Wilde Flowers

I am just amazed at the beauty growing in my yard.

Winner of the $25 gift card is....

Lwaxanna! To claim your prize, email me @ loriwilde@aol.com.

Thanks to everyone who participated!

BBQ Sauce

With the 4th of July coming up, I thought I'd share my favorite homemade barbecue sauce recipe.

This makes 1 pint

1 stick butter
1/2 cup catsup
3 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 Tbsp mustard
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp honey
3 Tbsp lime juice
1/2 cup water

Mix well. Simmer until desired thickness.

What are your plans for the 4th of July?

Tuesday Giveaway $25 gift card

Got the cover for A COWBOY FOR CHRISTMAS, the last book in the Jubilee, Texas series. It comes out Oct. 30th.

I love the cover. To celebrate, I'm giving away a $25.00 gift card to Amazon. If you want in on the drawing, just leave a comment. If for some reason you can't leave a comment, you can email me @ loriwilde@aol.com.

Romance Checklist

A Daily Romantic Checklist

[ ] Compliment Your Partner
[ ] Spend 20 minutes of uninterrupted time together
[ ] Check-in with each other during the day
[ ] Perform one small--and unexpected--gesture
[ ] Say "I love you" at least three times
[ ] Thank your partner for something
[ ] Look for romantic concepts in the newspaper
[ ] Take an extra minute when kissing good-bye

A WEEKLY Romantic Checklist

[ ] Bring home one small, unexpected gift or present
[ ] Share some form of physical intimacy
[ ] Share an entire afternoon or evening together
[ ] Share two insights you gained this week
[ ] Write at least one little love note
[ ] Mail something to your partner
[ ] Plan something special for the upcoming weekend

A MONTHLY Romantic Checklist

[ ] Plan one romantic surprise for this month
[ ] Go out to dinner once or twice
[ ] Rent at least two romantic movies
[ ] Plan one romantic event with a seasonal theme.

A YEARLY Romantic Checklist

[ ] Make a New Year's resolution to be a more creative romantic
[ ] Make Plans for your next anniversary
[ ] Think of an unusual way to celebrate your partner's birthday.
[ ] Review your plans for your next vacation.
[ ] Create a special "Romance" category in your household budget.
[ ] Make plans for Valentine's Day--well in advance!

Garden Salsa

3 cups diced fresh tomatoes
1 cup diced onion
3-5 diced jalapeno peppers
1 clove diced fresh garlic (3/4tsp)
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
2 Tbsp lime juice

Mix everything well and refrigerate.
Can be frozen or canned.

Wild Cow Milking

The ranching industry is based on cattle and raising calves to maturity and shipping them to market. When a calf is born they need the mother’s milk to survive. Sometimes the mother milk stops for some reason and the calf cannot get milk. 


Believe it or not sometime the cowboy must check the mother cow for milk. This event is based on that premise. The cow is roped and a cowboy tries to squirt milk into a long neck bottle and must run to a circle. This event is a timed event and anything can happen. It is as wild as it gets! The fastest time wins. 




 http://ranchrodeo.net/Ranch_Rodeo_Events.html 

Come See My Garden

 

 

Funny Animal Pictures

 I like to eat my salad with my meat.

 Why did mother make me go to dental school?

 Man it's hot in this jeep!

 Everybody was kung-fu fighting.

 Confucius say: "May the bee of happiness fly up your nose."

 Do you think I have a double chin?

Mumford & Sons

I've found a new band. Love their folk song style and insightful lyrics.


Have you discovered any bands lately?

Granny's Cream Pie

1- 9” pie crust
1 pint half and half
½ stick butter
1 Tablespoons melted margarine
½ cup sugar
¼ cup corn starch
Cinnamon to sprinkle on top
Stir together sugar and cornstarch. Combine with milk and butter. Cook until thick. Pour into baked 9-inch crust. Cover with 2 tablespoons melted margarine and sprinkle with cinnamon. Broil in oven until evenly brown.

Very smooth and creamy.

No Big Dill

This morning, I found a Monarch caterpillar on my dill plant. I think Monarchs are amazing! So, it's no big "dill" to me if this critter enjoys a little of my plant.

Why Men Never Get Depressed

Your last name stays put.

The garage is all yours.

Wedding plans take care of themselves.

Chocolate is just another snack.

You can be President.

You can never be pregnant.

You can wear a white T-shirt to a water park.

You can wear NO shirt to a water park.

Car mechanics tell you the truth.

The world is your urinal.

You never have to drive to another gas station restroom because this one is just too icky.

You don't have to stop and think of which way to turn a nut on a bolt.

Same work, more pay.

Wrinkles add character.

Wedding dress $5000. Tux rental-$100.

New shoes don't cut, blister, or mangle your feet.

One mood all the time.

Phone conversations are over in 30 seconds flat.

You know stuff about tanks.

A five-day vacation requires only one suitcase.

You can open all your own jars.

You get extra credit for the slightest act of thoughtfulness.

If someone forgets to invite you,

he or she can still be your friend.

Your underwear is $8.95 for a three-pack.

Three pairs of shoes are more than enough..

You are unable to see wrinkles in your clothes..

The same hairstyle lasts for years, maybe decades.

You only have to shave your face and neck.

You can play with toys all your life.

One wallet and one pair of shoes -- one color for all seasons.

You can wear shorts no matter how your legs look..

You can 'do' your nails with a pocket knife.

You have freedom of choice concerning growing a mustache.

You can do Christmas shopping for 25 relatives

On December 24 in 25 minutes.

 

No wonder men are happier.

Tuesday Giveaway Blog Talk

Want to receive a $5 gift card to Amazon? It's easy. Just visit me and Jill Shalvis today at 3 p.m. EST at:


http://www.blogtalkradio.com/hachettebookgroupfeatures/2012/06/12/conversation-with-authors-jill-shalvis-and-lori-wilde

Then come back here and post in the comment section about something we discussed and I'll send you the gift card via your email address, so be sure to include it in your comment. If for some reason you can't post here, email me @ loriwilde@aol.com

Thanks so much for listening!
Lori

Funny Animal Pictures

I knew I should have kept my mouth shut. But when she asked if her new feathers made her look fat, was I suppose to lie?

I keep hearing this voice. It tells me to obey its every command.

Some things are worth fighting for. Dung is not one of them.

Take the picture now. This is my best profile.

 In retrospect, probably wasn't the best place for me to land.

Do you like my new tongue ring?

I Miss My Clone

With all of her faults, I still loved my clone. She had some bad wiring that often got her into trouble.

Remember the time she was caught in a wind storm?

How about the time the cat got her out while sliding into home at a baseball game.

 
Or the time she went fishing and caught a shoe.

Remember when she turned into a werewolf at Halloween? This should have been a clue something was wrong.

I wonder how she's doing now. Maybe I can get her back.

Cheesecake

Lately, I have been on a spree of making cheesecake. I had always been a little hesitant to make one because of the water bath. But after watching Alton Brown on the Foodnetwork, I decided to give it a try. Now, I am making all different kinds.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/sour-cream-cheesecake-recipe/index.html

Did you know July 30 is National Cheesecake Day?

New York Cheesecake (my husband's favorite)

                                                                                                                      

Pennsylvania Dutch (my father's favorite)

Philadelphia (my mother's favorite)

I think next I'm going to try:

Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries!

or:

Cheesecake On A Stick

What is your favorite type of cheesecake?

Lemon Torte

Mix:
1 cup flour
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 stick butter melted
Spread in a 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes

 Mix:
1 pkg 8oz cream cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 of a large tub of Cool Whip
Spread on the cooled crust

Mix:
2 pkgs instant lemon pudding
3 cups milk
Spread over first layer

Spread remaining Cool Whip on top.  Chill.

YUM!!!!

Oh, those Heroes

I attended Lori Foster's reader event in Cincinnati this past weekend and had such a lovely time meeting readers. If you ever have a chance to go, I highly recommend it. Low key, great food, wonderful company. But most of all lots and lots of talk about books  and heroes. I realized as an author I focus on the heroine too much in my stories and I came home resolved to give my readers more of what they want. Those hunky men!

I found a photo of the hero from my work in progress, ex-Navy SEAL, Dade Vega.

Dade is all dark and twisty. His mother died when he was a kid. His father was a drug dealer. Dade ended up in some not so great fosters homes. He doesn't trust anyone, except his foster brother and fellow Navy SEAL, Red Daggett. Now, Red's gone missing in the small town of Cupid, Texas after sending Dade a coded Mayday text. Dade comes to town on a mission. Find Red and get the hell out of Cupid, ASAP. But Dade never counted on cheery Natalie McClearly and the snap-crack sizzle of love at first sight...

So what do you think? Should I pay more attention to the heroes and less attention to my heroines?

_____________________________________________________
Winner of last Tuesday's $25.00 Amazon card giveaway is Sharon A. Congrats, Sharon. To claim you prize email me at loriwilde@aol.com.

Dutch Oven Cooking

Cooking over a campfire is a cowboy tradition. Did you know you can cook almost anything in a dutch over?

There are several techniques to campfire cooking. It depends on what you are cooking.

Biscuits cooked in a dutch oven campfire are the best you could ever eat.

Have you ever eaten food cooked this way?