If you know me at all or have read my book (Shifter: A Zie and Dax Novel), you’ll know that I love food. I love to cook and to eat, but most of all, I love to feed people. This last-mentioned affinity does not only apply to the physical world. I truly enjoy feeding the characters in my fiction.
One of the best parts about planning and researching a book is getting to decide what characters love to eat, how they interact with food, and what restaurants they will get to visit. Shifter was no exception.
Zie Charles, the main character of the novel, happens to be a bit of an emotional eater. During the course of the story she
sees things others can’t
gets pulled into a secret INTERPOL investigation
deals with a gorgeous, yet aloof Englishman
is hunted by a serial killer
juggles a shortened design deadline
and tries to avoid a clumsy and persistent ex.
These are only a few of her struggles/adventures. Needless to say, I had plenty of opportunities to stuff Zie’s face with everything we all love to stress eat.
Zie discovers the grilled peanut-butter, marshmallow, and Nutella sandwich at a music festival at Red Rocks and becomes obsessed. Really, who could blame her?
I can totally see Zie and her best friend, Tim, in her kitchen at midnight trying to re-create the sandwich themselves. With just a few ingredients, it’s simple and would be the perfect snack for anyone who needs to reduce a little stress with something obscenely delicious.
The Recipe:
Ingredients:
Creamy Peanut Butter
Nutella
Marshmallow Cream
Thick-Sliced Brioche
Butter
Steps:
The Peanut Butter - Slather a generous amount of peanut butter onto one side of thick-sliced brioche.
The Nutella - Spread a similar amount of Nutella onto one side of a separate piece of bread.
The Marshmallow - Spoon a few dollops of marshmallow cream on top of the peanut butter and spread it out.
Smoosh it - Gently sandwich the peanut butter and marshmallow cream together with the Nutella.
Butter it up - Cover the outside of both sides of the sandwich with butter.
Get it Toasty - Heat a skillet or griddle to medium heat and grill the sandwich on both sides until it is golden brown and the middle becomes gooey and wonderful.
The finished product can definitely be described as rustic, but it is one of the tastiest things on the planet!
On a More Serious Note
It’s hard to believe that just six weeks ago my first published work went out into the world. I had such big plans to market my book and develop my author platform, but everything changed with COVID-19. Adapting to teleworking and homeschooling was challenging, but the real problem was that I got a little stuck mentally. My day-job invaded my creative space and my brain was captured by worry. It took re-arranging my work area and about 20 lists to get my mind chugging again. I can’t imagine how difficult it must be for those who are more directly impacted by the pandemic.
I only mention this because I know others are probably stuck in that same cycle. I finally came to terms with my feelings and realized that, as a writer, I should keep creating and contributing to the positivity and distraction the world sorely needs right now. If we all do our part, this can be a time of learning, sharing, creating and innovating as well as a time of social distancing and illness.
I wish I could say that I won’t get stuck in the spiral of worry and doubt again, but I will try my best to stay connected to the brighter side and share work that hopefully distracts, entertains, and ultimately, makes people smile. 😊 Stay safe and well, my friends!