Guest Post: Regina Scott & Her Frontier Sweethearts

Happy dancing because Regina Scott is here today to chat about her new book Her Frontier Sweethearts! I love Regina’s books – if you haven’t read anything by her yet, you are really missing out!

HER FRONTIER SWEETHEARTS by Regina Scott
SERIES: Frontier Matches #2
GENRE: Historical/Western Romance (Clean & Wholesome)
PUBLISHER: Edwards and Williams
RELEASE DATE: October 17, 2022
PAGES: 241

A chance for a whole new life?

Ciara O’Rourke learned to bake sweet treats from the best, her older sister. Now determined to step out on her own, she agrees to start the first cookhouse at Wallin Landing, a tiny settlement north of frontier Seattle. But nothing goes as planned, from the local loggers, who seem more interested in courting than being paying customers, to the baby who’s thrust into her arms by a stranger who rides off whispering warnings.

Kit Weatherly sailed away from his controlling family on a tea clipper to explore the world. He’s since found a true family in the Wallin Landing logging crew. That is, until the pretty new cook informs him he’s uncle to a niece he never knew he had! One look in little Grace’s face, and Kit knows he’ll do anything to protect her. And one taste of Ciara’s cooking has him wondering what he’d have to do to convince her to take a chance on them both.

If you like warm, witty historical romances with intelligent heroines, dashing heroes, and well-researched historical details, then you’ll love this frontier romance by an award-winning author.

“If Regina Scott penned the story, it is sure to satisfy.” Huntress Reviews

Find your frontier sweetheart, today.

Frontier Matches: It takes a strong lady to tame the frontier and the rugged men who call it home.

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Eating Good on the Frontier

by Regina Scott, author of Her Frontier Sweethearts

If you ask my family, they will tell you I’m a decent cook. I will tell you that I can follow a recipe. Going off script tends to get me into trouble. I’m the only one in the family who has managed to melt a spatula into the food, twice. I’ve made cupcakes that looked as if they were craters on the moon. And ten-minute cookies once took 45 minutes to cook.

So, when Ciara O’Rourke, the heroine of my October release, Her Frontier Sweethearts, moved from frontier Seattle to the little settlement of Wallin Landing to start its first restaurant, I knew I needed to do some research to do her cooking justice. I knew what the Pacific Northwest had for stoves in 1876 (pretty rudimentary). Thanks to a churn bequeathed by my great-grandmother, I knew how to churn butter. Thanks to my nieces, who currently raise chickens, I knew a little about that process. But Ciara had to think through a whole lot more to determine what to feed hungry customers.

For one thing, we’re talking bulk. A rabbit might have fed a family back then, but it won’t go very far when you’re feeding thirty or more people a night. The same goes for fish, fresh caught from the lake. Takes a lot of time to pull in enough for that many! One of the Wallin family in the area might bag a deer, but, with no refrigeration, you have to use it all, fast. And you can’t count on getting that lucky for every meal. Salted meats, alas, are the order of the day, with ham, bacon, and pork hock most common.

For another, basic supplies on the frontier could be hard to come by. She has eggs, milk, and butter available but she has to order in flour, oats, rice, and most spices like cinnamon and nutmeg. Fruits and vegetables are either from home-canned preserves or picked fresh in season.

So, what did Ciara settle on for her menu? Here are a few of the items:

• Pork and apple pie with cinnamon, nutmeg and a cheddar sage crust (example https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/farmhouse-pork-and-apple-pie/)
• Fish chowder in a rich, creamy base (example https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/fish_chowder/)
• Ham and bean soup with lots of other vegetables (example https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/17628/basic-ham-and-bean-soup/)

And, because she was raised by Seattle’s premiere baker, she can always whip up molasses oat bread, Irish barmbrack (a heavy bread made with tea and raisins–https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/162072/irish-barmbrack/), and the ever-famous Wallin biscuits.

Perhaps my favorite recipes had to do with the desserts. Her goal is to have two main courses and two desserts every day. I loved the idea of Spotted Pup—a rice pudding with raisins, molasses, and cinnamon. Lemon poundcake is always good, with the leftovers going to make trifle with fruit and whipped cream the next day. And because I adore raspberries and used to pick them locally, she makes blackcap (black raspberries) pie.

Are you hungry yet? I think I have another spatula ready.

Regina Scott is the award-winning author of more than 60 works of warm, witty historical romance, and more than 1 million copies of her stories are in reader hands. When she isn’t busy dreaming up frontier recipes, you can find her walking the forests of her beloved Pacific Northwest, where she lives with her husband of 30 years. Learn more about her at her website at www.reginascott.com. You can also find her blogging at www.nineteenteen.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/authorreginascott, and on Pinterest at www.pinterest.com/reginascottpins, where she has campfire, Regency, and Victorian recipes as well as pictures that inspired her books set in pioneer Seattle and Regency England.

What about you? What makes you want to read Her Frontier Sweethearts by Regina Scott? Which of the dishes that Regina mentioned would you order at Ciara’s restaurant?