Author: sandramervillehart

Mom’s Pie Crust Recipe

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I have to confess when baking pies I usually save time by purchasing pie crust, but sometimes I make it from scratch. My mind goes back to childhood days and my mom’s pies. She made her own pie crust. She taught me how to make it.

This is her recipe for an 8 or 9-inch double pie crust.

Ingredients 

1 ½ cups sifted flour

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup shortening

4 to 5 tablespoons water

Sift together the flour and salt. Cut in the shortening (she always used Crisco … so do I) with a pastry blender or a fork until the pieces are the size of small peas.

Stir in 4 tablespoons of water. Add another tablespoon of water if ingredients are too dry. (I always need the extra tablespoon of water.)

Divide the dough in half.

Sprinkle clean counter surface lightly with flour. Rub a little flour over a rolling pin to prevent it from sticking to the dough.

Plop the dough in the middle of the floured surface. Flatten it a bit with your hand to get it started. Then take the rolling pin and, starting from the center with each stroke, roll smoothly toward the side. Alternate strokes to each side and top and bottom.

Roll dough until it is the right size for your pie dish. Layers will be thin. I’ve found that it helps to gently fold the crust in half before picking it up and arranging in on the pie dish.

If you’re like me, you have a little more on one side than another. After the crust is in place, follow the edges with a fork to cut off the excess.

My mom usually dipped a fork in flour and made a pattern with it around the edges. I use my thumbs to make a pattern.

Poke a few holes in the bottom crust and around the sides using a fork.

Hint: Save the excess dough to clean the flour off the counter. That’s another hint from my mom.

Enjoy!

-Sandra Merville Hart

 

Announcing Next Book Release for Sandra Merville Hart

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I’m thrilled to announce my next book release! From the Lake to the River: Buckeye Christian Fiction Authors 2018 Anthology releases on September 1, 2018.  Nine Ohio authors writing novellas/short stories set in Ohio. What fun to be part of this anthology!

 

My novella in the collection, Surprised by Love, is set during the 1913 Great Miami River Flood in Troy, Ohio. Here’s a blurb about my story:

Lottie’s feelings for an old school crush blossom again during the worst flood her town has endured in years.

Lottie shoulders the burden for her siblings after their mother’s death. Her seventeen-year-old brother’s disobedience troubles her, especially since she also cares for the boarders in their home. When the flooding river invades not only the town of Troy but also her home, Lottie and her family need to be rescued. 

Desperate circumstances throw Lottie and Joe, her schoolgirl crush, together. Can tragedy unite the couple to make her long-buried dream of winning his love come true?

And there are eight other stories in the anthology!

“Whether you like romance, young adult, women’s fiction, a touch of mystery or danger, some humor, some holiday cheer, a second chance at love, set in Ohio’s colorful history or the present–there’s something for nearly everyone in this collection.”-per the Editor at Mt. Zion Ridge Press, Publisher.

The collection From the Lake to the River is available for preorder on Amazon!

 

 

Learning the Lingo by Cindy Sproles

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Cracking the Code (and secrets) of the Writing and Publishing Industry

 A great book for new writers!

The author acknowledges that there is a lingo associated with writers. Those new to writing can get lost just trying to understand what workshop teachers are saying at writers’ conferences.

This book can help.

There is also a section on 15-minute meetings with agents and editors that outlines the etiquette, what to take with you to the appointment, and helpful hints about what to share.

The author gives a brief description of many topics that writers need to know, making this a handy reference tool.

Recommended for new writers!

-Sandra Merville Hart

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

Peach Cobbler Recipe from 1877

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I bought 4 large peaches from a neighborhood vegetable and fruit stand. It’s the middle of a hot summer and a great time for a peach cobbler. There is a recipe for it by Miss S. Alice Melching in my cookbook from 1877.

Alice’s original recipe made a cobbler 9×18 so I halved the ingredients. It called for canned fruit so I cooked the peaches.

Peel and slice the peaches. Put them in a kettle with just enough water to cover them. Cook over medium heat. When it comes to a low boil, continue cooking about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. The water has become a very light syrup.

To make pie crust for the cobbler, add 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, and ¼ teaspoon salt into a medium-sized mixing bowl. Melt 2 tablespoons of lard (I used Crisco shortening) and stir into the dry ingredients. Stir in 2/3 to ¾ cup of milk or water (I used milk) until it is the right consistency for pie crust, which is not too wet and all dry ingredients have been incorporated.

Divide the dough into 2 sections—roughly 1/3 and 2/3. The smaller section is the top crust.

Lightly flour the surface and rolling pin. Then roll into a thin pie crust. Arrange it on the bottom and sides of your dish (I used a 9×9 casserole dish.)

Mix 3 tablespoons of flour with 2 tablespoons of sugar. Sprinkle this over the crust to keep the fruity filling from seeping into the lower crust.

With slotted spoon, remove peaches from kettle. Arrange these over the crust. I took ¼ cup of the syrupy peach water and poured it over the peaches. The original recipe didn’t call for this, but this small amount of liquid added flavor and moisture without destroying the crust.

Sprinkle ¾ cup sugar over the peaches.

Roll out the rest of the dough and place it over the top. A lattice top will work nicely too.

Bake at 400 for 25 – 30 minutes or lightly browned.

The peaches cooked perfectly except … there weren’t enough of them. I’d double the amount of peaches for the same sized dish next time. Adding extra syrup (cooking water) to the dish was an excellent call. I added ¼ cup—next time I’d do at least ½ cup, especially with more fruit.

The cobbler tasted delicious, with a wonderful peach aroma and flavor. I will make this summery dessert again.

Blackberries, apples, and other fruit can be substituted. If using fresh fruit, cook the fruit for about 5 minutes as above; if canned, there is no need to cook it before baking.

-Sandra Merville Hart

 

Sources

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

 

 

 

Another Award for A Rebel in My House

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I’m thrilled to announce that A Rebel in My House celebrated its first birthday with another award!

 

 

This novel set during the turbulent Battle of Gettysburg won 2nd place in this contest and was named 2018 Finalist Faith Hope & Love Reader’s Choice Award.

 

This is the novel’s second award–the first was the 2018 Illumination Silver Award. Here’s a bit about the story:

When the cannons roar beside Sarah Hubbard’s home outside of Gettysburg, she despairs of escaping the war that’s come to Pennsylvania. A wounded Confederate soldier on her doorstep leaves her with a heart-wrenching decision.

Separated from his unit and with a bullet in his back, Jesse Mitchell needs help. He seeks refuge at a house beside Willoughby Run. His future lies in the hands of a woman whose sympathies lay with the North.

Jesse has promised his sister-in-law he’d bring his brother home from the war. Sarah has promised her sister that she’d stay clear of the enemy. Can the two keep their promises amid a war bent on tearing their country apart?

 

 

The Planter’s Daughter by Michelle Shocklee

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Set in Texas, this historical romance novel digs in and shows prevailing attitude of plantation owners and the slaves they own in 1860.

Though plantation owners worry about the upcoming presidential election, Adella Rose isn’t supposed to voice opinions as a daughter. She grieves the recent loss of her gentle mother who had treated her slaves kindly. Adella Rose follows in her footsteps, little knowing how much her mother protected her from …

Seth Brantley, son of her father’s friend, takes over the job of overseer. Adella Rose catches his eye immediately. Yet he learns her father had plans for her.

While Seth walks a fine line as the new overseer, Adella Rose has problems of her own. Her best friend is one of her father’s slaves. She’s learning more of what slavery really is—and her father’s part in it appalls her.

Both main characters grow and change through the novel. Each finds that their preconceived notions of slavery don’t match reality. The author does not shrink from showing the worst aspects of slavery.

I couldn’t put the book down. I’ll look for more books by this author.

-Sandra Merville Hart

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

 

 

Blueberry Bread Recipe

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I go through seasonal cycles in cooking. Right now, I’m looking for recipes with blueberries. I’ve made this delicious blueberry bread with a couple of modifications from a 1950 Betty Crocker’s Picture Cook Book many times.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a bread baking pan with cooking spray.

Rinse and drain 1 cup of fresh blueberries on a paper towel. Gently pat them dry.

Sift 2 cups of all-purpose flour into a medium mixing bowl. Add 1 teaspoon of baking powder, ½ teaspoon of baking soda, and ½ teaspoon of salt and stir. Set aside.

Hint: Add blueberries to the flour. A gentle toss coats the fruit with flour. Remove the berries from the flour with your clean hands or a slotted spoon and set aside for a moment. This coating will prevent the fruit from all settling at the bottom of the batter during baking.

In a separate bowl thoroughly blend 2/3 cup sugar and ¼ cup butter until all the sugar is incorporated into the butter. Pastry blenders work well for this. (The recipe calls for 1/3 cup of shortening—I always substitute butter for the shortening. 1/4 cup of butter instead of 1/3 works well.) Beat 2 eggs and stir into the creamed mixture.

Optional: Add the zest of one lemon and ½ teaspoon of lemon extract to the batter for a light lemony flavor.

Gently fold in prepared blueberries to the batter and 4 tablespoons of milk.  

Stir dry ingredients into the sugar mixture. Another tablespoon of milk will probably be needed to make thick batter. Spoon the batter into the prepared baking pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 50 to 60 minutes.

Many people prefer to eat a slice of this delicious bread with cream cheese. It’s also good without it.

I substitute other fruits for the blueberries, such as apples, bananas, pumpkin, blackberries, and cranberries. You can also substitute orange zest and orange extract for the lemon—or leave it out altogether.

-Sandra Merville Hart

Sources

Betty Crocker’s Picture Cook Book, Macmillan and General Mills, Inc, 1950.

 

 

Top of the Rock, Branson

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In May, 2015, heavy rains in the Ozarks created a large sinkhole—40 feet deep and 70 feet across. This occurred at Big Cedar Lodge and Top of the Rock Golf Course, located a few miles south of Branson, Missouri.

The sinkhole created a beautiful landmark now known as Cathedral of Nature or simply Cathedral. It is awe-inspiring.

John L. Morris, owner of the property and founder of Big Cedar Lodge, is a conservationist. A big dig is underway.  Morris is exploring, hoping to find a secret passageway and a large system of caves.

Excavations crew have removed dirt and rock. The original 70-foot wide sinkhole is now 350 feet across. The depth of 40 feet has been expanded to 200 feet. Gorgeous!

Visitors can ride a golf cart through the Lost Canyon Cave and Nature Trail.

The Sunset Ceremony was a highlight of a recent family vacation for me. A bagpiper plays as the sun sets. A Civil War cannon fires as the sun dips over the horizon. Simply beautiful.

We visited the church next to the sinkhole. A floor-to-ceiling window on the main floor faces the valley. The view of the water nestled in a tree-lined valley was breathtaking at sunset.

My family loved this place. Consider adding this stop to your trip if you are in the Branson area on vacation.

-Sandra Merville Hart

Sources

“Welcome to the Top of the Rock,” Top of the Rock, 2018/06/18 http://www.topoftherock.com/.

Breathless: A Daily Devotional by Judith Rolfs

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A Daily Devotional for Christians in a Hurry: One Minute meditations for women and men.

 What first drew me to this devotional is the “one-minute” daily read. I am one of those busy Christians in a hurry. I’ll bet you can relate.

This book wasn’t what I expected. Daily meditations are short. There is a scripture reference for each day.

The author writes in a poetic form, which is inspiring and different from other devotional books.

Each day’s topic can be read in about a minute as advertised. The author is transparent in her writing. I found it an easy read for busy folks.

-Sandra Merville Hart