Beth Trissel's Blog, page 129
November 25, 2009
Berkeley Plantation Actual Site of The First Thanksgiving
When doing research for the sequel to Enemy of the King (postponed after the idea for Somewhere My Love came to me) my mother and I toured several of the lovely James River plantations. Two of these, Berkeley and Shirley, most influenced the home in Somewhere My Love, 'Foxleigh.' While visiting Berkeley, originally called Berkeley Hundred and named after one of its founders, I was especially impressed by the wealth of history behind this beautiful old home and grounds. The magnificent...
November 24, 2009
Old Time Recipe for Corn Pudding
I've always been a fan of corn pudding, an old fashioned dish and one of the foods my characters would have eaten in my early American historical novels. Corn pudding, corn bread, and corn mush reach well back into America's history. This basic recipe is from The Mennonite Community Cookbook.
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2 Cups grated Corn (recipe assumes, of course, you grew you own)
*Substitute canned yellow corn (drained)
2 Eggs
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 Tab. Sugar
2 Tabs. Butter
1 Tab. Flour
! cup milk
Mix corn...
November 22, 2009
More About Beth & My Books (To Date)




November 21, 2009
Old Time Mennonite Pumpkin Pie Recipe
I found this recipe eons ago in the Mennonite Community Cookbook by Mary Emma Showalter. This vintage collection is fun to read simply for the colorful descriptions of rural life, back in the day, and the quaint illustrations. It's also a treasure of old-fashioned recipes and useful 'how tos.' The by gone age this book hearkens back to is reminiscent of Laura Ingalls Wilder, though some Old Order Mennonites and Amish still live that way. Maybe back-to-earth homesteaders do as well...
November 19, 2009
An American Rose Christmas Anthology Available At The Wild Rose Press!
Wooo hoooo! The Christmas anthology with my novella entitled A WARRIOR FOR CHRISTMAS is available now as an Early Bird Special at the Wild Rose Press.
If need be do a search (on the main page) for AN AMERICAN ROSE CHRISTMAS:
www.thewildrosepress.com
AND there's a tribute to my placement in the Publishers Weekly
Best Books of 2009 List on the main page of the Wild Rose Press site so be
sure to look for it at the top






The Influence of Old Homes On My Work
My fascination with old homes and plantations, a theme that figures regularly in much of my writing, is partly inspired by the family home place, circa 1816, located outside the historic town of Staunton, Virginia in the lovely Shenandoah Valley. *Note I did a previous post on Staunton.
Called Chapel Hill (old homes invariably have names) this Georgian style brick house has been in the family for eight generations. Sadly, the old kitchen, a separate building from the main house, no longer...
November 18, 2009
My Book Review of Mennonite In A Little Black Dress
I recently read a new release, Mennonite in a Little Black Dress, as refreshingly unique as its title. This memoir first came to my attention when the publicist contacted me about the possibility of reading and reviewing this book after being impressed by my blog (not sure which one. I have several). As it turns out, I was a particularly good candidate and gladly agreed. I married into the Mennonite community a number of years ago and have a vested interest in the warm-hearted people author...
November 17, 2009
Sugarless Chocolate Chio Cookies
½ cup butter
1 egg
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp vanilla
½ cup chocolate chips
¼ cup chopped nuts
Cream butter and honey until light. Add egg and beat well. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt. Add flour mixture to butter mixture, then add vanilla and blend well. Fold in chocolate chips and nuts.
Chill dough then drop by teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 12 minutes. Yields 3 dozen cookies.
*I would use ultra dark chocolate chips.






November 16, 2009
Super Review of Somewhere My Love by Author Icy Snow Blackstone
Time means nothing to star-crossed lovers.
SOMEWHERE MY LOVE by Beth Trissel.
Let me start off by saying I don't like Time-travel stories…they just seem so futile. I do like Somewhere My Love, however, so I'm contradicting myself and that's what makes Life so wonderful–its little contradictions.
British-born Julia Morrow has found herself a dream job, working as a summer guide at Foxleigh, a stately plantation in historic Virginia. Immediately, she has a sense of familiarity about the place...
November 14, 2009
Southern Spicy Gingerbread

We got hit by cold, lashing winds and rain here in the valley this week. The sun is struggling to emerge from behind a veil of gray clouds and the air still nippy this morning. Which puts me in the mood for comfort food. With the holidays fast approaching, gingerbread comes to mind. This recipe is from an old fashioned cookbook called Charleston Receipts that my mom bought eons ago on a family outing to Charleston. I love old Southern recipes, probably because I'm from the South...