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The winner of Cathy’s Christmas Confession by Patti Shene Gonzales is:

                                     Jacqueline G.

Congratulations, Jacqueline,

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Check out recipes inspired by novels here.

Visit me next month for a new novel scene and recipe!

Investigating Food Used in Novels

This month’s food scene and recipe come from Patti Shene Gonzales’s novel— Cathy’s Christmas Confession, A Christmas Ridge Romance Book 3.

It’s the Christmas season, and Cathy Fischer is attempting to help widower David Martin find joy in Christmas despite his grief over the recent loss of his wife. She has offered to fix him a meal if he puts up her Christmas lights. She’s no cook, and one of the few meals she can prepare is spaghetti with a slight alteration to the recipe.

Here is the scene:

She gave him an odd look as he picked up his knife and fork. “Please tell me you twirl your spaghetti.”

“What?” His eyebrows shot up.

“That’s what the big spoon is for. Like this.” She snagged some pasta onto her fork, then placed it inside the spoon and wound the spaghetti strands around the fork. “It’s the only real way to eat spaghetti.” She teased him with a smile. “How does an Italian food lover not know this?”

He laughed and mimicked her actions. “Not near as messy. This sauce is amazing. It has a secret ingredient.”

“You’ll notice it’s a lot thicker than most sauces. I add chili and call it Mexican spaghetti.” She shrugged. “Just a little variation I thought I’d try one day. I’ve been making it that way ever since.”

“It’s wonderful.”

“Help yourself to garlic bread.” She pushed the basket of bread toward him.

He took a slice and gave her a mocking look. “Already buttered. So why did you give me a knife if I wasn’t supposed to cut spaghetti with it?” He wiggled his eyebrows.

She shrugged. “A place setting without a knife, fork, and spoon is incomplete. Bothers me like wearing one shoe or something. Oh!” She jumped up. “I forgot the salad.” She retrieved the prepared salad from the refrigerator, placed it in the center of the table, and brought two bowls from the cabinet. “If you want to use a knife, cut up the lettuce.” She grinned.

Author Patti Shene Gonzales shares her special “Mexican” spaghetti.

                     Spaghetti, Patti’s Mexican

For the recipe go to Investigatin’ Recipes above under Investigator’s News or Click Here. 

Here’s more about Cathy’s Christmas Confession.

Christmas is not a time of joy for the hurting.

During a snowstorm, widow Cathy Fischer creams a stop sign on her way to work at the Christmas Ridge Community Church. Acquaintance David Martin stops to help. Cathy sees signs of deep grief in David, a recent widower. She reaches out with support in an attempt to help David through this most difficult first Christmas without his beloved wife.

David Martin struggles with grief over the death of his wife. He blames God for her rapid demise after her cancer diagnosis. Cathy reaches out to him with compassion and support and soon enlists him in her mission to bring joy to others at Christmas. Will their joint quest restore David’s faith?

David needs to turn loose of the past and embrace his future. Cathy has a confession to make to the entire community that may give David a different perspective of who she really is. Will her confession set her free?

Does God have plans in mind for the two of them they did not anticipate?

BOOK GIVEAWAY

Leave a comment to be placed into a drawing for a signed print copy of Cathy’s Christmas Confession.

About the author:

Patti Shene Gonzales enjoyed a thirty-year career as a psychiatric nurse and has always harbored a desire to write. She hosts published and unpublished writers on her two blogs, Patti’s Porch and The Over 50 Writer.

Patti was born in New York but has made her home in Southeastern Colorado for the past fifty years. She is a widow with two adult children and one granddaughter, all of them amazing, of course! Patti enjoys reading, writing, critiquing, watching old TV westerns, and spending time with family and friends.

She is the author of Cathy’s Christmas Confession: A Christmas Ridge Romance Book 3, the third book in a contemporary Christmas novella multi-author series. (Each story can stand alone). The book is available on Amazon in Kindle and print format and on Kindle Unlimited.

She is one of the original founders of the Colorado Springs chapter of ACFW.

The winner of the Carol of the Rooms- (A retell of A Christmas Carol) by Diana Leagh Matthews is:

                   Elizabeth D.

Congratulations, Elizabeth. 

Be sure to check out next month’s novel food scene at sallyjopitts.com/author for another chance to win a book.