Deborah Vogts's Blog, page 50

This Week's Recipes

Here are this week's new additions at Country at Heart Recipes. May God bless you in the new year!
New Year's Eve Menu Ideas


Twelve Days of Christmas Tea Party
Crock Pot Ham and Eggs

Twelve Days of Christmas

Last year at this time, our daughters and I hosted a Twelve Days of Christmas Tea Party at my grandma's house. 
Celebrating Christmas with a tea party has been one of our family traditions for many years. The last few years, we took the tea party to my grandma's house. This year, I remember fondly those times--and miss my grandma dearly. Life goes on and time moves forward. We continued our tradition this year, using some of the Twelve Days of Christmas decorations from last year. See pictures from that amazing tea party HERE. 

Book Preview ~ Twelve Days of Christmas

Twelve Days of Christmas, by Debbie Macomber

Friendly and bubbly, Julia Padden likes nearly everyone, but her standoffish neighbor, Cain Maddox, presents a particular challenge. No matter how hard she’s tried to be nice, Cain rudely rebuffs her at every turn, preferring to keep to himself. But when Julia catches Cain stealing her newspaper from the lobby of their apartment building, that’s the last straw. She’s going to break through Cain’s Scrooge-like exterior the only way she knows how: by killing him with kindness.
 
To track her progress, Julia starts a blog called The Twelve Days of Christmas. Her first attempts to humanize Cain are far from successful. Julia brings him homemade Christmas treats and the disagreeable grinch won’t even accept them. Meanwhile, Julie’s blog becomes an online sensation, as an astonishing number of people start following her adventures. Julia continues to find ways to express kindness and, little by little, chips away at Cain’s gruff façade to reveal the caring man underneath. Unbelievably, Julia feels herself falling for Cain—and she suspects that he may be falling for her as well. But as the popularity of her blog continues to grow, Julia must decide if telling Cain the truth about having chronicled their relationship to the rest of the world is worth risking their chance at love. Buy the book HERE. 


Debbie Macomber is a #1 New York Times bestselling author and one of today’s most popular writers with more than 200 million copies of her books in print worldwide. In her novels, Macomber brings to life compelling relationships that embrace family and enduring friendships, uplifting her readers with stories of connection and hope. Macomber’s novels have spent over 950 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. Ten of these novels hit the number one spot.

In 2016, Macomber’s all-new hardcover publications include A Girl’s Guide to Moving On (February), Sweet Tomorrows (August), and Twelve Days of Christmas (October) and an adult coloring book, The World of Debbie Macomber: Come Home To Color (April). In addition to fiction, Macomber has also published two bestselling cookbooks, numerous inspirational and nonfiction works, and two acclaimed children’s books.

Celebrated as “the official storyteller of Christmas”, Macomber’s annual Christmas books are beloved and five have been crafted into original Hallmark Channel movies. Macomber is also the author of the bestselling Cedar Cove Series which the Hallmark Channel chose as the basis for its first dramatic scripted television series. Debuting in 2013, Debbie Macomber’s Cedar Cove was a ratings favorite for three seasons.

She and her husband, Wayne, serve on the Guideposts National Advisory Cabinet, and she is World Vision’s international spokesperson for their Knit for Kids charity initiative. A devoted grandmother, Debbie and Wayne live in Port Orchard, Washington and winter in Florida.Learn more about Debbie and her books HERE.

This Week's Recipes

Here are this week's new additions at Country at Heart Recipes.May you have a Blessed Christmas Weekend. 
Candied Sweet Potatoes
Christmas Pie
Christmas Breakfast Ideas

Christmas Eve Tradition

  This month, I've shared with you a few of our family Christmas traditions, including our ongoing collection of angel ornaments for our Christmas tree. My favorite tradition, however, is when we celebrate Christmas Eve with a candlelight service at our church, which closes with the hymn Silent Night. 
After the service, we traipse back to our warm, comfy home for a shared dinner with my parents. The candles are lit, some music is turned on, and the table is set with my favorite crystal and china dishes. This year I plan to make Christmas Pie with Creamy Vegetable Soup and Crescent Rolls. And for dessert, something chocolate, and possibly Cream Brulee. After dinner, we’ll gather in the living room where we'll open our presents leaving our stockings for Christmas morning. 
Oh the joys of Christmas. Spending cherished time with loved ones and celebrating the gift of our Savior’s birth. May each of you be blessed this Christmas.

Book Preview ~ Kissing Father Christmas

Kissing Father Christmas, by Robin Jones Gunn

Anna's first visit to Carlton Heath in England was last May for the wedding of her cousin Ian to Miranda. The beautiful event ended with a dance under the stars and Anna receiving an unexpected kiss from Peter, the groomsman who caught her eye and now holds her heart.


Now, at the invitation of family and friends, Anna is returning to Carlton Heath for Christmas. She has Peter's recent email to fill her with assurance that he's looking forward to seeing her again as well.
More than his brief words, though, the vivid memory of their unforgettable kiss provides a promise of more to come. Anna, ever the imaginative artist, has been busy painting a romantic conclusion to her holiday visit. Certainly she's not the only one who has been dreaming of another dance and another kiss. But when she sees Peter again, his intentions seem to shift as speedily as the blustery winter weather. Is Anna's heart misleading her, or will Father Christmas bestow on her the gift of love for which she has long dreamed? Buy the book HERE. 
Robin Jones Gunn has written 82 books over the past 25 years, with almost 4.5 million copies sold worldwide. She received a Christy Award for her novel Sisterchicks in Gondolas, and speaks at events around the US and Canada as well as in South America, Africa, Europe, and Australia.Learn more about Robin and how her Father Christmas books became a Hallmark Original Christmas Movie HERE.

This Week's Recipes

Here are this week's new additions at Country at Heart Recipes.Do some holiday baking and have a great weekend!
Christmas Stollen
Herbed Parmesan Spread

Featured Author, Rose McCauley's Gooey Brownies

Christmas Traditions - Baking Cookies

Every Christmas our girls and I become Cookie Elves as we continue our Christmas traditions -- baking cookies. We have our favorite recipes (see recipes HERE), which usually include: Sugar Cookies, Peanut Butter Kisses, Chocolate Peanut Butter, and Thin Molasses Crisps. Of course, we keep some for eating and then freeze the rest to give as gifts for Christmas.


Next we'll bake quick breads -- Orange Nut Bread and Poppy Seed Bread and then later this month we'll make some fudge, chocolate turtles and chocolate peanut clusters. Do you enjoy holiday baking? What are some "traditional" favorites for your family?

Book Preview ~ A Royal Christmas Wedding

A Royal Christmas Wedding, by Rachel Hauck

Avery Truitt aches for true love—the kind she once shared with Prince Colin. Can she dare to hope for happily ever after, or is a fairy-tale ending beyond reach?College volleyball star Avery Truitt has not seen her former flame, Prince Colin of Brighton Kingdom, since he suddenly pushed her away five years ago. But now, the sadness of losing her father and the joy of her sister Susanna’s pregnancy have brought Avery back to Brighton just in time for Cathedral City’s enchanting Christmas season.Avery knows she can’t avoid seeing Colin—now the Kingdom’s most eligible bachelor—whether or not her heart is ready to relive the pain. But seeing him again might bring her the closure she needs after all this time.When Colin finds himself at the center of a centuries-old Brighton tradition, he must decide whether to follow the path laid out before him or follow his heart to the only woman for whom he would ring the Pembroke Chapel Bell.Can Colin convince Avery to meet him at the chapel on Christmas morning—as tradition dictates—or will Avery run back to her St. Simons home and pursue a coaching career as planned? In the fourth installment of the Royal Wedding Series, New York Times bestselling novelist, Rachel Hauck, weaves a charming story of holiday romance as two broken hearts seek the love they once knew. Buy the book HERE. Rachel Hauck is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA TODAY bestselling author of The Wedding Dress, which was also named Inspirational Novel of the Year by Romantic Times and was a RITA finalist. Rachel lives in central Florida with her husband and two pets and writes from her ivory tower. Visit her online HERE.

This Week's Recipes

Here are this week's new additions at Country at Heart Recipes. Do a little Christmas baking and have a great weekend!
Greek Pot Roast
Orange Glazed Fruitcake
Holiday Baking Ideas