Goodbye Lie Diaries - Miss Ella's Cheese Toes

Fernandina, Florida
1880s

Miss Ella writes:



Miss Ella

   Mrs. Jane Kalem copied down this delight for me after I told her  how much I enjoyed it Tuesday last at our monthly bunco gathering.  Roll dice, eat, roll dice, eat.  Eating is way more than half the reason we play that game.  Anyway, her Cheese Toes recipe will be perfect for Sunday dinners and holidays. It’s rich and will be so popular with the family since we all love cheese. (Michael actually gives cheese up for Lent!)

 

   I got to thinking how so many of my recipes come from friends and relatives who have tried them and are proud to put their name behind their ingredients.  Oh, and potluck suppers, too.  At church, the orchid society, Aqua Verdi office parties, it is literally a treat to discover new recipes. Some I am able to have our chefs recreate to serve our guests on the passenger line.  I’ve never been one to keep my recipes a secret.  If it’s good, I want to share.  I can hear Peeper saying, “You might be awillin’ ta share, Miss Ella, but Aunt Noreena sure ain’t.  Why, she’s so selfish, she’d rather take it ta her grave than be generous with it.  Acourse, ya won’t find me awantin’ her recipes nor eatin’ anything she’s prepared.  I want ta live ta be one hundred years and it won’t be occourin’ ifn I ingest her rotten chow.”  Or something like that.   All I know is those two rarely miss an opportunity to speak ill of one another.  Hmm. I’m wondering if, unbeknownst to them, they deep down jab at one another because they find it entertaining .  I know we often do, when we can ignore the ugliness of their confrontations and just listen to their silly jousting.
 

Cheese Toes

Potatoes with skins left on, cut in one inch pieces, the size of a big toe, boiled until tender

1/2 cup melted butter  

Salt and pepper

1 cup sour cream

2 -3 cups sharp cheddar cheese

4 strips of  cooked and crumbled bacon

Large baking pan
 

Grease bottom of your pan. Drain boiled potatoes. Spread evenly in pan. Pour butter over potatoes. Lightly salt and pepper. Spread sour cream and sprinkle cheese and bacon evenly.  Bake for 20 minutes in a medium oven until cheese melts. 
 

(Miss Ella is the matriarch of the Dunnigan family in Amelia Island's Goodbye Lie Trilogy.  She is responsible for determining what is served on the ships of the family owned Aqua Verdi passenger line which runs up and down the east coast of the United States in this historical romance series.)

  

Mark of a Man Excerpt-Tear Catchers/Peeper & Aunt Noreen

11/29/18
Update: I got an email from Lorena, the creator of the tear catcher pictured below.  I found it on Pinterest and stated that in my article, but now I am pleased to share this replica is made with a vintage Avon bottle from Rose &  Plum on Etsy.  Please go to https://www.etsy.com/market/rose_plum to discover more beautiful treasures.  Thank you, Lorena,  for allowing me to credit your artistry! -Jane Marie

  

Tear Catchers, also called tear vials or tear bottles, were used to capture tears.  They go way back and I discovered they are mentioned in the Old Testament, Psalm 56:8. Some came with an opening in the top to let the tears evaporate.  When the vial was empty, mourning was over.  A bottle with a solid top might be used by a widow.  A year after her husband's death, she would empty the contents over his grave.  Or a returning soldier would discover how much he was missed.

I found a sample of a necklace tear catcher on Pinterest (link below).  This could be one used by Aunt Noreen, a less than gracious character in The Goodbye Lie, Amelia Island's Velvet Undertow and Mark of a Man, novels in my Amelia Island's Goodbye Lie Trilogy.

Here is a silly excerpt of the on-going bicker-fest between beloved Grandmother Peeper and not so beloved Aunt Noreen from my upcoming historical novel Mark of a Man set in 1898 in Fernandina on Amelia Island:  

   "Keep our Bird a the Earth in yur care, dear Lord," prayed Peeper, unable to kneel and so was seated on the edge of a chair.

   "Strengthen those of us who remain behind," added Aunt Noreen, removing the cork from the tiny tear catcher she wore hanging about her neck.
   Peeper saw the familiar movement and asked, "Why are ya actin' so sad, Noreena?  You don't never care a lick fer nobody but you. If ya think you're ashowin' yur devotion by collecting tears, ya ain't. Everybody knows how ya kin squeeze out yur eye-drops whenever ya have the notion.  I wouldn't be surprised ta find ya drank a extree glass a water afore ya come here, just ta be certain there was anuf juice in ya ta have a good weepin' flow."
   Hoping the others were more concerned with their praying than with Peeper's true evaluation, Noreen only compressed her lids more tightly, gathering another droplet from her left eye.  


To see more tear catchers, click here and scroll down the page: http://www.pinterest.com/twinavon/tear-catcher/

What is Amelia Island's Velvet Undertow?

Tangles, tears and terror combine to form an undertow so powerful, your heart will race, beat for beat, with Carolena Dunnigan's, the brilliant, bright and bold heroine.

First, watch Amelia Island's VELVET UNDERTOW VIDEO at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuPbsKto94o&feature=plcp

Next, read the Synopsis:

An interior designer for Aqua Verdi Passenger Line based on Amelia Island, Florida in 1889, Carolena Dunnigan is witness to something so disillusioning, she flees to Charleston, South Carolina seeking work. There her life takes a mad twirl with that of a world famous conductor and an interfering ship's engineer. Decades of secrets seep forth as she chases the truth, which drives her into the horrific Johnstown, Pennsylvania Flood. Will Carolena have the strength, courage and luck to survive or die hating everyone and everything that tore apart her carefree Amelia Island life?

Meet Clara Barton, of the American Red Cross, instrumental in saving lives during the Johnstown Flood. Revisit beloved characters like Peeper, with her elixir fixers, and Aunt Noreen, whose tongue is the beast that will not be tamed. The Terrible Threesome, all teenage boys, smear honey on a few front doors and hang dead snakes in the trees, but is that so very bad? Paolo Alontti, Grey McKenna, and Peachie Pence mix it up into a shocking knot of lies, loves, and lessons. Oh, and watch for cameo appearances throughout the series from  Martha Bear, stuffed mascot and spokes-bear for www.GraciousJaneMarie.com, the author's 700 page website.

Now read an Excerpt: 

"I wish you'd develop a splash of patience!"

Ignoring her, Grey brushed past, instantly recognizing he'd interrupted something. His confirmation was her ruddy face and puffy lips. It was a blessed good thing he'd come along when he had. "Patience? I've been freezing outside, waiting for your highness like some lap dog. When you say five o'clock, I damn well expect you to be downstairs waiting for me at five o'clock. I sure don't have to ask what you've been up to. And where is this man who tempts you so much, you're willing to debase yourself at his mere beckoning?"

Carolena looked to the velvet pillows now crushed on the floor. Wadded in the corner was the blue dress. There was little sense denying it. Then again, who was he to tell her what was proper? He'd bedded hundreds of women, she was sure, so he had no room to talk. Remaining calm, lest her feeling of guilt show, she told him, "Signor Alontti is attending to business. He sends his regards."

"Yeah? I'll just bet he does. Come on. Let's get the hell out of this lair before I find your lover and lay him out!"

Whether you are new to the series or you have read The Goodbye Lie, you will discover the books stand alone. Each is an experience in suspense, treachery and deceit doing fierce battle with family bonds and honor.

Get your copy HERE:

Amelia Island's Velvet Undertow Kindle Edition $3.99
Amelia Island's Velvet Undertow NOOK Buy As Gift: $3.43

Amelia Island's Velvet Undertow Paperback: $16.95  http://www.amazon.com/Amelia-Islands-Velvet-Undertow-Malcolm/dp/1449029191/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1362457358&sr=1-1&keywords=velvet+undertow

 

You have to get it and read it to read it and get it! Get what? Get to know the Dunnigans of Amelia Island where roses and romance reign, plus so much more...