Suzanne Woods Fisher's Blog, page 3
March 7, 2021
A little Briny, a little Peppery
What are your feelings about sauerkraut?
Hold on! Bear with me.
I have a good reason for bringing up that old-fashioned, rather pungent condiment. And it actually ties in with my newest release, The Moonlight School.
While researching The Moonlight School, I studied all kinds of historical information about Appalachia, including food traditions. Popular dishes reveal much about a region’s heritage, and Appalachia is particularly fascinating because it’s a melting pot of immigrants from Germany, England, Scotland and Ireland. Independent minded, these hardy souls came to the New World and sought land where they could be left alone and undisturbed, ignored by governments they didn’t trust.
But the isolation came with a price—most of Appalachia is heavily timbered or rocky, full of hills and hollows, painfully hard to farm. What resulted was a “cuisine of making do.” Making do with what you could grow or find or trap. A cuisine of necessity and self-reliance. And a cuisine of poverty.
And that brings me to sauerkraut.
A little briny, a little peppery, a little salty. But oh so very, very good for you.
The word comes from the Germans: kraut means cabbage, sauer means sour. Long, long ago, someone stumbled upon the magic of fermentation to keep cabbage from spoiling. That clever someone sprinkled salt on chopped cabbage, allowed a brine to form, poured it into a barrel or jar, then tucked it away in a dark cellar.
Today, that same clever someone would be shocked to discover that he (or she) had created a Superfood with astonishing nutritional benefits. One tablespoon a day of sauerkraut is recommended to aid digestion, boost the immune system, help reduce stress, maintain brain function, reduce the risk of certain cancers, improve the heart’s function, and build stronger bones.* One tablespoon a day! That’s all you need. Now, that’s a Superfood.
Amazing to think that the purpose of fermenting the humble, easy-to-grow cabbage was just to find a way to keep it from spoiling. No one had any way of knowing that it was also a remarkable means of nutritional support. Sometimes I wonder if God looks down on us, grinning, whenever science announces a breakthrough. He built so many benefits into nature…and He’s just been waiting for someone to discover it.
If you’re still wrinkling your nose at the thought of sauerkraut, give this recipe a try. It’s the best one I’ve found (has a pickle-ish flavor), and I have a hunch it will make you a sauerkraut convert. Your tummy will thank you.
Garlic-Dill Sauerkraut (recipe from Zero Waste Chef)
Ingredients:
1 large head cabbage (I like Napa cabbage for this recipe but I have made it with standard cabbage also)
1 bunch dill
6 cloves of garlic or to taste (Is it actually possible to have too much garlic? I haven’t discovered the threshold myself…)
2 teaspoons salt
Directions:
Peel off a leaf of cabbage and set aside. Chop the cabbage roughly into smallish pieces. Mince the dill and garlic.Combine ingredients in a large bowl. Squeeze them with your hands. Place a plate on top of them and a weight on top of that. The salt, the crushing and the weight all help draw out liquid from the vegetables. Taste the mixture. If you want it saltier, add more salt.Pack the vegetables into clean glass jars. Place the conserved cabbage leaf over the vegetables to stuff them down in the jar. If you have a small jar, place it within the larger jar to force down the vegetables to submerge them completely in liquid. The vegetables WILL NOT FERMENT if you don’t submerge them in liquid. Put the lids on the jars. Place the jars on a plate. They will bubble, gurgle and ooze over the next several days and you don’t want that liquid all over the place.Burp the jars daily (i.e., open the lids to let built-up carbon dioxide escape) during active fermentation (several days, depending on your kitchen environment).Taste the kraut on day three. If you like the flavor, you’re done. If you want it tangier, wait longer. I usually ferment my kraut for a couple of months. Move your jars to the refrigerator when you like the flavor unless you have eaten it all…*Recipe source: https://zerowastechef.com/2016/06/02/garlic-dill-sauerkraut/
*Health source: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/benefits-of-sauerkraut#7.-May-promote-heart-health
*Photo credit: irenemacri.com
Suzanne Woods Fisher is a bestselling, award winning author, with over 1.2 million books sold. Her most recent novel, The Moonlight School, is based on the true story of Cora Wilson Stewart and her efforts to eradicate adult illiteracy in eastern Kentucky during the early part of the 20th century. Cora was an ordinary woman who led an extraordinary life. And she loved sauerkraut.
February 28, 2021
Jesus Calling Blog
Are you familiar with the Jesus Calling devotional book by Sarah Young? I start each morning with a cup of coffee, my open Bible, a lit candle, and Jesus Calling.
My copy is really scribbled up–lots of margin notes and asterisks and exclamation points.
This week, I wrote a post about Lent for the Jesus Calling blog. Click here to pop over and read it! I think you’ll find it to be a surprising take on the season of Lent.
January 30, 2021
Enter to win one of 100 copies of my soon-to-release novel!
You could win one of 100 copies of my new novel, The Moonlight School! Keep reading for details.
A few years ago, I added a Little Free Library out in front of my house. It’s more of a “community-builder” than I could’ve imagined! Neighbors stop to chat, strangers drop off books and become friends, children peek in to see what’s inside for them. One time I found a note in my mailbox from a woman I haven’t met yet, who just wanted to thank me for “running the Little Free Library on my property.” She added, “I greatly enjoy borrowing, returning, and contributing books.” There’s just something about books…and the people who love books. They bring people together in the best way. And that’s the heart of The Moonlight School, a story about literacy in rural America.
The Little Free Library non-profit organization is giving away 100 copies of The Moonlight School. To enter click here or go to www.tfaforms.com/4875506. The giveaway ends on January 31st!
Pre-Order The Moonlight School
Baker Book House
January 25, 2021
Behind the story of The Moonlight School
Where does inspiration come from? For me and for the story of The Moonlight School, it came on an ordinary day, just half-listening to the radio.
As I write in the mornings, I listen to a classical music station. One day, I happened to hear the radio host briefly mention that on this day in history (September 5, 1911), the Moonlight Schools grassroots movement began, led by Cora Wilson Stewart.
I stopped what I was doing to listen, then to research Moonlight Schools. How had I never heard of this fascinating event in American history? This seemed like a story that was waiting to be told.
So…I called my editor. She had the same reaction as I did. It wasn’t long before we had a book contract signed.
I learned a valuable life lesson from that ordinary moment of inspiration: Pay attention.
Want to read Cora Wilson Stewart’s story for yourself?
Order your copy from one of the retailers below.
Baker Book House
December 15, 2020
FREE Gift with your Pre-Order of The Moonlight School
How? It’s easy!
First, pre-order a copy of The Moonlight School from your favorite retail site.
Second, I’ll make a donation in your name (OR in the name of the person for whom you bought the book) to the Little Free Library, a non-profit organization of book sharing libraries all around the world. With many schools and libraries closed due to Covid-19, these book sharing boxes are more important than ever.
Plus, I’ll send you (OR the person for whom you bought the book) a beautiful, personalized holiday greeting card.
All you need to do, after pre-ordering, is to fill out the simple form below.
Pre-order The Moonlight School
Baker Book House Loading…
November 2, 2020
Election Night 2020
Twelve years ago, on an election night, I received a phone call from an Old Order Amish bishop. He said something that filled me with a sense of peace and calm and well-being. I’ve never forgotten that phone call.
Tonight, I’d like to share it with you.
Click here to read it: Election Night_Suzanne Woods Fisher
Photo credit: Spiritlife.com
October 19, 2020
After the Hunt…
Hope you had fun participating in the Fall Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt this last weekend! It was one of the most successful hunts yet. Over 1100 entrants!
This afternoon, I drew my winners’ names and notified them via email. Congratulations to them! And thanks to everyone else for joining in the fun. Hope you found some new authors and new books! I sure did.
Stay well, stay home and read!
October 14, 2020
Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt Stop #28
Welcome to the Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt! If you’ve just discovered the hunt, be sure to start at Stop #1, and collect the clues through all the stops, in order, so you can enter to win one of our top 5 grand prizes!
• The hunt BEGINS on 10/15 at noon MST with Stop #1 at LisaTawnBergren.com.
• Hunt through our loop using Chrome or Firefox as your browser (not Explorer).
• There is NO RUSH to complete the hunt—you have all weekend (until Sunday, 10/18 at midnight MST)! So take your time, reading the unique posts along the way; our hope is that you discover new authors/new books and learn new things about them.
• Submit your entry for the grand prizes by collecting the CLUE on each author’s scavenger hunt post and submitting your answer in the Rafflecopter form at the final stop, back on Lisa’s site. Many authors are offering additional prizes along the way!
Welcome! I’m Suzanne. I live in California with my husband, Steve (who is an ice cream maker. Really!). I’m a novelist who believes in happy endings, because life is just better with happily ever afters.
My most recent books are contemporary romances, the ‘Three Sisters Island’ series is about a family as they try to make a fresh start on a little remote island off the coast of Maine. 
On a Coastal Breeze is book 2, and it features middle-sister Maddie (a middle sister in every day).
Here’s the skinny: Newly licensed as a marriage and family therapist, she can’t wait to start her practice. Despite the unfortunate shortage of eligible bachelors on the island–they’re all too young, too old, or too weird–Maddie feels like she’s finally found her sweet spot. Not even one panic attack in the last year. Not one.
And then Ricky O’Shea drops in. Literally. Floating down from the pure blue sky, the one man in the world she hoped never to see again–the one who’d been her archnemesis from kindergarten through her senior dance–parachutes into town, landing on Boon Dock, canopy draping behind him like a superhero. Ricky O’Shea. Now Pastor Rick, the new minister on Three Sisters Island. Time to panic.
Want to know what happens next? I sure hope so.
A while ago, I read an interview in my local newspaper featuring a woman who had just turned one hundred years old. The reporter wanted to know this centenarian’s inner motivation. What had given her that “oomph factor” to live so long?
“I want to know,” she said, “what happens next.”
That comment hit me like a ton of bricks. It hit me and it keeps on hitting me.
Here’s the thing: that one sentence summarizes the essence of good writing. You want to make your reader feel so invested in the story that she has to turn the page, even if it’s past midnight and she’s just finished another chapter. She has to find out what happens next.
I try to end every chapter in a book so that the reader is on her toes, not her heels. It’s not easy to do—finishing a scene in such a way that it segues, subtly, into an unfinished moment, or even a question.
There’s one particular ending in On a Coastal Breeze that provides a good example of “what happens next?” Maddie Grayson, the main character, is struggling with her complicated feelings about the sudden arrival of her old boyfriend, Rick O’Shea. Long ago, during senior prom, things had gone terribly wrong between them. After all these years, why had he tracked Maddie down, all the way to a remote island off the coast of Maine? What was he after? Typical of Rick, he avoids her questions with steady banter. Finally, at the end of this particular chapter, he grows serious.
“Maddie, what would change if you knew you only had a year to live?”
The next chapter picks right up where that sentence left off, still in Maddie’s point of view. I don’t usually start a sentence with dialogue, but this time, it worked. And the publisher set the dialogue in all caps for an added bonus of drama.
“WHAT?” A chill went down Maddie’s spine. “What did you say?”
“What would change for you if you knew you had a year to live?” Rick said. “Or a month? Or a day?”
Interestingly, that chapter end/chapter beginning is the very heart of the book. That isn’t true of other chapter endings, and some of my endings are definitely better than others, but improving the way a chapter draws to an end–so that it pulls a reader forward–is one of the best ways to take writing up a notch. I always keep “what happens next” in mind.
You can order my newest book at Amazon or CBD or BN.com or at your local bookstore!
Clue to Write Down: fun!
Link to Stop #29, the Next Stop on the Loop: Tammy L. Gray site.
HOLD ON! It gets even better! I’m raffling off ONE Amazon Kindle and FIVE copies of On a Coastal Breeze. All you have to do is sign up for my email newsletter. Additional points for those who follow me on Goodreads, Bookbub, Facebook. or Instagram or Twitter. Thanks for entering! (E-book only for international readers.)
Picture credit: Funtoosh.com, Pfeiffer-Phoenix
Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt Stop #28 (Starts Tomorrow!)
Welcome to the Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt! If you’ve just discovered the hunt, be sure to start at Stop #1, and collect the clues through all the stops, in order, so you can enter to win one of our top 5 grand prizes!
• The hunt BEGINS on 10/15 at noon MST with Stop #1 at LisaTawnBergren.com.
• Hunt through our loop using Chrome or Firefox as your browser (not Explorer).
• There is NO RUSH to complete the hunt—you have all weekend (until Sunday, 10/18 at midnight MST)! So take your time, reading the unique posts along the way; our hope is that you discover new authors/new books and learn new things about them.
• Submit your entry for the grand prizes by collecting the CLUE on each author’s scavenger hunt post and submitting your answer in the Rafflecopter form at the final stop, back on Lisa’s site. Many authors are offering additional prizes along the way!
Welcome! I’m Suzanne. I live in California with my husband, Steve (who is an ice cream maker. Really!). I’m a novelist who believes in happy endings, because life is just better with happily ever afters.
My most recent books are contemporary romances, the ‘Three Sisters Island’ series is about a family as they try to make a fresh start on a little remote island off the coast of Maine. On a Coastal Breeze is book 2, and it features middle-sister Maddie (a middle sister in every day).
Here’s the skinny: Newly licensed as a marriage and family therapist, she can’t wait to start her practice. Despite the unfortunate shortage of eligible bachelors on the island–they’re all too young, too old, or too weird–Maddie feels like she’s finally found her sweet spot. Not even one panic attack in the last year. Not one.
And then Ricky O’Shea drops in. Literally. Floating down from the pure blue sky, the one man in the world she hoped never to see again–the one who’d been her archnemesis from kindergarten through her senior dance–parachutes into town, landing on Boon Dock, canopy draping behind him like a superhero. Ricky O’Shea. Now Pastor Rick, the new minister on Three Sisters Island. Time to panic.
Want to know what happens next? I sure hope so.
A while ago, I read an interview in my local newspaper featuring a woman who had just turned one hundred years old. The reporter wanted to know this centenarian’s inner motivation. What had given her that “oomph factor” to live so long?
“I want to know,” she said, “what happens next.”
That comment hit me like a ton of bricks. It hit me and it keeps on hitting me.
Here’s the thing: that one sentence summarizes the essence of good writing. You want to make your reader feel so invested in the story that she has to turn the page, even if it’s past midnight and she’s just finished another chapter. She has to find out what happens next.
I try to end every chapter in a book so that the reader is on her toes, not her heels. It’s not easy to do—finishing a scene in such a way that it segues, subtly, into an unfinished moment, or even a question.
There’s one particular ending in On a Coastal Breeze that provides a good example of “what happens next?” Maddie Grayson, the main character, is struggling with her complicated feelings about the sudden arrival of her old boyfriend, Rick O’Shea. Long ago, during senior prom, things had gone terribly wrong between them. After all these years, why had he tracked Maddie down, all the way to a remote island off the coast of Maine? What was he after? Typical of Rick, he avoids her questions with steady banter. Finally, at the end of this particular chapter, he grows serious.
“Maddie, what would change if you knew you only had a year to live?”
The next chapter picks right up where that sentence left off, still in Maddie’s point of view. I don’t usually start a sentence with dialogue, but this time, it worked. And the publisher set the dialogue in all caps for an added bonus of drama.
“WHAT?” A chill went down Maddie’s spine. “What did you say?”
“What would change for you if you knew you had a year to live?” Rick said. “Or a month? Or a day?”
Interestingly, that chapter end/chapter beginning is the very heart of the book. That isn’t true of other chapter endings, and some of my endings are definitely better than others, but improving the way a chapter draws to an end–so that it pulls a reader forward–is one of the best ways to take writing up a notch. I always keep “what happens next” in mind.
You can order my newest book at Amazon or CBD or BN.com or at your local bookstore!
Clue to Write Down: fun!
Link to Stop #29, the Next Stop on the Loop: Tammy L. Gray site.
HOLD ON! It gets even better! I’m raffling off ONE Amazon Kindle and FIVE copies of On a Coastal Breeze. All you have to do is sign up for my email newsletter. Additional points for those who follow me on Goodreads, Bookbub, Facebook. or Instagram or Twitter. Thanks for entering! (E-book only for international readers.)
Picture credit: Funtoosh.com, Pfeiffer-Phoenix
