When the first book in The Recipe Box series released (you can read those posts here and here) I wrote about the hero and heroine, and introduced the setting of 1784, post Revolutionary War.

This second book, set in 1834, follows Hope’s granddaughter, now grown and with her own problem that must be solved by something in the recipe box.

One interesting fact about recipes of this time is there were no cookbooks with standardized formats or even standardized measurements for cooking and baking. Instead, most recipes were handed down orally. The ones that were written down or published tended to read something like this:

Blend a handful of sugar and half a pound of butter until creamy. Then add four coffee cups of flour, a pinch of salt…

You can imagine that every time the recipe was made, it was a little different. The size of the hand, the accuracy of the kitchen scale, and even the size of the coffee cups in general usage varied.

I’ve subtitled this book “A baking contest mystery”, and, in fact, there are at least two mysteries, including missing ingredients in the recipe that Holly plans to bake in the contest. But there are more secrets to uncover, including whether Holly and Adam can set their competitive natures aside—as well as their valid reasons to want to win the contest—to see justice done.

The book releases September 12, but you can preorder the ebook here: https://www.amazon.com/Cooking-Up-Trouble-Contest-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0CGKFS338

Leave a comment and enter a random drawing of all commenters in this and the next post on September 12, release day, for an old-timey “Famous Dishes From Every State” (1936) recipe book (US Only please). Please include your cleverly-disguised email address so we can contact you if you win. For example: donna AT livebytheword DOT com

About “Cooking Up Trouble”:

An unsuitable match to satisfy a debt. Can Holly find another solution?
An unsuitable calling--a man in the kitchen. Practically unheard of. Can Adam find the strength to step into his purpose in life?
Or will they both resist God and make their own way?

About Donna:

A hybrid author, Donna writes squeaky clean historical and contemporary suspense. She has been published more than 60 times in books; is a member of several writers groups; facilitates a critique group; teaches writing classes; ghostwrites; edits; and judges in writing contests. She loves history and research, traveling extensively for both, and is an avid oil painter. She is taking all the information she’s learned along the way about the writing and publishing process, and is coaching writers at any stage of their manuscript. Learn more at https://www.donnaschlachter.com/the-purpose-full-writer-coaching-programs Check out her coaching group on FB: https://www.facebook.com/groups/604220861766651

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