Glad to have you visit my little corner of the blog world! I'm a minister's wife and stay-at-home mommy.
Here you will find LOTS of book reviews, because I LOVE to read. You'll also get a little peak into our family life as we seek to raise the three gifts from the Lord with which we have been richly blessed and a little of the things I'm learning as I daily surrender to the Lord in complete trust. This life isn't always easy, but it is an adventure like no other. At the end of each day, I rest in the faithfulness of Almighty God.
Praying you are blessed by your visit with me!
I love coming across versatile recipes and I came across such a recipe on a recent trip back home to MS/AL to visit family. As I was perusing my mother-in-law's recipes, I stumbled upon one that just sounded yummy to me: Mexican Meatloaf. As I read through the ingredients, I knew it was one I wanted to try. My family loves anything with a Mexican flare. So here is the recipe:
Mexican Meatloaf
2 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1 medium onion
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can tomato soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can of water
1 1/2 cups of instant rice (uncooked)
1 envelope taco seasoning
8 ounces taco sauce
1 can rotel tomatoes
1 bag Doritos
2 cups of a Mexican blend cheese - grated
Brown the ground beef and onion together. Drain all the grease from the beef/onion mixture. Add the cream of chicken, tomato, and mushroom soups along with the one can of water. I substituted one can of Campbell's Fiesta Cheese soup for the cream of mushroom. Cook for about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat and add the instant rice, taco seasoning, taco sauce and the rotel tomatoes.
In 9X13 pan, layer the bag of Doritos (crushed) on the bottom.
Top with the meat mixture.
Bake uncovered in a 425 degree oven for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and top with the grated cheese and bake until cheese is melted and bubbly.
As you can tell by the pictures, this really comes out more like a casserole than a meatloaf. My family loved this dish! And as stated before, I like the versatility of this recipe. You could always spice it up with a can of chopped jalapenos or substitute chicken for the ground beef or even add a can of black beans and/or corn!
What kinds of versatile recipes does your family enjoy? I'm always looking for a good recipe to play around with!
In a small Southern community where everyone is holding tight to something, the biggest challenge may be learning to let go.
Hope Springs, North Carolina, is the epitome of small town life—a
place filled with quiet streets where families have been friends for
generations, a place where there’s not a lot of change. Until three
women suddenly find themselves planted there for a season.
Janelle Evans hasn’t gone back to Hope Springs for family reunions
since losing her husband. But when she arrives for Christmas and learns
that her grandmother is gravely ill, she decides to extend the stay. It
isn’t long before she runs into her first love, and feelings that have
been dormant for more than a decade are reawakened. And when Janelle
proposes a Bible study a the local diner--and invites both African
American and Caucasian women she has met--the group quickly forms a
spiritual bond . . . and inadvertently adds to underlying tension in the
community.
Becca Anderson is finally on the trajectory she’s longed for. Having
been in the ministry trenches for years, she’s been recruited as the
newest speaker of a large Christian women’s conference. But her husband
feels called to become the pastor of his late father’s church in Hope
Springs. Will small town living affect her big ministry dreams?
And Stephanie London has the ideal life—married to a doctor in St.
Louis with absolutely nothing she has to do. When her cousin Janelle
volunteers to stay in Hope Springs and care for their grandmother, she
feels strangely compelled to do the same. It’s a decision that will
forever change her.
As these women come together, facing disappointments both public and
private, they soon recognize that healing is needed in their hearts,
their families, and their churches that have long been divided along
racial lines. God's plan for them in Hope Springs—and for Hope Springs
itself—is bigger than they ever imagined.
Kim Cash Tate is the author of Cherished, Faithful, Heavenly Places, and the memoir More Christian Than African-American. A former practicing attorney, she is also the founder of Colored in Christ Ministries. She and her husband have two children.
You can read more about Kim and her ministry as well as her writing at her website found at KimCashTate.com. You can also connect with her on facebook by going HERE.
My Thoughts About The Book:
As an avid reader and book reviewer, I am always excited to discover a new author. Especially an author that can write an excellent story with the added faith element. Tate has accomplished that in Hope Springs. Having grown up in a small Southern town myself, the story of Hope Springs and Janelle, Becca, Stephanie resonated with me and was very believable. Tate developed the characters well. You know you've read a good story when you turn the last page and feel a little sad to let the characters go. There were many times in the story that I was driven to get my Bible out and look up a certain passage of Scripture being alluded to. Good Christian fiction doesn't get much better than that! I'll be looking to read more from Tate.
Hope Springs can be found at Amazon.com by going HERE.
Thank you Thomas Nelson for the complimentary copy for the purpose of this review.
J. Mark Bertrand lived in Houston, where the series is set, for fifteen years,
earning an MFA in Creative Writing at the University of Houston. But after
one hurricane too many he left for South Dakota. Mark has been arrested
for a crime he didn't commit, was the foreman of one hung jury and served
on another that acquitted Vinnie Jones of assault. In 1972, he won an
honorable mention in a child modeling contest, but pursued writing instead.
You will want to visit Bertrand's website, which can be found HERE.
A grisly homicide. An international threat.
The stakes have never been higher for
Detective Roland March.
The victim's head is missing, but what intrigues Detective Roland March
is the hand. The pointing finger must be a clue--but to what? According
to the FBI, the dead man was an undercover asset tracking the flow of
illegal arms to the Mexican cartels. To protect the operation, they want
March to play along with the cover story. With a little digging, though, he
discovers the Feds are lying. And they're not the only ones.
In an upside-down world of paranoia and conspiracy, March finds himself
dogged by injury and haunted by a tragic failure. Forced to take justice into
his own hands, his twisting investigation leads him into the very heart of
darkness, leaving March with nothing to lose--and nothing to hide.
If you were to look up the word brilliant in the dictionary, I have no doubt you'd find J. Mark Bertrand's photo there. I am so excited about discovering this author. Nothing to Hide is the third book in the Roland March Mystery series...the previous books are Back on Murder and Pattern of Wounds. I reviewed Pattern of Wounds and you can read that review HERE.
While any of the books can be read alone, your experience with Bertrand will be richer by reading the series as a whole. I'm not ready to let go of Roland March (protagonists in this series)! Bertrand weaves a story full of twists and turns with intrigue and suspense on every page. He keeps you turning the page until the very last one. My daughter has started reading the first novel in this series, Back on Murder. When she picked it up night before last, I told her: "Don't start that book right before bed, unless you intend on being up all night!" Once you begin a Bertrand novel, you won't be satisfied until you've finished it!
I love that title! That title alone is what made me want to read this book. God is truly irreplaceable. When our lives are broken as Shannon's was, God is the only Person who is able to put us back together again - to restore us - to give us beauty for ashes. He is irreplaceable!
Shannon M. Deitz is the founder of Hopeful Hearts Ministry and a world-wide speaker reaching out through personal testimony to offer the hope of Christ's light and love to those who are suffering. Through this ministry, Shannon offers presentations to groups such as women's penitentiaries, women's shelters, women's clinics and teen shelters.
From Shannon's Story, which can be found on her website www.shannonmdeitz.com: "What did it take for me to get over myself? Death of my first love in high school, rape when I was seventeen and
then yet again my freshman year in college, self-abuse (physical and
substance), depression, utter despair, and an imminent threat of a
chronic physical ailment – rheumatoid arthritis, and ultimately
realizing I had no ‘real’ control over my own flesh and blood as I tried
to deal with my first born who was finally diagnosed with ADHD and
Impulsivity Disorder. At the age of 27, after6 years of marriage to Neal and two beautiful
boys, Ryan and Seth, I finally let it all go. I couldn’t live anymore.
Face down on my bedroom floor I had my moment in life where I knew it
was time to die. Die to self. All of my fears were no more because I’d already lived through hell. For the first time since I was a young girl I felt peaceful. Nothing
CHANGED in my life at that very moment but my PERSPECTIVE changed
because I no longer had the weight of the outcome resting on my spirit. Eleven years later God has literally, physically, put me on the path
he originally had planned for me when he created me in my mother’s
womb. Not long after the moment of surrender on my bedroom floor I felt
a strange tug to teach the teens at the church and to simultaneously
figure out what there was to our Catholic faith BEYOND the tradition. In two years time we found answers for my son, my marriage survived a near divorce, and I was led into full time youth ministry."
In Exposed: Inexcusable Me...Irreplaceable Him, Shannon tells her story. And it is an amazing story of her courageous journey and how she experienced God's healing grace. This is not your typical biography. Shannon tells her story in a very unique way by sharing her memories "in the perception of the age in which they were experienced."
I appreciate Shannon's transparency and candor in telling her story. Some parts are hard to read. I applaud Shannon and her courage. Many times we don't like to talk about such things as what she shares in her book...things too messy...things we'd rather push away and not deal with.
This book is a blessing, because it not only tells the story of a broken life, but it also tells the story of a God whose amazing grace reaches to the depths of depravity and raises up a mighty and beautiful warrior for Him! It shines the Light into the dark places.
I encourage you to get this book, especially if you've been involved in any kind of abuse or know someone who has. Those involved in women's ministry would be particularly helped by this book as it provides a vivid picture of the suffering of many who you may have the opportunity to minister.
A portion of the proceeds of the book goes directly to help survivors of abuse through the Maria Goretti Network.
Exposed can be purchased at Amazon.com by going HERE.
SHANNON ANSWERING EMAIL QUESTIONS FROM A YOUNG WOMAN:
SHANNON EXPLAINING A BIT MORE ABOUT HOPEFUL HEARTS MINISTRY:
Thank you B&B Media for sending me a copy of the book for the purpose of this review.
Born Valentine’s Day on a Navy base, Cheryl Wyatt writes military
romance. Her Steeple Hill debuts earned RT Top Picks plus #1 and #4 on
eHarlequin's Top 10 Most-Blogged-About-Books, lists including NYT
Bestsellers. Cheryl loves interacting with her readers and can be found
almost daily on Facebook.
Word from the Author:
I do regular giveaways including a Kindle for every 250 people who join (aka "Like) my Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/CherylWyattAuthor
and I'd LOVE for word to spread about that. We have a lot of fun there
as I ask for frequent reader input on current books, with helpers being
mentioned in the acknowledgements and fun stuff like that.
Cheryl can be reached through the Contact link on her Website,
A Doctor’s Vow.
When he fled Eagle Point years ago, former air force trauma surgeon
Mitch Wellington left only broken dreams behind. Now he’s back with a
new dream—opening a trauma center in the rural area and saving lives. He
hopes to hire the quick-thinking nurse who impressed him during an
emergency. But Lauren Bates lost her faith and doesn’t believe she
deserves to help anyone. Mitch knows firsthand what loss feels like. And
it’ll take all his devotion to show Lauren that sometimes the best
medicine is a combination of faith, community—and love.
Eagle Point Emergency: Saving lives—and losing their hearts—in a small Illinois town.
If you would like to read an excerpt of the first chapter of Doctor's Devotion, go HERE.
My Thoughts About The Book:
I always like to be gracious in my reviews of anyone's work; however, I have to say that I just didn't like much about this book. It read in places like a Harlequin romance that had been cleaned up a bit by attempting to add a "Christian" twist. The attraction between the main characters was jumped on in the first few pages and the plot was too predictable. The "Christian" twist was just plain cheesy for the most part. The general storyline is a good idea and I will read more of Ms Wyatt because of this hoping the writing will be a little more developed elsewhere.
I'm posting this review today as part of a blog tour for Glass Road Publications. They sent me a complimentary copy of the book for the purpose of review. The opinions are my own.
"Christy-Award
winner Angela Hunt writes for readers who have learned to expect the
unexpected in novels from this versatile author. With nearly four
million copies of her books sold worldwide, she is the best-selling
author of more than 100 works ranging from picture books (The Tale of Three Trees) to nonfiction books, to novels.
Angela
admits to being fascinated by animals, medicine, psychology,
unexplained phenomena, and “just about everything” except sports. Books,
she says, have always shaped her life— in the fifth grade she learned
how to flirt from reading Gone with the Wind.
Her
books have won the coveted Christy Award, several Angel Awards from
Excellence in Media, and the Gold and Silver Medallions from Foreword Magazine’s Book of the Year Award. In 2007, her novel The Note was
featured as a Christmas movie on the Hallmark channel. Romantic Times
Book Club presented her with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006.
Also
in 2006, Angela completed her Master of Biblical Studies in Theology
degree. She completed her doctorate in 2008 and was accepted into a
Th.D. program in 2009. When she’s not home reading or writing, Angie
often travels to teach writing workshops at schools and writers’
conferences. And to talk about her dogs, of course."
You can connect with Angela on her website or on her Facebook page.
Book Synopsis from the back of the book:
"If these three sisters don't change direction, they'll end up where they're going. Darlene Caldwell has spent a lifetime tending Sycamores, an estate located five miles south of a small town called Peculiar. She raised a family in the spacious home that was her grandfather's legacy, and she enjoys being a pillar of the community. Sycamores is the kingdom where she reigns as queen...until her limelight-stealing twin sister unexpectedly returns.
Carlene Caldwell, veteran of teh Broadway stage, is devastated when she realizes that an unsuccessful throat surgery has spelled the end of her musical career. Searching for a new purpose in life, she retreats to Sycamores, her childhood home. She may not be able to sing, but she hopes to use her knowledge and experience to fashion a new life in Peculiar, the little town she left behind.
Haunted by a tragic romance, Magnolia Caldwell is the youngest of the Caldwell girls. Nolie has never wanted to live anywhere but Sycamores. She spends her days caring for her dogs and the magnificent gardens she's created on the estate, but when she meets a man haunted by his own tragedy, she must find the courage to either deny her heart of cut the apron strings that tie her to a dear and familiar place.
Can these sisters discover who they are meant to be when life takes an unforseen detour? In a season of destiny, three unique women reunite and take unexpected journeys of the heart."
My Thoughts about the Book:
I've read some of Angela's other books and have been impressed with her writing. I was a little disappointed in Five Miles South of Peculiar. The story is very slow moving and was hard to "get into". Only until about page 130 (around chapter 8) was my interest really piqued. With so many sluggish parts to wade through, it almost seemed as if Hunt was just filling up space. With that said, the story is a good one with great character development. A nice touch are the recipes included at the end of the book: Darlene's Very Vanilla Cupcakes and Mayor Henry Hooper's Favorite Toffee Mocha Cream Torte, as well as the discussion questions and author interview.
Once the reader trudges through the slow beginning, she will be in for a great story of the unshakable bond of sisterhood and family and the discovery of the truly important things in life.
The book can be purchased at Amazon.com by going HERE.
