Winter Blogfest: Helen C. Johannes

This post is part of Long and Short Reviews’ Winter Blogfest.

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Christmas Quiche by Helen C. Johannes

Want to use up some of that leftover holiday ham and make a dish that looks as festive as the season? My family’s spinach quiche is a year-round favorite, but the colors, flavors, and warm-the-tummy satisfaction especially suit the season.

Crust: Buy a plain pastry crust or use this recipe to make one from scratch.

1 cup flour

¼ tsp. salt

4 tablespoons shortening (plain or butter flavored)

¼ cup cold water, plus more by teaspoon as needed

Blend the flour and salt in a medium bowl. Cut in the shortening until mixture is crumbly. Add water and blend until mixture can be formed into a ball. Roll out into a circle and press into a 9-inch pie pan, fluting the rim. Set aside.

Filling:

2-3 cups chopped fresh spinach, microwaved 1 ½ minute with 1//2 cup water and drained and set aside

1 small can of mushrooms, drained and chopped

1/3-1/2 cup tomatoes, chopped

1/3 cup chopped ham (or more if desired)

1 8 oz. (2 cups) shredded cheese (I prefer 6-cheese Italian, but any tasty blend will work)

2 tablespoons flour

½ tsp. salt

Dash pepper

3 eggs

1 cup milk

Combine cheese and flour in a medium bowl. In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs with a whisk. Whisk in milk and seasonings. Stir in tomatoes, mushrooms, ham, and spinach. Using a fork, blend in cheese/flour mixture. Pour everything into pie shell. Bake at 360 degrees F for 1 hour. Let stand a couple of minutes before cutting and serving. Makes 8 generous pieces of green and red and golden deliciousness.

What if looking at the face of the man you loved meant death?

Years ago, warrior Durren Drakkonwehr was cursed by a mage. Now feared and reviled as the Shadow Man, he keeps to himself, only going to town to trade rare bloodstones—petrified dragon’s blood—for supplies. Though he hides his face, he can’t hide his heart from the woman who haunts his dreams…
Needing bloodstones for a jewelry commission, Mirianna and her father journey across the dreaded Wehrland where the beast-men roam. When their party is attacked, only the Shadow Man can save them. Strangely drawn to him, Mirianna offers herself in return for her father’s rescue.
Living in the ruined fortress with the Shadow Man, Mirianna slowly realizes that a flesh-and-blood man—not a fiend—hides there in hoods and darkness. But are love and courage enough to lift the curse and restore the man?

Helen C. Johannes writes award-winning fantasy romance inspired by the fairy tales she grew up reading and the amazing historical places she’s visited in England, Ireland, Scotland and Germany. She writes tales of adventure and romance in fully realized worlds sprung from pure imagination and a lifelong interest in history, culture, and literature. Warriors on horseback, women who refuse to sit idly at home, and passion that cannot be denied or outrun—that’s what readers will find in her books.

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