The Christmas Pearl (13 page)

Read The Christmas Pearl Online

Authors: Dorothea Benton Frank

Tags: #Fiction, #Contemporary Women, #Romance, #Contemporary

BOOK: The Christmas Pearl
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Collard Greens

  • 2 bunches collard greens (leaves will wilt as cooked)
  • ¼ streak of lean or fatback of pork slices
  • 2 14½-ounce cans chicken broth
  • 3 cups cold water
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • ½ dried hot red pepper
  • 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
  • salt and pepper to taste

Wash greens two or three times to remove sand. Cut heavy bottom stems from leaves then chop or tear the remainder. As greens are being washed and readied for cooking, cook the pork slices in frying pan or in microwave for 3 to 4 minutes. Lift from grease when brown and drain on paper towel. Prior to cooking, place the pork and greens in a pot, cover with broth and water. Add sugar, hot red pepper, vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook in 6-quart
pot for approximately 1 hour or in 6-quart pressure cooker for 25 minutes.

 

Greens can be cooked one to two days ahead of serving time and reheated.

T
OPPING

  • 1 cup chopped mild onion
  • 1 green bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 4 rounds chopped jalapeno pepper

Mix all ingredients together. Do not heat this mixture, as it should be crisp when served. This may be made a day ahead and kept in the refrigerator if covered tightly. Yum!

 

SERVES
6
TO
8

*
White Lily Self-Rising Flour available at www.whitelily.com

*
I “crush” vanilla wafers in the food processor or blender!

*
Important

The energy and contagious enthusiasm of many people went into the creation of this book and I would like to thank them here. First and foremost, my gratitude to Buzzy Porter who encouraged me to write this story in the first place, and to the South Carolina Historical Society for the use of the photographs of Charleston from ages ago. Huge thanks to Carrie Feron, my brilliant editor who might be the most charming Yankee I have ever met except for Larry Kirshbaum, my fabulous agent who is also a genius. Much love to both of you.

To the Morrow team with love and thanks: Jane Friedman, Michael Morrison, Lisa Gallagher, Virginia Stanley, Carla Parker, Carl Lennertz, Michael Morris, Michael Spradlin, Brian Grogan, Michael Brennan, Rhonda Rose, Donna Waitkus, Dale Schmidt, Liate Stehlik, Adrienne DiPietro, Richard Aquan, Tom Egner, Barbara Levine, Rick Harris, Ana Maria Allessi, Debbie Stier, Ben Bruton, Lynn Grady, Tavia Kowalchuk, and of course, always special thanks to Tessa Woodward.

To Debbie Zammit, Ann Del Mastro, and Kevin Sherry for endurance and friendship.

All my love to Peter, William, and Victoria. And to booksellers and readers everywhere—my holiday wish for you is one of perfect health and peace with my most heartfelt thanks for your support. Happy holidays and thank you, thank you, thank you!

About the Author

New York Times
bestselling author D
OROTHEA
B
ENTON
F
RANK
was born and raised on Sullivan’s Island, South Carolina. She and her long-suffering husband, Peter, divide their time between the New York area and Charleston, South Carolina, where their two children are in college and spending every last dime their parents earn. They thank you for your support.

Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins author.

ALSO BY DOROTHEA BENTON FRANK

The Land of Mango Sunsets

Full of Grace

Pawleys Island

Shem Creek

Isle of Palms

Plantation

Sullivans Island

Jacket design by Laura Klynstra
Front jacket photograph by Rita Maas/Jupiter Images

This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

THE CHRISTMAS PEARL
. Copyright © 2007 by Dorothea Benton Frank. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

ePub edition October 2007 ISBN 9780061741326

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

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