SKILLET COOKERY--delicious ways to use a favorite kitchen essential--Simple, Sweet, Savory, Soulful & Satisfying Skillet Recipes--plus a skillet folk tale!

I have several favorite dishes that I make with pork & onions. Pork chops fried with onions–make a wonderful gravy from the pan “drippings”–serve with rice or mashed potates, and you must add green beans. Boneless pork spareribs & big sliced onion browned in a big, deep, heavy skillet. When well-browned, add a generous amount of homemade BBQ sauce, set heat to low and cover. Cook on top of stove until meat is fork-tender and falls apart. Serve with buttery cornbread and “cheesey” mashed potates. Add green beans for “health & color”. Spareribs & Sauerkraut: Brown boneless pork spareribs in a large, deep skillet. When well-browned add one large can sauerkraut, one large chopped onion, one or two chopped apples, a generous amount of brown sugar, and a good sprinkle of caraway seeds. Add some water to the sauerkraut can, swirl it a bit, and then add the water to the skillet mixture. Stir carefully to combine. Set heat to low, cover pan, and cook until meat is fork-tender. If additional liquid is needed during cooking, add more water. For more flavor add apple juice–wonderful in cooked sauerkraut. Serve with buttery hot bread, boiled potatoes & green beans. 


Sweet & Spicy BBQ Sauce 

1 cup honey; 1/2 cup molasses; two 8-oz. cans tomato sauce; 1/4 cup vinegar; 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce; 1/2 teaspoon black pepper; 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper; 1 large sweet red onion, peeled and minced; 2 cloves garlic peeled and minced; 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

In a medium pan, start sauce by honey, molasses, tomato sauce, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and peppers. In a skillet, sauté onion and garlic in oil until tender and translucent, then add to the sauce and bring the mixture to a rolling boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5 to 7 minutes.


Savory Southern-Style Green Beans & Potatoes

1/2 lb. bacon, uncooked, cut in bite-sized pieces
1 small onion, coarsely chopped
3 cups (approximately) of fresh or frozen cut green beans,
2 medium red potatoes, unpeeled, medium-diced
Chicken stock, to cover
1 tsp. sugar salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

If using fresh green beans, remove the ends and snap in half or cut; rinse and set aside. Add the bacon directly into a Dutch Oven and cook over low heat until it begins to brown. Add the onion and cook until softened, stirring occasionally. If using fresh or frozen beans, saute them in the cooked bacon and onion for a bit first, and then add the potatoes to the beans. Pour over enough chicken broth to cover. Add sugar, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and let them low for 20 minutes, or until potatoes and beans are tender.


Savory Beef Bake

In an oven-proof Dutch Oven, brown two pounds beef tips (or cubes of sirloin or top round steak) and one large sliced onion in a small amount of olive oil. Lightly season with salt, black pepper and garlic salt. Brown well over low heat, stirring now and then to keep from sticking. When beef is evenly browned, add one cup of water to hot pan to deglaze the juices and small brown bits. Stir in one 14 oz can of beef broth and one cup of good red wine. Add several bay leaves. Cover and bake at 350 F for at least one hour, until beef is fork-tender. Add more liquid (water, broth, or wine) as needed to keep meat from drying out. Remove bay leaves before serving.  


Guilty Pasta:

Boil one pound of spaghetti or linguine until "al dente" or almost done. Drain pasta well, return to pot and cover to keep warm. In a large, deep skillet or Dutch oven, melt together over low heat 1 stick of real butter and 1/2 cup of olive oil. Toss in one pound cleaned, peeled, deveined medium shrimp and four smashed, peeled, chopped garlic cloves (or sprinkle liberally with California-style garlic salt, which contains dried parsley). Cook just until shrimp is nicely pink and done, stirring occasionally. Add cooked pasta and combine until mixed well and pasta is coated with butter. Stir in two cups grated Parmesan cheese and mix well. If desired, add a touch of freshly grated black pepper. Serve immediately. Accompany pasta dish with a basic romaine, tomato, onion salad topped with a vinaigrette dressing, real bacon and chunky croutons. Add some hot, fresh Italian or French bread to wipe the plates! Serve with a very well-chilled white or blush wine. Later, much later, a dessert sampler tray with fruit, cheesecake, and lots of assorted wicked chocolates. Served with hot, rich coffee. Much, much later....eat the leftovers!!!


COWBOY BEANS 

1 1/2 lbs. ground chuck
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 (14-1/2 oz.) can kidney beans
1 (14-1/2 oz.) can pork & beans
1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
1/2 c. brown sugar, packed
1 tbsp. steak sauce
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

Brown beef with onion and green pepper in a 12" skillet; drain. Add remaining ingredients. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Delicious as a main dish served with grilled Texas Toast. Leftovers make great hot dog chili.  


Savory Corn Cakes
 
1 cup yellow cornmeal;  1/2 cup all purpose flour;  1 teaspoon salt  3/4 teaspoon baking soda; 1/3 teaspoon ground pepper;  2 teaspoon sugar;  2 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted and cooled;  1 large egg;  1 cup buttermilk;  1 cup fresh corn kernels (frozen or canned would also work);  1/4 cup diced scallions, white parts only (reserve tops for garnish); 1/2 fresh jalapeno, seeded and minced;  1 1/4 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese;  2-3 tablespoons olive oil for cooking
 
garnish: sour cream, cooked crumbled bacon, finely sliced green onion tops, ripe tomato slices

In a large bowl combine the cornmeal, flour, salt, baking soda, pepper and sugar. Set aside. In a small bowl combine the melted butter, egg and buttermilk. Set aside. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, warm 1 teaspoon olive oil and saute the scallions, jalapeno and corn kernels until cooked through, stirring constantly, about 3 minutes. Add the corn mixture to the bowl with the buttermilk. Stir in the Monterey Jack cheese. Add the contents of this bowl to the larger bowl with the flour mixture. Stir until the batter is just combined. Carefully wipe down the large skillet you used for the scallions with a damp paper towel. Warm 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat, swirling the oil around to coat the entire pan. Drop the batter onto the skillet 1/4 cup at a time, cooking 2-3 minutes on each side or until the cakes are golden brown. Add more olive oil between batches, if needed. Transfer finished cakes to a paper-towel lined plate and continue cooking the rest of the cakes. Serve warm, topped with sour cream, crumbled cooked bacon, finely sliced green onion tops, and ripe tomato slices.


Summer Squash Skillet
 
1 tablespoon olive oil; ½ cup chopped onion, yellow or red; 3 cloves garlic, finely minced; 3 medium zucchini, medium-sliced;  3 medium yellow squash, medium-sliced;  2-3 ripe yellow or red tomatoes, chopped; 1 teaspoon sugar; salt & pepper to taste; 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

In a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, sauté the garlic and onion in the olive oil until the onions being to turn translucent, stirring constantly so the garlic doesn’t burn, about 3-4 minutes. Add the zucchini and squash, tossing well with the olive oil mixture. Sauté over medium heat for 3-4 minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes and sugar. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Continue cooking and stirring about 2 to 3 minutes until the zucchini and squash are tender and the tomatoes have softened. Toss the hot mixture with the Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.


Texas Skillet Cobbler

1 stick (1/2 cup) real butter; 1 can favorite fruit pie filling; 1/3 cup sugar;  1 1/2 cups self-rising flour; 1 cup sugar; 1 cup buttermilk

Melt butter over low heat in a 10-inch cast iron skillet; remove from heat. Spoon pie filling evenly over butter and sprinkle with 1/3 cup sugar. Mix flour, 1 cup sugar, and buttermilk in a bowl. Pour evenly over mixture in skillet. Bake in 350° oven for 25 minutes, or until browned. Leave skillet in oven after heat is turned off, until topping is crusty. Serve warm topped with vanilla ice cream.


A SKILLET FOLK TALE

“Granny” Tate was an eccentric little country lady who lived off the beaten path and grew wonderful vegetables, fruit and flowers. She was wise in the ways of herbs and plants and also kept honey bees. She sold her wares at the local farmer’s market, but some who knew where she lived would just stop by her house and “go shopping”. Granny Tate also canned her produce and honey, and she usually made several quilts a year to sell. When the local sheriff started receiving calls from Granny about a prowler, he paid a duty call and told her it was probably a bear after the honeycombs. He had always thought that Granny took a nip now and then, and probably made her own “Mountain Dew”. Finally, she called and said that there was a dead man on her back porch, and she needed him removed. What the sheriff found was a live man with a large lump on his head, and one angry Granny. Southern women wield a mean skillet and rolling pin, and Granny was no exception. What made her so mad was that she had used her favorite old black cast iron skillet, which had become thin on the bottom from long-time use. When she whacked the prowler on the head, it broke her prized skillet! Everyone looked at Granny with new respect. The sheriff searched high and low until he found her a good used skillet…blackened and “seasoned” just right. In return, she sent him off with a basket of preserves and home-canned goods and a large chunk of honey-on-the-comb.


“Honey, you’ll love this coffee cake!”---One sweet way to use a skillet!

Cake

•2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into 8 pieces
•1/2 cup light brown sugar
•1/2 cup honey
•2 large eggs
•1 teaspoon vanilla extract
•3/4 cup sour cream
•2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
•1 1/2 tsp baking powder

Topping

•1/2 cup all purpose flour
•3/4 cup light brown sugar
•1 tsp ground cinnamon
•3/4 stick chilled butter, cut into 4 pieces
•1 cup chopped walnuts

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees.

For the cake: Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Add brown sugar and honey and beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Blend in vanilla and sour cream. With a rubber spatula, fold in flour and baking powder until completely blended. Generously butter a cast iron skillet and spread the batter evenly in the pan.

For the topping: Mix the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and chilled butter with your fingers until well blended. Sprinkle evenly over the cake batter. Sprinkle with walnuts over the top. Place the skillet in the oven and bake for 35 – 40 minutes (mine took just a few minutes longer).  Serve warm.

FROM SIMON & SCHUSTER: "Kept Animals" by Kate Milliken; "Filthy Beasts" by Kirkland Hamill; and "The Bright Side Sanctuary for Animals" by Becky Mandelbaum--three intriguing titles that will keep you turning the pages

Kept Animals

A bold, riveting debut novel of desire, betrayal, and loss, centering on three teenage girls, a horse ranch, and the tragic accident that changes everything.

Rory Ramos is a dutiful teenager with a love of photography who works as a ranch hand at the stable her stepfather manages in Topanga Canyon, California, a dry, dusty place reliant on horses and hierarchies. There she rides for the rich clientele, including twins June and Wade Fisk. June begins to take an interest in Rory—but she is more drawn to Vivian Price, the beautiful teenager with the movie-star father, who lives down the hill, and Rory can’t help noticing, swims in her pool nearly every night. Rory’s ambiguous roots and blue-collar upbringing keep her largely separate from the likes of the Prices and the Fisks—until her stepfather is involved in a tragic car accident. From that moment on, the lives of these teenagers become inextricably linked—are they friends or foes, lovers or rivals?—sparking a series of events that come to a head the night a wildfire tears through Topanga Canyon, and Rory’s life is changed forever.

Kept Animals is narrated by Rory’s daughter, Charlie, twenty years after that fateful 1993 fire. Rory is away on assignment as a war photographer, and Charlie knows the key to her own existence lies in the story of what happened during that unseasonably warm fall. And without her mother to tell her the truth, she must unravel it by herself.

Taut, propulsive, and gorgeously written, Kate Milliken’s debut is a searing exploration of girlhood, class, and fate. 


 

Kate Milliken is the author of the 2013 Iowa Short Fiction Award-winning collection of stories, If I’d Known You Were Coming. A graduate of the Bennington College Writing Seminars, she has received fellowships from the Vermont Studio Center and the Tin House Summer Writer’s Workshop. She lives in Northern California with her family. Kept Animals is her first novel.

http://www.katemilliken.com

Filthy Beasts: A Memoir

Running with Scissors meets Grey Gardens in this gripping, true riches-to-rags tale of a wealthy family who lost it all and the unforgettable journey of a man coming to terms with his family’s deep flaws and his own long-buried truths.

“Wake up, you filthy beasts!” Wendy Hamill would shout to her children in the mornings before school. Startled from their dreams, Kirk and his two brothers couldn’t help but wonder—would they find enough food in the house for breakfast?

Following a rancorous split from New York’s upper-class society, newly divorced Wendy and her three sons are exiled from the East Coast elite circle. Wendy’s middle son, Kirk, is eight when she moves the family to her native Bermuda, leaving the three young boys to fend for themselves as she chases after the highs of her old life: alcohol, a wealthy new suitor, and other indulgences.

After eventually leaving his mother’s dysfunctional orbit for college in New Orleans, Kirk begins to realize how different his family and upbringing is from that of his friends and peers. Split between extreme privilege—early years living in luxury on his family’s private compound—and bare survival—rationing food and water during the height of his mother’s alcoholism—Kirk is used to keeping up appearances and burying his inconvenient truths from the world, until he’s eighteen and falls in love for the first time.

A fascinating window into the life of extreme privilege and a powerful story of self-acceptance, Filthy Beasts recounts Kirk’s unforgettable journey through luxury hotels and charity stores, private enclaves and public shame as he confronts his family’s many imperfections, accepts his unconventional childhood, and finally comes to terms with his own hidden secrets.

 

Kirkland Hamill is the author of countless witty emails to friends, coworkers, and clients who have, no doubt, at one time or another, rolled their eyes and said to themselves enough already. He was born in New York City, raised in Bermuda, and has lived all over the United States.  He has written for Salon and The Advocate. He currently resides in Baltimore with his husband, Dave, and a dog named Blue. Filthy Beasts is his first book.  

https://kirklandhamill.com/

  

The Bright Side Sanctuary for Animals

From the winner of the 2016 Flannery O’Connor Award for Short Fiction comes a tender and funny debut novel, set over one emotionally charged weekend at an animal sanctuary in western Kansas, where maternal, romantic, and community bonds are tested in the wake of an estranged daughter’s homecoming.

The Bright Side Sanctuary for Animals is in trouble.

It’s late 2016 when Ariel discovers that her mother Mona’s animal sanctuary in Western Kansas has not only been the target of anti-Semitic hate crimes—but that it’s also for sale, due to hidden financial ruin. Ariel, living a new life in progressive Lawrence, and estranged from her mother for six long years, knows she has to return to her childhood home—especially since her own past may have played a role in the attack on the sanctuary. Ariel expects tension, maybe even fury, but she doesn’t anticipate that her first love, a ranch hand named Gideon, will still be working at the Bright Side.

Back in Lawrence, Ariel’s charming but hapless fiancé, Dex, grows paranoid about her sudden departure. After uncovering Mona’s address, he sets out to confront Ariel, but instead finds her grappling with the life she’s abandoned. Amid the reparations with her mother, it’s clear that Ariel is questioning the meaning of her life in Lawrence, and whether she belongs with Dex or with someone else, somewhere else.

Acclaimed writer Pam Houston says that “Mandelbaum is wise beyond her years and twice as talented,” and The Bright Side Sanctuary for Animals poignantly explores the unique love and tension between mothers and daughters, and humans and animals alike. Perceptive and funny, moving and eloquent, and ultimately buoyant, Mandelbaum offers a panoramic view of family and forgiveness, and of the meaning of home. Her debut reminds us that love provides refuge, and underscores our similarities as human beings, no matter how alone or far apart we may feel.  

 

Becky Mandelbaum is the author of THE BRIGHT SIDE SANCTUARY FOR ANIMALS, forthcoming from Simon & Schuster on August 4, 2020. She is also the author of BAD KANSAS, which received the 2016 Flannery O’Connor Award for Short Fiction. Originally from Kansas, she currently lives in Washington State. 

https://www.beckymandelbaum.com/ 

"FAR FROM HERE"--by author Nicole Baart--From the author of "Summer Snow"—a suspenseful, breathtaking novel about true love, starting over, and finding the truth…at all costs. (see my review)

Far from Here

How long do you hold on to hope? 

Danica Greene has always hated flying, so it was almost laughable that the boy of her dreams was a pilot. She married him anyway and together, she and Etsell settled into a life where love really did seem to conquer all. Danica is firmly rooted on the ground in Blackhawk, the small town in northern Iowa where they grew up, and the wide slashes of sky that stretch endlessly across the prairie seem more than enough for Etsell.  But when the opportunity to spend three weeks in Alaska helping a pilot friend presents itself, Etsell accepts and their idyllic world is turned upside down. It’s his dream, he reveals, and Danica knows that she can’t stand in the way. Ell is on his last flight before heading home when his plane mysteriously vanishes shortly after takeoff, leaving Danica in a free fall. Etsell is gone, but what exactly does gone mean? Is she a widow? An abandoned wife? Or will Etsell find his way home to her? Danica is forced to search for the truth in her marriage and treks to Alaska to grapple with the unanswerable questions about her husband’s mysterious disappearance. But when she learns that Ell wasn’t flying alone and that a woman is missing, too, the bits and pieces of the careful life that she had constructed for them in Iowa take to the wind. A story of love and loss, and ultimately starting over, Far From Here explores the dynamics of intimacy and the potentially devastating consequences of the little white lies we tell the ones we love.

MY REVIEW:  Danica Greene, the heroine of author Nicole Baart's compelling novel "Far From Here", was just sixteen when she met the man of her dreams. Three years later, she married him and together they built a life together, working around her fear of flying and his life as a pilot and flight instructor. When Danica's husband, Etsell, accepts an offer to help a friend and spend several weeks in Alaska, she is not pleased that she was not consulted in his decision. Shortly after takeoff on a test run, his plane vanishes, and Danica's life becomes a nightmarish emotional limbo. The news that Etsell was accompanied on the trip by another woman is unbearable and unfathomable. Was everything that Danica thought to be true about their lives simply her refusal to see things without blinders? Danica's struggle to cope with her crippling pain and personal doubt is intensified by interference of her highly dysfunctional family, the watchful eyes of her very small community, and her own reaction to the empathy offered by her neighbor, Ben. A bombshell revelation about Etsell's relationship with the other woman further complicates her fight to regain control of her existence. You can't read this story without placing yourself in Danica's shoes, feeling her pain and confusion, and rebelling against the cruelty of a fate unknown. This is the story of a remarkable woman whose inner strength and mental fortitude are tested in ways that she could never have imagined. You will follow her through to the end of her eventful emotional journey and weep at her sorrows and share in her smiles. A recommended read.

Book Copy Gratis Amazon Vine

Reviews

 

“Nicole Baart is a writer of immense strength. Her lush, beautiful prose, her finely drawn characters, and especially her quirky women, all made Far From Here a book I couldn’t put down.” -- Sandra Dallas, New York Times bestselling author of Prayers for Sale and The Bride’s House

“Far From Here was a rare journey to a place that left me healed and renewed by the end of this beautiful, moving novel. A tribute to love in all its forms—between a man and a wife, between sisters, and among mothers and daughters—my heart ached while I read Far From Here, but it ached more when I was done and there were no more pages to turn.” -- Nicolle Wallace, New York Times bestselling author of Eighteen Acres

“Nicole Baart is a huge talent who has both a big voice and something meaningful to say with it. Far From Here is a gorgeous book about resilient people living in a broken world, finding ways to restore hope and even beauty in the pieces.” -- Joshilyn Jackson, author of Gods in Alabama and A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty

"Far From Here, Nicole Baart's tale of the certainties of absolute fear and the uncertainty of love whirls the reader up and never lets go.” -- Jacquelyn Mitchard, New York Times bestselling author, The Deep End of the Ocean, and Second Nature: A Love Story

“This gorgeously composed novel is a candid and uncompromising meditation on the marriage of a young pilot and his flight-fearing wife, their personal failings, and finding the grace to move beyond unthinkable tragedy. . . . Pulsing with passion and saturated with lush language, Baart's [Far From Here] will leave an indelible mark.” —Publisher’s Weekly, starred review


ALSO BY NICOLE BAART

 

The Beautiful Daughters

From the highly acclaimed author of Far From Here and Sleeping in Eden, described as “intense and absorbing from the very first page” (Heather Gudenkauf), comes a gripping new novel about two former best friends and the secrets they can’t escape.

Adrienne Vogt and Harper Penny were closer than sisters, until the day a tragedy blew their seemingly idyllic world apart. Afraid that they got away with murder and unable to accept who they had lost—and what they had done—Harper and Adri exiled themselves from small-town Blackhawk, Iowa, and from each other. Adriran thousands of miles away to Africa while Harper ventured down a more destructive path closer to home.

Now, five years later, both are convinced that nothing could ever coax them out of the worlds in which they’ve been living. But unexpected news from home soon pulls Adri and Harper back together, and the two cannot avoid facing their memories and guilt head-on. As they are pulled back into the tangle of their fractured relationships and the mystery of Piperhall, the sprawling estate where their lives first began to unravel, secrets and lies behind the tragic accident are laid bare. The former best friends are forced to come to terms with their shared past and search for the beauty in each other while mending the brokenness in themselves.

Nicole Baart’s lush and lyrical writing has been called “sparkling” (Publishers Weekly), “taut and engrossing” (Booklist), and “evocative and beautiful” (Romantic Times). The Beautiful Daughters is another exquisitely rendered, haunting story that will stay with readers long after the last page.

Praise for The Beautiful Daughters:

“Oh, the dark secrets that can be hidden in the openness of the Iowa landscape. Nicole Baart has given us such fully drawn characters and compelling relationships that only the hardest of hearts wouldn't be won over by The Beautiful Daughters.”--William Kent Krueger, New York Times bestselling author of Ordinary Grace and Windigo Island

“Compelling and exquisite.... Baart has crafted an unforgettable novel filled with characters and places so rich, they spill from the pages in beautiful, slow motion passages that you’ll savor again and again. The Beautiful Daughters is one of those special novels that will stay with you long after you’ve turned the last page.” -- Roberta Gately, author of Lipstick in Afghanistan and The Bracelet

“The Beautiful Daughters is a captivating story that showcases Nicole Baart’s strong suits. Her sense of place and characters, her understanding of relationship dynamics, and her ability to craft a compelling plot filled with emotional highs and lows all make for an engrossing, fast-paced novel that will thrill fans of women’s fiction.” -- Kellie Coates Gilbert, author of Where Rivers Part

"An ambitious, complex novel, The Beautiful Daughters weaves an intricate web with one driving mystery trapped at its heart and several other secrets waiting to be unraveled. A gorgeous, dark, and winding read!” -- Andrea Lochen, author of The Repeat Year and Imaginary Things

"A meditation on friendship, betrayal and redemption, The Beautiful Daughters is the kind of story that grabs hold and doesn't let go until the final, moving page. Baart spins together multiple storylines with masterful skill, and her richly realized characters stay with you long after you've finished reading." -- Elizabeth Blackwell, author of While Beauty Slept


Nicole Baart

 

Nicole Baart is a New York Times bestselling author, collaborator, ghostwriter, and speaker. Her critically acclaimed novels have been featured in Southern Living, Country Woman, Book Page, Glam, Bookbub, Brit & Co., and Yahoo! Lifestyle among several others. Nicole’s Little Broken Things, was a PEOPLE Magazine Editor's Top Pick, a Goodreads Best Book of the Month, and featured in Library Journal. A perennial reviewer favorite, Nicole has received starred and featured reviews from Publishers Weekly, Romantic Times, Midwest Connections, and more. She is best known for her “wholly compelling” stories that are “ripe with complex emotion and vivid prose.”

Baart lives with her husband and five children in a small town in Iowa. She is the co-founder of a non-profit organization that works in Liberia, West Africa, and a dual American/Canadian citizen. Her books range from literary to domestic suspense, but they always draw heavily from her personal experiences and her life in the Midwest. Nicole shares about her passion for travel, adoption, social justice, and bringing people together on social media. To find out more about Nicole, please visit: nicolebaart.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NicoleBaart/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicolebaart/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/NicoleLynnBaart

"BRINGING MAGGIE HOME"--by award-winning, bestselling author KIM VOGEL SAWYER--a chance for family secrets and personal issues to be aired and for cobwebs of doubt to be swept away--a wonderful and inspiring read for those who enjoy family drama with added elements of mystery (see my review)

Bringing Maggie Home

Decades of Loss, an Unsolved Mystery, and a Rift Spanning Three Generations...

Hazel DeFord is a woman haunted by her past. While berry picking in a blackberry thicket in 1943, ten-year old Hazel momentarily turns her back on her three-year old sister Maggie and the young girl disappears.

Almost seventy years later, the mystery remains unsolved and the secret guilt Hazel carries has alienated her from her daughter Diane, who can’t understand her mother’s over-protectiveness and near paranoia. While Diane resents her mother’s inexplicable eccentricities, her daughter Meghan—a cold case agent—cherishes her grandmother’s lavish attention and affection.

When a traffic accident forces Meghan to take a six-week leave-of-absence to recover, all three generations of DeFord women find themselves unexpectedly under the same roof. Meghan knows she will have to act as a mediator between the two headstrong and contentious women. But when they uncover Hazel’s painful secret, will Meghan also be able to use her investigative prowess to solve the family mystery and help both women recover all that’s been lost?

MY REVIEW:  “Bringing Maggie Home” is a powerful and poignant tale of heartbreaking loss and ultimate healing and redemption through love and abiding faith. This is a beautifully-written tale, enriched by author Kim Vogel Sawyer’s exquisite storytelling. Hazel DeFord knows that a moment’s mistake can lead to a lifetime of regret. As a ten-year-old girl in 1943, Hazel lost sight of her of three-year-old sister, Maggie, and the toddler vanished. Seven decades later, still eaten up by an unrelenting guilt, Hazel is distanced from her own daughter, Diane, but close to her granddaughter, Meghan, a cold-case investigator. When an accident forces Meghan to take a leave of absence, three generations of DeFord women find themselves in one another’s company, with Meghan the mediator between her mother and grandmother. This is a chance for family secrets and personal issues to be aired and for cobwebs of doubt to be swept away. Will it also lead to a final resolution of the unsolved case of Maggie’s disappearance? “Bringing Maggie Home” is a wonderful and inspiring read for those who enjoy family drama with added elements of mystery.

Book Copy Gratis via Blogging for Books  
 

Reviews

“Bringing Maggie Home is beautiful, deep, and engaging! Don’t miss out on this powerful and emotive story.”—Cindy Woodsmall, New York Times best-selling author

“In Bringing Maggie Home, Kim Vogel Sawyer has once again woven a story so rich and unforgettable that it leaves her readers both satisfied and hungering for more. Her storytelling ability invites her readers into each scene. We laugh and cry, squirm and ache with the characters as if they were family members...even the absent ones.”—Cynthia Ruchti, author of twenty-one books, including "A Fragile Hope" and "As My Parents Age"

“Bringing Maggie Home by Kim Vogel Sawyer is one of those books you can’t put down until you’ve gulped the last page. The multilayered novel merges themes of restoration with a compelling search for a long-missing sister. I highly recommend this satisfying and richly imagined novel!”—Colleen Coble, USA Today best-selling author of "Beneath Copper Falls" and the "Sunset Cove" series

“High praise for Kim Vogel Sawyer’s Bringing Maggie Home! Kim intricately weaves the lives of three generations of women, each one affected by the tragedy of Hazel’s losing a sister long ago. The depth of the characters and God’s perfect timing are illustrated throughout their journeys. Already an award winner and a best seller, Kim takes her wonderful story to an extraordinary new level of writing.”
—Dianne Burnett, Publishers Weekly reviewer and former fiction editor for Christianbook.com


Kim Vogel Sawyer

 

Award-winning, bestselling author Kim Vogel Sawyer told her kindergarten teacher that someday people would check out her book in the library. The little-girl dream came true in 2006 with the release of Waiting for Summer's Return. Kim's titles now exceed 1.5 million copies and are available in six different languages. A former elementary school teacher, she now enjoys a full-time writing and speaking ministry. Kim's passion lies in writing stories that point the reader to a deeper, more intimate relationship with God. When Kim isn't writing, you'll find her traveling with her retired military hubby, spoiling her granddarlings, petting the cats, quilting, or--as time allows--participating in community theater. You can learn more about Kim's writing and speaking ministries at her website, KimVogelSawyer.com. 

From acclaimed author JULIE BUXBAUM--"THE OPPOSITE OF LOVE"--Emily, the young lawyer who tells her own tale, must face many long-postponed issues before she is free to reach out for the joy which awaits (see my review)

The Opposite of Love

With perfect pitch for the humor and heartbreak of everyday life, debut author Julie Buxbaum has fashioned a heroine who will be instantly recognizable to anyone who has loved and lost and loved again.

When twenty-nine-year-old Manhattan attorney Emily Haxby ends her happy relationship just as her boyfriend is about to propose, she can’t explain to even her closest friends why she did it. But somewhere beneath her independent exterior, Emily knows her breakup with Andrew has less to do with him and more to do with...her. “It’s like you get pleasure out of breaking your own heart,” her best friend Jess tells her.

As the holidays loom and Emily contemplates whether she made a huge mistake, the rest of her world begins to unravel. She’s assigned to a multimillion-dollar lawsuit where she must defend the very values she detests by a boss who can’t keep his hands to himself… her Grandpa Jack, the person she cares most about in the world, is losing it, while her emotionally distant father has left her to cope alone…and underneath it all, memories of her deceased mother remind her that love doesn’t last forever.

How this brave young woman finally faces the fears that have long haunted her is the great achievement of this marvelous first novel, written with authority, grace, and wisdom.

MY REVIEW:  "THE OPPOSITE OF LOVE", by Julie Buxbaum, takes one an emotional journey right along with Emily, the young lawyer who tells her own tale. Like most of us, Emily has compartmentalized deep emotional issues and functioned fairly well on a day-to-day basis. What proves to be her undoing, and ultimately her salvation, is the the tenderness with which she is loved by the good-hearted Andrew. When she realizes that Andrew is beginning to think of a permanent commitment, Emily immediately ends their relationship. Things begin to unravel for Emily without Andrew, and she must face many long-postponed issues before she is free to reach out for the joy which awaits.

Reviews

“In the character of Emily, Julie Buxbaum has created the quintessential motherless daughter: a woman who longs for the comfort of intimacy, yet fears its permanence. The Opposite of Love is a brilliant examination of loss, romance, and the jagged, imperfect, utterly realistic way we fall and stay in love. A stunning debut.”—Hope Edelman, author of "Motherless Daughters" 

"You’ll want to keep reading all night.”—Library Journal, Starred Review
“A witty, touching debut novel rich with emotional truths. Women everywhere will relate to Julie Buxbaum's thoughtful, young heroine and her journey of loss and love.”—Emily Giffin, author of "Love the One You’re With"

“Gripping, wise and extremely refreshing. I loved it.”—Marian Keyes, author of "Sushi for Beginners" and "Angels"

 "Buxbaum makes an appealing debut with this tale of...[a] single gal-in-the-city [who] finds her white-knuckle hold on life and love slowly slipping."—Publishers Weekly


Julie Buxbaum
 
Julie Buxbaum is the New York Times best selling author of Tell Me Three Things, her young adult debut, What to Say Next, Hope and Other Punchlines, and Admission (pubs 5/5/20). She’s also the author of two critically acclaimed novels for adults: "The Opposite of Love" and "After You". Her work has been translated into twenty-five languages. Julie’s writing has appeared in various publications, including The New York Times. She is a former lawyer and graduate of Harvard Law School and lives in Los Angeles with her husband, two children, and more books than is reasonable. Visit Julie online at www.juliebuxbaum.com and follow @juliebux on Twitter. 

"GEORGIA'S KITCHEN"--from author JENNY TAYLOR--a colorful, cuisine-filled story of one talented and likeable young chef's journey to the place where she was always meant to be (see my review)

Georgia's Kitchen

At thirty-three, talented chef Georgia Gray has everything a woman could want—the top job at one of Manhattan’s best restaurants; a posse of smart and savvy gal pals who never let her down; and a platinum-set, cushion-cut diamond engagement ring courtesy of Glenn, the handsome entertainment lawyer who Georgia’s overbearing mother can’t wait for her to marry. The table is set for the ambitious bride-to-be until a scathing restaurant review destroys her reputation. To add salt to her wounds, Glenn suddenly calls off the wedding.

Brokenhearted, Georgia escapes to the Italian countryside, where she sharpens her skills at a trattoria run by a world-class chef who seems to have it all—a devoted lover, a magnificent villa, and most important, a kitchen of her own. Georgia quells her longings with Italy’s delectable offerings: fine wine, luscious cheeses, cerulean blue skies, and irresistible Gianni—an expert in the vineyard and the bedroom. So when Gianni tempts Georgia to stay in Italy with an offer no sane top chef could refuse, why can’t she say yes?

An appetite for something more looms large in Georgia’s heart – the desire to run her own restaurant in the city she loves. But having left New York with her career in flames, she’ll need to stir up more than just courage if she’s to realize her dreams and find her way home.

MY REVIEW:   I have just read "Georgia's Kitchen" by Jenny Nelson, and it is a colorful, cuisine-filled story of one talented and likeable young chef's journey to the place where she was always meant to be. When we first meet Georgia Grey, she is on the brink of becoming a married woman, and her star continues to rise as the head chef of a popular New York eatery. Her fiance, Glenn, is a successful entertainment lawyer, and they share an apartment, a dog, and a mostly good romantic history. The restaurant where Georgia works is owned and operated by Marco, a morally ambiguous man who named his eatery after himself. At the same time that Georgia realizes Glenn has a substance abuse problem and other secrets, Marco's unfortunate treatment of a restaurant reviewer's very young daughter earns the eatery a scathing review. To save face, Marco blames the review on Georgia's cooking, and she loses her job. She also loses her fiance and her dreams of a productive life in the big city. She does what any smart and savvy heartbroken woman would do, and she heads for the hills. The Tuscan hills. Tuscany, Italy, where she has a friend who is opening a new restaurant and is in need of a skilled chef. Georgia's life takes on amazing new and unexpected aspects, including a relationship with the charming and sensual Gianni, owner of the winery next to her friend's restaurant. He tempts Georgia in more ways than one, including offering her a position as head chef at a prestigious hotel in which he owns a partnership. Georgia's sojourn to Tuscany was meant to be temporary--a time of healing. Now, she is faced with some soul-searching decision making. Should she stay in beautiful, sun-drenched Tuscany with a marvelous new opportunity to dazzle the world with her cooking skills and also enjoy the attentions of the gorgeous Gianni? Georgia is a very appealing character with heart and spirit, and how her life comes full circle and she returns to the spotlight is an involving tale full of astute observations about the restaurant world and the powerful elite movers and shakers who operate behind the scenes. The food is mouth-watering and quite varied. From Georgia's Nana's home cooking, to the incredible haute cuisine of New York's finest dining, to the rustic elegance of Tuscan wine and native food favorites, you will truly savor the meals you are served from "Georgia's Kitchen"!

Book Copy Gratis Simon & Schuster

Reviews

 

"A delightful meal of a read--delicious and satisfying. This new writer is one to watch!"--Katie Crouch, New York Times bestselling author of Girls in Trucks and Men and Dogs

“All the right ingredients--a heart-warming heroine, a romp through Tuscany--make for a delicious book that leaves you hungry for more." —Julie Buxbaum, author of The Opposite of Love and After You

“A fun read that women of all ages can relate to.”--Giada De Laurentiis, New York Times bestselling author of Everyday Italian.

"Jenny Nelson delivers on her debut with a rich and delicious read. With a fresh, charming and spirited voice, Nelson will have readers cheering for Georgia!"
--Jane Porter, author of Flirting with Forty and Odd Mom Out

"Jenny Nelson is no flash in the pan; this delectable concoction of gastronomy and self-discovery, spiced with fashion and romance, will have her fans clamoring for more."--Daphne Uviller, author of Super in the City

"Georgia Gray's adventures in the kitchens of New York City and Tuscany and with love on both continents, makes for a thoroughly enjoyable read. This glamorous and delicious tale will have readers cheering as the plucky heroine moves from disaster to dreams-come-true." --Giulia Melucci, author of I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti


 

Jenny Nelson grew up in Larchmont, NY and graduated with a BA in English Literature from the University of Colorado at Denver. A former web editor and producer, she worked for companies such as iVillage, Vogue.com and Style.com. She lives with her husband, twin daughters and dog in Millbrook, NY and Manhattan. Georgia’s Kitchen is her first novel.

http://www.jennynelsonwriter.com/

"HELLO, SUMMER"--from New York Times bestselling author and "Queen of the Beach Reads" MARY KAY ANDREWS--it’s a new season...for small-town scandals...and big-time secrets

Hello, Summer

It’s a new season...for small-town scandals...and big-time secrets 
 
Conley Hawkins left her family’s small town newspaper, The Silver Bay Beacon, in the rear view mirror years ago. Now, after ten years of blood, sweat, and tears, Conley is exactly where she wants to be and is about to take a fancy new position at a New York City newspaper. That is, until she discovers at her own going away party that her new job is suddenly gone, disappearing overnight along with her hopes and dreams of a bright future in a big city.

Dread in her heart and a sinking feeling in her gut, Conley ends up in the last place she ever wanted to be: The Beacon, now reluctantly run by her brother Garret whose own dreams of being a lawyer were put on hold with the death of their father. Covering a sleepy beach town with church news and the local funeral home director dictating the day’s obituaries to her over the phone isn’t exactly every reporter’s dream, and to make matters worse, she and her brother see eye to eye on almost nothing. Matters come to a head after Conley witnesses a car accident that ends in the death of a local politician – a beloved war hero with a secret shady history whose death may not be exactly what it seems.

Praise for Mary Kay Andrews:
 
"Andrews's gift for drawing fascinating characters and her captivating dialogue will pull readers through to the end." ―Publishers Weekly
Praise for The High Tide Club:

"At turns suspenseful, sad, and hopeful, with plenty of surprising twists. Another satisfying summer read from the queen of the beach." ―Kirkus

“Nothing says the start of summer like a new book from Mary Kay Andrews…An irresistible story of love, friendship, and skinny-dipping.” ―PopSugar, Best New Books for Spring

“A fascinating blend of mystery, romance, friendship, and history…Andrews skillfully contrasts deception, betrayal, and murder with the scenic beauty of her Southern setting.” ―Mystery Scene Magazine


Mary Kay Andrews

 

Mary Kay Andrews is the New York Times bestselling author of 24 novels including THE WEEKENDERS, BEACH TOWN, LADIES’ NIGHT, SUMMER RENTAL, DEEP DISH and HISSY FIT.

A native of St. Petersburg, Florida, she received a B.A. in journalism from The University of Georgia and was a newspaper reporter for 14 years. The last ten years of her career were spent as a features reporter for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

She is married to her high school sweetheart, Tom Trocheck, with whom she has a 40-year (and counting) collaboration yielding two grown children, two adorable grandchildren and countless memorable kitchen experiences.

After a 14-year career working as a reporter at newspapers including The Savannah Morning News, The Marietta Journal and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, where she spent the final ten years of her career, she left journalism in 1991 to write fiction.

Her first novel, EVERY CROOKED NANNY, was published in 1992 by HarperCollins Publishers. She went on to write ten critically acclaimed mysteries under her real name. In 2002, she assumed the pen name Mary Kay Andrews with the publication of SAVANNAH BLUES. In 2006, HISSY FIT became her first New York Times bestseller, followed by eleven more New York Times, USA Today and Publisher’s Weekly bestsellers. To date, her novels have been published in German, Italian, Polish, Slovenian, Hungarian, Dutch, Czech and Japanese.

Mary Kay Andrews’ first cookbook, THE BEACH HOUSE COOKBOOK, published by St. Martin’s Press, goes on sale May 2. She and her family divide their time between Atlanta and Tybee Island, where they cook up new recipes in two restored beach homes, The Breeze Inn and Ebbtide, both named after fictional places in Mary Kay’s novels. In between cooking and plotting her next novel, Mary Kay is an intrepid treasure hunter whose favorite pastime is junking and fixing up old houses.

https://marykayandrews.com/