Thursday, December 31, 2020

The Book Tour Stops Here: A Review of "The Amish Baker's Rival" by Marie E. Bast, Served with Cookies Made With Love

My last post of 2020 is a book review as I am today's stop on the TLC Book Tour for The Amish Baker's Rival by Marie E. Bast.


Publisher's Blurb:

This exciting new Amish romance is from Publishers Weekly bestselling author of The Amish Baker and The Amish Marriage Bargain.

She’ll do anything to protect her bakery… no matter the cost to her heart.

Small-town, Amish baker Mary Brenneman is devastated when handsome Englischer Noah Miller opens up a bakery right across from hers. Now she must win a local baking contest just to stay in business. But somewhere along the way, Noah and Mary’s kitchen wars are quickly warming into something more…

Still mourning the death of his parents, Mary helps Noah search for the Amish grandparents he has never met. And when a crisis hits Mary’s bakery, Noah volunteers his assistance.

After Mary’s now ex-fiancé broke their engagement so he could go live in the Englisch world, she vows to stay away from men…especially Englisch men. Even though she likes Noah more each day, she keeps her distance.

With her heart packed with distrust, Noah hopes to soften her resolve and convince Mary of their undeniable love. But trouble brews at the baking contest when Mary thinks Noah has stolen her recipe. After the surprising result of the contest, Noah and Mary must face their feelings and decide what road God has set them upon.


Mass Market Paperback : 224 pages
Publisher : Love Inspired; Original Edition (December 29, 2020)

My Review: To be perfectly honest, although I have read a couple of Amish-centered books and clean romances and reviewed one on the blog, it's not a regular genre for me. I took this one for the food and baked goods and because they were looking for reviewers. Also, I didn't realize this book was the third in a series, or at least the third of three related books, which as I mention often, drives me a little crazy as I have a thing about reading books in order. For me, the book was okay. I liked the characters and I find Amish life interesting, but it was a bit too wholesome and predictable for me. It's a quick read though and the descriptions of the baked goods, and particularly the apple desserts that the rivals bakers, Mary and Noah made for the baking contest all sounded delicious. There's one recipe in the back of the book for Emily's Peanut Butter Bars that looks easy and tasty and I just may try it sometime when I am not full of holiday candy, cookies and treats.

All things considered, The Amish Baker's Rival is a sweet and clean faith-based romance and if someone is a fan of that genre and Amish fiction, they will likely enjoy it.

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Author Notes: MARIE E. BAST is the Publishers Weekly Bestselling Author of The Amish Baker and The Amish Marriage Bargain, and the first place 2015 contemporary winner of the Ignite the Flame Contest for The Perfect Client. She is also a finalist in the 2020 Book Buyers Best Contest for The Amish Baker. Her stories whisper words of hope, healing, and forgiveness through complex characters and twisting plots. Her books are sold all over the U.S., Canada, U.K., Ireland and Australia. She has published short stories and poetry in book compilations to include Chicken Soup for the Soul. She lives in Illinois with her husband of twenty-nine years. When she’s not writing, she’s walking, golfing, gardening, or spending time with her family. She loves to bake and enjoys her homemade rolls and bread way too much.

Learn more about Marie and her books HERE.

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The food in the book is mostly bakery items such as cookies, pies, breads, croissants, cakes and cupcakes. There are mentions of sandwiches, Amish bread, produce, eggs, milk and ice cream. Mary starts selling breakfast--sandwiches on biscuits and croissants and buys an espresso machine to keep up the competition with Noah's grocery and bakery business.

Normally this is where I make something inspired by the book, but it's way to close to the holidays and I have a house, fridge and freezer full of treats--including a big box of cookies and goodies my sisters sent from Oregon. So I just shot a few photos with some of my freezer cookie stash and saved myself the effort and the additional calories. ;-) It's nice to have sisters who bake and love you enough to ship them to you!

Note: A review copy of "The Amish Baker's Rival" was provided to me by the author and the publisher via TLC Book Tours. I was not compensated for my review and as always, my thoughts and opinions are my own. 
 
You can see the other stops for this TLC Book Tour and what other bloggers thought of the book here.

 

Sunday, December 27, 2020

Cream of Mushroom Soup: Rich & Vegan for Souper (Soup, Salad, & Sammie) Sundays

I have been thinking about Cream of Mushroom Soup lately but put off making it until the weather turned a bit cooler. Of course that was yesterday when it was gray and drizzly all day, and today is both warmer and sunnier, as is my usual timing. Still it sounded good and I had been wanting to make another vegan soup out of I Can Cook Vegan by Isa Chandra Moskowitz that I received as part of #AbramsDinner Party last year. 

Isa says, "This is a luxury for mushroom lovers. The kind of soup that tastes like you just returned from cooking classes abroad. But the truth is; garlic, white wine, and mushrooms are pure umami. If you'd like to get even fancier, substitute half (or all) of the creminis with oyster mushrooms or anything tickling your fancy at the farmers' market. All of the attitude of a culinary degree with none of the debt!"

Cream of Mushroom Soup
From I Can Cook Vegan by Isa Chandra Moskowitz 
(Serves 6)
 
1 medium yellow onion, chopped into medium diced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 Tbso refined coconut oil
1 (10-oz) package cremini mushrooms, sliced (I used 1 lb cremini mushrooms)
2 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup white wine
4 cups vegetable broth (I used porcini mushroom bouillon cubes)
1/2 cup whole unroasted cashews (soaked overnight if you don't have a high speed blender)
3 cups loosely packed baby arugula (I omitted & used parsley)
truffle oil for serving, optional

Preheat a 4-quart pot over medium hea. Saute the onion and garlic in the coconut oil with a pinch of salt, until just softened, about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and saute until softened, another 5 minutes. Remove 1/2 cup of the mushroom slices to use as garnish, if you like.
 
Stir in the thyme and pepper to taste. Add the white wine and use a spatula to deglaze the pan. Turn up the heat a bit and cook for 3 minutes to reduce the alcohol. Mix in the broth and turn off the heat. 

Place the cashews in a high-speed blender. Add everything from the mushroom pot and blend until completely smooth. The soup will be very hot, so turn off the blender and remove the lid every 10 seconds or so to let steam escape and to scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula.

Return the soup to the pot over low heat to warm through and thicken, 3 to 5 minutes. Taste for salt. Transfer to bowls and garnish each serving with the reserved mushrooms. Top with arugula and drizzle with truffle oil, if you've got it. Finish with the black pepper.

Notes/Results: Rich, velvety and delicious--full of umami flavor for sure. This is the kind of soup where a piece or two of bread, toasted or just soft is welcome for dipping. I do wish I had left more mushrooms out to and stir into the soup but otherwise, I am very happy with this one. I don't think anyone tasting it would realize that it's vegan too. I will happily make it again. 


Let's take a look into the Souper Sundays kitchen and see who is here:

Judee of Gluten Free A-Z Blog and I were on the same mushroom wavelength this week and she made a French Creamy Mushroom Soup, saying "Looking for a thick and creamy mushroom soup? You can't go wrong with this flavorful French recipe. It is one of my favorites and yet one of the easiest to make. The rich mushroom flavor blends beautifully with the French herbs and freshly cracked pepper."


Thank you for joining me this wee, Judee!
 
(If you aren't familiar with Souper Sundays, you can read about of the origins of it here.
 
If you would like to join in Souper (Soup, Salad, and Sammie) Sundays, I would love to have you! Here's how...

To join in this week's Souper Sunday's linkup with your soup, salad or sandwich:
  • Link up your soup (stew, chili, soupy curries, etc. are fine), salad, or sandwich dish, (preferably one from the current week or month--but we'll take older posts too) on the picture link below and leave a comment on this post so I am sure not to miss you. Also please see below for what to do on your blog post that you link up to Souper Sundays in order to be included in the weekly round-up.
and 

On your entry post (on your blog):
  • Mention Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays at Kahakai Kitchen and add a link back to this post. (Not to be a pain but it's polite and only fair to link back to events you link up at--so if you link a post up here without linking back to this post or my blog on your post, it will be removed.)
  • You are welcome to add the Souper Sundays logo to your post and/or blog (completely optional).

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Have a happy, healthy week! Happy New Year!

 

Sunday, December 20, 2020

One Hundred Beers of Solitude Lemony Red Lentil & Rice Soup: Sunshine Comfort for Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammie) Sundays

If you follow this blog,  you may have seen my #BlendsBash 2020 posts or other recipes I have created using the fabulous Book Blends, TV Blends, and Song Blends from The Book Club Cookbook. Well, Blends Bash might be over but that doesn't mean the cooking stops, especially after I received a little early Christmas thank you present with two blends I hadn't tried. I had already planned on making a lemony red lentil soup, but after see the ingredients in One Hundred Beers of Solitude and tasting the "Hoppy Citrus Sucker Punch" it gives, I knew it had to feature in today's soup. 

I have not read One Hundred Years of Solitude, the 1967 modern classic novel from Gabriel García Márquez before, but maybe some day. Amazon says, "One Hundred Years of Solitude tells the story of the rise and fall, birth and death of the mythical town of Macondo through the history of the Buendiá family. Inventive, amusing, magnetic, sad and alive with unforgettable men and women—brimming with truth, compassion, and a lyrical magic that strikes the soul—this novel is a masterpiece in the art of fiction."

I am going to go ahead and say that One Hundred Beers of Solitude is a masterpiece in spice blending, as it's hand blended from honey, sea salt, citric acid, lemon, grapefruit, lime juice powder, orange juice powder, orange, black pepper, basil, and cascade hops. For someone who loves citrus, it does pack a punch, in the best way and the hops add an extra layer of citrus and flowery flavor. that is very unique. The bottle says it can be used on everything from watermelon salad to hard boiled eggs and "turns soups, salads, cheese, meat and vegetables into masterpieces.

I love adding lemon and bright acidity to lentils and so I knew I wanted this spice featured in the soup I was planning on making today. It will be hard to capture the flavor without this special blend but you could try adding a hoppy citrus beer and pulling out all of your dried lemon and orange from the spice cabinet. Better yet, click on the links below and order this unique and versatile blend. 


One Hundred Beers of Solitude Lemony Red Lentil & Rice Soup
By Deb, Kahakai Kitchen
(Yields 8 Servings 
 
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 sweet onion, diced
1 large carrot, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium-large Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 heaping Tbsp One Hundred Beers of Solitude Blend, or to taste
8 cups light veggie broth (I used low-sodium non-chicken bouillon paste & water)
2 cups red lentils, washing and picked through
2 cups cooked rice (I used basmati rice)
juice of one lemon, or to taste
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
yogurt or sour cream (dairy or non-dairy) to serve if desired

Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium heat and add the onion, carrot, and celery. Cook until just softened, about 8-10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another minute before adding the cubed potatoes and One Hundred Beers of Solitude and stirring to coat. Pour in the broth and red lentils and bring to a boil. 

Reduce heat and cook about 20 minutes until red lentils have mostly dissolved and thicken the soup and vegetables are tender. Stir in the cooked rice and lemon juice. Taste and add sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. To serve, ladle into bowls and top with a scoop of yogurt or sour cream & a light sprinkle of One Hundred Beers of Solitude on top if desired. (I used Tofutti dairy-free sour cream). Enjoy!

 

Notes/Results: This soup was so good! Tart and lively in flavor and rich and hearty without being heavy. It would be a great soup for a grey and rainy day or for when you are under the weather as it gives strong "chicken rice soup" vibes. I like things extra lemony so you can adjust the amount of lemony juice you put it if you want it less bright. The hops are there, slightly floral and citrus, but subtle too. With the lentils and rice it is a thick and almost creamy soup, so if you want a brothier version, add more liquid to it. I am excited to have this for lunch the next few days before Christmas, and to try this Book Blend in other recipes. 

I love this soup and cooking with One Hundred Beers of Solitutude. Stay tuned for my kitchen experiments with A Song of Spice and Fire: Shichimi Togarashi --I feel like it needs to be paired with some ahi tuna STAT!

Many thanks to Judy and The Book Club Cookbook for providing me with this fun and delicious seasoning to try! I was not compensated for this post and my thoughts and experiences using the blends are my own.

Other recipes I have made with The Book Club Cookbook's Blends: 

After the Blends Bash parties, there is quite a list of recipes for the various The Book Club Cookbook seasoning blends that I am proud to be a part of. You can see all of the delicious recipes here and also find links to order Book, Song and Spice Blends of your own.

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 Let's take a look into the Souper Sundays kitchen and see who is here:

The Crafty Gardener shared a perfect holiday present soup mix for Wild Rice and Barley Soup saying, "I’m always looking for ways to make home made gifts and this year I’ve put together gifts in a jar. I’m sharing the wild rice and barley soup mix today. I used the idea of the upcycled playing cards and created some tags with the cooking directions on the reverse side. A delicious home made gift." 


Thank you for joining me this week Crafty Gardener!

(If you aren't familiar with Souper Sundays, you can read about of the origins of it here.
 
If you would like to join in Souper (Soup, Salad, and Sammie) Sundays, I would love to have you! Here's how...

To join in this week's Souper Sunday's linkup with your soup, salad or sandwich:
  • Link up your soup (stew, chili, soupy curries, etc. are fine), salad, or sandwich dish, (preferably one from the current week or month--but we'll take older posts too) on the picture link below and leave a comment on this post so I am sure not to miss you. Also please see below for what to do on your blog post that you link up to Souper Sundays in order to be included in the weekly round-up.
and 

On your entry post (on your blog):
  • Mention Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays at Kahakai Kitchen and add a link back to this post. (Not to be a pain but it's polite and only fair to link back to events you link up at--so if you link a post up here without linking back to this post or my blog on your post, it will be removed.)
  • You are welcome to add the Souper Sundays logo to your post and/or blog (completely optional).

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Have a happy, healthy holiday week! Whatever you celebrate, I hope your week is a good one.

 

Monday, December 14, 2020

Tarragon with the Wind Blender Béarnaise Sauce Over Poached Egg on Crispy Hashbrown Cakes for #BlendsBash2021

For my fourth and final recipe developed for #BlendsBash2020, I may have saved the best for last. That's claiming a lot, since I am pretty happy with the recipes I have created so far (see the bottom of the post for links) but I have a special place in my heart for tarragon and for the easy Tarragon with the Wind Blender Béarnaise Sauce Over Poached Egg on Crispy Hashbrown Cakes that I made using The Book Club Cookbook's Book Blend.

Tarragon with the Wind gets it moniker from the 1936 book Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell. More than 30 million copies of this beloved and often controversial book have been sold over the years. I watched the movie multiple times as a child with my mom and made my way through the book but never finished it a few years ago, so to be honest, my choosing the blend to work with had more to do with the tarragon than the title. On the bottle it says, "A bittersweet herb to help you survive difficult days." which couldn't be more timely right now. The bottle also notes, "A warm, sweet anise/minty aroma, very popular in many European cuisines. Good to use in dressings, sauces, and on salads. Works well in combination with basil, bay leaves, chives, dill, and parsley."

Similar to Gone with the Wind, tarragon  is not without controversy. It is one of those herbs like cilantro or dill, that people either seem to love or hate. I like the intensity and bite of anise flavor it gives a dish, it feels chic and French, and it is a featured ingredient in one of my favorite sauces, Béarnaise, the child of the French mother sauce Hollandaise. You see it served with steak a lot as it is strong enough to stand up to red meat, but as I only rarely eat meat, my favorite pairings for it are potatoes and eggs.

Made of butter (LOTS of butter), shallots, vinegar, egg yolks and tarragon, Béarnaise sauce is not too difficult to make but it can be finicky, separating easily and takes a fair amount of whisking which frankly, I am too lazy for. Having had great success with Hollandaise made in the blender (this one is a favorite), I assumed Béarnaise would be just as easy and indeed, there are plenty of recipes for Blender Béarnaise from Food Network to food sites and blogs. Some use fresh tarragon which can be difficult to find regularly here, so a good quality dried French tarragon like Tarragon with the Wind is a must in my kitchen.

My egg *needed* to be poached and rather than bread or an English muffin to rest it on, I wanted to work potatoes in. My friend gave me a mini electric grill for my birthday this year, so I cooked some hashbrowns into crispy rounds in it.  

I'm not going to give you recipes for the poached eggs (many people make them better and prettier than I do) or the potato cakes as not wanting to to add eggs, upon eggs, upon eggs, I simply packed packaged (non-frozen) hashbrowns into my greased and preheated mini grill pan and make two cakes for my individual serving. If you want, you can make potato cakes or just serve your egg and sauce on top of a pile crispy hashbrowns & it would be easier, faster, and taste just as good.

I will give you my recipe for the Blender Béarnaise which is pretty similar to the many recipes you find online. I just use Tarragon Vinegar for an extra punch but champagne vinegar will do nicely.

Tarragon with the Wind Blender Béarnaise Sauce
By Deb, Kahakai Kitchen
(Makes about 1 1/2 cups)
 
1 medium shallot, finely diced
1/4 cup white wine
1/4 cup tarragon vinegar (or white wine vinegar or champagne vinegar)
2 tsp Tarragon with the Wind French Tarragon, or to taste
3 egg yolks
 salt and black pepper to taste
1 1/4 cups butter (2 1/2 sticks)
 
Place the shallots, wine, tarragon vinegar, and Tarragon with the Wind in a small pan and bring to a simmer. Simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated down to about 2 tablespoons, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the butter in a small pan or in the microwave until hot and bubbling but not brown and set aside.

Place shallot mixture in blender jar. Add egg yolks, salt and pepper and blend on high speed until smooth. With blender running, remove the small hole covering and slowly pour in melted butter in a very small, slow and steady stream. Blend until smooth and luxurious. Serve warm.
  
To assemble my dish, I placed one hashbrown cake on the plate and topped it with some sauce, they layered the second cake on top.  I then carefully slid my poached egg onto the top of the second hashbrown cake and topped generously with more sauce. I ground fresh black pepper and sprinkled a tiny bit of the Tarragon with the Wind on top to garnish. Eat right away and enjoy.

Notes/Results: I am in love with the sauce; rich, smooth and creamy with the pop of acidity and the sharpness of the tarragon, I could pretty much eat it with a spoon, but why do that when you have crispy hashbrowns and yummy runny egg yolks to enjoy  it with?  This dish is not complicated but you do need to multi-task and have all three components ready so it is all fresh and warm. An indulgent dish but so worth it! I'd happily make it again.

Many thanks to Judy and The Book Club Cookbook for providing me with this fun and delicious seasoning and for letting me join in the fun. I received no compensation for taking part in the virtual 2020 #BlendsBash party and my thoughts and experience using the blends are my own.

I was very excited to contribute four recipes this year, joining  more than 30 other bloggers as part of the 2020 Blends Bash!  You can check out all the bloggers participating in the #BlendsBash and their delicious recipes here.

Here are the links to the other three recipes I developed:

Here's a sneak peek the blends I featured in their adorable packaging. These blends are so delicious and fun--they make wonderful gifts for your foodie friends and fans of the many book, TV and song blends they feature. Check out a list of blends here.

Sunday, December 13, 2020

Creamy Wild Rice & Salmon Soup (Chowder?) for Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammie) Sundays

When it came to soup this week, I wanted something thick, creamy and comforting. I was deciding between a fish chowder and a creamy wild rice soup when I decided to combine them for Creamy Wild Rice & Salmon Soup 

Creamy Wild Rice & Salmon Soup
By Deb, Kahakai Kitchen
(Yields 4-6 Servings)
 
2 Tbsp butter
1 medium onion, diced
1 large carrot, diced
2 medium celery stalks, diced
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp dried time
1 tsp celery salt
1 tsp dried tarragon
4 cups low-sodium vegetable stock
2 1/2 cups baby Yukon Gold potatoes, halved or quartered, depending on the size
1 cup wild rice
2 Tbsp cornstarch + 2 Tbsp cold water
2 cups coconut milk or half-and-half
18 oz salmon fillet, cut into chunks
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
chopped fresh parsley for garnish

In a large heavy-bottomed soup pot, melt the butter. Add the celery, carrots, onion, garlic, thyme, celery salt and tarragon and cook over moderate medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables just start to soften, about 8-10 minutes. 
 
Add the stock, potatoes and wild rice to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables and rice are tender, about 35 minutes. Make a slurry with the cornstarch and cold water and stir it into the soup. Add the coconut milk and stir in the salmon and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the is cooked through, about 7-8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve, garnished with chopped fresh parsley and enjoy.

Notes/Results: Rich and creamy and delicious, this soup hit the spot. It's hearty without being heavy and is one of those soups that's like a hug in the bowl. I like the slightly chewy texture of the wild rice and the chucks of the potatoes and the richness of the coconut milk. If you aren't a salmon fan, you could use another fish, chicken, or even mushrooms for a veg-friendly take. I would happily make it again. 

 Let's take a look into the Souper Sundays kitchen and see who is here:

Crafty Gardener brought Split Pea and Potato Soup, saying "Split pea and potato soup is another ‘soup’er delicious recipe and great way to get lots of veggies and fibre all cooked into a delicious soup. You can have this soup as is, blended half and half or smooth. The choice is yours. I like half in the blender and then mixed with the remainder for some texture."


Judy of Gluten Free A- Z Blog shared exotic Egyptian Molokhia Soup and said, "Yum! We love this soup! Molokhia is the Arabic word for a soup made from jute leaves which are a highly nutritious greens that are very popular in Middle Eastern countries. Once again, I am sharing one of my mother-in-laws authentic recipes. In Egypt, Molokhia is eaten as a soup. In Lebanon Molokhia is eaten somewhat differently using a larger leaf to make more of a stew."

Molokhia soup

 
Debra of Eliot's Eats is here with White Pumpkin Soup with Southwestern Spice saying, "A couple of weeks ago, it was time to pull the fall decorations off the front porch before the pumpkins froze. I didn’t go all out with decorating so I just had a small pie pumpkin stacked on top of a squatty white pumpkin. White pumpkins were new to me, at least in the kitchen. I was anxious to try the puree in a soup."

 

Thank you for joining me this week Debra, Judee, and Crafty Gardener!

(If you aren't familiar with Souper Sundays, you can read about of the origins of it here.
 
If you would like to join in Souper (Soup, Salad, and Sammie) Sundays, I would love to have you! Here's how...

To join in this week's Souper Sunday's linkup with your soup, salad or sandwich:
  • Link up your soup (stew, chili, soupy curries, etc. are fine), salad, or sandwich dish, (preferably one from the current week or month--but we'll take older posts too) on the picture link below and leave a comment on this post so I am sure not to miss you. Also please see below for what to do on your blog post that you link up to Souper Sundays in order to be included in the weekly round-up.
and 

On your entry post (on your blog):
  • Mention Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays at Kahakai Kitchen and add a link back to this post. (Not to be a pain but it's polite and only fair to link back to events you link up at--so if you link a post up here without linking back to this post or my blog on your post, it will be removed.)
  • You are welcome to add the Souper Sundays logo to your post and/or blog (completely optional).

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

 Have a happy, healthy week!