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Investigating Food Used in Novels

This month’s food scene and recipe comes from Malissa Chapin’s novel, The Road Home.   

Here’s the scene:

Deercrest’s streets buzzed with traffic. Cows hung from the light poles,
and cows or cow print curtains hung in every window along Main Street. A
teenager in a cow costume took selfies with children. Music drifted from
the park where food trucks sold dairy treats. Cadence sniffed the air
for deep-fried cheese curds—she would grab some after her shift.
Chalk drawings of cows and barns covered the sidewalks. Children with
painted cow-print faces licked large cones of frozen custard. Wisconsin
loved dairy, and Deercrest loved June Dairy Month. The town became
Cowcrest for the weekend festival, and people came from all over to
celebrate.
Cadence smelled coffee and vanilla when she opened the door of the busy
café. “Sorry I’m late!” she hollered.
“Did you stop at the antique store?” Laura called from the cash
register.
She shrugged. “Sorry. Couldn’t help it.”
“No worries,” Laura said, laughing. “Grab an apron and get me another
tray of cream puff bars.”
Laura’s cream puff bars won an award from a local travel magazine, and
every customer purchased one with their coffee or took several to go.
Cadence and Laura baked hundreds of bars every day last week. The
freezer racks held trays of cream puff bars ready to top with rich
honey-sweetened cream.
Laura’s daughter, Allie, waved her spatula when Cadence hurried past.
“Morning, Cadence. Mom stuck me on whip cream duty today.”

Malissa shares this Cream Puff Bars Recipe from her novel: 

           Cream Puff Bars, Muddy Cup Café

For the recipe, Click Here.

More about The Road Home:

Hiding from her tainted past. Will unraveling a long-buried deception
let the truth set her free?

Wisconsin, present day. Audra March’s adult life is haunted by a teenage
misstep. Taking an assumed name and enjoying simple things, the
thirty-something comes upon a vintage recipe box while thrift shopping
and hunts down the owner’s daughter. So when a longtime adversary
threatens her with blackmail, she jumps at the invitation to escape to
the dead lady’s estate and avoid an old enemy.

Kentucky, 1940’s. Ida Bealle Horne aches for a baby. Deeply in love with
her preacher husband, she despairs that God will never grace her
Appalachian home with the laughter of a child. So when a knock at the
door comes one stormy night, she thanks the Almighty when a granny
shoves a newborn into her arms.

Stumbling across a collection of letters, Audra unearths a secret its
owner took to the grave and embarks on a path of surprising
consequences. And though Ida Bealle can’t bear to admit to her now-grown
daughter they don’t share blood, she feels the burden of the lie
crushing her soul.

Can Audra’s journey bring fulfillment to another and gift her a second
chance?

The Road Home is the emotional first book in a Christian women’s fiction
series. If you like conflicted heroines, tales of redemption, and
dual-timeline stories, then you’ll adore Malissa Chapin’s
generation-spanning saga.

About the Author:

Malissa Chapin has a heart for writing stories filled with humor, faith,
and truth. She’s always adored reading excellent books and is tickled to
see her childhood dream of becoming an author finally come true.
Malissa loves creating with words, watercolor, fabric, and yarn. You can
find her in her garden, at the piano, homeschooling her bonus baby, or
enjoying a coffee with friends.
She lives and sometimes freezes in Wisconsin with her family and a crazy
cat.
Sign up for her newsletter and be the first to hear about her works in
progress, offers, and fun news. Let me know if you choose to enjoy these yummy treats.

Connect with her at https://malissachapin.com/

Investigating Food Used in Novels

This month’s food scene and recipe comes from R. F. Whong’s novel, Blazing China.   

Describing food and an after dinner activity in this scene, Author Whong portrays a sense of everyday home life amid a changing China where wealth and faith become sources of both strife and hope.

Here’s the Scene:

Back at their flat, to express her gratitude, Leesan cooked fried chicken, steamed fish, and spinach with minced garlic for Danny and Kam-Chu. After dinner, Ann-Ann, clad in her new dress, sang and danced to music flowing from the radio.

Kam-Chu applauded. “Ann-Ann, you’re so cute in the red dress. And you sing and dance well.” She shook a finger at Leesan. “You always buy those practical garments for your daughter. Sometimes a girl deserves a bit of dress-up. See how beautiful she is in this attire.”

“I–I—” Leesan bit her lip, stifling her response.

Yes, she could afford to buy a few luxurious outfits for Ann-Ann. But how about Nana and May-May? Every day, Hong Kong newspapers reported horrid political movements in China. How can we enjoy unnecessary items while they suffer?

Danny touched her hand. “I understand your concerns. I don’t mind buying this dress for Ann-Ann at all.”

A gentle warmth rose in her heart. He’s such a kind man.

The following Monday, Kam-Chu went out to visit her daughter. After dropping Ann-Ann off at school, Leesan returned to her room to write.

A knock interrupted her. When she opened the door, Danny flashed a broad grin. “Have you done your shopping for the New Year?”

She ran a hand through her newly permed hair. “Not yet. Why?”

“I plan to do it today. I must buy gifts for my parents back home and remember you need to do the same. Will you come along?”

A knot cinched up her stomach. What would happen if she went out with him alone?

He leaned forward. “We can go to the flower market afterward. I doubt you’ve had a chance to visit the market. Let’s go. It’ll be fun.”

Right. Hong Kong people liked to buy a tree full of tiny oranges from the flower market for the Chinese New Year, very much like Americans having a pine tree during Christmas. She did need to buy gifts for Nana and May-May. “Okay. I can’t go out for too long, though. I still have some pages to write.”

At the Wing-On store, Danny jammed his hands on his hips. “So many people. Maybe we shouldn’t buy anything just yet. Let’s go to the flower market.”

She followed him toward Mongkok, a major shopping area for locals on the Kowloon side. The entire place came alive with the festive spirit. Bright sunshine cast its rays on festivalgoers. Merchants shouted to attract passersby’s attention.

He wrapped an arm around her waist. “People are bumping against you.”

She tried to pull away. When he persisted, she gave out a faint sigh and let him hold her tight.

 

For a taste of main character Leesan’s steamed fish, Author R. F. Whong shares this recipe:

          Steamed Fish with Ginger and Green Onion

 

For the recipe Click Here.

 

More about Blazing China:

For Fans of Amy Tan and Francine Rivers, Blazing China takes you on an extraordinary journey of a family, facing adversity and persecution with unyielding courage.

Live or believe? God or survival?

Ordinary Christians. Extraordinary circumstances. Beliefs under siege outside and conflicts within. Where do these women stand?

Leesan wants to produce heirs to carry on the Lee family name and manage their enormous estates. When she delivers identical twin girls, Ann-Ann and May-May, just before the Cultural Revolution in China, she cannot imagine how much their world is about to change. Now, with her husband dead, their land forfeited to the government, and their lives in jeopardy, Leesan, her mother-in-law, Su-Ann, and her daughters must surrender all that’s left of the past, even as they struggle to hold on to their Christian faith.

As the persecution intensifies, Red Guards murder those caught attending their home church, and the survivors are scattered in different directions. From Beijing to Inner Mongolia, from Hong Kong to California, hardship and the clash between ideologies challenge their faith, love, and loyalty.

Should they choose survival over God?
 

About the author:

Dr. Wuwong (PhD in biochemistry, MBA in finance) has published 120+ scientific books and papers (under her legal name) and a few Christian fiction books (Love at the Garden Tomb, The Way We Forgive, Blazing China, and Detour to Agape, under R. F. Whong). She lives in the Midwest with her husband, a retired pastor. They served together at three churches from 1987 to 2020. Her grown son works in a nearby city.

She currently runs a small biotech company (www.vidasym.com) and has raised more than twenty million US dollars during the past few years for Vidasym.

In addition to her weekly newsletter and the platform (www.ruthforchrist.com), she’s active in several writers’ groups, including ACFW, Word Weavers, Facebook, and Goodreads. Through these connections, she plans newsletter/promotion swaps with others and has writers endorse her books, write forewords, and host her on guest blogs.

Website: www.ruthforchrist.com

 

 

 

Investigating Food Used in Novels

This month’s food scene and recipe comes from Annette O’Hare’s Civil War novel, Northern Light. 

Author Annette O’Hare uses a kitchen scene showcasing the growing playful relationship of her hero and heroine.

 

Here’s the Scene:

“Okay, okay, so why do ya call it hot water cornbread? I’ve never heard of that before.”

        Margaret looked up into his eyes, which was easy with his face so close to hers. “Because, regular cornbread calls for eggs and since there are no eggs on the entire peninsula…we have to make hot water cornbread. It doesn’t call for eggs.”

        “Aye, I see. And does it call for sugar?” He smiled and kissed the tip of her nose. “Because we have a fair amount of that, lass.”

        She shook her head at his silly pun, but couldn’t help smiling despite herself. “Now stop it. We’re ready to pour the boiling water over the cornmeal and lard. Measure out three quarters of a cup and I’ll add the salt.”

        Thomas did as he was told and poured the steaming hot liquid over the ingredients Margaret had already added to the bowl. The lard melted into a puddle with the addition of the water. “What shall I do now, mix it together?”

        “Yes.” She handed him a spatula. “It’s going to be sticky, but do your best to get all the water mixed into the meal and lard.”

        Margaret checked the iron skillet where a good amount of lard was being heated for the cornbread. She took the long

handled spoon from the spoon rest and stirred the big pot of black-eyed peas. After moving the peas around in the pot she

scooped out a small spoonful and set it on the rest to cool.

        Thomas looked up from his task. “Are ya hungry? Setting out a bit of those peas for yerself are ya?”

        She dipped her head to the side. “No silly, I need to have a taste to see if they’re done.”

        “Well go on then.” He motioned toward the spoonful of peas.

        Margaret raised her eyebrows. “I don’t want to burn my mouth, they’re boiling hot!”

        “You’ve got a point there.” He slapped the top of his cornbread dough ball with the spatula. “Seems to be well mixed, lass. What shall I do with it now?”

        “Well, if it’s not too hot still you need to separate a small amount at a time and form it into cakes.”

        “Ya mean I have to put my hands into this sticky mess?”

        A huge smile graced Margaret’s face. “Aye, laddy, ya do.” She giggled at herself.

        “So now yer going to mock the way I talk are ya?” He smiled and pulled the spatula out of the gooey mixture and poked it at her.

        Margaret hopped around the kitchen, trying to avoid being touched by the messy spatula. She couldn’t remember

when she’d laughed so hard. Thomas backed her into the cabinets, taunting her with tool in hand. “Don’t you get that

sticky thing on my clothes, Thomas Murphy. I don’t want to have to change my dress.”

 

For a taste of what these two are cooking up, Annette shares the recipe for the Hot Water Cornbread.

                                                      Hot Water Cornbread

For the recipe Click Here.

 

More about Northern Light:

Civil War has robbed Margaret Logan of all she holds dear, including her beloved New Orleans home and her fiancé. When her family moves to the desolate Bolivar Peninsula to manage a lighthouse that is no longer there, all her hopes for a normal future are dashed. Her world is rocked once again when a wounded Yankee soldier washes ashore needing her help. Despite her contempt for the North, Margaret falls in love with Thomas Murphy. As their love blooms, Margaret's sister is overcome with neurosis, and her mind slowly slips away. Bitterness, psychosis and depression yield a decision fueled by contempt. Will one fatal choice cause Margaret to lose the man she loves and condemn Thomas to death?

 

About the author:

Annette O’Hare is an award-winning author of adult and children’s literature. Annette desires to reveal the love of God to her readers while hopefully giving them something to smile about. She and husband Dan live in Southeast Texas and enjoy spending time with family, RVing, and saltwater fishing.

Author website    www.annetteohare.com