A Millionaire's Christmas - Brian L. Porter, Author

Strawberry Twinkie Cake
(Perfect for the holidays)

1 box Twinkies (or any cream filled snack cakes)
1 box vanilla instant pudding mix
2 (10 oz. each) boxes sweetened strawberries
8 oz. Cool Whip

Layer in a casserole dish in the following manner.  Twinkies (cut in half lengthwise) on bottom, pudding (follow package directions to make), strawberries and cool whip.  This is a pretty dish and oh so delicious!

A Millionaire's Christmas - Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat; Think With Your Taste Buds; A Book and A Dish

Never the most gregarious of men, the shipping magnate Aristedes Miklos found himself further removed from everyday life as his empire grew.  He had few friends and no other family to divert his attention from work, and Aristedes became something of a recluse.  By the time his illness struck him, Bob Garrett had been the only real friend he'd made in the previous twenty years.  He had worked tirelessly at building his fleet and his bank balance, and though his employees respected and revered him as a good man to work for, he would never have considered any of them as anything more than what they were.

Aristedes has found himself in a hospital room all alone.  He has a brain tumor that is aggressive and inoperable.  He is dying.  As his memory begins to fade he becomes aware of his past life.  With his life holding no future, what will happen to his fortune that he spent his life to develop?  He simply has no one!

Then he meets Dr. Elijah.  Elijah knows Aristedes is dying and introduces him to a young boy named Christos Karamanlis who is also dying of cancer.  But, with just a little help from Aristedes, Christos' family could pay for the treatments needed to keep him alive.  Elijah also has the idea that more money could be given to help other children who need medical help.  Well, Aristedes didn't create his fortune by falling for cons and decided to do a little checking on Dr. Elijah before handing over any money.  But first he needed some sleep.

So, is it a con by Elijah or is he and the boy for real.  That my friend you'll have to find out by reading this Christmas story that has a real twist.  You won't regret it.

Lest We Forget - Brian L. Porter, Author

Spamghetti Carbonara
(During the war meat was hard to come by making
  the cook appeal to their creative side)

1 1/2 lbs spaghetti
4 eggs, slightly beaten (fresh or dried)
12-oz can SPAM, cubed 1/4″
1/2 cups grated cheese
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
3 tbsp oil
ground pepper
3 tbsp margarine

Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Meanwhile, in skillet cook SPAM® and onion in oil and butter over medium heat until lightly browned. Set aside. When spaghetti is cooked, drain; return to pot. Add egs; toss to combine. Add SPAM mixture, cheese and parsley; toss to combine. Season to taste with pepper. Serve immediately. Serves 6.

Lest We Forget - Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat; Think With Your Taste Buds; A Book and A Dish

Remembrance

Remember the fallen, the honoured dead,
In silent prayer, with lowered head.
They gave of their all, they gave up their lives,
And remember as well all the war-widowed wives.

Fathers of children, all some mothers sons,
Taken from life by the bombs, and the guns.
No joyous salute, nor heroes return,
Just an empty chair somewhere, a story to learn.

Of young men who proudly went off to the wars,
Leaving families, friends, leaving England's shores.
Many dying with glory, though seeking no fame,
Now lying at rest, in a grave with no name.

This is just the beginning of one of the Anthology of Remembrance included within this book.  All hit my heart but this one seemed to hit the most.  With the world in the past, present and future, we will always have wars and there will always be lost lives, but how do we put the feelings created by these losses into words?  Most of us can't, but Author Brian L. Porter can and has.  Through his Bomber we find ourselves waiting, just like those do when waiting for the call to climb aboard the planes that will take them into battle with just prayers that they will return.  No Headstone on a Sailor's Grave has us waiting for a rescue boat that never comes.

As I read each segment within this book it made me stop and really think about my own father who served in not one but three branches of the military and what he must have gone through and the fear that he must have felt.  I think about my friends who fought in the Viet Nam war and how scared they had to have been.  I think about those that are serving today with their fears.  And then I think of my grandson who will serve in the near future, taking him miles away from home for the first time.

This book has made me not only stop and think but it has surfaced my appreciation of these men and women both young and old.  For without them, we would have no real world and certainly no freedom.  That is what this book has done for me.

Behind Closed Doors - Brian L. Porter, Author

Meat And Potato Pie
(Brian Porter & Character Albert Norris' favorite)  

17 ½ oz lamb shin , cubed 5 tbsp seasoned flour 6 tbsp vegetable oil 1 onion , peeled and sliced 2 carrots , peeled and sliced into cubes 11 ¾ fl oz beef stock 17 ½ oz potatoes , peeled, cubed, parboiled 1 packet of short crust pastry salt and pepper 1 beaten egg 1 medium saucepan with lid 1 oven proof dish 1 knife 1 spoon 1 pastry brush

1. Dust the meat.  Sprinkle some flour over the cubed meat and mix it well together with your hands.

2. Fry the meat.  Place the pan on a medium heat and add the oil. Allow to warm through and once warm add the floured meat and onions. Stir it all together with a spoon and allow the meat to brown, which will roughly take 3-4 minutes.

3. Cook the meat.  When the meat is nicely browned add the carrots. Then season with salt and pepper. Stir it all together and bring it to the boil. Stir once more and cover with the lid. Turn the heat down to a simmer. Cook for roughly one hour until the meat is tender.

4. Preheat the oven.  During the last fifteen minutes of cooking the meat, heat the oven to 220 degrees centigrade.

5. Add potatoes.  Add the par boiled potatoes to the cooked meat and stir them in with your spoon.

6. Transfer to oven proof dish.  Carefully pour the pan of meat into an oven proof dish, then smooth it over with your spoon.

7. Cover with pastry.  Lay the pre rolled pastry over the dish and peel back the protective covering. Then continue to crimp down the pastry at the edges with your fingertips. Slice off any excess pastry and make several slits with your knife to help the pie breath. Then generously brush with the beaten egg wash to help it brown.

8. Bake.  Place the pie in the bottom of the oven and bake for 40 min.

9. Remove from oven & serve.  Remove from the oven when golden brown.

10. Served with boiled potatoes, roast vegetables and thick gravy. 

Behind Closed Doors – Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat and Think With Your Taste Buds - Desserts

“ ‘Men have met their maker as a result of the greed and avarice of those who would turn the people of this fair city into denizens of the underground world.  Be warned that their deaths will be avenged.’  It’s true that a number of workers were killed in accidents, mostly cave-in, during the excavations of the original, and some of the newer tunnels.  This could be valid threats from someone with revenge in mind against the company, perhaps a friend or relative of one of the dead men.  ‘God will not allow this fiendish contraption, this infernal machine of the devil to prosper.  We will bring about its ruination and force the Metropolitan Railway to cease its operations forthwith, in the name of The Almighty.’”

These are excerpts from letters written to the owners, demanding that the operation of the Metropolitan Railway be stopped.  They were brought to the attention of Inspector Albert (Bert) Norris and his sergeant Dylan Hillman as they are being told by their Superintendent about a murder that has taken place in the underground railway owned by The Metropolitan Railway Company.  The murder takes place on the same night that Jack the Ripper made one of his own famous Whitechapel kills.  Could they be related?  Bert’s superior says no.  He is being told, from those high up, that this is an entirely separate act that must be handled as quietly as possible to prevent bad publicity from damaging the railway company.  But as other murders occur, again on the same days of the Ripper murders, it becomes quite difficult to keep these events quiet.

Author Brian L. Porter has always kept me in the dark with the endings of his books, but in Behind Closed Doors, I had him.  I determined who the murderer was and had the courts ready to slip the noose around their neck by the middle of the book.  Well…he did it to me again.  I wasn’t totally wrong but I was nowhere near the real truth that would convict the real murder.  I’m afraid my case would have been thrown out of the courts.  So, the master of deception has tricked me again. 

As always, Porter’s characters are believable and so real.  His descriptions of the scenes place you in the middle of the action.  One thing I can say with enthusiasm is this, ‘Watch out Sherlock and Watson…Norris and Hillman are on the case.’ And boy are they good!