Ursula's Quest - Book Two of the Witchcraft Wars - Tracey Alley, Author

 

Vegetable Puffs

(One of Trunk and Tracey's favorite dishes)

Ingredients

4 sheets of puff pastry

1 small tin of champagne mushrooms, equivalent fresh if you can get it is preferable

1 medium sized tin of corn kernels, again fresh is better but depends on supply

1 small red capsicum chopped into small squares

Cup full of baby peas - fresh or frozen as you can get

Cup of tasty cheese grated

Tablespoon of Sweet Chili Sauce

Method

Cut the pastry sheets into four squares each and set aside.

Combine all the vegetables and cheese, add sauce and mix well.

Spoon a small amount into each square and fold up the pastry giving it a small twist to the end.

Place in a medium oven and cook for about 20 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown.

Serve as an entree with extra chili sauce or as a unique way of getting kids to eat their veggies.

Ursula’s Quest Book Two of the Witchcraft Wars – Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat

 

“Tell me Slade, do you know much about the legend of the Temple of Life?”  “Yes, it’s a very old legend.  It comes from Kemet I think.  Something about the gods building a temple to guard a portal that supposedly led to the realm of the gods.  I don’t remember all of it but it’s nothing more than a legend.”  “But what if the legend were true?”  Slade started to laugh until he saw how serious Nikolai was; he actually believed in the myth.  “You may well laugh but I have come across many strange things in my studies.  Strange and troubling things,” Nikolai said.  “About the Temple?”  “Yes and no.  I believe that outside the legend itself very little has ever been said or is known about the Temple.  I have, however, discovered from my research that portals from one dimension to another do actually exist.”  Slade looked hard at Nikolai, his immediate thought was that the necromancer’s brain had been addled from the blow to his head, but he could see that Nikolai clearly believed what he was saying was the truth.  “What other dimensions?  There is only this world and the realm of the gods,” Slade said eventually.  “To the sight and understanding of most people that is true but I assure you I have found that we are but one of many different dimensions.”  “I don’t understand.  Do you mean other worlds like our own or…” Slade trailed off, he didn’t even really know how to frame the question.’

 

In book one of the Witchcraft Wars, Slade, as well as several others that escaped with him, are traveling in hopes of finding the answer to his dreams where he believes his father High King Erich is talking to him.  In his first dream he was told to follow the trunk which turned out to be a human that helped him in his escape.  In his second dream his father sends him on a search for the Dragon Clan hopes of finding the Great Dragon.

 

Ursula, Slade’s sister, is having dreams of her own that she believes are coming from their father.  In her dream King Erich tells her to search the ruins for the key.  So with the help of Ming, her childhood playmate, as well as three others that join them, she finds herself deep in the Temple looking for the answers and the key.  As it turns out, there are three keys that must be found and so far Ursula knows of one while Trunk knows of the second.

 

Both brother and sister must complete their mission before the war between the kingdoms gets underway and before the witch known as Shallendara finds the key herself.  Shallendra’s quest, so it appears, is to use the key to open the portals to the gods and increase her own powers.  But, opening the portals will not only destroy the world but Shallendara too will be destroyed. 

 

As in Book One of the Witchcraft Wars, author Tracey Alley has created a story that holds you spellbound and hoping that someone will find the key soon before all is lost.  I’m again anticipating Book Three to see who the holder of the third key turns out to be.  And to see if Ursula and Slade are able to save the world from the destruction caused by Shallendara.  With author Tracey Alley, anything could happen, good or bad.

A Dead Red Cadillac - R. P. Dahlke, Author

SWISS GREEN BEAN SALAD

 (A favorite recipe from R. P. Dahlke)

1 ½ lbs fresh green beans-stringed

1/3lb. julienned cheddar cheese

½ C. slivered almonds

½ C. chopped each: olives, green bell pepper & red bell pepper

DRESSING:

5 T. Lemon juice

2 large cloves garlic

½ olive oil

½ tsp Tarragon

1 tsp. dill week

Dash pepper and salt

2 tsp. Dijon mustard

½ C. fresh parsley

Steam green beans until dark green but still crisp—drain and cool

Add dressing, cheese, etc.

Cover and chill overnight

Lasts in Fridge until your friends eat it all gone! 

A Dead Red Cadillac – Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat

‘I hung up, and with hands that palsied, I grabbed the nearest set of keys and drove our old farm truck into Modesto.  I ignored the familiar rattling of the loose drive shaft, the torn vinyl headliner, the missing door handle, and the growing spider web of broken windshield on the passenger side.  The drive was a no-brainer, one where I can easily divide my attention between the road and work schedules before hitting the outskirts of the nearest mall.  But, not today.  I couldn’t stop thinking about Caleb’s words.  Of all the answers to the whereabouts of my car, not in a million years would I have guessed that my Caddy would be found tail fins sticking out of the shallow end of Turlock Lake.  And behind the wheel, neatly buckled into her safety belt, was none other than the blue ribbon winner in this year’s county fair’s jam making contest, Patience McBride.’

Lalla Bains has had a few mishaps in the last few days.  Her Ag-CAT plowed into a row of tomatoes while making an emergency landing, breaking her leg.  Her dad, who owns the plane and the crop dusting company that she was flying for, would never believe it wasn’t pilot carelessness that caused her to make a crash landing.  And now her best friend Caleb, who is also the sheriff, has just informed her that he has found her bright red Caddy in the lake with a dead body in the driver’s seat.  So she can’t fly and now she can’t even drive her luxury car around town.

Patience McBride was a widow who kept to herself and never bothered anyone, so why would anyone kill her?  Well, since it was Lalla’s car she was in and she herself has become a suspect, Lalla has decided to find out.  Her first suspect becoming Patience’s nephew who appears in town around the same time as her murder.  He seems to be quite a smooth talking con artist, especially with the women, Lalla included.  Making him less and less of a suspect in her eyes but not in Caleb’s.  The confusion really starts when Eddy steps into the picture.  After taking a couple of shots at Lalla, in her own home, she is able to knock him out with a book end only to have her own father Noah turn him lose.

Another roller coaster ride of suspects and murders.  Author R P Dahlke has given us the works with A Dead Red Cadillac – murder, mystery, suspense and humor.  About half way through the book I was given 1 clue that lead me to the person I felt was the killer.  The more I read, the more I doubted my conclusion.  It wasn’t until the end the last few pages that I was able to determine if I was right or wrong.

Amazon page for A DEAD RED CADILLAC, available as Kindle @$2.99 and as a trade paperback @$12.95 http://tinyurl.com/675v9bc

 

I Killed the Man That Wasn't There - Darrell B. Nelson, Author

Here is my dish: In getting a recipe I ran into the problem that I don't cook a lot, so I called up a friend, Charlie After a confused rant he gave me this recipe. Winning Recipe for Tiger Blood and Adonis DNA Wings: Ingredients: Pre-cooked Chicken Wings: However much the Warlock wants and 4-6 per Goddess Tiger Blood (If you don't have Tiger Blood, hot sauce is good substitute) Adonis DNA (If you don't have Adonis DNA, barbecue sauce is good substitute) One bottle of Win (Ranch or Blue Cheese dressing if you are pretending not to be special.) Directions: Close your eyes and will the oven to be at 500 degrees, or pre-heat it whichever works best for you. Gather the Goddesses to find out how many wings they want. Cover a pizza screen with Aluminum foil and apply a light coating of Adonis DNA or barbecue sauce, this will keep the wings from sticking and cook into the wings nicely. Spread the wings out evenly over the foil and lightly cover them in Adonis DNA or barbecue sauce. Put them in the oven for 6 minutes. Now would be a good time to rack up a win with one of the Goddesses, Duh. After 6 minutes the Adonis DNA or barbecue sauce should have baked onto the wings nicely. Take them out and pour some Tiger Blood or Hot Sauce, adjusting for taste, onto the wings flip them over so you get both sides. Put them back in the oven for 6 more minutes. After 6 minutes they should be well cooked with the Tiger Blood and Adonis DNA bubbling for the win. Wrap up the Aluminum foil so there is just a small vent for steam and put them back into the oven for 3 or 4 minutes, depending on taste. Pull them out, open the aluminum foil and spread it out. Get out some small Dixie cups, one for the Warlock and one for each of the Goddesses and pour in some Win, or Ranch/Blue Cheese Dressing. Gather the Goddesses and enjoy. After the meal throw everything out and you've cooked, eaten and done the dishes in less than half an hour. Rachel Ray eat your heart out. Winning, Duh. That's the winning recipe for Wings that are almost as powerful as the drug known as Charlie Sheen, without the side effect of killing you and having your children will weep over your exploded body. Thanks, Darrell B. Nelson I Killed the Man That Wasn’t There – Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat   Story #1 – I Killed the Man That Wasn’t There How is that possible.  Someone has to be there in order to be killed.  Not if you create a Trans-Dimensional Origami Reactor.  That will surely do the trick.   Story #2 – I Never Meant to Hurt You A childish prank gone wrong turns the whole human race into slaves.  How?  Simple.  Drop the prettiest girl in school down the sewer.   Story #3 – Conjunction Headlines – ‘Man is stationed on Mars.’  Should be no problem.  The only living creatures on Mars are single celled organisms.  Yeah, no problem!   Story #3 – Cursed Ship If you take a ship that took the life of its commander as well as 3 crewmates, revamped it and sent it up on another mission, could that ship be haunted?  No. Then where are the scratching sounds coming form.  Or should I say who.   2011

The Torah Codes - Ezra Barany, Author

 









Egg Drop Face
5 cups of water
2 jars of peanut butter
1 egg
1 vintage army tank

While bringing 5 cups of water to a boil in a pot, disassemble the army tank. Spoon out the peanut butter into the boiling water, stir until the peanut butter loses its appeal.
Arrange the pieces of army tank on a cookie sheet and pour the watery peanut butter mix as a coating over the tank pieces.
Place in the oven preheated at 350 degrees. Wait for 20 minutes. Remove the tank parts and let them cool.
Place the coated tank parts in a large bowl and place the bowl on the kitchen table.
First one who asks what the heck it is, hit 'em with the egg.

P.S. I'm not much of a cook. :)

Alternate recipe:

Pizzawiches
2 slices of sourdough bread
1 jar of your favorite flavor of spaghetti sauce
1 packet of shredded cheddar and jack cheese blend

Spread the spaghetti sauce on the slices of bread. Sprinkle the shredded cheese on top. Place the slices on aluminum foil. Put in a toaster oven until the cheese is melted, or preheat the oven at 350 degrees and place the slices in the broiler for 10 minutes. Eat!

The Torah Codes – Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat

‘I needed to walk around someone, so I had to step on the dirt of one of the tree plots that lined the street.  As I stepped on the soft dirt, my heart grew cold.  I nearly threw up.  A body had been cut up and recently buried underneath the dirt.  A man with dark hair, a pin-striped suit, a golden wedding ring on his finger.  I knew this.  I knew this like I knew my own name.  There was nothing to indicate such a thing.  A million reasons could be given for why the dirt was soft.  But I knew there as a body down there.  And that I was next…’

‘My eyes voted for the bed.  Two hours later, it was 8:12 p.m. and I realized I hadn’t let my bladder vote.  I headed for the bathroom and turned on the light.  My eyes complained.  I turned off the light.  I leaned against the mirror above the sink and reassured them that the light was off and that they could now open again.  I opened my eyes expecting the typical picture:  round face, brown hair, brown eyes, long neck, but all close up since my forehead was leaning on the mirror.  But it wasn’t myself I saw.  I saw a room.  A room filled with cameras.  Photos were taped to the wall.  I cupped my hands to the mirror and saw the room more clearly.  All the cameras were pointed straight at me.  But the room was dark and no one was there.’

Nathan is bi-polar and when he gets busy and forgets to take his meds he does have a tendency to imagine things.  Could this be one of those times?  The best thing for him to do is get out of his landlord's duplex and find a place where he is safe.  But that’s kind of hard when no matter where he goes he feels someone is following.  Someone wants to harm him.  Then he runs into Sophia as she gives tarot readings at a table set up outside a bookstore.

Nathan invites Sophia back to his apartment but not for what she thinks.  He wants her to look into the mirror to assure him he isn’t hallucinating.  And after confirming that what he sees is real, she talks him into going to the police.

As the police search the owner of the unit next to Nathan’s they discover pictures of not only him in the unit but of him on the outside as well as pictures of his mother and father while on their honeymoon.  But why?  How?  He only knows the owner of the unit, who is also his landlord, due to renting from him.  He had never met him prior to renting the unit.

In The Torah Codes Nathan’s travels take him to a Rabbi who explains how the codes are actually a part of the Bible.  He makes Nathan aware that there are 36 people who are directly connected to the codes and he, as well as Sophia, are apparently connected in some way.  Then he meets the creator of MEG (Motionless Electromagnetic Generator) making the puzzle even more confusing.  This becomes just the beginning, as his journey leads him to Israel in search of answers.

So, are the Codes real?  In The Torah Codes, Author Ezra Barany has included some very interesting statistics that will make the mind wonder.  At least it did mine.

2011

375 pages

Dafkah Books

ISBN# 978-0-9832960-1-0

The Royal Dragoneers - M. R. Mathias, Author

 

Popeye's Favorite Eggs:
In pan - med low heat, sauté 1/3 cup chopped shallots, 1/4 tsp thyme, and dash salt until shallots are transparent.
Quickly stir in 2 cups fresh spinach and wilt.
Beat 4 eggs in bowl with dash salt and pepper, and a splash of milk. Add a sprinkle of cajun seasoning if desired.
Stir eggs in with shallots and spinach. Cover with lid and turn heat to low. When eggs are cooked, top with a drizzle of truffle oil and serve with lightly toasted heavily buttered texas toast style bread.

 

Believe me these eggs are awesome. 

 

 

Find me and my books via the M. R. Mathias Connection Hub

The Royal Dragoneers – Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat

 

‘He saw that his bow was lying back where he had dropped it.  His knife wasn’t at his hip either.  Beyond the flames, he saw the shredded remains of the stag’s carcass.  The dragon had torn half the meat away in only a few seconds.  The trolls would have the rest of it, he figured.   After they had him.  A fist-sized rock slammed into his chest, knocking all of the wind from his lungs.  Other stones followed and the primitive troll beasts soon went into a frenzied ritual of howling and savage fighting over feeding position.  Luckily for Jenka, a well-thrown chunk of stone bashed into the side of his head and spared him from having to see himself being torn to pieces.  All he could think of as he slipped into unconsciousness was that he would finally get to see his father, and he hoped his mother would never have to gaze upon what the trolls left of his body.  After that was nothing but blackness.’

 

Sixteen year old Jenka De Swasso is out on a hunt in hopes of bringing fresh meat back to his mother.  When he spotted the aging stag he knew he would have no problem bringing it down but the sun was setting which meant he would have to track the stag after hitting it with his arrow and spend the night trying to protect it, as well as himself, from the trolls that lived in the woods around his home of Crag.  Jenka’s mother was Crag’s village kettle-witch, which meant she could cast spells and at times even heal.  Jenka’s father, whom he was very proud of, had died while saving the king’s son Richard.  With his father being one of the King’s Rangers, Jenka’s dream was to become one too.  And if he could get his stag back to town, it might just give him an up on his training to serve the king.  But, fate had it that the trolls would spot his fire and come in for the kill and the meal awaiting them.  What the trolls didn’t expect was an emerald green dragon named Jade to come to Jenka’s rescue.  The bond that formed between Jade and Jenka was eternal.  Jenka would find that there were others who were bonded to the pure dragons and along with them they will sacrifice all to save mankind. 

 

The Royal Dragoneers is a book of mystery, magic and love.  It stresses the strength of love between man and his devoted friends and in this case his dragon.  I must warn you though, The Royal Dragoneers is a very graphically visual book which should not be read by nor to young children.  I see this as an adult version of Harry Potter.  And since the story has come to no end, I’m looking forward to reading the next book in this series.

 

2009

301 pages

Old Loves Die Hard - Lauren Carr, Author

Cincinnati Three-Way Chili

As the owner of the Spencer Inn, the mountaintop five-star resort in Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, Mac Faraday can indulge in the finest of food and wine cooked for him by his world re-known chef. But when he is home relaxing before the fire at Spencer Point, he loves nothing better than to sit down to a plate full of Cincinnati Three-Way Chili, the way his adoptive mother used to make when he was growing up in Georgetown.

To make this a real comfort meal, serve with a tossed salad, Texas Garlic Toast, and beer in a frosted mug.

Ingredients:

Chili Ingredients:

3 tablespoons butter or olive oil
1 large onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound chopped beef
1 ^1/3 cups canned tomatoes, with juice
1 green pepper, minced
1 cup water
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin seed, crushed
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon celery seed
^1/8 teaspoon cayenne
^1/8 teaspoon basil
1 small bay leaf

1 pound Spaghetti Noodles

Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese

16 ounce Can Kidney Beans

Chopped Onions

Directions:

Heat the butter or olive oil in a dutch oven. Add the onions and garlic. Saute until golden brown. Add the meat and brown. Add the remaining chili ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, uncovered until desired thickness, approximately 90 minutes to 2 hours. Simmering also blends the seasoning to bring out the flavor. Mac prefers to have his chili be “slightly runny”. Gnarly likes his chili thick. When the chili is about done, prepare the spaghetti noodles according to package directions.

To Assemble the Dish:

Layer Spaghetti Noodles. Top the spaghetti with chili. Sprinkle chili with Shredded Cheddar Cheese.

For Cincinnati Four-Way:

Spaghetti, chili, chopped onions, cheese.

For Cincinnati Five-Way: (Gnarly’s Favorite: after which he has to sleep in the guest room)

Spaghetti, chili, kidney beans, chopped onions, cheese.

Old Loves Die Hard – Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat

“We did have a good marriage,” she choked out. “If I hadn’t made that one mistake—” Clasping her arms around his neck she tried to kiss him.

 

While diving backwards to dodge her lips, he released her hold on his neck. “You threw me out of my own home.” He folded her hands in her lap. 

 

“You were always such a gentle man.” Each word came out slowly and deliberately in her effort to appear in control. 

 

“Funny,” Mac said, “that’s not what your lawyer told the judge.” 

 

“Stephen told him to say that.” Her tears fell anew. “If he hadn’t seduced me – he made me all these promises and told me how you didn’t treat me right and how I deserved so much better than our little house in the suburbs with its little lawn and…He said that I deserved so much more and that he could give it all to me because I deserved more…” She tried to make her smile as becoming as possible in her condition. “What about us?” 

 

“There’s no us, Christine.” 

 

“You can’t abandon me like this Mac,” she cried. “I’ve lost everything. I’ve got nothing. When Stephen left…” She broke into heavy sobs. “Oh, Mac…” She collapsed into his lap.

Mac Faraday is Christine’s ex-husband. She left him for greener pastures that have now turned brown due to no more money on her part. Stephen Maguire promised Christine the stars but when her money ran out, so did Stephen. 

The divorce virtually put Mac on the streets. Christine was awarded their home and everything that went with it. But, to Mac’s surprise, he inherited his birth mother’s estate and everything that went with it. In other words, Mac went from being dirt poor with nothing but a policeman’s salary to becoming filthy rich and retired. Now, Christine wants another chance. 

When Christine appeared at Mac’s door, she had had more than enough to drink and he knew he couldn’t just put her out on the streets in her condition so he decides to put her up in the penthouse of the five-star hotel that was part of his inheritance. His plan was to deal with her the next morning after she sobered up. What he didn’t expect was to find not just Christine, but also Stephen–dead in his own private quarters of the hotel.

Old Loves Die Hard was a jewel to read. Mac is the perfect ex-policeman turned wealthy character.  Archie, the computer whiz that lives in the guest house, is taking on a more personal role in this Faraday Mystery. But my favorite character has to be Gnarly the Kleptomaniac dog.  Gnarly was actually a member of the military that was given a dishonorable discharge for reasons unknown to Mac. 

Old Loves Die Hard has everything…murder, suspense, politics, action and humor. As the plot of the story takes you back into the past, I feel the ending will come as much a surprise to you as it did to me. Author Lauren Carr, hooked me with It's Murder My Son so I'm asking her to "Please keep this series going!"

2011

239 pages

ISBN#

Dragonfly Dreams - Franki deMerle, Author

"Snoqualmie Oatmeal"

(Major's favorite)

Take a bowl of hot oatmeal, cover with brown sugar and fresh blueberries, add butter and milk, stir, and enjoy.

Dragonfly Dreams – Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat

‘Shortly before 2:30 AM, Daphne awoke from a vivid dream.  She dreamt she was in Scotland and had just been widowed.  Her husband had been murdered.  It was some distant time in the past, and she was dressed in a long black gown with a stiff white headdress  She could feel the tightness of her corset contrast the softness of her gown’s material on her skin.  Richard was there, but other people in the dream were saying he was responsible for her late husband’s murder.  She was confused and didn’t know what to believe.  She had thought she could trust Richard, but a voice in the dream announced, “During the Protestant Reformation, these sides were divided.”  As she wondered what that meant, Richard captured her and took her against her will to a castle, where he raped her.  Then, when he left her alone with a woman companion to look after her, the two women escaped.  They disguised themselves as men and used bed linens to climb through a window and down the castle wall.  She was terrified.  She and her companion rode across the nearby border to England, where they thought they would be safe.  At first, when they told their story of what had happened, they were given sanctuary by kind people.  But after about a week or so, word came to the household from the authorities that she was to be held as a prisoner again.  She did not understand why.  Then she was told that Richard had also fled Scotland and was also imprisoned, but in another country.’

Daphne Robin and her sister Deandra were both accustomed to strange dreams.  Deandra has dreamed, since childhood, that she was a soldier with lots of brothers.  In her dream she was a man and someone was beating her face in.  Daphne’s dream about Scotland came shortly after her marriage to Richard Gatorman, owner of a construction company as well as Daphne’s boss.  Scotland was a place Daphne had always wanted to go to so when the dream coincided with Richard announcing that they would be honeymooning in Scotland, she let her excitement override the possibility of a warning.  But, Richard had always been the perfect mate.  He was loving, caring and offered her everything she could ever want…so she thought.  The honeymoon would turn out to be the beginning of her seeing the true Richard she had married.  A marriage that she soon realized had been a big mistake.  The only out for Daphne becomes sleep in which her dreams have her flying the skies with a handsome man.  If it weren’t for her dream time she would probably give up on life itself.

Deandra, being an officer in the Army, enlists the help of her friend Major Ursa-Barrios to help Daphne escape the abuse being inflicted by Richard.  Major, as he likes to be called, has had his own dreams over the years.  In his dreams he would help a young lady and falls in love with her.  Could Daphne possibly be the woman in his dream?  Could Major possibly be the man in Daphne’s dreams? 

As Deandra, Daphne and Major come together, they start searching for the answers to their dreams.  Deandra wanting to know who the person getting their face bashed in is and who are the brothers.  Daphne wants to know who the woman in Scotland could be as well as who she soars the skies with.  And Major wants to meet the lady from his dreams.

Franki deMerle has done it again with a book of mystery, love and a certain air of suspense.  The more I read, the more I wanted answers to the character’s dreams but I wasn’t really expecting what the dreams actually turned out to be.

2010

iUniverse

299 pages

ISBN# 978-1-4502-7244-5