Sculpting the Heart's Poetry - Joyce White, Author
2:12 PM Posted by MAC
Apple Rhubarb Cake
One of Joyce White's Favorite Cakes
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 Granny Smith apples
1 cup chopped rhubarb
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for greasing pan
1 egg
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2/3 cup half-and-half
2 tablespoons breadcrumbs
WHIPPED CREAM:
1 cup whip cream
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon gram masala
1/2 cup confectioner sugar
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Toss together the sugars. Peel and core the apple, then slice each apple into 16 wedges. Combine the cinnamon and 1/3 cup of the sugar mixture in a medium bowl. Add the apple wedges and chopped rhubarb, and then toss to coat Using an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and remaining sugar together until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg and mix until combined. On low speed, add the flour and baking powder. Slowly add the half-and-half. Add apple and rhubarb then fold in well.
Butter a 9-inch spring form pan and coat with the breadcrumbs. Pour the batter into the pan and spread evenly. Bake until the center is golden brown, about 35-40 minutes. Let cool completely. Run a small offset spatula around the edge to release from pan and remove spring form.
To make whipped cream, place all ingredients in a bowl and whip to soft peaks.
This is Joyce White’s 4th Edition in Sculpting the Heart Series. Her uncanny ability to create a poem from a painting or sculpture is quite amazing as well as different. Reading her translations of life through her poetry became quite a journey for me as well as an eye-opener as I saw aspects of life through the eyes of another.
Here is my favorite (and is it oh so true)
Turning Into Mom
I hear my mom’s voice many
Mornings when I roll out of bed, her
Eyes looking back at me in the mirror,
Both of us crying a little,
It was our habit to refer back to
Minutes, weeks, months, or years gone
By, when forced to keep doing, as
Opposed to enjoying each other,
When we sat eye-to-eye, we were
Estranged, waiting for our bodies to
Stop hurting, and our minds to stop
Accusing and excusing,
But now that she is deceased, I try to
Simplify my twisted feelings by trying
To forgive and forget, and remember
Our anger at the world did not
Compromise our love.
2009
90 Pages
ISBN# 978-0-557-22371-8
Review Stir, Laugh, Repeat at Amazon.com
Labels: Book Reviews, cakes, cookbooks, Joyce White, Martha A Cheves, poems, poetry, Sculpting the Hearts Poetry, Stir Laugh Repeat
Foreclosure - Herman L. Jimerson, Author
4:59 PM Posted by MAC
Veggie Burritos
A Herman L. Jimerson Favorite
2 tbs. olive oil
2 tbs. catsup
2 tbs. cumin or chili powder
1 package of seasoned yellow squash
1 package of zucchini
1 package of frozen corn
1 package of frozen red, green and yellow peppers
alternative sour cream
Tortillas
Saute' all ingredients together. Spoon a portion of the mixture into the tortillas and roll. Add a liberal serving of sour cream.
Foreclosure – Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat
(The downfall of our real estate market) – “This entire matter revolves around sub-prime loans. When the government began to deregulate the business sector nearly ten years ago, it opened a large door for businesses to become engaged in practices that were legal, yet highly speculative. The matter of sub-prime loans is one of many such instances. In the real estate market, companies were encouraged to bring in new customers by offering glittery loan packages. Many of them sweetened the deal by offering loan interest rates to initiate the process, but placing the loans on an ARM instead of fixed rates. Many of the people were so ready to get homes or refinancing that they didn’t know the ramifications of the ARM…. Adjustable rate mortgages simply increase over time. When the notes increased, however, many had no ability to pay – therefore their homes went into foreclosure. The loan companies didn’t suffer, because they had sold the mortgages to investment firms or real estate investment trusts.”
I have to say upfront that I’m not an uneducated person, at least in the field I’m employed in. But… I’ve never been educated in the field of real estate and real estate loans, so I can be considered uneducated in that field. Before I read Foreclosure I did know what an ARM was (adjustable rate mortgage) but I have never had one so I’ve never given much thought as to how it really works.
When I bought my condo a few years ago I had no idea as to what I was doing. I called the mortgage company who had the loan on the condo by the previous owner, assuming they would be the best since they already knew the property. I had my doubts as to being approved for a loan. I made a decent salary but I was single, had no savings account and I have to admit that after my divorce I had struggled to pay my bills. So you can imagine how surprised I was when I was approved within 10 minutes of making the call and with an interest rate of 6.5%, fixed! So, after discovering how easy it was for me to get my home loan I never gave much thought to the problems others might be facing. Even when my neighbor, who was with the same mortgage company, told me her loan had been sold. I assumed mine would be next but it never happened. When her loan had been sold for the 3rd time she decided to refinance and decided to going through the bank for her loan. Mine was eventually “bought” but only because the mortgage company was bought out by a bank.
When foreclosures started making the news I couldn’t believe there were so many people having problems paying their mortgages until I realized it was due to the ARMs. Still, it didn’t affect me, I thought. And I believed that, until I saw my 401k statement and I had lost about 1/3 of my hard earned money that I had planned to use for retirement. Then I started seeing condos in my complex coming up empty with foreclosure notices on their doors. I saw condos sold for almost ½ of what I had paid for mine. And I saw some of those condos sitting empty for months. All of these events started opening my eyes.
After reading Foreclosure I realized then that I was one of the lucky ones. I had a good mortgage and a good rate. It helped to open my eyes as to what really went on in the real estate world which ended up affecting the whole financial world.
Using a handful of characters Herman L. Jimerson’s created Foreclosure, which will take you step by step into the downfall of the real estate world. Through these characters he takes you through the legal “Loan Stores” and then slips you into their illegal actions that caused so many people to fail. Foreclosure is a book that needs to be read by everyone who plans to acquire a loan in the near future, of any kind, as well as anyone who may already have a loan. And before even thinking about applying for a home loan, read and follow the “50 Ways to Avoid Foreclosure” at the back of the book.
2009
239 Pages
ISBN# 978-0-9817117-0-6
Review Stir, Laugh, Repeat at Amazon.com
Labels: Book Reviews, burritos, cookbooks, finances, Foreclosure, Herman L Jimerson, Martha A Cheves, Stir Laugh Repeat, veggie burritos
This Is The Place - Carolyn Howard-Johnson, Author
3:22 PM Posted by MAC
xcerpt from This is the Place
“Today was July 24th, the day Brigham Young had entered the Salt Lake Valley more than one hundred years before. He knew that his followers would wring this desert to green like the rains bring the Indian Paint Brush and Sego Lilies to bloom. He had said, “This is the place.” And it was.
The Garret and Stella Eccles family--Sky’s family--would have gathered on their shady lawn on the East side of the house for this reason alone, but as it happened it was also Sky and Venetia’s birthdays. They celebrated with sparklers instead of candles for that was how the holiday itself was celebrated. These two native Utah women were tied to the state and to each other by accident of birth, place, and timing.
There was potato salad made with red potatoes with the skins left on. There were hot dogs. Cokes were chilling in their bottles in a galvanized steel washtub. It was filled with ice cubes made in little segregated trays. The twin cakes, frosted by hand with seven-minute icing, were on an umbrella table protected from flies with waxed paper. TV trays had been set up next to chairs to handle pop, ashtrays, and bowls of party mix, a recipe that Stella had found in the Ladies Home Journal.
Neesha knew that in a while--it was as sure to happen as the cutting of the cakes--the family would begin to discuss politics, which in Utah is the same as discussing religion. They would bash Mormon beliefs as foolish, the Mormon’s intensity about converting them as insulting. Sky would fade into another place with practiced ease and Garret—the lone Mormon-- would take his broad-toothed grin into the garage to putter with his rock collection or sharpen his tools.”
Chocolate Cherry Nut Cake
A Carolyn Howard-Johnson Favorite
1 C. sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 ¾ C. cake flour
¼ C. walnuts or pecans, chopped
2 squares semisweet chocolate
½ C. butter, softened
1 C. sour milk
1 tsp. baking soda
5 oz. bottle maraschino cherries, sliced
1 pinch salt
1 tsp. vanilla
Sift together the sugar, flour, salt, and soda. Melt the chocolate in some of the maraschino juice. Add butter, milk, melted chocolate, egg, and vanilla. Mix thoroughly. Add the maraschino cherries and nuts. Dust two 9-10 inch cake pans with a mixture of flour and chocolate. Divide the batter between the two pans. Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes. Use a toothpick to test doneness. The toothpick should come out clean. Remove from pans and let cool on rack or waxed paper.
50s Seven-Minute Frosting
Double Boiler
1 ½ C. sugar
1/3 C. water
1 pinch salt
1 Tbsp. white corn syrup
2 unbeaten egg whites
1 tsp vanilla
2 Twenty-fourth of July sparklers (fireworks)
3 drops blue food coloring if you want a red, white and blue theme
Fill the bottom part of the double boiler with water and bring to a simmer. Combine the sugar, water, corn syrup and egg whites in the top of the double boiler. Place the top portion of the double boiler over the bottom and beat the mixture with a rotary beater for 7-10 minutes or until peaks form. Remove the double boiler from the heat. Blend the vanilla and food coloring into the mixture. Place one layer of the cooled cake onto a pedestal cake stand. Cover with icing. Place the other layer on top of that and anchor with toothpicks. Ice it using all the frosting. Make little peaks in the frosting on top by pushing the icing with a knife and quickly pulling it upward. Just before serving put two or three sparklers in the cake and light them.
This is the Place is fiction but real events were my inspiration. So, when I needed recipes for this cook book, I called my 84-year-old mother in Salt Lake City and had her raid her file box for the original recipes mentioned in it. She sent them to me typed in a ragged, red typeface. The typewriter was old—even back in the 50s —and refused to allow the fan of lead keys to reach for the black ink on the ribbon. This family party--where intolerance was passed around as freely as the slices of birthday cake—happened just after I became a staff writer at the Salt Lake Tribune. I also worked as a writer for Good Housekeeping Magazine and Eleanor Lambert Agency, a famous fashion publicist in New York. Learn more at http://www.howtodoitfrugally.com
This Is The Place – Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat
‘UTAH 1959’ Sky Eccles sat in the old ’49 Buick convertible she shared with her mother, its fenders riveted with salt decay from the Utah roads…. She sat in silence looking at her grandparents’ house at the edge of Holladay, a small farming community turning suburb at the edge of Salt Lake City…. Located at what was once the dead-end of Meander Lane, the little house had been built by her grandfather, Brock Eccles, and her polygamist great-grandfather, Hart Eccles. The house and land was in Sky’s soul, both sweet and scary, like finding a dark spot in the core of a sugar apple.
Sky is in love with Archer Benson and expects him to pop the question any day. It could be a beneficial marriage but Sky isn’t sure what her answer will be. The Benson name is as strong as the Eccles name in the Salt Lake area as well as through the Mormon religion. Sky’s problem is that she’s a half-breed, half Mormon and half Protestant, just as her Grandmother Harriet had been and just as her own mother Stella had been. Her Gram Harriet solved her problem by joining the Church, Sky on the other hand was brought up to make her own choices and with that came her decision to become an Episcopalian. The decision to marry could tear both families apart. Archer’s father is running for political office and his marrying outside the church is simply not acceptable. Archer has just been accepted to Harvard but without help from his father, he can't afford a wife plus education.
Gram Harriet has turned her back on Sky since the ceremony won't be taking place in the Temple. If Sky and Archer marry, she will have no choice but to give up her journalism education and work to help pay for Archer's education. Being a journalist has been her dream forever. Would her dream ever be fulfilled or would she be expected to be a wife and have children.
So what choices do these two young people really have in deciding their own futures? And what will Sky’s answer to Archer’s proposal be? Will he even ask?
Following Sky as she drops back into the past with hopes of finding answers, made me aware of just how hard times really were, not just with religious differences, but also with nationalities differences, especially when it came to marriage. I can remember people being outcasts if they went outside their own “kind” for marriage and even socializing.
Times have changed tremendously over the last 50 years, I feel for the better, but they still have a way to go. “Mixed marriages” are being accepted more and more every day and the children of these marriages are being given the chance to make their own decisions, not just about religion but about life in general. And as this happens the pressures of following in our parent’s footsteps are being lifted.
Now, for a personal note on this book. As a child I lived in Utah twice. My mother’s family is still there and I have a trip planned to revisit the beautiful state of Utah in September of this year. This is the Place reminded me of the beauty of the mountains, the fields and the cities. This will be a trip to revitalize my childhood memories.
2001
292 Pages
Available Through Amazon www.budurl.com/ThisIsThePlace
ISBN 1588513521
Review Stir, Laugh, Repeat at Amazon.com
Labels: Book Reviews, cakes, Carolyn Howard Johnson, cookbooks, History, Martha A Cheves, Stir, This is the Place, Utah
Olivia and the Little Way - Nancy Carabio Belanger, Author
4:06 PM Posted by MAC
Shirley Temple Pound Cake
A Nancy Carabio Belanger Favorite
1 cup butter
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
3 cups white sugar
6 eggs
1 (10 oz.) jar maraschino cherries
2 Tbsp of cherry syrup (reserve from jar)
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. almond extract
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 cup skim milk
powdered sugar
Beat butter and shortening with electric mixer. Gradually add the sugar. Add the eggs one at a time. Drain (reserve 2 Tbsp. syrup) and chopped cherries. Add cherries, reserve syrup, and the extracts to the batter and mix. In a separate bowl, mix flour and salt together. Turn mixer on low and alternately add some of the flour mixture to the batter, then some milk. Repeat until all flour and milk is mixed into the batter. Pour into a greased and floured Bundt pan and bake at 300 degrees for 1 hour and 25 minutes, depending on your oven. Allow to cool for 10 minutes and remove from pan. When cooled completely, sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Olivia and the Little Way – Review for American Author's Association by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat
‘She hated feeling nervous, but she couldn’t help it. Today was the first day of fifth grade at her new school. Two big things in one day. She thought of all of the other kids at St. Michael’s School who were probably eating their breakfasts at the same time as she. They were lucky. They would be able to see all of their old friends. They would know their way around the hallways, know where to go for lunch, be able to find the bathrooms and drinking fountains. She’d be lost in a sea of new faces and new rules.’
Living in Houston, Olivia always looked forward to being able to visit her Grandma Rosemary in Michigan. But things had changed. She and her family would now be living in Michigan. She would be leaving her two best friends Claire and Emily. She was not faced with making new friends in a new school.
Then Grandma came to the rescue with a beautiful chaplet that had been given to her years before. It was the St. Therese chaplet. Grandma explained to Olivia that St. Theresa the Little Flower was someone who had lived many years before and would always be there to listen to her when she needed someone to talk to. Olivia took great solace in knowing that even in a new town and new school, she would never be alone. But that didn’t mean that she wouldn’t still run into problems as she made herself comfortable in her new surroundings.
Reading Olivia and the Little Way made me realize that things never change. I can remember some of the problems that Olivia was faced with as she made new friends and worked at being accepted by the other kids in school. I can remember the trials of being tested to do things that I knew weren’t right. I can also remember what it cost me when I made the wrong decisions. Olivia and the Little Way is a book that would be wonderful read as a discussion book. Not only is this book helpful for young people that WILL eventually be faced with the same situations Olivia is faced with but it will also help adults remember how difficult it was for them when they had to make decisions of right and wrong at such a young age. Reading Olivia and the Little Way just might slow us all down enough to think about the outcome of anything that we do, good or bad. I recommend this book for ALL ages.
2010
Harvey House Publishing
216 Pages
ISBN# 978-0-923568-92-4
Review Stir, Laugh, Repeat at Amazon.com
Labels: Book Reviews, cakes, cookbooks, Martha A Cheves, Nancy Carabio Belanger, Olivia and the Little Way, religious, self help, Stir Laugh Repeat, youth readings
Road Closed - Leigh Russell, Author
2:45 PM Posted by MAC
Fish Pie - A Leigh Russell Recipe
Cut 2 pieces of semi-frozen cod, 2 pieces of semi-frozen haddock and a small piece of semi-frozen smoked haddock into small cubes. Other cubed fish may be added, such as salmon or prawns.
Make a roue and add grated cheese to taste.
Pour cheese sauce over the cubed fish, top with a layer of mashed potato, and dust with paprika.
Place dish in oven preheated to 200 (centigrade) for 20 minutes.
Road Closed – Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat
“We’re evacuating the neighboring houses,” a voice called out. “We need to move all those cars, now,” another voice barked. A movement nearby caught Sophie’s attention. Two men were carrying a stretcher, its small load covered. Sophie stumbled over to it. The stretcher bearers paused. She raised the blanket. Tom was sleeping, his face smudgy and grey. Soon he would open his eyes and scold her for leaving home without waking him to say goodbye. She reached out. Gently she stroked his cheek, ran her finger along his bottom lip, round his chin. Her eyes filled with tears and her head sank forward on to his body. She would have stayed there forever – she had nowhere else to go – but someone pulled her away. A hand pulled the blanket over Tom’s face as he was carried to the van.
One dead and more to go. This is what DI Geraldine Steel will be facing and trying to prevent over the next few days as she searches for the person or persons responsible for murder and arson. Actually she's sure she knows who the killer is but gathering enough evidence to prove her theory has become her biggest challenge. Her suspect seems to always have an alibi and people to back it up. And to add to her problem, someone is trying to kill the killer. Is it his partner? His partner’s girl friend Brenda? Or someone uninvolved with the present case altogether?
On top of solving the murders, Geraldine has to live with her own life as it tumbles out of control. She’s recently lost her mother... in more ways than one, she's loosing her sister and best friend. She has lost her boyfriend and is in the process of loosing another one. And these problems are all self inflicted due to Geraldine putting her job first.
Leigh Russell's book Road Closed had me wanting to say to heck with everyone and everything else until I had turned every page. I will admit that through her story writing she will let you see the “who” that is involved in the murders but gives no clue as to "how" the case will be solved. This was an irritating book to read, in a good sense of the word. Every time I thought the killer would be caught, he got away!
Review Stir, Laugh, Repeat at Amazon.com
Labels: Book Reviews, Leigh Russell, Martha A Cheves, Murder, Mystery, Road Closed, Stir Laugh Repeat, suspense
Frugal and Focused Tweeting for Retailers - Carolyn Howard-Johnson, Author
4:35 PM Posted by MAC
A favorite recipe of Carolyn Howard-Johnson
Mormon Funeral Potatoes I admit I have never made these potatoes. But I've eaten a lot of them. In Utah tales are told of people who trail after hearses to join families they never met at funeral get-togethers for people they never knew in order to get a serving of funeral potatoes. The recipes vary slightly. I copied this one and simplified it thinking I might someday make them. That was probably somewhere around 1970. Ingredients6 cups diced potatoes 1 can (10 ¾ oz.) condensed Campbell's cream of chicken soup (I'd use cream of mushroom or cream of celery now that I am a vegetarian.) 1/2 of the soup can full of milk 1 cup sour cream 1 cup extra sharp Kraft cheddar cheese, grated 1/4 cup grated onion (optional). I know I would only chop it fine. None of that grating of onions for me—if I did it all. salt and pepper to taste 3 Tbsp butter, melted 3/4 cup corn flake crumbs Directions Cook fresh potatoes (some of us might cheat with thawed frozen potatoes). Slice into a 9x13 Pyrex cake/casserole-type pan. Combine soup, milk, sour cream, cheese, and onion and salt and pepper to taste. For more moisture, add more milk. Mix well. Spread sauce over potatoes. Combine melted butter with corn flake crumbs. Sprinkle over casserole. Bake uncovered at 350 F for 30-45 minutes or until hot and bubbly. |
Frugal and Focused Tweeting for Retailers – Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat
‘Once upon a time in the early days of Twitter everyone said, “I don’t get Twitter.” Time magazine reported that the CEO of Twitter agreed that most people don’t get Twitter when they first start using it. In fact, he said he didn’t get Twitter when he first floated it as a new social network on the Web.’
If you have a computer, television or even a friend who has a computer, you’ve heard of Twitter. It’s has to be one of the most talked about networks in cyber space. I can’t even imagine how many people are members of this “say it in 140 characters or less” site. I know that I’m a member that had no idea at to what it was really all about. In the beginning I saw Twitter as a site where I could meet someone, post my message of “Hi, how you doing?” Get an answer back from them “Fine, how are you?” And that was about it. After playing around on the site for a while I found its use of notifying people when I posted book reviews to my site A Book and A Dish or new recipes to my site Stir, Laugh, Repeat. But after reading Frugal and Focused Tweeting I found that I’ve really missed the boat on it’s true purpose… promoting yourself and your product(s).
Frugal and Focused Tweeting teaches the importance and uses of hashtags, avatars, direct messages, follows and followers. It explains the importance of taking those 140 characters allowed and making them into eye catchers. You’ll learn what a moniker, an HTML and a RSS Feed is and how they can help you and your business. The Author even gives you connections to other sites that will not only help on their own but also work with Tweeter to improve your visibility.
Twitter is a network that is used by millions with any and/or all of them being potential customers. It’s a site that you can easily take full advantage of for many your promotional needs. And I’ve found Frugal and Focused Tweeting for Retailers to be the best source for finding Tweeter’s uses as well as how to find and use then. And best of all, Frugal and Focused Tweeting for Retailers is written in “English” not “computerish.”
2010
HowToDoItFrugally Publishing
129 Pages
ISBN# 9781451546149
Review Stir, Laugh, Repeat at Amazon.com
Labels: Book Reviews, Carolyn Howard Johnson, Frugal and Focused, funeral soup, Martha A Cheves, potato soup, Stir Laugh Repeat, Tweeting, Tweeting for Retailers
Rightfully Mine - God's Equal Rights Amendment - Aggie Villanueva, Author
2:30 PM Posted by MAC
Avocado Salad – A recipe favorite from Aggie Villanueva
1 large firm avocado (almost but not quite ripe)
1/4 - 1/2 thinly sliced onion (paper thin slices)
garlic powder
Sea Salt
Cracked pepper
Lime juice
You want to use an almost ripe firm avocado because the lime juice will cause mushiness during marinating. Slice the avocado lengthwise and alternately layer the thinly sliced onion between them. Sprinkle liberally with garlic powder, sea salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle lime juice over all to taste (I like lots of it). Cover and refrigerate at least two hour before serving.
Rightfully Mine – Reviewed by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat
Zelophehad’s eyes fluttered. “Bring my daughters and my half brothers. I want all my family here – to bless them.” His eyes succeeded in opening and as Rizpah looked into them, she admitted at last he was truly near death. Moses, Joshua and Caleb, Israel’s ennobled leaders, rose tactfully to leave but Zelophehad reached a trembling arm toward them. “Please stay. I said I want all my family present.” Moses’ eyes softened and the three men turned back to face the old man’s bed.
“Moses – you are like a brother to me,” Zelophehad wheezed. Moses came closer. “We are the last, aren’t we, my friend?” “NO,” Zelophehad inhaled sharply. “Do not pity me. We both know the mercy of Elohim Hayyim, the living God, do we not? So we must accept also His judgments. He is the object of all our human striving and the end of all seeking. I look gladly to the end.” He coughed weakly, but his voice gained volume. “What will you do when this plague is over?”
Noah, who was nicknamed Rizpah by her father, is the second born daughter to Zelophehad. She’s strong willed and minded, and often speaks her mind before thinking. With the death of her father Zelophehad, Rizpah and her sisters are left with no man in their household. As the rulings were, no land would be inherited by a woman, leaving Rizpah and her sisters at a loss when Israel is finally allowed to cross the Jordan. But Rizpah will not let the injustice go without a fight. She will speak her mind to Moses asking that her father’s land be inherited by she and her sisters.
This book came at a good time for me. I had just bought a new Bible and had decided to start reading from page one through. When I picked up this book to start reading I found that I had just finished reading the story of Moses and sure enough, when I went back to check I found Noah as being a real person. The story that Aggie Villanueva has scripted made the story I had just finished in the Bible so real.
Sometimes when reading a Bible story we unconsciously see it as just that… a story. Aggie Villanueva gave the characters of Rightfully Mine passion which made them more human and believable. It also helped pass along the lessons to be learned from their mistakes. I feel that Rightfully Mine would make a great book for Bible study classes and discussions, especially among young adults.
2009
Lulu
174 Pages
ISBN #978-0-557-08654-2
Review Stir, Laugh, Repeat at Amazon.com
Labels: Aggie Villanueva, Book Reviews, cookbooks, God, Jordan, Martha A Cheves, Moses, religious, Rightfully Mine, Stir Laugh Repeat
Payback in Wayback - Lynda Coker, Author
2:05 PM Posted by MAC
My Aunt Mickey’s recipe for Chicken Spaghetti
(A favorite recipe of Lynda Coker)
Boil a whole chicken until tender. Make sure there is at least 6-8 cups of broth left over when done. Add 2 small packages of spaghetti. Cook until broth is absorbed, but not too dry.
Sauté the following ingredients in a large skillet.
1 cup chopped celery
1 rounded tsp. celery seed
1 cup chopped onion
1 rounded tsp. onion powder
3 Tbs. Garlic powder ( I like to use minced garlic, too taste)
2 Tbs. Chili Powder
2 stick butter.
1 level tsp. red pepper
Salt
Mushrooms (optional)
After sautéing, add mixture to spaghetti. Add deboned chicken. Add 1lb. Velveta cheese (cubed). Add 1 can of diced tomatoes, and one can of tomato sauce. Mixture should be moist and a little on the soupy side because it will thicken and dry out when you bake it.
Bake in 350 degree oven until cheese is melted. (About 45 minutes to an hour)
Enjoy!
Payback in Wayback – Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat
‘Self-derision mocked him. What did he expect after spending twelve years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit? How did he forget the 4,380 days he’d waited for answers, and for the woman who never came? Was it not supposed to matter? Truth was – it did. It was why he’d come back to Wayback.’
Corey had served his term of 12 years in prison and now he was back where everything had originally started – Wayback, Texas. He was back for revenge as well as answers. The father of his one and only love, Tiffany, had put him in prison and then allowed her to marry Wayback’s oil Barron Les Covington. Les was twice Tiffany’s age and had passed away two years earlier leaving her with a son and more money than she would ever need.
Payback in Wayback is a story that really pulls at your heart strings. The lives of three people were put on hold due to one person’s wrong doings. Rebuilding those lives will take a lot of patience and understanding and like all good stories, there is a lesson to be learned by all of us in reading Payback in Wayback. This was a very enjoyable, well written short story and I look forward to reading more of Lynda Coker’s works.
2008
The Wild Rose Press
45 pages
Review Stir, Laugh, Repeat at Amazon.com
Labels: Book Reviews, Lynda Coker, Martha A Cheves, Payback in Wayback, romance, Stir Laugh Repeat, Texas, western
Lighting The Dark Side - William R. Potter, Author
2:15 PM Posted by MAC
Corn Chowder (A Dwayne Johnson & Author W.R.Porter favorite)
Whether canned frozen or fresh off the cob, Dwayne Johnson enjoys corn. This is his favorite recipe. He won’t make it himself…too many even numbers in the ingredients. Dwayne appears in the novella, Bent Not Broken.
Ingredients
* 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
* 1 strip of bacon
* 1/2 large yellow onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
* 1/2 large carrot, chopped (about 1/3 cup)
* 1/2 celery stalk, chopped (about 1/3 cup)
* 3 ears of sweet corn, kernels removed from the cobs (about 2 cups)
* 1 bay leaf
* 3 1/2 cups milk, whole or low fat
* 3 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, or Russet, peeled and diced
* 1/4 red bell pepper, chopped (about 1/4 cup)
* Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
* 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
Method
1) In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the bacon strip and fry for 3 or 4 minutes. Add the onion and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes, until soft. Add the carrot and celery and cook for 4 or 5 more minutes.
2) Break the corn cobs in half and add them to the saucepan. Add the milk and bay leaf. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a bare simmer. Cover the pot and cook for 30 minutes. Make sure the heat is as low as can be and still maintain a gentle simmer to prevent scalding the milk on the bottom of the pan.
3) Discard the cobs, the bacon strip, and the bay leaf. Raise the heat, add the potatoes, red pepper, 1 teaspoon of salt, fresh ground pepper to taste, bring to a simmer and reduce the heat to maintain a simmer for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are almost fork tender.
4) Raise the heat; add the corn kernels and the thyme. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 5 minutes.
Serves 4. Wonderful with fresh home made bread!
Lighting The Dark Side - Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat
Bent, Not Broken
He set his mug on the kitchen counter; and he knew that the mug was nineteen inches from the refrigerator, nineteen from the sink, eleven from the backsplash, and eleven more from falling to the floor. He washed his hands for exactly one hundred and nineteen seconds and ran a hand through his hair for the third time.
Dwayne Johnson has OCD. Can the “Black-Coat Girl” that he sees at the bus stop every morning save him from himself or will he destroy her?
In The Gray
I was “in the gray,” that often-mystifying state, somewhere between sleep and consciousness where dreams blend with reality and voices on the television can be mistaken for a lost lover’s whisper.
Michael Conner is torn between a mother in denial about life and caring for his son and precious Tia. What would you do if put into his position?
Prominent Couple Slain
Staal shook his head. Even after seventeen years on the job, he had never gotten used to humanity’s capacity of violence and cruelty. The room reeked of burnt gunpowder and blood. It was the smell of murder.
What were a husband and wife doing in the apartment of one of their employees with a bullet in each of their heads. The wife held the gun so it’s apparently a murder suicide, or is it?
May 18th
“Look!” Kelly-Anne said aloud. “Meteors.” Trevor turned toward the city and watched the rocks streak across the sky and disappear on the horizon. Something was coming. The question on his mind was probably the same as for most people on the mountain. The sober ones, at least. Would this be it? A memorable night with a few shooting stars or was this the precursor of a much more serious event?
The commet, that has been named IVAN after the man who discovered it, is headed for earth. Can Trevor change the fate of the future by changing the events leading up to it? Maybe.
Blessed or Cursed?
‘Cutler had no idea how life had changed since I won almost twelve million in the lottery five months ago. The charities, both bogus and legit, hounded us night and day. The phone calls from past colleagues, cousins I never knew, everyone with their hand out for a piece of my windfall.’
Would you consider yourself “Blessed” if you won the lottery? After reading Brad’s story, I might agree that it’s possibly a “Curse.”
Surviving the Fall
“Is the shooter still in the house, Mr. Goodal?” “Yes, I think he’s dead.” “Dead, sir?” “Yes, I killed him.” James set the phone aside and took Ashley’s hand in his. “It’s ok, Ashley. They’re coming. Just hold on, sweetie. Hold on. “I love – you – James,” Ashley said almost silently, and then her body wilted and her eyes rolled back and closed. “ASHLEY, No!”
His whole life, James Goodal has been a rescuer of stray animals. Today, just days before Christmas, he rescues 14 year old Ashley form her life on the streets. Can he help her?
Lighting the Dark Side is a collection of short stories filled with compassion, fear, anger, and even a little happiness. Each has it’s own story and hidden lesson, making each enjoyable in its own way.
Review Stir, Laugh, Repeat at Amazon.com
Labels: Book Reviews, Lighting the Dark Side, Martha A Cheves, Stir Laugh Repeat, William R Potter
Your Teen Apostolate: Accepting and Sharing the Love of God - Andre Joseph Bottesi & Michele Elena Bondi, Authors
2:52 PM Posted by MAC
Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake
A Andre Bottesi & Michele Bondi Favorite
1 chocolate pie crust
12 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tbl. vanilla
2 eggs
1/2 cup frozen raspberries, well drained and thawed
Peheat oven to 325 degrees. Beat cream cheese until fluffy. Gradually add sugar and vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition until well blended. Fold in raspberries, reserving a few for garnish. Place crust on baking sheet. Fill with raspberry mixture. Bake for 35 minutes. Cool completely and chill. Enjoy!
Your Teen Apostolate: Accepting and Sharing the Love of God – Reviewed by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat for AAA Book Reviews
It’s such an inspiration to read a book written by a young person. But it’s even more inspiring to read a book written by a young person who believes in God’s love for him and his love for God and isn’t afraid to share his feelings. Due to peer pressure most young adults and teens keep their silence when it comes to religion and their beliefs. They fear the loss of acceptance by others. Even adults have a tendency to have the same fears when it comes to speaking of and talking about God. Not Andre Joseph Battesi. This is one teenager who believes and lives by the Bible and isn’t afraid to let it show.
Your Teen Apostolate is a very inspirational book that needs to be read and “listened” to by both young people as well as adults.
Review Stir, Laugh, Repeat at Amazon.com
Labels: Andre Joseph Bottesi, Book Reviews, Martha A Cheves, Michele Elena Bondi, religious, Stir Laugh Repeat, Your Teen Apostolate, youth
"This book is made up of 3 individual stories. All three are short reads and other than the setting, which is Mexico, all three are completely different."
(Martha A. Cheves)
"You'll follow Logan as she tramples through kudzu, goes to her first Testicle Festival, rents a room from a woman who runs around at night in the nude and connects with a wolf. You will also follow her as she gets her man, or should I say men."
(Martha A. Cheves)
"Will the people of Hollow Gap pull together and defend themselves from the Indian up-rise or will they fall apart. Find the answers to these questions and more when you read this book of taming the West through love."
(Martha A. Cheves)
"I would NEVER have guessed the turn of events that make up the last 20 pages of Fresh Frozen. The hiring of the spy will surprise you and the murder will surprise you even more. So if you love a good mystery, this book is definitely for you."
(Martha A. Cheves)
"As I read I felt as if I was a witness watching this evil man do the things he did to these young women. As I read through the trial I felt like one of those ready to convict him. As I listened to the comments by his wife, I could feel her pain and confusion."
(Martha A. Cheves)
"After reading Breaking My Silence I saw Jane as a strong person who was determined to do whatever was needed to get her children back into her life and to do whatever it took to make her life as complete as possible without the prostitution. This was one of the most informative books I've ever read about a subject that is normally kept behind closed doors."
(Martha A. Cheves)
"
While reading Genesis Beach I found myself not wanting to put it down. Each page had a piece of evidence that would help me solve the mystery before Logan. I really thought I had pin-pointed the murderer. Boy was I in for a shock."
(Martha A. Cheves)
"I've enjoyed reading this book. It's a cross between a "fiction" and a "true crime." So if you enjoy either genre you will enjoy A Study in Red. Do keep in mind that this book is very descriptive."
(Martha A. Cheves)
"The story captured me from the beginning, the evil of Rovella never ceased to amaze me, and the love that was always there but didn't surface due to guilt made me feel the pain that I'm sure she felt. The ending was perfect."
(Martha A. Cheves)
"This has been a really enjoyable book.
I recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good mystery. Beth, don't change your way of writing! I've really enjoyed reading Basket Case and will be reading more of Beth's books."
(Martha A. Cheves)
"I feel this is a wonderfully written book that would be helpful not just for young people who are overweight but also for those who look at a person, no matter the age, call them names, shun them and refuse to accept them as they are."
(Martha A. Cheves)
"Bertha Speaks Out is a very enjoyable book to read. Bertha finds herself in positions that will make you laugh and cry. You will feel her pain but also feel her pride when she stands up for what is right. It’s a must read for children as well as adults.
"
(Martha A. Cheves)
"Read Thicker than Water and ask yourself these questions. Did the wife make the right choice? Was her decision worth 15 years of her family’s life? Would you have made the same decision?
I highly recommend Thicker than Water. As I said, it was a joy to read."
(Martha A. Cheves)
"As I read I kept asking myself “Who would put out a hit on David and why?” “Who are The Chosen Few and what do they have to do with David?” “Will Max get to David before it’s too late?” You will have to read The Chosen Few yourself to find the answers to these questions."
(Martha A. Cheves)
"This book has taught me that life is like a chain. Everyone we meet becomes a link in our chain. Some links may be weak, but the strong ones keep the chain from breaking. And as memories and secrets are shared with those strong links, they become even stronger."
(Martha A. Cheves)
I'm from Georgia, moved to North Carolina by way of Florida. I've been in Charlotte for 14 years and love it. The recipes in my book Stir, Laugh, Repeat are all tested by "Food Testers" of which I now have 24. They try a dish and rate it from 1-10 with only those scoring at least an 8 making the book. My website is a holding place for my 2nd book Stir, Laugh, Repeat... Again. Please visit my site to find new recipes and tips. All recipes are easy, using common ingredients and according to my testers, great!
