happy New Year to you all! I’m so excited about my new release, the third book in the Blue Justice series, CODE OF VALOR (available now!) and am so honored to be on the Fresh Fiction blog once again. Since we’re right around the holidays - or just coming off the sugar high related to them - I thought I’d share a favorite recipe that I can see the St. John family enjoying. It’s a recipe that I found somewhere and through a bit of experimentation, changed it up a bit to suit me. :-) Not a whole lot, but a little.

It’s a Strawberries and Cream Cheese Pie with an Oreo crust.

- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

- 2½ tsp shortening – room temperature (I start with
2½,  you can add more if you find you need it.)

- 1 Oreo pie crust

- 1 8-oz block cream cheese, softened to room
temperature

- 1/2 cup sugar

- 1/2 cup sour cream – set it out to room temp and it
mixes better.

- 1 tsp vanilla

- 1 tub Cool Whip (8 oz) – I also let this sit out and warm up
to room temp before mixing it in.

- fresh strawberries, halved (enough to cover the
surface of the pie.)

Combine chocolate chips and shortening and melt in the
microwave. I found that I have to microwave it for around 45 seconds to a
minute. Then stir it
up and make sure it’s blended and smooth. Heat longer if you need to.

Once you have that, pour enough into the bottom of the
crust to cover the center part. I try to make a thin layer because I’ve found
that if it’s too thick,
it’s very hard to cut!

Once you have the layer of chocolate in the bottom, place
the pie crust in the refrigerator until the chocolate hardens.

Using a hand mixer, beat the room temperature cream
cheese, sugar, sour cream and vanilla until smooth. Add the whipped cream and
mix well.

Scoop the white mixture into the crust and smooth it then
refrigerate overnight. **This freezes REALLY well if you want to mix it up a
couple of days
before you need it.** Then once you’re ready to eat, just pull it out and top
with the strawberry
halves. Then drizzle the extra chocolate over the top. I usually have enough
chocolate left to
eat with the extra strawberries!

So, in CODE OF VALOR, Emily and Brady are on the run for a little while from the bad guys—at least before they decide to go on the offensive. The bad guys think Emily has information and are willing to kill to shut her up. She’s not sure why they’re after her, but is grateful that Brady St. John was in the right place at the right time to rescue her and then bring in the reinforcements to protect her! In the end, justice is served and Emily comes to understand that her past doesn’t have to define her future. She’s accepted into the St. John clan and finds her happily ever after amongst them. The St. John family is a close-knit, fiercely loyal-to-one-another bunch of people and they love spending time together—especially eating together. They often find themselves around the kitchen or dining room table swapping stories, sharing laughter, tears, jokes, and plans. This recipe is one that I can see as a favorite and one that’s served often!

I hope you all enjoy it. If you make it, let me know what you
think!

Blessings, Lynette