COOKING WITH CLORIS--BERRY SALAD FROM AUTHOR LINDA McLAUGHLIN

Today we welcome back author Linda McLaughlin, who grew up with a love of history fostered by her paternal grandmother and an incurable case of wanderlust inherited from her father. She has traveled extensively within the United States and has visited Mexico, Canada, & Australia. A lifelong dream came true with a trip to England where she was able to combine sightseeing and theater with research for her novels. She published her first book under the name Lyn O'Farrell. Now Linda writes historical and Regency romance under her own name and sexy to erotic romance under the pen name Lyndi Lamont. Learn more about Linda and her books at her website and blog. Linda joins us today to share a recipe and tell us about her recent release.

My thanks to Lois for inviting me back to Killer Crafts and Crafty Killers.

Today I’m sharing a fruit salad recipe I created. A few years ago, my plot group started having holiday potlucks. At the time, we had a number of people with dietary restrictions, so I set out to create a non-allergic fruit salad. The requirements were that it be free of gluten, dairy products, nuts and citrus, as well as low in calories. Because of my own fruit allergies, I decided to focus on a berry salad.

Cranberries are one of my favorite fall fruits, so I started with whole-berry cranberry sauce and added fresh blueberries. It was tart, to say the least, so I added raisins for some sweetness. Most of the ladies in the group gave it their blessing, though a few don't like cranberries, but that's fine. The great thing about a potluck is you get to choose what you want to eat.

Here is my original recipe:

Cranberry-Blueberry Delight

Ingredients:

1 14 oz. can of Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce

1 package of fresh blueberries (about 4 oz.)

1 cup of golden raisins

Mix, chill and serve. That's it!

The recipe serves 8-10 ladies. (The photo doesn't reflect the full recipe. It's what is left over after a couple of days of snacking on it.) I’ve also spread it on turkey sandwiches in lieu of regular cranberry sauce.

Since it's so simple, it's easy to experiment. Add nuts for crunch or sweeten to taste if it's too tart. I'm thinking about adding some of those little marshmallows next time for color and sweetness.

Happy holidays!

The Best Present

Ten-year-old Allison Harcourt's life has been turned upside down since her father lost his job and her beloved grandmother died. She's not looking forward to Christmas, especially since she can't figure out how to finish the scarf she's making for her mother. An unexpected stop in Sweetwater Springs brings her and her parents to the boarding house of the widow Murphy. Sometimes sweet things can be found in the most unexpected places.

The Best Present is part of  Sweetwater Springs Christmas: A Montana Sky Short Story Anthology by Debra Holland and Friends: E. Ayers, Linda Carroll-Bradd, MJ Fredrick, Paty Jager, Jill Marie Landis, Trish Milburn, Linda McLaughlin, Bev Pettersen, Tori Scott, Cynthia Woolf

Come celebrate the holidays in 1895 Sweetwater Springs, Montana, as ten Western Romance authors join New York Times Bestselling author Debra Holland in telling short stories of love and laughter, heartbreak and healing, and most of all, Christmas joy.

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