Happy Spring! I’m participating in the Authors in Bloom Blog Hop sponsored by author, Dianne Venetta.Over the next ten days, authors and bloggers will be sharing gardening tips, recipes and giving away books on their blogs.
There is also a grand prize for the entire blog hop of one ereader and one gift card. In order to be entered for the grand prize, you must comment on all the blogs participating in the blog hop. You can find the entire list of blogs participating here.
On my blog, I’m sharing a fun Garden Muffin Recipe as well as giving away a copy of my sweet contemporary romance, SWEETHEART COTTAGE.This is the first book in my sweet contemporary romance series, Cranberry Bay.
To be entered to win a copy of SWEETHEART COTTAGE AND the grand prize drawing for the blog hop of an ereader and gift card, please leave your name, email address and one comment about what you love about spring. Please only one comment per person. (US and INT entries)
Garden Muffins is from one of my favorite cookbooks, Keeping Good Company, by Roxie Kelley and Friends.
Garden Muffins
4 Cups Flour
2 1/2 C Sugar
4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp nutmeg
4 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
2 cups grated carrots
2 cups grated zucchini
1 cup chopped pecan
1 cup coconut
2 tart apples peeled and grated
6 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk
2 tsp vanilla
Preheat oven to 375. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, nutmeg cinnamon and salt. Stir in carrots, zucchini, pecans, coconut and apples. In smaller bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients and add to the flour and vegetable mixture. Stir until blended. Spoon batter into greased or paper lined muffin tins, filling each cup 2/3 full. Bake 22-28 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched. Cool for five minutes before removing from the pan. Makes about 2 dozen.
Mindy Hardwick's Blog 
Flowers
I love all the blooming plants, even here in the desert! Jeanna Massman jeanna_massman@hotmail.com
I love knowing this snow will be gone soon and warmer weather ahead
mijamesr82 at gmail.com
I love watching the plants start to grow again! Soon it will be time for me to pull my hoard of amaryllis out of the basement. Unless we have another snow storm! 🙂 cchant86@yahoo.com
My favorite thing about Spring is the rainy days. They can be such a great way for friends and family to spend time together playing board games, baking fun treats, and watching tv shows and eating comfort food….and the occasional view of a double rainbow!
The flowers and spring air are my favorite things about spring.
I love all the pretty flowers.
throuthehaze at gmail dot com
I love the flowers that come with Spring 🙂
kissedbymidnight AT gmail.com
I love having picnics with my kids in Spring.
Shannon blueskid29@yahoo.com
I enjoy gardening and seeing my Iris flowers in bloom.
lorih824(at)yahoo(dot)com
I love spring it’s like watching everything wake from a winters sleep.The smell of the first lilacs always cheer me up. Nancy Burgess jean60212@gmail.com
I love the end of now, though it snowed here yesterday.
Anne
acm05atjuno.com
My favorite thing about Spring is that I get to sit out on my patio and read. I can listen to the birds sing, smell my flowers, and enjoy the nice weather.
I love that both of my boys are playing baseball, watching them play ball is one of my favorite warm weather activites 🙂
Hello Mindy, your garden muffins sound delicious ♡ My favorite thing about spring is watching flowers bloom. Thank you isisthe12th@gmail.com
I love the warmer weather and planting flowers in my garden.
Kit3247(at)aol(dot)com
Where I live, we don’t have spring. But I love the idea of spring. 🙂
My favorite thing about spring is the warmer weather! Of course right now its cold and does not feel like April 😦
sienkiel1821 at yahoo dot com
the flowers
bn100candg at hotmail dot com
Sounds tasty. Blooming flowers and singing birds in Missouri along with thunderstorms.
SorchiaDuBois@hughes.net
I love all the flowers that bloom in the spring. (mybeach52 at yahoo dot com)
I love that all my trees are regaining their leaves
videoclimber at yahoo dot com
Those muffins sound yum!
My favorite thing about spring is setting up my vegetable garden plan and starting all of my seeds from scratch.
The vest thing about Spring is the flowers bringing color to the world.
I love watching the seeds sprout (literally, which is why some of them don’t make it to the garden in time, lol). Thanks for the yummy muffin recipe!
elewkf1 at yahoo dot com
I love in the springtime when our azaleas come into bloom.
rsbrandt44 (at) hotmail (dot) com
nice to see everything turn green again! – regnod(at)yahoo(d0t)com
I love Spring because it is warm, but not humid!
Happy Spring!
sprocket 215 at g mail dot com
I love that it’s not too hot yet to be outside enjoying the weather. Summer is just too hot. Spring is just right.
lkish77123 at gmail dot com
The garden muffins sounds great. I love spring nice weather and flowers blooming
My fave thing about Spring is the longer days.
Thanks for the amazing giveaway!
elizabeth(at)bookattict(dot)com
Congratulations Shannon! You are the winner of the Authors in Bloom Blog Hop at my blog! Please check your email for instructions on how to claim your book. Thanks so much for stopping by everyone.