In
1850 Ireland, Darcy Keegan secretly plans to escape the drudgery of the
prison where her father is warden to start a life elsewhere. Her plans
are thwarted by a young boy who's been imprisoned and whom she can't
bring herself to leave until she knows he will be safe.
Vaughn Donnelly has recently returned to Castleville to add a wing to
the penitentiary, and is captivated by the young lass he observes in the
prison yard. His job prevents him from staying, so love and marriage
are out of the question--or are they? When he intervenes on behalf of a
lad being mistreated, he wins the admiration of the Irish lass he
admires.
Their shared concern for the laddie quickly turns into something more--read the entire story on the Harlequin website over the next two weeks.
1 pkg. (3.4 oz.) vanilla instant pudding 1 cup plus 2 Tbsp cold milk, divided 1-1/2 cups whipped topping 1 round yellow cake layer - a Jiffy cake mix is the right amount 1 square unsweetened chocolate 1 Tbsp butter 3/4 cup powdered sugar
Beat pudding mix and 1 cup milk in medium bowl with whisk 2 min. Stir in whipped topping and let stand 5 minutes.
Cut the cake horizontally into 2 layers with serrated knife. Spread one with the pudding and place the other on top of it, sandwich style.
Melt chocolate and butter in glass bowl until butter is melted; stir until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is well blended.
Add sugar and remaining milk; mix well. Spread over cake.
Refrigerate 1 hour.
This morning Heartland Writers Group, the Nebraska RWA chapter, held our February meeting at the Western Heritage, Durham Museum. Cut! Costume and the Cinema is an amazing and informative display of period costumes. The intricate detail of these garments is incredible. The exhibit is a visual delight. No photos are allowed, which is sad for those of us who want to remember specifics--but the most difficult restriction was not to touch anything. Those fabrics and beads just called out for an admiring stroke. I had to enjoy with my hands firmly planted in my pockets, like a kindergartner at the mall.
One of the most astounding things the viewer notices is the miniscule size of the clothing. These are the actual costumes worn by the stars. The mannequins were custom made in France to fit the costumes. The celebs are tiny, tiny, tiny. The sizes for Uma Thurman and Kate Winslet surprised me. I know Keira Knightly is a twig. But Minnie Driver? I kept mumbling, "Where did they put Minnie's b**bs?" Yes, I question things like this.
I looked at those elaborately tall wigs topped with silk flowers and tried to imagine the women of that time who actually wore those things.
There are costumes from Pirates of the Carribean, Casanova, Sense and Sensibility, The Duchess, Phantom of the Opera,The New World, Finding Neverland, Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, Sherlock Holmes, In Love and War just to name a few. There were a few movies represented which I'd never seen, so I'll be Netflixing those, hopefully.
After the exhibit we were served tea, cookies and biscotti while we held our business meeting. Afterward several of us traveled in four degree temps to eat lunch together at Spaghetti Works in the Old Market. It was one of my favorite meeting times ever. Thanks to Anita and Terry for putting it together for us.
My cousin Diana just found this recipe for me. Diana is second from the left in this photo. I'm on the far right.
cousins, left to right: Carol, Diana, Linda, Larry (my aunt Marilyn) and me.
My Grandma St.John used to make these bars.
Matrimony Bars
1955 Recipe
2 cups flour
2 cups oatmeal
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup melted shortening
1 teaspoon soda
1 can pie filling, pineapple or other flavor
3 egg whites
Combine flour, oatmeal, brown sugar, shortening and soda.Reserve ½ cup for topping.Press rest of mixture in shallow 15 by 10-inch jelly roll pan.Top with pie filling.
Pile on meringue made from 3 egg whites and sprinkle reserved crumb mixture on top.Bake 30 minutes in 350-degree oven.Cool and cut into bars.
