Sandra Merville Hart's Blog, page 63

Loving a Harvey Girl by Linda W. Yezak

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From the Smitten Historical Romance Collection: The Cowboys

Taming the West … one heart at a time.

 Eva Knowles has to get a job to support her family back home until her pa gets back on his feet. She meets the handsome cowboy, Cal Stephens, soon after she arrives at a Texas town. She’s grateful for the good word he puts in for her because it lands her a job at the Harvey House.

Cal hasn’t seen the beautiful Eva since she left for six weeks of job training in Kansas. He’d love to court her but his childhood friend, Melody Malone, suddenly seems to be everywhere he goes. When he does go on a date with Eva, she makes it plain she’s not interested in marrying. And Melody isn’t making the situation any easier.

I loved Cal’s character. The author masterfully wrote in deep point of view, enabling me to connect with the cowboy. His honest reactions touched me. I also enjoyed learning about the Harvey Girls, adding to my interest in the well-written story. A page-turner!

I will look for more stories by this author.

-Sandra Merville Hart

Amazon

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Economical Breakfast Suggestions

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A few dishes we might think of today for inexpensive breakfasts include cereal, oatmeal, scrambled eggs, toast, and pancakes.

The author of 1877 Cookbook Buckeye Cookery and Practical Housekeeping included meal choices for economical breakfasts back in her day.

Her first suggestion:

Ham and eggs, baked potatoes, hash, hominy, and Graham gems (Graham muffins) with coffee to drink.

Her second suggestion:

Breakfast stew or fish, tomatoes, fried Graham mush, applesauce, potatoes, and either toast or cornbread. Coffee to drink.

It’s funny how 140 years can change our ideas of breakfast foods. Most of us think of hash browns as an acceptable breakfast side dish but not baked potatoes.

Ham and eggs are still a staple and I serve applesauce for breakfast, but what about hominy? Have you even heard of fried Graham mush?

These are the kind of gems that are hidden in our history—and I love discovering them to include in my novels.

Becoming Brave by Jennifer Uhlarik

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From the Smitten Historical Romance Collection: The Cowboys

  Taming the West … one heart at a time.

 A grisly scene of death greets Coy Whittaker on a cattle drive. Five dead bodies—no, a lone brave is still alive. Barely. What happened here?

Aimee Kaplan crawls out from a hollow log—her hiding place during the attack that killed her four brothers. They’d been frightened of someone and on the run in Indian Territory. Was that terrible man behind this attack?

Somehow, she knows she can trust the Coy, the cowboy who finds her. He stumbles upon an outlaw gang near the brothers’ graves. If they were the ones after Aimee’s brothers, he and the other hands must keep her safe while driving the herd.

I was touched by the tragic loss of so many family members at once. The cowboy carries deep wounds from the past and hides his true identity. Danger and suspense kept me turning pages. I had to know what happened. The action drew me immediately to this well-written story.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author. I will look for more stories by her.

-Sandra Merville Hart

Amazon

Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas  Save money and use coupon code SandraMHart for a 20% discount on Lighthouse Publishing books!

Pentagon Memorial

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On a recent trip to Washington, DC, I visited the Pentagon Memorial. It was late in the evening and there were only a handful of visitors at the memorial. As I looked at the benches—184 of them—with lighted pools of water flowing underneath, I was struck once again by the tragedy of September 11, 2001.

No American alive that day can forget its horror. Four commercial airplanes were hijacked in coordinated attacks on specific targets and tragic loss of innocent lives resulted.

Five hijackers boarded American Airlines Flight 77 to Los Angeles from Dulles International Airport that sunny morning. The flight, delayed 10 minutes, departed at 8:20 am with 58 passengers and a crew of 6. What the crew didn’t know was that armed hijackers were among the passengers.

While flying over eastern Kentucky, hijackers took control of the plane, possibly between 8:51 and 8:54 am. It’s believed that one of them piloted the plane. None of the radio messages sent to the pilot after that time were answered.

It crashed into the Pentagon at 9:37 am, bringing a tragic end to 184 innocent lives.

The Pentagon Memorial, in remembrance of those who died there, opened on September 11, 2008. Architects Julie Beckman and Keith Kaseman along with engineer Buro Happold designed the memorial in a timeline, from the youngest victim (Dana Falkenberg at 3) to the oldest victim (John D. Yamnicky at 71), both on Flight 77.

Victims’ names have been placed on cantilevered benches with pools of flowing water underneath, which are lit at nigh[image error]t. The designers put a lot of thought into the placement of the benches. Visitors read the names of those who perished in the Pentagon with that building behind it. Names face the sky where the plane approached for those from Flight 77.

Beautiful Crepe Myrtles, 85 of them, will eventually grow to height of 30 feet, giving shade to the Memorial in future years.

The Age Wall starts at a height of 3 inches for the youngest victim and builds to 71 inches for the oldest.

It’s a beautiful, well-designed unique memorial.

May we never forget.

-Sandra Merville Hart

Sources

“Pentagon Memorial,” The National 9/11, 2019/09/05 https://pentagonmemorial.org/.

“Pentagon Memorial,” National Geographic, 2019/09/05 https://www.nationalgeographic.org/media/pentagon-memorial/.

 

 

Saratoga Potatoes Recipe

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The author of 1877 Cookbook Buckeye Cookery and Practical Housekeeping included meal suggestions. A summertime breakfast suggestion is: nutmeg melons; fried fish; Saratoga potatoes; sliced tomatoes; Minnesota rolls; bread; coffee; tea; and chocolate.

The cookbook includes recipes for some of these. Today I’m sharing one for Saratoga Potatoes from Mrs. Jasper Sager.

I quickly scanned the recipe for what I thought were fried potatoes—a breakfast side dish. I was wrong.

[image error]Pare (peel) four large potatoes. Slice them thinly in a slaw cutter. I have my mother’s slaw cutter that we used to shred cabbage, carrots, cheese, etc. It has a slicer in the middle that looked promising for producing thin potato. It worked beautifully.

It wasn’t until I saw the paper-thin slices that I realized I was making potato chips. I’ve eaten Saratoga chips at restaurants but never made them.

Slice the potatoes lengthwise for larger chips.

Place the sliced potatoes in ice water as they can brown quickly when exposed to air.

Mrs. Sager used “boiling lard” to fry her potatoes. I don’t own a deep fryer—my cast iron skillet worked fine.

I heated shortening over a medium-high heat. To prevent possible burns, I didn’t allow it to boil.

As the shortening melts, pick up a handful of potatoes and gently squeeze the excess water from them. Then place on a clean towel or paper towel and dry thoroughly. (I went through three towels with this batch.)

[image error]When the oil is hot enough, place dried potato slices into the skillet a few at a time. Try not put them on top of each other. Cook carefully on both sides until they are lightly browned. Remove potatoes and drain on paper towels.

I asked my husband to taste the first batch to see if they were overdone, underdone, or just right.

“These are good.” He filled a plate and began munching.

Apparently, they were just right.

Frying them a handful at a time required several batches. As each batch takes a minute or less, these were quickly done.

I took some to my sister’s house a couple of hours later. Her family loved them. They must be eaten soon after frying. I think I’ll make these as a fun novelty dish for an upcoming picnic.

What surprised me most is that potato chips were considered breakfast food in the 1870s! Our teenagers had told us for years that snacks like chips are breakfast food. Did they read this cookbook???

Civil War Women: Rose O’Neal Greenhow, Confederate Spy

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Rose O’Neal Greenhow lived in Washington D.C. when the Civil War began. When many other Southerners left, the widow remained with her eight-year-old daughter, Rose. Union Colonel Thomas Jordan had decided to resign the U.S. Army and fight for the South. Before he left the city, he asked Rose to be an agent. Spying to uncover troop movements and government communications gave her a significant way to serve the South. She agreed to send messages based on a cipher he provided.

Coded messages were sent on a “Secret Line,” which involved several couriers in a chain that passed on messages in common places such as docks, taverns, and farmhouses.

Rose’s spy network from Boston to New Orleans was the largest in the war—48 women and 2 men. She learned battle plans for Bull Run and passed this vital information to Confederate General Beauregard, leading to a Confederate victory at the First Battle of Bull Run.

Several other messages about Washington’s defenses and troop information were sent from Rose to Beauregard. Thomas A. Scott, Assistant Secretary of War, asked Allan Pinkerton, head of Lincoln’s Intelligence Service, to find Confederate spies and put Greenhow under surveillance.

About a month after the Battle of Bull Run, Pinkerton discovered incriminating evidence. The home was searched. Rose and her daughter were placed under arrest at her home. Because she still managed to get other secret messages out, they were moved to Washington’s Old Capitol prison. The Federals then decided to send her South.

On June 4, 1862, she arrived in Richmond, where she was taken to the best hotel. Confederate President Jefferson Davis called her the next day, saying, “But for you there would have been no battle of Bull Run.” Rose wrote that his words made up for all she’d endured.

The following year President Davis sent her to Europe. She took letters from him to France and England. She received money from them to aid the South.

In October 1, 1864, Rose returned on the Condor, a blockade runner. Unfortunately, the USS Niphon, a Union gunboat, came close to the Condor’s position on Cape Fear River. While Confederate soldiers from nearby Fort Fisher fired on the Union gunboat, Rose asked the captain for a lifeboat for herself and two other Confederate agents. Two hundred yards of rough waters were between the boat and the shore. Despite his initial refusal, she finally convinced the captain to provide a boat.

A powerful wave overturned the lifeboat. They swam for shore. Unfortunately, Rose had a bag of gold sovereigns tied around her waist underneath a heavy silk dress. Though she was a good swimmer, she drowned due to the extra weight while her companions made it to safety.

Her body washed ashore the next day. A Confederate soldier found the bag of gold and took it. A search party later found the body. When the soldier discovered Rose’s identity, he returned the sovereigns.

She was buried in Oakdale Cemetery in Wilmington with full military honors.

-Sandra Merville Hart

[image error]Sources

Monson, Marianne. Women of the Blue & Gray, Thorndike Press, 2018.

Winkler, H. Donald. Stealing Secrets, Cumberland House, 2010.

Zeinert, Karen. Those Courageous Women of the Civil War, The Millbrook Press, 1998.

 

Healing Hearts by Cindy Ervin Huff

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From the Smitten Historical Romance Collection: The Cowboys

  Taming the West … one heart at a time.

 After all he’s lost, Lonnie Holt is determined to save his brother’s life and get Jed back to their newly-inherited home. The snowstorm wasn’t helping matters. The welcome sight of his uncle’s ranch quickly turned to dread. No one should be there. So why did smoke billow from the chimney?

 Having been hired through correspondence, Genny Collins took a job as Clyde Holt’s housekeeper months ago and had been waiting for her new boss to arrive. Meeting the Holt brothers brought more surprises than the death of her employer. She has no place to go and every reason to hide.

Lonnie, with his scarred face and scarred soul, knows that Genny will prefer his brother over him. But that doesn’t prevent him from loving the feisty, resourceful woman.

Both characters carry scars from the past. These wounded, believable characters drew me right into the story. Well-written.

This isn’t the first book I’ve read and enjoyed by this author. I will look for more stories by her.

-Sandra Merville Hart

Amazon

Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas  Save money and use coupon code SandraMHart for a 20% discount on Lighthouse Publishing books!

 

Graham Muffins Recipe

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I bought some Whole Wheat Graham Flour for another recipe and had plenty left to try this 1870s recipe for Graham Muffins from Mrs. R. L. Partridge.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray cooking spray on a muffin pan or use cupcake liners.

The first ingredient is 1 cup of sour milk. To make this, stir 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice per cup of milk. (If you don’t have either of these, use 1 teaspoon of cream of tartar.) Set it aside to rest for 5 minutes.

In a separate bowl, mix 1 ½ cups Graham flour, ½ teaspoon of baking soda, and ½ teaspoon of salt.

Stir 1 tablespoon of brown sugar into the sour milk.

[image error]Add the Graham flour mixture and stir well. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin pan.

Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes.

These hearty gems reminded me of bran muffins. They are dense and rather plain. I put apple butter on it, which tasted delicious.

I recently made Good Graham Gems. The recipe has a few more ingredients but these muffins taste very similar to them.

-Sandra Merville Hart

Sources

Compiled from Original Recipes. Buckeye Cookery and Practical Housekeeping, Applewood Books, 1877.

Civil War Women: Mary Carroll, Missouri Confederate Supporter

 

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Teenager Mary Carroll lived with her mother, sister, and brother, Dennis, in Pilot Grove, Missouri, at the beginning of the Civil War.

Although “Bleeding Missouri” had been a slave state in 1861, it voted to remain in the Union. Despite this, the state’s governor—a Southern supporter—offered guns and cannons to Confederate President Jefferson Davis. Union soldiers then seized the armory and the state’s capital to set up a Union government, creating great turmoil. Union troops arrested Missouri residents without charges. They took their horses and food.

Dennis Carroll was arrested in August of 1862 for trying to join the Confederate army. In March of 1863, he was released from an Alton, Illinois Federal prison.

Learning of Union plans to arrest a group of Missouri men intending to muster into the Confederate army, Mary rode through hard rain to warn them and lead them to safety.

In May of 1863, Dennis and a friend helped Confederate sympathizers raid a Federal militiaman’s home. After the Union man shot one of them, some set the home on fire. Though Dennis didn’t help set the fire, he was arrested, taken to Boonville, and sentenced to be shot to death.

Mary, 17, boarded with a family in Boonville to be near her younger brother. She sneaked a crowbar into him, at his request, with his lunch. His breakout attempt that night was unsuccessful.

Giving up meant her brother would die.  She then set to work on making a key patterned like the jail door key. After several attempts, she made an iron key. It took days.

In the meantime, the Federal government ordered all Cooper county women to take an oath of allegiance. Mary complied, after making sure that nothing she was doing to save her brother violated that oath.

She gave the key to her brother. Unfortunately, it was too short.

A young Union soldier proposed marriage to Mary. She agreed—if he helped her brother break out of prison. He let her see the jail key and she made an impression of it on a book. He took it from her, but didn’t know she’d made another impression. She then created another key.

Meanwhile, the men awaiting execution tied leather around an earlier key out of desperation. The bits of leather made the key fit and they broke out of jail.

Suspicion immediately went to Mary, who was arrested during the search for the fugitives. In a letter to her mother, she asked which key Dennis used to escape. Union soldiers found her letter. She was interrogated by General Dodge and Colonel Catherwood.

The colonel remembered Mary’s question about helping her brother before taking the oath—it saved her.

Released and back at home, her relief didn’t last. Dennis was apprehended and killed by Union soldiers. They forced Mary’s family from their home.

After the war, Mary married a Confederate soldier, Thomas Brooks, and had six children. She wrote of her experiences in The Secret of the Key and Crowbar.

-Sandra Merville Hart

[image error]Sources

Cordell, M.R. Courageous Women of the Civil War, Chicago Review Press, 2016.

 

The Epistles of James, Peter, and Jude by Trina Bresser Matous

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Christian Living Bible Study Series

This study takes readers through James, 1st Peter, 2nd Peter, and Jude.

Like  Paul’s Letters to the Early Church, another wonderful Bible Study by Matous, historical and Biblical background begins each new book. Each chapter contains background, overview, insights, and 2-3 discussion questions. I can see Bible Study groups easily doing one or two chapters a week, depending on discussions.

I love the author’s insights from the passages. For instance, the book of James is packed with helpful advice for Christians. Mateous describes it as “one of the most practical books in the New Testament.” She also states that “Wisdom is not the same as information.” She gives the insight that “Finding joy in the midst of trial does not negate the pain.”

Readers will find many gems throughout the book.

This study is appropriate for men’s groups and women’s groups.

This book is also a wonderful supplement for personal study.

-Sandra Merville Hart

Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas   Use coupon code SandraMHart for a 20% discount on Lighthouse Publishing books!