Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Hamburger Cookies

When I was a kid we made Hamburger Cookies. It's been awhile since we made them, but over the weekend I went to a BBQ to celebrate a friend's birthday and wanted to take something fun to share. Since it has been ridiculously warm lately (and I'm NOT complaining!), I wanted to make something that did not involve turning on the oven. Enter Hamburger Cookies. They got many compliments at the BBQ and since they are so easy to make I wanted to share "recipe" with you!

What You Will Need:
Vanilla Wafers
Grasshopper Cookies
Vanilla Frosting
Coconut
Green Food Coloring
Yellow Food Coloring
Sugar Water
Sesame Seeds

What You Do:
Tint coconut green using the green food dye. This becomes your "lettuce." Also tint some of your frosting yellow with the yellow food dye. This becomes your "mustard."

Spread yellow frosting on the bottom of a vanilla wafer. Top with a grasshopper cookie (your "meat patty"). Spread white frosting on the bottom of another vanilla wafer. Add some "lettuce" and place on top of the "meat patty." Repeat with the remaining cookies/frosting/coconut. Brush the tops of each cookie with sugar water and top with sesame seeds.

If you let the cookies sit for a couple of hours before serving, the vanilla wafers will become slightly soft, just like hamburger buns!

It's just that easy and these cookies are guaranteed to be a crowd pleaser at your next party! Enjoy!


Thursday, July 12, 2012

Book Review: The Fiddler (Beverly Lewis)


I discovered Beverly Lewis’s books a couple years ago. I began with her Abram’s Daughters series and have worked my way through her other series’ since. I always get excited when I hear she is releasing a new book because I love her books so much. The Fiddler, the first book in her new “Home to Hickory Hollow” series was no exception. Blending new characters with a few characters who readers may remember from the “Heritage of Lancaster County” series, Beverly Lewis’s newest book does not disappoint.

This book follows the story of classical violinist, Amelia DeVries, who, unbeknownst to her parents, is also a fiddler, going by the name of Amy Lee. After one of her secret performances she, through a variety of circumstances, finds herself in the middle of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania and in the company of young Michael Hostetler, an Amish boy who is trying to decide if he wants to stay Amish or become an Englisher. The book follows Amelia’s struggles as she tries to decide what she wants to do with her life and her violin/fiddle career and Michael’s struggles as he tries to determine which life path he should proceed down.

I greatly enjoyed this book and am eager for the next book in the series, “The Bridesmaid, “ to be released.

I received this book for free from Bethany House’s book blogging program. My opinions in this review are my own.

Book Review: Chasing The Sun (Tracie Peterson)


Hannah Dandridge is trying to keep her family together.  When her father disappears in Mississippi during the Civil War, she finds herself trying to take care of not just her younger siblings but also her family’s newly-acquired ranch in Texas. Meanwhile, William Barnett returns from the war, wounded, only to discover his family’s Texas ranch has been seized and is now being occupied by a stubborn young woman and her younger siblings who have no intention of returning the ranch. Throughout Chasing the Sun by Tracie Peterson, we see how Hannah and William eventually settle their differences and determine who truly has a right to live on the Texas ranch.

I enjoyed this book. Honestly, I’m a sucker for Christian western fiction and this book did not disappoint. As part of the “Land of the Lone Star” series, this book has me eager to read the rest of the series. This is one of those books where I was drawn in and did not want to finish the book until  I finished it.

If you, like me, enjoy a good Christian western, I recommend Chasing The Sun by Tracie Peterson. It would be a great addition to your summer reading list!

I received this book from Bethany House’s book blogging program. My opinions are my own and I was not required to leave a positive review.