Deborah Vogts's Blog, page 139

Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

This is a favorite cake recipe I enjoy serving during the holidays. It's especially good with hot tea.

Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
3 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon soda
1 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons poppy seed
2 teaspoons lemon extract
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon lemon peel

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In large mixing bowl, cream softened butter. Beat in sugar. Add eggs one at a time. In small mixing bowl, combine flour and soda. Add flour to butter mixture alternately with sour cream until mixed well. Stir in remaining ingredients. Spoon into a greased and floured Bundt pan. Bake 60-65 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle of cake comes out clean. Cool ten minutes and turn out onto plate. Drizzle with lemon glaze:

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons water
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract

Wild Horses

I've been doing quite a bit of research lately for my third book, Blades of Autumn, which yes, I am still writing. The research involves long-term pasturing of wild horses, which seems to be a hot topic in America today. Fortunately, there is much information to be found on the Internet--I just have to wade through it all in order to get what I need for my story.
What is long-term pasturing and why is it such a hot topic? Long-term pasturing, formerly known as long-term holding facilities, is when older mustangs are shipped to large, privately-owned pastures to live out their days. The BLM does this as a way to control the heavily populated mustang herds in the West as well as manage the forage for them there. Who pays for this--the government, ie. tax-payers. Some believe this is an inhumane way to treat the mustangs (fencing them in), while others believe it's not cost-effective (from what I can tell, it seems to be less expensive than other options, which btw, also costs tax-payer money.)
Interestingly enough, their are long-term pasturing facilities in the Flint Hills. Here is a recent story that ran in the Wichita Eagle about such a place. While there, be sure to check out all the photos that went with the story. 
So readers, how do you feel about the Wild Horses?

Book Preview ~ A Cowboy's Touch

It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!


Today's Wild Card author is:

Denise Hunter

and the book:

A Cowboy's Touch

Thomas Nelson (March 29, 2011)

***Special thanks to Audra Jennings, Senior Media Specialist, The B&B Media Group for sending me a review copy.***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Denise lives in Indiana with her husband Kevin and their three sons. In 1996, Denise began her first book, a Christian romance novel, writing while her children napped. Two years later it was published, and she's been writing ever since. Her books often contain a strong romantic element, and her husband Kevin says he provides all her romantic material, but Denise insists a good imagination helps too!


Visit the author's website.

SHORT BOOK DESCRIPTION:
Wade's ranch home needs a woman's touch. Abigail's life needs a cowboy's touch.

Four years ago, rodeo celebrity Wade Ryan gave up his identity to protect his daughter. Now, settled on a ranch in Big Sky Country, he lives in obscurity, his heart guarded by a high, thick fence.

Abigail Jones isn't sure how she went from big-city columnist to small-town nanny, but her new charge is growing on her, to say nothing of her ruggedly handsome boss. Love blossoms between Abigail and Wade--despite her better judgment. Will the secrets she brought with her to Moose Creek, Montana separate her from the cowboy who finally captured her heart?



Product Details:

List Price: $14.99
Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Thomas Nelson (March 29, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1595548017
ISBN-13: 978-1595548016

AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:


Abigail Jones knew the truth. She frowned at the blinking curser on her monitor and tapped her fingers on the keyboard-what next?


Beyond the screen's glow, darkness washed the cubicles. Her computer hummed, and outside the office windows a screech of tires broke the relative stillness ofthe Chicago night.


She shuffled her note cards. The story had been long in coming, but it was finished now, all except the telling. She knew where she wanted to take it next.


Her fingers stirred into motion, dancing across the keys. This was her favorite part, exposingtruth to the world. Well, okay, not the world exactly, not with Viewpoint's paltry circulation. But now, during the writing, it felt like the world.


Four paragraphs later, the office had shrunk away, and all that existed were the words on the monitor and her memory playing in full color on the screen of her mind.


Something dropped onto her desk with a sudden thud. Abigail's hand flew to her heart, and her chair darted from her desk. She looked up at her boss's frowning face, then shared a frown of her own. "You scared me."


"And you're scaring me. It's after midnight, Abigail—what are you doing here?" Marilyn Jones's hand settled on her hip.


The blast of adrenaline settled into Abigail's bloodstream, though her heart was still in overdrive. "Being an ambitious staffer?"


"You mean an obsessive workaholic."


"Something wrong with that?"


"What's wrong is my twenty-eight-year-old daughter is working all hours on a Saturday night instead of dating an eligible bachelor like all the other single women her age." Her mom tossed her head, but her short brown hair hardly budged. "You could've at least gone out with your sister and me. We had a good time."


"I'm down to the wire."


"You've been here every night for two weeks." Her mother rolled up a chair and sank into it. "Your father always thought you'd be a schoolteacher, did I ever tell you that?"


"About a million times." Abigail settled into the chair, rubbed the ache in her temple. Her heart was still recovering, but she wanted to return to her column. She was just getting to the good part.


"You had a doctor's appointment yesterday," Mom said. Abigail sighed hard.


"Whatever happened to doctor-patient confidentiality?"


"Goes out the window when the doctor is your sister. Come on, Abigail, this is your health. Reagan prescribed rest—R-E-S-T—and yet here you are."


"A couple more days and the story will be put to bed."


"And then there'll be another story."


"That's what I do, Mother."


"You've had a headache for weeks, and the fact that you made an appointment with your sister is proof you're not feeling well."


Abigail pulled her hand from her temple. "I'm fine."


"That's what your father said the week before he collapsed."


Compassion and frustration warred inside Abigail. "He was sixty-two." And his pork habit hadn't helped matters. Thin didn't necessarily mean healthy. She skimmed her own long legs, encased in her favorite jeans . . . exhibit A.


"I've been thinking you should go visit your great-aunt." Abigail already had a story in the works, but maybe her mom had a lead on something else. "New York sounds interesting. What's the assignment?"


"Rest and relaxation. And I'm not talking about your Aunt Eloise—as if you'd get any rest there—I'm talking about your Aunt Lucy."


Abigail's spirits dropped to the basement. "Aunt Lucy lives in Montana." Where cattle outnumbered people. She felt for the familiar ring on her right hand and began twisting.


"She seems a bit . . . confused lately."


Abigail recalled the birthday gifts her great-aunt had sent over the years, and her lips twitched. "Aunt Lucy has always been confused."


"Someone needs to check on her. Her latest letter was full of comments about some girls who live with her, when I know perfectly well she lives alone. I think it may be time for assisted living or a retirement community."


Abigail's eyes flashed to the screen. A series of nonsensical letters showed where she'd stopped in alarm at her mother's appearance. She hit the delete button. "Let's invite her to Chicago for a few weeks."


"She needs to be observed in her own surroundings. Besides, that woman hasn't set foot on a plane since Uncle Murray passed, and I sure wouldn't trust her to travel across the country alone. You know what happened when she came out for your father's funeral."


"Dad always said she had a bad sense of direction."


"Nevertheless, I don't have time to hunt her down in Canada again. Now, come on, Abigail, it makes perfect sense for you to go. You need a break, and Aunt Lucy was your father's favorite relative. It's our job to look after her now, and if she's incapable of making coherent decisions, we need to help her."


Abigail's conscience tweaked her. She had a soft spot for Aunt Lucy, and her mom knew it. Still, that identity theft story called her name, and she had a reliable source who might or might not be willing to talk in a couple weeks.


"Reagan should do it. I'll need the full month for my column, and we can't afford to scrap it. Distribution is down enough as it is. Just last month you were concerned—"


Her mother stood abruptly, the chair reeling backward into the aisle. She walked as far as the next cubicle, then turned. "Hypertension is nothing to mess with, Abigail. You're so . . . rest- less. You need a break—a chance to find some peace in your life." She cleared her throat, then her face took on that I've-made-up- my-mind look. "Whether you go to your aunt's or not, I'm insisting you take a leave of absence."


There was no point arguing once her mother took that tone. She could always do research online—and she wouldn't mind visiting a part of the country she'd never seen. "Fine. I'll finish this story, then go out to Montana for a week or so."


"Finish the story, yes. But your leave of absence will last three months."


"Three months!"



"It may take that long to make a decision about Aunt Lucy."


"What about my apartment?"


"Reagan will look after it. You're hardly there anyway. You need a break, and Moose Creek is the perfect place."


Moose Creek. "I'll say. Sounds like nothing more than a traffic signal with a gas pump on the corner."


"Don't be silly. Moose Creek has no traffic signal. Abigail, you have become wholly obsessed with—"


"So I'm a hard worker . . ." She lifted her shoulders.


Her mom's lips compressed into a hard line. "Wholly obsessed with your job. Look, you know I admire hard work, but it feels like you're always chasing something and never quite catching it. I want you to find some contentment, for your health if nothing else. There's more to life than investigative reporting."


"I'm the Truthseeker, Mom. That's who I am." Her fist found home over her heart.


Her mother shouldered her purse, then zipped her light sweater, her movements irritatingly slow. She tugged down the ribbed hem and smoothed the material of her pants. "Three months, Abigail. Not a day less."

Applesauce Spice Cake

Here's an old-fashioned snack cake you might enjoy making this spring.



Applesauce Spice Cake


2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1-16 oz. can applesauce
3/4 cup chopped raisins
1/2 cup chopped nuts


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In medium bowl combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Set aside. In mixing bowl, beat together softened butter and sugar for thirty seconds. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Add dry ingredients to egg mixture alternately with applesauce until mixed well. Stir in raisins and nuts. Pour into greased oblong pan. Bake for 45 minutes until done.

Interview with Author Sherry Kyle

Sherry Kyle is a graduate of Biola University with a degree in Communications, and a minor in Bible. She is the author of The Christian Girl's Guide to Style (Legacy Press, 2010) and Delivered with Love (Abingdon Press, 2011). Sherry and her husband have four children, three biological and one by adoption. When she isn't writing, she enjoys jazz concerts, watching movies, reading and spending time with her family and friends. She lives in California. You can find her on the web at: www.sherrykyle.com


Delivered with Love
An old love letter found in the glove compartment of a young woman's inherited 1972 Volkswagen propels her to leave her life in Los Angeles and go to the small town of Capitola, California. There her dream of finding the writer of the letter leads her on an unexpected journey that changes her life forever.

Claire James, age twenty-three, is ready to make it on her own. When she's fired from her job as a waitress and subsequently kicked out of her sister's home, she sees it as an opportunity to start over. But even before moving, a thirty-five-year-old love letter written to her mother keeps Claire stuck in the past. Michael Thompson, a middle-aged real estate agent, wants to keep the past where it belongs - at least until his grown daughter is married. But, then a young woman comes to town . . .


Interview with Sherry: 1. Nice to have you with us, today, Sherry. Please tell us what inspired you to write Delivered with Love.


I signed up for a mentoring clinic with James Scott Bell and needed the first three chapters of a novel. I love the coastal town of Capitola, California and thought the location would be fun place to set a story. I wanted to write a contemporary novel with romance and a hint of mystery. When I thought about an old love letter being found in the glove compartment of an inherited VW Bug, the story of Claire James, a young woman who had lost her mother to cancer, unfolded.

2. This is your first fiction title. Can you share a little about your road to getting published? How long have you wanted to be a writer, and how does it feel to see this "dream" fulfilled?

Delivered with Love is my first novel, but not my first published book. I've written a couple of children's books, one being the newly released nonfiction book, The Christian Girl's Guide to Style, for girls ages 8-12. I started writing women's fiction in September of 2007. I credit writing friends, Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference, and American Christian Fiction Writers for getting me this far.

I've wanted to be a writer ever since taking my first course at the Institute of Children's Literature in 1998, but I've always have had a vivid imagination. In the fourth grade, I won an award for a story I wrote titled, "Friends Can Be So Mean." Honestly, seeing my novel in print makes my faith stronger. Through Christ all things are possible!


3. Do you have a favorite hobby?

I love to read, watch movies, and most recently joined Zumba at my church.


4. What are three things you'd like readers to know about you?

I grew up in Colorado, but didn't ski until I went to college in California. I learned to crack open a coconut in Tahiti. I've wanted to adopt since I was ten years old when I saw the movie "The Inn of the Sixth Happiness" starring Ingrid Bergman. How's that for random?


5. I understand you had a nonfiction book release in the fall of 2010 for tween girls. Having three daughters of my own, I'm very interested in A Christian Girl's Guide to Style. Can you tell us why you wanted to write this book? Any more books like this in your future?

Thanks so much for asking. I wrote The Christian Girl's Guide to Style because girls get bombarded in today's culture with what the world sees as important in the area of fashion and beauty from secular magazines, television and movies. The world teaches them that their outward appearance is all that matters. What a wrong message! While researching this topic, I came across Colossians 3:12-17. God gives us a blueprint of what He sees as important. We are to clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, and humility to name a few. I wanted to combine biblical principles with fashion/beauty items so that girls can learn how to be beautiful inside and out!

Thanks for asking what I have coming out next. I recently signed a book contract for The Christian Girl's Guide to Your New Room all about planning, decorating, and organizing a girl's bedroom while transforming on the inside too!

6. From your website, I see that you've written a couple of historical books. Do you find it more difficult to write historical or contemporary? Which do you prefer?

It's definitely more difficult to write historical because of the research involved. As you can tell, I like all different genres and am trying my hand at a few. Right now I'll stick with contemporary unless one of my historical books sell.


7. Please share with us what you're working on now and when your next fiction title will be released.

I signed a contract for another contemporary romance with Abingdon Press titled The Heart Stone, to be released in the Spring of 2013. This book is about a diamond ring that is worn by a young single mother to ward off questions, but was offered to another woman forty years ago. And now the older woman is thinking about the man who asked her to marry him all those years ago. The story is about two women's journeys to find love and forgiveness.


Sounds wonderful, Sherry.  Thanks so much for allowing us to get to know you here at Country at Heart. Readers, if you have a question you'd like to ask Sherry, I'm sure she'd love to visit with you!

Free Kindle Downloads

Here's a collection of this month's FREE Kindle downloads for Christian fiction and nonfiction. Click here for the entire list on Amazon. Enjoy! 

Paper Roses by Amanda Cabot
The future stretches out in front of Sarah Dobbs like the pure blue Texas sky. Leaving the past behind in Philadelphia, mail-order bride Sarah arrives in San Antonio ready to greet her groom, Austin Canfield, a man she has never met but whose letters have won her heart from afar. But there is one problem--he has died. And Sarah cannot go back East. As Sarah tries to reconcile herself to a future that is drastically changed, Austin's brother, Clay, struggles with his own muddled plans. Though he dislikes working on the family ranch and longs for a different life, Clay is driven to avenge his brother's death. But something between them is growing and neither Clay nor Sarah is ready to admit it. Book 1 of the Texas Dreams series, Paper Roses will sweep readers into the Hill Country with a tale of love and loss, closed doors and beautiful possibilities that will leave them wanting more.
The Edge of Light by Ann Shorey
It is the summer of 1838 in St. Lawrenceville, Missouri, and Molly McGarvie's life is about to change forever. When her beloved Samuel succumbs to cholera, Molly is heartbroken but determined to take care of herself and her children. But when Samuel's unscrupulous brother takes over the family business and leaves Molly to fend for herself, she knows she must head out on her own. It is a dangerous journey and Molly has to leave her old life behind. Somehow she must find a way to make a living, keep her family together, and fend off some over-eager suitors. Book one in the At Home in Beldon Grove series, The Edge of Light will captivate readers with the true-to-life emotions of one woman's struggle to survive.


Leota's Garden by Francine Rivers

Acclaimed Christian fiction writer Francine Rivers's (The Atonement Child) Leota's Garden uses the image of the garden as a metaphor for the cycles of life that the characters experience. While the story revolves around a number of lives, they are all connected through Leota--an 84-year-old grandmother--and her garden, which was once a place of beauty and hope but has in recent years gone to ruin. Beginning in desolation--Leota has been neglected by her self-centered daughter, whose obsession with getting her own daughter into the best college has driven them apart--the novel slowly shows the weaving together of lives in the mysterious ways of grace: a proud and narrow-minded college student ends up learning more from Leota than he'd bargained for, and the granddaughter Leota had never been allowed to know shows up looking for some answers, and even more, looking for Leota herself. A garden blooms, the novel suggests, by getting one's hands a little dirty doing the hard work of love.

The Homecoming by Dan Walsh

No sooner is Shawn Collins home from the fighting in Europe than he's called upon to serve his country as a war hero on a USO bond tour. Others might jump at the chance to travel all around the country with attractive Hollywood starlets. But not Shawn. He just wants to stay home with his son Patrick, his aging father and to grieve the loss of his wife in private. When Shawn asks Katherine Townsend, Patrick's former social worker, to be Patrick's nanny while he's on the road, he has no idea how this decision will impact his life. Could it be the key to his future happiness and the mending of his heart? Or will the war once again threaten his chances for a new start?

The Gospel of Ruth: Loving God Enough to Break the Rules by Carolyn Custis James (Nonfiction)

This isn't the Ruth, the Naomi, or the Boaz we thought we knew. Carolyn James has unearthed startling new insights from this well-worn story ... insights that have life-changing implications for you. Naomi is no longer regarded as a bitter, complaining woman, but as a courageous overcomer. A Female Job. Ruth (typically admired for her devotion to Naomi and her deference to Boaz) turns out to be a gutsy risk-taker and a powerful agent for change among God's people. She lives outside the box, and her love for Yahweh and Naomi compels her to break the rules of social and religious convention at nearly every turn. Boaz, the Kinsman Redeemer, is repeatedly caught off-guard by Ruth's initiatives. His partnership with her models the kind of male/female relationships that the gospel intends for all who follow Jesus. Carolyn James drills down deeper into the story where she uncovers in the Old Testament the same passionate, counter-cultural, rule-breaking gospel that Jesus modeled and taught his followers to pursue. Within this age-old story is a map to radical levels of love and sacrifice, combined with the message that God is counting on his daughters to build his kingdom.The Gospel of Ruth vests every woman's life with kingdom purposes and frees us to embrace wholeheartedly God's calling, regardless of our circumstances or season of life. This story of two women who have lost everything contains a profound message: God created women not to live in the shadowy margins of men or of the past, but to emerge as courageous activists for his kingdom.

Microwaved Scalloped Potatoes

6 medium potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced1/4 cup chopped onion1/3 cup flour2 tablespoon butter1 tablespoon parsleythin slices of Velvetta cheese1 cup milksalt & pepper
Grease a large casserole dish.  Alternate first six ingredients in dish beginning with potatoes and ending with Velvetta cheese. Repeat layers twice. Pour milk over all. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover and cook in microwave for 15-20 minutes, stirring mixture ever 5 minutes. Very good. 

Book Drawing - The Dawn of a Dream

The Dawn of a Dream by Ann Shorey

Twenty-two-year-old Luellen O'Connell is stunned and confused when her husband of just one month tells her he is leaving her. Deeply wounded by this betrayal, Luellen decides to follow the dream she had set aside of obtaining a teaching degree.



More than anything, she wants to teach children in communities like hers and help them recognize that education opens a path to future possibilities. But her wayward husband left something behind when he abandoned her. Can Luellen overcome the odds and achieve her dream? Can she hide her secret, or will it destroy her dreams forever?


A moving story of tenacity and perseverance in the face of opposition, The Dawn of a Dream will inspire readers to discover and follow their own dreams. Learn more about Ann's books and enter her Railway Dreams Contest here.

To enter this week's book drawing for Ann's newest release, please leave a comment below. A winner will be drawn on Sunday, April 3.
*Void where prohibited. Open only to US residents. Odds of winning depend on number of entrants.

Glimpses of Spring

Despite freezing temps and even moments of sleet and snow, Spring is trying hard to get a foothold in the door.

We've already tasted the delicious sweet aroma of daffodils . . . .

Purple Hyacinth . . .

And Goats???

Um, just kidding . . .
But seriously folks . . . spring is in the air.

Pineapple Zucchini Bread

Pineapple Zucchini Bread
2 cups sugar2 eggs1 cup canola oil2 teaspoons vanilla extract3 cups flour1 teaspoon salt1/2 teaspoon baking powder1/2 teaspoon baking soda2 teaspoons cinnamon1 teaspoon nutmeg2 cups shredded zucchini1-8 oz. crushed pineapple (undrained)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In mixing bowl, combine sugar, eggs, oil and vanilla. Beat well. In small bowl mix together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir into egg mixture until moistened. Fold in zucchini and pineapple. Pour into two greased loaf pans. Bake for 60-65 minutes until done. Cool in pans. Makes 2 loaves.