Easy scalloped potatoes give a meal that special comfort quality. Satisfying and delicious, they go well with sausages or pork and cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage, or here I’ve got cauliflower and broccoli. We also had a side bowl of applesauce to perfectly round out the flavors.
I used 6 med-small yellow potatoes. After peeling, slice into scallops, two potatoes at a time, to layer into the casserole dish. Atop each layer, sprinkle salt and pepper and flour, and dot with butter. Then pour in 3/4 cup milk. I used skim milk, as I’m trying to keep it a little less fattening, and found it just as deliciously creamy. You need enough milk to come up to halfway in the casserole dish, so you can adjust the amount according to how many potatoes you’re using.
Put the cover on the casserole dish and bake at 400 degrees F. Test with a fork after half an hour. If potatoes are soft, remove the lid and leave in oven for another 10 minutes to brown.
This versatile dish can be altered in various mouth-watering ways. Thinly sliced onion can be added between the layers to spice up the flavor. Or cut up farmer sausage into it, or add shredded cheese.
I found a small helping of these easy scalloped potatoes wonderfully satisfying, but they were so delicious that my son polished off the rest of the casserole. It’s nice to cook for someone who appreciates it that much!
A meadow in bloom is a vast bouquet of love from our heavenly Father. A sensual treat, enveloping in joy. Ann Gabhart makes you feel it in this novel. Her word pictures put you in the meadow, a magical place lit up by moonlight. Natural, health-giving comforts of God’s creation, away from the institutional jails of the city.
Rose and her daughters, Calla and Sienna, have no place to go. The girls have been in an orphanage for two years while their mother is treated for tuberculosis in a sanitarium. It’s 1925. With no one else to turn to, they reach out to her husband’s brother, a recluse who they barely know. But alas, he has a heart. Or at least a sense of duty. And space for them in his house, situated in beautiful Meadowland.
Wonder, danger, mystery
The author skillfully brings readers into their lives, with their worries and fears. Some wonder, some new experiences, some danger and fighting for their lives. An old mystery threads through the story, to be solved at the end. The characters are alive, with their distinct personalities. I do hope this becomes a series. I want to know what happens to them later. And I want to visit Meadowland again.
Animals included
Not all the characters are human. A pair of crows are integral in solving the mystery. The dog plays a role too, and a loveable cat comforts Rose. Even chickens contribute to the healing of this family. Perhaps in the next book Sienna will meet the mouse she hopes to befriend.
My thanks to Revell for sending me this beautifully made paperback. The cover is gorgeous. I’m so glad I chose this book to review. I can honestly say I loved it! It inspired me to visit the meadows in bloom near my own home, and bask in the vast bouquets of love from my heavenly Father.
Learn more about Ann Gabhart and her books at AnnHGabhart.com.
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A snapshot of lives and changes with the onset of World War II, this story begins in 1939 in Washington DC. Liane is married to Armand, an older French Ambassador whose first wife passed away. They love each other deeply, and have two young daughters.
Armand is transferred back to Paris, and the family accompanies him. Liane meets Nick, owner of Burnham Steel, and his wife and son, while crossing the Atlantic on a luxury ship. His son befriends her daughters, and Nick and Liane keep each other company. Armand has work to do even on the ship, and Nick’s unfaithful wife goes off partying with new friends.
Peace for Now
In 1939 people wonder whether the war might impact France. For the time being, at least in Paris, there is still peace. For those in high society, dinners and dances and other social activities continue on as before. Armand works long hours and shares less and less about it with Liane. She is lonely, but doesn’t complain.
When Armand sees that the war is coming to France, he wants to send Liane and the girls back to the States, but Liane insists on staying and supporting him. Although he’s busy working long days and no longer shares anything about it with her, at least he comes home for a few hours at night.
The Last Freighter Home
Nick’s wife and son return to the States, where she is involved with another man. Liane has not seen Nick, but finally, when Armand puts her and the girls on the last freighter bound for home, there’s Nick again, on the same boat. Together they work to save the lives of hundreds of men from a ship that was bombed. And find themselves irresistibly attracted to one another.
What will they do? Both are dedicated to their spouses and children, even though Nick’s marriage is hopeless and Liane’s husband is immersed in his work. She cannot tell anyone that s a Armand is a double agent, and he cannot share anything much about it to her.
Back in Washington DC, Armand is seen as a traitor by their former friends. Liane and her daughters move to San Francisco to live with her uncle.
Nick tries unsuccessfully to get his wife and son back. Life is depressing and frustrating for him. Eventually he re-enlists in the navy. Before I give away any more spoilers, I’ll stop here.
A snapshot of lives and changes during the onset of WW II, this historical fiction shows the heart-wrenching struggles that some families faced.
Writing Style
Written forty years ago, Danielle Steel used an older form of narration. Currently most novels are written from the “Point of View” of one character at a time in each scene. But this story is written from an “Omniscient” POV. The author sees through the eyes of several characters in each scene. As an older person myself, I grew up reading books in this style and I don’t mind it. When I started writing a novel myself seven years ago, I had to unlearn this writing style. But there is much I still learn from her writing, such as how to include emotional tension, and the amount of work she must have put into research.
Thank you to my son for picking up this book for me from a Little Lending Library, which Nanaimo has many of around town. You can put your used books there for someone else, and find some for yourself to read.
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