Looking out the Window: Gay N. Lewis Tells Us about Her Latest Book, Kade's Worth, a Page-Turning Suspense. She Shares Her Favorite Bible Verse, Memories of Her Mom and a Yummy Recipe. Giveaway.

 

A Warm Welcome to Gay N. Lewis

Gay will give away a print copy of Kade's Worth to a U.S. citizen. To enter to win leave a recipe below.

Thanks, Gail. I’m excited to appear on your blog, “Peering Through Life’s Window.” I love the title. People give us distinct perspectives and viewpoints, and it is a joy to discover something I didn’t know.
Thank you, Gay.
 I’m peering through the window of the past these days. I’ve been thinking about my mother.
You asked me to share some of my favorite memories, so I’m going to tell you about my mom.
My mom left Earth for heaven in 1991, but I miss her, especially when I’m in the kitchen. She was the best cook, and unfortunately, I didn’t inherit her talents. I’ll be whipping up a meal and think, “I wish Mother could tell me how to do this.” 
I'm sorry for your loss.

About Gay's Mom, Jeanette Morton

Mother was born in Alabama and came from a long line of terrific, southern cooks. Southerners are known for hospitality, and my mom was exceptional at it. She always had baked goods to offer and a pot of coffee sitting on the stove. She loved having unexpected visitors.

 I wish I had the recipe for her Devil’s Food Cake. When it came time to frost the three layers, she would ask, “Do you want fudge icing or Seven Minute White?” I liked both and found it difficult to decide. My mouth waters as I think about that cake.

Her reputation for praline candy and banana pudding had neighbors stopping by with the hope she had one of these treats on hand. My hubby and I drove to her house one night when I was pregnant. Even with a sick tummy, I gorged on praline candy.

The meal I miss the most is her Chicken and Dumplings. They were my favorite. My husband loved her smothered steak. I’ve never made the dumplings or steak. I have her handwritten recipe for chicken and dumplings, and I’m including it. This recipe is probably more than one hundred years old. My mom’s mom brought it with her to Texas from Alabama. My mom was about twelve years old at the time. Her thirteen-year-old brother drove his four siblings, along with their mother, to Texas. After my grandfather escaped from jail, he hopped on a freight train and arrived in Fort Worth months later. I may write their story one of these days. It’s a doozy.

Here’s an interesting thought. My grandmother was also phenomenal in the kitchen, but my mom could make the same recipes taste better. Why is that, anyway?

I think it is a gift. Some chefs are skilled with golden spoons as they whisk up a meal, and every dish comes out delicious and artfully displayed. My mom knew the art of food, and she made it look like it should be photographed for a book.

My attempts do not compare. I’ve set the smoke alarm off many times, and now the neighbors ignore it. I open the kitchen door and wave the smoke out with a dish towel. If I invite guests to dinner, we take them to a local restaurant.

God gives each of us talents. My gift isn’t kitchen related.

My mom wrote the following recipe for me, and after you read it, you will see why I don’t make it. It is time-consuming and too complicated for me.

Chicken and Dumplings

Ingredients

4 lb. whole chicken

Shortening

2 cups of all-purpose Flour

Salt

Pepper,

5 or 6 Chicken bouillon cubes (depends on size of chicken)

 Fill large pot with water. Add a little salt and chicken to pot. Simmer on low heat for approximately one hour and fifteen minutes. When chicken is done, remove it from the broth, set it aside to cool. When cool, remove skin from chicken and debone it.

While chicken cooks, prepare dumplings. Sift flour into large bowl. Add 1 and ½ heaping tablespoons shortening into flour. Blend the two ingredients with a pastry blender. Add Approx 1 teaspoon salt and blend again. Add cold water slowly (a little at a time) until it is of a pie dough consistency. You don’t want dough to be sticky. If it is, add more flour to dough. Spread dough on a floured area. Sprinkle more flour on top of dough. Roll out the dough, making sure it doesn’t stick. Roll to the thickness of a pie shell. Add more flour if needed. This helps thicken broth. Cut dough into 1 inch strips. Keep excess flour on the strip. Break strips into 2 inches long. Drop into broth, stirring as pieces are added. (This thickens broth) Salt and pepper to taste. Simmer on low heat for approx. 45 minutes. Note: If broth is too thick, add water, if too thin, add flour to broth.

If you make this recipe, let me know how it turns out.

Gay's Favorite Scripture

My favorite Scripture is a familiar one. Philippians 4:13. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

Jesus gets me through tough times, such as the recent death of our daughter, but on a humorous note, He seems to ignore my cooking!

About Kade's Worth

She surrendered her son. Now she wants revenge on his father.

 Natural beauty Kade, a nonbeliever in God, read at the age of two and designed computer programs at the age of four. But her intelligence doesn’t save her from a sexual assault at the age of thirteen, ending in pregnancy. Though she loves her baby, she must give him up.

Seven years later, she meets and marries Toby, keeping her baby a secret. After Toby dies in a car crash, Kade’s self-worth vanishes again. She can’t bring her baby or Toby back, but she can find the two men who assaulted her and vows to kill them.

She moves back to the Denver area, where her parents live, and the attack of her youth occurred. She hides her shame, her looks, and her intellect by day and surfs the dark web at night.

Then Kade meets David Worth, a Christian therapist and radio host. He attempts to convince her she is valuable and worthy. The rape and Toby’s death are not her fault.

Can he succeed, or will Kade become a killer?

Kade’s Worth is an edgy, provocative Christian book filled with suspense, trauma, and a touch of romance.

Buy on Amazon

BIO: Gay N. Lewis is a Texas best-selling author, and she writes under the names Gay N. Lewis and G. N. Lewis. Most of her books are about a dyslexic angel, and they are laugh-out-loud funny. Gay has also written two historical, women’s fiction novels. Visit her blog here at here Gay’s daughter suffered from early-onset dementia, and she writes a blog about their journey. Visit here. Dementia Day by Day You’ll find Gay N. Lewis novels on Amazon and other online booksellers. http://amzn.to/2hwc6nB  A link to G.N. Lewis. https://amzn.to/3G3ZdZm

Visit Gay's Amazon author page here.