#COOKING WITH CLORIS--GUEST AUTHOR ALLIE BONIFACE'S BERRY TRIFLE

USA Today bestselling author Allie Boniface has written over a dozen romances, mostly set in small towns. She enjoys traveling with her husband when not teaching high school English or working on her next novel. Learn more about Allie and her books at her website.

What better way to celebrate the dog days of summer than with a small-town romance series filled with heat and suspense? Summer’s Song, Book 1 in my Pine Point series, re-released yesterday with Entangled Publishing, so I’m celebrating today with one of my favorite sweet treats. I’ve always loved writing about the quirky wonderfulness of small towns, probably because I grew up in one (and I also currently live in one). They’re charming, often picturesque, and filled with characters who know, love, hate, and have all kinds of juicy gossip about each other – some that goes back generations!

One of the best things about a small-town summer, in my opinion, is the classic backyard BBQ. Fire up the grill, set up some chairs and lawn games, and invite your friends over to eat, drink, and enjoy the long, warm days and nights. My classic go-to recipe, if I’m a guest at a summer party, is this Berry Trifle. I originally found it in a Cool Whip cookbook years ago, but I’ve tweaked it a bit since then. If you have a sweet tooth and love a colorful dessert that’s a little bit different from the norm, give this one a try!

Berry Trifle

Ingredients:

3 cups cold milk

2 packages (4 oz each) chocolate instant pudding/pie filling

1 tub (12 oz) whipped topping, thawed (or you can make your own by whipping heavy cream and adding confectioner’s sugar to taste)

1 9-inch pan of brownies, cooked, cooled, & cut into 1-inch squares

1 cup each of sliced strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries

Pour cold milk into bowl. Add pudding mixes & beat with wire whisk for 2 minutes. Stir in 2 cups of whipped topping.

Layer half the brownie cubes in the bottom of your serving dish (I like to use a glass trifle bowl, so you can see the colors). Top with half the pudding mixture, approximately one-third of the berries, and 2 cups whipped topping. Repeat layers and top with remaining berries and whipped topping.

Refrigerate if not serving immediately. Then enjoy!

In Summer’s Song, the heroine comes home to Pine Point after 10 long years away. She doesn’t have plans to stay, but that changes once she meets a local hunky handyman. But like almost every main character I seem to create, these two have secrets waiting for them. Each title in the Pine Point series is on sale for only $0.99 through August 27 so you can treat yourself to this entire collection for less than $4.00! Even better, I’ve joined with 7 other Entangled authors to create a Hot August Nights giveaway. 

Summer’s Song

Summer Thompson doesn’t remember the night her brother died, and she certainly doesn’t want to go back to Pine Point and face any memories that might be awoken there. But ten years after leaving her small hometown, she’s back to settle her estranged father’s estate and be rid of the half-renovated mansion she’s inherited. What she doesn’t expect is to find the house occupied by a hunky handyman reluctant to talk about his past.

Damian Knight has been helping his mother and sister hide from a brutal stalker, but now the peace and carefully guarded safety they’ve found in Pine Point is in danger. The refuge they live in is about to be sold out from under them by the lovely but haunted Summer, a woman who quickly finds her way through Damian’s defenses and steals his heart.

But in a small town full of powerful secrets, the past won’t remain buried. Summer has to face her memories and could lose the man she loves, and maybe even her life.

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