Welcome Guest Chef Dana R. Lynn and her Jello Pretzel Salad

 Hello. Today we're welcoming my fellow LIS author, Dana R. Lynn. Dana's here to celebrate spring and the launch of her latest book.

Welcome, Dana!

        

            I love spring, don’t you? Everything seems so new. I love the smell as the plants grow and the blossoms bloom on the trees.

            This year, I realized that I hadn’t taken the time to really enjoy the season like I usually do. Mostly because my work has taken a crazy turn. For the past few weeks, I have been taking on a new role at work, filling in for an injured co-worker. Now, I am enjoying the work. And the challenge. I have found, however, that the change is exhausting.

            I decided that I needed to really take a step back enjoy the things around me. That’s why I am posting a picture of these chicks. 

See, my family loves our critters. Dogs, cats, horses, rabbits, even the occasional rat or two. We love them. A couple of weeks ago, we added six brand-spankin’ new chicks to our menagerie. Aren’t they sweet? They are Leghorns, and will be beautiful white hens. Plus, they will supply my family with fresh eggs, which we love. I can almost taste the quiche, and the omelets these eggs will make. Yum!

            And that’s another reason that I love spring. It’s so obvious in nature how God provides for us. Food, warmth, rain to help our plants grow.  God always has us right in the palm of His mighty hand, if only we would look around and see it.

            Okay, so in my zest to enjoy spring, I decided to be daring this Easter and forgo the normal chocolate cake. Gasp!!! I know. But I was in the mood for something different. So I got my mom’s recipe for her Jello Pretzel Salad. Yummy. It’s sweet and salty, and really easy to make.

1.     Mix 2 cups crushed pretzel pieces, ¾ Cup melted butter, and 3 T sugar. Press them into a 9 by 13 dish and bake at 350 degrees for ten minutes. Let it cool completely.

2.     Combine 8 oz. of cream cheese, 1 Cup sugar and 8 oz of cool whip. Spread over the cooled crust.

3.     Mix together 1 large box of strawberry jello, 2 Cups boiling water, and 2 Cups frozen, unsweetened sliced strawberries. Stir until thickened, then pour on the cream cheese mixture and chill until set.

I have a couple of pictures of this delicious dessert. You can see how much my family loves it… they didn’t even let me take the picture before someone stole the first piece. Still, it’s always a joy knowing that I can provide for my family that I didn’t care.

            In my new book, Plain Target, the hero and heroine are on the run from a killer who seems to be always one step away, even as they hide deep in Amish Country. The lesson that God will provide is one that they will need to learn and hold tight to. Here’s the blurb:

SANCTUARY IN AMISH COUNTRY
Horse trainer Jess McGrath only wants to clear her disgraced brother's name, but enemies keep coming out of the woodwork and danger only gets closer. Jess soon learns that no place is safe—and no one can be trusted…except for the last white knight she'd ever expect to ride to her rescue. Paramedic Seth Travis was the boy behind her high school humiliation, but he's also the man keeping her alive. When they find sanctuary in the Amish community, can they uncover answers in time to stop a killer—and resolve their past in time to build a future together?

 

            I love this cover. It gave me chills the first time I saw it.

            Thanks so much for having me at the Yankee Belle Café today. Always a joy to be here!

            

Biography:  Dana R. Lynn grew up in Illinois. She met her husband at a wedding and told her parents she had met her future husband. Nineteen months later, they were married. Today, they live in rural Pennsylvania with their three children and enough pets to open a petting zoo. In addition to writing, she works as an educational interpreter for the deaf and hard of hearing and is active in several ministries at her church. Dana loves hearing from readers and enjoys interacting with them on social media.

            

Thanks to Dana for visiting with us today. I just started reading Plain Target and am already hooked.