Mushy Peas

Mushy Peas

by | Mar 11, 2023 | Recipes, Secrets of the Isles Recipes, Shadows Over England Recipes, Side

Mushy Peas

Fish and chips demand a side of mushy peas to be TRULY authentic!

Printable Version

Servings

6

Prep time:

10 minutes

Total Time:

13 hours (overnight)

Good For:

Dinner

Inroduction

About this Recipe

Americans are more accustomed to split peas in our recipes, but dried marrowfat peas, which are allowed to dry in the fields, give pea soup and mushy peas a flavor that other dried peas cannot imitate.

Mushy peas are a staple in the British Isles, and the typical side for fish and chips. Preparation is simple but does require overnight soaking, so plan ahead!

Ingredients

  • 9 ounces dried marrowfat peas (no substitutions)                
  • Boiling water
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 3 cups water
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  1. Add baking soda to boiling water and let dissolve.  Pour water over a bowl with the marrowfat peas, making sure they’re covered by 3 inches of water.  Stir and leave them to soak for at least 12 hours.
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  2. Drain and rinse the peas and place them in a pot with about 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for about 30 minutes. Stir occasionally, until the desired consistency is reached. Once the peas are mushy, add the salt.
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  3. If the peas are too watery, simmer with the lid off until it thickens. If the peas are too thick, add some water. Taste again and add more salt if needed. They will continue to thicken as they cool.
Printable Version

From the Books

Mushy peas, as the assumed side dish of fish and chips, would have been enjoyed by many of my characters who live in or visit coastal regions…and quite possibly all of them who live in England, regardless. But I won’t link to everything. 😉

A Name Unknown - Shadows Over England, Book 1
The Nature of a Lady - Secrets of the Isles, Book 1
To Treasure an Heiress - Secrets of the Isles, Book 2
Worthy of Legend - Secrets of the Isles, Book 3
The Lost Heiress (Signed) - Ladies of the Manor, Book 1

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Authentic Fish and Chips

Authentic Fish and Chips

by | Mar 11, 2023 | Dinner, Ladies of the Manor Recipes, Recipes, Secrets of the Isles Recipes, Yesterday's Tides Recipes

Authentic Fish and Chips

Crispy fried fish fillets and homemade french fries (chips) deliver authentic, delicious taste!

Printable Version

Servings

4

Prep time:

30 minutes

Total Time:

1.5 hours

Good For:

Dinner

Inroduction

About this Recipe

When we visited England, we went to several different regions, and my husband’s experiment was to try fish and chips in each of them. His goal: to find the best fish and chips in the country.

I don’t know that he was satisfied with his results, but when we came home, I made it my mission to find an authentic recipe that even I, who don’t love fish, would like. And I found one! This adaptation of that recipe features beer-battered fish (don’t worry, the alcohol cooks off, but it lends the batter a lightness from the fizz and a yeasty flavor) and twice-fried chips (that’s how you get the soft-and-crisp texture we so love). If you want it REALLY authentic, serve it with a side of mushy peas!

Ingredients

For the Fish:

  • 7 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided
  • 7 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon paprika
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • Sea salt, to taste
  • 1 pinch black pepper, to taste
  • 1/3 cup dark beer, cold
  • 1/3 cup sparkling water, cold
  • 4 (7-ounce) fish fillets (choose a thick, white fish like cod, pollock, or haddock, the fresher the better)
  •  milk, for soaking fish if it isn’t very fresh (optional)

For the Chips:

  • 2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled
  • 1 quart/1 liter vegetable oil (or lard), for frying
  1. If you live in a landlocked region like I do and “fresh” fish has those quotation marks around it, soak the fillets in milk for an hour first to take some of the “fishiness” out of it. If you’re using actual FRESH fish (yay!), no need for soaking.
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  2. Set aside 2 tablespoons of flour. Mix the remaining flour with the cornstarch and baking powder in a very large bowl. Add the paprika, garlic powder, and salt and pepper to taste.
    .
  3. Whisk in the beer and the sparkling water to the flour mixture, whisking continually until you have a thick, smooth batter. Let it rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
    .
  4. Meanwhile, cut the potatoes into ½ inch by ½ inch sticks. Put them into a colander and rinse under cold running water.
    .
  5. Place the rinsed chips into a pot of cold water. Bring to a gentle boil and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes.
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  6. Drain carefully through a colander, then use paper towels to dry them more. Keep in the fridge covered with paper towels until needed.
    .
  7. Meanwhile, pat the fish dry with paper towels. Season lightly with a little sea salt.
    .
  8. Heat the oil to 350 F in a deep-fat fryer or large, deep pot. Cook the chips a few handfuls at a time for about 2 minutes. Do not brown them. Once the chips are slightly cooked, remove them from the oil and drain. Set aside.
    .
  9. Place the 2 tablespoons of reserved flour into a shallow dish. Toss each fish fillet in the flour and shake off any excess.
    .
  10. Dip into the batter, coating the entire fillet.
    .
  11. Carefully lower each fillet into the hot oil (make sure it’s still at 350 first). Fry for about 8 minutes, turning the fish a couple times, until the batter is crisp and golden.
    .
  12. Once cooked, remove the fillets from the hot oil and drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with salt.
    .
  13. Heat the oil to 400, add the chips back in, and cook until golden and crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove from the oil and drain. Season with salt.
    .
  14. Serve immediately with the hot fish.
Printable Version

From the Books

Fish and chips is mentioned explicitly only in To Treasure an Heiress, but many of my characters who live in or visit coastal regions would have enjoyed them!

Yesterday's Tides
The Nature of a Lady - Secrets of the Isles, Book 1
To Treasure an Heiress - Secrets of the Isles, Book 2
Worthy of Legend - Secrets of the Isles, Book 3
The Lost Heiress (Signed) - Ladies of the Manor, Book 1
A Name Unknown - Shadows Over England, Book 1

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Victoria Cake

Victoria Cake

by | Mar 10, 2023 | Dessert, Guideposts Recipes, Imposters Recipes, Recipes, Secrest from Grandma's Attic Recipes, Secrets of the Isles Recipes

Victoria Cake

A classic tea cake with whipped cream and berries.

Printable Version

Servings

12

Prep time:

20 min

Total Time:

1.5 hours plus chill

Good For:

Dessert, Tea

Inroduction

About this Recipe

When you write about Edwardian England as much as I do, you come across a lot of recipes for tea treats. Interestingly, it was for one of my Guideposts mystery novels that I discovered Victoria Cake and fell in love with the simplicity and scrumptious flavors. If there’s anything better than vanilla and berries and whipped cream, I haven’t found it.

Best of all, you can use ANY jam and fresh berries to make this cake! Strawberry is a classic, but raspberries or blackberries or blueberries would all work just as well. Get creative and try it with orange marmalade, lemon curd, or turn it into a vanilla black forest cake with cherry pie filling. The possibilities are endless! (And delicious.)

Ingredients

Instructions

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 ½ sticks butter at room temperature
  • 1 ¼ cups superfine sugar
  • 6 eggs, beaten
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • a pinch of salt
  • raspberry or strawberry jam for filling
  • heavy whipping cream for filling
  • confectioner’s sugar for the top of the cake
  • fresh berries for garnish, if desired

 

INSTRUCTIONS

TO MAKE THE CAKE:

 

  1. Preheat oven to 350. Line the bottoms of two 8” round pans with parchment paper. Grease and flour the pans and set aside.
    .
  2. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
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  3. Add about one third of the beaten eggs, and mix well at medium speed. Then add about a third of the sifted flour. Repeat this step. Add the rest of the eggs and mix well, then turn the mixer to low and add the final flour and mix until just combined.
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  4. Using a scale, divide the mixture evenly between the two pans and bake for about 35 minutes.
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  5. Once you can smell the cake and it looks done through the oven door, open the oven and carefully check with a toothpick inserted in the middle (cake falls easily, so only test when you’re confident it’s close!). When the cake is done, remove them from the oven and allow to cool completely.
    .
  6. To remove: place a cooling rack over the top of the cake and flip it over quickly. Remove the tin and the parchment paper and allow to cool completely before filling.

 

ASSEMBLY:

 

  1. Beat the cream until it’s thick enough to fill the cake and support the next layer.
    .
  2. Using a cake slicer, place the cake layers, flat side down on the counter and slice off the top to make them even. (Save or freeze the leftover cake to trifles or cake pops!)
    .
  3. Place one layer, cut side up, on a serving plate and spread a generous amount of the jam on top.
    .
  4. Next, spread the cream over the jam. Leave about an inch between the cream and the edge, as it will squish out.  Top with the second layer, cut side down.
    .
  5. Dust with confectioner’s sugar and chill for an hour or two. Top with fresh berries, if desired.
Printable Version

From the Books

Victoria Cake is served in A Royal Tea, and this same recipe is included in the back of the book. Gemma is also enjoying a slice in A Noble Scheme, book 2 in the Imposters series. And you can bet that Mrs. Dawe served it aplenty at tea time in the Secrets of the Isles books!

A Royal Tea - Secrets from Grandma's Attic #13
The Nature of a Lady - Secrets of the Isles, Book 1
To Treasure an Heiress - Secrets of the Isles, Book 2
Worthy of Legend - Secrets of the Isles, Book 3

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Baked Oatmeal

Baked Oatmeal

by | Mar 10, 2023 | Breakfast, Recipes, Yesterday's Tides Recipes

Baked Oatmeal

Fully customizable to suit your family’s tastes!

Printable Version

Servings

9

Prep time:

10 min

Total Time:

45 minutes

Good For:

Breakfast

Inroduction

About this Recipe

I love oatmeal…but sometimes the mushy texture of stovetop or microwave versions aren’t what I have in mind. I fell in love with baked oatmeal at a writers’ conference in Pennsylvania and tried for years to replicate the delicious dish.

I finally found a base recipe that turned out how I wanted in terms of texture, and from there I tweaked to suit my family’s tastes. We use Swerve Brown to cut down on our sugar intake without compromising on sweet or that rich brown sugar taste. Each family member can then customize to taste—my daughter will add maple syrup and milk, I’ll add sugar-free syrup and peanut butter and milk, my husband will do some fresh fruit. You can add those stir-ins into the recipe itself and bake them in, or make your additions right in your own bowl.

Ingredients

Instructions

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 ½ cups milk (dairy or plant-based)
  • 2 eggs, at room temperature
  • ½ cup sweetener—maple syrup, brown sugar, or Swerve Brown all work great
  • ¼ cup (half stick) butter, melted
  • 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 3 cups old-fashioned oats
  • 1 cup stir-ins like fresh berries, chopped nuts, or chocolate chips (optional)

 

For Banana Variation

  • 2 overripe bananas, mashed
  • Decrease to 1 cup milk (rather than 1 ½ cups)
  • Everything else as above

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Prepare. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8×8 baking dish or a 2-qt oblong dish.
    .
  2. Whisk (and mash, if relevant). If you’re doing the banana variation, mash up your bananas and then move to the whisking; if you’re doing plain or fresh fruit variations, go straight to whisking together milk, eggs, sweetener, butter, baking powder, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt.
    .
  3. Mix in the oats. If you’re using any stir-ins like berried, nuts, or chocolate chips, stir them in last.
    .
  4. Pour. Pour the oats mixture into your prepared baking dish and smooth the top.
    .
  5. Bake. For 30-40 minutes or until it’s set and no longer wet-looking.
    .
  6. Serve. Let cool for 5 minutes and then cut into squares. Serve with milk, syrup, honey, or whatever strikes your fancy. My family loves adding a bit of peanut butter and syrup to the base recipe and then pouring milk overtop!
Printable Version

From the Books

Breakfasts weren’t often mentioned in Yesterday’s Tides,
but this oatmeal would have been on the table at the inn, for sure!

Yesterday's Tides

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The Beloved Charter

The Beloved Charter

by | Mar 9, 2023 | Thoughtful Thursdays

I hope everyone has enjoyed the other Spiritual Formation exercises I’ve shared, courtesy of Laura Heagy and her insightful direction. The most recent exercise she’s shared with the Patrons & Peers group is called “Drafting a ‘Beloved Charter.'” She sent us a great adaptation from the book Discovering our Spiritual Identity by Trevor Hudson, and I shall further adapt it here for you guys. 😉

The Beloved Charter is a more detailed take on something I’ve heard people speaking of for years: take Scripture and make it speak directly to you by changing a few pronouns or inserting your name. Have you ever heard of that? For instance, take John 3:16 and rewrite it to say, “God so loved Roseanna/Karen/Jennifer that He gave His only begotten Son…” I’ve heard of other verses were we’re encouraged to do the same thing, to try to help us realize that God and His Word are personal. They’re meant for us. He loves us, and He speaks directly to us as He spoke to other people.

Well, let’s take it even further. Let’s pull together some of the verses about promises that really resonate with our spirits. And then let’s put them into our words, in a letter written directly to each of us, from God, based on God’s Word.

The point of this is to help us all to learn to see ourselves–and then each other–as God sees us. We are His beloved children. He loves us SO MUCH. But put the emphasis, for a moment, on yourself. He loves you. He speaks to you. You are going to resonate with things that I don’t, and I will resonate with things that don’t strike you at all. That’s part of the beauty of how He creates us. So different, and yet all bound by this common something that makes us human, that makes us Christian.

Would you like to do this exercise? If so, here’s how you do it. Read through the Scriptures in this PDF (I recommend printing it out if you can). Highlight whichever ones (or parts of ones) strike you especially.

Download PDF of Beloved Scriptures

Once you have your verses marked, pull out a piece of paper or a word processing doc or however you want to work. Date the page. And then start it like a letter, written from God to you.

Dear ___________,

Or even just your name.

Then start writing. Use the verses you marked as inspiration, but write them in words like YOU would use on a daily basis, written from the perspective of God to you. Use terms of endearment like you would if you were writing to your kids or best friend. Combine a few of the verses into one paragraph, or start a fresh paragraph for each one, whatever works best for you.

At the bottom, make note of which verses you pulled from.

Here’s mine, as an example:

Roseanna,

Come here, my daughter. Draw near to my throne. You have a right to be here as my child. Sit right there beside your brother, Jesus–He brought you here, raised you when He raised Himself from death.

I know sometimes you feel weak, but don’t worry. The weaker you feel, the stronger I Am. I can do my best work in you and through you when you have only weakness to boast of.

I am your Author. I have written every day of your life in my book. You know how your fictional character live in your heart and mind? How much more, my daughter, do you live in mine! Abide here with me, in our story. I will live it with you.

Search your heart for anything that would keep you from me. Confess it with your lips. I’ll forgive you, heal you, restore you. Then I will truly rejoice over you, always. I can pour out far more blessings than you can even imagine.

Heb 4:16; Eph 2:4-9; 2 Cor 12:9; Psa 139:16; John 15:4; I John 1:9; Zeph 3:17; Eph 3:20

Once you’ve written yours, take a few minutes each day and read over it, imagining that Jesus is there beside you. Then, as you go through your day, view the people around you in the same way–as beloved children of our Almighty Father. Pause to wonder what words He is speaking to them. Are they words that those people need you to speak aloud to them?

I found writing this to be a beautiful exercise…and then living it to be even more so. Nearly a week after I wrote it, I’d just gone through a situation that left me feeling so inadequate. I wanted to help my daughter with something (school related), and I just didn’t know how. I felt like a failure. I felt like I wasn’t able to give what she needed.

Then I sat down with my charter again for the first time, and I read that paragraph about weakness, and tears flooded my eyes.

I felt so weak. But He is so strong.
I love my daughter. He loves her more.
I want the best for her. He died for her.

I can entrust my daughter to my Father. More, I can trust that He’ll make me the mom she needs. He will equip me to give, and He’ll equip her to walk the path He has prepared for her.

What promises is God speaking to your heart today?

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