A Crispy Rice Christmas and a recipe

Here's the cover for my brand new ebook short story, available now here and here and lots of other places soon!

Just in time for Christmas, my short story A Crispy Rice Christmas is released! The tag line: 

If Beth can't figure out a way to seduce her love's picky appetite, she fears her relationship is toast—burnt. She cooks up a plan only to have it boil over. What's a terrible cook to do? Can Beth brave a winter storm in search of a Christmas dish to save her relationship—or will the holidays be a distasteful disaster?

And in honor of the release, here's a Pumpkin Pie Rice Crispy Treat recipe--I just discovered that they come out with different flavors of marshmallows, including pumpkin pie, during the holidays--how cool is that? 

Pumpkin Spice Rice Krispy Bars
 
4 tbsp butter or solid margarine, room temperature
10-oz Pumpkin Spice Marshmallows (1 large bag)
or 10-oz plain marshmallows + 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice mix (or make your own pumpkin spice mix: 1 teas. cinnamon, 1 teas. nutmeg, 1/4 teas. cloves, 1/2 teas. ginger)
1 teaspoon vanilla
6 cups puffed rice cereal 

Combine butter and marshmallows in a large, microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for 60-90 seconds, until marshmallows have melted. Stir the marshmallow mixture, add the teaspoon of vanilla (adding spices, if using), then add in the cereal. Stir with a large spatula until everything is evenly combined. Or melt the butter in a saucepan and then slowly melt the marshmallows and add the vanilla and spices, if using. Yes, this is the old fashioned way, but it reminds me of doing it as a child.

Spoon/Pour into a 9×13-inch pan and press into an even layer. Let cool completely (if you can wait that long) before cutting into bars. I usually end up cutting and pulling off a couple of pieces long before--and eating them too--good while warm!