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Recipe book, recipes

A Recipe from The Wolves of Vimar Series

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These little cakes are a favourite of Carthinal, in The Wolves of Vimar series.

In The Making of a Mage, a Wolves of Vimar prequel, Carthinal becomes apprenticed to Mabryl, an archmage. He was known to sneak into the kitchen where Lillora, Mabryl’s housekeeper, was making the cakes and sneak one or two (or several).

Here’s a bit about the book.

Carthinal is alone in the world. His parents and grandparents have died. Without money and a place to live, he faces an uncertain future. After joining a street gang, Carthinal begins a life of crime. Soon after, he sees a performing magician, and decides he wants to learn the art of magic. But can he break away from his past and find the path to his true destiny?

You can buy the book from your favourite store, in ebook, hardback or paperback, by clicking on its cover in the side-bar, or here.

It is also available as an audio book.

Here is the US link

And this is the UK link

It is also available from The Independent Bookstore, which is Next Chapter’s online store.

Here is the recipe for nectar cakes if you would like to try them for yourself.

They were actually invented by my son, Richard, when he was about 7 years old. He was very fond of honey!

Nectar Cakes

Ingredients

Shortcrust pastry 

125g margarine

125g runny honey

125g flour

2 eggs

Method

Roll out the pastry and cut rounds. Place one pastry round in each hole of a bun tin.

Put all the ingredients into a food processor and blend on high power until creamy.

Put spoonfuls of the mixture into the pastry cases and bake in the oven at 180C for about 15 minutes.

You can find more recipes in Viv’s Family Recipes, along with some hints and tips garnered from Viv’s family members.

Give Away, historical recipes, offers, Recipe book, recipes

Some cleaning hints and tips, and an offer

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Image by ds_30 from Pixabay

Some years ago, I was trying to clean a very greasy surface. I tried all the things on offer in the supermarket that said they ‘cuts through grease’. They made it a bit better, but didn’t get it off properly.

Then I tried a liquid detergent. That which we more commonly call ‘washing-up liquid’. It worked like a charm.

It got me to thinking that perhaps we are being conned by the large companies that make these products.

Why should we need a different product for bathrooms and kitchens? People buy ‘bathroom cleaner’, and ‘kitchen cleaner’. Weird. They do exactly the same job.

Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay

I find that ‘washing-up liquid’ (aka liquid detergent) is often the best thing for cleaning. Yes, we might occasionally need a scouring powder if something is ground in or dried up, but why do we need all these different products that are essentially the same thing?

If your sink gets blocked up, use washing soda (sodium carbonate). It’s excellent for dissolving grease. Forget the stuff called ‘sink unblocker.’

Image by sandid from Pixabay

Use a scrunched up newspaper for drying windows (or mirrors) after cleaning. Hey presto! Streak-free glass.

Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay

Lemon and vinegar are excellent cleaning things. Lemon mixed with a bit of salt is excellent for cleaning chopping boards.

In Viv’s Family Recipes, there are some more tips. These are ones gathered from my Aunt’s old recipe book that I inherited. Our parents and grandparents didn’t have all the ‘modern’ cleaning products we have now.

From today until Monday, the ebook version of Viv’s Family Recipes is FREE on Amazon. So if you would like some more old-fashioned tips click here to go to Amazon where you are. Or click on the book cover in the side bar.

The book also contains recipes gathered from Viv’s family and friends over a century. Some date back to 1909. It is interesting to see the kind of things that people ate over 100 years ago.

Here are the current ratings for this 5* book. (February 20th)

13 in Culinary Arts & Techniques (Kindle Store)

15 in Weight Loss Food Counters

11 in Low Budget Cooking

I would love to hear from you. Please leave a comment in the comments box.

christmas, historical recipes, Recipe book, recipes

Stuck for a present for someone you love?

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What about a copy of Viv’s Family Recipes?

An excellent stocking filler for the cook in your life.

The recipes in this book date from the beginning of the 20th Century and cover the time up until the present day.

The very old ones come from a little book that Viv’s Grandmother had, in which she jotted down some recipes and her accounts, and dated them as 1909. Other recipes are from recipe books that belonged to Viv’s mother and aunt, many of which are mid 20th Century. It gives an interesting picture of how the foods we eat have changed over a century.

But this is not only a recipe book. Viv has put in comments that she remembers about the various people who supplied the recipes. There are also hints and tips about cleaning from early times as well as some of her grandmother’s old-fashioned ways of getting rid of coughs and colds.

Why not buy a copy for your favourite cook? They will be delighted with the historical information, and maybe wish to try out some of the old recipes that we no longer cook.

To buy, click here and the link will take you to Amazon where you are. Or click on the book cover in the side bar.

I would love to hear from you, especially if you choose to give the book as a present. Let me know how your loved one liked it. Or better still, post a review on Amazon.

historical recipes, offers, Recipe book, recipes

Viv’s Family Recipes

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Many years ago, I came by a small book that had belonged to my grandmother. In it were some recipes, and at the back, some of her accounts.

Then some years later, when I married, my mother gave me an exercise book in which she had written some of her recipes.

When her eldest sister died, who had no children, I acquired her recipe book.

My grandmother’s book had accounts dated 1909, many of my aunt’s would have been thirties and forties, and I suspect many of those my mother wrote down for me would have been fifties and sixties.

Added to recipes that I had acquired from friends, I thought this would make an interesting read for anyone interested in cooking, especially the kind of things our ancestors cooked.

I put together a book of these recipes that I called Viv’s Family Recipes. I added a few comments about the people who gave them as well, and in my Aunt’s book were some hints and tips for cleaning, which I added alongside some cures for ailments I remember from my Grandmother.

Viv’s Family Recipes is now on offer for the meagre price of $0.99, £0.99 until Thursday 21st November, so Hurry and get your copy. On Friday it will be back to its normal price.

Click here or on the cover in the side bar to take you to Amazon where you are.

Thank you for reading. If you would like to reblog this, I would be most grateful.

announcement, offers, Recipe book

Last day of offer.

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Don’t forget that today is the last day you can get Viv’s Family Recipes for only £0.99, or $0.99.

http://mybook.to.FamilyRecipes

 

I’ve just seen that it has a 5* review on Amazon. Weh Heh!