Guest Post (and a Giveaway!): Hallee Bridgeman & Honor Bound

Please join me in welcoming author Hallee Bridgeman to the blog today to chat about her new romantic suspense, Honor Bound, and to share some recipes for the ultimate hamburger, bun & potato chips – yum!

HONOR BOUND by Hallee Bridgeman
SERIES: Love and Honor #1
GENRE: Inspirational Romantic Suspense
PUBLISHER: Revell
RELEASE DATE: September 6, 2022
PAGES: 384

It may seem odd to seek peace by moving to a war-torn African country, but for medical missionary Dr. Cynthia Myers, it provided a way to escape a shallow life of unearned wealth, a philandering fiancé, and a father now square in the public eye as vice president of the United States. At least here she knows her work and life have meaning. But all that is thrown into chaos when she fails to save the life of a local warlord’s mortally wounded son.

As part of the Army Special Forces “A-Team” on a mission to capture and subdue the warlord, Captain Rick Norton is compelled to use deadly force to save Cynthia’s life. Enraged at the violence she witnessed and riddled with guilt that men died because of her, Cynthia tries to hold on to her anger–but an unwanted attraction is taking hold.

With two members of his team badly injured and rebels in hot pursuit, Rick will have to draw upon all his strength and cunning to get her out alive . . . because he’s beginning to think they just might overcome their differences and be able to make a life together.

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Other Books in This Series

the ultimate hamburger

by Hallee Bridgeman, author of Honor Bound

I am such a foodie. When I had little kids, my brain wouldn’t relax and let me go into the fictitious worlds I created. But I had this extensive creative drive. To compensate, I started a homemaking blog called Hallee the Homemaker. I could write articles about being a military wife with young children and a deployed husband. I could talk about how to get Koolaid stains out of a carpet. And I really got to explored my foodie drive. Our family is a whole-food, real-food family. If I can make it homemade from the bases ingredients, I do. I grind my own wheat to make my own bread. We make all of our condiments.

When I’m writing, exploding the food cultures of my characters is one of my favorite things. This series was wonderful because I went around the world. In Honor Bound, Rick and his best friend Bill always try to find the ultimate hamburger wherever they are. Here is my recipe for The Ultimate Hamburger, the Ultimate Hamburger Bun, and Homemade Potato Chips:

The Ultimate Hamburger

Use a ground beef with a low fat content. Ground chuck at 80/20 or 70/30.

Take ¼ pound (4 ounces) of meat and press it into a ball. Line a small plate with waxed paper. Place the ball of beef in the center and top with a another piece of waxed paper. Using another plate, press the beef into a patty. This will compress it and help it hold together.

Cook on high heat in an iron skillet. Season each side with salt and pepper to taste. Cook until your desired temperature:

Medium-rare: 130˚ F to 135˚ F (55˚ C to 57˚ C)
Medium: 140˚ to 145˚ (60˚ C to 63˚ C)
Medium-well: 150˚ to 155˚ (65˚ C to 58˚ C)

Just before you’re ready to remove it from the pan, top it with a slice or two of cheese. I love Swiss cheese or sharp cheddar. Mix them up!

Serve with the Ultimate Hamburger Bun and top with your favorite burger toppings.

The Ultimate Hamburger Bun

3 TBS honey (pure, raw, local honey is always best)
1 cups warm water
2 1/4  tsp dry yeast (1 packet)
3 cups flour (I use a combination of fresh ground hard red and hard white wheat – if you don’t grind your own wheat, unbleached white flour is good)
1/4 cup plus 2 TBS  powdered milk
1 teaspoon salt (Kosher or Sea salt is best)
3 TBS butter

PREPARATION:

Lightly grease a large bowl to use for rising the bread

Melt the butter

DIRECTIONS:

Mix 1 TBS honey with warm water. Add yeast. Let stand for 5 minutes.

Place 2 cups flour, the dry milk and salt in large bowl. Blend until well mixed. If using your stand mixture, turn on to speed 2 and add the remaining honey and the water/yeast mixture. Add the melted butter. (If mixing by hand, mix well)

Add remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time until the dough is no longer sticky (you may not end up using all of the flour.)

Knead with the stand mixer for 2 minutes, or knead by hand for 10 minutes.

Once the dough becomes smooth and elastic, put it into a lightly greased bowl. Turn it once and cover with a light towel. Let it sit in a warm spot until it doubles in bulk. It will take about an hour.

Punch the dough down. Separate into eight equal pieces and roll into balls. Lightly press them flat. Place on a greased cookie sheet and let rise about thirty minutes, then turn the oven on and let them continue to rise as the oven preheats.

Bake at 350° degrees F (180° degrees C) for 25 minutes.

Remove from pan and immediately place on cooling rack. Slice in half and serve with the ultimate burger. Top with your favorite toppings.

Homemade Potato Chips

Russet potatoes (about medium sized)
Canola oil (organic canola or non gmo canola is best)
sea salt

PREPARATION:

Wash your potatoes really well.  No need to peel them!

DIRECTIONS:

Heat your oil to 375° degrees F (190° degrees C).

While the oil is heating, use a mandolin or really sharp knife and slice your potatoes really thin – about ⅛ inch.

Gently slide the sliced potatoes into the oil, one slice at a time. Don’t overload your oil – just do 6-8 at a time. The oil is going to immediately bubble all around the slice.  As it cooks, it’s going to curl up and start to crisp.

Once it curls up, try to turn it over (some don’t make it over – that’s fine) and keep cooking until they start to brown.

Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel.  Immediately sprinkle them with sea salt.

Hallee Bridgeman is the USA Today bestselling author of several action-packed romantic suspense books and series. An Army brat turned Floridian, Hallee finally settled with her husband in central Kentucky, where they have raised their three children. When she’s not writing, Hallee pursues her passion for cooking, coffee, campy action movies, and regular date nights with her husband. An accomplished speaker and active member of several writing organizations, Hallee can be found online at www.halleebridgeman.com.

Revell is offering a print copy of Honor Bound by Hallee Bridgeman to TWO of my readers! (US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.) This giveaway is subject to Reading Is My SuperPower’s giveaway policies which can be found here. Enter via the Rafflecopter form below.

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What about you? What makes you want to read Honor Bound by Hallee Bridgeman? What’s your fave hamburger topping?