Vicki Stewart

What is it about Agent Benjamin Vincent, aka Mr. Tall, Dark and Handsome that makes him so alluring?

He seems like a pretty straight-forward, easy to figure out kind of guy at first glance.  Then as you get to know him, you realize he’s pretty complex.  He takes everything in stride no matter how extreme a situation can be and he has a very strong faith that helps keeps him centered and grounded.  Plus his mischievous sense of humor along with a deep, unconditional love for Tori makes it difficult not to love him.   Well, the crystal blue eyes, tousled dark hair, and crooked boyish smile don’t hurt either!

And let’s not forget his seemingly endless appetite.  Have we come across a situation yet where Ben isn’t thinking about food?

Guardians of the Chosen, Chapter 25 “…Ben laughed as Goliath’s nose caught all the smells of food in the air and then he turned to Ben with a hopeful look on his face.  “Here you go, buddy,” Ben replied, tossing Goliath a piece of raw carrot.  “This is probably the safest thing you could eat in here right now.”  He smiled as Tori approached him and asked, “So where have you two been?”

“We went into town so I could mail a package of our hot peppers to my mom.  She’s itching to start cooking with them,” she replied as she wrapped her arms around Ben’s neck and kissed him.  “Whatcha makin’?” she asked.

“What Jamaican?” Ben teased.

“Oh, I set that one up for you, didn’t I?” she admitted, groaning.

“Yeah, you did,” Ben laughed.  “I’ve got a fresh bowl of scorpion salsa over there by the chips if you want to snack on some of that but be warned; it’s hot!”

“Oh, I skipped lunch, so that sounds great!” Tori exclaimed.  “What else are you making? I hope you’re going to say your infamous sting of the scorpion tail chili?”

“I was!” Ben replied, wiggling his eyebrows.

“Sa-wheeet!” Tori praised, happily.  “Let me wash my hands and then I’ll sit with you and eat all your salsa while you cook!”

“Deal,” Ben agreed.  “Do you want a bottle of beer with your salsa?  I would recommend it!”

“Do we have the dark Mexican beer?” she asked hopefully.

Ben smiled, nodded and said, “Yep.  I bought it just for you!  Well, I bought it for the chili but there’s enough for you too.”

“Gee thanks.  You sure know how to make a girl feel special,” Tori laughed as she left the room.

“I know, right?” Ben chuckled, setting a bottle on the counter for her….”

Ben’s Sting of the Scorpion Tail Chili and Salsa

Ingredients

Spice Mix
1/4 cup chili powder
2 tablespoons whole cumin seeds
1 teaspoon cayenne
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons dried Mexican or regular oregano, crumbled
2 teaspoons brown sugar

Scorpion Salsa
1 lb. whole tomatillos husked and washed
5 whole Roma tomatoes
3 white onions, peeled and quartered
10 cloves garlic, peeled
1 scorpion pepper, seeded and roughly chopped
¾ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ cup Liquid Smoke, mesquite flavor
Juice of one freshly squeezed lime

Base for Chili
1 lb. ground sirloin
1lb. ground turkey
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 medium onions, coarsely chopped (about 4 cups)
One 12-ounce bottle dark Mexican beer (Negro Modelo)
1 can tomato paste
1 – 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes
1-ounce semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
3 bay leaves
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves

Directions
Spice Mix
1) Combine the ingredients in the spice mix and set the mixture aside.

Scorpion Salsa
1) Place the tomatillos, Roma tomatoes, quartered white onions and garlic cloves on a roasting pan and set them under the broiler in the oven until they begin to blacken – 8 to 10 minutes.

2) Remove the pan from the oven and allow it to cool.

3) When cool, transfer the vegetables and any liquid that has seeped out, along with the rest of the ingredients to a blender or food processor and puree.

Base for Chili
1) Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground sirloin and turkey and cook until the meat is crumbly and no pink remains.

2) Add the fresh onions, and one tablespoon of the remaining salt to the skillet and cook, stirring, until the vegetables begin to soften, about 2 minutes.

3) Add the spice mixture and cook for 1-minute longer. Stir in the beer, tomato paste, and crushed tomatoes and simmer for 3 minutes.

4) Stir in the chocolate, cook for 1 minute longer. Transfer the mixture to the slow cooker, and add the salsa and bay leaves. Cover and cook the chili on low for 8 to 10 hours, or until the sauce has reached a deep burgundy color.

5) Remove the bay leaves and stir in the cilantro and parsley.

Optional Garnish: Serve the chili hot in bowls, topped with grated cheddar, chopped green onion, and sour cream.

Have you ever heard someone say, “Sometimes it’s better to ask for forgiveness, than for permission”? I have many times, and each time I do, something inside me cringes at the thought of it. It has become the norm in today’s society rather than the exception, and it promotes dishonesty over honesty.

Fortunately, there is still one time when asking for permission still holds true, when a man asks a woman’s father for his daughters hand in marriage.

Guardians of the Chosen, Chapter 21 “…Tanner slid the cutting board and a head of garlic towards Ben and replied, “If you wouldn’t mind chopping up three or four good sized cloves of garlic and then start sautéing that and the onion in the pan on the stove that would be great. I’m going start browning these hot Italian sausage links and then we can work on chopping up the mushrooms, fennel and herbs I have over by the sink.”

“Fennel and sausage – that sounds great! What are we making?” Ben asked, already feeling his stomach beginning to growl.

“Penne with Sausage, Fennel and Mushrooms,” Tanner replied with a big grin. “With the evenings beginning to get cooler, I thought a nice hearty pasta dish with the spicy sausage, some fresh herbs and mushrooms sounded good.”

“Good? It sounds great!” Ben exclaimed as he started peeling the garlic.

“If you want to, you could also open that bottle of Syrah on the counter and pour out a couple glasses. We’ll use the rest of the bottle in the sauce,” Tanner suggested.

“I like how you think, Tanner!” Ben agreed, laughing. “I’ll get the garlic and onions going first.”

“Sounds good,” Tanner replied as he began turning the sausage links cooking in the pan. “So how’s everything going other than the work stuff? It sounds like a lot has been going on that we hadn’t heard about yet.”

Ben chuckled as he began chopping the garlic and said, “Yeah, it’s never a dull moment with your daughter, that’s for sure. Goliath was a bit of a curve ball for us, but he’s a great dog and, so far, it’s all working out.”

“Even though he was a gift to her from another man?” asked Tanner, curiously.

Ben shot a glance over at Tanner and laughed. “Yeah, that part has been a little tough, I’ll admit it. I totally get Tori’s part in the prophecy and get that she’s got a guardian angel watching over her…I just wish he was a withered old man that looked more like Father Time, not like some beefed up biker dude with long wavy hair.”

Tanner chuckled and said, “Well regardless, we both know where her heart lies and where it’s always been with you, Ben.”

Ben paused, the knife still in mid-air as Tanner’s words settled in. Taking a deep breath, he swallowed hard and placed the knife down on the cutting board. He turned to Tanner and said, “And where my heart has always been – with her. It’s always been her. Which is something I’ve wanted to talk to you about Tanner, but I didn’t want to do it over the phone.”

Tanner turned to Ben, concerned and asked, “What is it?”

Ben swallowed hard again and said, “There’s something very important I want to ask you…”

Tanner’s Penne with Sausage, Fennel and Mushrooms

Ingredients:
4 hot Italian Sausage links
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 lb. Porcini mushrooms, sliced or 2 ounces *dried Porcini
1 lb. Baby Portobello mushrooms, sliced
1 Fennell bulb, stalk chopped, fronds reserved for garnish
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes
1-1/2 cups Syrah
1 can fire roasted petite diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 pound dried penne pasta
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1) Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Carefully add penne and cook according to package directions or until it is al dente. Drain and return penne to the pot.

2) Sauté the sausage for 8 to 10 minutes over medium-high heat, turning to brown on all sides. Remove with slotted spoon, place on paper towels, and slice into ½ inch slices, diagonally.

3) In the same pan, sauté onions, fennel and garlic for 4 to 5 minutes, until onions are translucent. Add the porcini, portobellos, rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper and continue cooking for 3 to 4 minutes.

4) Add the wine and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer to reduce by half.

5) Stir in the tomatoes and tomato paste and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes. Add the reserved sausage.

6) Add sauce to pasta, mixing thoroughly and adjust seasoning, as needed.

7) Transfer pasta to a serving bowl and garnish with the Parmesan and fennel fronds.

*Note – If using dried Porcini mushrooms, soak them in hot water for 1-2 hours, then rinse and chop.

Let’s face it.  Life can be frantic, hurried and over-planned; causing us to miss out on important moments we would much rather linger over and savor.  So on those rare days, when you find you actually have the time to stop and appreciate the stillness, be sure to take full advantage of it.

Being full time FBI agents often pull Ben and Tori in opposite directions and the occasional weekends when they’re both in town are the only times they can spend together.   What better way to spend that time than in front of a nice fire, crackling in the fireplace, a glass of wine and a delicious dinner, slowly simmering in the crock pot?

Guardians of the Chosen Chapter 12 “…Later that afternoon, Tori and Ben were lounging on the floor in front of the fireplace, enjoying a glass of wine by the fire.

Goliath was contentedly chewing on a large bone, he had strategically positioned between his two front paws, as the glow from the fire gently flickered off of the tag on his new collar, proudly bearing his owners name.

“This is nice,” Tori sighed, staring into the fire.

“Yes it is,” Ben agreed, enjoying how the fire light played off of her auburn hair.

“Dinner should be ready in about a half hour,” she added, turning to him as she heard his stomach rumble.

He smiled at her, guiltily and replied, “Thank goodness!  The smells you’ve had coming out of the kitchen all afternoon have been driving me crazy!”

“Since it felt like a fall day today, I decided to pull out the crock pot and try out a new recipe. It’s a dish called Osso Buco.  Oh, and I baked a loaf of the ciabatta with olives and caramelized onions that you love so much.”

“That sounds wonderful!  You didn’t have to go to all that trouble for me you know.  You’ve been out of town the past few days.  You need a day to relax!” he replied.

“Cooking does relax me!” she insisted.  “Besides, we’ll have plenty of left over’s for tomorrow so it can be a no cook day.  I wanted to do something nice for you since you went to all that trouble of creating that playlist for me.”

Ben smiled, reached over to push back a tendril of her hair that had fallen forward and replied, “I’m glad you liked it.  It’s hard to hear anything on the radio these days that has the word angel or heaven in it without thinking of you.  You are my angel, Tor, my gift.”

She smiled back at Ben and said, “And you are mine…”

Tori’s Veal Osso Buco

Ingredients:
4 lb. bone-in veal shanks
2 cans (each 14 oz.) fire roasted, diced tomatoes
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups beef stock
1 Tbs. olive oil, plus more as needed
3 bay leaves
3 yellow onions, diced
3 or 4 sprigs fresh thyme
3 carrots, peeled and diced
¼ cup fresh chopped parsley
8 garlic cloves, minced, divided in half
¼ cup fresh grated lemon peel
1/2 cup red wine
1 Parmesan cheese rind
¼ cup demi-glace
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions:
1) Season the shanks with salt and pepper. Dredge them in the flour, shaking off the excess.

2) In a deep pan over medium-high heat, warm the 1 Tbs. olive oil. Working in batches, brown the shanks, 6 to 8 minutes per batch, adding more oil to the pan as needed. Transfer browned shanks to a crock pot.

3) Sauté the onions and carrots, stirring to scrape up the browned bits, until the onions are slightly translucent and beginning to brown, 4 to 6 minutes. Add 4 cloves of the chopped garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

4) Pour in the wine and simmer, stirring, until most of the liquid has evaporated. Add the demi-glace and tomatoes, chicken and beef stocks, bay leaf and thyme sprigs, increase the heat and bring to a simmer.

5) Add sauce mixture to the crock pot along with the Parmesan rind, covering the meat and simmer on low heat 6 -8 hours until meat is falling off the bones.

6) Remove bay leaf and thyme sprigs. Season the dish with salt and pepper.

7) Prepare the gremolata by combining 4 cloves of the chopped garlic, the chopped parsley and fresh lemon peel.

8) Transfer the Osso Buco to a serving dish or spoon the entrée into bowls and serve, garnishing the dish with a generous amount of the gremolata.