A.J. Lape's Blog

Here’s a sampling of some of the songs I played most while writing Vice Versa! Not surprisingly, the songs fit the overall theme of the book. As always, if you have any suggestions, please sound off in the comment section, and I’ll add them! Also, make sure to follow me!

I’m not a big breakfast eater although I do love making breakfast dishes for dinner. Check out this recipe from allrecipes.com if you’re in a rut. (NOTE: My breakfast is a chocolate banana drink from Costco. Shout out, Costco. It’s awesome).

Ingredients:

1 pounds sliced bacon, diced

1 sweet onion, chopped

4 cups frozen shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed

9 eggs lightly beaten

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 1/2 cups small curd cottage cheese

1 1/4 cups shredded Swiss cheese

Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 9x13-inch baking dish.

Step 2: Heat a large skilled over medium-high heat; cook and stir bacon and onion until bacon is evenly browned, about 10 min. Drain. Transfer bacon and onion to a large bowl. Stir in potatoes eggs, cheddar cheese, cottage cheese, and Swiss cheese. Pour mixture into prepared baking dish.

Ste[ 3: Bake in preheated oven until eggs are set and cheese is melted 45-50 min. Let stand 10 min before cutting and serving. Enjoy!

On a cold and blustery day, I'm not sure you can do better than a bowl of hamburger soup. Not only does it warm you up, it's absolutely delicious and plenty filling. Check out this recipe below. 

Ingredients:

1 pound lean ground beef1 cup chopped carrots1 cup chopped celery1 cup chopped onion6 cubes beef bouillon5 cups water8 ounce can tomato sauce16 ounce can diced tomatoes1 teaspoon salt10 ounce package frozen corn kernels10 ounce package frozen peas1 teaspoon dried basil3 tablespoons ketchup

Directions

In a medium skillet, brown hamburger over medium heat. Drain off fat.Combine beef, carrots, celery, onions, bouillon, water, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, salt, corn, peas, basil, and ketchup in a large stock pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for at least 90 minutes.Garnish with parsley.

If you're in the mood for an unbelievable chocolate chip creation, this is it. We liked them so much that I wanted to pass them along to you guys. Hat tip to HowSweetEats.com, where I got the recipe.

Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter1 1/2 cups light brown sugar (lightly packed)2 eggs lightly beaten1 tablespoon vanilla extract2 cups all-purpose flour1/2 teaspoon baking soda1/2 teaspoon salt1 cup milk chocolate chips1 cup dark chocolate chipsMaldon flaked salt, for topping

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Have a 9x13 inch baking dish out.In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt.Place the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Cook and let the mixture bubble, stirring occasionally, until brown bits begin to appear on the bottom. Once the brown bits appear, turn the heat off and continue to stir for about 30 seconds. Let the butter cool slightly. Take a pastry brush and brush a bit of the butter all over the bottom and sides of the 9x13 inch dish.Place the brown sugar in a large bowl. Pour in the brown butter and mix until combined combined and smooth - the sugar will somewhat dissolve. Add the eggs one at a time, stirring immediately after so they don’t cook if the butter is still warm. Stir in the vanilla extract.Use a wooden spoon to stir in the dry ingredients until they are almost combined. Stir in the chocolate chips until they are evenly dispersed.Press the mixture into the buttered dish. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and set in the center. Remove the dish and immediately sprinkle the top with flaked salt. Let cool completely before slicing into squares.

I love sweets and when one comes along that I can't put down, I have to pass it along to my friends. Well, this recipe for Peanut Butter Bars definitely falls into that category. I probably gained a pound or two scarfing these things down, but trust me it was worth it!

I hope you find them as irresistible as I did!

INGREDIENTS

2 cups creamy peanut butter (475g)10 tablespoons salted butter softened (140g)2 tablespoons brown sugar packed tightly (25g)1 teaspoon vanilla extract (5ml)3 1/4 cups powered sugar (405g)4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate (115g) OR 2/3 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips1 teaspoon shortening

INSTRUCTIONS

Prepare a 9"x9" baking pan by lining with aluminum foil.  Set aside.Mix together peanut butter and butter until smooth and creamy.Add brown sugar and vanilla extract, stir well.Gradually add powdered sugar, stirring until completely combined.Spread peanut butter filling into prepared pan.  To make the surface smooth and even, I like to first spread with the a spoon or spatula, and then lay a piece of wax paper over the filling and use my hands to smooth it out (see video for visual).Place pan in refrigerator while you prepare your chocolate topping.To prepare chocolate topping, combine chocolate pieces or chocolate chips and shortening in a small microwave-safe bowl.  Microwave for 20 seconds, stir well, and continue to heat on 15-second increments (stirring well between) until chocolate is completely melted and smooth.Remove bars from refrigerator and spread chocolate evenly over the surface.Return to refrigerator and chill at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.Cut and serve.  Keep uneaten bars refrigerated for firmness.

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Ride or Die has been one of my favorite books to write. Besides the subject matter and new phase in Darcy’s life, some of that might’ve been because I liked the tunes on the playlist that range from Queen to Lil Nas to the Talking Heads.

Ruby Rivera is such a fun character to write. She’s badass, and therefore her music is all kinds of badass too. I listened to a lot of Heavy Metal and rock and roll with Ruby.

Here’s the playlist! If you have any suggestions, please sound off in the comments, and I’ll add them! Make sure to follow me!

I make playlists for each book I’m writing to set the mood for certain chapters or just for the book vibe in general. I use Spotify which has a free version. You have to listen to occasional ads, but they’re really short. 

For my upcoming book Sloth, the playlist is a little heavy on “love that crashed and burned.” Or “love that’s unrequited.” If you have any suggestions, please sound off in the comments, and I’ll add them. If you have a Spotify account, make sure to follow me!

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