Please welcome our guest author. Maine author Lea Wait writes the Mainely Needlepoint,
Shadows Antique Print, and Maine Murder mystery series, the last under the name
Cornelia Kidd. She has also written the historical mystery JUSTICE AND MERCY
for adults, and both historical novels and mysteries for young people. To find
out more about Lea and her books, see her website, www.leawait.com
Check out her giveaway below.
Take it away, Lea!
*
CELEBRATING MOTHERS
I’m Lea Wait, an author and, yes, a mother. To be more
specific, I’m the adoptive mother of four girls (now women) who came home when
they were ages 5-10, from different countries (Korea, Thailand, Hong Kong and
India.)
Mothers and Fathers days were always challenges at my house.
To begin with, I adopted my daughters when I was single, so there was no father
in the picture.
The first year one of my daughters came home with a Father’s Day card she’d made in school she asked, “What do fathers do, Mom?” I thought hard and fast before coming up with, “They help Moms.” She nodded and handed me the card.
On Mother’s Day, dads are usually the ones who help children come up with gifts or cards, or take Mom out to dinner. In my house: no dad. So I did my best. On Mother’s Day I gave each of my daughters a small gift and thanked them for making me a mother. It worked pretty well.
The other challenge on Mother’s Day was that at the church we attended people sponsored roses for the Mother’s Day altar. Red roses for a living mother; white roses if your mother had died. My daughters all had two mothers. (Two of them remembered their birthmothers.) We didn’t know if their birthmothers were alive or dead. So, optimistically (and to avoid tears) I put four red roses on the altar, one for each of their birthmothers. One year the minister put a red rose there in my honor. That year I cried.
As the girls grew up, we had other special ways of celebrating. One of them was inviting two other adoptive moms and their children to join us for dinner and dessert. And, as teenagers, the girls all loved the times we served cheese fondue for dinner, and chocolate fondue for dessert.
In my most recent book, THREAD ON ARRIVAL, my protagonist, Angie Curtis, is treated to a special lunch on her birthday by the man in her life. And, yes, there is a teenaged boy in the story who has lost his parents and is being questioned in connection with a murder investigation.
The first year one of my daughters came home with a Father’s Day card she’d made in school she asked, “What do fathers do, Mom?” I thought hard and fast before coming up with, “They help Moms.” She nodded and handed me the card.
On Mother’s Day, dads are usually the ones who help children come up with gifts or cards, or take Mom out to dinner. In my house: no dad. So I did my best. On Mother’s Day I gave each of my daughters a small gift and thanked them for making me a mother. It worked pretty well.
The other challenge on Mother’s Day was that at the church we attended people sponsored roses for the Mother’s Day altar. Red roses for a living mother; white roses if your mother had died. My daughters all had two mothers. (Two of them remembered their birthmothers.) We didn’t know if their birthmothers were alive or dead. So, optimistically (and to avoid tears) I put four red roses on the altar, one for each of their birthmothers. One year the minister put a red rose there in my honor. That year I cried.
As the girls grew up, we had other special ways of celebrating. One of them was inviting two other adoptive moms and their children to join us for dinner and dessert. And, as teenagers, the girls all loved the times we served cheese fondue for dinner, and chocolate fondue for dessert.
In my most recent book, THREAD ON ARRIVAL, my protagonist, Angie Curtis, is treated to a special lunch on her birthday by the man in her life. And, yes, there is a teenaged boy in the story who has lost his parents and is being questioned in connection with a murder investigation.
He doesn’t join Angie and Patrick for fondue, but perhaps
you might like to. (The recipe is also in the book.)
CHEESE
FONDUE
Ingredients:
2 baguettes or Italian or French bread
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
3-4 Tablespoons kirsch (Swiss cherry brandy)
1 clove peeled fresh garlic
1 plus ½ cup dry white wine
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
½ pound freshly shredded Switzerland Swiss cheese
½ pound freshly shredded Gruyere cheese
Pepper
1 fondue pot, preferably ceramic, and as many fondue forks as those dining.
Cut bread into 1 inch cubes with crust on one side. In small bowl, mix cornstarch with kirsch and stir. Put aside.
1 fondue pot, preferably ceramic, and as many fondue forks as those dining.
Cut bread into 1 inch cubes with crust on one side. In small bowl, mix cornstarch with kirsch and stir. Put aside.
Cut garlic cloves in half and rub the inside of the clove on the inside of the cooking pan and the fondue pot. Add wine to the pan and heat. When wine is hot but not boiling, add lemon juice. Add shredded cheese by handfuls, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until cheeses are melted and blended. Bring fondue mixture to bubbling, briefly. Add ground pepper to taste, stirring until well-blended. Add cornstarch mixture and boil another 15-30 seconds.
Pour mixture in fondue pot which has been warmed with a votive candle beneath it. Spear bread cubes, dunk in cheese, and swirl. Stir fondue frequently. If it starts to thicken too much, additional wine as needed and to taste.
Leftover fondue may be melted and served on toast. This recipe will serve 2 as a main course; 4 as an appetizer; and may be doubled.
Note: Yes, there’s wine in the recipe, but heating it eliminates most of the alcohol.
GIVEAWAY
Tell her a bit about your Mother's Day tradition,
and leave your email so she can contact you if you win.
Check out Lea's website.
