Welcome to the Month of Love Celebration!

Happy February, everyone. Since February and its most famous holiday, St. Valentine Day, is all about the love, I've decided to celebrate all month long with recipes, guest bloggers, and much more fun, all centered around the theme--you guessed it--LOVE!


As an author of romance and erotica, I deal with the relationship kind of love all the time, so I thought I'd share with you today, and all month long, something else I'm passionate about: COOKING. I love to cook and what better way to show your special someone you care than to whip up a yummy dish, just for the two of you (or three or four, we don't judge here at the Writer's Block!) Not to mention each of these recipes works great for family dinner night, too. I hope you enjoy these dishes as much as I enjoyed perfecting them!

And now for today's tasty treat.....

Chocolate Meringue Pie

1 9"-deep dish Oreo crust (you can substitute with graham or shortbread crusts, too)

Filling:

1 cup semi-sweet choc chips

2 cups granulated sugar

6 tablespoons flour

1 cup hot water

1 can evaporated milk

6 eggs, separated (reserve egg whites for meringue)

1 tablespoon butter

Meringue:

1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 cup water

2 tablespoons sugar

Melt chocolate and granulated sugar in bowl over boiling water. Beat until smooth, set aside to cool.

In a glass or metal bowl, whisk together flour, hot water, evaporated milk, and egg yolks. Heat over boiling water until thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and beat in chocolate until well blended. Pour into pie crust. Cover top with plastic wrap or parchment paper to prevent 'pudding skin.'

Time to make meringue! Combine sugar, cornstarch and water in glass or metal bowl. Heat over boiling water, stirring constantly until thickened. Remove from heat.

In mixer bowl, beat egg whites, and 2 tablespoons sugar until soft peaks form. Gradually add hot syrup and beat on high speed until stiff peaks form.

Remove protective cover from pie. Spread meringue over warm pie filling, seal edges to crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until browned to your liking.

Chill at least six hours prior to serving.

Enjoy!