Hello and Welcome!
Thank you for joining me today. The website has a whole lot of information about my books, but right now I want to get personal. Each month I hope to share some insight as to what inspires me, and what I am up to when I’m not writing.
Dear Friends,
Hooray for Spring! The rebirth from the darkness. This has been one crazy winter, but looking at the flowers starting to bloom brings me joy.
Each year I remind everyone why Easter falls on a different Sunday. It’s the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Equinox. The equinox – equal amounts of daylight and darkness – was March 20th. The full moon that follows is April 13, which means the following Sunday, April 20th is Easter. I don’t know the origins, but I do know that is how it is calculated.
I recently discovered that the tradition of Easter Eggs began in Italy during the 13th century. It represented rebirth and renewal. According to history sources, it was forbidden to eat eggs during Lent, the forty days prior to Easter, so when Easter arrived it was time to fry up some omelets! 😊 Chocolate eggs began to emerge during the 19th century in Germany and France and found their way to America. Given the price of eggs now, chocolate seems like a good alternative, which is fine with me. I LOVE CHOCOLATE! Speaking of chocolate, many of you may know that chocolate can be very harmful to dogs, so make sure they are kept away from those furries.
The cats are still turning on the faucet and the television. I can hide the remote, but as far as the sink, well there isn’t much I can do. I just wish they would do the dishes.
In last month’s letter I mentioned the end of the Lost and Found Series, but a few characters will make cameo appearances in Santa’s Holiday Spectacular this fall where the Sisters unintentionally meet Santa’s Crew for a rip roaring adventure through Rockefeller Center. Meanwhile, my new hardcover Fight or Flight is on sale now. I also want to reiterate some of the changes you will see toward the end of this year. Over the past couple of years, mass-market paperback books have not been selling well, and the big-box stores will no longer be carrying them in the fall. As a result most publishers decided to move to the Trade Paperback format/trim size, so don’t be surprised if you discover this larger sized book with a larger price point. Lilac Time, the annual spring anthology, will also be in the new format at the end of April.
I know there are a lot of unnerving things happening all over the world and I pray everyone, everywhere will find renewal and rebirth with this new season.
This month’s contest will include:
First place winner will be the first one to get a signed copy of Lilac Time and signed editions of Fern Michaels’ latest bestsellers Backwater Justice and Fight or Flight! Second place winner will receive a signed copy of Fight or Flight! and two other favorites of mine.
Again, my deepest appreciation for your support.
Big hugs,
Fern
Stuffed Shells – real crowd pleaser and make ahead dish
- 1 lb. of large macaroni shells
- 2 cups Ricotta cheese – please don’t ruin it with cottage cheese!
- 1 cup parmesan or Romano – grated
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley – the dried stuff doesn’t do it
- ½ cup chopped fresh basil – this you can substitute for 2 tsps. dried basil
- 2 eggs
Marinara sauce: If you want to save time and have EXCELLENT sauce get a couple of jars of RAO’s. Most grocery stores carry that brand now. It comes from a family recipe at Rao’s Italian Restaurant in the Bronx. The restaurant has only 10 tables and is considered THE hardest place to get a reservation. For real. It’s not even knowing someone. It’s knowing someone who owns a slot who would be willing to give it up for you!
Cook the pasta al dente according to the package. You don’t want them to get too mushy because you will be stuffing them and then baking them.
Drain and let them cool down a bit so you can handle them.
While the pasta is cooking – 10-12 minutes prepare the mixture.
Beat the eggs and mix ricotta and parmesan cheeses and herbs and blend. (The mozzarella goes on later.)
Fill each cooked shell with egg/cheese mix.
Preheat oven to 325.
Put a small layer of sauce on the bottom of a large baking dish.
Lay stuffed shells on top of the sauce. It’s ok to overlap them if necessary.
Top the shells with more sauce, sprinkle with shredded mozzarella.
Bake for 20 minutes.
They’ll think you have an Italian chef in your kitchen!
FRITATTA
This is great for a Sunday brunch or a quick dinner.
Need an ovenproof frying pan.
Ingredients
- 2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion
- 1 can potatoes or 1 cup [blanched] sliced fresh potatoes
- 1 package of frozen artichoke hearts – thawed, you can use asparagus if you prefer.
- ½ cup sun dried tomatoes – sliced
- 3-4 tablespoons fresh basil leaves shredded/chopped
- ¼ cup grated parmesan or Romano cheese
- 2 cups of Eggbeaters
[or 6-8 eggs scrambled]
- 1 cup shredded cheddar or mozzarella cheese [according to taste preference] to melt on top just before done
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350.
- Sauté onions and potatoes in olive oil until soft
- Add artichokes and sun-dried tomatoes and sauté until ingredients are mixed
- Whisk eggs and parmesan cheese together and pour mixture over veggies, toss half the basil on top
- Let entire mixture set for about five-seven minutes on top of stove on low-medium, heat. You don’t want it to cook through.
- Once set, place frying pan in oven and bake for 20 minutes
- Sprinkle shredded cheese and bake additional 5 minutes
- Remove from oven and let sit for 3-4 minutes. Garnish with remaining basil
Note: you can also make mini-frittatas without the frying pan. Just pour the mixture into well-greased muffin pans and bake for 10-12 minutes.
Pizza Rustica is one of several Italian Easter pies. It’s a traditional savory dish and usually takes a day and a half to prepare. But here is a simpler recipe.
Ingredients – for 2 pies…. believe me they will fly out of the kitchen. It can keep on the counter all day.
Original recipe yields 16 servings
Ingredients
- 4 unbaked 9-inch pie crusts, divided
- 2 (16 ounce) containers whole-milk ricotta cheese
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 2 eggs
- ¼ pound pepperoni
- ½ pound sweet capicola (coppa)
- ½ pound salami
- 1 egg white, slightly beaten
Step 1
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Press 1 pie crust each into the bottom of two 9-inch pie pans.
Step 2
Mix ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, and eggs together in a large bowl. Roughly chop the pepperoni, sweet capicola and salami; fold in chopped meats. Spoon half the mixture into each of the 2 prepared pie pans.
Step 3
Top each pie with a pie crust, crimping the edges together creating a seal. Brush the top of each pie with egg white.
Step 4
Bake in the preheated oven until crust is golden brown, 45 to 60 minutes. Let cool for about 10 minutes before serving.
Quick, Easy, and Impressive. You can make the brownies but if you’re tight for time, buy them.
Brownie Trifle
- 1 lb. brownies – cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1-2 cans whipped cream
- ½ lb. cherries – if fresh, take out the pits, or use frozen. Another trick is to buy LUXARDO cherries – they come in a heavy syrup and are the original maraschino cherries. They’re a little pricey, but worth it.
- 1 cup crushed chocolate chips
- 6 wide mouth wine glasses or martini glasses (just to be fancy)
Squirt a bit of whipped cream into the bottom of the glass
- Add 2-3 cubes of brownies
- Add 2-3 cherries
- Another squirt of whipped cream
- Repeat until glass is full. Garnish with a sprinkling of chocolate chips and a cherry on top
If you’re like me, technology can be a little confusing. Okay, a lot confusing, so here’s a little more info to help you navigate.
We put all my books from 2024 on the 2024 page and all the upcoming releases on the 2025 page.
The SERIES TAB explains each series and the books in the series. There’s a tab about me, Mary Kuczkir—yep that’s my real name; recipes, and my furry friends.
Thank you! Enjoy!
