Sneak Peek at A Baby for Hannah!
Happy Valentine’s Day, readers! Just for you, we’re showing a little love by letting you read the first chapter of A Baby for Hannah before anyone else! Happy reading! (Book release date is July 1.)
No-Bake Chocolate Cheesecake
This recipe is in response to a reader’s request for a sugar-free brownie recipe. I could not find a brownie recipe, but I found this one from The Diet Docs’® Guide to Permanent Weight Loss. See my note below for more information.
Recipe
¾ cup reduced-fat graham cracker crumbs (about 12 squares)
2 tablespoons canola oil-based butter
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1 cup cold water
4 squares (1 ounce each) semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
4 packages (8 ounces each) fat-free cream cheese
Sugar substitute equivalent to 1 cup sugar
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup baking cocoa
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Topping
2 cups fresh raspberries
1 ounce white candy coating
In a bowl combine cracker crumbs and butter. Press onto the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake at 375° for 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly brown. Cool on a wire rack.
In a small saucepan sprinkle gelatin over cold water and let stand for 1 minute. Heat over low heat, stirring until gelatin is completely dissolved. Add the semisweet chocolate and stir until melted.
In a mixing bowl beat the cream cheese, sugar substitute, and sugar until smooth. Gradually add the chocolate mixture and cocoa. Beat in vanilla. Pour into crust and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours or until firm.
Remove cheesecake from refrigerator and arrange raspberries on top. In a heavy saucepan or microwave, melt white candy coating. Stir until smooth. Drizzle or pipe over berries.
Carefully run a knife around edge of springform pan to loosen and remove sides of pan.
Yield: 12 servings
Nutritional analysis: Once slice equals 158 calories, 6 g fat, 27 g carbohydrate,
9 g protein
Diabetic exchanges: 2 starch, 1 meat/cheese, 1 fat
If you’re looking to lose some extra weight, I personally recommend The Diet Docs’® Guide to Permanent Weight Loss. I haven’t tried the chocolate cheesecake recipe, but my husband and I love and continue to cook many of the recipes from this book, even though we are not currently dieting.
For people with blood sugar issues and/or diabetes, I highly recommend checking out
Overcoming Runaway Blood Sugar. We have received so many letters from readers who have been helped by this book! As always, consult your doctor before beginning any weight lost and/or dietary program.
Chapter 1 of The Amish Midwife is LIVE
FYI, I just posted chapter 1 of The Amish Midwife. Happy reading!
Recipe for Dutch Babies. Can you say YUM?!
There is a restaurant here in town that makes delicious Dutch Babies. So, you can imagine how thrilled I was to find this recipe for Dutch Babies in The Homestyle Amish Kitchen Cookbook. Now, I’m sharing it with you!
2 eggs
½ cup milk
½ cup flour
½ tsp. salt
pinch of nutmeg (optional)
2 T. butter
2 T. powdered sugar for dusting.
Place a 10-inch cast-iron skillet or heavy frying pan with sides inside oven and preheat oven to 475°.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, beat eggs with a whisk until light and frothy. Add milk and stir. Gradually whisk in flour, salt, and nutmeg.
Remove skillet from oven and reduce oven temperature to 425°. Melt butter in hot skillet so that the bottom and sides are completely coated with butter. Pour the batter into the skillet and immediately return to oven.
Bake at 425° until puffed and lightly browned, about 12 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve immediately, either plain or with maple syrup.
Note: You can easily double this recipe if you have a larger frying pan.
Sneak Peek at Abigail’s New Hope from Mary Ellis
Download Chapter 1
“Come help us, mamm! ” The excited voice of six-year-old Laura floated across the lawn. Abby grinned, watching her daughter and four-year old son, Jake, chase lightning bugs through the grass with open jelly jars in hand. Despite the industrious eff orts of the kinner, the fireflies successfully evaded capture to blink and glow another night?
“Why are you two off the porch? You both were already washed for bed.” Abby walked back from the barn with her palms perched on her hips.
She glanced up as a squeak from the screen door signaled the arrival of the final Graber family member, her ehemann of ten years. “I thought you were reading them a story,” she said with a sly smile.
Daniel slicked a hand through his thick hair, his hat nowhere in sight. Then he braced calloused palms against the porch rail. “Relax, wife. That grass looks pretty clean from where I’m standing. You won’t have to start from scratch. Didn’t it rain just the other day?” His smile deepened the lines around his eyes. With the setting sun glinting off his sun-burnished nose, he looked as mischievous as one of their children.
Meet Leslie Gould, author of The Amish Midwife
Leslie Gould is a professional author with a background in magazine journalism. She grew up in the small farming community of Pomeroy, Washington and earned a degree in history and communications from Judson Baptist College. She also holds a master of fine arts degree from Portland State University. In this interview, we’ll get to know Leslie as a person and as a writer, as well as learn about what led her to write her first Amish fiction novel. Enjoy!
So, Leslie, can you give us “you” in a nutshell? Try to describe your life in a paragraph (but if you need to use two paragraphs, that’s OK).
How about three?! I’m definitely a member of the “sandwich” generation. My elderly father lives in a nearby care center, and I take him to his appointments and try to see him as much as possible. My husband, Peter, and I have four children and all are at home—the youngest is 13 and the oldest is 23. The 13-year-old plays club soccer, which means lots of practices and games and trips. I always take my laptop along and write during practice and the hour-long warm ups before games. It’s crazy but it works—every hour of writing helps get a book done!
Peter is in the Army Reserve and was just promoted to colonel, which people say makes me a general since supposedly I out rank him. 
The Army Reserve definitely adds another twist to my life, but a very important one. I’m proud of Peter and thankful for his service.
Besides the Lord, my family, and all the good friends that I’ve been blessed with, the thing that makes me the happiest is writing a story. I feel such harmony when I have a stretch of six or seven hours to just write. It’s pure bliss when it all comes together and the words flow. (It’s the same feeling I have when reading a good book.) Of course there are plenty of days when the words don’t flow but the interruptions (mostly self-inflicted) do—so I’m always very thankful for that sense of harmony when it does happen.
What are your favorite things to write about, and what inspired you to write in the first place?
I love writing about families, friendships, and other cultures—which made the leap to Amish fiction very enjoyable.
As far as my inspiration to write, I’ve always been intrigued with the process of writing and storytelling. The first word I ever wrote was “sky.” I was four and thought it was absolutely magical. I also used to make up stories about the alphabet when I was little. Each letter was a character with its own personality and there was conflict between some of them, especially those next in “line” to each other—although I don’t think I ever got as far as actual plots in those stories. By junior high and high school I was keeping a journal (oh, the drama) and writing short stories (pretty bad stuff) and poetry (really bad stuff).
After college I did PR, curated a museum in Ashland, Oregon, worked for the Port of Portland, and later was the editor of a bridal magazine, along with writing freelance articles. I enjoyed the nonfiction writing that I did in all of those jobs, but what I really wanted to do was write fiction. I’d write scenes and character sketches and had ideas for novels, but it wasn’t until Peter’s unit was deployed to Germany in 1990 that I finally took a fiction writing class and started finishing short stories and working on novels.
One thing led to another…ha! Not really. One year of writing fiction led to another year of writing fiction, and although I had a couple of short stories published and I placed in a couple of competitions, it was 10 years from the time I took my first fiction writing class until I sold my first novel.
What interested you in Amish fiction to the point that you said, “I want to write an Amish series!”?
23 years ago when our oldest was a baby, Peter and I loaded up our VW van and the three of us took a six week road trip around the US. (Yes, we were crazy, but we didn’t know it at the time—and our little guy turned out to be a good traveler, thankfully.) Peter had lived in Pennsylvania as a boy and remembered visiting Lancaster County, so that was one of our stops. We ate shoofly pie, shopped in a couple of stores, and took photos of beautiful quilts hanging on clotheslines. It was absolutely fascinating.
Fast-forward a few years. Our next two babies were born at home in Portland and I started reading everything I could about midwifery, including A Midwife’s Story by Penny Armstrong, who was a midwife to the Amish. It became one of my favorite books and as I read it and reread it, I came became more and more fascinated with the Amish women and their stories.
When Amish fiction became big, I had an interest but didn’t feel as if I had the credibility to write it. I live in Oregon. I didn’t know anyone Amish. The closest experience I had was that all four of my children went to a Mennonite preschool—but it was a Montessori Mennonite preschool and certainly not anything close to Old Order. (There’s no Old Order anything in Oregon, except in Hillary Manton Lodge’s wonderful novels!)
When/how did you team up with Mindy Starns Clark to write the Women of Lancaster County series?
When my agent asked if I was interested in writing Amish fiction, I told him I didn’t think I could pull it off. I’m a history major—I want things to be as accurate as possible, and I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to get Amish fiction anywhere close to “right.” But then he suggested that Mindy and I write a novel together. She lives in Pennsylvania. She’d already written Amish fiction. I thought it was a great idea! So Peter, our two girls, and I traveled to Pennsylvania for a research trip and to meet Mindy. (Who is absolutely wonderful, by the way.)
From the first Amish farm we drove by, I was absolutely hooked. I found it even more fascinating than I had 23 years before!
What are some significant events in your life story so far?
Being married for 27 years is one of the most significant “events” of my life. I’ve been blessed with a good man who is willing to work hard at this ongoing endeavor. We keep growing and learning and moving forward. Being a mom is also one of the most significant and challenging ongoing events of my life. I tell people that parenting and writing are two of the most humbling things there are (but also two of the most rewarding).
Another significant event was adopting our youngest child from Vietnam. I took the emotions of that experience and turned them into a fictional story, which ended up becoming my novel Beyond the Blue. I turned the emotions of another significant event, Peter’s Army service and the impact on our family, into the novel Scrap Everything. Like most writers, my significant events find their way into my writing, but some are definitely more obvious than others.
What’s something you still hope to do someday?
I hope to go back to Vietnam and work in an orphanage or do some other type of service there. I’m fascinated by the stories of Vietnam and have been since I was a child, and I would like nothing more than to make a contribution to the people there.
After our kids are all grown, I hope Peter and I can do short-term missionary trips to wherever God would have us go—but I do hope Vietnam is one of the places.
Just for fun…
What’s your favorite dessert? Crème brulée
Which household chore do you dislike most? Unloading the dishwasher (yes, I would rather clean toilets and empty the cat box than unload the dishwasher—can’t explain it, but it’s true).
What do you think you would like best and least if you were to “go Amish”? I would definitely like the family working together the most and stopping school after the eighth grade the least.
Do you collect anything? Books, books, and more books! I’m basically a book-a-holic.
What’s your favorite book? How about my favorite story and my favorite book? My favorite story is “Jonah and the Whale.” I’ve loved it since I was little. Isn’t it a shock when the whale swallows him? Can you imagine? And then Jonah keeps on whining, even after all he’s gone through. It’s such an applicable story.
My favorite book is To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf. I first read it in college and have read it several times since. I love the domestic yet enchanting setting and the stream of consciousness writing. She was brilliant.
Anything else that you want to tell us? I’m very excited for the release of The Amish Midwife! Writing with Mindy has been a wonderful, collaborative experience. The characters are unforgettable and I love the way the plot twists and turns. I can’t wait for people to read it!
FREE Short Story!
Click here to download the free short story Lasting Love by Leslie Gould. You may remember her as the author of the upcoming book release The Amish Midwife. 
Easy recipe for leftover Thanksgiving turkey
Hello readers of Amish fiction. I would like to wish you and your families the happiest of Thanksgivings, and send along my tried-and-true leftover turkey casserole recipe. (Gourmet cooks may skip along to the end since this is for the corner-cutting and shortcut-loving cooks like me. ) But to everyone…from my family to yours, may you be blessed this Thanksgiving Day. Mary Ellis
TURKEY CASSEROLE
1-2 cups brown, white or instant rice (precooked.)
leftover turkey white meat, cut-up into small pieces
1/2 cup chopped celery (precooked so it’s no longer crunchy)
opt. cooked chopped onions (1/2 cup) or onion flakes (1/4 cup or less to taste)
large can mushrooms, pieces and stems (drained)
2 cans Cream of Mushroom soup (condensed version) (you could use Cream of Celery or Cream of Chicken or Cream of Turkey if you prefer…)
Opt. some folks throw in a box of frozen peas.
Mix it all together in a baking dish and bake at 350 for about half an hour, until everything is bubbly hot.
You could sprinkle the top with bread crumbs, or melt some cheese on top just before serving.
This was my go-to recipe for leftovers that I never make the same way twice. It all depends on what I’m trying to get rid of in my refrigerator. Now the “recipe” belongs to you. Tweak it any way you like. Enjoy.
Booksigning in Ohio’s Amish Country
Hello fans of Amish fiction,
Jerry Eicher and I just got back from Ohio’s beautiful Amish Country where we signed books at Holmes County’s largest ever book event. The Gospel Book Store located in the German Village of Berlin, Ohio hosted twenty different authors (many of the Menonnite and Amish faiths). Books ranged from a how-to guide for new brides, to cookbooks, travel guides, photography, devotionals and local history could be purchased. Jerry signed his latest release, A Wedding Quilt for Ella, while I signed copies of Sarah’s Christmas Miracle. A great time was had by one and all. Hope you all have a happy Thanksgiving. Mary Ellis
The Tea with Millicent Series
Click here for The Perfect Blend video trailer
Has anyone read any of Trish Perry’s novels? Trish is a delightful writer, and one of the nicest people you could ever meet! This isn’t an Amish series, but I thought some of you readers might like it, as it has a “small town” setting and even some special tea treat recipes in the back. I’m also posting the first chapter in case anyone wants to read it. I think it’s charming–but tell me, what do you think? (You can also view the first chapter as a PDF, here).
Chapter 1
Copyrighted Material
Steph Vandergrift was jilted in a truly beautiful place.
She focused on her surroundings so she wouldn’t break down and openly sob in front of people passing her on their way to work. Eyes blinking and chin quivering, she desperately sought distraction in the old stone buildings, lush spring greenery, and fragrant wisteria and lavender from the well-tended landscape nearby.
Rick told her she would love Middleburg, one of the most charming little towns in northern Virginia. When he proposed—
She breathed deeply against the urge to wail as if she were at an ancient European funeral.
When Rick proposed, he said she would even love his law firm’s stately, historic building. This was where she sat now, her dark bangs in her eyes. Despite the warm spring air, she huddled outside on the front steps, certain her brain—or surely her heart—would burst if she didn’t stop and collect herself.
A sudden leave of absence. That’s what the receptionist told her. Rick had taken a sudden leave of absence. And Steph knew she was whom he had suddenly left.
She swallowed hard. She stood and dusted off her short flared skirt in an attempt to look nonchalant while she sized up her situation. Where was she going to go? Where? She wiped away a tear, but another one swiftly took its place. She needed to not do this here, in the middle of this quaint old town.
God, what do I do now? Please tell me.
Distraction. She needed another distraction right now.
Across the street a middle-aged woman stepped out the front door of a small building, the white-painted stone of which was gorgeously weathered. She bent to lift a watering can, and her loose blond curls fell forward. She tended to the flower boxes that hung, moss-laden, from green-shuttered front windows. Then she seemed to sense someone watching her. She turned around and smiled at Steph before calling out to her.
“Good morning, dear. Are you all right over there?”
Steph took a few steps away from Rick’s building and tried to look purposeful. She managed to say, “Yes, I—” before her throat seized and then released a torrent of weeping and incoherent babbling.
So much for her stoic resolve.
Within seconds the woman was across the street and at Steph’s side. She smelled like vanilla and strawberries.
“You poor girl. Whatever is the matter?”
Steph tried to speak between heaving sobs. “…were s’posed to elope…left everything…job, family, friends…he’s not here…leave of absence…what…gonna do?” And then full-on wailing obliterated any further attempts at communication.
The woman enveloped Steph with her free arm, the other still holding the watering can, and steered her toward the little stone house across the street.
“You just come with me this instant. You mustn’t stand out here all alone like this.”
Yes. That was it. She was all alone. Rick had lured her away from everyone she loved. Everything she knew. She had left them all to marry him. It seemed like such a romantic notion, to elope after her parents had expressed their disapproval of Rick. And then what did the dirtbag do but desert her here?
The enticing smell of fresh-baked bread wafted all around them when they entered the little shop. Despite her anguish Steph sensed a rumble in her stomach. She thought she must be more beast than damsel to actually harbor hope for a pastry or two in the middle of this catastrophe.
“You have a seat right there.” The woman coaxed her into a wicker chair at one of the lace-covered tables in the dining area. “What you need is a nice, soothing cup of chamomile. Just give me a moment.” Before she went too far away, she stepped back to the table and placed a box of tissues within Steph’s reach.
Once Steph was alone again, reality descended. What was she going to do? Granted, she hadn’t walked out on a stellar career. She could get another job selling men’s suits in just about any department store, she supposed. But she didn’t know anyone here in Middleburg. Should she hang her head and drag herself back home to Baltimore? Why had she made such a scene before leaving? She hadn’t quietly sneaked away. No, she had to pull an all-out, in-your-face confrontation with her parents. A dramatic disconnect with her friends and roommates. And all of them had simply been trying to save her from exactly what just happened.
As she had always feared, her judgment was completely whacked. She had forgotten plans for any long term career once she and Rick became serious. She thought she would spend the rest of her life married to an
up-and-coming real estate attorney and raise their two perfect children and faithful dog in this adorable, classy town. Why had she believed that would happen simply because Rick said it would?
“Here we go, dear.”
It finally dawned on Steph that the woman had a faint accent. British? That would fit with this cute little shop, with its delicately flowered wallpaper and elegant china cabinets. The small, framed paintings hanging here and there looked like scenes of the British countryside.
The woman set a serving tray on the table and placed each item in front of Steph. A white porcelain china pot, painted with miniature violets, from which she poured tea into a delicate rose-covered cup and saucer. A plate with a couple of triangular biscuits on it. They smelled like butter and sweetness. And two dainty bowls: one holding strawberry preserves, and the other holding what looked like sour cream.
Steph realized she was able to stop crying as long as she stopped focusing on herself for a moment. She looked up and pressed a tissue against her nose. “Thank you so much. You didn’t have to—”
“No need for that. Go on, now.” The woman gestured at the food and tea and sat down across from Steph. Her gentle blue eyes reminded Steph of her mother during better times. “You’ll feel better if you have a bit to eat and some nice, relaxing tea.”
As soon as Steph lifted one of the biscuits, the woman said, “I’m Millicent Ashford Jewell. Everyone calls me Milly.”
“Steph.” She spoke around an absolutely delicious bite. She rubbed crumbs from her fingers and shook Milly’s hand. “Steph Vandergrift. Thank you for being so kind.”
Milly smiled and put a spoon of the cream on Steph’s plate for her. “Clotted cream. One of God’s great gifts, in my opinion. Marvelous on the scones.”
Clotted cream. Now that sounded downright nasty. But Steph was a self-admitted people pleaser, and she had never been one to ignore God’s great gifts. So she put a little of the cream on her next bite of scone. And then nearly moaned, it was so fantastic.
“But that’s just really thick whipped cream!”
Milly said, “I think you like it, right?”
“I love it.”
Milly stood. “I have a few matters to tend to in the kitchen. Feel free to walk back and get me if you need me. We don’t stand on ceremony around here.”
The shop door opened as Steph swallowed a sip of tea. She followed Milly’s delighted gaze toward the door and took another nibble of scone. Mmm. “Absolutely yummy.”
A crooked smile spread across the face of the young man who walked through the door. He looked directly at Steph and acted as if her comment were all about him. With a lift of his eyebrows and a tilt of the head, he said, “Well, thank you very much.”
Milly laughed and approached him. They hugged each other.
“Welcome back, stranger,” Milly said. “How was vacation?”
Steph didn’t pay much attention to their conversation after that. The man seemed to be in a hurry, which was fine by her. Otherwise she feared Milly might want to introduce them. She’d rather a man that attractive
not look at her too closely right now.
Steph watched his warm brown eyes, which never seemed to lose their smile. She noticed he never once messed with his short, tousled blond hair or fussed with anything else about his looks. Yet, when he walked with Milly toward the kitchen, Steph saw how perfectly, yet casually, he was dressed and groomed.
Her heart was broken, thanks to Rick’s wimpy, childish retreat from her life. But Milly’s chamomile tea and warm scones made her feel a little better. And despite her circumstances and the many question marks in her immediate future, she was still able to appreciate a good-looking man. She leaned sideways to watch him at the kitchen door until he disappeared from view. He and Milly were out of earshot, so Steph surprised only herself when she whispered it again.
“Absolutely yummy.”
Want to read the rest? Price and more info here.
