Cooking with Author Lori Altebaumer

Today we welcome author Lori Altebaumer to the blog. Lori has a romantic suspense novel and a recipe to share. SO glad to have you here, Lori! Take it away!

Peg’s Pecan Pie

(From my romantic suspense novel A Firm Place to Stand)

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 cup sugar

1 cup light corn syrup

4 eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 unbaked 9-inch pastry shell

1 – 1 1/4 cups pecan halves

Combine butter, sugar, and corn syrup; cook over low heat, stirring constantly until sugar dissolves. Let cool slightly. Add eggs, vanilla, and salt to mixture; mix well.

Pour filling into unbaked pastry shell, top with pecan halves. Bake at 325 degrees for 50 – 55 minutes. Serve warm or cold. Peg’s hints for a delicious pie: Use eggs at room temperature for better blending. And use chopped pecans to squeeze even more nuttiness into each bite.

About the novel

She’s either being stalked or losing her mind.

A job at a camp in the rustic and often rugged landscape of West Texas offers Maribel Montgomery a chance to escape both, especially if she makes sure no one knows where she’s there.

But when the body of a woman washes up in the river on her first morning, her hope of a safe place to start over are swept away. The suspicion she’s being watched follows her to her new home, and Maribel is forced to take a stand or keep running. Does she have the courage to face the danger stirring at the Pool of Siloam Camp?

If she doesn’t, another girl might die.

If she tries and fails, it could be her.

Circumstances force her into the acquaintance of Conner Pierce—a man with secrets of his own. Can Maribel risk working with him in order to save the next victim and find a missing girl?

Or is he the killer?

Get your copy of A Firm Place to Stand.

Author Bio

A life-long Texan, Lori lives in a small community not far from the rugged West Texas landscape she loves to write about. The mother of now grown twins, she has learned the secret to survival is a well-developed sense of humor and an active prayer life. After years spent working in the business world, Lori now uses her time to educate, inspire, encourage, and entertain through the written word.

Connect with Lori here:

Website

Facebook

Instagram

Amazon Author Central

Book Bub

Goodreads

Cooking With Author Susan Mathis!

Today we welcome author Susan Mathis who has a new novel for us. She also has a recipe from that novel. Welcome, Susan!

“Gloom turned to joy, and it was time for cake. Mr. Bernheim led them to the dining room and even invited Daniel to join them. When they were all seated, a waiter served them a layered orange sponge cake with pecans on top and tart lemonade with raspberries floating in it. How elegant!”—from Reagan’s Reward by Susan G Mathis

In Reagan’s Reward, Reagan Kennedy assumes the position of governess to the Bernheim family’s twin nephews, and they celebrate their ninth birthday with Orange Sponge Cake. But Reagan's life at Cherry Island’s Casa Blanca becomes frustratingly complicated when service to a Jewish family when she is a Gentile and tending to eight-year-old, mischievous boys yields challenges galore.

Here’s the recipe for Jake and JoJo’s Birthday Orange Sponge Cake

Prep: 30 min. Bake: 45 min.

Ingredients

8 large eggs, separated, room temperature

1 cup flour, sifted

1 1/3 cup sugar, divided in two

1/2 cup orange juice

2 tablespoons grated orange zest

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar



FROSTING:

1 1/2 cups sugar

6 tablespoons flour

2/3 cup orange juice

3 tablespoons grated orange zest

2 large eggs

2 cups heavy whipping cream

1 cup chopped pecans

Directions

Preheat oven to 325°

CAKE:

In a large bowl, beat egg yolks. Gradually add 2/3 cup sugar, beating until thick. Beat in orange juice and orange zest. Fold in sifted flour.

Add salt and cream of tartar to egg whites; with clean beaters, beat on medium until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, until soft glossy peaks form. Fold a fourth of the egg whites.

Pour into an ungreased 10-in. tube pan. Bake on lowest oven rack 45-55 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched. Immediately invert pan; cool cake in pan, about 1-1/2 hours.

FROSTING:

Mix sugar and flour in a large saucepan. Whisk in orange juice and orange zest.

Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat to low; cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Remove from heat.

In a small bowl, whisk a ¼ cup of hot mixture into eggs; return to pan, whisking constantly. Bring to a gentle boil; cook and stir 2 minutes. Immediately transfer to a clean bowl.

Cool 30 minutes. Press plastic wrap onto surface of orange mixture; refrigerate until cold.

In a large bowl, beat cream until soft peaks form; fold into orange mixture. Run a knife around sides and center tube of pan. Remove cake to a serving plate. Using a long-serrated knife, cut cake horizontally into three layers. Spread frosting between layers and over top and sides of cake.

Sprinkle with pecans. Refrigerate until serving.

About the Novel

Daniel Lovitz serves as the island’s caretaker and boatman. He tries to help the alluring Reagan make sense of her new world, but she calls into question his own faith background and forces him to face the hurts of his past. Then there’s the jealous lady’s maid who seems intent on wedging herself between them. Can he and Reagan ever find common ground on such a small island?

About the Author

Susan G Mathis is an award-winning, multi-published author of stories set in the beautiful Thousand Islands, her childhood stomping ground in upstate NY. Her first two books of The Thousand Islands Gilded Age series, Devyn’s Dilemma and Katelyn’s Choice are available now, and she’s working on book three. The Fabric of Hope: An Irish Family Legacy, Christmas Charity, and Sara’s Surprise are also available. Susan’s books have won numerous awards, including the Illumination Book Award, the American Fiction Award and the Indie Excellence Book Award. Visit her website for more.

Connect with Susan

Read more about Susan and get a copy of Reagan's Reward on Amazon.

Cooking With Author Jennifer Delamere

Today we welcome novelist Jennifer Delamere to the Patchwork Quilt Blog for my Cooking With Authors segment. She has a recipe for us and a new novel.

Take it away, Jennifer!


Crowd-Pleasing Quiche

Pastry for 1 deep-dish pie crust (never having mastered crust-making, I like the pre-made kind you can unroll, which is found in the refrigerator section)
1 1/2 cups (6 oz) grated cheddar cheese
3-4 oz diced ham (the more finely cut, the better)
3 eggs
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon powdered mustard
1/4 teaspoon black pepper (or more, according to taste)
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or dash of hot sauce)
1/8 teaspoon salt (optional) (I like Lowry’s seasoned salt)

Arrange pastry in a 9-inch, deep-dish pie pan. (I like to use a glass pan.) Spread the cubed ham evenly over the bottom. Spread the shredded cheese evenly over the ham.

Gently beat eggs together. Blend in cream, milk, and seasonings. Pour over the cheese.

Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit for 15 minutes before eating. (Waiting is the hard part! But it gives the quiche time to settle and firm up.)

Cut into wedges and serve warm. Enjoy a larger serving as a main course, or cut the quiche into smaller pieces to serve at parties. (For parties, I cut the pie into 12 slices. It’s always the first item gone at the potluck!)

Variations: For a vegetarian quiche, replace ham with gently cooked broccoli or other veggie, enough to cover the bottom of the pie dish. I have also used vegetarian sausage. Try varying the cheese for a change of flavor. This recipe is endlessly adaptable!

About the book

Since she was young, Alice McNeil has seen success as a telegrapher as the best use for her keen and curious mind. Years later, she has yet to regret her freedom and foregoing love and marriage, especially when she acquires a coveted position at an important trading firm. But when the company’s ambitious junior director returns to London, things begin to change in ways Alice could never have imagined.

For Douglas Shaw, years of hard work and ingenuity enabled him to escape a life of grinding poverty. He’s also determined to marry into high society—a step that will ensure he never returns to the conditions of his past. He immediately earns Alice’s respect by judging her based on her skills and not her gender, and a fast camaraderie forms.

However, when Alice accidentally angers a jealous coworker and his revenge threatens both their reputations, Alice and Douglas are forced to confront what is truly important in their lives. Will their growing bond give them the courage to see the future in a different light?


About the Author

Jennifer Delamere’s novels have won many accolades, including Romance Writers of America RITA® award finalist, a starred review from Publishers Weekly, and the Georgia Romance Writers Maggie Award for Excellence. Jennifer earned a B.A. in English from McGill University in Montreal, Canada, where she became fluent in French and developed an abiding passion for winter sports. She’s been an editor of nonfiction and educational materials for over two decades. She loves reading classics and histories, which she mines for the vivid details to bring to life the people and places in her books.


Connect with Jennifer.


Get a copy of her novel at Amazon or wherever books are sold.

Cooking With Author Carole Brown

Today we welcome Carole Brown to our Cooking with Authors segment. Carole has a new novel out. She also has a recipe for us.

Hello, Carole! Tell us about your recipe, then about your new novel Caleb's Destiny, and about you.


Carole: Mr. Michael in Caleb's Destiny makes a mean egg omelet that Destiny really enjoys. If you love omelets, give this one a try!

Egg Omelet Supreme Recipe

Ingredients for one person (or maybe two if you're light eaters):
2 fresh eggs
1-2 tablespoons of Almond Silk sweet milk
Vegetables: your choice
Meat: sausage, bacon, or steak: your choice
Cheese: (your choice)
Seasonings: (salt, pepper, onion powder, or whatever you like). Feel free to add a drop of Worcestershire sauce or steak sauce, if that is to your taste.

cooking spray oil/butter
real butter

How to make this omelet for one person:

1. Cook your chosen meat until done. Crumble bacon or sausage. Cut steak into small pieces.
2. Chop vegetables into bite size, or smaller, pieces. (I like a few peppers, a touch of green onion, greens like broccoli, spinach, etc or whatever you like).
3. Whisk seasoned fresh eggs and approximately 2-4 tablespoons of Almond Silk sweet milk together. Stir in your vegetables and meat.
4. Spray iron skillet with butter-flavored spray, or use real butter, my preference, and heat between a low to medium fire (I like to take it slow so the skillet won't get too hot, causing the eggs to get too brown.) Turn down the temperature if it seems too hot.
5. Pour mixture into skillet. Keep a close eye on the eggs and when they seem done enough to flip, then do so.
6. Sprinkle cheese on top. When done to suit your taste, turn off heat, fold into halves and slide onto your plate.

Serve with real buttered toast (your choice of bread) fried hash browns, and fruit. Feel free to adjust the recipe. Add salsa or other condiments of your choice.

Enjoy!

Caleb's Destiny

Mr. Michael, Destiny Rose McCulloch, and Hunter have a mysterious history. Why were three fathers, all business partners, murdered under suspicious circumstances while on their quest to find gold?

Hunter is determined to protect his boss and the precocious young lady who he suspects holds a key answer to his questions.

Mr. Michael wants only to be left alone to attend to his property, but what can he do when Destiny refuses to leave and captures the heart of every one of his employees?

Destiny almost forgets her quest when she falls in love with Mr. Michael's ranch and all the people there. And then Mr. Michael is much too alluring to ignore. The preacher man back east where she took her schooling tried to claim her heart, but the longer she stays the less she can remember him. She only came west to find a little boy she knew years ago. A little boy all grown up by now...unless, of course, he's dead.

Three children, connected through tragedy and separated by time, are fated to reunite and re-right some powerful wrongs.


Get a copy of Caleb's Destiny on Amazon.


About Carole

Besides being a member and active participant of many writing groups, Carole enjoys mentoring beginning writers. She loves to weave suspense and tough topics into her books, along with a touch of romance and whimsy, and is always on the lookout for outstanding titles and catchy ideas. She and her husband have ministered and counseled across the country. Together, they enjoy their grandsons, traveling, gardening, good food, the simple life, and did she mention their grandsons?

Connect with Carole
Her blog
Facebook
Twitter

Cooking With Author Norma Gail

I welcome author Norma Gail today on my Cooking with Authors portion of my blog. Norma has a recipe for us and a new book coming out. Read on to learn more!


New Mexican Green Chili Stew

4 lbs. of lean beef stew meat, diced (may use pork)
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 large onion, medium chopped
1-2 lbs. of potatoes, chopped
1 lb. of carrots, sliced
2 16 oz. cans of diced tomatoes with liquid
2 16 oz. cans of pinto beans with liquid
24 oz. of roasted green chili, diced – either canned or frozen (as mild or hot as you like)
Water to cover

Coat meat with flour and brown with garlic and onion. Mix all ingredients together in a large crockpot or stew pot on stove. Add water to the preferred consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook all day until meat, potatoes, and carrots are tender.

Serve with warm flour tortillas with butter and honey, bread, or sopapillas. Enjoy!

Thanks for that recipe, Norma. Sounds like something I will have to try. Next tell us about your upcoming novel.


Within Golden Bands – A Home for My Heart Book 2 is the sequel to my 2014 release, Land of My Dreams – A Home for My Heart. The first book is the story of Bonny Bryant, an American college professor, who accepts a job at a small Christian college in Scotland to escape heartbreak and loss. Love is the last thing on her mind when she meets fellow professor and sheep farmer, Kieran MacDonell. Together, they discover that the greatest blessings come when you leave the familiar behind and take a step of faith.

In Within Golden Bands, newly married Bonny MacDonell finds the transition from American college professor to Scottish sheep farmer’s wife more difficult than she expected. Though her husband says he has accepted her infertility, she fears his reaction when her miracle pregnancy ends in a devastating miscarriage. However, Kieran never shows up at the hospital. When found, he is beaten and unconscious. The only memory of his attacker is the words, “Get off my land.” As a result, his parents reveal a family secret involving an altered deed and missing aunt. Reeling from the threat to her husband and the loss of her child, Bonny struggles with depression.

As Kieran's elusive attacker stalks the family, threatening their safety, the couple is forced to hire bodyguards. Bonny still longs to be a mother but Kieran fears his deep-seated opposition to adoption will drive them apart. Are faith and love strong enough to keep their fledgling marriage on solid ground? Will they choose to trust God when his ways are impossible to fathom?


Thanks for joining me at my blog, Norma.


~*~*~*~
Norma Gail writes Fiction to Refresh Your Spirit. Her contemporary novels, Land of My Dreams, which won the 2016 Bookvana Religious Fiction Award, and Within Golden Bands (releasing May 19, 2020), explore the theme of women whose faith triumphs over trials. A women’s Bible study leader for over 21 years, her devotionals and poetry have appeared at ChristianDevotions.us, the Stitches Thru Time blog, Inspire a Fire, and in “The Secret Place.” She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Romance Writers of America, Historical Writers of America, and the Women’s Fiction Writers Association. Norma is a former RN who lives in the mountains of New Mexico with her husband of 44 years. They have two adult children.

Ways to connect with Norma --- follow her blog, or join her on Facebook, Twitter, or Amazon. She is also on Pinterest, Instagram and Goodreads.

Cooking with Author Leanna Sain

Today we have author Leanna Sain as our guest on Cooking With Authors. She's got a recipe and a new novel. Welcome here, Leanna!

First the recipe . . . 

Frutti Mare with Fettuccini

1 lb. prawns - shelled & deveined 1⁄4 c. olive oil
1 T. shallots – chopped
1 T. garlic – minced

1/3 lb. scallops
1 c. ripe Roma tomatoes – finely chopped 1 c. chicken broth or clam broth
2 T. parsley – finely chopped
1⁄2 tsp. oregano
1⁄2 tsp. cayenne
10 small fresh basil leaves
3 T. Brandy
8 steamer clams
1⁄4 lb. calamari cut into rounds
8 mussels – well scrubbed
1⁄2 lb. Dungeness crabmeat
1 lb. fettuccini

            •   Cut the shrimp lengthwise in half. Set aside. Heat the oil in a skillet and add the shallots and garlic. Cook, stirring about one minute. Add the shrimp and scallops and cook, stirring about one minute. Add the tomatoes and broth and bring to a boil. Let simmer about one minute and add the parsley, basil, oregano, cayenne and brandy. 


            •   Add the clams, calamari and mussels and cover tightly. Cook until the clams and mussels open, about one and a half minutes. Add the crabmeat, stir gently and remove from the heat. 


           •   Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil and add fettuccini. Boil for 10-12 minutes until al dente. 


           •    To serve, divide the fettuccini and add equal portions of the clams and mussels to the top and then pour over the remaining fish and sauce. Serves 4.

About the novel . . .
She dreams a murder before it happens. A young woman is strangled while her killer sings the words from the lullaby, “Hush, Little Baby.”

Lacey Campbell’s life is full, but not idyllic. As head chef for a chic restaurant and primary caregiver to a mother with Alzheimer’s, she doesn’t have time for the nightmare and at first she tries to deny it. But the next day, she discovers it's a disturbing reality. When she dreams the second heinous murder she knows it’s time to tell the police.

Detective Ford Jamison is called back to the little coastal town to help with the case and soon notices an alarming trend: the killer is using the lullaby as a “blueprint” to target women who resemble Lacey. This doesn’t slow the killings and now Lacey is afraid to fall asleep at night because the next face she sees in her dream might be her own.

As a hurricane churns ever closer to the little coastal town, danger and suspicion spin out of control. Time is running out. Can they stop the killer before the last verse of the lullaby?

About the Author . . . 
Leanna Sain, earned her BA from the University of South Carolina before moving back to the NC mountains. She calls Miracle Hill Farm home, but she lives mostly in her imagination. Her Southern suspense or “GRIT-lit,” showcases her plot-driven method that successfully rolls elements of best-selling authors Mary Kay Andrews, Nicholas Sparks, and Jan Karon all together, making it her own. She loves leading discussion groups and book clubs. For more information or to contact her visit: www.LeannaSain.com

**Note from Leanna: I wrote Hush while my mother was in the final stages of Alzheimer’s. To honor her, I’m donating a portion of book sales to Alzheimer’s research. Please help by getting a copy, spreading the word, and writing a book review.

Where you can find Leanna:
Amazon
Facebook
Twitter
Website and blog
Goodreads