The Boston Viscolli Hotels are well known for 5-star international cuisine and the specialty is always, no surprise, Italian fare.
1 pound Vermicelli
1 TBS extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp salt (Kosher or sea salt is best)
1 TBS extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion
2 cloves garlic
1 large or 2 small carrot
1 zucchini
1 yellow squash
1 can diced tomatoes
1 tsp honey (local raw is best)
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp salt (Kosher or sea salt is best)
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
Slice the onion.
Mince the garlic.
Thinly slice the carrot.
Slice the zucchini and squash
Bring a pot of pure water to boil. Add 1 TBS olive oil and 1 tsp salt. Add Vermicelli. If store bought, cook according to package directions.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 TBS extra virgin olive oil. Add the sliced onion. Cook about 5 minutes or until it starts to get tender.
Add the garlic and the carrots. Cook about 5 minutes.
Add the zucchini, squash, and canned tomatoes. Gently stir in the spices, salt, and pepper.
Bring to a gentle boil. Reduce heat and cover. Let cook for about 10 minutes.
Place the cooked pasta on a large platter. Top with the sauce. Serve with fresh ground parmesan cheese, if desired.
The Dessert:
Maxine's Marvelous Marble Cake
When Maxine invites Tony to stay and celebrate his birthday, she makes him Maxine's Marvelous Marble cake which brightens his day.
1 1/2 cups butter, softened
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
6 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 2/3 cup flour
4 tsp aluminum-free baking powder.
1/2 tsp salt (Kosher or sea salt is best)
1/2 cup whole milk
3 TBS baking cocoa powder
confectioner's sugar, for dusting.
Preheat the oven to 350º F (180º C). Butter and flour a Bundt pan. tapping out the excess flour.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. Mix the milk and the vanilla. Set aside.
With an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar on high for 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Add about half of the dry mixture and beat on low speed. Add the milk mixture and beat on low speed until mixed. Add the remaining flour and beat until just mixed.
Spoon one-third of the batter into the pan. Transfer half the remaining batter into another bowl and sift in the cocoa powder. Mix well.
Spoon dallops of the chocolate batter into the pan. Top with the remaining plain batter. Use a knife to gently swirl the two batters together to create a marble pattern. Be careful not to mix it too much.
Bake for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Cool the cake for 10 minutes before removing from the pan. When cooled completely, dust with powdered sugar.
READER'S GUIDE DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
SUGGESTED group discussion questions for Sapphire Ice.
When asking ourselves how important the truth is to our Creator, we can look to the 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 Jewel 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.
The sisters suffer a terrible childhood in an always unsafe environment. Too young, they know hunger, exposure, deprivation, and want. They know the dangers and evils of the world and are exposed to the very worst mankind has to offer. It is easy to pontificate that a loving God would not allow children to suffer like that, but the truth is that the very finest vessels are put through the fire several times.
1. To which sister do you most relate? What is it about her personality that makes you relate to her?
2. Is there something in your childhood you feel certain molded and shaped your adult world view especially with respect to relationships?
3. Do you think the sisters would be very different as adults if their childhood upbringing were positively different?
Barry cautioned Tony not to see Robin because she wasn't saved. Read 2 Corinthians 6:14 to see what the Bible says.
4. Are you in an evenly yoked relationship or are you spiritually on the same path? What are some evidences you can name?
Sarah has a burden lifted when Tony offers to fund her church's fall carnival. Many churches today could widen the outreach of their various ministries but they suffer from lack of funding.
5. Why do you believe churches have such a hard time finding funding for ministries? How can you help your church overcome such common issues?
Robin didn't believe in a just and loving God because she had seen and experienced the worst life has to offer.
6. How do you think desolation or tragedy relates to God?
7. Do you believe God wants us to lean on Him and look to Him in all things in life? How much of Robin's desire to "do it on her own" do you believe might have kept her separated from God?
Robin knew nothing about God and had a very low opinion of Christians in general. This despite the fact that she grew up in a neighborhood with a very large and very active church right in the middle of it. She later confesses that she remembers that church as one of her childhood landmarks.
8. What can we do to better spread the word of God in a positive light among unbelievers?
Read Matthew 6:14 and Matthew 18:22. Put the meaning of these verses about forgiveness in your own words.
9. What was your reaction to Tony and Robin's treatment of Craig at the end of Sapphire Ice?
10. Are you currently coping with unforgiveness in your heart?
EXCERPT: GREATER THAN RUBIES
If you missed the novella Greater Than Rubies, part 1 and a half of The Jewel Series, a story inspired by the first three books, download your FREE eBook today in most supported formats wherever fine books are sold.
ROBIN Bartlett said, "Yes!" Will she say, "I do," when the big day arrives?
Robin never had a chance to dream of a white wedding gown or a prince charming. Instead, her dreams were nightmares -- dark and clouded with fear and desperation. From his cultured handsome looks to his vast fortune, Antonio "Tony" Viscolli is every red-blooded American girl's dream match. Robin comes from a blistering past, struggling for survival in a cold, cruel world. By the time Tony thaws her heart, she has known hunger, poverty, violence, and want.
Tony proposed on a sunny Florida beach. Back in bitter cold Boston, doubts about becoming a billionaire's bride begin to crowd out her hopes for happiness. Robin struggles to cope feeling the pressures of relocating; of unreliable transportation; of the never-ending details of the shower, the ceremony, the reception, the honeymoon; of changing her name; all while dealing with her father's very serious legal problems.
As the date draws inexorably near and the pressure mounts, Robin questions whether she is truly the girl of Tony's dreams. Is she the woman God has made for him? As a wife, would she act as helpmeet or poison apple? In truly loving Tony, would it be better to bind herself to him
for all eternity or return his freedom?
When her nightmares return in full force, they remind Robin of an even deeper and more terrifying prospect. Will she give in to her insecurities and cancel Boston's "Royal Wedding" for good? Or, with God's guidance, will Tony sacrifice everything to prove to his beloved Robin her true worth?
Enjoy this special excerpt from the critically acclaimed novella Greater Than Rubies.
ROBIN nervously fiddled with her ring while she waited for the Inside Boston magazine reporter to arrive. She sat in the conference room adjacent to the office of Tony's public relations manager, Linda Cross. She still wore the clothes and makeup from the photo shoot that had taken place in a room just down the hall. She'd hoped Tony could be there for the photos, but the magazine had specifically requested only her.
The door opened and Robin's heart lurched, but Linda entered alone. She was short and stocky, with a thick waist and jet black hair. Thick glasses with square black frames dominated her face. "Don will be in momentarily," she said. "He's signing some papers for me right now." She raised an eyebrow behind her glasses. "No worries, Miss Bartlett. I'll be here the whole time."
"I've just never done this before." She licked her lips.
"A year from now, it will be old hat," Linda assured. Robin wondered if she meant that to intimidate her or make her feel more at ease, because, honestly, she wasn't feeling better in the wake of that remark.
A tap at the door preceded the entrance of Don Roberts. He was younger than Robin, tall, boy-next-door good looking with straight brown hair and a fake tan. Nothing about him made her feel at ease about this interview.
He shook her hand - again - then sat in the chair adjacent to her. He took a phone out of his pocket, pressed a series of buttons on it, then set it on the table in front of her. She could only assume he'd activated some sort of recording device. "Miss Bartlett, Robin, thank you for giving me this opportunity."
"It's my pleasure," she said around a suddenly too-dry mouth.
"Let's go ahead and cover the basics. Tell us how you met Tony."
This was the first person outside of church to address Tony as Tony and not Mr. Viscolli. It intrigued Robin. "He, ah, bought a restaurant where I worked." She cleared her throat. "We met then."
"When was that?"
"Last fall."
"And, to add a spice of romance to our story, how did he propose?"
Robin smiled and relaxed, thinking back. "Christmas Eve, on the beach in the Florida Keys."
"That's really nice," Don said. He smiled. "Tony Viscolli is a powerful force in the business world, and not just in the Boston area. He has businesses all over the country and thousands of employees. What do you think drew him to you in particular?"
Uncomfortable, Robin shrugged. "I really couldn't tell you. You'd have to ask him."
"But we can probably guess what drew you to him, right?"
Robin put her hands in her lap and laced her fingers, squeezing them tightly. "If you knew his heart, or anything about him personally, you'd not have to ask that question. He is amazing and generous and loving, and I feel so incredibly blessed."
"Is he?"
"I beg your pardon?"
"Is he really all those things? Or simply uninformed?"
Robin felt her eyebrows crease under the thick makeup from the photo shoot. "What?"
"Does he know all there is to know about you?"
Robin shifted her eyes to Linda, who frowned but did not speak. "I beg your pardon?"
Don sat forward and tapped the top of the table with every question. He looked like an anaconda eyeing a mouse. "He knows you were a waitress moonlighting as a bartender. Does he know your father went to prison for drug smuggling and now faces double murder charges? Does he know your mother was an addict who was murdered in a drug deal? Does he know you, yourself, stabbed your foster parent in the back with a buck knife? Does he know you were a fugitive until you turned eighteen and your juvenile crimes were sealed? Does he know about the improprietary manner in which you had your former employer pull strings with city hall to clear your record so you could obtain custody of one of your sisters? How did you convince that retired sailor to help you pull those strings, Miss Bartlett?"
Panic swirled in her brain, freezing her ability to form cohesive thoughts. "I don't – what are you –?" Robin gasped and looked from Don to Linda. Her heart pounded and she felt sweat break out on her forehead.
Linda pressed a button on the table next to her before standing. "Mr. Roberts? This interview is over. Our attorneys at the Anderson firm will be in contact with your editor in light of the NDA you signed and this particular line of questioning."
"You can't hide her. Believe me if I know, the tabloids know, too. This is the kind of rags to riches story that everyone will be clamoring after. You need to let her – "
As he spoke the door opened and two uniformed security officers marched into the room. They walked straight up to Don. "You need to come with us, sir," one of them said.
"Now." The other one said, picking up the reporter's phone from the table.
"Hey! You can't have that!"
"We'll return your property when you're safely outside the building, sir." The guard stepped aside, placing his body between Roberts and the two women, and gestured with his hand. "Right this way, sir."
Roberts stood but quickly bent around the guard toward Robin. "You might as well figure out the best thing to do is embrace your story and tell it, or else others will do it with their own spin and you won't be able to influence what they say."
The second guard grabbed his arm at the elbow and said, "You've already outstayed your welcome, sir. Time to go."
Roberts jerked himself free. "Don't touch me. I'm leaving."
"Leave now," the guard warned, "Without another word, or I will use force." His finger stabbed in the direction of the door.
Robin stared at the closed door long after it shut behind them. Linda sat where Don had been and touched her hand. "I'm so sorry. All of his credentials checked out."
With a shaking hand, Robin brushed the hair off of her forehead. "I'm not doing something like this again."
Linda nodded. "I understand." She pressed some buttons on her phone. "Margaret? I need to talk to Mr. V. This isn't good."
Without waiting for Linda to hang up the phone or Tony to come gallantly into the room, Robin gathered her bag and her coat and left. Linda tried to call her back, but she was stuck on hold with Tony's office. Escape. Flee. Hide.
The elevator arrived. Thankful to find it empty, she slipped inside and pressed the lobby button, then the door close button in rapid succession. As soon as it started moving, she went to the back corner of the elevator and pressed back against the wall. She used to be good at hiding. Hide way in the back of the closet. Protect her sisters. Make the monsters forget you're there.
But she couldn't hide from her past, could she? What did she think she was doing, becoming Mrs. Antonio Viscolli? Inadequate didn't begin to describe her. Her cell phone started ringing, but she turned it off as she stepped off of the elevator and into the lobby of the hotel. As she walked out of the doors, the valet lifted his hand in greeting, grabbed her keys, and rushed to get her car. With no choice but to wait, she slipped her coat on and shoved her hands into the pockets, lifting her shoulders against the wind. Before her car arrived, she felt Tony at her elbow.
"I'm sorry."
"I'm not doing that again."
"It will never happen again."
Robin turned her head and looked him straight in the eye. "Oh, I know it won't."
Her car pulled up in front of them. Tony touched her elbow. "Robin, please."
"It's okay. I have to go now. But I'll see you when you get back from California." He looked so worried and a frown marred his forehead. Putting a hand on his cheek, loving him, needing him, she pressed her lips to his. "I love you. Have a safe trip."
EXCERPT: EMERALD FIRE
Sapphire Ice Page 21
