Day 4--Chicken Salad

Author Cheri LaClaire has a great blog where readers follow her amazing writing progress, and her thoughts on life in general. Today Cheri's talking about friends. Stop by and say hi! She loves visitors.

Cheri says of this chicken salad: "This is a good recipe for a crowd because it's pretty generic, but also delicious!"

I love craisins so that'll be my choice when I try this one.

Thanks, Cheri!

Chicken Salad

4 cooked chicken breasts

6 hard boiled eggs
1/4 cup green onions
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup champagne grapes or craisons
1 Ranch packet
1 cup mayo (8oz) (Real stuff, no substitutes!)
1 cup sour cream (8oz)


Shred cooked chicken breasts & mix celery, onion, sour cream, mayo & ranch packet. Chill overnight. One hour prior to serving mix in chopped eggs and craisons. Chill that last hour and serve. (I like to serve on croissants.)

Day 3--Fruit Pizza

This recipe is from my sister, Jennifer and is a favorite to take to pot lucks and family gatherings.

Fruit Pizza

1 pkg white or yellow cake mix
1 1/4 cup quick cooking rolled oats
1/2 cup softened butter or margarine
1 egg
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
21 oz. can of fruit pie filling

Heat oven to 350. Spray a 12 inch pizza pan or use a 13x9 pan.

Combine cake mix, 1 cup oats, and 6 tablespoons butter until crumbly. Reserve 1 cup for topping.

Add egg and blend well. Press mixture into prepared pan.

Bake for 12 minutes.

Meanwhile...To the reserved crumbs add remaining 1/4 cup oats, 2 tablespoons butter, nuts, brown sugar and cinnamon. Mix well.

Remove base from oven and spread with pie filling. Sprinkle with topping. Return to oven and bake 15 to 20 minutes or until topping is light golden brown.

Cool completely before serving 12.

(*lizzie's note--make this extra decadent and drizzle on a swirl of icing!)

Day 2--Irish Cream

Author Tina Gayle sent me this recipe around St. Patrick's Day. Of course, it'll be good any day of the year. Whether you're Irish or not!

Tina would love to have you visit her here. Take a gander at her book Mating Rituals, from amira press.

Irish Cream



1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 ½ cup blended whiskey
1 tbsp. Chocolate syrup
½ tsp. Instant coffee
1 tsp. Vanilla
1/8 tsp. Almond flavoring
½ tsp. Coconut flavoring
4 large eggs

Blend everything together in the blender and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Good both by itself or in coffee.

Day 1--Cheesy Crockpot Chili

Here's a recipe from Connie Crow, one of my writing friends. I've had this recipe for awhile--since she calls it a great winter meal. However, chili's great any time of the year. In fact, you should eat hot soups and chili in the summer because the heat will help even out your body temperature. Or so I've been told...

Visit Connie's blog at http://constancecrow.blogspot.com/ and check out her Regency, No Place for a Lady  from Awe-Struck Publishing.

Cheesy Crockpot Chili



This great winter meal can be put together in the morning. It will simmer all day and have the house smelling wonderful by the time you eat it that evening.


1.5 lbs ground chuck
½ cup chopped onion
2 tsp garlic
Good pinch of salt.
1 T butter


Melt the butter in a heavy skillet. Throw in the chopped onion and garlic. Sweat the onions and garlic until the onion is translucent. Don't brown now, it turns the garlic bitter. Put in the chuck, breaking it up and browning the meat . Salt lightly. Break it up well. Once it's browned thoroughly, drain off all liquid and fat that cook out of the chuck. You can do this the night before and store it in the fridge until morning.


2 cups crumbled Fritos corn chips
1 cup grated cheese
1 can stewed tomatoes, Mexican style, with liquid
1 can chili beans with liquid
1 tall can tomato juice
1 tsp chili powder
½ tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
2 T. Worcestershire sauce


In the morning, crumble the corn chips into the bottom of the crock pot. Add the meat mixture from the night before. Cut up the tomatoes in the can, if they're whole. Pour can into the crock pot. Add in the beans and their liquid. Sprinkle in chili powder, cayenne, cumin, salt and Worcestershire sauce.


Add enough tomato juice to bring level of liquid to within one inch of crock pot top. Stir well to blend spices. Sprinkle the cheese over top and close lid. Set to slow, 8 or ten hours. Check it mid day. Stir once or twice to distribute melting cheese and dissolving corn chips.


Corn chips
Shredded cheese
Chopped green onions

To Serve: Put crumpled corn chips in the bottom of the bowl. Ladle in steaming chili. Sprinkle the top with shredded cheese and chopped green onion. Enjoy.

This is a mild chili because I don't like a lot of spice. You can add or subtract to suit. My hubby always hits his bowl with a couple of shots of hot sauce. IF your whole family likes that, you can add it in the cooking time.


This should fit in a 12 cup crockpot. Mine is 45 years old (a wedding present). The recipe doubles nicely to fill one of the newer oval crockpots. It also freezes well.

Recipe a Day in May!

First off, thanks to my followers for sticking with this blog, even though there hasn't been a post in forever. I spent the first quarter of this year much more ill than I thought, then the next couple of months recovering. But, thankfully, I believe I'm almost back to normal.

And it's time to get back to sharing some favorite recipes--both mine and those provided by cooking friends.

So, I'm planning to post a recipe a day for the month of May. Okay, I know it's already the third... that means I'm owing y'all 3 recipes--which I'll get posted sometime today. Then, be ready for one tasty, tempting treat a day. 

Twelfth Night Gingerbread Molasses Cake

I missed Twelfth Night by one day, but author Ann Stephens comes to the rescue with a great family tradition. This cake would be a wonderful alternative to a traditional Mardis Gras King Cake--or just any time of the year you want something a little spicy!

Here's what Ann has to say about her cake: "Every year, my family revives the old custom of eating a King Cake on Twelfth Night. It harks back to my both my English ancestry and my hubby's French heritage. On January 5th or 6th, we have a nice dinner and follow it with a cake that has a quarter baked into it. I've tried a dried bean, like in the King cakes my mother-in-law enjoyed as a child in France, but they get mushy and are hard to find. The quarter is easier to find and harder for small children to swallow, but check their slices VERY, VERY carefully before you serve them!"



Any cake your family likes works as a King Cake, but this is the one I'm making this year:

Gingerbread Molasses Cake

1 1/4 C all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp salt
4 T butter (1/2 stick)
1/2 C sugar
1/2 C unsulfured molasses
1 large egg
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 C boiling water
1 thoroughly washed quarter! ;) Leave this out if you want to use this recipe as a dessert for another time of year.


In a large bowl, sift together the flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves and salt.

In another bowl cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy. Beat in the molasses and egg until the mixture is smooth.

In a measuring cup, combine the baking soda and boiling water till the soda is dissolved. Add the baking soda & water to the molasses mixture and stir (it will now appear curdled).

Add the molasses mixture to the dry ingredients and combine the ingredients well. I use an electric mixer for 2 minutes.

Pour the mixture into ONE greased and floured 8" or 9" pan, OR into a muffin tin with 12 paper liners. Bake at 350 degrees for 32 minutes for the round pan, or for 20 minutes for the cupcakes.


I serve this cake with cream cheese frosting or sprinkled with powdered sugar.

For a little more about Twelfth Night and my upcoming book, To be Seduced, visit my blog or my Facebook page!

Happy New Year Rum Balls

Rum Balls
makes approximately 50 small rum balls

8 oz Powdered Sugar
4 oz Rum
3 oz Light Corn Syrup
15 1/2 oz crushed Vanilla Wafers
6 oz chopped Pecan pieces

Stir together the powdered sugar, rum and corn syrup. Add crushed vanilla wafers and peacans. Mix until evenly moistened.

Use a teaspoon to divide into portions and form balls. Place on a parchment or wax paper lined cookie sheet.

Mix together the following ingredients. Roll rum balls in mixture until evenly coated.

4 oz Powdered Sugar
2 Tbls. Cocoa

Store in an airtight container with parchement or wax paper between the layers. These can be frozen.