FALL IS FAST APPROACHING

 

I have to tell you I am looking forward to Fall. I will miss my veggie garden. I did learn a lot this year about container gardening. Here, in Maine, on the island, we do not have any soil depth. Maintaining a garden is very difficult and starts with planting. 

Next spring I will be prepared. I have all the containers that I will need and my seeds. I will be getting the soil in the next week or so. This weekend I planted all my herbs for inside this winter and I found the perfect ladder-type shelving for them. So far I have Woolly Thyme, Cilantro, Sage, Oregano, Lemon Verbena, and Rosemary. I have a couple more to add :)

My Eggplants and Green Pepper are still producing though I have moved them onto the sheltered porch. I am debating about moving them inside, I think that will depend on how many fruits are still maturing.  Has anyone ever tried this? Keeping the plants going all winter?

It might be fun to try.

I hope you are all well and staying safe.

Lily

Sale for FALL

Click the links below 

In Plain Sight

Amish Heritage

AMISH HERITAGE is Released Today!

Get Your Next Read

Amish Heritage is available at your retailer, the link above 

will take you to the list.

Amish Heritage - Book 2 of the 

Quilted Hills Series
Some say Paradise Wells’ Amish are too progressive. Cell phones, 

selling online, and yet, they are steeped in historical lore.
Newlywed healer, a Braucherei, and midwife, Miriam Miller and her husband, Levi struggle with her healing activities in the community. Levi finds he is better with his horses than his wife’s unpredictable schedule.
Amid stolen horses, births, and healings, will love conquer all?

Enjoy the Read!

In Plain Sight is also available at Amazon in print.

Can you Believe it!

It is summer already!
I just don't know where the time escapes to. Here, Piper and I are busy writing our second book, Plain Heritage, oh and is it a good one :), but I look up and it is JUNE. I usually lose Wednesdays but not whole months LOL.

The stores are already putting out summer goodies and all I can think of is that the kids will be out of school. 
I do wish things would slow down a bit. I'd like to catch my breath. I wonder, how is your summer looking? Are you going on any trips?
I think I will be lucky to make it to the pool if only the thunderstorms would slow down...and this is how the summer goes, quick--we really need to tie it down and sit on it.

Lily

Groundhog Day Feb. 2

Will the groundhog see his shadow? If he does, it means ONLY 6 weeks more of winter. This always strikes me as funny. Here in Wyoming 6 weeks from now hits right into our big snow months, March and April. I can hope for an early Spring, one with flowers, robins and nice tree buds.

Here is a link to the festivities in Pennsylvania as Punxsutawney Phil comes out to see his shadow or not.  Enjoy. Have a great weekend.  Groundhog Day

In Plain Sight is available at Amazon

I’m Carly Laine and do I ever need a rest. My last case was heart-wrenching, so where better to go than to an Amish Bed and Breakfast? I picked the first one that popped up on my computer screen. Little did I know I’d be neck deep in kidnapping and murder.

I am Ruby Troyer. My son Matthew and I own a large Amish Farm Stay, the Englisch call a Bed and Breakfast, but ours comes with a farm tour and buggy rides. Our border, Carly Laine is a trained detective, here to take a good rest. Instead, the poor dear helps in our kitchens providing meals for the men searching for our missing girls. For sure and for certain, Carly hasn’t had much rest. Carly and I become fast friends, but she drags me, a quiet Amish woman, along in her search for the truth. One we never saw coming.

Read our story, the first book of the Quilted Hills series.

Banana Nut Bread Recipe

Amish Banana Nut Bread

INGREDIENTS
2/3 Cup shortening
1 1/2 cups sifted cake flour *** how to make cake flour below
1 2/3 cups sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups mashed, very ripe banana
2/3 cup milk divided (calls for buttermilk, but I never have any!)
2 eggs
2/3 cup chopped walnuts

DIRECTIONS
Stir shortening to soften. Sift dry ingredients into the same bowl. Add bananas and half of the milk. Mix until all the flour is dampened. Beat vigorously for 2 minutes. Add remaining milk and eggs. Beat 2 minutes longer. Fold in slightly floured nuts. Bake in 2 lightly greased loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes. Or until a toothpick comes out clean. Can also be baked in an 8-inch square cake pan or as cupcakes.

***  To make cake flour: For each cup of cake flour called for, use regular flour, but remove 1 1/2 tablespoons of regular flour and replace it with an equal amount of corn starch. Mix together well, then sift.

From AMISH COMMUNITY COOKBOOK

My Amish Banana Bread

Piper here. I had such a fun afternoon. My best friend and writing partner, Lily Simmons sent me a fab cookbook for my birthday called Amish Community Cookbook. I've found so many recipes I want to try, but I was given some ripe bananas so of course, they turned into banana bread. It's like 1:30 in the a.m. so I'll post the recipe tomorrow. The bread is soft and wonderful and it's making me want to eat another piece, but heavens, not at this time in the morning! Nighty night all!

Livers, Gizzards and Hearts OH MY!

Carly is at her wits end with all the preparation Matthew and Hannah's wedding is creating.
She has also made big decisions concerning Asher.
To catch up read Carly's latest post to her journal.

Oh, and if you haven't got your copy of "In Plain Sight"  be sure to get over to Amazon and get your next cozy read.

IN PLAIN SIGHT is now available at AMAZON!

REVIEW

"IN PLAIN SIGHT by Piper Forrest and Lily Simmons opens a charming new series of cozy mysteries filled with great characters, set amid the “Quilted Hills” of an Amish community in Pennsylvania. The writing team of Forest and Simmons is one to watch."

Carolyn Lampman  

Award-winning author of The Jinx and the Pinkerton

IN PLAIN SIGHT

BY

PIPER FORREST AND LILY SIMMONS

I’m Carly Laine and do I ever need a rest. My last case was heart-wrenching, so where better to go than to an Amish Bed and Breakfast? I picked the first one that popped up on my computer screen. Little did I know I’d be neck deep in kidnapping and murder.

I am Ruby Troyer. My son Matthew and I own a large Amish Farm Stay, the Englisch call a Bed and Breakfast, but ours comes with a farm tour and buggy rides. Our border, Carly Laine is a trained detective, here to take a good rest. Instead, the poor dear helps in our kitchens providing meals for the men searching for our missing girls. For sure and for certain, Carly hasn’t had much rest. Carly and I become fast friends, but she drags me, a quiet Amish woman, along in her search for the truth. One we never saw coming.

Read our story, the first book of the Quilted Hills series.

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Catch Up!

Carly's been busy but still found the time to write in her journal. Come on over and catch up on Quilted Hills. It is a busy time to be at the farm stay.

Check it out!

Hi all, I just finished writing in my journal, gosh I hope no one reads it but it does help to write it all down. I am the person that forgets everything, now I have a place to put idea and items that I need to remember.
Hope you do is going well, it is beautiful here all the colors of fall are outstanding.
Carly
https://authorspiperandlily.blogspot.com/p/carlys-journal.html

PS They are predicting snow and lots of it.

Cabbage Rolls

Time gets away! How did we get to the middle of October? It's time for a post on the blog. Waaay past time. Enjoy heating up your oven for this great recipe. ~~Piper~~

Country Cabbage Rolls Straight From A Mennonite Kitchen

easyrecipesly.com/country-cabbage-rolls-straight-from-a-mennonite-kitchen/

7/6/2017

Ingredients

·       1 large savoy cabbage

·       2 pounds lean ground beef

·       2 medium to large onions

·       2 tablespoons canola or Bertolli olive oil .. or even butter is fine

·       1 cup white or brown rice. . . and 2 cups water

·       3 Eggland’s Best eggs

·       1 1/2 teaspoons Morton salt

·       1 teaspoon pepper

·       2 cans tomato soup

·       2 small bottles (individual serving sizes) tomato juice or vegetable cocktail . .like V8

·       1 can or small carton chicken broth

Ingredients

In the bag that you brought your savoy cabbage home,  place the cabbage in the freezer and leave for 12 hours or overnight.. . .remove and leave to thaw at room temperature. .this will take awhile. . so I often take it the night before the day I want to make the cabbage rolls. The leaves will be soft and easy to use without having to boil them.

In a small saucepan or a microwave safe covered dish. . .cook the rice. . set aside to cool. The rice can be made the day ahead and kept chilled in the refrigerator overnight.

Chop the onions fine and saute them slowly until they are golden brown. . .set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, break apart the ground beef, add the salt, pepper, eggs, sauteed onions and the rice. . mix together until combined. . use your hands.

Remove the leaves from the cabbage, cutting away the tough part closest to the core.

Spray your large casserole or two small casserole dishes with cooking spray.

Put about a 1/3 to 1/2 cup meat mixture at the bottom of the leaf and roll up. . the meat amount varies depending on the size of the leaf. . repeat until all the meat is used up.

In a large mixing bowl. . .combine the tomato soup, juice, and broth. . pour evenly over the cabbage rolls. Cover with foil. . or the lid.

Bake the cabbage rolls slowly at 325 for two hours. . serve or cool on the counter. .remove the foil (if you don’t. . you will have little bits of foil on your cabbage rolls where ever it touches. .) cover with plastic wrap. .and either refrigerate or freeze.

For reheating . .thaw first if frozen . .remove the plastic wrap and cover with a lid or foil. . and just reheat in the oven. . for about an hour .. at 325. . . or if you want, they can be reheated beautifully in the microwave on sensor reheat.

Source :  allrecipes.com

Amish Faceless Dolls

Take a look at an Amish doll and you’ll see it has no face. The faceless dolls are believed to deter against pride and vanity.

Source: National Geographic, Image: Wikipedia

Meadow Tea

August 2018 is half over. If you are like me, I enjoy a cup of ice-cold tea on a hot summer afternoon. Here is a great recipe for Meadow Tea. Enjoy
Piper

MEADOW TEA

3½ quarts water (14 cups)

2 packed cups fresh mint, whole

½ - ¾ cup sugar ***see note***

INSTRUCTIONS

This recipe makes 3½ quarts of iced tea - enough to fill an average sized "sun tea" jar.

Boil water in a large pot.

Rinse mint leaves - keep whole. I do this in a colander - inspect and rinse well - I always find lots of sticky little critters on mint.

Add mint to a pot of boiling water.

Cover pot, remove from heat and let steep for 2½ - 3 hours.

Remove whole mint leaves with a slotted spoon. Let leaves drain and dry in a colander. Leaves can be reused once for another batch of tea.

Pour tea thru a fine screen into your storage container. I use a handled screen that fits over the top of my sun tea jar and pour/ladle the tea thru. If you don't have a screen you could use a sifter or even a kitchen towel. Please use something - you don't want bits and pieces of leaves floating around.

Stir in sugar to taste. ***NOTE*** I prefer a lightly sweetened tea so I add ½ cup - ¾ cup sugar. Local Meadow Tea is made MUCH sweeter - I'd estimate they use 1 cup - 1½ cup sugar. Start with the lower amount of sugar and add in any additional sugar until you reach desired sweetness.

Refrigerate, serve cold. Enjoy : )

Welcome to our Amish blog ")

You really have to ask yourself how two individual authors of romance, turned to write together and change our genre, it isn't an easy answer and yet it is.
Oh, and we felt our new venture needed new author names to boot lol, I am Lily.
Piper and I have been together on the internet since 1995, we were part of a group of authors that actually began ebooks. Not only, did we publish ebooks, we figured out ways to sell them from CD's to email attachments, and downloads from our site or one that eventually handled the sales and delivery of an ebook, along with an author based radio show.
All these authors, cover models, artists and techs of the internet really did believe in the future of ebooks and still, do.
The circle of expertise continued to grow into the industry of today, not bad for a very young industry. During all this growth we experience so many changes in the romance genres, this growth opened up some fascinating genres, along with new degrees of heat in the bedroom or outside it. We sort of crashed and pushed our ways past the norm for romance. Even the writing techniques changed, my favorite is the POV (Point of View) that went from a single POV to multiple POVs in a story. You see, I like to know what the gentlemen are thinking about the woman that interest them.
Best get back to the present :)
Piper and I have been writing for a long time and we still love the books we have released, but we needed something new, something neither of us thought about doing and it must be fresh. Like a breeze that tickles your nose, the ideas began to sprout. Piper loves the Amish romance and has for years. I like new anything in romance, fantasy is what I would read in between writing. Together we made a decision we wanted to write in the Amish genre. The surprise came in that we decided to write together on the same story, now this is major.
Authors are pretty much solitary in their writing. Yes, you need other authors to review and give opinions on your writing, but actually becoming a writing team is so different for us. I have to say that I love it!
We have always, as friends, thought the same about things, we even finish our sentences or know each other's thoughts, so writing together really proved to be a simple step for both of us. It is amazing to be writing a scene and as one of us writes the other follows behind and fixed any errors as we go lol.
In all honesty, I am enjoying myself and writing once again.
We have finished our first book in the QUILTED HILLS SERIES - IN PLAIN SIGHT, it is a wonderful feeling and I am so proud of us. Yes, it still needs tweaking but it is written and we are starting the next book in the series. We decided early on that we wanted more than one book completed before we release the first one.
I hope you will visit often as we will be posting writing articles and questions along with recipes and other interesting items concerning our writing in the Amish genre. There is so much to learn and discover about the Amish, please join us.

Lily Simmons