Lavender Ice Cream with Candied Violet P...
We take Lavender for granted as an ingredient in perfume or potpourri mixtures, but it also happens to be a delightful addition to all manner of sweets, savory dishes and even drinks. I’ve written about the culinary uses of orange flower water before, and have also used rose petals in ice cream,...
Fettuccine with Mascarpone and Sage-Waln...
On Friday I arrived home around 5pm after being away at a conference for a week, and the first thing I wondered was: what am I going to make for dinner? I hadn’t seen my husband in a while and I wanted to have something special waiting for him when he got home, but I was pretty drained from traveling....
Butternut Squash Stew with Rosemary and ...
Twice a year I go to conferences as part of my graduate studies and every time I’m scheduled to leave at least one person will give my husband sorrowful looks. “Poor you!”, they exclaim, patting him on the shoulder, “What are you going to eat while Ari’s gone? Has she...
Coffee-Glazed Chocolate Chip Scones ...
Earlier this week I met an energetic Italian woman in the baking section of my local Barnes & Noble bookstore. After simultaneously reaching for the same book - then laughing because neither one of us was willing to take it (there was only one copy) - we began talking about our favorite recipes....
Bruschetta & Strawberry Melonade...
Lately I’ve been receiving a lot of requests for quick & easy weeknight dinner ideas: “I loved the tofu scramble and sweet potato post,” wrote one reader named Nikki, “but even though the recipes were easy, I don’t want to wait for a potato to bake! Do you have anything...
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The Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of a Donner Party Bride By Daniel James Brown
It's not often that a history book will compel me to set all my novels aside, but "The Indifferent Stars Above" certainly did. Within the first few pages I was spellbound. I had to know how Sarah, a young woman newly married to her childhood sweetheart, would end up on top of the Sierra Nevada mountains in the dead of winter, starving and forced to do unspeakable things in order to survive.
"The Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of a Donner Party Bride" tells the story of the Donner Party from the perspective of newlyweds Sarah Graves and Jay Fosdick. In April of 1846 the couple joined Sarah's family as they journeyed west from Illinois to the promised land of California. (Read the rest of this review...)
