Rhonda's Doings !

Review of 99 Favorite Amish Recipes by Georgia Varozza The Amish are admired for their simple lives, their intricate quilts, their bold faith, and especially their homemade meals. Straight from the heart of Amish country, this new collection of hearty, wholesome recipes will remind you of the pleasures of the family table. Learn to prepare easy and delicious dishes for your family, including caramel apple pie, farmer’s stew, shoofly pie, haystack supper, and homemade noodles Bring the simple life home! MY REVIEW:  With each section of this wonderful recipe book, there is a scripture passage and prayer.   I appreciate the fact that the author includes some of her own tips for recipes, such as variations or substitutions one might use.    There is a section for "Best-Ever Breakfasts", "Midday Meals & Snacks", and "Quick & Easy Dinners".  The recipes featured are unique to the Amish homes.  I personally tried the Baked Oatmeal (this is...

Review of Made With Love by Tricia Goyer and Sherry Gore How many Amish women does it take to open a bakery in Pinecraft, Florida? Four...plus a construction crew made up of troublesome rumspringa teenagers and a handsome Amish bachelor. Serving up traditional Amish food to Florida-sun-kissed tourists provides plenty of surprising situations for the three sisters and their mother--not to mention love and good cooking--in this series from popular Amish writers Tricia Goyer and Sherry Gore. In the first installment of the The Pinecraft Pie Shop series, Lovina Miller has two things on her mind: to open her own pie shop...and mem to find husbands for her daughters! As the head of the construction crew steps forward to help fulfill her dream, mem wonders if he might also be the one who ruins it. Readers who enjoy Amish novels will love this authentic series by bestselling novelist Tricia Goyer and Amish-Mennonite author Sherry Gore. MY Review:  yummy! delicious!  pies, p...

Review of Lorie's Heart by Amy Lillard Welcome back to Wells Landing, Oklahoma, the tranquil Amish community where still waters run deep and a brave young woman sets out to discover her faith, her family, and herself…   Lorie Kauffman is grief-stricken when her father passes away unexpectedly. But her heartache quickly turns to bewilderment when she discovers he’d been leading two lives—one of simplicity and hard work in Wells Landing, and one fraught with painful ordeals in Tulsa. As she starts digging into her family’s past, Lorie finds herself torn between the Amish world and the  Englisch  world—and she’s no longer certain where she belongs…   Lorie knows that if she leaves Wells Landing, she may never be able to return. But what if her destiny lies in the outside world—the world her father knew so well? Change is never easy, but with a bit of courage and the help of a handsome and kind-hearted  Englischer , she just may find the peace, acceptance, ...

Review of Among the Fair Magnolias:  Four Southern Love Stories by Tamera Alexander, Shelley Shepard Gray, Dorothy Love & Elizabeth Musser Four Southern women are at a turning point in history . . . and in their own hearts. To Mend a Dream by Tamera Alexander The Civil War cost Savannah Darby everything—her family and her home. When Aidan Bedford, an attorney from Boston, buys the Darby estate, he hires Savannah to redecorate. Can she find a mysterious treasure before her job is finished? MY REVIEW of To Mend a Dream:   As if the Civil War weren't trial enough to endure, Savannah and her younger brother and sister have lost their father and brother in the bitter war, now their home has been sold and she has to help Aidan Bedford's spoiled rich fiance redecorate it.   Can she remain professional and complete the job?  She needs the extra income from this job to care for her siblings.  Aidan notices her beauty as well as her fine character as soo...

Review of Set Apart: Holy Habits of Prophets & Kings A Bible Study of 1 and 2 Kings  (Women's Bible Study Participant Book) by Jessica LaGrone Set Apart is a dynamic six-week study of 1 and 2 Kings that examines the holy habits of the prophets and kings who were set apart by their close walk with God. Each week we will explore the central story of one of these intriguing men of God and the specific practice each observed, as well as what the Bible teaches about this practice.  Each of these characters was trying to follow God while carrying out his calling on earth. As we consider their example, we will discover that even prophets and kings struggled and grew in their faith through spiritual practices, and we will learn how to follow God's unique purposes for us in His Kingdom.  The Participant Book contains five daily readings per week, each including Scripture, reflective teaching material with questions and space for recording responses, prayer sugges...

Review of Amish Treasures of the Heart (Amish Dynasty Book #2) by Sophia Grace BONUS MATERIAL: Recipes!!!   From the Cherry Orchard (in the back of the book)  Being brought up as an Englisher, Jake Fisher knows nothing about Amish farming. So when he goes to work for Ellie on her farm, he makes one mistake after another. It doesn't help that Jackson, one of the farmhands, bullies him and teaches him all the wrong things just to cause trouble between him and Ellie.  Will Jackson take his antics too far, or will Ellie find out the truth before it's too late? MY REVIEW:   4-Stars for this Amish novella, book two in the Amish Dynasty series by Sophia Grace.....Can you imagine working on an Amish farm when you were raised as an Englisher in the city?   Could you milk a cow?   Muck a stall?   Weed the garden?  I don't know how I would fare at the task!   Jake will do anything to help Ellie though because she has a smile that makes ...

Review of A Promise of Grace (Seasons in Pinecraft #3) by Lynette Sowell Rochelle Keim has lived in Pinecraft for almost twenty years among her Mennonite brethren and the Amish of Sarasota. Unlike the snowbirds who visit Pinecraft from the north, Rochelle is a year-round resident of the unique Plain community. She's quiet, content, and keenly adept at keeping her past firmly tucked away. Feeling unsettled as she nears her fortieth birthday, she decides to return to nursing school, a dream she gave up long ago during a painful time she dares not remember. Her past decides to make itself present when Silas Fry, Rochelle's former love, moves to Pinecraft. Silas spent the past two decades working as a missionary pilot, but that all changed with the sudden loss of his wife, Belinda Rochelle's childhood best friend. Now both Rochelle and Silas are on a collision course with their past, and the reunited couple must decide if they're trying to resurrect a dead roma...

Review of Balm of Gilead (Healing Grace #3) by Adina Senft The third installment in the Healing Grace series finds young Amish widow Sarah Yoder facing her greatest challenge--herself.  Sarah hasn't seen Henry Byler since he became engaged to an Englisch woman, which is best for her peace of mind. She's busy with her family: welcoming her son back from the ranch in Colorado, finding a husband for her sister-in-law, and making the teas and tinctures that heal the members of her church. Then Henry seeks her out, desperate for a balm for his hands before his success as a potter is jeopardized, and Sarah has to call on every ounce of strength to deny the cry of her heart. Yet there is someone who just might have a special cure in mind--a healing balm with the power to change everything. But with Henry's wedding only days away, is it already too late? MY REVIEW:   Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there?   She carried the bowl of fragrant liquid in...