When I was about 11, my father got it in his head to take the family to the Ozarks for vacation. I only have two memories of the trip: A family at the resort with five daughters whose names all began with the letter “T,” which fascinated me at the time, and a song that came on the radio every 30 minutes: “I’m Walkin’ the Floor over You.” It was twangy and drawly, and made me crazy, but it was the only station we could get on the radio. For about a  year afterward, my father sang the song in the morning as he got ready for work, which made me crazy too.

Country music has come a long way, and I love it now. My iPod is full of country music from all the greats like Carrie Underwood, Taylor Swift, Rascal Flatts, Brad Paisley . . . The list goes on.

Soooo, I was bummed last night when Skylar Laine was voted off America Idol. She has a lot more talent than Scotty and Lauren from last season, and she was fun to watch. What a firecracker! She would make a great heroine for a romance novel. Hmmm.

Winning America Idol seems to be indicative of nothing, just ask Jennifer Hudson, so I suspect that we will be seeing more  of Skylar in the years to come, and I am looking forward to it.

I am an unabashed northern girl so I don’t know much about southern cooking. However, in Skylar’s honor I would like to propose a twist on traditional strawberry shortcake, which seems like a treat that may have southern roots.

Instead of plain old whipped cream, fold in a little lemon curd to give the dessert some extra sweetness and tang. Also, a little trick for keeping whipped cream stable for a few days in the fridge: add a teaspoon or two of powdered sugar. The cornstarch prevents the whipped cream from bleeding.

Mari

P.S. My cover for “Holding Out for a Hero” came out this week! I love it. Go to my Facebook page if you want a peek. The book will be out on June 4, and I will keep you posted on where to buy it, etc. as we get closer to the date.