Potato and Onion Pie

Over on the "coupon" forum, Have Coupons Will Travel, forum owner KellyMarie shared the following recipe.  She is well-known for being a wonderful cook, bargain hunter, super-couponer, mom, grandmother, and friend.  So I thought I'd share this with you all.  It looks like a wonderful dish to warm up your insides as the evenings become colder and we look for more substantial fare on our tables.

A hearty one-pot pie is an English favorite, perfect for a filling and affordable meal. This is an easy recipe for fall nights!

Makes 8 servings - Prep: 20 Cook: 50 Total: 70 minutes
Ingredients
¼ cup Lurpak® Unsalted butter
5 large potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
2 medium onions, peeled and thinly sliced
12 eggs, lightly beaten
3 cups grated Dofino® Havarti
½ cup milk
½ cup chopped parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

Baking pan: 10-cast iron skillet
Methods

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Melt the butter in the skillet and add the potatoes with the onions. Bake until tender and crisp, about 25 minutes.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, cheese, milk, parsley, salt, and pepper. Pour over the potato-onion mixture and return to the oven and continue baking until eggs are set, about 25 minutes. 

Click the "button" on my blog's sidebar and visit KellyMarie and the friendly folks there.  Now be sure you let me know if you like this recipe.  I'd love to share more with you from time to time, but I'd like responses, too.

Book Review: The Doctor's Lady by Jody Hedlund

This fictionalized story of Marcus and Narcissa Whitman, missionaries to the Nez Perce Indians in the Oregon Territory in 1836 and their journey to reach Oregon is fascinating and very close to the actual historical story of the real life couple, and a very good read. 

Priscilla White (the story's Narcissa Whitman) and Dr. Eli Ernest (the story's Marcus Whitman) are faced with the dilemma of not being able to fulfill their longing and calling by God to be missionaries because the mission board will not support single individuals.  They must be married.  A marriage of convenience is agreed to by the two and they embark on their journey.

Traveling with them is another missionary couple.  The gentleman is the refused suitor of Priscilla White who has married a sweet young missionary minded young lady.  The interaction of these two couples is interesting and adds poignancy to the story.

Author Jody Hedlund brings further historical authenticity to the story with her precise descriptions of the locales and the hardships entailed.  The trip is the historically true story of the first white women to cross the Continental Divide and travel into territory where no white woman has ever been able to go.

I found the tension between Priscilla and Eli realistic.  The book has emotions covering the spectrum of  fear, anxiety, anger, humor, joy, and love.  The book doesn't cover the entire lives of Priscilla and Eli, but it gets them started on the journey of life with this journey of a lifetime.

I highly recommend this book for those who enjoy historical fiction.

ISBN:  978-0-7642-0833-1 Historical Fiction, www.BethanyHouse.com

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers and was not required to write a positive review.

Abigail's New Hope by Mary Ellis: Book Review

Abigail's New Hope is book 1 in the Wayne County Series of stories of the Amish.  Mary Ellis's writing surprised me in that it differs somewhat from that which I have come to expect in novels depicting the Amish.  While it conveys the simple, spirit lead life style of the Amish, it also shows their innate humanity, their faults, their fears, their failings, and their solutions to situations with which they come face to face.

A well-written story line features it's lead character, Abigail, who is a mother of two and wife of an Amish farmer.  Woven into the story are two other characters of note, Isaiah and Catherine.  Isaiah is a deaf/mute who lives on the family farm and Catherine is the sister of Abigail who comes to aid the family during their time of trial.

Abigail is a midwife serving the Amish community who is called out to a life and death situation that ends up in the sorrowful tale of death during childbirth and it further leads to disaster.  But we don't want to spoil the story for you.

Abigail's New Hope is a first read for me of the writing of Mary Ellis.  I hope to be able to grab more of her fine works to enjoy.

Harvest House Publishers, ISBN 9780736930093

Disclaimer:  I selected this book from the local library.  The review is my own and I was not solicited to give a favorable review.

"Restless in Carolina" byTamara Leigh: Book Review

The title "Restless in Carolina" really appealed to me, a Southern lady, with a penchant for reading.  Getting into the book was easy as the writing style is relaxed and easy to read.  So it was a relaxing read.

Right off I saw that the key character, Bridget, is restless for several reasons.  She is a "Tree-huggin', animal-lovin'" individual who struggles with the grief of losing her husband at an early age.  She struggles, too, with a family whose interactions could be the fodder for a number of novels. 

Another key character is Bridget's Uncle Obadiah who is developing heart wrenching dementia but who also has lucid moments.  Uncle Obe has a heart's desire to right a wrong done in the past by his family before his dementia overtakes him.  "... the only proof  he requires is that of his troubled conscience." p.319   This is another cause of Bridget's restlessness.

Enter our third primary character who stirs Bridget's restlessness and.....  well, we'll let you read the story to learn how J.C. Dirk, a developer from Atlanta who is a man on the move developing green properties that have lead to his national recognition, and Bridget get acquainted and how it simply begets more restlessness for Bridget.

Enjoy your bit of Southern Carolina charm and life as author, Tamara Leigh, takes you into this world of charm and change, of fears and forgiveness.

I enjoyed this book and plan to pass it along for others to enjoy.  I recommend it for those of you who enjoy a good relaxing read and a bit of "happily ever after."

Restless in Carolina: A Novel is the third installment to Southern Discomfort series, a contemporary religious romance fiction series by Tamara Leigh. Published by Multnomah Books in July 19th 2011. 

ISBN-10: 1601421680   ISBN-13: 978-1601421685   

Restless in Carolina was provided free of charge to me by Multnomah Books and BloggingforBooks.com to review.  This review is my own opinion.

Joab's Fire, by Lynn Squire (a book review)

This short novel carries a punch that delivers a shattering realization into your heart and mind that man suffers and God's people scarcely understand the suffering of the individual. 

Joab's Fire is set in the very early 1900's in Alberta, Canada.  Sergeant Dixon of the North West Mounted Police respects the main character, Joab Black and his wife Sarah Black, for their upright living, generosity, and faith.  They are a prosperous family until disaster delivers rapid fire death and destruction at their doorstep.

Others in the community of faith, seek to "comfort" and "console" Joab and Sarah in their troubles.  But like the comforters of Job in the Bible, they prattle on about Joab's probable sin and unrighteousness being the cause of his calamities and his just recompense for hidden sins.

Sergeant Dixon is concerned about a visitor to the community that seems to wile his way into the minds, hearts, and lives of the residents of this isolated Canadian community.  The visitor says, ".... my scientific observation has consistently revealed that anyone blessed by God with plenty will inevitably turn against God, should it all be taken away." (p. 48)

But too many details will spoil the story for you.  The parallel of Joab's Fire with the Biblical book of Job is interesting, and a good Bible study can evolve using the guidelines author Lynn Squire has provided.

More about author Lyn Squire at www.LynnSquire.com or www.PresentingBiblicalTruth.com

This book was provided free of charge to me for review.  All comments are my own and I was not paid to review the book.

Publisher: HigherLife Publishing; Unabridged edition (September 15, 2011)

ISBN-10: 1935245511  -   ISBN-13: 978-1935245513

To California and Back with Vera

Vacations are wonderful.  Seeing family is wonderful.  Seeing new places is delightful.  So here is a bit of the saga of To California and Back with Vera.

On Friday, September 16 I boarded a Delta to Atlanta around 6:30 a.m.  It was loaded with humanity.  Those who look you in the eye and smile.  Those who are indifferent to your existence and look right through you.  Those who look searchingly in the rows of seats from side to side as though they don't know if there will be a place for them to perch during the flight while they clutch a "pass" that says they actually do have a seat.  There are folk who somehow have slipped two large pieces of luggage on board as carry on luggage and they actually seem intent on resizing the overhead bins.

Finally, all are seated, the lights dim and the captain's voice welcomes you and almost says, "Come on folks, let's get this show on the road (oops!  in the air)."

About nine hours later I land in San Francisco after a brief layover in Atlanta.  Family meets me and we exchange long overdue hugs and head down the road to the salad bowl of America, Watsonville, CA and environs.  The next day we attend a county fair in the Watsonville area and have "fair food," see the ponies, cows, and chickens, ride the rides, and waft our way through the masses of humanity.

Then I visit family in Monterey, CA, home of many branches of the military, a magnificent aquarium, Cannery Row (of Steinbeck fame), and breathtaking vistas.

Being sure to get a bit of history into this trip, we went by the Carmel Mission where the first padres brought Catholism to the Indians.

We also visited the now closed Fort Ord which played a major role in training our military along the West coast of this country during previous wars. It was established in 1917.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Ord  Deserted army barracks and firing ranges along the beach where live ammunition was utilized to give realism to soldiers who would soon be actually fighting for their lives and for the security of our Freedom.

After several lovely days with family (did I mention my four lovely granddaughters?) in Monterey, I went to San Francisco to be with more family (and another lovely granddaughter - this one has curly red hair).  We only had about two days together, but we enjoyed our time immensely.  We visited the Exploratorium of San Francisco and saw wonderful vistas of fish, swamps, a planetarium presentation, and so many opportunities to explore that simply boggle the mind.

Delightful food and wonderful company.  Tightening the ties of love that bind us together as family.  Exploring and delighting in each other as three generations experience the day to day emotions and activities of living.  Ten days later I get aboard another Delta, lay over in Detroit, and return to North Carolina about 10 hours later.  A tired, but satisfied individual who has experienced a vacation, beautiful sights and adventurous places, and strengthened the tie of family within three generations.

Trends in the feeding of America

As I have observed through the years, it seems that trends come and go in table fare both in the home and in the restaurant for the American consumer. During the 30s, 40s, and 50s basic meat, potatoes, and vegetables simply prepared and served lovingly by home cooks and restaurant cooks alike seemed to prevail.

Then the American taste seemed to desire more international and exotic foods.  So for awhile it was Italian (spaghetti, etc.) and then it was Asian; but the American "diner" (or greasy spoon, as some were called) still thrived serving up basic vegetables, meats, and potatoes. Then the American consumer desired and sought Texas steaks of every slice and dice. You had high end restaurants touting the tastiest steak at a price that really broke the bank, and you had your "Western" steak houses  where every family could afford to eat out and have a steak!

When medical science made us painfully aware that we were passing from the scene due to coronary heart disease and other diet-related diseases, health consciousness came into play. So the Mediterranean diet became to rage as folks desired tasty food with olive oil, tomatoes, vegetables, and pasta. To make that work, you had to serve it up in all types of trendy dishes - pasta, rice, veggie, meatless, with meat, with dairy but no meat, etc. It had to have Italian flair or it had to have Asian ethnic authenticity.

But the bottom line is, plain food, simply cooked is always the one that warms the cockles of your heart and satisfies that hunger in your tummy. Bring on the veggies, mashed potatoes, and roast beef or roast chicken. And please, don't forget those homemade rolls. Of course, finish it all off with a slice of American Apple Pie.