Tasty Tuesday: Homemade Buttermilk

Buttermilk is super easy to make at home.  Even easier than homemade yogurt, but similar in that you need to culture the milk.  First you will need some buttermilk culture.  You can order some from places like Cultures for Health or go the easy way like me.  I just buy some cultured buttermilk from the store.

If you start with the cultures you will need to follow the directions your receive for your first batch.  After you have some cultured buttermilk, you can use some of that to make future batches.  Place about 1/2 cup of the cultured buttermilk in a quart jar and fill the rest of the way with milk.  Put a lid on and give it a gentle shake.  Then let it sit at room temp for 24 hours. Store in the fridge.

 Here's a jar of half used buttermilk that I currently have in my fridge.

The culture kits at Cultures for Health say that some can be used again up to 8 times and some indefinitely.  I have found that using buttermilk from the store usually only works for 4-5 times for me, but I usually am buttermilked out by then and need a break from finding recipes to use it in anyway. :)  Someday I may need to invest in the starter kit and keep it going though.

Blessings,

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Into the Whirlwind {Review}

I've read a few of Elizabeth Camden's books and have really enjoyed each of them.  When I had a chance to review Into the Whirlwind, I knew I would enjoy it as well. Ms. Camden does a great job including history, suspense, and romance in her writing.  I really enjoyed getting to learn more about the Great Chicago fire and how it really affected the people whose homes and businesses were destroyed. The main characters, Mollie and Zach, were very likable, but the side characters were also interesting and all combined for a great story.  I found myself constantly wondering what would happen next and couldn't put the book down!

From the Back Cover
As owner of the 57th Illinois Watch Company, Mollie Knox's future looks bright until the night the legendary Great Chicago Fire destroys her beloved city. With her world crumbling around her, Mollie will do whatever it takes to rebuild in the aftermath of the devastating fire.

Zack Kazmarek, an influential attorney for one of Chicago's finest department stores, is a force to be reckoned with among the city's most powerful citizens. Bold and shrewd, he's accustomed to getting exactly what he wants--until he meets Mollie Knox, the beguiling businesswoman just beyond his reach.

In the tumult as the people of Chicago race to rebuild a bigger and better city, Mollie comes face-to-face with the full force of Zack's character and influence. Zack believes this may finally be his chance to win her, but can Mollie ever accept this man and his whirlwind effect on her life, especially with her treasured company on the line?

I received this book for free for review from Bethany House Publishers.

Blessings,

Stealing the Preacher {Review}

Last summer I had the opportunity to review Short-Straw Bride and I loved it!  I couldn't wait to read more from Karen Witemeyer and recently had the chance to.  In Short-Straw Bride, we met the four Archer brothers.  Stealing the Preacher continues their story by following Crockett as he begins his preaching career.

From the Back Cover

A cowboy who wants to be a preacher. An outlaw's daughter who wants to change his mind.

On his way to interview for a position at a church in the Piney Woods of Texas, Crockett Archer can't believe it when he's forced off the train by an outlaw and presented to the man's daughter as the preacher she requested for her birthday. He's determined to escape--which would be much easier if he could stop thinking about Joanna Robbins and her unexpected request.

For months, Joanna had prayed for a minister. A man to breathe life back into the abandoned church at the heart of her community. A man to assist her in fulfilling a promise to her dying mother. But just when it seems her prayers have been answered, it turns out the parson is there against his will and has dreams of his own calling him elsewhere. Is there any way she can convince Crockett he ended up right where he was supposed to be?

With her signature blend of humor, history, and lively western romance, two-time RITA Award finalist and bestselling author Karen Witemeyer delivers a Texas love story sure to steal your heart.

I loved Stealing the Preacher as much as I loved Short-Straw Bride!  It was full of action, great characters, humor, and a sweet romance, all of which made it hard to put down.  I highly recommend Stealing the Preacher and I am hoping that Karen Witemeyer will do another book about the remaining unmarried Archer brother soon!

I received this book for free for review from Bethany House Publishers.

Blessings,

The Confession by Beverly Lewis DVD {Review}

BEVERLY LEWIS’ THE CONFESSION

The Heartwarming, Romantic and Inspirational Drama

From Director Michael Landon Jr.

Starring Katie Leclerc and Sherry Stringfield

Available on DVD June 11^th 

Synopsis:

Raised by an Amish family, Katie Lapp (Katie Leclerc, TV's "Switched at Birth") always felt the call of another life. Now, her quest to find her birth-mother, Laura Mayfield-Bennett (Sherry Stringfield, TV's "ER"), has drawn her into world of the "Englishers." Along the way, two very different men try to help her overcome a devious scheme to steal her rightful inheritance. Business-minded but kind-hearted Justin Wirth (Michael Rupnow) reaches out to discover Katie's hidden secrets, while her childhood companion Daniel Fisher (Cameron Deane Stewart) sacrifices his own happiness for her future. Katie's heart is divided between two worlds as love reveals the truth in the moving saga based on the hit novel from New York Times bestselling author Beverly Lewis.

Beverly Lewis is one of my favorite authors, so when I was given the opportunity to review the DVD version of one of her stories, I couldn't say no!  I have read her series that The Confession is part of, so I already knew the story, but still loved being able to watch it instead of just read it.  The Confession is another great, clean family movie.  I really appreciate having movies like this in my home, so I don't need to worry that my kiddos will see or hear something inappropriate.  I thought the actors did a great job with each role and it was a well made movie.  Although this movie can be enjoyed by itself, you might like it even better if you watch the first one in the series, The Shunning, before this one.  My only complaint is that the ending does leave you really wanting more, so I can't wait for more of the series to be made into DVDs!

BEVERLY LEWIS’ THE CONFESSION has a running time of approximately 88 minutes and is not rated.  It will be available on DVD June 11th.

I received this DVD for free for review from Edify Media, Inc. 

 Blessings,

Gone South {Review}

I recently read Gone South by Meg Moseley.  I enjoyed it and found the story interesting and different. 

From the back cover:

Leaving frosty Michigan for the Deep South was never a blip in the simple plans Tish McComb imagined for her life, dreams of marriage and family that were dashed five years earlier in a tragic accident. Now an opportunity to buy her great-great-great-grandparents’ Civil War era home beckons Tish to Noble, Alabama, a Southern town in every sense of the word. She wonders if God has given her a new dream— the old house filled with friends, her vintage percolator bubbling on the sideboard.

When Tish discovers that McCombs aren’t welcome in town, she feels like a Yankee behind enemy lines. Only local antiques dealer George Zorbas seems willing to give her a chance. What’s a lonely outcast to do but take in Noble’s resident prodigal, Melanie Hamilton, and hope that the two can find some much needed acceptance in each other.

Problem is, old habits die hard, and Mel is quite set in her destructive ways. With Melanie blocked from going home, Tish must try to manage her incorrigible houseguest as she attempts to prove her own worth in a town that seems to have forgotten that every sinner needs God-given mercy, love and forgiveness.

I thought it was a great story about forgiveness and giving second chances.  Meg Moseley does a very nice job writing about the characters and drawing you into their lives.  While I enjoyed reading it, I did find some of it a little unbelievable.  I'm not sure a whole town would hold a grudge against a family for a hundred years. Or that Tish would be turned down for jobs simply because of who she chose for a roommate. I also expected a little more at the end from Mel.  She never really seemed to change but in the end her brother suddenly had a change of heart about her and accepted her into his home. It just felt a little rushed and unresolved.  Overall, I enjoyed it, but it was not a stay-up-late-to-keep-reading kind of book.  Gone South will be available on 5/31/13.

I received this book for free for review from Waterbrook Multnomah.

Blessings,