Easter Dessert

I always feel that the dessert I serve for Easter dinner ought to be something cool and springlike, no matter what the weather looks like outside. And I don't know about you, but we had snow flurries on Easter Saturday!

With that in mind, I present my take on Cherry Cream Cheese Pie. Everyone seems to have a recipe for this old favorite, and most of them involve sweetened condensed milk. Mine, preserved in my recipe box in my mother-in-law's handwriting, is a different version. I make it using light cream cheese and light Cool Whip, and if I ignore the sugar, I can pretend it's not so unhealthy after all!

Mom Greta's Cherry Cream Cheese Pie

Make or buy a graham cracker crust for a nine-inch pie plate.
Whip together 12 ounces of light cream cheese, an 8 ounce container of Cool Whip, and 1 cup of powdered sugar. Beat until light and fluffy and pile into the graham crust. Chill.
Once the pie is set, spread with cherry pie filling, serve, and enjoy a cool, light treat.

Amish Authors

Here's a fun look at some of your favorite Amish authors and their preferences, with huge thanks to Kathy Fuller for compiling it!

Winter Pleasures

While the cold winds blow and the snow piles up, what do you enjoy doing? Winter is, for many of us, a time to catch up on the pleasures we don't take time for when the warm sunshine beckons. I'm sure reading is near the top of your list, as it is mine! I've been re-reading a number of old favorites this winter, enjoying some that are newly available on my Kindle. And I'm reading my way through a stack of Rita books as I near the end of my judging time period.

During the winter, we usually have a jigsaw puzzle spread out on our coffee table, and anyone who comes in is welcome to put a few pieces in to share the fun. Here's a picture of the great Amish scene jigsaw puzzle my husband gave me for Christmas. It even prompted him to suggest that an Amish buggy repair shop would be an interesting occupation for one of my characters!

I've been enjoying sewing this winter, as well, and teaching my grandchildren how to use the sewing machine. We've made some great projects together, to say nothing of having a lot of fun! Do you have a favorite hobby to share with children or grandchildren?

 

 


And then there are the projects that I feel must be done at our vacation home while we're here. This year that included a first for me--making a slipcover for my recliner. Harder than I expected, but I'm fairly pleased with the results. I think a few wrinkles are inevitable if it's going to be removable!

Hope you had a productive winter--or a restful one--or whatever your spirit needed this year.

Blessings,

Marta

BOOK INSPIRATION

Hear about one of my favorite B&B inns – and the inspiration for my new novel, WHERE SECRETS SLEEP, on #AmishWisdom today: http://bit.ly/1zCOkm2 

WHERE SECRETS SLEEP WINNERS!

Here are the ten winners of WHERE SECRETS SLEEP: Jewli (soaring.eagler@outlook.com), Carolsue (Digicats@sbcglobal.net), Leslie Beiser McKee, Celeste Wright Lacey, Heidi Nordby Cantrell, Maryellen Manley Young, Donna Groth Potozcek, Carol Welscher, Sandy Shearer, and Peggy Atlkins. Winners, please send your mailing address to me at mpjohn@ptd.net, and I'll get your books out as soon as possible. Thanks for playing, everyone! And congratulations to the winners!

BOOK GIVEAWAY!

This week I'll give away ten copies of my upcoming Amish romantic suspense novel, WHERE SECRETS SLEEP. To enter, either leave a comment below with your e-mail address or e-mail me at marta@martaperry.com.

I'll draw ten winners on Friday, February 20th, at noon. I hope it's your lucky day!

Coming Soon!

My new Amish Romantic Suspense novel, first in a new three-book series, will be available in stores and online soon. Don't miss WHERE SECRETS SLEEP!

Here's a look at the story:

In Amish country, not everything is as simple as it appears.

After a terrible betrayal, Allison Standish flees Philadelphia for the small Amish community of Laurel Ridge to claim an unexpected inheritance. Allison intends to sell the mansion housing various shops—until she meets Nick Whiting, a single father and tenant of Blackburn House, who challenges everything she believes about her estranged grandmother and the Amish community.

Strange stipulations in her grandmother’s will soon bring distant relatives and seething townsfolk to Allison’s door. As anonymous threats escalate, Nick grows protective of Allison, and she finds herself falling for the handsome carpenter… But then she discovers her grandmother’s death may not have been accidental, and someone wants Allison gone. Permanently.

And here's what Publishers Weekly has to say about it:

Abundant details turn this Amish romantic thriller launch into a work of art. The intricately constructed plot features relatable, believable characters faced with realistic struggles both large and small. This is an excellent beginning to what promises to be a series of rewarding, satisfying novels.
STARRED REVIEW.