Author Interviews

Guest Post by Charlotte Hubbard Plus Giveaway!

Posted Michelle Dawn

Fresh Recipes With a BREATH OF SPRING

After a long winter of weather that was colder and more severe than we’re used to, it’s time to freshen up your menu! Nothing says spring and picnics more than macaroni salad, and ham loaf is the perfect go-with. Both of these recipes are featured in my new release, BREATH OF SPRING, so I’d love to share them with you.

When I first proposed my Seasons of the Heart series, which began in Miriam Lantz’s Sweet Seasons Bakery Café, my editor and I agreed that recipes would be a hit with readers. And they are! While some of the recipes in my books are authentically Amish—you know what? Most Amish cooking is really just down-home food prepared the way our grandmothers made it, usually from everyday ingredients most cooks stock in their kitchens. As I’ve studied cookbooks from several Amish settlements and the recipes published in The Budget, the national Plain newspaper, I’ve never spotted anything that makes a dish uniquely Amish. Plain cooks simply have a tradition of cooking up uncomplicated, filling food that most of us think we’re too busy to prepare.

And yes, Amish cooks use more convenience foods—like boxed cake mixes, canned mushroom soup, and Cool Whip—than you might assume. So when I thought about the foods Miriam would cook in her café, or which other characters might prepare in their homes, I included recipes with shortcuts that still produce the homemade goodness we associate with Amish cooking. You can find the recipes from all of the books in this series at www.CharlotteHubbard.com, as well as excerpts from all the books in this series. You can also sign up for my newsletter on my homepage, so you can keep up with my new releases.

BREATH OF SPRING is the fourth book in my series, and it features a special apple pie filling that helps heroine Annie Mae Knepp win Adam Wagler’s heart, as well as this macaroni salad which is served at her eighteenth birthday party. You’ll also find a recipe for Macaroni and Goat Cheese, because the Hooley sisters’ four goats have become beloved characters in these stories. If you’re a chocoholic, you won’t want to miss the Hot Fudge Cake, which bakes up moist and decadently chocolate with its own fudge sauce.

Hungry yet?! I hope you’ll enjoy trying these recipes and sharing them with your families. That’s what Amish life is all about—family, faith, and FOOD!

 

Annie Mae’s Favorite Macaroni Salad

This is a fabulous salad that serves a crowd. The difference is in the dressing: Amish cooks tend to add sugar to their dressings. If you’re watching your calories, you can omit or reduce the sugar and still have a tasty dish that’ll be a hit at potlucks and picnics.

3 C. uncooked elbow macaroni, shells, etc.

3 hard-cooked eggs, chopped

3 stalks celery, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

1 small red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

3 T. dill pickle relish

2 C. creamy salad dressing (e.g. Miracle Whip)

3 T. yellow mustard

3/ 4 C. white sugar

3 tsp. white vinegar

2 tsp. celery seed

Salt and pepper to taste

Bring a pot of water to boil, add macaroni, and cook according to package directions. Drain and set aside. In a large bowl, combine the chopped eggs and vegetables. In a smaller bowl, blend the rest of the ingredients, then combine this dressing with the macaroni, eggs, and vegetables. Cover and chill at least 2 hours (or overnight) before serving. Serves 10-12. Keeps about 3 days in the fridge.

Kitchen Hint: I make this salad with whole wheat macaroni, which adds fiber and doesn’t change the taste a bit. I also like to mix pasta shapes, using a cup of each!

Ham Loaf

Here’s a nice alternative to meat loaf, and it picks up a tangy sweet-sour taste from the glaze as it bakes. You can ask someone at the meat counter in the grocery store to grind your ham—or use a hand-cranked grinder, as Amish women do, or use a food processor blade, as I do. When cold, this loaf slices well for sandwiches!

1 lb. ground ham

1 lb. ground pork

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 eggs

2/3 C. cracker crumbs

1/3 C. Minute tapioca

¼ C. milk

Glaze:

¼ C. cider vinegar

½ C. water

½ C. brown sugar

1 T. mustard

Preheat oven to 350º. In a large bowl, combine the ground ham, ground pork, onion, eggs, cracker crumbs, tapioca, and milk. Mix thoroughly and form into two loaves. Place in a sprayed/greased roaster or baking pan. Mix the glaze ingredients in a small pan and boil for a few minutes, then pour the glaze over the ham loaves. Cover and bake about an hour and a half, basting occasionally. Glaze will thicken as it cooks down. Allow to cool about fifteen minutes before slicing, and serve with glaze.

Kitchen Hint: Minute tapioca isn’t just for pudding or thickening fruit pies! In this recipe, it gives the ham loaf a firmer texture so it won’t break apart when you slice it.

Another hint: You can also bake your loaves in a large crockery cooker for about 6 hours, but the glaze won’t thicken as much.

 

Thanks so much for sharing with us today, Charlotte! I am happy to announce that Kensington Publishing is giving one lucky reader the chance to win a copy of Breath of Spring.

To enter leave a comment below. If you would like an Extra chance share this link on Facebook or Twitter. Remember to leave another comment if you did.

**Contest starts today Monday, April 21st and ends on Monday, April 28th.**

breathofspring-200x300

As a bright season brings a fresh start to Willow Ridge, Annie Mae Knepp feels she can never make peace with the past. Her disgraced ex-bishop father is furious she has taken her five siblings to live with her. She’s never been truly at home in her faith. . .or believing in herself. And Annie Mae fears no man will want to take on the responsibilities she’s gladly shouldered. True, her quiet neighbor Adam Wagler has been steadfast and unshakeable helping her through her trials, but he surely couldn’t think of someone so lost as more than a friend. Believing she is unworthy because of her doubts, Annie Mae will find in a moment of surprising revelation that God can work impossible miracles—and that love makes all things new.

charlotte

Charlotte Hubbard, a long time Missourian, draws upon her
experiences in Jamesport, the largest Old Order Amish
community west of the Mississippi, and writes of simpler times
and a faith-based lifestyle in her Seasons of the Heart series.
Charlotte is a deacon, a dedicated church musician, and choir
member. Charlotte now lives with her family in Minnesota.
Visit her at www.charlottehubbard.com.


86 thoughts on “Guest Post by Charlotte Hubbard Plus Giveaway!”

  3. hello Charlotte, thank you for sharing and I can’t wait to try the wonderful recipes. Thank you for the chance win a copy of this book. I also shared on fb. Blessings to you!

    Reply

  5. I am looking forward to reading BREATH OF SPRING.Please enter me in contest.Thank you for the opportunity to win.I enjoy reading your books.

    Reply

  6. I have been waiting for this book! I have read Charlotte’s previous books and I can’t wait to see what Hiram is up to now!

    I would love to win a copy of this book.

    Blessings!
    Judy B
    judyjohn2004(at)yahoo(dot)com

    Reply

  12. I an anxious to read this book! But, winning a signed copy would be an honor!!
    Thank you for your wonferful books!!

    Reply

  14. I’m going to look up the recipes. Sounds good – and fun! I’d love to win this book. I haven’t had the opportunity to read anything by this author yet. Thanks for the chance!
    [email protected]

    Reply

  17. Drooling over the recipes, and hoping to win a copy of Breath of Spring!
    I’ve totally enjoyed the first 3 book s of the series, as well the Angels of Mercy series. My major is need is for you write a little faster, please!

    thanks for the opportunity to win!!

    Reply

  21. the recipes are neat sounding, I know that I enjoy ham loaf when I visit Lancaster Cty. as we do not make it here in my area

    Reply

  22. I live in Illinois…We are practically neighbors!
    Thanks for the chance to win a copy of your lovely
    book.
    Cindi

    Reply

  25. I love to read Amish Books,they are so down to earth and very family oriented. Thanks for the chance to win a book.

    Reply

  26. Interesting article and I’ll definitely make that chocolate cake! Would love to read your book! Sharing on FB as well.

    Reply

  28. This sounds like such a great book with the bonus of recipes besides. Please enter me in this contest. Judy F

    Reply

  33. Loved this post! The recipes look terrific and I plan on trying them thank you !
    I have enjoyed your other books and look forward to reading this one.
    I am going to your F b page (to like)
    Thank you

    Reply

  35. Absolutely love Charlotte Hubbard’s books and would love to win her newest Breath of Spring in a great series!

    Reply

  38. Our readers in the Church Library love Amish Books. I would love to win “Breath of Spring” to give to the Library.
    Thanks for the opportunity to do so.

    Reply

  40. Sounds like a welcoming book for the spring. Can’t wait to read it, hope I win it.
    Love your books.

    Reply

  46. These are the best Amish Books and I dont’ read any other! My favorite recipes are the pizza ones! I can’t wait to read “BREATH OF SPRING”. GOD BLESS!

    Reply

  47. Thank you for another wonderful giveaway. I would love to win a copy of this book. Thank you also for the recipes.

    Reply

  49. I like to read amish stories and spring is my fav time of year with all the new beginnings. thanks for sharing.

    Reply

  53. I would love to read this series. The recipes look so yummy. Going to have to try. Love to win.
    Blessings
    Diana
    joeym11(at)frontier(dot)com

    Reply

  56. I thoroughly enjoy all of your Amish books. I seem to emerge myself into your books to get away from everyday trials and tribulations. Your writings are very special to my heart and allow me a chance to be in another world. I sincerely thank you.

    Reply

  57. Can’t wait to read this book!!!! and a hot fudge cake recipe too….woohoo! Thanks for giving a copy away…..

    Reply

  58. Thank you for sharing these recipes with us. I enjoy the recipes included in Amishbooks…almost as much as the book itself.
    Keep on writing these inspirational stories for us!!

    Reply

  59. Thank you for sharing these recipes with us. I enjoy the recipes included in Amishbooks…almost as much as the book itself.
    Keep on writing these inspirational stories for us!!

    Reply

  61. I am looking forward to reading this book.I have read all of Charlotte’s books.They all are great.These recipes sounds yummy!!!Thanks for sharing.

    Reply

  83. I can’t believe I missed this giveaway, bummer! I love your books and right the only way I can read them is if I win them. I’m so inspired with your writing about the Amish. I’ve been through a lot of personal drama since last July, with my 90 yr old mom, court, fighting with family, and now one member that started the fight has divided the whole family. Mom is doing well physically, mentally, but still upset with the family, it took a lot out of her. I have faith, prayed to God for this drama to end. I wish my family would read about Amish, then maybe they would understand what family means.
    I would have loved for a chance to win this book! Thanks!

    Reply

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