It's the middle of winter and the weather is nowhere near picnic-like. . .but the weather also has me dreaming of warm summer breezes and afternoons spent beside a lake or the ocean with my toes firmly dug into the sand. And, picnics.
One of my favorite things is a picnic – spring, summer, or fall, as long as the sun is warm and the sky is blue, I'm in. I like the relaxed atmosphere of a picnic, the ability to completely zone out of ‘life’ and zone into the person you’re with. RadioMan, bebe, and I try to hit a local park or lighthouse or beach a few times each summer, and I loved adding a picnic scene to my book,
What a Texas Girl Wants. In the book, Kathleen surprises Jackson with a picnic and puts him off-balance.
Here’s one of my favorite picnic recipes, something Kathleen and Jackson might take along on their next picnic:
Country Chicken Salad
Ingredients:
4 cups cubed, cooked chicken
3/4 cups slivered toasted almonds
1 cup sliced celery
1 cup seedless grapes
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
2 tsp. lemon juice
Salt & pepper to taste
Preparation: Bake chicken at 350 for 40 minutes or until done. Allow to cool and then cube the chicken. I use boneless chicken breasts to make this easier. Once cubed, combine the chicken, almonds, celery and grapes in a medium sized bowl. In a separate bowl, mix the mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice and salt and pepper well. Finally, add this mixture to the chicken and mix thoroughly.
What a Texas Girl Wants has been included in the Texas Temptation boxed set, and is available now for only 99 cents - you'll get 10 Texas-themed romances in one hot package. Here's a bit about the book:
Kathleen Witte is a down-to-earth girl. She has to be, with the family ranch on the verge of success. After seven months of keeping it all together by swearing off men, however, Kathleen needs a bit of fun in the sun. Waking up with a husband she can’t remember isn’t how she planned to blow off steam.
The last thing Jackson Taylor wants in his life is a down-to-earth girl. He has four weeks of freedom in which to find his birth mother. He’s done well avoiding commitment until now, so when he wakes up on a Mexican beach with Kathleen his first reaction is curiosity. When he spies the matching wedding rings on their left hands curiosity turns to concern.
Neither Jackson nor Kathleen want to stay married, but when her family shows up, they have no choice. Once back in Texas, however, can they keep this all-business marriage from turning into an all-consuming love?
Readers, do you have a favorite picnic recipe? Share in the comments!
Kristina Knight's What a Texas Girl Wants is part of the Texas Temptations bundle - 10 full-length, contemporary romances for the low price of 99 cents!
Here are the book blurbs:
Can’t get enough of sexy cowboys? Check out these ten tales of bold, funny, take-charge couples who team up to wrangle a love as big as the Texas sky!
The Texas Takedown: Berry Challoner arrives in Houston determined to go undercover as a secretary to solve her brother’s murder. Surely Tyler Reid, his best friend and a certified public accountant, can help her follow the money to the killer. But Tyler’s not a fan of this crazy, spontaneous plan, even if he is mesmerized by Berry. When it looks like she’s next on the killer’s list, he’ll have to go all in to save the girl who’s beginning to capture his heart.
What a Texas Girl Wants: The last thing Jackson Taylor wants in his life is a down-to-earth girl like Kathleen Witte, so why did he just wake up next to her on a Mexican beach with a ring on his finger? Once they’re back in Texas though, this all-business marriage might just turn into an all-consuming love.
Delicious Deception: Artist Emily Kate Boudreaux spends her days running a restaurant on a Texas bayou because it’s what her family expects. Then sexy chef Connor Rikeland walks into her life and turns her business—and her bed—into one hot adventure. But his story is a sham, and Cajun cooking isn’t his ticket to fame after all. Emily Kate must decide what’s real, what’s a lie, and what’s worth risking her heart over.
Sweet Texas Fire: Gage Cooper has always wanted the family cabin. Instead, his business nemesis, environmental analyst Charlotte Wilkinson, inherits this valuable property with its oil-rich land and secrets. He’ll do anything to reverse this fortune, including eloping to Vegas for a sham marriage. But as they discover a surprising chemistry together, suddenly Gage must decide what’s worth more: the land he’s always coveted or a future with Charlotte.
A Love Beyond: Convinced that her sister’s abusive marriage drove her to kill herself, A.J. Owens travels to her brother-in-law’s Texas ranch determined to unearth his secrets and rescue the champion racehorse he stole—even if it means pretending to seduce the man. Chance Landin, the ranch’s head of security, knows there’s something fishy about this gorgeous blonde seductress, but the former marine is more than happy to help expose the madman’s deadly secrets. With a romance beginning to spark between them, can love triumph over revenge?
The Election Connection: War widow Lily Ashton’s heart is closed to love, so she’s the perfect choice to play fiancée to help secure a re-election for her pal, Texas congressman Ford Richardson. But as they work together, their not-quite engagement starts to feel much more real than either is ready to admit.
In the Shadow of Pride: When Lexie Trevena’s matchmaking friends accidentally place her smack in the path of a terrorist in Austin who intends to use her as his pawn, the only person who can help her is Special Agent-in-Charge Luke “Mac” McNeil—the man she holds responsible for her husband’s death.
One Last Letter: At sixteen, Evelyn Lancaster rejected ranch hand Jesse Greenwood to save her father’s struggling ranch. Now a newly wealthy Jesse has returned home, and he’s drawn to the land he swore to never step foot on again. As long-held emotions rekindle, he can only admit his true feelings via unsigned letters left on Evelyn’s porch … until another man comes forward to claim the correspondence as his own. Will one final note give them the courage to say yes to love on the wild Texas plains?
Relentless: Battling his partner, his attraction to cowgirl Cody, and the demons of his past, Dallas detective Remy LeBeau must take the ultimate risk to catch a serial killer. But it could cost him everything—including Cody’s life.
Broken Wings, Soaring Hearts: Hailey Holman is determined to keep her dad’s dream of reopening their small-town Texas base station alive. Jack Stinson wants to escape the pressures of his own family’s airplane manufacturing business. But asking for each other’s help is anything but blue skies. Can these two focused pilots have enough faith to soar together?
You can find out more the book and Kristina on her website, and feel free to stalk follow her on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
