Calling All Subscribers

As I'm gearing up for the September 8th release of my novel, Under the Tulip Tree--a book that deals with racial issues in 1936 & 1860s Nashville--I'm very aware of the atmosphere and division between the races. It's heartbreaking. As a woman who comes from a family of mixed heritage--my father's family is Hispanic and my mother's roots go back to Germany--I love diversity. Wouldn't it be a terribly boring world if we all looked the same?

Yet because of the tension we're currently experiencing, I feel strongly that prayer is desperately needed. For our country and our people, but also for Under the Tulip Tree. This is not a plea to pray for increased sales or anything of that nature. It's a prayer request from my heart, because I know the enemy would love nothing more than to distort and destroy the message of the book, which is forgiveness, reconciliation, and togetherness.

When I began writing Under the Tulip Tree in 2018, I had no way to know the cultural climate the book would be releasing into in 2020, but GOD did!! A friend reminded me of that wonderful quote from Esther 4:14: "for such a time as this." My hope and prayer is that my book will join the conversations happening all over the world. That it will be one pebble on the wide road to Togetherness and Unity.

That's where YOU come in, faithful subscribers to my blog! I'll be posting a bit more in the coming months, and I'd love it if you'd simply say a prayer for me, the book, and the issues each time my blog lands in your email inbox. If you'd like to join my Prayer Team for the book, here's a link to it's Facebook page.

As a way of saying THANK YOU for your prayers and support, I'll also be doing SPECIAL GIVEAWAYS exclusively for Subscribers to this blog!! I appreciate each of you more than you will ever know.

If you haven't subscribed to my blog yet, there's plenty of time!! Just type in your email address in the box to the right. Done!

Every blessing,
~Michelle

Authentic Civil War Molasses Cookies

I have a confession.

I love cookies!! More than any other snack, quite honestly. I think it's because they are easy. Easy to grab. Easy to hold. Easy to eat. And for the most part, easy to make. 

In my new historical novel, The Widow of Rose Hill, cookies make an appearance a couple times. Specifically, molasses cookies! Harriet, a former slave and the cook for Rose Hill plantation, makes them in Chapter Seven. Natalie, our heroine, serves the treat to Colonel Maish and Corporal Banks on the manor house porch despite the fact that the Colonel and his men have just delivered a message that completely turns Natalie's world upside down!

You might remember that I made Prince of Wales cake when my first book, The Planter's Daughter, released. Aunt Lu and Adella Rose were attempting to make it, although the recipe seemed a little strange to them. I figured I needed to keep the tradition going, so today I'm making authentic molasses cookies just like Harriet made in Book 2.

The Widow of Rose Hill takes place in Texas in June 1865. The Civil War has been raging for four long years. Union blockades prevented supplies from entering Texas and kept cotton growers like the Ellis's from selling their products. Common staples like coffee and sugar were hard to come by, but other ingredients like flour and salt were still available. 

With that in mind, I searched for a simple recipe Harriet might have used. I opted to use butter instead of shortening because I think Harriet would have used butter. I'm also using brown sugar, which she may or may not have had access to. 

First, cream together the butter (or shortening), sugar, egg, and molasses. It won't look pretty, but that's okay. We're on a mission to deliciousness. A little ugly is expected along the way. 

Next, stir in the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and ginger, all common ingredients for that time period. 

I used my handy dandy Kitchen Aid mixer (thank you, Daddy & Mom!) to mix it all together. Poor Harriet would have had to mix it by hand. I'll bet she would have loved a Kitchen Aid! 

The dough will look a little crumbly once it's all blended well. 

Scrape out all the dough onto a clean surface and form it into a big ol' ball.

The recipe suggests putting it in the refrigerator for an hour to chill, for rolling purposes I guess, but I didn't do that. Harriet didn't have a refrigerator and would have rolled them out right then, so that's what I did too. 

I used a light coating of flour on the rolling pin and on the parchment paper and didn't have any issues with the dough sticking to either. 

Use a cookie cutter ... or a glass, like I did 'cuz I don't own cookie cutters ... and cut out your cookies. It's just like making sugar cookies!

I love to bake cookies on my Pampered Chef baking stone because it's never failed me yet. These cookies don't spread, so you can get quite a few on the sheet. Bake for ten minutes and then let 'em cool a little ... but you better keep an eye on them!!! Or someone might sneak a bite!

And wa-la! You have some delicious, authentic Civil War molasses cookies to enjoy while you read The Widow of Rose Hill! 

Here's a little sneak peek of the scene where Natalie serves the cookies to Colonel Levi Maish:

...Natalie returned, her hair freshly combed and free of the hat, bearing a tray with two glasses of water and a plate of dark cookies. That she carried the refreshments herself surprised him. He'd expected her to fetch a maid for the task. 

"Harriet baked a batch of molasses cookies yesterday," she said, setting the tray on a small table. Settling on the sofa, she looked up at the men. "She's a master at turning the simplest ingredients into something quite delicious. Please, help yourselves."

Banks looked like a kid, all big-eyed and licking his lips, but he kept himself in check, waiting for Levi to give permission to indulge in the sweets. When Levi gave a nod, the corporal snagged a large cookie, grinning.

Civil War Molasses Cookies

Ingredients:
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup shortening
1 egg
2/3 cup molasses
2 ¾ cup flour
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
Cream together shortening, brown sugar, egg and molasses. Stir in flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and ginger. Chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour. Heat oven to 375 degrees and roll dough out to ¼”. Cut out cookies with a round cutter. Bake for 10 minutes.

Enjoy the cookies AND the book!

~Michelle

Slave Bills of Sale and Other Research

I'm deep into the edits of Book 2 in The Women of Rose Hill historical fiction series. The sequel to The Planter's Daughter, this book is set on the same Texas cotton plantation and takes place five years after the first book. If you know your Texas history, you'll recognize the date of June 18, 1865. That was the day Union Army troops landed in Galveston, bringing with them the Emancipation Proclamation that freed over 250,000 slaves still in bondage despite the end of the Civil War. As you can imagine, many changes will take place on Rose Hill plantation, so stay tuned to find out when the release date will be! If you haven't read The Planter's Daughter, click HERE to order your copy! History, romance, drama, slavery! It has it all and more, and is getting lots of 5-star reviews on Amazon and Goodreads! I think you'll enjoy it! 😄

Since Book 2 won't be out for a while, I thought I'd share some of the research I've done with you to whet your appetite. It was truly a fascinating time in our nation's history!

One item that comes into play in the story is a Bill of Sale. A Bill of Sale was a document given to the purchaser of a slave to prove ownership. When we buy a car these days, we receive a title that shows the car belongs to us. That is what a Bill of Sale did regarding a slave. They were often handwritten, but some slave traders and brokers actually had forms printed and simply filled in the blanks. It is unreal to me that the document pictured below represented the sale of a human being. That human being was named George and he was 23 years old.

In Texas, the largest slave market was located in Galveston. Smaller ones existed in San Antonio and Houston, but because Galveston is a port city, it made sense that slave traders would set up business there. Thousands upon thousands of slaves were bought and sold there. I won't go into the horrific details of what a slave might have endured during these transactions, but suffice it to say animals often fared better.

I've posted about this little book before, but it deserves to be mentioned again because I could not have written about slavery in Texas without it. I Was Born in Slavery provides true narratives of former Texas slaves. In 1936, our government sent out-of-work writers south to interview former slaves so we would have record of their stories. Most were in their 80s, 90s, and 100s, so it was important to hear in their own words what life was like as a slave before we lost the chance. Some of them shared stories about the day "Freedom" came to Texas, and I've incorporated many of their words and reactions into my book. Staying true to the slaves' actual lives and experiences is extremely important to me as an author of historical fiction.

A new character who arrives at Rose Hill in Book 2 is Corporal William Banks. Corporal Banks lands in Galveston with the Union Troops, eager to help set Texas slaves free. As a black Federal soldier, he would have been especially satisfied to see slaves walk off plantations and farms. The young man pictured below looks just like how I imagine Corporal Banks would have looked when he rides into Rose Hill plantation with Colonel Levi Maish, our new hero. I think readers of The Planter's Daughter will be pleased with his story.

So there is just a sneak peek at Book 2!  Go HERE to see some of the pictures on Pinterest that give me inspiration as I'm writing. I truly love all the new characters in the book as well as the returning characters from The Planter's Daughter.  I think you'll love them too! Of course, the book's hero and heroine (a daughter of Rose Hill and returning character) will experience all kinds of difficulties, heart-throbbing romance, and important growth within themselves, just as the characters in Book 1 did. Readers will not be disappointed! I'll let you know the release date soon! In the meantime, be sure to get your copy of The Planter's Daughter HERE. Kindle copies are only $2.99!! Enjoy!

Blessings,

~Michelle

Prince of Wales Cake -- Authentic Civil War era recipe

If you've been following this blog for a while, you know how many cooking-type posts I've written: NONE! There is a reason for that. Ninety-six percent of the time I do not enjoy cooking. However, one-hundred percent of the time I enjoy eating, so it does become necessary if I don't want to starve. But cooking has never been something pleasurable to me. Instead, its a chore. And I don't know about you, but chores ain't no fun.

Every once in a while, though, I get inspired to cook or bake something special!

In my historical novel The Planter's Daughter, a story set on a Texas cotton plantation in 1859, one of the scenes involves baking a cake called Prince of Wales cake. Adella Rose, our heroine, is in the kitchen with Aunt Lu, the head house slave. They are making this cake for Natalie, the soon-to-be-mistress of Rose Hill plantation. At one point, Aunt Lu grumbles about the Prince and his "high an' mighty ways" because this cake is unlike anything she's ever made. She worries she won't get it right, thus coming under the master's displeasure, a valid concern of every slave back in those days.

Ever since I wrote that scene, I've wanted to make Prince of Wales cake. Readers of The Planter's Daughter will be happy to hear yesterday was the day!

First, I gathered the ingredients, all of which would have been readily available in 1859.

Next, I used my trusty dusty KitchenAid mixer (which sadly would not have been readily available in 1859!) to cream together the butter and sugar of the first batter. This KitchenAid is near and dear to my heart, because my dad gave it to my mom for Christmas many years ago. I still remember how Daddy smiled and smiled when he presented it to Mom.

Following the recipe just as Aunt Lu would have done, I added the other ingredients to create a light colored batter. I can almost picture Adella Rose sneaking tastes of it!

Then I made the second batter, which is darker due to the molasses and spices.

Now it's time to combine the two batters into one pan. Aunt Lu was confused by these instructions. She thinks they should bake two separate cakes, but Adella reminds her the recipe calls for combining the batters. I have to admit, I wondered if Aunt Lu was right, but like her, I followed the instructions to a T.

 The recipe called for a large fluted pan. I had a Bundt pan, so I assumed that would be good enough. Wrong! When they say "large" pan, they mean a LARGE pan!! I had far more batter than could fit in my pan. I'm embarrassed to admit I went ahead and filled it to the brim. Don't do this! It spilled over while baking and made a very stinky mess on the bottom of my oven.

I took my knife and swirled the batters together as told, and while I did, I smiled, thinking of Aunt Lu with her elbow raised like an artist creating a masterpiece.

Admittedly, once it was all layered and swirled and ready to go into the oven, I was rather pleased with myself. Just like Adella Rose, I took a spoon and scraped the bowls, taste-testing each batter. Yummmm!



I slid the pan into the oven, set the timer for one hour and twenty minutes, and waited with high expectations!!

A word to the wise baker: Definitely flour your pans. I didn't. I used cooking spray, but the cake unfortunately stuck to the pan. Waaa. I'd hope to have a lovely photograph of my Prince of Wales cake on this pretty glass cake stand I own and have never used. But I had to settle for simply showing you a couple slices.

Aren't they pretty?

The cake is not too sweet and has a bit of a spice cake taste to it. Sprinkle with some powdered sugar and it is ready to serve!! Delicious! Just like folks ate on Rose Hill Plantation in 1859.

If you'd like to make Prince of Wales cake, go here to find the recipe. Then pop over to my blog about the Authentic Molasses Cookies Harriet bakes in Book Two, The Widow of Rose Hill. They are delish! 

ENJOY!

If you haven't purchased your copy of The Planter's Daughter or The Widow of Rose Hill, click here. Both books are getting lots of 5-star reviews! Readers say they can't put them down. Music to this author's ears.

Have a blessed day!

~Michelle