Serve over whole grain pasta and top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
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The Bread:
Fresh Garlic French Bread
I LOVE garlic bread, and nothing goes better with a "first date in four years red sauce over pasta" than this whole grain bread with fresh garlic and real butter.
1 packages (2 1/4 tsp) active dry yeast
1 1/4 cups warm water (120-130° degrees F)
1 1/2 tsp salt (Kosher or sea salt is best)
1 1/2 tsp olive oil
3 1/2 cups flour (I use fresh ground, hard red wheat)
1 TBS cornmeal
olive oil for bowl
Butter
Peeled garlic
Grease one large bowl with a light coating of olive oil
Fill your bowl with hot water and dump it out. This will warm the bowl. Add 2 1/2 cups warm water to the bowl. Add the yeast. Let stand for 5 minutes. Add salt, olive oil, and flour. Mix well. (If using a stand mixer, mix for about a minute.)
Kneed for 10 minutes. (If using a stand mixer, kneed for 2 minutes on power level 2.)
Dough will be sticky.
Place the dough in a greased bowl turn to grease top. Cover. Let rise in a warm place for about an hour.
Punch dough down and roll into a 12 x 15 inch rectangle. Roll tightly from longest side and pinch the ends, then tuck the ends under.
Grease baking sheet and sprinkle with cornmeal. Place the rolled dough on baking sheet. Cut small slits diagonally in the top. Cover and let rise for about an hour.
Bake 450° degrees F for 25-35 minutes. The bread is done when you tap it and it sounds hollow.
When it's cool enough to handle, slice it in half the long way, opening it up like you're going to make a sandwich. Spread with butter and place on a pan.
Put it in the oven under the broiler. Broil until the bread toasts and browns. While it's in the oven, peel a piece of garlic and slice it in half.
As soon as it comes out of the oven, rub the garlic, cut side down, against the bread. The garlic will gradually "melt". Rub as much of as you want on the bread.
Slice and serve.
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The Dessert:
Mascarpone Cheesecake with Vanilla Almond Crust
James' late wife, Angela, always chose cheesecake over champagne when celebrating. This cheesecake recipe alone is worth celebrating.
Melody and James were interrupted before he was able to serve her this cheesecake, but if she had a chance to taste it, she would have composed a new song just in honor of this delicious concoction.
1 cup slivered almonds
2/3 cup vanilla wafers
3 TBS sugar
1 TBS unsalted butter, melted
2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, room temperature
2 (8-ounce) containers mascarpone cheese, room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
2 vanilla beans
4 eggs, room temperature
Preheat the oven to 350° degrees F.
Lightly toast the almonds. Place them in a shallow frying pan and cook, stirring and shifting often, until they start to toast. (This will smell really good – and when you start to smell it, they're just about done.)
Squeeze the lemon.
Seed the vanilla beans. Discard the shells. (I place them in a container with sugar — this makes wonderful vanilla sugar that you can use for all sorts of things from flavoring your morning coffee to boosting up your white cake recipe.)
Wrap a 9-inch springform pan tightly with foil.
Grind the cookies in a food processor. Measure out 2/3 cup.
Grind the almonds in the food processor. Add the 2/3 cup cookie crumbs. Add the sugar. Add the butter. Mix just until mixed.
Press the crust mixture into the bottom only of the pan.
Bake until the crust is set – 12-15 minutes.
Reduce the oven to 325° degrees F.
In a mixing bowl, beat the cheeses until fluffy. Add the sugar. Add the lemon juice and vanilla bean. Add the eggs one at a time. Mix well.
Pour into the springform pan. Place pan in a large roasting pan. Set the pan in the oven.
Pour hot water into the pan until it comes up halfway up the springform pan.
Bake until the middle is just jiggly – about 1 hour 5 minutes to 1 hour 15 minutes.
Remove from oven, remove from roasting pan, and chill in refrigerator until cold – about 8 hours.
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READERS' GUIDE DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
SUGGESTED questions for a discussion group surrounding A Melody for James, part 1 of the Song of Suspense series.
When asking ourselves how important the truth is to our Creator, we can look to the very reason Jesus said he was born. In the book of John 18:37, Jesus explains that for this reason He was born and for this reason He came into the world. The reason?
To testify to the truth.
In bringing those He ministered to into an understanding of the truth, Our Lord used fiction in the form of parables to illustrate very real truths. In the same way, we can minister to one another by the use of fictional characters and situations to help us to reach logical, valid, cogent, and very sound conclusions about our real lives here on earth.
While the characters and situations in the Song of Suspense series are fictional, I pray that these extended parables can help readers come to a better understanding of truth. Please prayerfully consider the questions that follow, consult scripture, and pray upon your conclusions. May the Lord of the universe richly bless you.
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After Angela's death, James sought God, praying to Him and reading the Bible. However, he didn't actually feel God's presence until several months later.
1. Why do you think he didn't feel the presence of the Holy Spirit when he was seeking Him?
2. Have you ever desperately sought God but felt alone?
3. Deuteronomy 31:6 and 31:8 says: "He [God] will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed." With that promise, do you think that you are ever truly alone?
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Two weeks before they met, Melody left her fiancé at the alter. Six months before, James' wife was murdered. Yet, they are both attracted to each other and both of them secretly hope the relationship will continue.
4. Is this really a "good" time to even think of a relationship?
5. Is there ever truly a "bad" time to begin a new relationship?
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Melody feels like God turned His back on her when Rikard attacked her.
6. What do you think about that?
7. Do you think it's wrong for her to feel this way?
8. Have you ever felt like God has abandoned you?
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Melody and James felt an instant attraction to each other both times they met. They both felt like they fell in love the day they first met.
9. What do you think about the concept of "love at first sight?"
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Melody and James get married very quickly after meeting the second time.
10. What do you think about their chances of having a successful marriage?
11. What do you think will make their marriage stronger?
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Melody rediscovers her relationship with God after four years; yet she continues performing and writing contemporary secular music.
12. What do you think of the idea that God grants talent which is often misused in worldly pursuits?
13. Do you think she should have started focusing on a career in Christian music?
14. What do you think of professed Christians with careers in the entertainment industry who do not make offerings of their time or talent to bring blessings to Christian entertainment?
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Melody suffers from crippling stage fright.
15. How much of the stage fright was directly related to Rikard never being apprehended by t
he police?
16. How do you think her renewed walk with Christ will affect her phobia?
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James tells Rikard that he forgives him for killing Angela and her team and also for terrorizing Melody. He then opens the door to lead Rikard to Christ.
17. What did you think of that conversation?
18. What is most difficult for you about forgiving those who hurt us?
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SONG OF SUSPENSE SERIES
The Song of Suspense Series…
A MELODY FOR JAMES
MELODY Mason and James Montgomery lead separate lives of discord until an unexpected meeting brings them to a sinister realization. Unbeknownst to them, dark forces have directed their lives from the shadows, orchestrating movements that keep them in disharmony. Fire, loss, and bloodshed can't shake their faith in God to see them through as they face a percussive climax that will leave lives forever changed.
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AN ARIA FOR NICK
ARIA Suarez remembers her first real kiss and Nick Williams, the blue eyed boy who passionately delivered it before heading off to combat. The news of his death is just a footnote in a long war and her lifelong dream to become a world class pianist is shattered along with her wrist on the day of his funeral.
Years later, Aria inadvertently uncovers a sinister plot that threatens the very foundations of a nation. Now, stalked by assassins and on the run, her only hope of survival is in trusting her very life to a man who has been dead for years.
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A CAROL FOR KENT
BOBBY Kent's name is synonymous with modern Country Music and he is no stranger to running from over zealous fans and paparazzo. But he has no real idea how to protect his daughter and Carol, the mother of his only child, from a viscous and ruthless serial killer bent on their destruction.
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A HARMONY FOR STEVEN
CHRISTIAN contemporary singing sensation, Harmony Harper, seeks solitude after winning her umpteenth award. She finds herself in the midst of the kind of spiritual crisis that only prayer and fasting can cure. Steve Slayer, the world renowned satanic acid rock icon, who has a reputation for trashing women as well as hotel rooms, stumbles into her private retreat on the very edge of death. In ministering to Steve, Harmony finds that the Holy Spirit is ministering to her aching soul. The two leave the wilderness sharing a special bond and their hearts are changed forever. They expect rejection back in their professional worlds. What neither of them could foresee is the chain of ominous events that threaten their very lives.
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AN ARIA FOR NICK
PLEASE enjoy this special excerpt from the upcoming full length Christian suspense novel, An Aria for Nick, Part Two of the Song of Suspense Series.
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ARIA Suarez stood on the corner of the patio at the coffee shop on Macadam Avenue observing the man wearing the dark blue shirt who occupied the corner table of the outdoor cafe. Sunlight glinted on his brown hair, revealing highlighted streaks that nearly glowed, lending his visage a halo-like appearance. He'd flirted with the waitress each time she'd come by, and had even grinned at a small child making a mess at a nearby table. He looked harmless enough, though she couldn't completely make out his face behind the sunglasses he wore and the Monday edition of the Portland Tribune he continuously ducked behind.
She clenched the purse strap in her hand a little tighter. She kept a sharp eye toward the crowd, scanning faces for anyone who looked either familiar or out of place. Finally, she mustered the courage to step forward.
Aria hesitantly began her approach, unsure of how this might work and trying very hard not to reveal even a hint of uncertainty. Then she remembered that she also didn't want to attract any undue attention to herself by appearing uncomfortable or out of place in any way, and she smoothed her stride.
When she reached his table, she stood still and waited for him to look up from his newspaper. When he failed to do so, she cleared her throat. When that didn't work, she said, "Excuse me."
He shifted the newspaper downward enough to peer over the top of it in her direction, staring at her through the dark lenses of his sunglasses, but she still couldn't see his eyes. All she could see was her own reflection in the tinted lenses. "Are you waiting for me?"
The man glanced downward, very purposefully and very carefully folding the newspaper which he set on the table at right angles to his silverware directly next to his cup. That accomplished, he gestured with his left hand in the direction of the chair across from him, silently inviting her to join him without raising his eyes. As she perched herself on the wrought iron chair, she thought to herself that this man looked familiar.
All those weeks when she had felt such apprehension, glancing over her shoulder in foreboding, she had checked all the shadows and every corner, certain someone was always following her. Had her trepidation been well-founded after all? Had this man been following her? Had she seen him somewhere before? Or was her nervousness and disquiet simply getting the best of her? Did this man just have one of those faces that you felt sure you recognized?
Aria started to feel some very deep, very real anxiety and did her best to quell it. She waited for him to speak, assuming if everything was on the up-and-up that he had done this kind of thing before, and would take the lead to get them to the next level, whatever that was.
The waitress came back to the table to refill the man's lemonade and Aria ordered a cup of decaf with cream, no sugar, then folded her hands and waited. The man across from her sat up a bit straighter then took a deep breath and finally spoke.
"Hello, Aria." His voice flowed over her like a warm baritone blanket. It was deep and comforting and frighteningly familiar. He removed his sunglasses. Ice blue eyes, almost silver in color, calmly met her glance. Already tense muscles contracted in her stomach and around her heart, stealing the breath from her body and sending a surge of adrenaline that made her palms sweat even though her fingers felt ice cold. Her throat let out a startled gasp as recognition dawned.
It can't be! her mind screamed. It's not possible!
"How've you been?" he asked. "You look even more beautiful than I remember."
Aria didn't know what to say, literally shocked speechless. She had never spoken to a ghost. Her mouth felt so dry that the air coursing in and out of her lungs scorched her throat. Finally, she made an attempt. "What? … How? …"
Nicholas "Nick" Williams leaned forward and spoke very quietly but with great urgency, his low voice pitched for her ears alone. "It's okay, Aria. It's a long story, and I'll be happy to share it with you. But I have to call my superiors in less than twenty minutes, so right now, just show me what you have. We can stroll down memory lane later on, okay?"
Aria finally felt able to speak. She gripped the wrought iron chair handles beneath her fingers until her muscles ached. "You aren't Nick Williams," she announced as she stood. "Nice try, but I buried Nick ten years ago."
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EXCERPT FROM A CAROL FOR KENT
PLEASE enjoy this special excerpt from the upcoming full length Christian suspense novel, A Carol for Kent, Part Three of the Song of Suspense Series.
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BIRTHDAY girl Lisa Mabry had selected her favorite pizza parlor for her seventh birthday lunch, as she had every year since she could pronounce the word, and brought best friend since kindergarten Amy Bradford along with her, as she also always had since the day they met. The two little girls giggled and whispered as they ate green olive pizza with extra cheese, and Assistant District Attorney Carol Mabry intentionally let the go of the memory of her morning spent at the funeral parlor.
She forced herself to focus entirely on her daughter while they were in the restaurant. By the time they piled back into her Jeep, she had mentally left murder and autopsy reports behind, and transformed from A. D. A. Carol Mabry into just Carol, just Ms. Mabry, just Lisa's mom.
The drive to the ranch took twenty minutes
, and the girls sat in the back seat, continuing their whispered conversation. The whispers got louder until they were full-fledged yells, and Carol finally interrupted them. "Girls! What are you two arguing about?"
"Ms. Mabry, who do you think is cuter? Tim McGraw or Bobby Kent?" Amy asked. Carol felt her stomach tighten.
"I told you, Bobby Kent is way cuter than Tim McGraw. Besides, Tim McGraw is married and has like a dozen kids. Bobby Kent isn't married, so that makes him even more cute," Lisa said. "Plus, he has the same name as my grandma and grandpa. That's even more extra points."
"What do you think, Ms. Mabry?" Amy asked again.
Carol refused to get a headache on Lisa's birthday. Sometimes, tension and stress built up so that she would get headaches that made her have to lie down in a darkened room and fight back tears of pain. But it wasn't going to happen to her today. "I think you two should play rock-paper- scissors, and whoever wins is right," she said, turning onto the drive that led to the ranch house.
A Melody for James (Christian Suspense) Page 35
