It's been awhile...

Well... I've gotta say... it's been a long time since I've posted everything! But... I'm hoping to be better about that! I've had a lot of people asking me on facebook for recipes- so here's hoping that I'll do a better job from now on! :)

Book review: The Seraph Seal

So, I have to admit that I am still slightly perplexed that I chose this book to read and review. Usually I like to read either historical or modern day fiction. I have never once in my entire life ever read any apocalyptic literature, nor have I ever had any interest in doing so. Yet, for reasons practically unbeknownst to me, I chose this book. Needless to say, it has sat on my shelf for many, many months- until a few days ago when all of a sudden I randomly decided I wanted to read it. Well, all I can say is that it hooked me right from the start and I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

The Seraph Seal, written by Leonard Sweet and Lori Wagner, begins in the year 2012 where an ancient prophecy begins to unfold. Fast forward to the year 2048. The world is fast accelerating into massive chaos. New discoveries are constantly being made in different scientific fields, and those in power are fighting to rise to the top. Add to that rising political tensions throughout the nations, mass pandemics, and escalating natural disasters, and the question arises- how much longer can the earth survive at this rate of speed? Amidst the turmoil arises a key player: Paul Binder, a historian at the University of Virginia, who one day receives a strange and cryptic message. From there he is led down a path that leads him to London. Once there he meets manuscript specialist Angela Krall, whom he teams with to decipher an ancient Syrian manuscript. Together they begin to slowly unravel clues that lead them down a mysterious path, and along the way they begin to discover that perhaps there is more to life than that which they can see and understand.

I read a review on this book recently where it was said that this book is not for the faint of heart, and I have to say that I agree. As I said, I really enjoyed this book and I found it very fascinating. However, you can in no way breeze through this book, for it is rather heavy, physically and mentally. The book itself is over 500 pages, which I believe in itself could scare some people off. Then there is the actual written text itself. There are quite a few characters to keep track of, as well as events. Everything is subtly woven together, and you really need to pay very close attention so that you do not miss a single miniscule detail. There is also a lot of what I am going to call “smart speak” in this book- meaning that things are not explained simply. Rather, it is written in very intellectual terms that I think could very easily confuse people. I know there were a few parts that I had to read over to fully grasp certain concepts.

Putting all of that aside though, I think this book was put together very well. The story was engaging, and I felt that there were a lot of events of the future that were very plausible, and could very well happen. So, if you are of stout heart and would like a very intelligent apocalyptic read, then this book is for you. I know that I will definitely be revisiting this book later on.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Yums the word!

*Mary and Lissy- that title is for you!* :D

Okay... I've got to say it... I LOVE venison!!!!! Wow.... so so so so sooooooo delicious! Sigh... thank you to my uncle for the venison tenderloin. I'm thinking that I'm going to have to beg more off of him when he goes hunting this year! Or I could just marry a guy who just so happens to like to hunt. Then I could have venison all year long. Yep... that sounds good! Lol.

Anyways... moving on. Last week I made some venison with blueberry barbecue sauce and it was delicious. The recipe is from my Southern Living Homestyle Cookbook (great cookbook by the way), and if you ever get your hands on some venison I would recommend trying this recipe, which is apparently also good with pork tenderloin.

Grilled Marinated Venison Tenderloin with Blueberry Barbecue Sauce

3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp. dry mustard
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
1 1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1 tsp. salt
1 garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 lb. venison tenderloin
Blueberry barbecue sauce

1. Combine first 10 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic freezer bag; add venison. Seal and chill 4 to 5 hours, turning bag occasionally.
2. Preheat grill to medium-high heat.
3. Remove tenderloin from marinade, discarding marinade. Grill, covered with grill lid, over medium-high heat 10 minutes on each side until desired degree of doneness, turning once. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing. Serve tenderloin with Blueberry Barbecue Sauce.


Blueberry Barbecue Sauce

2 Tbsp. minced onion
1 1/2 tsp. chopped fresh jalapeno pepper
1 1/2 tsp. olive oil
1 cup fresh blueberries
2 Tbsp. rice vinegar
2 Tbsp. ketchup
1 1/2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. hot sauce
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. freshly ground pepper

1. Sauté onion and jalapeno pepper in hot oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat until tender. Add blueberries and next 5 ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, 15 minutes, stirring often.
2. Add butter, salt, and pepper to blueberry mixture; cook over medium heat until butter melts, stirring occasionally.

Gloriously delicious cookies

I got this recipe awhile back off of the Mennonite Girls Can Cook blog... and I have got to say that it is now one of my absolute favorite cookies. Mmmm... I guarantee you that once you make them for your friends and family they will love you forever! (Which, of course, I'm sure they already do!) So please, please go and make these!

Lemon Lassies

Lemon Filling:

2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbsp lemon zest
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 Tbsp butter
1/8 tsp salt
1 cup medium sweetened coconut

In a small saucepan or microwaveable bowl, combine all filling ingredients except coconut. Cook over low heat until thickened, stirring constantly, or in microwave (on low heat) for 1 minute intervals stirring well in between. Remove from heat and add coconut. Cool.

Cookie Dough:

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg
2 1/4 cup flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp soda
1/4 tsp salt

In a large mixer bowl combine margarine, sugar, egg and molasses. Add dry ingredients. Blend well with mixer. Divide dough into 4 parts.

Shape each part into a 12-15 inch roll. Place two rolls onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten each roll to a 2-1/2 inch strip. Repeat with the other two rolls on a second cookie sheet.

Spread 1/4 of the filling down the center of each roll and using a spatula, roll long edges to the centre to cover most of the filling.

Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes.

Cut while warm into 1 inch pieces. Remove from pans and cool.

Operation Bonnet

Yes it is Wednesday. And yes- I have already read two books this week. I would like to compare this record to last week, in which it took me an ENTIRE week to read one single book! Now, that is usually not the norm for me, because I happen to be a very fast reader. But for some reason, every time I sat down to read I could not keep my eyes open. *Insert big, huge dramatic sigh*  Luckily, things are different this week.

First off I have to admit that I’m usually not one for reading Amish fiction. It just seems that there’s too much of it out there. But thanks to Hillary Manton Lodge, I have begun reading more Amish fiction. It’s been a little hit-and-miss, some were boring, and some were absolutely wonderful. Luckily, this latest book was a hit!  

Operation Bonnet, written by author Kimberly Stuart, centers on Nellie Monroe, twenty-year-old town luminary and hopeful private investigator. Unfortunately for her, her small town is anything but exciting, and just when it seems that she’ll never get a case, she meets Amos Shetler. Amos has recently left the Amish community where he grew up, but he still has feelings for the girl he left behind. So he hires Nellie to go undercover and check up on his old girlfriend. In true style she straps a bonnet onto her head, and talks her way into some Amish cooking lessons.

But things don’t go exactly as planned and soon she’s dug herself into a hole; alienating her best friend, angering those around her, and all-around botching up her case. Will she be able to repair what she’s fixed, and will she be able to solve her very own first case? And will she possibly learn some lessons while she’s at it?

The book plainly states on the back cover that this is: “NOT Your Grandmother’s Amish Fiction” and I have got to say that it’s true! The book was refreshing, I absolutely came to love all of the characters, and there were also a LOT of laughs.  There also might have been a tear or two, but well, I tend to cry pretty easily. So all in all, I have to say that the book was very enjoyable and I highly recommend reading it, because you will not be disappointed!

My Foolish Heart

So I have to admit that there’s just something about Susan May Warren’s novels that make me spend insane amounts of time reading. I swear, every single time that I pick up one of her books, I finish reading it within a span of 24 hours. And the only reason it takes me that long is because there’s cumbersome things like sleep and work that prevent me from reading it all in one session. Sigh… life is so tough! ;)

But in all seriousness, she is SUCH an amazing author. There’s just something about her characters that makes it impossible to resist them. I mean, how could you not fall in love with the Noble siblings, or PJ Sugar, or the residents of Deep Haven? Oh my goodness- especially the cast of characters in Warren’s newest Deep Haven novel, My Foolish Heart.

I also have to confess that when I found out that there would be more Deep Haven novels (besides the three that she wrote a few years back), I kind of freaked. In fact- I might have screamed (it was a happy scream), I might have babbled on and on to my Mom about how happy I was, and I might have even done a happy dance. Yeah- THAT’S how good her books are! Sigh… if only she’d do more PJ Sugar novels *hint hint*!

Now, if you’ve never read any of Warren’s novels… I would suggest that you go out and immediately do so! The previous three books in the Deep Haven series- Happily Ever After, Tying the Knot, and The Perfect Match, would probably be a good place to start, but if you feel like skipping straight to My Foolish Heart, you would have no problem understanding the story, even though it was fun to see characters from the previous novels pop up every now and then.

My Foolish Heart centers on the lives of Isadora Presley and Caleb Knight. Issy is a young woman who is so crippled by panic attacks that she is trapped within her neighborhood. Unbeknownst to her small community, she hosts a radio talk show from her home, where she gives romance advice, even though she herself has never been on a single date. And while she’s always reminding her listeners that their perfect love might just be next door, she knows that isn’t possibly true for her, especially when the towns handsome new football coach moves in next door.

Caleb Knight has recently returned home to the states after a tour of duty in Iraq, in which he paid highly. Now all he wants to do is move on with his life, so he hides his disability and tries to make a new life for himself in the town of Deep Haven.

But will things be able to remain the same when Issy and Caleb meet? Or will both of their lives be changed drastically? Well, you’ll just have to read it to find out. :) I guarantee you though that you will love this book. In fact, it’s my new favorite out of all of Warren’s books. I just could not put it down! I was laughing, and crying and smiling all the way through!!!!! So please please please, go out and read this book… and enjoy!

Complete and utter deliciousness

So there are three recipes that I've tried lately, that well, I honestly just can't get over how good they were!!!! So I thought that I would introduce you all to my spectacular new finds. So I hope you enjoy them! :)


1. Pumpkin Yeast Bread:

I will admit though, that I doubled all the spices, as well as adding allspice. Mmmm good! :)


2.  Apple upside-down biscuits:

Don't those just look delicious? Well... I'm here to say... they are! :)


3.  Apple Thyme Cheddar Scones:

Savory and oh so good!


So go get busy baking people! Okay? And have fun! :)