Kimberly A. Cook

Military Romance Author

full moon

Happy Spring Moon!

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True sign of Spring? Wall of flip flops at the store Monday!

Spring! Finally! We’ve had a great couple days of nice weather and it gives me hope the sun will return again this year. For those of you still freezing your body parts off, my condolences. Mother Nature will share the sun again. I promise.

This is my favorite season, to see the daffodils peeking open, the pollen launching itself into the atmosphere and the plants showing up at the garden center. I did prevent myself from buying a five-foot tall metal flamingo the other weekend, but now there are three-foot ones in at my garden store. I might be tempted.

Carnations have arrived at the Garden Center. I did stop and take a whiff.

My yard art needs makeovers, the garage needs a major and continuing muck out, and all I want to do is nap in the sun spots like Spec Ops Cat. And read some good books. Which I have piled on the floor in my office and bedroom. I corral them in the rest of the house. Kinda.

Renewal. Hope. Bunny supplies! It’s time to buy the Easter candy and stock up before all the good stuff is gone. That includes accessories, basket booty and colored plastic eggs. With glitter. I have been in four bunny retail sections this past week. Two of them twice. Bunny bliss.  

Bunny candy! Bunny bags! Bunny cling stickers! Make me stop…..

My craft addiction continues apace and I ordered some Penny Black bunny stamps too. I know I can’t draw, but I can color inside the lines. Of course, I couldn’t stamp until I bagged a bottle of vegetable glycerin to help clean the stamps. Every endeavor requires equipment. I am a go for bunny stamps arriving soon. 

Now I get to plan the Bunny Brunch I am going to host for the family next month. Thought about bringing all my collected bunnies into the dining room for the event. But the living room may not be big enough. I’ve got BUNNIES! Will have to work on that idea. My own personal bunny rodeo.

Enjoy today’s first day of Spring and tonight’s full moon.

Spring is back!

Hug a bunny!

Sun, Feta And Pasta – Happy Summer!

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by Kimberly A Cook                 (Twitter@   WarriorTales)

With our wacky weather giving us early hot temperatures and then thunderstorms and humidity, the best thing to do is pace ourselves. Or in my case, be lazy. One way I accomplish that is to make salads I love which last for a week. I think calories don’t exist during heat waves, at least according to the ransacking the grocery store ice cream aisle took last Wednesday night.

If I had my way, this would be Feta Greek Salad with pasta, but I am watching my cheese intake. Kinda. Greek Pasta Salad ala Kim!
If I had my way, this would be Feta Cheese Greek Salad with pasta, but I am watching my cheese intake. Kinda. Greek Pasta Salad ala Kim!

Today I’m sharing two fabulous pasta salad recipes. All you have to know how to do is boil water and chop.

Out to dinner with a friend last Thursday night and we explored the joy of making food, knitting and jewelry items that look complicated but are easy. Not lazy, I prefer to call it efficient. These two salads fit the bill, just in time for the long holiday weekend!

The original Shrimp Pasta Salad recipe from a co-worker at the day job is second. I modified her recipe for a Greek Pasta Salad I adore right below. Perfect for hot weather and the coming Fourth of July picnics! Here goes:

Greek Pasta Salad ala Kim

1 package Orzo pasta, 16 oz. – I use Barilla

1 bottle Girard’s Greek Feta vinaigrette

1 Cup chopped celery

1 whole cucumber, chopped

3/4 pint of cherry tomatoes cut in half

6 to 8 ounces of Traditional Feta crumbled cheese

9 Kalamata olives cut in fourths (I found they have ones already halved and pitted, score!)

Bring 4 to 6 quarts of water to boil. (I used a 6-Quart pot, but a larger pot works better so you don’t have to watch it all the time.) Add dash of olive oil to boiling water. Cook pasta for 9 to 10 minutes. Drain in strainer using lukewarm water, not cold. Place in 4-Quart bowl. Pour entire bottle of salad dressing over pasta and stir. Cover and place in fridge overnight or for four hours. Chop everything else and mix well.

Original recipe – Shrimp Pasta Salad

1 package Orzo pasta, 16 oz.

1 bottle Girard’s Champagne dressing, lite

1 Cup Chopped celery

1 Cup Sliced green onion

1/2 Cup Mayonnaise (optional)

1 Tablespoon Mustard

1 tablespoon Dill Pickle Relish (I’m a sweet relish girl myself, do what you want)

1 teaspoon celery seed

1/2 to 3/4 pound Salad Shrimp

Same as above, marinate pasta overnight, then thrown all the ingredients in. Fabulous! This is so simple and looks great too.

Let’s raise a bowl to summer, cheese and pasta!

Photo Alert: To my photographer friends, tonight is the full Thunder Moon so get out there with your cameras between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. and get some great pictures. If you can see the moon, that is! Have fun!