LITE ORANGE DREAMSICLE CAKE

A wonderful discovery, this recipe comes from an old elementary school cookbook and has been altered to decrease calories. Served chilled, it's even better the second day. A truly tasty delight, no one will know it's on the lite side!

CAKE

1 box of orange cake mix (substitute applesauce for oil to reduce fat)

1 small box of sugar free vanilla pudding

1 small box of sugar free orange Jello

ICING

8 ounces of low fat cream cheese

3 tablespoons of sugar free orange Jello

1 ½ cups of powdered sugar

1 teaspoon of vanilla

1 small container of fat free Cool Whip

DIRECTIONS

Mix cake according to box directions, substituting applesauce for oil. Add the vanilla pudding and Jello. Bake in a 9X13 pan.

Let the cake completely cool. Blend all icing ingredients, folding in the Cool Whip last. Spread evenly over cake and chill. Store in refrigerator.

Have You Heard? YAtopia Agent Pitch Contest

YAtopia, the Teenlit Haven, is having a pitch contest! Featuring agent Ammi-Joan Paquette, authors can pitch a two line teaser to capture her attention. You must have your manuscripts ready.

What a wonderful opportunity from this blog. Ms. Paquette is currently closed to submissions, so if you'd like a chance to get your foot in the door, check out the blog at: http://yatopia.blogspot.com/2011/03/agent-pitch-contest.html?showComment=1300732130980#c3275961825954362319

Heard of any other great agent opportunities? Feel free to share!

~Danielle Thorne

Congratulations Prize Winners!

Thank you to everyone who visited my Blog Hop this month and entered to win! All names were entered in the prize drawing.

And the winners are...

Congratulations to follower 'Janelle' for winning the Galleria Moderns DVD on Blu-ray.

Congratulations to follower 'katklaw 777,' who has won an ebook copy of my Regency romance, JOSETTE.

I will be in touch soon for your addresses.

Thanks again for taking the time to visit The Balanced Writer. Make sure to follow, or sign up for the RSS feed. You don't want to miss next month's round of free giveaways!

Have a wonderful day and watch out for an exciting post coming this week, featuring my light version of the scrumptious and springy, Orange Dreamsicle Cake. I know...you can hardly wait, right?

~Danielle Thorne
www.daniellethorne.com

Lucky Leprechuan Blog Hop

It's time for that monthly blog hop giveaway! I appreciate all my readers and followers who check out my books and my blog posts. Thank you for your time and the kind comments and emails.

This month, get lucky just by (1) being a follower and (2) commenting on this Lucky Leprechauan Blog Hop post!

There will be two drawings. One is for a BLUSCENES "Gallery Moderna" on Blu-ray Disc. This peaceful disc turns your television into a work of art, shifting modern art images along with a beautiful music accompaniment.

The second prize up for grabs is an ebook copy of my Regency romance, JOSETTE.

Nothing would make Josette happier than to see her sister and herself settled, but dark, brooding Captain Carter rides into their lives with news that ruins everything: George has been lost at sea.

Have a wonderful month of March, come by often and happy reading!

~Danielle Thorne
www.daniellethorne.com

It's Read an Ebook Week!

If you haven't tried e-reading, now's the time. No e-reading device? Easy! You can download to your computer as a PDF or a document.

Today through March 12th you can try out my environmental romance, TURTLE SOUP, for 75% at Smashwords. Use the code RAE75 at checkout: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/23431

Or check out all of my other romantic sea adventures and historicals at my website, www.daniellethorne.com.

Happy Reading!

What You Missed...

...if you don't subscribe to my newsletter. Here's an elegant recipe to share with guests at your next party and a review of a great read I enjoyed recently. Enjoy!

Spinach Gruyere Fondue

An elegant dip for parties. Thank you to Dawn W. and Amy G. of Georgia, for sharing this delicious recipe. I try every recipe I publish, and this one is amazing!

2 cups heavy cream

2 cups parmesan cheese

1/2 cup gruyere cheese

1 block cream cheese

1 cup chopped spinach, thawed and well drained

Combine all ingredients in fondue pot or crockpot, and heat until melted.

Review:

Title: ONE HUNDRED CANDLES

Author: Mara Purnhagen

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Disclaimer: I received no compensation for reviewing this novel.

Charlotte Silver is not afraid of ghosts. She's been studying them with her scientific team parents, debunking them as myths, since she could walk. But things seem to be changing after an incident at a "haunted" asylum over the holidays. The strong supernatural elements in this story are chilling and unraveled at a good pace. Ms. Purnhagan does an excellent job making both worlds believable and logical. She is careful not to go overboard into darkness, and focuses on the goodness and light beyond the villains from other realms.

With clever writing, this is a unique series that I suspect has superstar potential. If you enjoyed Twilight or the Harry Potter series, you will love this book. I'm picking up the first volume in the series very soon!

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