Life goes on....

Sorry to do a rerun recipe again so soon, but here's why:

This hole is in the side of our bathtub. It was made by my knee.

Now I don't know about your house, but holes don't belong in bathtubs where I live!

My knee will survive, but I'm sore, bruised and moving pretty slow, so I certainly haven't been feeling like cooking. So no new recipe to share :(  Next week, though! I promise!

And here's the other reason for this rerun:

"A Home for His Family" is bringing some nice comments my way from readers, so I thought we'd revisit the pictures I took on my first research trip to Deadwood. Back in 2013, I was just beginning to work on this story idea about a Boston school teacher out to change the world and a Civil War veteran haunted by his past who only wants to find a place he and his brother's children can call home.

The story had to be set in Deadwood, of course! This is the center of the center of Western Romance and Tradition...

Okay, maybe you can make a case for Abilene, or Dodge City, or Tombstone, but I'm sticking with Deadwood. 

If you've read "A Home for His Family," you might remember the scene where Sarah and Olivia have a conversation while climbing the Lee Street stairs. While I was in Deadwood last Friday, I took a picture of the modern version of those stairs. Even though the mining camp of 1877 has progressed into modern times, these stairs still exist for the convenience of the residents.

Believe me, I was tempted to climb up to Williams Street. I'll certainly do it the next time I'm in town!

But first, to our rerun recipe. I hope you enjoy this glimpse into my life from a couple years ago!

Easy-Peasy Chicken Turnovers (and research trip pictures!)

We'll start with a gratuitous puppy picture!

Puppyhood is fleeting - Thatcher will turn seven months old on
Wednesday. The same day as another famous puppy in Upstate New York!

When I saw Tina's fabulous Easy Crescent Danish Rolls on Friday (click here for that recipe), I remembered my recipe for Chicken Turnovers.

Much to my family's dismay, I don't remember that recipe often enough!

It's another creation with Pillsbury Crescent Rolls - boy, those pastry thingies sure are handy, aren't they?

Chicken Turnovers

Ingredients:

2 cans Pillsbury Crescent Rolls (or store brand)

1 1/2 - 2 cups cooked, boned chicken (I used canned)

8 ounces cream cheese

seasoning to taste (I used 1 teaspoon Tone's Rosemary Garlic)

So, here's what you do:

Soften the cream cheese, either by warming in the microwave, or letting it sit in a bowl until it reaches room temperature. Mix in the chicken and seasonings, plus a little chicken broth or milk if it isn't mixing well.

A word about seasonings - The Rosemary Garlic was really good. You can also use just salt and pepper, or onion, or garlic, or Parmesan cheese and garlic....  Or go a different route and use thyme, or tarragon....

Experimenting with the seasonings is a lot of fun!

And if you want to make more turnovers, just add another can of crescent rolls and a bit more chicken. Each can of crescent rolls you use makes four turnovers.

Open one can of crescent rolls at a time and divide each can into four rectangles. Press the perforation together.

Put 2-4 Tablespoons of your cheese/chicken mixture on one end of the rectangle. Fold over the other end and seal the edges. 

I like to crimp the edges with the end of a fork....

Bake for 18-20 minutes at 350 degrees, or until golden brown.

These are great by themselves, but I really like them with soup or chowder, as an alternative to sandwiches.

Especially tomato soup. Mmmmm..... Now that's a great lunch!


Now to the research trip - you all like westerns, right?

On Saturday, my husband and I took a research trip. I'm taking a (temporary) break from Amish historicals, and am working on a proposal for a story set in Deadwood in the autumn of 1876.

We started our tour by following part of the Cheyenne-Deadwood Stagecoach route from Newcastle, Wyoming to Deadwood, South Dakota.

This cow was hanging out near the scene of a violent gold robbery at the Canyon Springs stagecoach stop back in September, 1878.

We ended up in Deadwood, at the Mt. Moriah Cemetery. It was sobering to see how many of the headstones told the sad story of Deadwood residents who died at a young age. Civil War veterans, doctors, wives.... Many died in their twenties.

And the Potter's Field? Two sections. Huge. Many graves are unmarked.

The saddest were the children. Too many children in a very short time.

And yes, we had to pay our respects to Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane, Potato Creek Johnny and Preacher Smith.

Calamity Jane's last request? "Bury me next to Wild Bill." And that's where you'll find her.

***************

Did you enjoy the research trip? You'll have to make a real trip to Deadwood someday! I know I can hardly wait to get back there - either by hopping in the car and heading north, or in the pages of another book.

The next story is brewing away on the back burner as we speak. ☺

Pumpkin Pie Tutorial, revisited

You can blame it on deadlines....

Jan here, knee-deep in revisions for my next Love Inspired Historical, tentatively titled "A Home in Deadwood," and tentatively scheduled for release sometime next fall.

You remember Deadwood, right? 

It looks like a sweet little town nestled in the Hills, but back in 1877, it was a raw, wild mining camp. Lawless and innocent as a newborn baby.

And filled with people. 10,000 is what one resident estimated in the summer of 1877 - most of them restless men waiting for their chance to strike it rich. To get their share of that lovely, valuable, Black Hills Gold.

But there were others. There were families in this little town. Families who wanted to make this town into something more than the place where Wild Bill Hickok met his notorious end.

And that's where the story starts....

So while I'm living vicariously through the lives of Nate and Sarah, my hero and heroine, my own family is starving. We're trying to make do with crock pot meals and take-out pizza, but by the time October has ended, I can start cooking again. And one of the first things I've promised to make is pumpkin pie.

Here's a visit back to the pumpkin pie tutorial I did for Thanksgiving a couple years ago, complete with photo bombs :)

Pumpkin Pie. THE Thanksgiving Tradition

Okay, you can probably make a case that the turkey is the main attraction at the Thanksgiving feast, but you have to admit it -

even when you're stuffed, pushing yourself back from the table, planning your after-dinner-dishes-duty escape, you're still going to grab at least one bite of that pumpkin pie.

Maybe two.

(Unless your name is Jenny and you live in Australia!)

Today is Pumpkin Pie Day. After all, Thanksgiving is only three days away!

And this is an easy-peasy recipe.

First you need an empty pie shell. Go here to see my recipe, or here for Ruthy's version.

Or buy a frozen pie shell from the store. I won't tell.

Now that you have your pie shell, you need to make your filling.

I use the recipe on the back of the Libby's pumpkin can. I've tried others, but this is my family's favorite, hands down.

Oh, by the way, do you see the pie vulture lurking in the background?


Here are the ingredients you need:

(Before I forget, preheat your oven to 425 degrees!)

3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 large eggs
1 can (15 oz) Libby's canned pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie mix)
1 can (12 fl oz) evaporated milk


In a small bowl, stir sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves together until blended.

In a larger bowl (I like to use my 2 quart pitcher from Pampered Chef - the pouring spout is so handy!), beat the eggs. Next, whisk the pumpkin and sugar mixture into the eggs. Blend well, and then stir in the evaporated milk. Make sure everything is well blended.

Pour the filling into your pie shell.

Protect the edges of your pie from browning too quickly by using strips of foil to cover it.


Bake it for 15 minutes at 425, and then reduce the temperature to 350 and bake for an additional 40-50 minutes.

And here's the most difficult part - how to tell if your pie is done.

The pumpkin is a custard. One fool-proof method for custards is to stick a knife in the filling halfway between the edge and the center. If the knife comes out clean, it's done.

However, I really don't like to serve a pie with holes in it. So I use the jiggle method :) When you're reaching the end of your cooking time, jiggle your pie slightly. If the center moves like it's a liquid, it isn't done yet. But if it stands up to the jiggle, it's done.

When you take the pie out and remove the foil, it will be puffed up and look like...

WAIT! The Pie Vulture again!

Shoo! Shoo!

Whew. He left. I reminded him he has a paper due.Anyway, when you take the pie out and remove the foil, it will be puffed up and look like this. As it cools, the filling will fall some and look like the picture at the beginning of the post.

Simple, right?


Except for one more thing. This pie is for Thanksgiving, right?

So lets make it pretty :)

Here's one way to do it:

And here's another:

(disclaimer: take your pie out of the oven when you put the embellishments on to avoid the slightly crooked look...)

So how do you add embellishments and make your pie all purty?

Start with mini cookie cutters. We have a bit of a collection - the autumn shapes are from Pampered Chef, and I picked up the letters years ago when Jell-O was giving them away so you could make alphabet jigglers (remember those?).

Now make an egg wash by beating an egg with a couple tablespoons water.
Use the egg wash on the edge of your pie first - before you pour in the filling. Just brush it on gently. Don't worry if some of the egg drips down into the pie - it'll just mix into your filling.


Now, roll out your extra dough and brush it with the egg wash, and then cut out your desired shapes.

If you're adding shapes to the top of your filling like I did, bake the pie up until about 15 minutes before the end of the baking time - long enough to partially solidify the filling, but still with enough baking time left to bake the shapes. Take the pie out of the oven, place your pie crust shapes on top, and then return it to the oven for the rest of the baking time.

Jan here again, with another view of the area around Deadwood. That beautiful piece of land down there is Nate's ranch, in the valley just to the left of those rocks.

So, while I'm playing in Deadwood today, let's discuss pie. Do you make pumpkin pie in the fall?

And if you've never made pumpkin pie, do you think you might try it this year?

Delightful Coconut Dream

There's more to life than your favorite candy, isn't there?

(I mean, except for chocolate. That isn't candy. Chocolate is its own food group.)

Here's a confession: One of my favorite candies is the Mounds Bar. Or Almond Joy. There's just something about that chocolate covered coconut goodness that calls to me.

But when I'm trying to cut sugar out of my diet, there goes my occasional chocolate/coconut treat.

Or does it?

When we were at my favorite store in May, I bought this huge bag of coconut. This is dried, flaked coconut, but it's unsweetened. My thought was that I'd use it for a chicken recipe we like in the summer (coming soon!), but that really is an awful lot of coconut. So I started looking for another recipe...and guess what? Chocolate covered coconut bars!!!!

You know me. I fussed and fixed and experimented, and changed the recipe to what I call my Delightful Coconut Dreams.

A great thing about these is that you can make them with or without sugar.

Without sugar they're a low-carb treat (an S in the Trim Healthy Mama world!)

So here we go.

You'll need one cup flaked coconut. If you can find it, use the unsweetened. Look in health food stores or places like Trader Joe's or Whole Foods. Or if you're near Shipshewana, I know E&S Sales has it!

Measure the coconut into a medium sized bowl. To make it without added sugar, add 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream and 1 teaspoon Truvia.

If you aren't too concerned about added sugar, you can use this:

I used a Tablespoon of this sweet coconut syrup (used to make Pina Colada's and such) to 3 Tablespoons heavy cream for hubby's version.

Mix the coconut and cream/sweetener together. It should be a nice, sticky mess. Put it in a dish, shaping it into a rectangle roughly 4 inches by 6 inches, and between 1/2 and 1 inch high.

Stick it in the freezer for an hour or so. That makes it easier to handle!

A few minutes before you take the coconut goodness out of the freezer, you need to make your chocolate coating.

Use coconut oil for your base. Coconut oil melts at 76°, so it's perfect for this application. (This mixture also makes the perfect - and healthy - chocolate "shell" for your ice cream!)

Mix 3 Tablespoons liquid coconut oil (if your kitchen is less than 76°, you can melt it in the microwave for a few seconds), 2 Tablespoons cocoa powder and 1 teaspoon Truvia (or sugar) in a small bowl.

Now take your coconut bar out of the freezer, and cut it into 8 pieces. Since it's frozen, it's much easier to cut.

Take the pieces, one at a time, and dip them into the chocolate mixture. As each one is dipped, transfer them to a piece of wax paper to cool. The chocolate hardens almost immediately.

These might not look as finished as the commercial product, but they sure are tasty! 

And guilt free! :)

Here's a recap of the recipe:

Delightful Coconut Dream 

Sugar Free version:

Ingredients:

1 cup unsweetened flaked coconut

1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

1 teaspoon Truvia

3 Tablespoons coconut oil, liquid

2 Tablespoons cocoa powder

1 teaspoon Truvia

Version with sugar:

Ingredients:

1 cup unsweetened flaked coconut

1 Tablespoon Cream of Coconut (optional)

3 Tablespoons heavy whipping cream

1 teaspoon sugar

3 Tablespoons coconut oil, liquid

2 Tablespoons cocoa powder

1 teaspoon sugar

Mix coconut, cream and sweetener together. Shape the mixture into a 4" x 6" slab. Freeze for 1 or 2 hours. Remove from freezer and cut into 8 pieces.

Stir coconut oil, cocoa powder and sweetener together. Dip the coconut pieces into the chocolate and let cool.

Store in the refrigerator, and try not to eat it all at one time!

*If you can't find unsweetened coconut, go ahead and use the sweetened coconut flakes you can find in any grocery store. There is a lot of sugar in that coconut, so don't add any more to the coconut mixture. Add just enough cream to make the flakes stick together, and continue with the recipe as written.

The town of Deadwood, South Dakota today.

And in between chocolaty treats, I'm working hard on "A Home in Deadwood", my newest Love Inspired story. I don't have a final title yet, and I don't have a release date, but I do have a deadline!

One thing I love about writing historicals is the research. Deadwood is a fascinating place. It splashed onto the stage of history with a gold strike in 1875, a gold rush in the spring of 1876, and earned its notorious reputation with the murder of Wild Bill Hickok in August, 1876.

By the time Wild Bill arrived in Deadwood, his reputation was wide-spread. Everyone in the country knew the legends - true or not - that surrounded him. He and his companions - Calamity Jane, the Utter brothers (Colorado Charlie and his brother, Steve) and Bloody Dick Seymour - rode into the mining camp in mid-July, 1876, "mounted on good horses and clad in complete suits of buckskin," according to eyewitness Richard B. Hughes in his book, Pioneer Years in the Black Hills.

Wild Bill soon took up his current profession of gambling (poker was his game of choice), while the Utter brothers started laying the ground work for a pony express mail service between Deadwood and Ft. Laramie, Wyoming. The brothers' plans were put on hold, however, when Jack McCall shot Wild Bill in the back while their friend was playing poker in the Number 10 saloon on Main Street.

I won't go on - I could talk about history all day (just ask my family!) - but I have to share this picture with you!

You're looking at the Beaver Creek Valley in Weston County, Wyoming. That trailing road there at the bottom is the route of the Cheyenne-Deadwood Stage Line...and the Utter brothers' mail route between Deadwood and Ft. Laramie. (They got the line started after Jack McCall's trial).

There is history all around you, wherever you live. You just need to look for it. Your local library is the best place to start :)

Meanwhile, enjoy chocolaty goodness!

Serendipitous Saturday

Jan here, introducing you to a new, temporary feature here at the café. Our GAL Julie is taking a short leave from her duties, so the rest of us are jumping in to cover for her.

So, why Serendipitous Saturday?

The Oxford English Dictionary defines serendipitous as, “Occurring or discovered by chance in a happy or beneficial way.”

I don’t know about you, but that strikes me as rather Wind in the Willows-ish.

You can buy this beautiful annotated edition here.

Remember that morning when Mole was spring cleaning? He suddenly couldn’t stand the same old routine any longer. He wanted Adventure in the Worst Way. And what was his meeting with the Water Rat, if it wasn’t Serendipitous?

The OED goes on to say that the origin of the word “serendipity” is from 1754. It was coined by Horace Walpole, suggested by The Three Princes of Serendip, the title of a fairy tale in which the heroes “were always making discoveries, by accidents and sagacity, of things they were not in quest of.”

In my research and in my daily life I’m always making discoveries of things I wasn’t in quest of.  Another term for it is “stumble upon.” Just in the last two days I’ve stumbled upon information on how to prune an apple tree, or how much it cost to homestead 160 acres of the South Dakota prairie in 1877, or the words to a hymn written by Bernard of Marlais in the 12^th century, or the history of the Morgan horse.

(Now that last one I already knew. But it was fun to remember the year my children and I read “Justin Morgan Had a Horse” by Marguerite Henry.)

This is a wonderful book if you haven't read it - you can get it here.

 The great thing about these serendipitous discoveries is that they lead to bigger things, like books. Or whole series of books. Authors quite often form an entire story from one overheard comment in the grocery store, or observing one parent and his child (right, Missy?).

Still available in Kindle edition here!

 I hope you continue to make your Saturday visits to the café. The coffee pot is always on, and we’ll have a snack to share as we chat about this week’s Serendipitous discovery.

What will next week’s post be about? Your guess is as good as ours. J

A Thanksgiving Story and Cranberry Tea

Jan here to begin the celebration of Thanksgiving Week with you!

Wynter and Thatcher are waiting for a story, so are you ready for one, too?

Okay, we all know the dogs are waiting for a treat, but you'd like a story anyway, wouldn't you?

This little tale stars the characters from my next book, and they really should stay quiet until I've actually written their story, don't you think? But they've been clambering for the spotlight for weeks, so just this once - since it's almost Thanksgiving - I'll let them have their way.

So grab a cup of coffee or tea, put your feet up, and let your imagination transport you back in time to Deadwood, Dakota Territory, November 1876.....

The Angel of Deadwood

     Bunk Jones paused at the edge of the clearing to get his bearings. Ahead of him, one line of tracks marred the pristine snow of the mountain meadow. His tracks from this morning, when he was fresh with the hope of finding game for the children’s Thanksgiving dinner, were straight and sure. Tonight? He glanced behind him. At least the approaching dusk hid the telltale signs of his exhaustion.

    He shifted the Sharps rifle to his left hand and started across the meadow. They wouldn’t starve. A fifty pound bag of beans ensured that. And if he had to….

     Bunk shifted the Sharps back again.

     If he had to, he could butcher one of the heifers.

     But no man ate his breeding stock unless he had nothing else.

     The deep snow, soft from the winter sun, clung to his snowshoes like spring gumbo. He veered right at the far end of the meadow, avoiding the nightmarish Deadwood Gulch. Even in the best weather, a man could break a leg trying to navigate between the digs along the creek, and with snow covering the scattered mines, you never knew when you might sink in past your hips.

     Trudging along the ridge, Bunk searched through the possibilities of making tomorrow’s dinner special. Something to celebrate their first autumn in the Black Hills. Something to help the children forget the anniversary of the fire that killed their parents.

     Would any of the stores in town have sweets? Not likely. Not with the gold the miners had to spend on anything and everything that caught their fancy.

     Some beef from Slaughterhouse Gulch on the north side of the valley? Too dear. He had spent all his cash on the cattle for his ranch.

     No, they would just have to make do with what they had.

     Rounding Lexington Hill, Bunk stopped, drinking in the sight of the cabin nestled under the shadow of the rimrock. His claim had been scoured by the miners in ’75, and then ignored. But the acres of grass in the high mountain meadows rising up behind the cabin had been exactly what he was looking for. His gold was in the fifty bred heifers he had bought in Montana last summer.  A future for his nieces and nephew.

     His pace quickened at the sight of a sleigh in the yard. The MacFarlands had come. Did they know how important this day was for the children? Sarah might. Olivia would have told her teacher all about the fire.

     Sarah.

     The thought of her put new energy in his steps. He tore off the cumbersome snowshoes as soon as he reached the front porch and reached for the doorknob.

     He swung the door open. James and Margaret, Sarah’s aunt and uncle, sat in the two chairs on either side of the fireplace, while Sarah leaned over a pot. Olivia and Charlie stood on either side of her, Olivia stirring something in the kettle that filled the cabin with a fruity, spicy scent.

     “Uncle Bunk!” Five-year-old Lucy slid off of Margaret’s lap and ran to him, grabbing his leg. “Sarah is making tea. Berry tea!”

     “Cranberry tea.” Olivia grinned at Bunk over her shoulder, the image of her mother in a nine-year-old body. She missed Jenny more than anyone, but the sadness haunting her eyes was gone today, her cheeks pink from stirring the tea.

     Charlie, with all the energy an eight-year-old boy could muster, ran to Bunk and started pulling off his coat. “Wait until you smell it! And they brought turkey, too!”

     Bunk glanced at James. The preacher smiled broadly. “Our folks back home remembered us with a missionary barrel. The cranberries are straight from Maine.” He shook his head as if still unable to believe the blessing, his eyes wet. “The Lord takes such good care of us.”

     One arm around Lucy’s shoulders, Bunk caught Sarah’s eye, returning her smile. Cranberry tea and turkey to make this Thanksgiving special? Only one of the miracles that had happened since he first met Sarah MacFarland.

I hope you enjoyed the little glimpse into Bunk and Sarah's lives!

This Cranberry Tea is wonderful for Thanksgiving morning while you're waiting for the turkey to cook, or otherwise trying not to spoil your dinner!

And here's the recipe:

Sarah MacFarland's Cranberry Tea

Ingredients:

1 pound fresh cranberries

2-3 sticks cinnamon

1 cup honey

1/2 cup lemon juice

Cook the cranberries in a dutch oven or stock pot in two quarts water until they pop. Literally. When they get hot enough, you'll hear them popping in your pot!

Let them cook for a few minutes, and then strain out the cranberries - either with a strainer, or pour the tea through a colander, reserving the juice. and then put the juice back into the pot.

Save the cranberries, though! You'll want to use them for cranberry relish on Thursday!

Put the cinnamon sticks in the juice, and let simmer for about ten minutes. 

Add the honey, lemon juice, and an additional two quarts water. Heat to boiling, then reduce to a simmer.

You can remove the cinnamon sticks at any time, but Sarah likes to leave them in to get all the good flavor out!

Serve the tea hot, or refrigerate the leftovers and drink it cold. This is a great drink when you have a cold or the flu!

Easy-Peasy Chicken Turnovers (and research trip pictures!)

We'll start with a gratuitous puppy picture!

Puppyhood is fleeting - Thatcher will turn seven months old on
Wednesday. The same day as another famous puppy in Upstate New York!

When I saw Tina's fabulous Easy Crescent Danish Rolls on Friday (click here for that recipe), I remembered my recipe for Chicken Turnovers.

Much to my family's dismay, I don't remember that recipe often enough!

It's another creation with Pillsbury Crescent Rolls - boy, those pastry thingies sure are handy, aren't they?

Chicken Turnovers

Ingredients:

2 cans Pillsbury Crescent Rolls (or store brand)

1 1/2 - 2 cups cooked, boned chicken (I used canned)

8 ounces cream cheese

seasoning to taste (I used 1 teaspoon Tone's Rosemary Garlic)

So, here's what you do:

Soften the cream cheese, either by warming in the microwave, or letting it sit in a bowl until it reaches room temperature. Mix in the chicken and seasonings, plus a little chicken broth or milk if it isn't mixing well.

A word about seasonings - The Rosemary Garlic was really good. You can also use just salt and pepper, or onion, or garlic, or Parmesan cheese and garlic....  Or go a different route and use thyme, or tarragon....

Experimenting with the seasonings is a lot of fun!

And if you want to make more turnovers, just add another can of crescent rolls and a bit more chicken. Each can of crescent rolls you use makes four turnovers.

Open one can of crescent rolls at a time and divide each can into four rectangles. Press the perforation together.

Put 2-4 Tablespoons of your cheese/chicken mixture on one end of the rectangle. Fold over the other end and seal the edges. 

I like to crimp the edges with the end of a fork....

Bake for 18-20 minutes at 350 degrees, or until golden brown.

These are great by themselves, but I really like them with soup or chowder, as an alternative to sandwiches.

Especially tomato soup. Mmmmm..... Now that's a great lunch!


Now to the research trip - you all like westerns, right?

On Saturday, my husband and I took a research trip. I'm taking a (temporary) break from Amish historicals, and am working on a proposal for a story set in Deadwood in the autumn of 1876.

We started our tour by following part of the Cheyenne-Deadwood Stagecoach route from Newcastle, Wyoming to Deadwood, South Dakota.

This cow was hanging out near the scene of a violent gold robbery at the Canyon Springs stagecoach stop back in September, 1878.

We ended up in Deadwood, at the Mt. Moriah Cemetery. It was sobering to see how many of the headstones told the sad story of Deadwood residents who died at a young age. Civil War veterans, doctors, wives.... Many died in their twenties.

And the Potter's Field? Two sections. Huge. Many graves are unmarked.

The saddest were the children. Too many children in a very short time.

And yes, we had to pay our respects to Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane, Potato Creek Johnny and Preacher Smith.

Calamity Jane's last request? "Bury me next to Wild Bill." And that's where you'll find her.