Saturday, March 14, 2020

Five Cup Salad by @DeniseSwanson

My mom is going to be 93 in August and while she is still doing remarkably well, cooking/baking has become difficult for her. Although, we all tell her she doesn't have to bring anything to family gatherings, she still wants to contribute and has rejected my suggestions to purchase something ready made--except for pies from our fabulous local bakery. But often, the desserts at our family dinners are already covered and she needs/wants to bring something else.

Going through her recipe file, I discovered this simple salad that used to make for Sunday dinners. She doesn't have to cook or bake anything and can in fact just dump most of the ingredients right from their containers into a bowl and mix them up.

I've tweaked it to be a bit healthier and, full confession, I usually disregard the 1 cup rule and add the whole can of fruit even if it is a little more than 8 ounces.

Added bonus, it's really tasty with something like ham or turkey!



 Ingredients
1 cup mini marshmallows
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup drained no sugar added mandarin oranges
1 cup drained no sugar added pineapple chunks
1 cup light sour cream








I start with the mandarin oranges



Next is the pineapple

Then the coconut and marshmallows

And finally, the sour cream

Mix well and serve either family style in the large bowl or scooped in to individual small bowls.


OUT NOW:  A CALL TO CHARMS (FIRST IN THE FOREVER CHARMED MYSTERY SERIES)






Chocolate, men, and magic. Who can turn down that inheritance?
     If life had gone as she planned, Lexie Green would have been teaching English at a prestigious university, not persuading spoiled, rich women to buy overpriced clothes they didn’t need and often looked ridiculous wearing. Can you say electric yellow see-through skirts and Torn jeans with unfinished hems?    
     Still, although this isn’t the life Lexie would have chosen, all is going well. At least until Lexie is fired and her deranged ex-boyfriend tries to kidnap her.
     Deciding that it’s better to accept a mysterious inheritance from a great aunt she’s never heard of rather than end up kept in a cage as her ex’s pet poodle, Lexie packs up and heads to Kansas. So, what if she has to go by a new name and live in a town that she can’t find on a map?
     Unfortunately, once she arrives in her new hometown, everyone there seems just a tad off-kilter and Lexie’s cousin insists that the citizens are magical. At least there are a couple of hot guys hanging around for eye candy.
     Even though Lexie doesn’t believe the nonsense about her being the Ravenscraft Shield, she does believe her father was murdered—a father she never knew existed, and she investigates his death.
     Too bad, whoever killed her father, now wants Lexie dead as well.    

***
OUT NOW: THE NEWEST IN THE WELCOME BACK TO SCUMBLE RIVER SERIES




There's something fishy just below the surface of Scumble River...

School psychologist Skye Denison-Boyd is getting ready to return to work from her maternity leave and hoping for a peaceful year in her job as a school psychologist. But when an elderly woman disappears on her first day back and a disgruntled parent threatens to sue the school, Skye realizes that her return will be anything but quiet.

When the parent suing Skye's school is found dead and with the missing woman's case is still unsolved, Skye suspects the crimes are somehow linked. With her chief of police husband, Wally, at her side, Skye dives into the investigations. But as tensions rise and Skye and Wally's suspect list lengthens, they start to wonder whether a member of their own tight-knit community could be behind it all...

Enjoy the occasional romance?



Take one dedicated wildlife veterinarian who treats her animals as if they were her babies, add an impossibly handsome nightclub manager who’s determined to open the hottest spot in Las Vegas, and what do you have? A sweet, sexy romance that proves that no matter how much a man and woman may snarl at the idea of a relationship, love always wins.

* * *

Marco Thorne was hired by Club Wilde’s owner to open up the newest, most outrageous venue yet. He is absolutely certain that he can handle all the competition Las Vegas has to offer until his overbearing boss contracts with Lions and Tigers and More sanctuary to have live exotic animals present in the jungle-themed club. Still, he has no choice but to go along with his boss’s idiotic scheme, even if he thinks it’s the worst idea he’s ever heard.

Dr. Sage DeSantis’s entire life is devoted to keeping the animals under her care in the sanctuary healthy and happy. After the sanctuary’s owner announces that he’s renting out some of Sage’s babies to Club Wilde, she’s sickened that they will once again be exploited.

When Marco and Sage meet, the chemistry between them nearly knocks them off their feet. Although they both have experiences in their past that make them leery of love, and Sage is determined to guard her heart, Marco is all in. But will Marco be able to convince Sage to give them a chance?

* * *

Publisher’s warning: This book contains sensual consummated love scenes.

Series description:

Second in Denise Swanson’s new Delicious contemporary romance series. All books are complete with no cliffhangers and a guaranteed HEA!

Sinfully Delicious is available now!

Undeniably Delicious is coming in 2020!

For more information, please visit www.DeniseSwanson.com
Catch up with me on 
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7 comments:

  1. Waiting for the next book in all your series. My sister in law use to make that salad. It was always a hit. She was a good cook, but disliked cooking. rgp1950@yahoo.com

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  2. Bless your mom.
    But, no to this.

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  3. Years ago one of my cousins served fruit cocktail with a little sour cream mixed in. What a difference that made!

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  4. I'm so glad to hear your mom is doing well at 93. That's quite an achievement! In the South, we call this Ambrosia, and it's always popular!

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