Who can resist chocolate on Valentine's Day?

The Ultimate Chocolate Cookie

¾ cup shortening

¼ cup peanut butter

2 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup brown sugar (packed)

1 Tbsp. milk

2 cups flour

1/3 cup cocoa

1 tsp. baking soda

Dash of salt

2 cups oatmeal

1 cup chocolate chips

Heat oven to 375°. Blend together first 7 ingredients, shortening through milk. Add flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Mix well. Stir in oatmeal and chocolate chips. Form into walnut sized balls. Place on cookie sheet and flatten slightly. Bake for 10 minutes. Yields 3 dozen cookies.

I made up this recipe, combining bits and pieces of other cookie recipes. The oats give it texture, the hint of peanut butter adds that extra something, and a double dose of chocolate - yum! Enjoy for Valentine's Day or anytime.

Perfect Valentine's Day Salad

Avocado and Hearts of Palm Salad

2 lettuce leaves (Bibb, Butter, or Romaine)

1 ripe avocado

½  14 oz. can hearts of palm drained and sliced ¼ inch thick

1 Tbsp. lime juice (1/2 a lime)

¼ tsp. minced, peeled fresh gingerroot

¼ tsp. sugar

Dash of cayenne pepper

1 ½ Tbsp. canola oil

1 tsp. sesame seeds

Line two plates with lettuce leaves. Halve avocado and cut into ¼ inch thick slices. Arrange slices on lettuce, overlapping. Top with hearts of palm. In a small bowl, whisk together lime juice, gingerroot, sugar, and cayenne. Add oil in a slow stream, whisking until dressing is well combined. Drizzle over salads and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serves 2

This is a tasty, pretty salad, perfect for Valentine’s Day! It’s one of my husband’s favorites.

Today, I'm also visiting with Amber Leigh Williams, talking about my all time favorite romance novel. Please stop by The Cozy Page to chat.

Exciting News - Bittersweet Releases February 1st!

Today's recipe has been pre-empted! Finally, the news I've been waiting for. Bittersweet, my western historical romance from Whiskey Creek Press, will be available on February 1st. Friends and fellow authors have stepped up to help me promote. I'm forever grateful! Here's my list of blog stops. I hope you'll visit me on my tour and leave a comment or two...

February 2 - The Roses of Prose
February 3 - AJ's Tattered Pages
February 4 - P.L. Parker's Blog
February 6 - The Cozy Page with Amber Leigh Williams
February 7 - Penumbra with Silver James
February 9 - Vintage Vonnie
February 12 - Rachel Brimble Romance
February 17 - Wild Woman Author with Kat Henry Doran
February 18 - The Roses of Prose
February 27 - Author's Lunch: A Bite of Reuben Sandwich

Blurb:

Eight months after her husband is killed in a train robbery, Tess Moran knows she must pick up the pieces of her shattered life and build a future for herself and her infant daughter. Daniel Moran’s love for Tess is bittersweet. Acting on his feelings for his sister-in-law will betray his dead brother’s memory. Watching her search for love elsewhere may very well destroy him.

In 1880, life in rural Colorado is filled with hard work and simple pleasures, but trouble looms on the horizon. Together Tess and Daniel battle drought and the outlaw who killed the man they both loved, but the greatest challenge of all is finding solace for their battered hearts.

Buy links will be found on my website just as soon as they're available. Thanks for sharing in my excitement!

What Happened to Winter?

January 2011 The girls and Ginger buried!

Is anyone else having the weirdest winter in the history of...well, forever? We live in Tahoe. This is January. To me that means - SNOW! Last January, we were buried in the white stuff. This year, nothing, nada, zip! The ski resorts have been relying on man made snow to limp along. My kids' Nordic ski races were cancelled.



January 2012 Not enough snow to roll in!

Then, finally, a series of storms that left us with a couple of feet of snow. Hope was renewed. Winter had finally started. The skiers were happy, happy, happy. Nordic races were rescheduled. Then today, it's RAINING! Let's not get into global warming, but seriously, where's winter?



Happy Dog in the snow - last winter!



Is your winter as crazy as mine? Let's hear about it!



Chili for a Cold Winter Day

A writer friend was looking for a chili recipe, and I offered to post my favorite. I devised this through trial and error, and you can easily adjust it to your tastes. This recipe is fairly hot, so if you prefer mild, you may want to leave out the cayenne pepper. Kidney beans can be substituted for pinto. A cup of frozen corn can be added. The possibilities are endless. Enjoy!

  

1 lb. ground beef

1 medium onion chopped

3 garlic cloves minced

2  15 oz. cans pinto beans rinsed and drained

1  15 oz. can tomato puree

1  15 oz. can diced tomatoes

1  4 oz. can diced green chilies

2 Tbsp. chili powder

½ tsp. cumin

¼ tsp. cayenne pepper

salt and pepper to taste

Cheddar cheese

Brown ground beef in large pot, draining any grease. Add onion and garlic and cook until soft. Add remaining ingredients. Bring to a simmer and cook over low heat for approximately 3 hours, stirring occasionally. Chili can also be prepared and then cooked in a slow cooker on low for 8-9 hours. Top with grated cheddar cheese. Serves 6

Ginger's World - Let the Barking Begin!

It’s a dog’s duty – and no one appreciates it. When intruders invade our space, we bark. It’s in our genes. Telling us not to bark is a complete waste of time and energy, and a smart human would simply give up and let us do what comes naturally.

There’s my squirrel bark. Don’t even get me started on those little teases. Coming oh so close, only to scamper up a tree and chatter at me. Grrrr… My squirrel bark is high pitched, maybe a little too excited, but what’s a dog to do?

Then there’s the other dog bark. I mean, seriously? If a strange dog walks past the house, am I supposed to sit there and not say a word? I don’t think so!

The doorbell really sets me off, resulting in a barking frenzy. There’s just something about that loud ding that turns me into a lunatic – or so I’ve been told.

Then there are the coyotes that yip from the meadow, just begging me to come get them. Barking isn’t a sufficient response, but my people won’t let me chase them. As if those mangy creatures could hurt me!

Probably the most bark-worthy occasion was the night the bear sat on our deck, licking the barbecue. The nerve! I nearly barked myself horse, and that bear didn’t even move. Not even after my human turned on the light. I’m having palpitations just thinking about it!

Who’s with me on this? Shouldn’t a dog be allowed to bark?

Ginger

Blogging in a New Year

My New Year's resolution is to start blogging more! Hard to believe considering my pathetic track record. On Mondays I'll post recipes. Thursdays will be devoted to all the pet lovers out there with blogs about my dog, Ginger. I hope you'll stop by.

For this Monday, I'm starting off with a dessert recipe I served at my book club recently. The ladies were kind enough to ask for the recipe, so I think you'll enjoy it!

Lemon Freeze Pie

Crust:

¾ cup cornflake crumbs

2 Tbsp. sugar

¼ cup melted butter or margarine

Combine in an 8 inch pie pan. Remove 1 Tbsp. of crumb mixture and reserve. Firmly press on bottom and sides of pan.

Filling:

2 eggs, separated

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

1 tsp. lemon peel

1 can sweetened, condensed milk

3 Tbsp. sugar

Beat egg yolks until thick. Add lemon juice and peel. Beat well. Add condensed milk and stir until thickened. In a second bowl beat egg whites until stiff. Add sugar gradually while beating. Fold egg whites into lemon mixture. Pour into pie pan and sprinkle with reserved crumbs. Freeze at least 3 hours before serving.

Enjoy!