PASTA SALAD IS GREAT (Hope you tried the one I posted in May!) And Chicken Salad is great. But if you combine them you have the whole meal deal. Easy to put together and yummy.
Ingredients:
2 cups cooked, drained and cooled pasta (I used the bow tie variety)
2 large chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped onions
1 small can sliced black olives
1/4 cup chopped bell pepper (I love the orange)
You can also add chopped artichoke hearts if you'd like for extra color
Ranch dressing - enough to moisten your salad and keep everything together. (I put in a generous squirt.)
Directions:
Well, that's easy. Mix them all together, put in a bowl and refrigerate. You are ready for that summer potluck!

Thanks to my son the chef in the family, I have discovered the secret to great Pasta Salad. It's sun dried tomatoes! Oh, yum.
Here's the recipe he shared with me. (a little modified) I know you'll love it.
Ingredients:
2 cups cooked pasta, rinsed, drained and cooled
1/4 - 1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes
1/2 an orange bell pepper, finely chopped
1 small can chopped black olives
1/2 cup mozzarella balls, chopped
1 1/2 Tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
Italian salad dressing to taste
salt and pepper if desired
Directions:
Just mix everything together and chill. You can play with the amounts of ingredients and you can also added chopped salami and sprinkle in grated Parmesan cheese if you desire. Instead of using the mozzarella balls I just dumped in a handful of grated mozzarella cheese.
A great summer dish to take to your family picnic. Happy Eating!

IF YOU were at my Facebook book birthday party for my new release SAND DOLLAR LANE you saw me enjoying this yummy creation. Here's the recipe:
Ingredients:
1 cup crushed ice
1/2 banana
1/2 cup Piña Colada mix
a splash of Grenadine
a shot of rum (optional)
Directions:
In blender, mix together banana, Grenadine and Piña Colada mix until smooth. Add rushed ice (and rum if you desire) and blend. Pour into a large glass and garnish with a pineapple slice.

TIS THE SEASON ... for entertaining. And if you're having friends over for tea or hosting a brunch you might want to serve up these chocolate scones I just concocted for my girlfriend tea party.
Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup butter, room temp
1/2  cup sugar
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup chopped candied cherries (if you prefer you can substitute craisins)
1/2 cup chocolate chips
Directions. Sift together dry ingredients and then add butter and fork as for pie crust until butter is in small chunks. Add cherries and chocolate chips and the milk and mix until you have dough. Separate the dough into three ball and then roll out on a floured surface into circular mounds of about 6 inches. Cut each into four pieces and set on an un-greased cookie sheet. Bake for 15 minutes at 400. Depending on your oven you may have to bake a little longer.
Serve with jam and whipped cream or mock Devonshire cream (which has some cream cheese in it.)

I love parties, especially birthday parties,  and I love celebrating when I have a book birthday. This fun recipe is one I came up with in honor of A LITTLE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT, my 2021 Christmas book.  Whatever your celebration, this might do the trick for you! I've paired a light chocolate cake with caramel frosting and it's been a hit! So, here you go.
Ingredients for cake:
2 1/4 cup cake flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3 Tbsp cocoa powder (You can add more or less, depending on how chocolatey you want your cake.)
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter, room temp (don't use that icky unsalted stuff!)
2 whole eggs
1 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
Directions: Sift dry ingredients into a mixing bowl, then add egg, milk, and vanilla and beat until mixed. Pour into muffin tins lined with paper cupcake holders.
Theoretically, this should make two dozen cupcakes, but I always end up overfilling
so I usually wind up with less.
Bake for 20 minutes or until the old toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool on a rack. When cool, frost with a caramel frosting.
For frosting.
I don't want to take credit for something I didn't create myself. I got the recipe for the caramel buttercream frosting I used on my cupcakes from this site, where they have lots of yummy recipes. If you hop on over there you will get detailed instructions on how to make a fabulous caramel frosting
https://www.twosisterscrafting.com/best-caramel-buttercream-frosting/

Oh, how we love the humble zucchini. So much you can do with it. Including combining it with chocolate to make a yummy moist cake. I got it years ago from my old high school bestie,and I'm still making it. (Thank you, Donna!) I think you'll enjoy it.
Ingredients:
1 cup oil
1 1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 cups grated zucchini
3 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
2 1/2 cups flour
4 Tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp cinnamon
a handful of chocolate chips
Directions:
Sift dry ingredients together. Mix zucchini, oil, eggs,  sugar and sour cream, then add dry ingredients and mix. Add chocolate chips until blended, then pour into a greased 9X13 pan and bake at 325 for 45 minutes.

We can't always get to the beach for a beach party, but we can bring the beach to us with this yummy shrimp dip.
Ingredients:
1 eight oz brick of cream cheese
1 1/2 Tbsp sour cream
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
3/4 cup chopped black olives
1 cup (or a little more if you like) chopped cooked shrimp
dash of Worcestershire sauce
dill to taste.
Directions: Let cheese stand at room temp until soft, then beat together with sour cream. Mix in remaining ingredients and chill. Serve with crackers.

Here's a great salad to enjoy this summer - fast to make and always a hit, this tuna salad can be expanded or shrunk, depending on how many you want to feed. Ingredients listed here, you can easily feed four.
Ingredients:
2 large carrots, grated
2 large celery sticks, finely chopped
1/2 cup green or red pepper, finely chopped
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
scant 1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 7 oz can tuna fish, drained
a dash of salt, if you like
crunchy Chinese noodles (however many you want to add)
Directions:
Mix all the above ingredients but the noodles and refrigerate. Add the noodles right before serving. If you think you're going to have leftovers, instead of mixing in the noodles, simply sprinkle them over the bowl or over  individual servings. They lose their crunchy texture when left in the fridge.

I met Pete and Betty Addicks on an Atlantic crossing on the Queen Mary II. (Back when we all could travel!) They were our dinner companions every night and we never ran out of things to talk about with this interesting couple. One of the topics of discussion was food. When Pete mentioned his Irish Coffee Jello creation I begged him to share it with me so I could share it with you. So, here it is, just in time for St. Patty's Day. Thanks Pete!
Irish Coffee Jello
1. Make Coffee Jello:
5 oz cold strong coffee
3 oz cold Jameson
2 Tablespoons of Stevia, Splenda (or sugar)
4 tsp unflavored gelatin
1 cup very hot strong coffee
Whipped Cream or Whipped topping.
Note: If using sugar instead of artificial sweetener, put the sugar in the hot coffee so that it will dissolve.
Combine the cold coffee, cold whiskey and sweetener in a bowl. Sprinkle the gelatin on the surface.
Let the bowl and contents soak for 1 to five minutes. The Jello may look wrinkly on the surface.
Add the hot coffee to the bowl'
Stir the bowl until the gelatin is dissolved, about 5 minutes.
Pour the mixture into an 8” x 8” cake pan. Glass is best.
Refrigerate until the gelatin is set, around one hour.
Cut the gelatin int 1” squares.
2. Serve in a tall glass, alternate layers of Whipped Cream and gelatin, starting and ending with the whipped cream.
3. Optionally top with some form of small symbolic chocolate or a few fresh, frozen or freeze dried berries.

Do not exceed 16 oz of fluid, coffee and liquor combined. Too much booze and the Jello will not gel.
This dish contains the four Irish food groups: Caffeine, Sugar, Fat and Alcohol!