Fellow PBG author Clare Sanders has cheesy story to share~~~

Although I’ve had more than my share of cooking calamities, today I’d like to share one of my mother’s creations that became an oft-told story in my family.

First, I want to make it clear that my mother was a wonderful cook! She knew how to take whatever she found in the refrigerator and create delicious and nutritious meals. When holiday meals roll around, my family still asks for the special dishes she taught me to make.

When my mother first bought smoked cheese, we all liked it on sandwiches. My father especially enjoyed it simply served with crackers. But when she mixed it with baked beans, no one could eat more than one bite. To her credit, my mother took it with good humor. “Oh, well,” she said. “Sometimes a new creation works, sometimes it doesn’t. I’ll put it outside for the dog.”

But our family pet, Sam, proved to be a more discriminating diner than we thought. After the dishes were done, my mother opened the back door to reprieve the baking dish and began laughing so hard that tears came to her eyes.

“What’s so funny?” my father asked.

“Not only did Sam not eat the beans, he buried the whole pan!” my mother said between hoots of laughter.

Sure enough, the baking pan was covered with dirt and leaves. “Maybe he’s just saving it for later,” my father said.

“No,” my mother said as she picked up the pan. “I think he wanted to put it out of its misery.”

We all shared the joke and over time the baked beans with smoked cheese became legendary. “What do you want for dinner?” my mother would ask.

“Whatever,” was our usual response.

“Fine,” my mother would say. “If you don’t give me a suggestion, I’ll make baked beans with smoked cheese!”

Needless to say, we got the message.

~~~~~

About Clare:

After many years of writing and publishing in the nonfiction world of academia, Claire turned her energy, humor and creativity towards the production of compelling romantic fiction. Claire writes captivating stories that fit the genres of contemporary, historical, and inspirational romance. Claire creates heroes any woman would want to be with and heroines who overcome all obstacles to find love. Written with wit and tenderness, her stories engage the readers’ hearts and imaginations. Readers will find themselves anxiously turning the pages to find out what happens next. Claire lives in the greater Houston area with her daughter and one well-loved dog. When she isn’t writing, you’ll find her cooking, gardening, and dreaming of places to travel.

From the Ashes:

Fleeing a secret that changed her life forever, Judith Robertson decides she can live in the little cabin in the woods that she inherited from her grandfather. The big barn and the quaint little church just add to the allure of the four hundred acres of her new home. Within minutes of her decision, Reverend Washington asks to use her church building, and Jacob Fraser wants to cut a deal to timber the woods Judith now owns. But arsonists are burning African-American churches and threatening anyone who dares to intervene. Judith loans her church to the recently burned out members of the All Faith Community Church, which brings troubles beyond anything she ever imagined. And Jacob Fraser is everywhere, causing a heart she’d thought was stone cold dead to flutter with emotions she had lost a long time ago. But Jacob has secrets, too. Can two heartbroken people gain the courage to challenge the status quo and accept the Lord’s blessings?

Available from Pelican Book Group.