Good Morning Sunshine Casserole from Jill Shalvis

My friend, Jill Shalvis has a new book out on March 29 called THE SWEETEST THING, the second book of her charming Lucky Harbor series. Tara Daniels thinks she's got it all together. A tightly wound erstwhile Southern belle, she knows all the answers. Until sexy Ford Walker swaggers into her life and turns her brain into pudding.

Click here to read an excerpt of THE SWEETEST THING on Jill's website. We're giving away a copy of THE SWEETEST THING today! Post a comment here for a chance to win. US addresses only.

I invited Jill to join me here today to answer five random questions and share one of Tara's delicious recipes. (Clearly, Jill had much better luck with Tater Tots than I did!)

Five Random Questions for Jill Shalvis

Who taught you how to drive? Have you ever had a fender bender?

My 16 year old boyfriend taught me to drive, and it wasn't pretty. It was a VW Bug, a stick, and I'd never driven a stick before. AND we lived in hilly Los Angeles. It was a nightmare. My first of many fender benders involved the tragic death of a mailbox. It died too young.

What is the biggest failure you’ve ever had in the kitchen?

Oh Lord. Pick one. My favorite is when we moved from Los Angeles to the Sierras. High altitude. Like 6300 feet high altitude. And my favorite kind of cooking is baking. But let me tell you, cooking at 6300 feet is VERY different. I burned bread, I burned muffins, I burned cupcakes, I burned pies. And I burned them all quite spectacularly. One time the fire department even had to get involved, but I don't want to talk about it.

What’s with this famous cookie obsession of yours? How did it start?

I can't even remember how it started. But hi, my name is Jill, and I'm addicted to cookies. Any kind. All kinds.

What’s the weirdest thing you like to eat?

Okay but don't judge me. The day after Thanksgiving, I made bread, slice it thick, load on leftover turkey and lettuce and ... ketchup. Don't ask, I can't explain it.

Writers often put aspects of themselves into the characters in their books. What, if anything, do you have in common with Tara from The Sweetest Thing?

Tara and I have very little in common. She's tall and beautiful and self assured (at least on the outside) and tough. I have far more in common with her sister Maddie (whose story was told in Simply Irresistible 10/10). Maddie's a little bit fumbling and unsure, but she is fierce when it comes to those she loves. I'm definitely fierce. :)

Good Morning Sunshine Casserole

1 layer of tater tots
1 layer of ham or sausage cubes (or crumbled bacon, whatever makes your skirt blow up)
1 layer of grated cheddar cheese (there's no such thing as too much cheese for breakfast)

Pour this over the layer:
6 beaten eggs
1/2 tsp salt (or more, if no one's looking)
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. dry mustard
1/2 cup of chopped onion
3 cups of milk
2 tsp. Worchestershire sauce
Add 1/2 cup melted butter over all that.

Cook 1 hour at 350 degrees uncovered.