Monthly Archives: June 2009

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I know this isn’t my usual blog post. I don’t talk about stars and celebrities, but my sister called me a half hour ago and told me that Michael Jackson is dead!! I grew up in the seventies…an African American girl enamored with Michael Jackson and his brothers! I remember listening to Thriller cassette tape over and over in high school. I remember the Jackson Five songs Dancin’ Machine, ABC, Never Can Say Goodbye, you name it!

I didn’t follow him as much as an adult, and didn’t really agree with his lifestyle, but, still…I’m just shocked that he’s dead is all!!! I’m devastated…shocked!!

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Chocolate Cake!

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This is, hands down, the best chocolate cake I’ve ever tasted! I made it for my hubby for Father’s Day! I took him shopping first. And, if you’ve been reading this blog long enough, you know how I feel about shopping. See this post if you want to know what I think about shopping! After time in the store with my husband and my almost-four-year-old child, I was ready for a piece of chocolate cake!

Double Chocolate Chip Cake Recipe
3 Unsweetened chocolate squares (one ounce each)

2 1/4 c Cake flour; sifted

2 tb Baking soda

1/2 ts Salt

1/2 c Butter

2 1/4 c Brown sugar

3 Eggs

1 1/2 ts Vannilla

1 c Sour cream

1 c Water; boiling

Preheat over to over 350 deg, butter and flour 3 9-inch cake pans. In a double boiler, melt the chocolate over hot, not simmering, water. Set aside to cool. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, cream the butter. Add the brown sugar and then the eggs, one at a time, blending well after each addition. Beat at high speed for 5 minutes. Beat in the vanilla and the melted chocolate.

Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the sour cream in 4 portions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture, beat well after each addition. Stir in the boiling water and pour the batter at once into the prepared pans. Bake for 35 minutes, or until the center springs back when touched lightly. Set the cake pans on the rack to cool for 10 minutes. Then invert the cakes onto the racks to cool completely.

I don’t use the frosting recipe provided in the link. Instead, I use this:

Frosting:
1 and 1/2 sticks butter softened
One cup Hershey’s Cocoa (THAT’S THE BAKING COCOA…NOT THE PRE-PREPARED HOT CHOCOLATE MIX!!)
4 and a half cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup of milk (you may add more if frosting is too stiff)
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Mix first four ingredients until you’ve reached desired consistency. Add vanilla extract and mix again. Frost the cake.

This cake is really moist and it’s good! Since it’s so moist and and full of chocolate flavor, I feel you don’t need a lot of icing! The above recipe for icing will frost a three-layer cake if you place a small amount between the layers, on the side and at the top. If you want a thicker layer of icing, then you can adjust the recipe accordingly!

Get yourself a tall glass of cold milk and enjoy! If you try this recipe, be sure to let me know if you liked it! Leave a comment about this recipe if you wish!

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Happy Father’s Day!

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Happy Father’s Day! I want to wish a Happy Father’s Day to all of the dads reading this post!

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Deadly Intent by Camy Tang

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Deadly Intent by Camy Tang
From Amazon.com:
Product Description
The Grant family’s exclusive Sonoma spa is a place for rest and relaxation—not murder! When Naomi Grant finds her client Jessica Ortiz bleeding to death in her massage room, everything falls apart. The salon’s reputation is at stake…and so is Naomi’s freedom when she discovers that she is one of the main suspects! Her only solace is found with the other suspect—Dr. Devon Knightley, the victim’s ex-husband. But Devon is hiding secrets of his own. When they come to light, where can Naomi turn…and whom can she trust?

==
This was a suspenseful novel and I enjoyed that some of the scenes took place in a posh spa where the rich come for rest and relaxation. However, when one of Naomi’s clients is found murdered, things drastically change at her family’s business! Who would murder Jessica, and why? When Dr. Devon Knightley, Jessica’s ex-husband, appears at the spa, demanding to see Jessica, moments before she is murdered, the mystery takes on another twist.

Naomi has met Devon at social functions, and wonders why he’s never attempted to contact her on his own. She’s attracted to him, but needs to be honest with
herself – he’s an atheist and she’s a Christian. How could that union happy?

Devon wonders about the death of his ex-wife as his own life becomes risky. It appears someone is trying to kill him, but who would want to harm him and why?

This book moves quickly and you can finish it in a short amount of time. The story and the characters will pull you in for an enjoyable, fast-paced read.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Gone To Green

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Gone To Green by Judy Christie
Publisher: Abingdon Press
Pub. Date: August 01, 2009
ISBN-13: 9781426700248
288pp

I have not had a chance to read this book yet since it has not yet been released. However, I plan on reading it in the near future, and I’ll post a review once I’ve read it. Doesn’t the cover look nice! From reading about the book on the web, it sounds like a good read! I encourage you to purchase this novel and give it a try! Below is the information about the book and the author if you want to pre-order the novel. Also, you can get some free gifts on the site listed below!

Today is a special day for a fellow Christian fiction author. Judy Christie is celebrating the pre-release of her very first novel, Gone to Green! Gone to Green is the story of 36-year-old Lois Barker, a big-city reporter who ends up in small-town north Louisiana to work at a newspaper. She isn’t thrilled to be there but decides to tough it out. Get ready for the things that unfold!

I hope you’ll join me in welcoming Judy to the scene. You can do so by pre-ordering Gone to Green at Amazon today. When you do, you get several really neat gifts — including Judy’s timely lesson on goal setting and a sample of my latest novel, Bittersweet Memories — just for placing your order today. Click on over to Judy’s site and get all the great details!

While this is Judy’s first novel, she writes spiritual and Biblically based nonfiction, all aimed at helping people find meaning and enjoyment in life. She has penned Gone to Green as another way to help people rest, relax and enjoy.

I know how much it means to find new readers who are looking for quality books with a good message. I love supporting other authors, especially new authors in the Christian Fiction market! Gone to Green officially hits shelves in August, but you can be one of the first to get your copy when you visit this site and place your order today!

Have a great day, and God bless.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

A Vote Of Confidence by Robin Lee Hatcher

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A Vote Of Confidence by Robin Lee Hatcher

Paperback: 272 pages
Publisher: Zondervan (May 1, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0310258057
ISBN-13: 978-0310258056

From Amazon.com:
In A Vote of Confidence, the stage is set for some intriguing insight into what it was like during 1915 to be a woman in a “man’s world.”

Guinevere Arlington is a beautiful young woman determined to remain in charge of her own life. For seven years, Gwen has carved out a full life in the bustling town of Bethlehem Springs, Idaho, where she teaches piano and writes for the local newspaper. Her passion for the town, its people, and the surrounding land prompt Gwen to run for mayor. After all, who says a woman can’t do a man’s job?

But stepping outside the boundaries of convention can get messy. A shady lawyer backs Gwen, believing he can control her once she’s in office. A wealthy newcomer throws his hat into the ring in an effort to overcome opposition to the health resort he’s building north of town. When the opponents fall in love, everything changes, forcing Gwen to face what she may have to lose in order to win.

This book was a nice cozy read. It was suspenseful, but not too suspenseful. Gwen has been living in Bethlehem Springs for seven years. She lives close to her father and her fraternal twin sister Cleo. Due to a parental separation, Gwen and Cleo have been raised apart, and now Gwen has taken the last seven years to get acquainted with her father and her sister. Gwen gives piano lessons to the children in the town, and she also writes for the paper. In the few years she’s been in Bethlehem Springs, Gwen has come to care for the town and its inhabitants, she cares so much that she wants to become the new mayor. The current mayor is an alcoholic who has no affection for the town.

Meanwhile, wealthy Morgan Mckinley breezes into town, and starts constructing a new day spa. However, this spa is not only for the rich – he wants to make the spa affordable for the poor and middle-class citizens of Bethlehem Springs. He volunteers to run for mayor, throwing Gwen’s campaign into a tizzy!

This was a fun book. It was great to see the attaction grow between Morgan and Gwen and it was heartwarming to see Morgan build the spa. Morgan builds the spa in memory of his deceased mother. He cares for others and it’s apparant in his actions.

Well-developed characters, romance, and a bit of suspense make this a fine story.

Robin Lee Hatcher likes to write about women and politics. This novel reminded me a little of her novel, Catching Katie, which I reviewed a few years ago.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Chesapeake Weddings – Listed On Amazon.com

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My re-released 3-in-1 book, Chesapeake Weddings, is available for pre-order on Amazon.com! I wish I had a cover for it, but I don’t! Once the publisher provides the cover, I’ll be sure to post on my blog! Chesapeake Weddings contains the following three Heartsong Presents novels:

John’s Quest
Milk Money
Bittersweet Memories

~Cecelia Dowdy~