Deborah Vogts's Blog, page 147

Homemade Apple Pie

With this year's abundance of fall apples, here is a favorite recipe for homemade apple pie:
6 cups apples (cored, peeled and sliced)
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 double crust pie pastry (recipe to follow)
1 tablespoon butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In medium bowl, combine apple slices, sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir until mixed well. Set aside while you prepare the pie pastry. Add apple mixture on top of bottom crust. Dot apples with bits of butter. Smooth water along edge of pie crust with fingertips (to help seal the pie). Add the top pastry to pie and crimp edges. I always like to smooth 3 tablespoons of milk over the top of the pastry and then sprinkle with sugar to make a pretty crust. Bake for 50-60 minutes until top crust is golden.

Pie Pastry Recipe:

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup shortening
1/2 cup cold water (2 parts)

In medium sized bowl, mix together flour and salt. Add shortening and cut in with a fork until crumbly. Add 1/4 cup water and mix, then add the rest of the water to finish mixing the dough. Dough should hold together in a ball. Roll out on floured surface the size of your pie plate. For top crusts, remember to make slits in the dough so your pie can breath while it is baking.

Autumn Author Events

Even though I'm on a tight deadline right now for Blades of Autumn, the third book in the Seasons of the Tallgrass series , I have a handful of author events scheduled this fall. If you're in any of these Kansas areas, I'd love for you to stop by and say hello or grab a bookmark and a piece of chocolate.

Last night I spoke at Faith United Methodist Church in Parsons, KS for one of their monthly women's meetings. These gals were so fun to visit and served the most delicious treats (they were testing recipes for their annual food festival). I especiallly liked the Polynesian Meatballs. So good.
Next Saturday, October 23, I'll speak at the Gridley Public Library about the research for the Seasons of the Tallgrass series, which will include many pictures from my day trips into the Flint Hills.
On Thursday, October 28, I'm scheduled to sign books with fellow Kansas author, Deborah Raney at Murphy's Cafe in Stark, Kansas. We'll be signing books from 9-10:00 AM, so if you haven't had a chance to meet Deborah Raney, please be sure to stop in for this event . . . and enjoy a yummy breakfast at the cafe.
I'll conclude my author events for the year the first weekend in November when I travel to Topeka for a Celebrate the Book librarian event at the Topeka Shawnee County Library on Friday, November 5. The next day, I'll mosey over to Manhattan, KS for a book signing at Christian Books & Gifts from 10-1:00. I'm looking forward to all of these events and hope to see some of you there!

Book Drawing - Snow Day

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
introduces
Snow Day
 FaithWords (October 11, 2010)
by
Billy Coffey

When you're raised in small-town Virginia by a redneck father and a Mennonite mother, certain things become ingrained. And when you marry a small-town girl and have two small-town kids, all you want to do is pass those ingrained things along.

Like believing the best life is one lived in the country enjoying the pleasures it provides—summer nights beneath the stars, rocking chairs on the front porch, deer grazing in the fields. And believing that no matter how iffy life can get sometimes, there are some things that are eternal and unchanging.

But above all else, believing that in everything there is story waiting to be told.
That's where I come in. Billy Coffey was raised on stories. The first ones came on the front porches of relatives, tales laced with local charm and deep meaning. Then came the stories from people like Max Lucado and Robert Fulghum, who write with a charm and deep meaning of their own. Billy lives with his wife and two children in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley. If you drive by his house, you'll probably spot him on the front porch. If you do, give him a wave. He'll wave back.

In this debut novel, Peter is a simple man who lives by a simple truth--a person gains strength by leaning on his constants. To him, those constants are the factory where he works, the family he loves, and the God who sustains him. But when news of job cuts comes against the backdrop of an unexpected snowstorm, his life becomes filled with far more doubts than certainties.

With humor and a gift for storytelling, Billy Coffey brings you along as he spends his snow day encountering family, friends, and strangers of his small Virginia town. All have had their own battles with life's storms. Some have found redemption. Others are still seeking it. But each one offers a piece to the puzzle of why we must sometimes suffer loss, and each one will help Peter find a greater truth--our lives are made beautiful not by our big moments, but our little ones. (2010) To read an excerpt from Snow Day, go HERE.

To enter this week's book drawing, please leave a comment below. A winner will be drawn on Sunday, Oct. 17.
*Void where prohibited. Open only to US residents. Odds of winning depend on number of entrants.

Five-Cup Salad

Here's an easy dish to make up for a familiy gathering or church dinner.

1 cup fresh pineapple chunks or 1 can (8 oz) chunked pineapple
1 cup (11 oz) mandarin oranges
1 cup sliced apples
1 cup sour cream
1 cup miniature marshmallows

In large bowl, combine the fruit, sour cream and marshmallows. Cover and refrigerate for several hours. Easy and so yummy. Serves 6-8.

Sunflowers

I love sunflowers.
Every late summer to autumn we see them along the roadside or in our pastures, the various varieties of sunflowers native to our state.

Tall, coarse and hairy, with stout stems, and a brown center surrounded by yellow rays of petals, their bright faces known for chasing the sun across the sky.

I love that Kansas's state flower is the sunflower. Bright, hopeful, and always ready to follow the Son.

Book Drawing - Within My Heart

This weekChristian Fiction Blog Alliance
introduces 
Bethany House; Original edition (September 1, 2010) 

Within My Heart by Tamera Alexander
Widow Rachel Boyd struggles to keep her ranch afloat and provide for her two young sons, though some days it feels as though her efforts are sabotaged at every turn. When her cattle come down with disease and her sons' lives are endangered, she must turn to Rand Brookston, Timber Ridge's physician and reluctant veterinarian. While Rachel appreciates his help, she squelches any feelings she might have for Rand--her own father was a doctor and his patients always took priority over his family. Rachel refuses to repeat the mistakes her mother made. But when she's courted by a wealthy client of the local resort, she faces a choice: self-sufficiency and security or the risk inherent in the deepest of loves. If you would like to read the first chapter of Within My Heart, go HERE.


Tamera Alexander is the best-selling author of Rekindled, Revealed and Remembered, the critically acclaimed Fountain Creek Chronicles historical series with Bethany House Publishers. Her second historical series, Timber Ridge Reflections (From a Distance, Beyond This Moment, and Within My Heart), penned in her style with deeply drawn characters, thought-provoking plots, and poignant prose have earned her devoted readers—and multiple industry awards.

These awards include the 2009 and 2008 Christy Award, the 2007 RITA for Best Inspirational Romance, the 2009 and 2007 Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence, 2007 Bookseller's Best Award, and Library Journal's Top Christian Fiction for 2006, among others.

After living in Colorado for seventeen years, Tamera has returned to her Southern roots. She and her husband now make their home in Nashville with Tamera's father, Doug. They enjoy life there with Joe and Tamera's two adult children, and Jack, a precious—and precocious—silky terrier.

**My thoughts: I just finished reading Within My Heart last night. What a wonderful story. It was so fun to return to Timber Ridge and see fond characters I've grown to love in this series. Tamera really pours out her heart in this one. I highly recommend taking the time to read this third book in the Timber Ridge Reflections series.

If you would like a chance to win Within My Heart, please leave a comment below. A winner will be selected on Sunday, Oct. 10.
*Void where prohibited. Open only to US residents. Odds of winning depend on number of entrants.

Apple Delight Cheesecake

1 cup graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 tablespoons finely chopped pecans

FILLING

3 packages (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

TOPPING

2 cups chopped peeled apples
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons caramel ice cream topping
Whipped cream

Combine the first five ingredients; press onto the bottom of a lightly greased springform pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes; cool. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add eggs; beat on low just until combined. Stir in vanilla. Pour over crust. Toss apples with lemon juice, sugar and cinnamon; spoon over filling. Bake at 350 degrees for 55-60 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen. Drizzle with 4 tablespoons caramel topping. Cool for 1 hour. Chill overnight. Remove sides of pan. Just before serving, garnish with whipped cream. Store in refrigerator. Yield: 12 servings. Delicious!

Apple-Caramel Cheesecake

1 cup graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 tablespoons finely chopped pecans

FILLING

3 packages (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

TOPPING

2 1/2 cups chopped peeled apples
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 tablespoons caramel ice cream topping, divided
Sweetened whipped cream
2 tablespoons chopped pecans

Combine the first five ingredients; press onto the bottom of a lightly greased springform pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes; cool. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add eggs; beat on low just until combined. Stir in vanilla. Pour over crust. Toss apples with lemon juice, sugar and cinnamon; spoon over filling. Bake at 350 degrees for 55-60 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen. Drizzle with 4 tablespoons caramel topping. Cool for 1 hour. Chill overnight. Remove sides of pan. Just before serving, garnish with whipped cream. Drizzle remaining caramel; sprinkle with pecans. Store in refrigerator. Yield: 12 servings. Delicious!

Book Drawing - Flyover People

Flyover People by Cheryl Unruh

This collection of Kansas essays first appeared in Cheryl's weekly "Flyover People" column in The Emporia Gazette. Eighteen of the essays have been aired as commentaries on Kansas Public Radio. Her writing has received awards from the Kansas Press Association, the Kansas Association of Broadcasters and the Kansas Sampler Foundation. Cheryl was raised in Pawnee Rock, a small town in Barton County, and graduated from the University of Kansas. She lives in Emporia. Learn more about Cheryl and her Flyover People Daily News Site here:


Endorsements for Cheryl's book:
Marci Penner, director, Kansas Sampler Foundation: "If I were to choose one book to put in a time capsule to describe our state, it would be this one. As the decades pass, Cheryl's easy-to-read stories will become a descriptive and colorful memorial to Kansas nuances that are often overlooked.


Dave Kendall, host and executive producer of Sunflower Journeys: Read this book slowly as you would sip your favorite beverage and savor the taste.


Kevin Rabas, poet, co-director of Emporia State University's creative writing program: Cheryl Unruh knows her people, their ways and their loves and losses. She is our reporter of the heart, and what she captures here in her words is nothing less than our Midwestern life.

I've been following Flyover People News  for a few years now and had a chance to meet Cheryl last spring. She's a really neat lady. Cheryl has offered to give away an autographed copy of her book. If you'd like to enter the drawing, leave a comment below. A winner will be drawn on Sunday, Oct. 3.

*Void where prohibited. Open only to US residents. Odds of winning depend on number of entrants.  

Mushrooms

With the damp, cool weather we've been having here lately, our yard has been a haven for mushrooms. Here are some fun pictures our youngest daughter took one day.

I'm sorry but this one looks like something from Lord of the Rings. Do you know, are any of these edible, or safe to eat? If not, at least they are pretty to look at.