Monday, February 12, 2024

Fast Nacht Kuchen

 

I'm getting ready for Shrove Tuesday on Tuesday. When I first became part of Himself's family, his mother taught me to make faz naught kigglies, the family name for Fast Nacht Kuchen. She was an Irish girl who married a German boy. My father-in-law's mother taught her to make this German dish that was made on Shrove Tuesday. I'd never had one before I met Himself...and those years without seems like wasted time. 

It turns out there's some debate about the shape of the donuts. For me there's no question...triangles. My MIL made them that way, so for me, that's the proper way. But because I try to be an accepting human being who welcomes other opinions, I am open to trying other shapes. I mean, it would be a trial, but hey, I'll manage. So if you make circles or squares and want a taste tester, let me know.

There's also a debate on what to call them. For me, they'll always be faz naught kigglies because of my husbands family. I don't think anyone will mind what you call them as long as you call them when they're ready. 

I'm going to post this on Monday in case you've never made fast nacht kuchen and want to try them. Pretty much any not too sweet dough will work.


My MIL never gave me a specific bread recipe. But I bought this really cute Pennsylvania Dutch recipe book in Cook Forest and have used this recipe for decades. (Our family always called it Cooks Forest, but since I've started my State Park hiking, I know it's Cook Forest.)

So here's my version of this recipe. I used to double it when the kids were young and they took in trays for their classes, but these days I half it. That's ample for Minions.

1 TB honey
3 1/4 C milk
8 C flour
1 TB dry yeast
1/2  C butter
2 eggs

I make the dough Monday evening and let it rise overnight. 
In the morning, I punch it down and roll out sections, cutting them in to triangles. I use pretty much every cookie sheet and cutting board I have to let them rise a second time for at least an hour.

I heat up a couple inches of oil in my big cast iron frying pan (it doesn't have to be very deep...these are thin) and when it's sizzley (I have no temperature for you...I just drop a piece of dough in to check that it bubbles). I do a half dozen fast nachts at a time. (Don't crowd the pan...it will lower the temp of the oil and make them sort of greasy.) When they're lightly browned on both sides, I drop them into a bag of cinnamon sugar and shake them so they're coated. REPEAT until all the dough's been fried.
These are best served immediately or quickly. They're not super sweet, which means it's easy to eat a lot of them. I mean, I do have to test them...I wouldn't want to serve an inferior fast nacht. And because I'm up early working on these, I need a lot of coffee and these are perfect with coffee.

I've found a lot of Mennonite branches in my family tree. Most came from Lancaster. So there's a really good chance, my family made these and my mother-in-law reintroduced me to a part of my personal history without either of us knowing it. I like thinking of that. My mother-in-law was an amazing woman. We lost her twenty years ago (I wrote a fictionalized version of her in Briar Hill Road) and I still can't believe she's been gone that long. We bought her house and, though over the years, things have changed, there's so much of her and my father-in-law in it. I'll be thinking of both of them on Tuesday when I get up in the wee hours and make some fast nacht kigglies for the Minions and I'll know that before I even joined the family, she would have been up early in the kitchen making them as well. I love the continuity of that. When my kids were little, I'd send down their classes a tray of fast nachts each Shrove Tuesday. I won't make quite that many this year, but I will make enough for Minions and Himself's colleagues. 

Traditions. 

There's something about carrying on family traditions and passing them on to the next generation. Do you have any Shrove Tuesday traditions?

Holly

Check out my newest releases:



Exclusively available for Kindle and KU.
 Around the Square
Book 1, 2 , 3, 4  and 5 are available now! Three more are on their way this year.






Slip and Fall: A Harry's Pottery Mystery #2 Kindle, iBooks, Kobo, Nook A View to a Kiln: A Harry's Pottery Mystery #1 KindleiBooksKoboNook
A View to a Kiln on Jeopardy!!



Hometown Hearts





Wednesday, January 03, 2024

January '24 Newsletter


New Year...a New Read

Happy New Year!
 

I finally landed on my Word of the Year...Peace. Most of the time, my words are for me to build a year around, but this year, I'm hoping the entire world embraces peace.

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday and that the new year just brings you joy...and peace.

The 5th Around the Square book, Royal in Hiding, is a Kindle and Kindle Unlimited exclusive...and it's out now! I hope you'll pick up a copy of the first book in my royal trilogy that's set inside the series. I've always said, Erie has everything...even royalty!

Start Shopping

And don't forget the second Harry's Pottery book, Slip and Fall, is out now!
In Slip and Fall, Harry discovers why there's a dead body in her kiln. Now, she's got a dead slip & fall scammer murdered. She's on the case...again.

Amazon 
Kobo 
Apple Books 
Barnes and Noble 

Books You May Have Missed
Review: "I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys an honest romance, a slice of life book, or a book which deals with families. I can't think of anyone to whom I would not recommend this book. If I could give it more than five stars, I would do so."

Shop Now 

As always, thank you so much for all your support! Tallulah, Mabel and I wish you a wonderful 2024!

Holly



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Monday, January 01, 2024

2024 Word of the Year


 I really put some thought into a word to build a year on. I mean, having one word carry the weight of an entire year on its back is an awesome responsibility. So I mull. Even when I think I have my word, I still mull. I want to get it right. 

Drum roll...

2024's word is...

PEACE.

Normally, my word is just about me. Given the state of the world right now, I've expanded my word to the entire world. It seems like a perfect global word to build a year on.  I try to keep my social media upbeat and positive, but that doesn't mean I don't see what's going on around me. I ache for all those who are suffering physically, mentally and spiritually. I stand with every person or nation who strives for peace. 

That's my macro hope.

My micro hope for the year is finding peace within myself. I'll confess, I find it on a regular basis when I'm out in nature. Everything seems to slow down. I can hear myself think. The worries of the world melt away. (Of course, sometimes my weekend peace is interrupted when in the midst of my nature walk the dogs find poop and roll in it. I blame Tallulah who has always loved stinky stuff...she's teaching Mabel bad habits.

That personal peace can collide with world peace. I'm not under any illusions that I can change hearts and minds worldwide, but maybe, just maybe, I can make one person feel just a bit lighter. Just a bit more positive. Just a bit more..peaceful. And maybe that person will spread their peace to another. And maybe they'll spread it and... Well, you get my point. My  heroine in A Hometown Christmas says she knows she can't save the world, but she can try. That's just it. I believe that things like Peace, Hope, Charity are contagious. 

So in this new year, I hope to be a super spreader and share my peace with all of you. 

Happy, Happy New Year! May 2024 bring us all a bit closer to our best selves.

Holly

PS Check out my books:

Book #5 is out tomorrow!!

Exclusively available for Kindle and KU.
 Around the Square
Book 1, 2 , 3 & 4 are out now. 
Book 5 is available for preorder!






Slip and Fall: A Harry's Pottery Mystery #2 Kindle, iBooks, Kobo, Nook A View to a Kiln: A Harry's Pottery Mystery #1 KindleiBooksKoboNook
A View to a Kiln on Jeopardy!!



Hometown Hearts





Thursday, December 21, 2023

Being a Woman

I watched Barbie this weekend and loved it. Loved the message and loved the memories. Oh, how I loved my Barbies. I had two Malibu Barbies that I dubbed the twins. I had a Ken who couldn't keep his head on his shoulders. I had a black haired Barbie...who was my first one. And...  Well there was a whole gang.  Oh the adventures they had. 

I'm going to confess, the movie got me thinking about my life and who I am. What sort of woman I am. I've spent most of my life working as a writer...working for myself. There was no man I answered to. I've worked some marvelous female editors (if you're one of them reading this...thank you!). I've been surrounded by a cadre of women writers who've supported me and over the years have become more than colleagues, but rather friends. 

But I'm more than a writer. That comes second to my other main job. I'm a mother of four—three  are daughters. Looking back, I know I wasn't a perfect mother. God knows, I wasn't perfect. But I did try to be perfect in my attempt. I apologized when I was wrong. I tried to be there for them. And I hoped they saw in me a strong woman who spent her life trying to do her best and loving them wholeheartedly.

Do you remember Caps for Sale? The peddler wore a stack of hats on his head and had to balance them carefully. That's what being a woman is. Balancing a stack of hats as you walk through life trying to avoid the monkeys. The things you expect of yourself. The things others expect of you. Every choice you make adds a hat to the pile you carry.

I raised four kids. I've cared for other kids. I was a kindergarten story lady (like Pip in Carry Her Heart). I was on the PTA (like my PTA Mom trilogy). I was on the school board. I volunteered in a Teen Parenting program. I planned the kids game for our school's Feather Party (like Once Upon a Thanksgiving). When I was young, I cared for three younger brothers after school. Then  I cared for my kids. Then my grandmother as she got older. My mother-in-law when she got sick (like Briar Hill Road). I cared for my neighbor, Marge, who had no one. We made her family. Now I care for the Minions and an aunt and...caring. That's been my life's major calling. 

Back to Caps for Sale...I've dropped hats. Over and over again, the monkeys have come along and I've lost all my hats. But after a moment,  I stopped, picked them up and kept going.

That's what being a woman is for me.  A series of dropping my hats and then picking them up and getting on with it.

I agree with Barbie...being a woman is hard.  But it's a joy. I might juggle a lot of hats and I might not be perfect, but truly it's been my glee. 
 

Holly


On Sale for $.99:
A Hometown Christmas
Amazon
Nook

Kobo

iBooks


Christmas in Cupid Falls is on sale at Amazon for $.99/




Slip and Fall: A Harry's Pottery Mystery #2 Kindle, iBooks, Kobo, Nook A View to a Kiln: A Harry's Pottery Mystery #1 KindleiBooksKoboNook
A View to a Kiln on Jeopardy!!




Exclusively available for Kindle and KU.
 Around the Square
Book 1, 2 , 3 & 4 are out now. 
Book 5 is available for preorder!





Hometown Hearts





Tuesday, December 05, 2023

A Hometown Christmas


Happy Holidays...or should I say, HOLLYdays??!!

I know I've been talking about my new release, Slip and Fall: A Harry's Pottery Mystery, but today I'm talking about A Hometown Christmas...it's on sale for $.99 just in time for Christmas! Come join my hometown gang and celebrate with this very special holiday story!

One of my all time favorite reviews from a Hallmark Holiday movie friend, was, "This should be a Harllmark movie." I'll let you know if Hallmark calls! LOL In the meantime, I hope you'll give it a read! 

I wish you all a wonderful holiday season, whatever holiday you celebrate! 



Holly

PS. While you're shopping the sale, check out my most recent books and pre-order the what's-coming-next ones?

Slip and Fall: A Harry's Pottery Mystery #2 Kindle, iBooks, Kobo, Nook A View to a Kiln: A Harry's Pottery Mystery #1 KindleiBooksKoboNook
A View to a Kiln on Jeopardy!!




Exclusively available for Kindle and KU.
 Around the Square
Book 1, 2 , 3 & 4 are out now. 
Book 5 is available for preorder!





Hometown Hearts



Wednesday, November 01, 2023

Holly's November Newsletter

Harry's back with book #2...
Slip and Fall

Harry's Kiln' It!

Harry's solved the mystery of a dead body in her kiln. All this potter wants to do is get back to her studio, back to the life she's built...and back to her budding romance with attorney, Micah McCain. Then a customer slips and falls...and ends up dead. Looks like Erie, PA's small business owner and budding sleuth is back on the case.

Can Harry juggle friends, family and solve a murder...for a second time? She's not Claying Around!

Amazon
Kobo
Barnes and Noble
Apple Books

Harry's 1st, bestselling story:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Kobo
Apple Books

Check out Harry's Pottery Jeopardy appearance on YouTube!

Happy Fall, everyone! I've been busy since I talked to you last. Himself (my husband) went out for donuts and came home with...a puppy! Yes, Tallulah has a baby sister, Mabel. She discovered snow this morning.

I had a busy summer in the studio. Lots of new things and so much fun! You can find pics of some of the pieces on my social media. I love that Harry's Pottery combines my love of writing with my love of...well, claying! 

The fifth book in the Around the Square series is out in the new year. It's Kindle/KU exclusive. You can check it out here. 

Have a great holiday season! I'll talk to you in the new year!



Holly

Slip and Fall: A Harry's Pottery Mystery #2 Kindle, iBooks, Kobo, Nook A View to a Kiln: A Harry's Pottery Mystery #1 KindleiBooksKoboNook
A View to a Kiln on Jeopardy!!



Exclusively available for Kindle and KU.
 Around the Square
Book 1, 2 , 3 are out now. 
Book 5 is available for preorder!





Hometown Hearts





Saturday, October 14, 2023

Getting Older...is like a good piece of cast iron.


A new blog suggested by Liz...

We're all getting older.

I know, I know. Some people would like to ignore that, but I'll confess, I embrace my aging. I find myself just a bit happier and a bit more comfortable in my own skin as I get older. I love the life I've built with Himself. I love the family we've built. Well, I'm happy.

Maybe I don't mind getting older so much because I have a fondness for old things. My house is filled with antiques. I was talking about buying a Griswold pan for all my Minions. I want one to give each of them as they graduate. (I know, it's a few years off, but I like to be prepared.) I've been teaching them to cook...and a lot of my cooking is in my Griswold, so that's where they're learning. I would like all of them to be fully functioning humans when they are young adults. Learning to feed yourself and others is a part of that. Learning to care for your personal needs is another...which is why after a summer-of-cooking, next summer is going to be the summer-of-laundry. They're going to learn how to do their own laundry, fold it and put is away. (I do love summer-themes...a couple summers ago, we had a summer-of-rafting. We built a few with varying degrees of success and eventually came up with a working raft! And you can ask the Minions about their summer-of-salad...loving salad was not the result, but they can all eat a salad, I'll call that a win.)

Back to the Griswold. The cast iron pans were made here in Erie. (If you read my books, you know how much I love writing about my hometown. I love collecting things from Erie as well.) The pan I cook in almost daily is over 100 years old. It's old, but still functional. One of the pieces we picked up recently was rough. It was rusted and had some pitting. We've been working on it and it's once again functional. It's developing a nice finish. It might be a bit worse for wear, but it does it's job.

That's what I'm hoping for as I age. Maybe I'll be a bit rusty with some pitting, but I want to still get the job done. I want to be hanging with the kids as they learn to build rafts, learn to cook, and do their own laundry. And so many other things. I want to help them find the beauty in the outdoors. I want to make them ask questions and go looking for the answers. I want them to be fully functional humans. 

I've always been a fan of the triple goddess. Maiden, Mother and Crone. I found my younger years uncomfortable, and truly felt I came into my own in those mid-years, raising kids and caring for the elderly in my life. And I look at the crone-years with a sense of potential. The kids don't need me the same way. The Minions still have a few things to learn from me, but they don't need me as intensely. I feel like I'm coming into my own. Like my Griswold, I might show my years, but I still have work to do and I can still get it done!



I can't wait to see what comes next!


Holly

PS. Speaking of what comes next, have you read my most recent books and pre-ordered the what's-coming-next ones?

Slip and Fall: A Harry's Pottery Mystery #2 Kindle, iBooks, Kobo, Nook A View to a Kiln: A Harry's Pottery Mystery #1 KindleiBooksKoboNook
A View to a Kiln on Jeopardy!!




Exclusively available for Kindle and KU.
 Around the Square
Book 1, 2 , 3 are out now. 
Book 5 is available for preorder!





Hometown Hearts