Sharon's INSPIRATIONAL Short stories of Faith and Romance can be found HERE or visit her
Facebook Page, which also has the links in the comments.)

Thursday, December 24, 2009

Countdown to Christmas with Linda Swift

Hello and welcome to Day 24 of my Countdown to Christmas Blog. Today’s featured guest is Linda Swift. Linda is in the kitchen with Oliver to share a recipe that stirs memories of friendship. And with the holly wreaths in the windows, snow on the panes and the twinkle lights from the Douglas Fir all a twinkle, Oliver, donned in his Santa cap, sets out the ingredients for Linda’s holiday treats. After placing them on the table and pumping his biceps at Linda with a wicked wink, he sings to her.

“I’m dreaming of a white Christmas
Just like the ones I used to know
Where the tree tops glisten
And children listen
To hear sleigh bells in the snow…”

And now that we are all warm and toasty and with the spirit of Christmas all around us, here’s Linda to entice us with a tasty treat for the holiday. Enjoy!

Recipe: PEOPLE CHOW
Melt together:
1 6 oz. package chocolate chips
1/2 cup butter
Add:
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pour above mixture over:
8 cups Cheerios
Stir until evenly coated
2 or 3 cups sifted powdered sugar
Pour into large paper or plastic bag and add coated cereal. Shake gently to coat
with sugar. Spread on waxed paper and cool completely. Store in airtight container.

This recipe was given to me by a woman who became a dear friend while we both were
living in adjacent log cabins outside Oswego, NY when our husbands were start-up
engineers at a nearby power plant. I make this every holiday and it reminds me of
a cold, cold winter and a warm friendship.

Sharon and Oliver agree the treats are out of this world. As the snow deepens, they bid Linda a farewell and wish her a Merry Christmas. Oliver, always the perfect gentleman, helps her on with her coat and scarf. And not one to pass up a tradition or an opportunity, he steals yet another kiss under the mistletoe!
Merry Christmas!

Linda Swift divides her time between her native state of Kentucky and Florida. She has been writing since she was ten and is an award winning author of published poetry, articles, short stories, and a TV play. Her first two books were published by Kensington. In addition to her holiday e-book, Let Nothing You Dismay, Linda also has Circle of Love available as an e-book and in print from The Wild Rose Press.

Linda's Awe-Struck Publishing books include Single Status, available as an e-book and in print.

Another holiday book, The 12 Days of Christmas, will be released in
December and her first published historical, in 2010.









Merry Christmas Comments

13 comments:

Sharon Donovan said...

Let's have a warm welcome for Linda Swift. Linda, I believe you know the way in! Make yourself comfy. Oliver proudly sets out the treats and brings steaming pots of coffee, tea, and hot cocoa. Then with a nod and a wink, he sets up his spiked eggnog on the sideboard, along with chilled champagne, white wine and red. He blows a kiss to Linda, then scurries off to thrust another log in the fire. Come join us in the parlor for a Christmas toast.

Linda Swift said...

Good morning, Sharon. And it is a good morning for me. My children are visiting for the holidays, including my adorable Lhasa apso granddog, Sabian. And here in Central Florida on the Gulf Coast the sun is shining and it is warm. But I love visiting you and Oliver for a little while in your winter wonderland so thank you for asking me today. It's a bit early for eggnog yet so I'll just have coffee and treats now, but I can't wait to taste Oliver's eggnog later. Served with a sprig of mistletoe, of course!

P.L. Parker said...

Good Morning Ladies - and Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays. Have the day off, for which I am eternally grateful, so actually had time to stop by and enjoy. Recipe sounds yummy. Give Oliver my best. I have a space for him under my Christmas Tree.

Mary Ricksen said...

Hey Linda, this sound evil! Too good to be anything but!

Oliver got any PGtips? I'd like a cup of great tea.

Sharon, another great one. I love the video on AR&T, too funny.
Making lamb tomorrow.

Linda Swift said...

Hi P.L. (it's really Patsy, isn't it?) and Mary. So nice to see you both on the very quiet day. Everyone seems to be doing the last minute Christmas rush right now. And I'm making dinner myself. But I wanted to relax a few minutes and put my feet up and savor the joys of the holiday. I hope all of you are doing that, too. And don't we all wish for an Oliver under our tree. Sharon would be rich if she could figure out how to clone him!

Sharon Donovan said...

Hi Patsy and Mary! Thanks for dropping by with us today. Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and an Oliver or two in your stocking. Linda, you are so right. /Taking a few minutes to relax before the festivities is so rewarding. I'll sign off for now. My family is in from out of town and I must tend to kitchen duty. Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas.
Hugs,
Sharon

Margaret Tanner said...

Hi Linda,
Ooh that recipe sounds yummy. While you are enjoying the warmth so are we, although I would love to have just one White Christmas, but it is never going to happen where I live.
Sharon, Oliver and Linda, hope you all have a lovely Christmas.
How is Oliver going to steal kisses when the mistletoe is taken down?

Cheers
Margaret

Linda Swift said...

Hi Margaret. It was so nice of you to stop by. And I'm sure I can speak for Sharon when I say that Oliver, that handsome devil, will find a way to steal kisses as long as the ladies are around. We would all be devastated if he didn't, wouldn't we? Enjoy your holiday. You and I should be very grateful for our warm climates. But I, too, love to see a big snow (for about five minutes and then I've had enough for one season.)

Linda Swift said...

Sharon, again, my thanks for having me visit with you and Oliver today. And I hope you have a very wonderful meal and holiday with your family. See you tomorrow.

Hywela Lyn said...

Hi Linda and Sharon (not forgetting Oliver - as if one could!)

Just popping in to wish you a Very Happy Christmas, and to thank you for that recipe, that's one I'm certainly going to have to try.

We had our white Crhistmas on Monday. It's starting to melt away now and we've had some rain. Whats the betting it'll all be gone by tomorrow. Ah well!

Happy Christmas everyone - or as we say in Wales - Nadolig Llawen!

Linda Swift said...

Hi Hywela. I'm so glad you stopped by. Beautiful graphics today, as always. Thank you. This site is so cheerful. I am wondering how you pronounce llawen. From my memory of Welch language on my visit there, it would be something like "claw-in/klaw-in. Merry Christmas to you.

P.L. Parker said...

Yes, Linda, it really is Patsy. Parker is my maiden name. My real name is Patsy Buker (sadly enough), pronounced B -long u -ker, great, huh! LOl. I dated my husband for a month before he told me his last name, he was afraid it would scare me away. No such luck, bucko! Anyway, have a good one and my best to all, and to all a good night.

Linda Swift said...

Hi Patsy,
I use my maiden name for writing also. After all, we got our genes/talent from your familly, didn't we? And ought to honor that.
Buker is not so bad. I have a friend whose name is spelled Bucher and I thought that ought to be prounounced "butcher" but is is "boo-ker" a German namea, she says. Thanks for stopping by. Merry Christmas.