The Celebration (Amish Cooking Class #3) by Wanda E. Brunstetter

The Celebration, An Amish Cooking Class 

It gets emotional but a good read. Heidi is Amish and teaching young children how to cook and bake. It is my second time to read it and one I won a few years ago. 

There are problems with the families of each of the children who have come to the class. Heidi and her husband, Lyle, have two foster children, a brother and a sister whose parents died in a car crash. Heidi is unable to have children but she and her husband want to adopt them. 

She has six classes and the reader can read and watch the children and parents grow and learn. After each class, the children take home the recipes that that have a Bible verse on each one. 

There are chickens also in the book that are part of learning or as the Amish call them, hinkel.

The book is about God, prayers love, caring, friendship, family, death, heartbreaks, learning, and taking care of others. 

I gave it a 5 star rating. The opinions are my own.

One recipe I want to make this week: "Surprise Muffins: 1 egg, 1 cup milk, 1/4 cup cooking oil, 2 cups flour, 1/4 cup sugar, 3 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt. Strawberry or blueberry jam.  Grease bottom of 12 muffin cups or use paper baking cups. In medium bowl, beat egg with fork. Stir in milk and oil. Blend flour and other dry ingredients until mixture is moistened. Batter may be a bit lumpy. Do not overmix. Fill muffin cups half full of batter. Drop scant teaspoon of jam in center of batter in each muffin cup. Add more batter to fill cup so it's two-thirds full. Bake at 400* (F) for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Muffins will have gently rounded and pebbled tops. Loosen from pan immediately and remove with spatula. Serve warm or cold. Makes 12 muffins. Discovering the jelly inside the baked muffin is the surprise."

Leona Olson
mnleona.blogspot.com

The Chocolate Book Bandit by JoAnna Carl.

The Chocolate Book Bandit by JoAnna Carl.

From amazon.com:

When it turns out a member of Warner Pier’s library board has been living on borrowed time, Lee is determined to discover who wrote the victim’s final chapter… 
Lee McKinney Woodyard, manager of TenHuis Chocolade, has been offered a position on the local library board. Before she accepts, she decides to check out their monthly meeting at the town’s historic library.
 
Rumors are flying about the rugged new board director, Henry “Butch” Cassidy, and the changes he allegedly plans to make. Butch is indeed attractive—but Lee doesn’t get a chance to find out about his proposals. The meeting is interrupted by the terrified screams of the library clerk.
 
The clerk has discovered the lifeless body of prim and proper Abigail Montgomery, a retiring member of the board. Suddenly everyone in attendance—including Lee—is a suspect. And, as Lee finds out, they’ve all got something to hide....
 
Includes Tasty Chocolate Trivia!

Leona's Review:

I picked up this book from the library because I have found these cozy mysteries easy and quick to read.

This is the first of the series I have read by JoAnna Carl but this was a stand alone read.

Lee McKinney Woodyard has moved to Michigan to work at her aunt's chocolate business.  She has an invitation to serve on the library board as well as the tourism bureau so goes to the library board meeting to help make her decision.

When at the meeting someone finds the body of a member of the board in the basement.

I found that some distractions such as a "crush" on the new library director and her husband's kiss with an old flame a little different touch on this type of book but it did add to the mystery of what else was happening in the book other than the murder (s).

I liked the chocolate trivia but would have liked at least some chocolate recipes. 

I think the title of the book was a little misleading.  I will have to read the other books in the series.

Even though there were some very mild sexual comments it is still a clean book. No bad language.

I will give a jump from a 3  1/2 star to a 4 star because the author knew it was a "chicken fried steak" and how to fix it.  Up North they call it " country fried steak".

JoAnna Carl may be found at http://www.joannacarl.com/; also on freshfiction.com and goodreads.com.

A Hidden Witch by Debora Geary

A Hidden Witch by Debora Geary

Another good feel book by this author all about witches.

There are many characters in this book and I guess the reader could pick one or two as their favorite. I think Uncle Marcus stood out for me, a grouchy and hard to change witch who could be stubborn but also was, what I call, a teddy bear. Eloise is the Hidden Witch when she finds she is really a witch with powers and can do things. All children in a family do not possess the power so it was thought she did not have the power but she is still part of the family. Eloise made jewelry from sea-glass and this was her talent.

Nova Scotia is the main setting for this book and the author does a good job of descriptions. I will be going to Maine this fall and will have the find a lobster bake after the fun descriptions of the Fisher's Cove Lobster Bake.

The book has many family members and activities. One of the activities are eating, especially chocolate like chocolate cake and chocolate chip cookies Tea is also popular as blueberries and the experiences with them.

The family members all seem to have a special powers like water, air or fire among some. There was a lot of time spent on net power and I must say, I had trouble keeping up with it. The ages are from a young Aeryyn at the age of four and Gran, Moira, on her seventies. One character becomes pregnant ( I will let you find that later in the book) and her husband refers to the baby as a Seeding who needs roots. I liked that and it stood out for me.

Moira, is Gran and one time says " I am not an invalid" which reminded me of my own mother who had problems walking and always said this.

Eloise is teaching the children and said a rule for all witches is "Do no harm".

There were a number of rhymes which added to the book. Time spent on the computer and "talking" also added to the personal touch.