recipe

It's hard to believe we only have a little more than a month to go before The Mark of the King releases! To start getting ready for the launch, I've been experimenting with French recipes that would be perfect for you to make and enjoy as you read this story about French colonial New Orleans--or if you host a book club group, these would be wonderful to serve with tea or coffee! The recipe is so simple, and the results so impressive, you're going to love it. Ingredients Puff pastry, either home made or storebought, which is what I used. (I used Pepperidge Farm brand, but if you can find a brand such as DuFour, that uses only butter, not shortening or vegetable oil, the taste will be even better.) Sugar. (I used demerara because of its coarse texture--and it's also not as sweet as white or brown sugar--but you can use whichever kind you want.) Instructions Thaw the puff pastry, if frozen, either in the refrigerator overnight, or on the counter for about half an hour or so. When it's pliable, but still cool, it's ready. Roll out the puff pastry to even out the seams. Sprinkle sugar in an even layer over the surface of the dough. Roll over it lightly with a rolling pin to press the sugar into the dough. Fold the left and the right sides of the dough inward so they meet in the middle. Your rectangle should now be half the width it was when you started. Sprinkle sugar over the dough again, and roll over the dough lightly to press in the sugar. Fold the left side of your rectangle over the right side. Now you should have a very long, flat length of dough. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes, to make them easier to cut. This step will also help them puff better in the oven. Heat the oven to 425°F.  After chilling, slice the log across into cookies roughly 1-inch wide. Transfer cookies to parchment-lined baking sheet, cut side up. (Psst: I didn't have parchment paper when I made these, so I just put them on baking stones, and they turned out just fine.) Sprinkle the cookies with more sugar, if desired. Give the palmiers plenty of space to puff up in the oven. On a baking sheet that I normally use for a dozen cookies, I placed three rows of two palmiers, and that was perfect. If you bake in batches, keep the un-baked cookies in the fridge until it's their turn to bake. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until dark golden.  Cool and eat! Let the palmiers cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Palmiers are best the day they are made, but can be stored in an airtight container for several days.  Variations to try, instead of sugar, would be shredded cheese, minced lemon peel, or finely chopped dried fruit.  I was so delighted with my beautiful Palmiers, I gave the first batch to my neighbor (who was quite impressed with the heart-shaped pastries) and made a second batch for my family. It's a perfect, light treat to accompany cider, coffee, or tea--and of course, a good book! Enjoy!  

Happy Thanksgiving! Today I'd like to share a couple of our traditional family recipes with you. We use these at Christmas, too, and sometimes even in between. They are not that hard to make, and soooo yummy. This photo of our spread (below) was taken before the turkey made its appearance. ALSO--and this is very important--that glare you see on the front edge of the tablecloth is a reflection off my favorite meal-time stress-reducer. I buy two square yards of clear plastic/vinyl from Hobby Lobby and cover the real tablecloth with it. Kids spill? No problem! Buttery knife falls off the plate? No problem! I LOVE this stuff. Cheap. Worth it. Bravo. Now let's get cooking. Fluffy Cranberry Salad [[{"type":"media", "view_mode":"media_large", "fid":"988", "attributes":{"class":"media-image alignright size-medium wp-image-1750", "typeof":"foaf:Image", "style":"", "width":"300", "height":"290", "alt":"cranberry salad"}}]] 3 cups fresh cranberries (one 12 oz bag might do it, but I usually buy two in case there are a lot of squishy berries to discard) 1/2 cup sugar 20 oz can crushed pineapple, drained 2 cups miniature marshmallows 2 cups heavy whipping cream (1 pint) Chop cranberries in half. Yes, sit down at the table and chop each berry in half individually. We tried putting them through the grinder once to save time and the recipe was just not the same. Put on some nice Christmas music (I recommend Handel's Messiah or Charlie Brown's Christmas) and get comfy. Add next three ingredients to chopped berries. Chill overnight. Drain excess juice from the bowl. Whip the cream in a blender, adding sugar to taste. Fold in the whipped cream to the rest of the bowl. (Note: you may not want to add ALL the whipped cream to your salad. You will probably have some leftover to put on your pie later. :) ) Spinach Salad [[{"type":"media", "view_mode":"media_large", "fid":"989", "attributes":{"class":"media-image \u0026quot;alignright", "typeof":"foaf:Image", "style":"", "width":"300", "height":"238", "alt":"spinach salad"}}]] 10 oz. fresh spinach  slices crisp bacon, crumbled 1 bunch sliced scallions (green onions) 1/4 lb. sliced, raw mushrooms. Don't use canned mushrooms, they're gross. Dressing:  T. lemon juice 5 T. olive oil 3/4 t. salt 1/8 t. pepper 1 clove garlic, minced 1/2 t. dry mustard 1/4 t. sugar 1 egg yolk Assemble salad. Mix and chill dressing. Pour dressing on salad just before serving. I won't even tell you to enjoy it because I know you will without being reminded to. It's drool-worthy. Truly. Happy, happy Thanksgiving everyone!  

[[{"type":"media", "view_mode":"media_large", "fid":"942", "attributes":{"class":"media-image size-medium wp-image-1310", "typeof":"foaf:Image", "style":"", "width":"300", "height":"225", "alt":"Carrie Fancett Pagels"}}]] Carrie Fancett Pagels   UPDATE! The winners have been drawn! Kim T. gets Widow of Gettysburg, and Darci M. gets Return to Shirley Plantation and the pink goodies! Congrats to the winners and thank you to everyone for entering! Today we are celebrating the release of Carrie Fancett Pagels' new Civil War novella, Return to Shirley Plantation, with an authentic recipe, a give-away of her novella, a give-away of MY new release, Widow of Gettysburg, plus some extra goodies! Carrie's novella is the first in a Civil War anthology called Cry of Freedom. Carrie Fancett Pagels, Ph.D., writes “romantic historical fiction.” Represented by Joyce Hart, “Return to Shirley Plantation: A Civil War Romance” is Carrie’s first fiction release. Carrie contributed to “God’s Provision in Tough Times” releasing May, 2013. Previously a psychologist, Carrie lives in Virginia with her family. Carrie blogs at “Colonial Quills” and “Overcoming With God.” She has served in ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) leadership positions as Zone Director, Area Coordinator, and continues as co-chairman of a local group. Member ACFW, Romance Writers of America, Faith-Hope-Love RWA affiliate group and FaithWriters. Columnist/Board Member of The Book Club Network ezine. Loves God, history, and romance! [[{"type":"media", "view_mode":"media_large", "fid":"943", "attributes":{"class":"media-image alignright size-medium wp-image-1311", "typeof":"foaf:Image", "style":"", "width":"200", "height":"300", "alt":"01ShirleyPlantation_RtSP_cover"}}]]So let's just give you a little taste of Return to Shirley Plantation before we sink our teeth into Carrie's recipe, shall we? I confess I've not had a chance to read it myself (YET!), but I see that authors like Julie Lessman, MaryLu Tyndall, and Laura Frantz have all given the story five stars. Here's a review by Lisa Norato, author of Prize of My Heart and Where Eagles Fly. She says: I was hooked by the first line with the beautiful writing.  The story itself quickly reeled me in with the conflicts of its two, endearing, main characters.  Carrie makes history come alive with her words and brings her southern setting to life so that I felt I was right there on a gorgeous Virginia plantation in the midst of the Civil War. It is 1862 and thespian Matthew Scott is abducted from Ohio and the theater troupe he manages.  He is conscripted against his will into serving with the Confederate army because of his father’s political leanings.  He is not a soldier and feels lost and out of place as he follows the troops to Shirley Plantation in Virginia.  There he meets the lovely Angelina Rose and begins to feel some hope and the stirrings of love.  With her fair skin, Matt does not know Angie is a freed slave of mixed race.  She was given an opportunity to leave the south and start a new life for herself, but she did not take it because she has been working as a seamstress to earn the freedom of her deceased sister’s illegitimate twins.  Matt knows nothing of this.  He only knows that he is falling in love with a mysterious woman, and there is something very suspicious about his father’s claims of having no family. A lot of story is packed into this beautiful, redemptive novella.  It was a pure joy to read and reminded me of why I love reading historical romance novels! When I asked Carrie to share a recipe related to her novella, she chose these all-cornmeal muffins, as the closest thing to Johnny Cake we can probably find. While Union soldiers (Billy Yanks) ate hardtack, Confederate soldiers (Johnny Rebs) ate Johnny Cake. :) Carrie's recipe, below, would be the perfect refreshment for your book club if you read Return to Shirley Plantation or other Civil War stories! [[{"type":"media", "view_mode":"media_large", "fid":"855", "attributes":{"class":"media-image alignleft size-full wp-image-1313", "typeof":"foaf:Image", "style":"", "width":"192", "height":"192", "alt":"Corn_muffin_for_Jocelyn"}}]]Stone Ground All-Cornmeal Muffins Ingredients 2 cups goat’s milk buttermilk (add 2 Tablespoons of lemon juice or vinegar to the goat’s milk. Stir. Let sit about 5 minutes to thicken slightly) 2 medium-sized yard eggs 2 cups stone-ground cornmeal 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon sea salt (1/4 cup bacon drippings) Directions: 1.  Preheat oven to 415°F. 2.  Mix the dry ingredients, whisk the eggs into the goat’s milk mixture, then combine all ingredients. 3.  Mix with large spoon or spatula, do not overmix. 4.  Pour some cooled bacon drippings in and mix gently. Grease your muffin pans with the remaining drippings. Fill muffin cups about 2/3 full. 5. Bake 15-20 minutes till tops are lightly browned. Don’t overcook. 6. Remove, cool slightly, slather with softened salted butter and honey then eat! Yummmmmm......! [[{"type":"media", "view_mode":"media_large", "fid":"944", "attributes":{"class":"media-image alignright size-medium wp-image-1312", "typeof":"foaf:Image", "style":"", "width":"179", "height":"300", "alt":"pink goodies"}}]]Now for the Give-Away! Carrie is graciously offering a PDF copy of her novella, a paperback copy of my Widow of Gettysburg, PLUS a gift basket of pink goodies, including two tall pink glasses, a sunglasses pouch, pink sticky notes and another pink surprise! Why so pinkalicious, you ask? In addition to simply admiring the color, after Carrie's mother died of pancreatic cancer, Carrie's two best friends both battled breast cancer-and BEAT it! To be entered into the drawing for the give-away, simply leave a comment answering this question: What is your favorite snack to have with a good book? (or movie, if you don't care to turn pages with messy fingers) For extra entries, follow Carrie on any or all of her social media outlets (below) and let me know that you've done so! Good luck to all of you--and please note that Return to Shirley Plantation is available now at Amazon for only $2.99. Facebook Author Page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Carrie-Fancett-Pagels/317053071710640?fref=ts Facebook Personal Page http://www.facebook.com/carriefancettpagels Twitter https://twitter.com/cfpagels Pinterest http://pinterest.com/carriefpagels/ GoodReads http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5548131-carrie-pagels LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=131454255&trk=tab_pro