Looking Out the Window: Sandra Ardoin Talks about A Reluctant Melody, Shares a Recipe Great for Super Bowl Watching

A Warm Welcome to Sandra Ardoin

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Sandra shares her favorite Bible verses and a favorite recipe.





She says, "I have two favorite verses (technically, three). Together, they remind me of the power, compassion, and mercy of God."

The first is Jeremiah 29:11. “For I know the thoughts I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” (KJV)

Also, Isaiah 55:8-9: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. (KJV)

A Favorite Recipe:

My mom used to make this regularly. In fact, she made it for my wedding reception twenty-eight years ago. I can’t say where she got the recipe, but when I was young, we lived near Chicago where Italian Beef sandwiches are Mmmm! I suspect she mostly made it up. This isn’t true Chicago-style Italian Beef, but it’s good!

Italian Beef

4 or 5 pound rump or sirloin tip roast
1 tsp. each of oregano, garlic powder, parsley flakes
½ cup of cooking sherry
2 bell peppers and 2 large onions—slivered, not chopped
Salt and pepper to taste (My mom did most of her seasoning by taste.)
Beef bouillon

Place the roast in a baking pan and sprinkle it with oregano, parsley, garlic powder, salt, and pepper, then add the cooking sherry. The meat is baked at 350 degrees for about an hour and a half. Add the peppers and onion around the sides of the roast halfway through the baking time. Mix the beef bouillon with enough water to cover the onions and peppers and pour it over the roast. Baste occasionally until done.

The keys to this recipe are the thinly sliced beef (Mom would take it back to the store where she bought the meat and have them slice it), the broth, and the bread. You want the broth to soak into the bread aus ju style, so use a softly-textured, sub-type roll and spoon the broth onto the sandwich. After slicing the meat, put it back into the broth to heat through. This is one of those “the longer it sits, the better it is” recipes.

Thank you for sharing! That sounds absolutely delicious, and what a treat it would make for Super Bowl watching!

About A Reluctant Melody:

Kit Barnes’ alcoholism ruined more lives than his own. Now sober, he wants to make amends by opening a mission for drunkards. But the most suitable location belongs to Joanna Cranston Stewart, a love from his sordid past.

Friends of her late husband blame Joanna for his death. Although eager to flee from the rumors, she will let the walls of her rundown property crumble around her before she allows Kit back into her life.

When a blackmailer threatens to reveal Joanna’s long-held secret, will she risk losing everything she owns to Kit … including her heart?

Purchase A Reluctant Melody on Amazon

Bio:
Sandra Ardoin writes inspirational historical romance. She’s the author of The Yuletide Angel and A Reluctant Melody. A wife and mom, she’s also a reader, football fan, NASCAR watcher, garden planter, country music listener, antique store prowler. Visit her at www.sandraardoin.com and on the Seriously Write blog. Connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, GoodReads, and Pinterest. Join her email community to receive occasional updates and a free short story.