Bluebonnet Bride - A Book Review

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At the turn of the 20th century, Elli Korpela boards The Baltic with hundreds of eager women, all seeking new beginnings and brighter futures in America . . . as mail order brides.

Escaping a forced engagement, Elli seeks refuge in a faraway marriage, desperately needing her new life with a Texan named Nathan White to be safer than the one she left behind in Finland. And as she glimpses her future husband and his darling niece at the train station, she instantly knows her risk will prove the best decision she's ever made.

Until he became the guardian of four-year-old Hannah, Nathan White never took an interest in marriage, arranging a mail order wife to simply love and care for his orphaned niece. That is, he never took an interest until he laid eyes on the beautiful Elli Korpela.

After a fairy tale ceremony in the gardens of the grandest estate Elli's ever seen, a place called Butterfly Palace, their peaceful beginning takes a disquieting turn as an intruder brutally attacks Elli in the middle of the night. Nathan intervenes, but the devil escapes unidentified, leaving Elli to face two chilling possibilities: either the attack was arranged by strike workers in Nathan's employ or her shadowy past followed her into the present – and across the sea.

As the danger mounts, Elli and Nathan must face their enemy together, fighting to stay alive – and fighting to stay man and wife.

I love Colleen Coble's writing, her books are usually not a disappointment to me. Bluebonnet Bride is a short, fast pace story. Anything "mail order bride" related always grabs my attention. Since this was a short story, I didn't feel like I could "get to know" the characters and enjoy learning more about them before the end of the book. Bluebonnet Bride is the sequel to The Butterfly Palace but it can stand alone.

If you are looking for a good, quick read then Bluebonnet Bride is a good book to read.

I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers  book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.


You can buy your own copy here.

Bluebonnet Bride: A Butterfly Palace Short Story - eBook By Colleen Coble / Thomas Nelson

Cheesy Pasta Bake

I am in LOVE! Since I am trying new recipes that are frugal and meatless, I have come across the second recipe that has quickly become one of our favorites. All it took was one bite and we were hooked. Of the last three new recipes I cooked, CHEESY PASTA BAKE is a real humdinger!

While we are NOT vegetarians but rather a carnivorous family (we love meat) we have tried several new recipes over the past two weeks that calls for no meat.  After listening to a radio program this afternoon, I know we are not the only family who is looking for other means of healthy, wholesome meals without squeezing extra dollars out of the grocery budget. So, no meat it is!

If you are within a hop, skip and jumping distance from the grocery store, you need to make this dish very soon. Do Not, I repeat DO NOT wait around to make this recipe. You will be insane if you do and if you pin this recipe, be sure you do not forget about it. I know I am the only one who pins scrumptious looking recipes to only forget about them until I scroll through my Pinterest boards. I'm the only one, right?

I love alfredo sauce and I like a really good marinara sauce. What I REALLY love is mixing them. Who knew they would be so good... TOGETHER?  When I buy any pasta sauce, I normally buy Bertolli; it is our favorite store-bought brand. If you are not like me and like brown, crispy pasta noodles, cover your baking dish before placing it in the oven.

 Cheesy Pasta Bake

1 box penne pasta
1 jar Alfredo sauce
1 jar Marinara sauce
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook pasta according to directions and drain. Mix the sauces together in a large bowl. Add the mozzarella and stir to combine. Then add the pasta and toss to coat. Pour mixture into a 9x13 baking dish and cook for 20 minutes or until bubbly. Remove from oven and sprinkle with shredded parmesan cheese and bake for another 5 minutes.

So YUMMY!

I can not wait to make this again. There are a couple of changes I do want to try like adding a little chicken and using my homemade sauces. If you make this, let me know, I'd love to hear how you like it.

Reliving Nervous Moments Through Our Children

The one thing I remember most about Science class are the current event days. I could not handle the thought of standing in front of the kids I grew up with giving a report. You would think after spending all those years together with many of whom I had in every class since kindergarten, I would not have had such a problem; but I did!

Last week, I began to relive those nervous moments when I was helping Jamie with his 4-H presentation. By Sunday afternoon, my heart was in my throat and I was shaking like a leaf. Thankfully, my little bullrider doesn't really suffer from Glossophobia like I do. I'm hoping he is like his father who doesn't need notes when he is teaching or preaching and not like me...

However, Jamie typed everything "so just in case", and while he only glanced down to remember which item was next, he did a fantastic job!

However, Jamie typed everything "so just in case", and while he only glanced down to remember which item was next, he did a fantastic job!

Since this was his first presentation for our 4-H club, he talked about his bull riding gear and what he is scored on while riding. We live in a tiny town and most of the kids in our club are girls, while I'm pretty sure the bull riding presentation did not interest some of them, the jewelry making and sewing presentations had Jamie completely lost! I guess it goes both ways when young people are practicing public speaking on a subject that they are interested in.

 Explaining the two types of spurs he uses.

Once he finished explaining his gear, he placed his hands in his pockets. While it is a habit (I really don't want to call it a habit, because this is so Jamie) I have worked to correct with no avail, this one little trait has become part of him since the time he discovered pockets on his blue jeans when he was a toddler. And I'm okay with that!

While I do not care for things that make me nervous, 

I am looking forward to the next one so I can pray for, encourage and praise my son.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

This month is an experimental month in the kitchen, I am trying as many new meatless recipes as I can to see how far I can cut my grocery budget. While I don't spend $400 or more a month, I would love to see just how low I can get my grocery bill without eating Ramen Noodles and hot dogs. Don't get me wrong, I like to eat my share of hot dogs, but not every day of the week.  Monday I cooked up a batch of  Broccoli Cheese Soup. 

While this soup wasn't the HUGE hit as my Garden Chowder, it filled tummies, it is frugal and I am happy some what. If I want to be one of those moms... it's healthy also. Since this was not a touchdown with my husband, it will be one of those meals I make when I need to use up broccoli before it gets limp-y in the refrigerator. Truthfully, I don't care for broccoli that is cooked to death, so I had a little hard time with this recipe. Can you say, "Last Resort Recipe" file? Yes, this is where this recipe is going.

The original recipe called for half and half, but I like my creamy, cheesy soups thick, so I used heavy cream. I also added more broccoli so the extra wouldn't go limp in the refrigerator. (That's probably why I didn't care too much for this.) I also added garlic cloves while cooking the onions.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

1 Tbsp butter
½ medium chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup melted butter
¼ cup flour
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups chicken stock
½ lb fresh broccoli
2 carrots, grated
8 oz grated sharp cheddar cheese
salt to taste
pepper to taste

Saute onion and garlic in butter and add to chicken stock; add broccoli and carrots and simmer for 15 minutes. Make a roux using the melted butter and flour using a whisk over medium heat for 3-5 minutes. Stir constantly and add the heavy cream. ** If you want, drain (keep the stock) and chop the broccoli and onions in the food processor at this time. Place back into the pot. Add the roux to the stock and whisk to keep from clumping. Simmer for 10 minutes and add salt, pepper and cheese.

I know, I know! I should really love this recipe since I'm sharing it today. But you know what, I'm trying to keep it real. I REALLY do not like overcooked, undercooked, baked, boiled, steamed or mushy broccoli. Give me a plate of sauteed broccoli in an Asian sauce and I'll eat my weight in broccoli. Go figure!

Creamy Garden Chowder

I mentioned in my last post about secretly challenging myself to find as many meatless meal ideas to cut down on my grocery spending. While surfing the internet for ideas I remembered a friend of mine sharing many of her recipes on Facebook and most of those recipes were meatless. So, I headed over to her photos and found several. I remember looking at GARDEN CHOWDER when she posted it and thought yum, that really looks and sounds good but I don't think anyone else would eat it. 

Boy, was I ever wrong! Jamie came back for seconds before I even had a chance to sit down with my first helping. Poor kid he really must have been hungry or it was that good! He says it was that good.

I did make a couple of changes... like leaving out the celery and coriander. We're not celery people and I really don't think we would like coriander since we don't care for cilantro. Another thing I did was send half of my cooked vegetables through the food processor to help thicken up the chowder. I also grated one carrot and diced another and added a little more potatoes to the pot. The next time I make this, I will cook my cauliflower by itself and mash it all to hide from my husband, since he said he couldn't taste the potatoes.

Garden Chowder, a frugal, meatless meal that hits the spot.

Garden Chowder

Ingredients:

• ½ green pepper
• ½ cup onion, chopped
• ¼ cup butter
• 1 cup each diced potato, celery, cauliflower, carrot and broccoli
• 3 cups broth
• 3 garlic cloves
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• ½ cup flour
• 2 cups milk
• 1 teaspoon pars­ley
• ¼ tsp of each paprika, coriander, ground mustard
• salt to taste
• 2 cups shred­ded ched­dar

Directions:

Saute green pepper, onion and garlic in butter until tender. Add veg­eta­bles, broth, and  black pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer 20 minutes or until veggies are tender. Mix flour and milk and stir into soup. Add spices and salt if needed and allow to thicken at a low temperature. Just before serving, stir in cheese until melted.

Where Did Spring Go?

Did someone forget to send winter the memo about the first day of spring being March 20th? Just when I was all excited about seeing mud, mud, and more mud a foot of snow fell Sunday night; and to keep things hopping ~ it is snowing at this very moment. Really, where did spring go?

I have mentioned it before, the transition between winter and spring is the hardest for me to get used to here. When I think of spring, I think of daffodils, tulips and crocuses blooming in the middle of January and February and seeing green grass almost year round. Well, while all my family and friends are enjoying the spring weather in the south, I remember while they are facing 90 degrees and 100% humidity my spring will be just beginning.

The Meadowlarks have returned so spring is on its way. 

With all the snow brings many little house finches, sparrows, and chickadees to my feeders. I caught this one Monday morning waiting for all the mass confusion going on at the feeder to end. Such a patient little thing.

I had someone ask me about how I like the weather and the snow here. Honestly, I love snow! I don't have a problem with snow. I remember praying for snow every winter in Georgia, because I really love it.  Now, I can do without the sub-zero temperatures like we had this winter; -30 really plays on the arthritis in my fingers which makes it hard to knit.

Since the weather can't make up its mind, whether it is going to warm up or stay cold;  my kitchen is toasty warm with the oven baking pies. Jamie has learned the process of  pie crusts. This picture is of a cherry pie he made this week. The crust was perfectly flaky.

Hopefully, today was the last Wednesday for any grocery shopping trips. Since this is the last week for winter work hours for my husband, I am more than excited about spending every other Saturday in Miles City hitting up my favorite thrift store and our VERY NEW Dollar Tree. It opened on the twenty-third and today was the first day I had been able to shop there. I am so happy because our store is H-U-G-E compared to some of the other stores I have been in since our move. 

If anyone has found spring, would you please let it know I would dearly love to see it soon.

Cowboy Philly Cheese Steak Burgers

This is one of our all time family favorite recipes. Since we don’t eat beef, I make this with cubed venison. Can I tell you something? You can’t even tell the difference in the meats. Anytime I hear someone say they can’t stand the wild, game taste in venison, I tell them, whoever cooked what you ate, didn’t cook it right. While I am no expert in cooking venison, I have learned a few tricks over the years. SEASONING is the way to go!

Cowboy Burgers came about from combining Ree Drummond's Marlboro Man Sandwich and Emeril Lagasse's Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich. After cooking both recipes, I knew I had to combine them. I LOVE my version of both sandwiches.

After trying Ree's recipe several years ago, I had to make some changes. A half a cup of Worcestershire Sauce is A LOT, I mean A LOT for my family's palate. I cut down on the Worcestershire Sauce and the butter since my guys did not care for all the juiciness; I drained almost all the juice out of the pan when the cooking had ended. I added a couple of tablespoons of Datel Hot Sauce (sweet hot sauce) from our favorite sandwich shop right before scooping the meat on the bread. I also skipped the seasoning salt and created my own.

With these few changes, the recipe was fondly named Cowboy Burgers when Jamie was younger.

Not too long after the naming of Cowboy Burgers, I watched an episode of Emeril Live and Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches were on the menu. I knew at that moment combining the two recipes would be out of this world. Yep, it was! And it is! Just think about it... Cubed Steak, Seasonings, Onions, Peppers, Cheese, and Butter. Are you hungry yet?

I have to tell you a secret or two or three about these burgers... Secret #1 Pop your cubed steak in the freezer for about 20 minutes before cutting, this helps in keeping the meat together while slicing it. Secret #2 I don't measure the seasonings, I just give the bottles a couple of shakes. Secret #3 This sandwich will be a disgrace if you use hamburger buns. I've done it and I was so ashamed at how they looked when I put them together and they didn't even taste like they were suppose to. Don't do it, trust me on this one.

Of all the restaurants we truly miss since moving here is Firehouse Subs and their Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches. Yeah, Cowboy Burgers are right up there with Firehouse Subs ~ almost. If you can't find any Datel Hot Sauce, don't worry. This is one of those recipes, you can play with and make it your own just like I did.

Cowboy Philly Cheese Steak Burgers

Ingredients:

• 1 large onion, sliced
• 1 bell pepper, sliced
• 1 stick butter
• 2-3 pounds cubed steak
• 3-4 shakes of Worcestershire Sauce
• 3-4 shakes of Texas Pete Hot Sauce
• 2 TBSP Datel Hot Sauce * optional
• 1 package Provolone Cheese
• 1 pack of Deli Style Sandwich Buns
• Seasoning: Garlic Powder, Chili Powder, Onion Powder, Salt , and Pepper
• 
  

Directions:

Cut cubes steak into strips and place in a bowl. Sprinkle the seasonings on and stir the meat around. Set this aside for about 10-15 minutes.

In a frying pan cook the onions and peppers until soft and translucent in half the butter. Remove from pan, but don't drain all the juice. Add the other half a stick of butter and let melt, add the cubed steak. Cook until brown, if needed you can add more butter or even oil. Add the Worcestershire Sauce, hot sauce and onions and stir around. Place 4-6 slices of cheese on top of the meat, when it starts to melt down, mix everything well.

Butter a griddle or frying pan until sizzling, open the bread and brown the inside in the butter. Place the meat and onions on the bun and top with a little more cheese if you like.

If you make this, I'd love to hear about it.

Serve Him It's All We Are Required to Do

I was reading through my devotion journal and a page where I had drawn an asterisk and written a verse reference down caught my eye. I also wrote ALL we are REQUIRED to do is SERVE HIM. This entry was from the end of December, last year and at that time I was  reading through the book of I Samuel and was caught up in the lives of Samuel, Saul and David. There is so much we can learn by reading about these men.

Serve Him

Israel asked for a king; they wanted what others had. God gave them their desire although He was in control of their situations. He put a man in place who would eventually open the door for the next king, a man who would follow God to be put on the throne.

Obedience was the only thing Saul had to do to be successful. Sadly, he did not obey and his kingdom was given to a young man who was willing to obey God. While David did sin during his reign, he had a repentant heart, and he served the Lord.

 Serving the Lord with a happy heart is obedience.

There is nothing required of Christians, but to SERVE the Lord.

Serve the Lord With Gladness

Serve the Lord with gladness in our works and ways. 
Come before His presence with our songs of praise. 
Unto Him our Maker, we would pledge anew 
Life’s supreme devotion to service true.

Serve the Lord with gladness, thankful all the while 
For His tender mercies, for His loving smile. 
Blessed truth enduring, always just the same. 
We will serve with gladness and praise His name.

Serve the Lord with gladness, this shall be our theme. 
As we walk together, in His love supreme. 
Listening, ever listening for the still small voice. 
His sweet Will so precious, will be our choice.

Serve Him with gladness, Enter His courts with song. 
To our Creator, true praises belong. 
Great is His mercy, wonderful is His name. 
We gladly serve Him, His great love proclaim.

~B.B. McKinney