The Haunting of Autumn Lake
Page 22
Love you,
Dad
Yep, if you do the math, my dad is seventy-eight this year and has had my grandma’s apple fruit rolls nearly every year for his birthday since he was six. That’s seventy-two years!
Naturally, his mom didn’t always make them for him. Once my dad and mom were married, my mom took over the tradition. And I have to tell you that Grandma’s apple fruit rolls (we called them apple dumplings when I was growing up too) have been, and always will be, my favorite apple dessert. They are scrumptious! Delicious! Sublime! (Okay, I don’t want to build them up too much and then have you be disappointed because your expectations were so high.) I love them. My kids love them. I make them every autumn—over and over and over—and we love them at any temperature. They’re really great warm, but I actually love them cold, right out of the fridge for breakfast too.
And so, here’s the apple fruit roll recipe as Vaden made it.
Apple Fruit Rolls
(From my grandmother—Zilpha Maude Hershner Ankrum Reed Hutchens)
Dough:
2 cups flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
¼ cup butter or shortening
¾ cup milk
Mix flour, baking powder, and salt. Using a fork or pastry blender, cut in butter or shortening. Add milk and stir into a dough. On a floured surface, roll out dough into a 10×13 rectangle, about ¼-inch thick.
2 tablespoons softened butter
½ teaspoon allspice (I have increased this ingredient. The original calls for ¼ teaspoon.)
¾ teaspoon nutmeg (I have increased this ingredient. The original calls for ½ teaspoon.)
Spread surface of dough with softened butter. Then sprinkle allspice and nutmeg over entire surface.
Apples:
3 cups peeled and finely chopped apples (I prefer Golden Delicious.)
Spread apples onto dough and roll like cinnamon rolls (widthwise—in other words, beginning with the 10 inch side) into a long roll. Pinch ends tightly to seal. Cut into 12 rolls, and place in greased 9×13 glass baking dish. Set aside.
Syrup:
1 cup sugar
2 cups water
½ cup cinnamon imperial candy (Red Hots)
Combine ingredients in small saucepan. Bring to boil, and boil for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour syrup over rolls and bake at 350°F for 30 to 35 minutes. (I tend toward the 35 minutes.) Let cool before serving so that fruit rolls can finish absorbing the syrup.
Another recipe mentioned in The Haunting of Autumn Lake is fried apples, potatoes, and onions. Now the first time my mom ever suggested I make this recipe, my reaction was, “Are you kidding me?” But you will love the combination, even if it does sound a little weird. Fried apples, potatoes, and onions is one of Ransom’s favorite dishes Vaden makes. Maybe your hero will like it too!
Fried Potatoes, Apples, and Onions
(From my mother—Patsy Christine States Reed)
4 large potatoes (peeled and sliced about ¼-inch thickness)
2 large apples (peeled and sliced about ¼-inch thickness)
1 medium onion (finely chopped)
Butter
Salt and pepper to taste
Melt butter in large electric skillet. Layer potato slices, salt and pepper, apple slices, and onion slices, and then repeat until all ingredients are in skillet. Fry potatoes, apples, and onions together in butter, salt, and pepper, covered—occasionally and carefully turning with a pancake turner until tender and potatoes are nicely browning.
The third recipe I’m going to share with you is my mom’s caramel apple recipe. It’s another great one, and though I prefer to use this recipe as an apple dip (less messy than caramel apples), it’s delicious either way. (Once you’ve tasted it, you’ll see why Gentry and Autumn got so caught up in their caramel-apple kisses. Hey, try it on your own man this autumn! Wink, wink!)
Caramel Dip/Caramel Apples
(From my mother—Patsy Christine States Reed)
Caramel ingredients:
1 cup sugar
¾ cup light corn syrup
⅛ teaspoon salt
1 can sweetened condensed milk
¼ cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
In a saucepan, combine sugar, corn syrup, salt, and sweetened condensed milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly to very, very soft ball stage (for dip). Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla. Serve with sliced apples.
Caramel apples will also require:
10 medium apples (washed and dried)
10 Popsicle sticks
Waxed paper
Sugar
Begin by inserting Popsicle sticks into center of apples and set aside. Place a length of waxed paper on a cookie sheet, butter it, and sprinkle with granulated sugar.
Combine sugar, corn syrup, salt, and sweetened condensed milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly to soft ball stage.
Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla. Working quickly, cover apples with caramel and place on buttered and sugared waxed paper.
I love autumn! It’s the season of my soul—apples, pumpkins, the glorious cottonwoods changing their leaves to deep yellow to create that glowing ribbon of gold along the Rio Grande. I love the scents in the air, the color of the sky, the tiny nip of frost in the early morning. I love Ransom Lake too, and I love his daughter, Autumn. She understands me in so many ways, just the way her mother does. And as for Gentry James? Well, he’s as heroic and handsome as any hero there ever was—truly! And furthermore, you gotta love those dimples!
Thanks for spending autumn with me!
~Marcia Lynn McClure
The Haunting of Autumn Lake Trivia Snippets
Snippet #1—A few years ago, someone wrote to me and asked, “Do we always have to have the woman’s virtue threatened?” In truth, I let that throw me for a time. But then, I thought, Yes! Absolutely! The most heroic thing a man can do is to champion a woman’s virtue. There are so few things these days that actually do honor and respect true virtue, and what I wouldn’t give to be able to see boys and men slug a jerk who has said something vulgar to a girl or woman, or break his jaw for groping her! Yes, to me, one of the most romantic things is to have a man respect a woman and to love her so much that he would punch another guy’s lights out for some of the stuff he pulls. And girls aren’t the only victims. My sons have been literally assaulted by girls and women. Seems to me that if more women valued virtue, that certainly wouldn’t be happening! So, yes, I’m an old-fashioned girl. I think men should change the tires on your car for you. I think they should carry in the groceries, climb up on the roof, and staple-gun Christmas lights to the trim—and all other masculine things that true heroes do. And I think that Riley Wimber should’ve had the blanket-blank beat out of him by Gentry for what he did! A man who will fight for a woman’s virtue (which, let’s face it, is always under attack) is truly heroic. Therefore, I’m not doubting myself along those lines any more, and The Haunting of Autumn Lake is the first book in a long time where I didn’t.
Snippet #2— Jethro, Abner, Clarence, and Clementine. Yes, these names have meaning. As in all my stories, the names are very important to me—and not just the names of the main characters. I don’t know why the super pumpkin’s name is Jethro—it just is. The moment I first thought of him, his name was Jethro. I can’t claim that it’s not some subliminal reference to The Beverly Hillbillies, but I can’t say that it was. He just seemed like a Jethro to me. As for Abner the turkey, it was kind of the same thing, except for the fact that I had been flipping through one of my favorite magazines and saw an old Li’l Abner comic strip. But I can’t remember if I named Abner before that or not. As for Clarence and Clementine—well, who doesn’t love Clarence from It’s a Wonderful Life? And Clementine—I just always thought that the verse in that old miner’s song about the miner’s daughter wearing boxes for shoes was sad and uncomfortable-sounding. So I wanted Clementine the
scarecrow lady to be comfortable and always refreshed out in the open autumn breeze. (And, no, I’m not kidding.) Now, our family does have kind of a thing with old-fashioned names. My youngest son, Trent (age seventeen, at the moment), came in one day and said, “Mom…have you seen Ol’ Jedediah?” Apparently, Ol’ Jedediah was his comb. And we still call Trent’s comb Ol’ Jedediah. So, there you have it—Jethro the pumpkin, Abner the turkey, and Clarence and Clementine the scarecrows.
Snippet #3—The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, by Washington Irving, is my favorite book. I think it’s truly one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever read. And there’s so much humor in it too! It’s a treasure, and though The Haunting of Autumn Lake is just a simple autumnal romance and no great work like Irving’s famous tale, I hope that it swept you away in a similar fashion to what The Legend of Sleepy Hollow does for me.
Snippet #4—Every year on the first day of school, I bake pumpkin cookies. When my kids were little, they loved to come home from that first stressful day to the warm, comforting aroma of pumpkin cookies. I feel that scent is paramount to creating an atmosphere in our home. And believe me, when autumn rolls around, the atmosphere in our home is one hundred percent autumn! Cozy and warm, with candlelit evenings, specially selected music playing softly in the background—all this combines to soothe the very soul. Although I always want my house to be warm and inviting—a haven for my husband and children, a place of comfort, joy, happiness, laughter, and love—autumn is when I’m really in my element. Although I always have apples, cinnamon, and nutmeg simmering on my stove all year long, in autumn I like to bake more often—apple crisps, apple fruit rolls, pumpkin cookies, and pies. I also burn candles more often—since the sun setting earlier lends to the ability not only to sense the mellow fragrance of a candle but also to sit in quiet repose and simply watch the flame flickering (something I love so much). In truth, I usually play Christmas music in the background during autumn, instrumental and soothing, like A Charlie Brown Christmas—though I do have certain what I call “Autumn Soundtracks”—for example, a little compilation I’ve titled “16 Degrees to Autumn Leaves.” (The playlist appears below, if you’d like to compile your own.) In the end, I love autumn—in case you haven’t guessed by now! And I hope The Haunting of Autumn Lake allowed you to linger in it a little longer.
16 Degrees to Autumn Leaves
(A favorite autumn compilation)
Track 1 “Autumn Leaves” Stéphane Grappelli
Track 2 “Autumn Leaves” Bing Crosby
Track 3 “Autumn Leaves” Newell Oler
Track 4 “Autumn Leaves” Eva Cassidy
Track 5 “Autumn Leaves” 101 Strings Orchestra
Track 6 “Autumn Leaves” Jo Stafford
Track 7 “Autumn Leaves” Paul Desmond
Track 8 “Autumn Leaves” Nat “King” Cole
Track 9 “Autumn Leaves” Simply Clarinet
Track 10 “Autumn Leaves” Frank Sinatra
Track 11 “Autumn Leaves” Vince Guaraldi
Track 12 “Autumn Leaves” Matt Monro
Track 13 “Autumn Leaves” Johnny Mercer
Track 14 “Autumn Leaves” Roger Williams
Track 15 “Autumn Leaves” Chet Atkins
Track 16 “Autumn Leaves” Richard Hayman
Snippet #5—And last but not least, to answer your question, of course I’ll include my pumpkin cookies recipe! After all, what is autumn without them, right?
Pumpkin Cookies
(From my mother—Patsy Christine States Reed)
Ingredients:
1 ½ cups shortening (I use 1 1/3 cups butter instead.)
4 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons salt
3 teaspoons nutmeg
3 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon cloves
1 large can (29 oz.) of Libby’s pumpkin
½ teaspoon baking soda
3 teaspoons baking powder
7 cups flour
2–3 cups of milk chocolate chips
Cream butter and sugar together, and then add eggs. Add salt, spices, baking soda, and baking powder, and mix well. Gradually add and mix in flour. Finally, stir in chocolate chips.
Drop dough in 1-inch “globs” onto cookie sheet. Bake at 350°F for 13 to 16 minutes.
(P.S. You can halve this recipe using a 15-oz. can of Libby’s pumpkin and halving all other ingredients, of course.)
My everlasting admiration, gratitude, and love…
To my husband, Kevin…
My inspiration…
My heart’s desire…
The man of my every dream!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Marcia Lynn McClure’s intoxicating succession of novels, novellas, and e-books—including The Visions of Ransom Lake, A Crimson Frost, The Rogue Knight, and most recently The Pirate Ruse—has established her as one of the most favored and engaging authors of true romance. Her unprecedented forte in weaving captivating stories of western, medieval, regency, and contemporary amour void of brusque intimacy has earned her the title “The Queen of Kissing.”
Marcia, who was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, has spent her life intrigued with people, history, love, and romance. A wife, mother, grandmother, family historian, poet, and author, Marcia Lynn McClure spins her tales of splendor for the sake of offering respite through the beauty, mirth, and delight of a worthwhile and wonderful story.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
A Better Reason to Fall in Love
A Crimson Frost
An Old-Fashioned Romance
Beneath the Honeysuckle Vine
Born for Thorton’s Sake
Daydreams
Desert Fire
Divine Deception
Dusty Britches
Kiss in the Dark
Kissing Cousins
Love Me
Saphyre Snow
Shackles of Honor
Sudden Storms
Sweet Cherry Ray
Take a Walk With Me
The Anthology of Premiere Novellas Romantic Vignettes
The Fragrance of her Name
The Heavenly Surrender
The Heavenly Surrender 10th Anniversary Special Edition
The Heavenly Surrender Hardcover Edition
The Highwayman of Tanglewood
The Highwayman of Tanglewood Hardcover Edition
The Light of the Lovers’ Moon
The Pirate Ruse
The Prairie Prince
The Rogue Knight
The Tide of the Mermaid Tears
The Time of Aspen Falls
The Touch of Sage
The Trove of the Passion Room
The Visions of Ransom Lake
The Whispered Kiss
The Windswept Flame
To Echo the Past
Weathered Too Young
A Better Reason to Fall in Love
Contemporary Romance
“Boom chicka wow wow!” Emmy whispered.
“Absolutely!” Tabby breathed as she watched Jagger Brodie saunter past.
She envied Jocelyn for a moment, knowing he was most likely on his way to drop something off on Jocelyn’s desk—or to speak with her. Jocelyn got to talk with Jagger almost every day, whereas Tabby was lucky if he dropped graphics changes off to her once a week.
“Ba boom chicka wow wow!” Emmy whispered again. “He’s sporting a red tie today! Ooo! The power tie! He must be feeling confident.”
Tabby smiled, amused and yet simultaneously amazed at Emmy’s observation. She’d noticed the red tie too. “There’s a big marketing meeting this afternoon,” she told Emmy. “I heard he’s presenting some hard-nose material.”
“Then that explains it,” Emmy said, smiling. “Mr. Brodie’s about to rock the company’s world!”
“He already rocks mine…every time he walks by,” Tabby whispered.
A Crimson Frost
Histor
ical Romance
Beloved of her father, King Dacian, and adored by her people, the Scarlet Princess Monet endeavored to serve her kingdom well—for the people of the Kingdom of Karvana were good and worthy of service. Long Monet had known that even her marriage would serve her people. Her husband would be chosen for her—for this was the way of royal existence.
Still, as any woman does—peasant or princess—Monet dreamt of owning true love—of owning choice in love. Thus, each time the raven-haired, sapphire-eyed, Crimson Knight of Karvana rode near, Monet knew regret—for in secret, she loved him—and she could not choose him.