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! :)

Wow... I've made so much good food lately, it's hard to decide what to post on here. But well, I think I'm going to go with pizza. Because well, who doesn't like pizza? I mean, seriously?
Anyways... I just have to say that luckily, when it comes to pizza, how you cut it does NOT affect the taste. Because as you can see... if it did, I would be in serious trouble.

I wish I could say that I cut it crooked on purpose, but to be completely honest... I can't cut anything straight. But well... to cover up for this apparent abnormality of mine, I just always say that cutting it this way means that you can choose your slices depending on your hunger. Makes sense right? :)

So... I absolutely love to make homemade pizza (and I usually make the dough as well), and this recipe is one of my favorites. So I hope that if you make it, you'll like it as much as I do! :)

Just a little book review...

Well... I know that this is technically a food blog, but anyone who knows me, knows that I LOVE to read. Especially Christian historical fiction. My Mom tells me that I was born in the wrong era, and seriously... if there were such things as time machines and I could travel back in time, that would really be pure bliss. But I have to say, that the one upside of living in THIS era, is that I get to read about all those times past (and well, reading a book is in a way like going back in time.) So, all of this leads up to the fact that I think it's about time that I start posting some book reviews on here, as well as my recipes (which I've been sadly remiss on). So... I think that I should start with the book I finished last night.  Because well, it was REALLY REALLY good!
The book is titled "Waterfall" and is the first book in Lisa T. Bergren's 'River of Time Series'. It's a young adult book, but I believe that readers of all ages would enjoy reading it. The story is about an American teenager, Gabriella Betarrini, who has spent the majority of her summers in Italy, with her younger sister, Lia, and her archeologist parents. This summer they're in rural Tuscany, amidst a new archeological site, filled with crumbling castles and old burial tombs. The two girls, bored out of their minds, decide to do a little exploring, never imaging that this will land them in fourteenth-century Italy...
I literally could NOT put this book down. It grabbed me from the beginning and would not let me go. I was instantly swept into the world of knights and Lords and Ladies, of beautiful dresses, sword fights, adventure, and intrigue. And of course, romance. For what young lady wouldn't fall in love with a smoldering, medieval Italian man? (Sigh....) I don't want to give the whole story away, but needless to say, I can assure you that you will love every page of this book. So enjoy, and if you read it, please let me know what you think of it. I, for one, cannot wait to read the next book!

Luck of the Irish Brunch

Well... I guess I'm on a breakfast kick. I was watching "Brunch with Bobby" a few weeks back and he was making these cheesy hash browns... and they looked sooooo good! I kept on planning to make them for breakfast some day, and I never did, so I finally decided to make the whole meal for dinner one night, and I was not disappointed! The meal consisted of: cheesy hash browns, roasted tomatoes with breadcrumbs, sautéed mushrooms, sausage (I did chicken-apple sausage... the original recipe called for pork sausage and lamb sausage), bacon (I did turkey bacon... the original recipe called for smoked bacon) and Irish soda bread. The recipe also called for eggs, but by that point it seemed like way too much food!

Cheesy hash browns:

2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 Tbsp canola oil
1 medium Spanish onion, diced
1 1/2 lb Yukon gold potatoes
2 teaspoons paprika
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups grated aged white Irish cheddar cheese (or any other kind of cheddar)
Chopped fresh chives

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Heat the butter and canola oil in a cast iron skillet over high heat until the butter begins to sizzle. Reduce heat to medium, add the onion and cook until soft and slightly caramelized.
While the onions are caramelizing, put the potatoes in a large pot of cold, salted water, bring to a boil and cook until nearly tender, 10-12 minutes. Drain well.
Add the potatoes to the onion, packing it evenly (and semi-mashing the potatoes) with the back of a metal spatula to form a cake. Season with salt and pepper and cook until the underside is golden brown, about 10 minutes (probably less than that though).
Flip the potatoes and cook for about another 4-5 minutes. Sprinkle with shredded cheddar cheese and place in the oven for a few minutes, in order to melt the cheese.

Roasted tomatoes:

6 plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise
Unsalted butter, for greasing baking dish
Olive oil, for drizzling
Honey, for drizzling
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 cup panko breadcrumbs (you can use different breadcrumbs as well)
Salt and pepper for seasoning
2 Tbsp chopped parsley, to garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Put the tomato halves in a lightly buttered baking dish, cut-side up. Drizzle with olive oil and honey, season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with bread crumbs and paprika.
Roast for 20 minutes. Remove tomatoes from oven and sprinkle with parsley. Drizzle with olive oil.

Sautéed mushrooms:

Canola oil, to coat pan
1 pint cremini mushrooms (or whatever mushroom you desire), chopped
2 tsp finely chopped fresh thyme leaves (you can also use dried thyme)
Salt and pepper, to taste

Heat the canola oil in a sauté pan and sauté the mushrooms until soft. Add the fresh thyme leaves and season with salt and pepper.

Serve the hashbrowns, tomatoes and mushrooms with eggs, sausage, bacon and Irish soda bread. Enjoy!

                         

Egg-in-the-hole

I was flipping through a recipe book the other day... and stumbled upon a recipe for egg-in-the-hole. I'd never even heard of it before, so I thought that I should probably try it... after all, it did look good. And yes... it was good! It's the perfect mixture of crispy bread and fried egg. Yum! And it is really easy to make!

So all you have to do is:

1. Melt 1 Tbsp. butter in a skillet on medium heat.
2. Using a biscuit cutter... or anything round... make a hole in the bread.
3. When the butter is completely melted place the bread in the skillet. Swirl it around in the butter, and then let it sit for about 20-30 seconds.
4. Crack the egg in the hole, and season with salt and pepper... or whatever you like to season your eggs with (I like pepper and Dash seasoning).
5. When the egg is set on the bottom, flip over the bread and continue cooking until the egg is at your desired consistency.
6. Enjoy! :)

P.S. Other names for egg-in-the-hole are:
toad in a hole, cowboy eggs, moon eggs, sunshine toast, magic egg & bull's eyes eggs.