From April 9th to the 18th, this blog will be participating in the Authors in Bloom Blog Hop. There will be a grand prize giveaway, as well as giveaways on each participating blog. Blogs are also encouraged to post a recipe or gardening tip, and I’m happy to give you both!

Gardening Tip:

Don’t let me touch your plants.
The roots of my ‘black thumb’ go as far back as… well, my mother. Her parents had a successful garden (in that, it produced fruits and vegetables), and my father’s parents had a peach tree. (Actually, either my father’s parents or the neighbor had a peach tree. The actual property line was disputed, and my father and his brothers were either stealing their neighbor’s peaches, or the neighbor was trying to claim my grandparent’s peach tree. Point is, somebody in that general vicinity could grow fruit.)

My mother has killed almost every plant that she’s touched, including a cactus or two. (The cactus was named ‘Killer’ and belonged to my sister. It was left at home over a semester of college, and by the time she returned, Killer was brown, slightly mushy, and hanging over the side of the pot.)

Last spring, I decided that I would buck that plant-killing-trend and plant some beans. After fighting with chipmunks and squirrels, who would dig up whatever sprouted, I had finally placed said bean plant in a safe spot.

I produced one bean before the plant dried up and died. I have also over-trimmed the leaves on a gerbera daisy (result: a dead daisy) and could not get a Chia head to produce anything but mold.

So the best gardening tip I could ever give you is – don’t ever let me touch your plants.

Recipe Time!

Homemade Bruschetta
Assuming that you are a green thumb, this is an excellent way to use your fresh basil and tomatoes (which are pretty much the only two plants that someone in my immediate family has managed to keep alive.)

Ingredients:
French bread
olive oil
garlic powder
fresh or canned diced tomatoes
mozzarella cheese
fresh or dried basil

1.) Cut the french bread into slices of about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thickness. Lay the pieces flat on a pan, leaving a little room between each slice in case of cheese run-off.

2.) Brush a coating of extra virgin olive oil on the top of each slice, and sprinkle each slice with a bit of garlic powder. (I go heavier on the garlic, others don’t.)

3.) Slice your tomatoes in half or quarters; scoop out and discard the seeds and mushy insides. Dice the rest of the tomatoes and place about a teaspoon of tomato on top of each piece of bread.

4.) Chop up some fresh basil and sprinkle on top of the tomatoes. Remember that dried basil is going to be stronger than fresh, so sprinkle according to your tastes.

5.) Cover with a bit of shredded mozzarella, again according to your cheese-preference.

6.) Put in a toaster over or regular oven that’s been pre-heated to about 350 degrees. When the cheese is melted, your bruschetta are done!

And now, the giveaway!

I would give away copies of Hot Ticket, but Hot Ticket will be FREE on Amazon from tomorrow, April 10th until April 11th.

So my giveaway will be for one of two copies of Effie At The Wedding.

Effie has a million reasons why she’s not thrilled to be at her sister’s wedding — and the monstrously pink bridesmaid’s dress isn’t even on the list. When Effie finds herself locked in the bathroom, she thinks she might just stay there. After all, it’s better than hearing from her mom about how often she’s been to the buffet or how beautiful Ophelia looks in her wedding dress. In this hysterical young adult short story, Effie will have to find a reason to celebrate… or get used to her porcelain throne.

Effie At The Wedding is available as an ebook through Amazon US (UK/DE/FR/ES/IT), All Romance, Barnes and Noble, iTunes, Kobo, OmniLit,Scribd, Smashwords, the Sony eReader Store and Xin Xii.

To Enter:

1.) Leave a comment in this post by April 18th

Bonus Entries:

1.) Download a free copy of Hot Ticket during April 10th and 11th on Amazon. (Note in the comments that you’ve done so – 5 bonus entries.)

2.) Like my Facebook Page. (Note in the comments that you’ve done so – 5 bonus entries.)

3.) Follow me on Twitter. (Note in the comments that you’ve done so – 5 bonus entries.)

Instant Winners!:

Make a video entry of an original, funny Spring, food or gardening-related haiku and post YouTube or Vimeo link in the comments. You instantly win an ebook copy of the follow up, George & Ophelia’s First Christmas, as well as my eternal admiration! (No limit to the number of instant winners! For some hunger-induced inspiration, click here!)

Line for Authors In Bloom Traveling Story: Line 62: While they may differ from others, they all work the same.

Next on the blog hop is Lauren Clark.