Review of A Reckless Courtship: A Chronicle of Misadventures by Martha Keyes

I must admit, I was rather sad when I finished reading the third book in the series, "A Chronicle of Misadventures".  I thoroughly enjoyed all of the misadventures of the brothers.  I felt a bit lost and wondered what could I possibly read next that would even come close to this series.  Suffice it to say, even though I am always reading a book, they are not all as captivating as this series.

We met the Yorke brothers in the first book, "Reputation at Risk".  An underlying concern for the family in all of the books, is Silas Yorke's situation.  He has been accused of murder and subsequently left England to hide out in France.  His time in France was quite difficult.  He had to find a way to survive in a foreign country without any friends or family, plus he suffered illness. Unfortunately, most of his family believed he must be guilty since an esteemed member of Parliament claims to have witnessed the murder.  It takes time for the family to conclude that Silas was falsely accused.  

We follow Silas's plight through each book.  We can almost feel his desperation to prove his innocence and return to his normal life, home and family.  When he sneaks back to England in the second book and hides in his brother, William's guest house, we come to adore this impetuous and somewhat mischievous character. 

Book 3 is all about Silas and his misadventures incognito in London. 

 

Synopsis of A Reckless Courtship

 A Reckless Courtship: A Regency Romance (A Chronicle of Misadventures Book 3)Check PriceSilas Yorke is determined to find someone who will help him prove his innocence.  His accuser, Lord Drayton, would rather see him hanged or stay excelled in France, than to see him free.  

Silas has been told that Sir Walter Bence has fallen out with Lord Drayton over a failed joint business venture.  Silas assumed a false name and returned to London with his youngest brother, Frederick, who plans to introduce him to Bence in the hopes that they can join together against Drayton.  

As luck would have it, there is a masquerade in Vauxhall Gardens.  The brothers believe Silas can go into the crowd and not be recognized by anyone, especially since he will be wearing a domino (a long hooded cloak with a mask).  It would be the perfect opportunity for Frederick to innocently chance upon Sir Bence and introduce him to Silas.  Plus, they have two friends that will also be attending the party, so Silas should be able to blend in without a problem.  One of the friends is even meeting his aunt, cousin and her friend there.  The group should give Silas plenty of cover.  

When the group gets separated momentarily, Silas is late for the introductions to the women, but that matters not.  He is there for only one reason.  However, when one of the young women gets her costume caught in a bush and inadvertently left behind, Silas steps forward to help her.  She is rightfully leery of any stranger and insists she can manage for herself.  She does manage to get untangled and Silas simply says, "when I see Fairchild, I shall inform him his cousin is safe" which informs her that she really would have been safe to accept his aid, but he has already disappeared.  Now, Arabella realizes she must find her group which had moved on ahead.  When she is approached by two inebriated men, she is quite frightened and runs, headlong into Silas's arms.  She smacks his arm and states "what sort of gentleman leaves his wife in a maze such as this?"  Silas willingly plays along, the men apologize and take off in the opposite direction.

 

________________

And, that is how A Reckless Courtship begins, but their odd meeting is not the only thing reckless about Silas continuing to pursue Arabella!     

  

 

Reputation at Risk: a Regency Romance (A Chronicle of Misadventures Book 1)

Secrets of a Duke: A Regency Romance (A Chronicle of Misadventures Book 2)

A Reckless Courtship: A Regency Romance (A Chronicle of Misadventures Book 3)

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Review of Secrets of a Duke: A Chronicle of Misadventures by Martha Keyes

Last week, I published my review of the first book in the Chronicle of Misadventures series by Martha Keyes.  This week, I will be reviewing the second book in the series, "Secrets of a Duke" which is based on a true story.  

I must admit, if the author had not shared that the book is based on a true story, I would have thought the plot far-fetched. Knowing that it actually happened, makes me like the character, William Yorke, even more. 

We meet William Yorke in the first book.  He is the oldest brother of 4 and has already inherited his father's estate and holdings.  The novels are set in England during the 1800's where the first born son inherits everything instead of dividing property and assets between siblings.  That way, the family name maintains the wealth, a higher status in society and the original estate is not subdivided or transferred outside of the patriarch's ancestral bloodline.  If a man only has daughters, his property is entailed to the closest male heir, which could easily be a distant relative he may not even know personally.  Ideally, a Duke would raise his son to follow in his footsteps, teach him how to run the estate, prepare his son to succeed him in parliament, and choose an equally trained wife.

An entailment to a distant male relative is the basis of the plot of this book.  The Duke of Rockwood knew the Yorke family, but was not fond of them.  Therefore, the two families did not interact with each other, which left William unprepared to be the Duke's successor.

 

Secrets of a Duke Book Synopsis

 Secrets of a Duke (A Chronicle of Misadventures Book 2)Check Price

At the end of the first book, "Reputation at Risk", we find out that William Yorke has unexpectedly become the Duke of Rockwood. No one could have anticipated that the previous duke and his sons would all die together in a tragic accident. Therefore, William is far from prepared to step into the dukedom and assume the Duke's responsibilities.  William hires a friend from his Oxford days to advise him and serve as his man of business.  Since their time at Oxford, Edmund had become a barrister (lawyer) and worked as the steward to an earl.  As a trusted friend, he was the perfect man to help William navigate the world of the titled nobility.  William did not wish to dishonor his family by making avoidable missteps.  There would be many watching and waiting for the opportunity to criticize his actions.

After attending the funeral and completing additional business, William and Edmund embark on their journey from London to his newly inherited estate.  When they stop at an inn for the night, William is surprised to see a woman serving as the ostler and holding the horses while they step out of the carriage.  He is even more surprised when that same woman knocks on his room door a bit later.  He had not realized he had dropped his signet ring in the entry of the inn.  Thankfully, she found it and returned it to him.  He was amazed by her integrity, but when she spoke, he was even more astonished by her refined manner of speech.  

The next day he observes that same maid being pulled to the market square.  Her cheek was cut, her hands were tied and a horse's halter was around her neck.  William was aghast!  When he asked a passing boy what was happening, he was informed that the men were selling her.  He simply could not stand by and let her be sold like livestock to the highest bidder in the crowd, but that was exactly what was going to happen.  Even though Edmund advised him against it, William determined to be the highest bidder.  He would buy her freedom.

Clara couldn't believe what was happening.  The embarrassment of being sold, plus having the Duke observe the auction, was shameful.  She had no idea how to respond when he actually bought her.  She was panic stricken when she realized he planned to simply leave her there and requested a job on his estate.  

Once again, against Edmund's advice, William decided to help her and hire her as a housemaid.

 

_____________

 

That is only the beginning of how William Yorke, the Duke of Rockwood, and a lowly housemaid became friends, confidants, and allies in working toward another loved ones freedom.

 

 

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Review of Reputation at Risk: A Chronicle of Misadventures by Martha Keyes

For sometime now, I have considered Martha Keyes one of my favorite authors.  She always delivers a sweet and clean romance with witty repartee between the characters.  Her "Chronicle of Misadventures" series is no exception and kept me so entertained that I couldn't put the books down to sleep.  Plus, I immediately downloaded the next book as soon as I finished each one.

"Reputation at Risk" is the perfect place to start.  There are 3 brothers in the series who each meet their future wives, but none of the relationships are a guaranteed success in the beginning.  All of the plots are fabulous and unique.  

As in all great Regency Romance novels, the setting is England, in the early 1800's where families, titles, age, etc. mattered.  A woman's value is determined by the prominent man in her life; first her father, then her husband.  Her personal accomplishments are not a consideration, unless they are related to her value as a bride or wife.   

 

Reputation at Risk Book Synopsis

 Reputation at Risk: A Chronicle of Misadventures Book 1Check Price

Charlotte Mandeville is not trying to "hook" a husband like most young women of the 1800's in England.  She is simply trying to save money to provide for her mother, her sisters and herself since her father recently died.  The women are all awaiting the heir of their home and their inevitable need to find somewhere else to live.  Charlotte wants to be financially prepared.  In the meantime, Charlotte secretly draws caricatures of members of the "ton".  Her artwork is purchased by the owner of the inn in town and he displays it in his front window.  The innkeeper happily pays Charlotte for each of the popular one-of-a-kind caricatures.  The new, weekly caricatures draw quite a bit of attention and business to his inn and tavern.  The more scandalous actions depicted in the caricature, the more attention they draw as people speculate about the subject, as well as the artist's identity.  Clearly, the artist knows their subjects well.  However, no one would suspect Charlotte Mandeville is the artist.  The source of the gossip varies since it is based on overheard conversations within the inn.  One of the waitresses, Mary, shares the stories with Charlotte, then Charlotte draws the caricature and delivers it to the innkeeper or waitress when no one is looking.  

While waiting on one particularly busy day in the inn, Charlotte finds a small book hidden under a table and sticks it in her purse hoping for a fresh bit of gossip and replaces it with the new caricature for Mary to retrieve later.  When Anthony Yorke finds a caricature in place of the book he sought under the table, he recalls seeing Charlotte with her hands under that very table when he arrived at the inn.  Had she taken the book?  Anthony needs that diary to save his brother from being hung for a murder he did not commit.  He absolutely has to find that diary, which means he has to find that woman!  Once he obtains her name and address, he leaves the inn intending to first meet with his informant, and then with Miss. Mandeville if she, in fact, has taken the diary.

That is when life for Charlotte becomes a lot more interesting.  She, herself, could become the subject of gossip if not extremely careful.

Anthony Yorke finds himself entangled with Charlotte Mandeville and caught in an unexpected predicament just trying to protect his brother.

 

___________________

 

The drama that follows the diary discovery is quite entertaining for the reader, especially the hopeless romantic who loves a touch of mystery and intrigue.

The things I love most about Martha Keyes' books are the witty banter between her characters and the unusual dilemmas they seem to get themselves into.  Meeting secretively with a man, regardless of the reasons why, is certainly putting a reputation at risk.

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Easter Treats for Cats Reviewed

This year I included my grandkitty in a family tradition and sent her an Easter treat.  I'm not sure why I have not done so in the past since I have adored all of my grandkitties.  Of course, I have sent them Christmas gifts each year, but just didn't think about the Easter treat.

Every year I buy a chocolate Easter bunny for our children as their special treat for Easter.  They are both grown adults now, but I still buy them a chocolate Easter bunny.  When my daughter got married, I started including our son-in-law in that tradition.  Even now that they are vegans, I sought out a vegan chocolate bunny (which they love) for them and shipped it directly to their home for delivery.

I wanted to send my grandkitty a chocolate bunny kitty treat, but could not find one, so I settled for a bunny carrot filled with cap nip.  I guess we can just say the carrot is a related or corresponding gift to the chocolate bunnies.  

I've already decided what I will send my grandkitty next year, now that the Peeps catnip toys have been daughter approved.  I can hardly wait!  I like the looks of Peeps cat nip toys better than the carrot, but I am quite sure my grandkitty will love fighting and "kicking" the carrot.  

Update:  While writing this article, I thought "why wait?" so I promptly ordered the Peeps catnip toys for my grandkitty!  They will arrive after Easter, but she won't mind.

 

Catnip Filled Carrot Cat Toy

 OurPets 100-Percent North American Catnip Filled Carrot Cat Toy 24 KaratCheck Price

Reduce your kitties boredom or stress by giving them a cat toy to play with. The carrot is filled with catnip which will entice the kitty to play with it. 

I chose the carrot cat toy because of the excellent reviews, as well as the awesome videos showing cats really enjoying their playtime with this specific cat toy.  Since it is only 4½ inches long, without the feathers, I was concerned it might not be long enough.  However, after watching several cats grasp the top in the mouth and kick the carrot with their hind paws, I knew it would be perfect.

Hopefully, the canvas fabric will make it more durable and hold up longer to the kitty chewing.  After having grandkitties for 17 years now, I know how important durable fabric is around them.

Now, let's all go play "kick the carrot"!

  

Catnip Filled Peeps Bunnies for Cats

 Peeps for Pets Peeps Bunnies Plush Catnip Cat Toys in Pink and Blue, 4" - 2 countCheck Price

Aren't these Peeps catnip toys just the cutest cat toys you have ever seen? And, the perfect Easter treat for my grandkitty, and your kitty too!  

There are 2 Peep catnip toys in the package.  

Like the carrot, they are only 4" long, but they also received excellent reviews, although one reviewer said she opened the stitching on the toy, added more catnip and stitched it back up for her cat.  That sounds like a great way to make an adorable cat toy more enticing for play.

These Peeps for Pets are officially licensed by Peeps and even have the Peeps trademark tag. 

   

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Love in Store Hallmark Movie Review

"Love in Store" starring Alexandra Breckenridge and Robert Buckley, is a feel-good movie for the forever hopeless romantic.  Of course, it is predictable, but sometimes predictability is what you desire.  No mystery solving "little grey cells" required.  No fear of a horrifying moment that will make your heart jump or your skin crawl.   Just a sweet romantic movie full of witty banter you can sit back, watch and enjoy.

The plot of the movie is based on an online shopping store reminiscent of The Home Shopping Network.  HSN preceded Amazon.com and other online stores by a decade.  You could, and still can, watch the entertaining hosts of HSN demonstrate products on TV and select the fabulous products you want from the comfort of your own home.  Most likely, we all know someone who had boxes filled with their purchases arriving at their home weekly long before daily deliveries became commonplace.  

In retrospect, it is rather funny to think back to those original "influencers" who seemed more like friends visiting us through our television.  As a matter of fact, we actually had one family member who chatted about the hosts by name in conversations as if we all knew them personally.  She completely trusted them to give her the best product recommendations.

 

Love in Store Movie Synopsis

 Love in Store
DVD or Prime VideoCheck PriceTerrie Carpenter and David Crabtree are hosts on the "Shopping from Home" channel.  They each have their own separate segments, hosting style, and regular "shoppers". 

When the top selling host, Sharyn St. Clair, announces her retirement, the competition begins between Terrie and David to replace her in her prime-time spot.  Their rivalry is obvious as they openly trade barbs with each other.

Then, the unthinkable happens: they get thrown together to co-host a program when Terrie's regular co-host has to take unexpected leave.  Turns out, their witty exchanges are popular with the audience, which causes both of their ratings, viewership, and sales to go up.

There is "love in store" for these two, as sparks fly in more than one way between Terrie and David.  They both end up asking each other David's online catch phrase, "What is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?"

 

 

 

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Cooking Hamburgers on an Indoor Grill

During the winter months, it is much too cold to cook outside.  In early spring, we get a lot of rain, which also keeps us from cooking outdoors.  In this review, I will share how our family still enjoys delicious home-cooked grilled hamburgers which we cook indoors.  It is surprisingly easy!

Several years ago, we purchased our first Cuisinart Griddler.  Today, it is used as often as our stove-top or oven.  For me, I prefer meat cooked on the Griddler because it eliminates the charcoal flavor.  For those of you who really love the charcoal taste, you may want to sprinkle charcoal seasoning on your meat before you cook it.  

Because meat splatters when cooking, I put towels down under our Griddler.  That simply makes cleanup easier.  I purchased two towels specifically for that purpose and I only use them under the Griddler.

 

How to Make & Cook the Hamburgers for Indoor Grilling

 Cuisinart Panini Press, Stainless Steel Griddler, Sandwich Maker & More, 5-IN-1, GR-4NP1Check Price My husband uses 2 lbs of ground beef which he divides into 6 patties and lays out on a sheet of parchment paper, wax paper or aluminum foil.  We season one side of each patty with salt and pepper before cooking.

He cooks 2 hamburgers at a time for 4 minutes or 1 hamburger for 3½ minutes. It is not necessary to turn them because the Griddler cooks on both sides at once.

We immediately place the cooked burger on a bun, add cheese if desired, and wrap in aluminum foil. Then, I place them in the oven (preheated to 175°) to keep the warm until all of the burgers are cooked.  Placing them in the oven also makes the cheese melt completely between the burger and the bun.

After all of the burgers are cooked, we take our first servings out of the oven, garnish them and eat our delicious indoor grilled hamburgers! 

 

Cleaning the Griddler

I rinse each Griddler plate in hot water in my sink and put the plates in my dishwasher.  Since there are replacement Griddler plates sold separately, I don't worry about the washing them in the dishwasher.  I would prefer they be completely sanitized.

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The Griddler plates are double sided.  If you flip the plates over with the smooth sides up, and lay the Griddler open flat, you have a griddle which is awesome for making breakfast!  I frequently make pancakes and eggs on the flat griddle side.

Cuisinart Panini Press, Stainless Steel Griddler, Sandwich Maker & More, 5-IN-1, GR-4NP1

Griddler Plates Replacement for Cuisinart GR-4NP1 5-in-1 Grill & Panini Press - Griddle Accessories, BPA Free, 2Pcs

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Cooking Hamburgers on an Indoor Grill Written by:

© 2024 Cynthia Sylvestermouse
 

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Cordless Daylight Smart Go Portable Lamp Reviewed

My husband gave me the Smart Go Travel Lamp for my birthday this past year so I would have direct light to work on my crafts wherever I wish to sit in our home.  

The dining room table or the kitchen counter are both examples of places that only offer overhead lighting.  They are areas that give me plenty of room to spread my work out in front of me, but don't have direct light on a specific area.  I frequently bring in a desk lamp, but they must be plugged in and that can be distance limiting.  At the dining room table, the cord has to stretch across the walk-through path and could easily trip someone walking by or pull the lamp off the table.

The Daylight Smart Go Travel Lamp is cordless.  It is powered by a rechargeable battery that lasts over 6 hours on the highest setting.  Thus far, that has been longer than I will sit and work constantly on any project.  On the lowest lighting setting, it will last for 30 hours without recharging.  However, I doubt I would ever use it on that lowest setting.  After all, my objective is to add a lot of light to a specific work area.

 

Features of the Daylight Smart Go Travel Lamp  

There are several features of the Smart Go Travel Lamp that would make me recommend it.  While it was given to me to use while crafting, it was the lamp I grabbed when I set down this year to work on income taxes.  The light it provided for reading and writing was fabulous!  It is actually more directed light than a desk lamp offers and was definitely an improvement over standard room lighting.

•  Daylight Smart Go Travel LampCheck Price Tubular Bulb for Direct Lighting
•  Raise Top to Open/Fold Down Closure 
  
• Cordless
• Rechargeable Battery (USB cable included)
• 3 Light Intensity Levels
• Touch Switch
  
• Fold Closure for Easy Storage or Carry
  
• Lightweight & Portable
• Sleek Design 
• Requires Little Desktop Space (base is approx. 3" x 2")

I must tell you, this is probably the best crafting gift I have ever received.  Excellent lighting is so important for stitching, bead work, reading a pattern, precision cutting, and so much more.  I am not an artist, but I can certainly see how having this directed light on your work would be magnificent.  

Good direct lighting for the simple daily tasks of paperwork, paying bills, and accounting is essential.  This is the best desk lamp I have ever owned, but you must remember to recharge it since it is cordless.

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Copycat Pronto Pup or Corn Dog Maker at Home Reviewed

We love going to the fair!  One of the biggest reasons we love the fair, is the food, especially Pronto Pups.  The first stop we make when we enter the fairgrounds, is the Pronto Pup food truck.  If we attend a festival or specialty show and see the Pronto Pup food truck, we make a beeline to it immediately.  Forget the show, we need a Pronto Pup!

We didn't get to go to the fair this past fall and we felt a tremendous loss by not getting our annual Pronto Pup.  Well, okay, calling it a "tremendous loss" might be exaggerating a bit, but having a 40+ year tradition interrupted, does leave one feeling unsettled.  We simply needed a Pronto Pup to center our universe back on its axis.  And, horror of all horrors, we had not attended any shows or festivals in months.  We were, most definitely, feeling deprived.

When shopping for Christmas gifts this year, I spotted a corn dog maker on Amazon.  I added it to my wishlist so I could think about it.  I did not believe there was any way a homemade Pronto Pup could live up to the taste of the fair delicacy.  I honestly believed they must be deep fried to have the right texture and flavor.  I feared a Pronto Pup made in an electric gadget at home would be a great disappointment.  However, after my husband said he wished he had a Pronto Pup for the trillionth time since fall, I was determined to find one for him.  With no upcoming local events that would offer a Pronto Pup, I became more desperate and decided to try the electric corn dog maker.

Yowsers, I'm glad I did!  The half-sized Pronto Pups made in the electric corn dog maker were delicious.  Almost as good as going to the fair, although I haven't figured out how to get the Ferris Wheel here for the full fair experience. 

MasterChef Corn Dog Maker - Electric Nonstick Baker

 MasterChef Corn Dog Maker-Electric Nonstick Kitchen Baker, Hot Dogs on Stick, Cheese Mozzarella Sticks, Cake Pops, BBQ -Recipes +50 SkewersCheck PriceThe corn dog maker is distributed under several brand names.  I opted for the MasterChef brand because it had the best reviews and came with 50 skewers.  Including the skewers with the baker, allowed me to get started immediately.  

I was not thrilled with the recipe included with the maker because it called for pancake mix.  I thought pancake mix would make the batter too sweet for the authentic Pronto Pup taste I wanted to recreate.  I sought out a Pronto Pup copycat batter recipe and it sounded perfect as I read through the ingredients.  Since this was our first test, I decided to make a batter recipe of both types, the one that came with the maker and the copycat recipe.  After my family had tried both, the copycat recipe was unanimously chosen as the best.  However, to be fair, the pancake mix recipe tasted good, even though it was sweeter, and required less ingredients to make, but it was much thinner than the copycat batter.  We all preferred the thicker coating on the hot dogs.

It is very easy to make the Pronto Pups.  

1. Make the batter recipe
2. Preheat the maker - wait for the green light to come on & indicate that the maker is ready
3. Spray the trays with a non-stick spray  (I wipe off excess spray before adding food.  It just needs a light coating)
   
4. Simply cut the hot dogs in half
5. Insert a skewer into each half 
   
6. Dip the hot dogs into the batter, covering them fully
7. Lay the battered hot dogs on the maker plate with the sticks aligned in the depressions on the side 
8. Spoon a small amount of batter on the top of each hot dog
9. Close the maker lid and cook for 3 minutes
10. Open the lid, turn the hot dogs and cook for 3 more minutes
11. Remove your cooked Pronto Pups/corn dogs and serve  

 

Pronto Pup Batter Copycat Recipe

I am including the recipe here for the copycat Pronto Pup batter so you don't have to go on a separate search.  Since there are several recipes online, I thought it best to share the one that we used.  I wouldn't want any Pronto Pup lovers to be disappointed.

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ⅔ cup cornmeal (white or yellow)
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  
• ½ teaspoon dry mustard
• 2 Tablespoons shortening
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 cup milk

 

Instructions 

1. Combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, salt and dry mustard.  Mix well. 
2. Add the shortening and cut it into the mixture using fork until the mixture becomes a fine crumble. 
3. In a separate bowl, mix egg and milk together. Pour this mixture into the flour mixture.  Stir until smooth (batter will be thick).

 

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Pork Chops with Gravy Crock-Pot Recipe

I love cooking in my crock pot.  It is so nice to be able to start a meal in the morning and have it ready to serve at dinnertime without too much additional fuss.  I am constantly seeking new crock pot recipes that my family will enjoy.  

Not all of my new recipe experiments have been well received in our home.  Due to varying ingredient preferences, it is not unusual for one of us to like a particular meal while others simply do not care for it and start rutting in the refrigerator for last night's leftovers.  When I plan to try a new recipe, I make sure there is an alternative meal available.  I've learned that is a necessity.  

Due to my own childhood experiences with tomatoes, I've never required my children, or anyone, to eat a meal that did not appeal to them, simply because it was set before them.  Of course, I cook with tomatoes, but my personal preference is either tomato sauce or petite diced tomatoes.  I cannot eat a tomato alone or sliced on a hamburger like my parents, siblings & husband.  Therefore, I completely understand when someone doesn't like a specific ingredient or presentation.

A few years ago, my mother started cooking pork chops in her crock pot.  I have cooked pork loin in my crock pot for decades, but not the chops and I hesitated to try the pork chops in gravy.  However, Mom was kind enough to share one of her cooked pork chops with me and I loved them.  They are awesome!    

She gave me her recipe and with a few very simple changes based on my household preferences, I now cook pork chops in gravy for my family.  Everyone, except our vegans, love these chops.

 

Crock Pot Recipe for Pork Chops with Gravy

• 5 Pork Chops  (any size – I use the breakfast chops)
• 1 Campbell's Cream of Chicken Soup 
• 1 pkg of Pork Gravy Mix   (I use Pioneer Roasted Pork Gravy Mix)
• ½ Cup Water or Chicken Broth 
• ½ teaspoon Pepper 
• Butter 

Note: Can add a pkg of onion dip mix if desired (I don’t use this)

 

Directions

Mix together the soup, gravy mix, water and pepper. Pour into the crock pot. 

Layer the pork chops on top of the mixture. 

Lightly pepper and add a pat of butter on each pork chop. 

Cook for 7 ½ hours on low. 

Finishing sauce thickener after chops are cooked:  In a cup, stir together 2 Tablespoons Corn Starch & 2 Tablespoons Water to make a sauce thickener.  Temporarily remove pork chops and stir mixture into sauce in the crock pot.  Add the chops back to the crock pot and cook chops in the sauce for another 30 minutes. 

During that additional 30 of cooking in the crockpot, I prepare a box of Uncle Ben's Wild Rice and serve the cooked pork chops over the wild rice.

 

My Crock-Pot

I own two crock-pots.  My original crock pot is over 40 years old, but it still works like new.  However, during the holidays, I found I needed a second crock-pot to carry meals to my parent's home when my siblings and their families are in town.  I chose one that has latches on the top for easy transporting.

Crock-Pot 6-Quart Cook & Carry Oval Manual Portable Slow Cooker, Red - SCCPVL600-R

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Pork Chops with Gravy Crock Pot Recipe Written by:

© 2024 Cynthia Sylvestermouse
 

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Invitation to a Murder (2023) Movie Review

My husband and I are constantly searching for a movie we can watch together and both enjoy.  When we happened upon "Invitation to a Murder" (released as "An Invitation to Murder" in the UK), we immediately settled in for a great new whodunit movie that is similar to our beloved Hercule Poirot or Sherlock Holmes series.  It is based on a story written by Gérard Miller and the screenplay was written by Brian O'Donnell.  

The 1930's London setting is reminiscent of a Poirot story.  A gathering of strangers in a remote mansion where one is killed and another is the killer also seems familiar.

The amateur sleuth in the movie, Miranda Green, is not as renowned as Poirot or Sherlock.  Even though she does not possess their same level of experience or well-developed abilities, she still exhibits keen observation skills and her deductive reasoning is rather impressive. 

The similarities are obvious, but the plot of "Invitation to a Murder" is quite unique with it's own surprises.  The murder victim is as astonishing as the killer's identity.

With the promise of two more movies to be released in 2025, this new amateur sleuth seems set to become another admired detective in a great movie series that will be compelling to follow. 

 

Invitation to a Murder Synopsis

 Invitation To A Murder -
Available on DVD, Blu-ray or Rental on Amazon PrimeCheck Price

When Miranda Green receives an invitation to Abbott Island for an audience with Mr. Lewis Findley for the weekend, she doesn't quite know what to expect, but she is quite intrigued.  After doing a bit of research on Lewis Findley, she can't resist the "adventure" or the mystery behind the invitation.  Using the ticket she received with the invitation, she boards the train and quickly discovers she is not the only invited guest.  There are 5 other invitees from widely varying backgrounds.  It would seem, none have ever met Mr. Findley.  Miranda immediately starts sharing her observations and trying to figure out what she believes are obvious inconsistencies.  As they say, the plot thickens!

After taking the ferry to the island, the guests arrive at Findley's mansion where they are greeted by a few servants, but not Lewis Findley.  The guests are informed that Mr. Findley has been delayed due to weather.  They are escorted to their rooms and given instructions to meet again for cocktails in the lounge once they have settled in.

 If You are An Amazon Prime Member, Click Here to View the Movie for FreeOver cocktails, they discover more details about each other by playing a game to guess which 2 facts about each guest are true, and which fact is a lie.  Miranda shares how she can quickly deduce which fact is a lie by using her observations.

Between cocktails and dinner, several of the guests explore the mansion.  Miranda explores a bit too much and is intercepted and redirected by one of the servants.  This only serves to make her even more curious about what secrets are hidden in the mansion and she continues her exploration.  She is, once again, intercepted, but this time by the butler who insists that she accompany him to the dining room for dinner.  

Strange things happen during the night.  Discoveries the following morning, along with the announcement that Mr. Findley will not be joining them on that day, only lead to more questions and suspicions.  When the unthinkable happens and someone is murdered, all of the guests and staff are suspects. 

 

 

Be Sure to Stay Tuned 

"Murder at the Embassy" and "The Mystery of the Golden Spear" are both scheduled for release in 2025.  Plus, they will both star Mischa Barton as Miranda Green. Having the same actress play the role will definitely establish Miranda Green as a soon to be renowned amateur sleuth. 

 

Where to Watch

As Amazon Prime Members, we watched "Invitation to a Murder" on Amazon for free (with ads).  It is also available for rental or purchase on Amazon.

 

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Invitation to a Murder (2023) Movie Review by:

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