Neighbor Dana's Gingerbread from Christmas Angels

What do you do when you're sad, lonely and afraid? One thing that helps is partaking of comfort food. For poor Abigail, the taste of Dana's gingerbread that she shares with the other boarding house residents does the trick--at least for a bit of time.

Here's the recipe. May it give you a bit of cheer on a "bad" day!

Ingredients for the Gingerbread Loaf:  

1 stick of butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 cup of applesauce
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp nutmeg
chopped walnuts, for topping (optional)

Frosting:
4 oz of cream cheese, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 – 2 cups powdered sugar (add more if icing is too runny)

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray a 9×5 loaf pan lightly with nonstick cooking spray that has flour in it or use shortening and flour.  Cream together the butter and the sugar until fluffy.

Beat in the vanilla and the egg. Blend in the applesauce

Slowly add the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices (ginger, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg.)

When everything is mixed, pour the batter into your loaf pan. Bake for about 55 minutes until it rises and a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool completely on a rack before frosting.

To make the frosting, beat the cream cheese with the vanilla and then add 1 1/2 cups of the powdered sugar and beat until smooth and creamy. 

Spread a thick layer of the frosting over the gingerbread cake. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts. 

Delicious! Enjoy! 

Scene from Christmas Angels where Old Man Albert shares some of Dana's Gingerbread with Abigail:

He beckoned with his gnarled hand “Come in. Come in, Abigail. Want some tea? That dismal Dana—even if she is a good cook—brought me some gingerbread last evening. Have some. Have some. It’s good even if I didn’t make it. Sit down, child, for a minute.” Albert toddled over to the fridge and brought out a quart of milk. “Want milk with your tea, Abigail?”

Where had he gotten real milk?

But she shook her head, not wanting to use up his precious supply, and sniffed. The spicy, delectable smell of the gingerbread wafted toward her, and she closed her eyes to savor it. When was the last time she'd had such a treat? Suddenly ravenous, she couldn't wait any longer and crammed her mouth full of the sweet bread. A little sound of moaning escaped from between her lips. This was so-o-o good.

Christmas Angels blurb:

Her mother called her a failure, and maybe she was. Her husband was gone—in the service, yes, but if he loved her—really loved her, why didn't he write? Or call? Or send the money she needed?

She was scared too, afraid of being alone, and though she loved this sweet little bundle of joy—her baby—well, was she smart enough and strong enough to raise her? She didn't mind doing without all the nice things she'd love to have, but not being able to provide luxuries like Christmas trees, ornaments and presents for her baby girl was beyond enduring.

What she needed was a miracle...and that wasn't going to happen.

Buy Link:

Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Lake-River-Buckeye-Chr…/…/ref=sr_1_1…

Barnes & Noble/Nook:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/from-the-lake-…/1129185393…

Kobo:
https://www.kobo.com/…/from-the-lake-to-the-river-buckeye-c…

About Carole:

Besides being an active participant in many writing groups, Carole is an award-winning author and enjoys mentoring beginning writers. She loves to weave suspense, tough topics, romance, and whimsy into her books and is always on the lookout for outstanding titles and catchy ideas. She and her husband reside in SE Ohio but have ministered and counseled nationally and internationally. Together, they enjoy their grandsons, traveling, gardening, good food, the simple life, and did she mention their grandsons? 

Personal blog: http://sunnebnkwrtr.blogspot.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CaroleBrown.author

Amazon Author Page:  http://www.amazon.com/Carole-Brown/e/B00EZV4RFY/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1427898838&sr=8-1

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/browncarole212

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/sunnywrtr/boards/

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5237997-carole-brown

Linkedin:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/carole-brown-79b6951a?trk=nav_responsive_tab_profile

Google+:    https://plus.google.com/u/0/113068871986311965415/posts

Word Sharpeners: https://wordsharpeners.wordpress.com/

Stitches in Time:  http://stitchesthrutime.blogspot.com/

I Heard The Bells on Christmas Day +giveaway!

It's Christmas 1863, the American Civil war rages and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow sits alone, contemplating the last couple years. Summer 1961 his wife's dress caught on fire and she died the next morning. He sustained burns trying to put out the flames (bad enough for him to give up shaving and begin the use of Laudanum.) After seven years of courting Frances Appleton and about eighteen years of marriage, he was devastated by his loss.

Now, he's just received news that his son has been badly wounded in battle.

So he sits down and writes a poem.

"I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,

and wild and sweet

The words repeat

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom

Had rolled along

The unbroken song

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Till ringing, singing on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,

A voice, a chime,

A chant sublime

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Then from each black, accursed mouth
The cannon thundered in the South,

And with the sound

The carols drowned

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

It was as if an earthquake rent
The hearth-stones of a continent,

And made forlorn

The households born

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And in despair I bowed my head;
"There is no peace on earth," I said;

"For hate is strong,

And mocks the song

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!"

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;

The Wrong shall fail,

The Right prevail,

With peace on earth, good-will to men."

This poem has since become a very beloved hymn -- one of my favorites -- and the inspiration for a story that won the ACFW Virginia chapter's short story contest. I Heard the Bells is included in the anthology A Bit of Christmas. 

Virginia, December 1864

Three years ago, Gabriel Morgan left his home in Virginia to fight for the Union army, despite his family and his fiancée’s loyalties to the South. Now, with battle fresh in his mind, and the war still raging, he chances a quick trip home with one prayer…to make peace this Christmas.

Now available at Amazon!

What is one of your favorite "traditional" Christmas poems or Carols? Or, if you love this song as much as me, which is your favorite version? 

Leave a comment for a chance to win a e-book edition of A Bit of Christmas! And if you don't have any luck today, join me on Facebook for more chances to win copies of this book every day this week. :)

Interview with Amber Schamel

Colorado native and multi-published author Amber Schamel is joining us today. Her latest work is included in Remington Colt’s Revolutionary War Series: The Declaration of Independence. Let me introduce you to her.

Welcome, Amber!

Thank you so much for hosting me today, Linda! I'm so excited to offer a giveaway of this anthology to the Stitches Thru Time readers on the Fourth of July!

Please tell us a bit about the anthology.

This anthology was so much fun to be a part of! There is a total of four authors, and each of us chose one signer of the Declaration to feature in our stories. After doing some research, I picked Samuel Adams because I related to him and his passion for God and independence. The other signers featured in this series are John Hancock, Thomas Jefferson and Francis Lewis.

The anthology was done in three phases. The first phase covers the signers as they are waking up on the morning of the vote on independence. What was going through their minds? How did they feel about what was about to take place?

The second phase of stories shows us a little bit of background on each signer, and the events that led up to their involvement in Congress and the Declaration of Independence.
Phase three takes us inside Freedom Hall into the room with these amazing men and plops us right in the middle of the debate and the vote on the declaration.

So each phase has a story from the perspective of these four signers. It's so much fun to see the same world-changing event from these four points of view.

Sounds like a very interesting concept! Your other books and stories are written in the Biblical or Medieval eras. What made you decide to write about the Revolutionary War time period?

I love history, but especially American history, so when my publisher asked me to be a part of this anthology, I just couldn't pass it up. The time of the Revolutionary War and Civil War fascinate me.

How did the opportunity to do the anthology come about?

At the beginning of last year, my publisher hatched out an idea for an anthology on the signers of the Declaration of Independence that was historically accurate, and yet gave you an up-close and personal feel to the patriots that founded our country. They got Murray Pura on board, and then asked me if I'd like to be a part of the team. I knew it would be a stretch for me, but it was too much fun to pass up.

Do you have a favorite historical era?

Yes, the Civil War and Revolutionary War eras are my favorite. That's a big reason that I decided to take on this anthology. I also love the Biblical era, specifically when Jesus walked the earth.

What are your upcoming projects?

I'm currently working on the third book in my Days of Messiah series (which I hope to release this fall), as well as a Christmas story set during the Civil War.

Do you find the process different writing short stories vs. novels?

Short stories have more simple plot lines, but other than that they're pretty much the same. I do the same amount of character development on all my main characters, regardless of how long the story is. I like to have a really good handle on my characters before I start writing.

Where do your ideas come from?

All over the place. LOL. Sometimes it's something I hear in a sermon, or read in the scriptures. Or sometimes it just comes as I'm walking down the street. Other times a story idea comes from something I read in history. Each story is different. One of my books was even inspired from overhearing a line on a Veggie Tales movie.

The age-old debate among writers is whether to start a story with an outline or do write "by the seat of your pants." How about your? Are you an outliner or a “panster?”

A little of both, I think. I start out with a rough outline of the story and where it is going, then I do a lot of character development work. From there, I just let the dots connect themselves as I write. A whole LOT of prayer goes into the outline, and a whole lot MORE into the space between the plot points. I'm not a good writer on my own, but when I started this journey the Lord promised to teach my fingers to write. I depend fully upon that as I write.

You are one busy woman! What do you do to relax and get away from the pressures of work and writing deadlines?

Haha, you're not kidding. Besides work, family and church, I travel a lot and volunteer almost half my time at a Christian Family Camp in Missouri, so there's a lot of time management on my part. I play the piano, though not very well, and that's one of the things I do to relax. I also enjoy outdoor walks, or just hanging out with my friends and family.

Thanks for stopping by, Amber. It has been a joy getting to know you.

Thank you again for hosting me today, Linda! I'm excited to offer an autographed paperback copy of the complete Declaration of Independence anthology to one commenter to celebrate Independence Day!

Don’t forget to add your comment to be entered into Amber’s drawing for the complete Declaration of Independence anthology.

 

 

 

A freelance writer for over ten years, Linda Shenton Matchett also writes historical fiction. She is currently seeking a publisher for her series about WWII war correspondent Ruth Brown. Visit her at www.LindaShentonMatchett.com