BOOK: Echo of Heartbreak, A Recipe for Life - with Pineapple Squares Recipe

5.0 out of 5 starsA heartwarming story of love and devotion!

Bypagedabbler21on October 12, 2013

Format: Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase

Echo of Heartbreak: A Recipe for Life, by Carol Ann Kauffman,is a heartwarming story of love and devotion a mother has for her unborn child. Knowing she may not live through the pregnancy or childbirth, she is still determined to bring her child into the world. So she begins to leave a legacy in the form of a journal, filled with tips of how to live a good life and adds recipes from her Italian heritage.

This is an extremely enjoyable story filled with emotion and sentiment. It shows, on every page, the love this mom has for her child, no matter what and plans ahead to teach her child about love and devotion. I also like the way the author enveloped the journal entries and the recipes in between the pages of the story, to tug our heart strings along, every step of the way.(less)

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5.0 out of 5 starsA touching story and yummy recipes! :)

ByC Eon September 6, 2013

Format: Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase

This is a wonderful little novella. Carol Ann Kauffman, author of Time After Time series, has written a completely unrelated touching novella. It's letters from a dying mother to her unborn baby. She is leaving her letters on how to live her life, advice on growing up, falling in love. This book is incredibly touching. It's also filled with amazing recipes, that the mother is passing down to her child. Recipes that the family always made.

This little cookbook/ novella is wonderful, touching and a great addition to a kitchen! :)

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Dear Gentle Readers,

Echo of Heartbreak, A Recipe for Life is much more than the story of a young mother-to-be with a heart condition and her personal struggles during her pregnancy. It's also a recipe book. My mother was one of those exceptionally good old Italian cooks who never wrote a recipe down. She was in failing health when I wrote this particular book. These recipes are hers. I sat by her bedside and we talked recipes. I wrote them down. I went home and tried them. I went back the next day, results in hand. She would say things like "too much salt, you rushed it, too much flour," etc., and I would then adjust the recipe. Here is one of those recipes:

PINEAPPLE SQUARES

These are outstanding!

Filling: Cook 1 can of crushed pineapple, ½ c water, 3 T. cornstarch, ½ c. sugar + 2 T. sugar. Cook until thick. Let cool.

Dough: Mix together 3¼ c. flour, 1 t. baking soda, ½ t. salt, and 2 sticks of butter or margarine. Mix well. Add ½ c. sugar, 1 t. vanilla, ½ c. sour cream, 2 egg yolks. Mix and knead, divide into half. Roll half of the dough out in a cookie sheet. Add filling. Roll the other half of the dough out on waxed paper and place on top of filling. Sprinkle the top with the 2 T. sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes until golden brown. 

ART&INTERVIEW: Texas Collage Artist Parker Kaufman

      Parker Kaufman

Houston, TX

At what age did you know you wanted to be an artist?

    From a very early age, say seven or eight.  There was something magical that happened when I put a pencil to paper and started creating a world as only I could see it.

What medium do you prefer to work in?

    I love the media I'm currently working in, card stock.  I like the fact that it's a less exacting material than say acrylics or pastels.

Favorite food.

    You promised me there would be no difficult questions here! LOL  I like a variety of foods; simple, flavorful, healthy.  If I had to pick one, I'd say edamame...I can eat it like candy.

Favorite color.

    Artists LOVE all colors.  I'd have to say blue is my favorite.

Where would you like to visit?

    Paris, France

Favorite musical artist.

    Lady Gaga, David Bowie, Linkin Park, Neil Young, Big Head Todd & the Monsters.

At what age did you started making art?

    I've made art since I was a child and throughout most of my life.  In the traditional sense, I began seriously in my early forties.

Where do you get your inspiration?

    Everything inspires me.  The world is full of things that give me ideas...music...poetry, books I've read, everyday scenery.  Most of it comes from an overactive mind.  There is no off-switch to my brain.  It's a constant traffic jam in there.

What do you do when you get artist's block?

    I simply walk away from whatever project I'm involved in and enjoy some of my favorite activities...window shopping, walking the dog, cooking, or harassing friends (wink, wink).

 Who is your favorite artist?

    So many...Dali, Matisse, Seurat, Picasso...I could go on forever.

What is your favorite piece of sculpture?

    All of Erte's stunning works.

What is your favorite painting?

    Renoir's "Place de La Trinite."

Who is the one person who has influenced your personal life the most and why?

    Without a doubt, my maternal grandmother.  She taught me compassion, grace, and appreciation for what I was given.  She never held me to her expectations, but rather encouraged me to have high expectations for myself and use my talents to surpass them.  She always said that kindness was one of the keys to a successful life.

If you could sit down and have a conversation with ONE person, living or dead, real or fictional, who would it be and why?

    My first thought was so say Oprah, but in all honesty I'd have to say my great-uncle, Harold Staley.  Uncle "Bub" as we called him, was the greatest influence with regard to me and art.  He was a physically challenged artist who created the most amazing works, some of which hung in the Buttler Museum of American Art in Youngstown, OH and in the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.  He gave me a John Gnagy art kit for Christmas when I was nine years old.  He opened up the world of art for me, passing on his love for the craft.  I cherished the times he would talk with me about his art, and to sit with him now, after all I've learned, would be awesome.

What advice would you yo give someone who aspired to be an artist?

    Chase your aspirations and don't give up until you've tackled them.  Pay no attention to the nay sayers and those who put requirements on what is and is not art.  Follow your instincts, jump in with both feet, and PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE...create what YOU like, make art for YOURSELF, not for the masses.  The moment you try to create to please others is the moment the joy and passion all start to fade

Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to be with us this morning, Parker. Come back anytime. You are always welcome.

Hugs,

Carol

BOOK: In Another Life by Angela Gascoigne

If your whole world crumbled around you, could you find it in your heart to forgive and move on?

Holly Dineen’s life in beautiful West Cork is plagued by nightmares and ghosts from the past. After a life-changing trauma, she is finally finding reasons to live, including the gorgeous Marek who has been there for her through thick and thin. Despite the goose bumps and the butterflies in the stomach, she still can’t help wondering if a heart so badly broken can ever be rebuilt.

Then, she discovers something to make her believe that the perfect life she once had, was nothing but a big fat lie.
Once again, Holly’s mental state is balancing on a knife edge and she finds herself making some decisions which could have a detrimental effect on her future.

Through the darkest times in her life there’s been one constant – Trudi. 

With the support of her friends and family maybe she can get back to being the real Holly Dineen, or maybe, she’s crossed the bridge between sanity and insanity, with no way of finding her way back…

Amazon Buy Link:
https://www.amazon.com/Another-Life-crumbled-around-forgive-ebook/dp/B0796XNYHM/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=In+Another+Life+by+Angela+Gascogne&qid=1561729385&s=digital-text&sr=1-1-spell



My Review of In Another Life:

5.0 out of 5 starsAll Twisty and Interesting

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

In Another Life by Angela Gascoigne is the story of Holly Dineen, a woman who has had some problems dealing with depression. All is well, and then one day he husband was killed in an accident, sending a Holly careening out of control again. It’s the story of coping with life’s tragedies and surprises, and finding the strength to move on. The characters were believable and likable. The plot was all twisty and interesting. An all and all great read.

SCHEDULE: July 8 -12, 2019

Schedule

Mon., July 8 - BOOK: In Another Life
by Angela Gascoigne

Wed., July 10 - ART&INTERVIEW: Texas Collage Artist
Parker Kaufman

Fri., July 12 - BOOK: Echo of Heartbreak, A Recipe for Life
by Carol Ann Kauffman
with my mother's Pineapple Squares Recipe