Jennifer by Dee Henderson

Jennifer O'Malley is a pediatrician practicing in Texas.  She is not looking for love, however love finds her through another physician named Tom.  They quickly develop a comfortable friendship, but along the way they both start to feel something more for each other.  Tom also encourages Jennifer to come to his church, which starts the beginning of her spiritual walk, where she finds God and eventually get baptized.  Once they both acknowledge their love for each other they start talking about marriage.  Then something happens that changes it all and leaves Jennifer wondering if God really loves her at all. 

I was really excited to review this book!  I knew of Dee Henderson and have only heard good things about her books so I was stoked to get my hands on Jennifer.  (Not to mention I happen to like the title...)  When I opened up the padded envelope fresh out of the mailbox, I was surprised at how small the book was.  It is the same size as those little "gift" books.  I don't know about you, but that was a let down.  I was ready to dig into a nice big (or at least normal-sized) novel.  The book is 154 small pages long.  Despite my disappointment I started reading it anyhow, and enjoyed the story.  In my opinion the only downfall was the size of the book/length of the story, which did not allow for much detail to be put into the story itself which makes it seem sort of rushed.  The story ends on a bit of a cliff hanger which I guess continues on into the original O'Malley series, which I hope to start reading soon!


*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for this honest review. 

Recipe Adventures #21: German Apple Pancake

I just whipped this up for breakfast this morning and it turned out excellently!  I have had this dish before when we stayed at a local B&B several years ago called The Lamplight Inn and was wowed by it.  Actually since we are talking about The Lamplight Inn, I must say that we had an amazing time there.  Everything about the inn was so nice and relaxing.  The innkeeper plays piano and sings each night and the seranade continues in the morning during a super-yummy breakfast.  Not mention I had the best night's sleep EVER in the bed that was in our room!  So good in fact that we actually bought a mattress just like the one we had slept on!  If you are ever in the Berlin, Ohio area and need a place to stay, be sure to check out the Lamplight Inn..you won't be disappointed!  They actually have several other yummy recipes that they serve to guests on their website!  They know how to cook a mean breakfast so I'm sure all the dishes are yummy!

*Once you read the recipe, you will realize that this is NOT necessarily healthy!  But sometimes you just gotta indulge, you know?

Now, back to the recipe....

German Apple Pancake

Pancake Mixture:
4 lg eggs (at room temperature)
3/4 c milk
3/4 c flour
1/2 t salt
1 t baking powder

Mix together until frothy and set aside.

Apple Filling:
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced thin
1 t lemon juice
1/3 c sugar
1/4 c brown sugar, firmly packed
1 t cinnamon

Mix lemon juice with sliced apples.  Add sugars and cinnamon; mix thoroughly.  Microwave for 3 mins to soften the apples.  Set aside.

Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Place 4 T butter in a glass 9x13 baking dish.  Place in oven until butter is melted.  Spread apples over the butter, then pour the pancake mixture evenly over the apples.

Bake 15-17 mins.  Meanwhile, prepare Vanilla Cream Sauce and pour over pancakes once done baking.  Serve immediately.

Vanilla Cream Sauce:
1 c firmly packed brown sugar
1 c light Karo
1 c heavy whipping cream.

Heat in saucepan over medium-heat heat until it comes to a full boil.  Remove from heat and add 1 t vanilla.

Recipe Adventures #20: Pig Licking Cake

Ok, I know what you're thinking...Pig Licking Cake?  Don't let the name turn you away from this yummy dessert.  I assure you there was NO pig licking involved in the making of this cake!  I seriously wonder where that name came from by the way...

As always, I forgot to snap a picture of it...but it's good and looks pretty too!

Pig Licking Cake

2 lg cans mandarin oranges or 3 small cans

1 Yellow cake mix

1/4 c. oil

1 egg

Frosting:

1 container Cool Whip

1 can crushed pineapple, drained

1 box vanilla pudding.

Mix the cake ingredients together (do not drain oranges!).  Pour into a greased 9x13 cake pan and toss it in the oven.  Bake according to the directions on the cake box.  Let cool completely.

Mix the frosting ingredients together and spread over the cooled cake.  Keep refrigerated until time to serve.

This is a great dessert to take to cookouts this summer!