Guacamole Chicken Salad with Pomemgranate

Welcome to the TLC Book Tour for Hurricane Season  by Laren K. Denton.

Publisher’s Blurb

From the author of the USA TODAY bestseller The Hideaway comes a new story about families and mending the past.

Betsy and Ty Franklin, owners of Franklin Dairy Farm in southern Alabama, have long since buried their desire for children of their own. While Ty manages their herd of dairy cows, Betsy busies herself with the farm’s day-to-day operations and tries to forget her dream of motherhood. But when her free-spirited sister, Jenna, drops off her two young daughters for “just two weeks,” Betsy’s carefully constructed wall of self-protection begins to crumble.

As the two weeks stretch deeper into the Alabama summer, Betsy and Ty learn to navigate the new additions in their world—and revel in the laughter that now fills their home. Meanwhile, record temperatures promise to usher in the most active hurricane season in decades.

Attending an art retreat four hundred miles away, Jenna is fighting her own battles. She finally has time and energy to focus on her photography, a lifelong ambition. But she wonders how her rediscovered passion can fit in with the life she’s made back home as a single mom.

When Hurricane Ingrid aims a steady eye at the Alabama coast, Jenna must make a decision that will change her family’s future, even as Betsy and Ty try to protect their beloved farm and their hearts. Hurricane Season is the story of one family’s unconventional journey to healing—and the relationships that must be mended along the way.

About the author:

Born and raised in Mobile, Alabama, Lauren now lives with her husband and two young daughters in Homewood, just outside Birmingham. In addition to her fiction, she writes a monthly newspaper column about life, faith, and how funny (and hard) it is to be a parent. On any given day, she’d rather be at the beach with her family and a stack of books. The Hideaway was released in April of 2017 and has since become a USA Today, Wall Street Journal, and Amazon Charts bestseller. Her second novel, Hurricane Season, released on April 3, 2018, and has been listed on BookPage’s 2018 list of Most Anticipated Fiction.

What I thought:

Hurricane Season was pitched as a Christian novel and I usually shy away from these types of works in fear of dogmatic preachiness.   This novel was far from preachy.

I could relate to many of the situations in the novel and I enjoyed Denton’s writing style.  The chapters are told from the main characters’ points-of-view—the sisters Betsy and Jenna, and Betsy’s husband, Ty.

I enjoyed the story and the family drama (even if the outcome was a bit predictable).   Denton sets her novel in the South and so there is lots of food; in fact, I had five and a half memo book pages of food references. (If you’re interested, my full listing is at the bottom of this post.)   There were a couple of meals that inspired me including (in order of appearance in the novel) a chicken salad, breakfast for dinner, and pasta with capers.

Chicken salad appears in the novel as a take-out meal that Betsy’s friend brings to her (as Betsy totally spaced on a luncheon date).    That chicken salad had grapes and nuts.  I decided to go a bit “off the farm” and make mine a bit different.

Some friends were recently talking about their recipes for an avocado chicken salad, so I decided that this post would give me the opportunity to try my own recipe.

Guacamole Chicken Salad with Pomegranate

Debra

A super easy and delicious recipe.

Ingredients

  • 1 rotisserie chicken, deboned
  • 2 ripe avocados, mashed
  • 1/2 t. ground cumin
  • 1 bunch green onions, chopped
  • 1/2 c. cherry tomatoes, halved
  • juice of one lime
  • 2-3 T. mayonnaise
  • 1/4 c. chopped cilantro
  • 1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 4.4 oz. pomegranate seeds
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Chop the deboned chicken and place in a mixing bowl.
  2. Add avocado and remaining ingredients and mix well. Serve as a sandwich or on lettuce leaves.

Yield: 4

The most interesting guacamole I’ve ever had was at Elote in Tulsa and featured pomegranate hence my addition to this mix.  Plus I love the pop of color.

And, speaking of color, you may have noticed this bread.  I found this recipe care of Lea Ann at Cooking on the Ranch.   She recently featured this Tomato Herb Bread and I had to try it.  I cannot rave enough about this recipe.  I used dried cilantro as the herb and it was the perfect compliment (in taste and color) to this chicken salad.   I also cannot wait to try this bread for grilled cheese.  Can you imagine?

I would recommend Hurricane Season.  I usually loan out my TLC Book Tour books to a friend who’s an avid reader.   (She wasn’t so keen on the last few tour books.)  I know she will love this one.  As soon as she returns it, I have another friend in mind who I know will love it as well.

There are some wise words that Denton writes:

  • “…calories consumed during acts of God don’t count.” (359)
  • “We need chocolate pudding.” (375)

🙂

 

I’m linking up with Foodies Reads for April.

And, Deb’s Souper Sundays (with salads and sammies).

Food from Hurricane Season

  • Breakfast casserole
  • Cat searching for spilled milk in the barn
  • Robbing the hens for fresh eggs
  • “Tennessee Whiskey” (a la Chris Stapleton)
  • Full Cup Coffee Shop
  • Breakfast for dinner
  • Complicated frou-frou coffee orders
  • Pancakes and scrambled eggs
  • Red wine
  • Snap beans and pecans
  • Chicken salad and pinot grigio
  • Margaritas and tapas (or more kid friendly Cheetos and sweet tea)
  • Bowl of spaghetti
  • Buttery pound cake
  • Chocolate bread pudding
  • Snickerdoodles
  • Grilled shrimp, rice, and asparagus
  • Grilled cheese with grapes (halved)
  • Pimento cheese
  • Tea and homemade biscuits
  • Fried chicken night and Halcyon
  • “Sun-warmed, straight out of the garden” watermelon
  • Cold pasta salad, lemonade and watermelon
  • Potato salad
  • “piles of field peas, collards, butter beans, fried okra, thick hunk of cornbread”
  • Watermelon popsicles
  • Veggies in Betsy’s garden
  • Pasta with capers
  • Meat ‘n Three
  • Blueberry muffins, orange juice and chocolate chips
  • Surprise Birthday Party:  barbecue, macaroni and cheese, potato salad, fluffy biscuits, broccoli salad,  Tres Leches cake, banana pudding, brownies, and pecan pie
  • Beach picnic with ziploc baggies
  • PBJs
  • Plate of cookies
  • Turkey sandwiches
  • Chocolate pudding
  • Shrimp Po’ Boys

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