Blackberry Lemon Cheesecake

Hello everybody! Mary Jane here and I confess: I love those facebook cooking videos. You know, those videos where you're looking at the food from a bird's eye perspective, or the cook's view? I LOVE THEM. I could watch them all day. everything looks so delicious!

 So I think I belong to more cooking groups than any other facebook group, and now I've passed my obsession with cooking on to my children. Behold... Meyer lemons just waiting for a delicious recipe.
Just a day after I bought a bag, I saw a recipe on facebook for blackberry lemon cheesecake. We knew we had to try it.

 The original recipe had a blackberry puree but we had blueberries, blackberries, and some strawberries left over from the summer.

Berry puree:
1 1/2 berries
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water

Mix in a pan over medium heat, bring to a boil and crush gently. I strained mine because one of my kids wasn't thrilled with the idea of lots of seeds in her cheesecake.

 For the crust, the original called for 12 graham cracker sheets, 1/4 cup sugar, and 5 TBS butter. We upped the butter to 6TBS because it always seems dry, and added a dash of cinnamon.

Cheesecake:

2 packages of cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp lemon zest

1/2 cup sour cream

2 eggs

1/4 tsp lemon juice

So, the verdict? It was good. I don't think cheesecake can be NOT good. But it wasn't my favorite recipe. Maybe because I was yearning more for a poundcake than a cheesecake. Maybe because the lemon wasn't that strong. If I made it again, I'd up the zest to 2 tsp, or even 1 TBS. For the amount of cheesecake, it didn't seem very lemon-y.

                                                        
One more shot of those delightful lemons!

Have a wonderful weekend and if you haven't picked up my newest Cane River Book, it can be found right here. And be sure to stop by my facebook author page at Mary Jane Hathaway for more news on book releases! Summer's Glory is coming SOON.
Until next time!

15 minute dinner-- Huevos Rancheros and book release!

Hello everybody! Mary Jane here and I have a repost of a delicously quick and easy dinner that even a child can make. Super easy, very nutritious, and lots of protein.

 You'll need olive oil, some corn tortillas, some beans (refried out of a can is fine, but I'll use some that we made a few days ago), lettuce, eggs, salsa.

 Brush the tortillas with olive oil on both side, sprinkle lightly with salt, and put in the oven at 400F for 12-14 minutes. Some people like them softer, and some like them more crispy.

 While the beans are heating in the microwave, get the salsa bubbling on the stove. When it's ready, drop in your eggs.

 Put a lid on and wait about 3-4 minutes until the egg white is opaque.

Take out your corn tortillas and lay a few on a plate.

 First layer is beans, then the salsa and an egg. Add some lettuce and chopped tomatoes if you have any. A bit of salt and pepper and --- DINNER!

My ten year old son can make this dish, so don't be afraid! It's super easy simple, and nutritious, too. Lots of protein in the beans and egg, vegetables in the salsa and lettuce, and fiber in the tortillas. Low fat and good for you!

My sixth Cane River Romance book releases on Tuesday!! So exciting! I just love this best-friends-turned-more story. 

Here's the blurb for fun:

One magical bookstore, two best friends, and a whole cast of interfering busybodies determined to help true love happen!

Despite her miserable childhood, Flannery Beaulieu has always loved Christmas, and celebrating Christmas in idyllic Natchitoches, Louisiana is very the best of all. The carols, twinkling lights, smell of simmering gumbo, and the sound of zydeco music can't be beat. But when Flannery moves into a beautiful apartment over an old bookstore, her orderly life becomes a lot more complicated. She’s not only the pet project of every matchmaker in the city, but her best friend is acting like he doesn’t even want her around.

Remington Becket would never go a day without talking to her, even when he’s halfway across the world. Handsome, bookish, and as happy to be single as she is, Rem is like her other half.
Now, even though he’s living in the apartment right next door, Flannery is sure Rem is avoiding her.

It's shaping up to be the absolute worst Christmas on record and by the time a once-in-a-century blizzard hits, Flannery suspects moving back to Natchitoches― and into the apartment over By the Book― was a terrible idea after all.

But By the Book isn’t just any old bookstore. It’s a place where faith is real, grace is present, and the miracle of true love happens every day... if only Flannery has the courage to take a risk with her heart. 

That's all for now! Have a wonderful, healthy weekend and be sure to stop by my author page at Mary Jane Hathaway!

Snow, Sliders, and Songs

Hello, everybody! Mary Jane here with a tasty little sandwich that we had somewhere around New Year's Day. I was a little wary of the butter (won't it be soggy??) but it was delicious!

But first...

 All of our snow melted... and then it snowed AGAIN. Hooray!! Our governor declared it a state of emergency, but where we are it was simply lovely. A little icy. Nothing we couldn't handle!

 Our kittens love it!

 This kitty picture makes me laugh. Look at the kitten's SMILE!

 My seven year old is a gardener in training. His morning glories were blooming and I got a picture.

 Of course there was lots of sledding.

 Here they're acting like zombies... Notice the lack of sledding hill competition. Sometimes it pays to be home schooled!

This picture has no purpose. It just made me laugh so I included it.

 So, these tasty little baked sliders were quite a hit. (This one has a little lettuce added to it.)

 Aren't they adorable?

 So, first, some round dinner rolls. Potato rolls are fine. The tougher the better. I was afraid they'd be too tough to eat but the butter and the heat really softened them up.

 Inside, layer with salami, ham, a smear or mustard, and sliced prosciutto and mozzarella. (This is after baking. Nice and melty!)

 Some people add a little mayo to the inside but I figured the butter would be enough.

 Add to the pan (and here's the crazy part) add one whole stick of melted butter. Pour it all over. Then sprinkle the tops with chopped parsley.
                                                            
Bake at 350F until the cheese is melted, about 20-25 minutes. Don't worry that they're going to turn tough. The butter keeps them soft.

MMMM. These were such a huge hit! Definite party food!
And now for the Song portion... I've linked it there but I'm not sure if it will work. It says it will. Do we believe it?? Hmmmm.

In other news, I cracked the top 100 of ALL Amazon paid books! SO exciting. I was hoping to get to, say, 99, but my boxed set went all the way to #42, with over 4500 downloads. I had to celebrate... by going to bed early! LOL. I'm a party animal, what can I say?
In case you'd like to get the set while it's still available (only for a few more weeks), you can find Along the Cane River boxed set here. 

Until next time everyone! Keep warm and I hope you enjoy some delicious food this weekend. :)

Post Christmas Food, Cover Reveal, and a Book Release

Hello, everybody! The Fresh Pioneer is back and I have some Christmas photos and a book release! But first, I have to share the doll my daughter made me. Totally made me laugh! We have a tradition of home made Christmas gifts so I knew she was working on something... I just didn't know it was Mr. Darcy!

Isn't he adorable??

I love his grumpy face!!!

She actually used my Necklothitania book from 1860 to tie his cravat. I just love him. I want to smooch his little frowny face! He sits by my computer and is most displeased with everything I write. *swoon*

Speaking of writing, I have four books coming out in the next six weeks (how does that happen??) and one of them is all about FOOD.

I mean, all of my books have food. I think I've only written three books without recipes (for LI) but every other book has recipes and food is simply part of the characters' lives. Kind of like real people! (Have to show off my sweet onion pork roast. Oh my word, so delicious.)

So, anyway, although I do cook things like this (and the pork roast above), I'm happiest in the summer when all our produce is ripe. For about five years we've worked to be "locavores", meaning we eat locally and produce as much food as we can to support ourselves. (Locally is food grown/ reared and butchered/packaged/produced within 50 miles, which is absolutely doable because we live in a valley surrounded by orchards and cattle farms. We certainly aren't suffering!)

Now, we don't refuse food sent to us, like oranges from Florida, but we try our best to eat what's grown here, cutting down on fossil fuels used to bring the food to us, and also hopefully supporting farmers that treat workers ethically and humanely. 

Man, this picture makes me so nostalgic for summer!

Now, my next series is related to being a locavore and....this fun exhibit from our local Children's Museum.

The Farm to Table movement isn't new... it's the way it's been done for centuries! 

In our Children's Museum, they had the funnest exhibit where kids could "grow" vegetables and buy them. This new exhibit replaced the "grocery store" where kids picked out boxes of mac and cheese, and fake candy bars.

This apple tree cracked me up. You put an "apple" into the hole and tried to get it to fall in one of the exit holes and into the basket.

One of my guys planting veggies.

Another mans the store!

We all know asparagus and grapes are different seasons but that's okay!

Cutest artichoke EVAH.

More of the apple game.

You could hang the grapes on little hangers and then "harvest" them. SO fun for little people who have watched harvest and heard about crush time for years.

So all of this ties into my new series set in the shared world of Arcadia Valley! Six authors who love fresh food and farm-living are releasing a total of twenty four books over the next two years, beginning with our boxed set of SIX new novellas set in the same town. 

Romance Grows in Arcadia Valley releases on Tuesday the 10th, but you can preorder your copy now for only .99! 

Pop on over to our website, Arcadia Valley Romance. and check out the author pages, and the books that are coming next. 

ALSO...

My next book in the Cane River series has a cover!  It's SO SPARKLY.  This book is releasing on the 31st and I'm so excited about the new direction the series went. It's my 18th book and I've been following the hero/ heroine alternating POV chapters for what seems like FOREVER. This was so refreshing to revisit every couple in the series and tell the story of the romance from their perspective. It was a lot more complicated than I anticipated but I LOVED IT and I hope readers will, too!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Epiphany and has a delightful weekend! May all your projects run smoothly and all your food be fresh. 

Until next time!