Sunday, October 8, 2017

Interview + GIVEAWAY: A Place at Our Table

If you enjoy Amish fiction as much as I do, you’ll be excited to hear that A Place at Our Table, the first book in Amy Clipston’s new Amish Homestead series, releases next month. A lot of treasured memories are centered around the family dinner table, and here’s some of Amy’s thoughts about her own family table …

Q: What was your favorite comfort food as a child, Amy?

I think it’s always been popcorn!

Q: Who does the cooking when you are on a tight deadline?

Since I work full-time and write several books per year, my mom keeps our house running. My mother usually does the cooking, but occasionally I make something.

Q: What is your family's favorite dinner?

One of our favorites is my mother’s sauerbraten, which I always request on my birthday. We also enjoy having breakfast for dinner, such as eggs, pancakes, or French toast.

Q: Who most often gets the job of washing dishes and how is that decided?

It’s usually my mother and me, but lately I’ve forced the boys to pitch in too!

Q: What's something you have wanted to cook but fear cooking?

I wish I had more time to bake. I’d love to try more Amish recipes, such as whoopie pies or pretzels, but I really don’t have time.

Amy, thanks for giving us a glimpse into your own home and family traditions. We eagerly anticipate your next book, A Place at Our Table.




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  1. My favorite memory is one Thanksgiving dinner when 'most' family members were finished eating. My brother-in-law had gone to take a nap after the huge meal, lol, when he woke up he came to the dining room and here my husband (size 29 inch waist by the way, lol) was STILL eating. My brother-in-law could not believe it and he never let my husband forget it. By the way he always ate like that and never gained a pound until after his FIRST heart attack.

    wfnren at aol dot com

    1. Great memory, Wendy. Maybe your husband is just a slow eater like I am. You said "first heart attack" ... does that mean he has had more than one? I hope both of you are doing well now.

    2. No, he wasn't a slow eater, lol. He could eat anything and everything and a lot of it back then, lol. Yes the first heart attack was in 1995, age 43, the LAD (left anterior descending artery, also known as the widow maker) 97% blocked, they did angioplasty. In 2002 the same thing again and a stent was implanted, then in 2006 he had a 5-way bypass. He always went back to work afterwards. It was a back surgery in 2012 that disabled him, then infection from that, reopened his back to make sure the hardware (8 screws, 2 spacers and a rod in his spine) wasn't causing the problem. Then six months later a spacer slipped so back surgery again to replace it. He is still with us and walks with a cane but can't work. I blame him for what little gray hair I have, not my kids, lol. There were more complications from the back surgery(ies) that we deal with even today though. But I am thankful he's still here and able to get around, not in a wheelchair or worse.

    3. Yes he has had 3, all the LAD (left anterior descending artery, commonly known as the widow maker) 97% blocked. In 1995, age 43, they did angioplasty, in 2002 a stent was implanted and in 2006 a 5-way bypass. He continued working after each one of those. It was after back surgery in 2012 he was disabled, woke up with a drop foot on the right, then infection and two more back surgeries to follow, one within 2 weeks and one six months later for a slipped/cracked spacer. Thankfully he is still with us and still able to walk with a cane. I blame him for my 'little' gray hair that I have, not my kids, lol.

  2. My biggest memory of the dinner table is using the table as a Barbie house.

    1. A table certainly gives you enough room to play, Virginia! Best wishes in the giveaway.

  3. Favorite dinner table memory - We have 7 people in my family growing up. I was the only girl out of 5 kids. I remember always waiting for my Dad to come home from work before we could eat. One or more of us kids would always wait UNDER the table for Dad, holding on to his chair legs. He would pull us out - every night. He always played along with us. Great memories!
    Susan in NC

  4. When all my family was together at the table eating together on a warm summer's evening eating fresh vegetables from our garden, so good! lclee59(at)centurylink(dot)net

  5. My favorite dinner table memories are from holidays when we would not only have the five of us but also various relatives. We'd add the extra leaves (sections) into the expandable table, use a tablecloth and the nice silver and china, and we'd catch up on the news of the other family. All our relatives lived in other states, so it was a special treat to have them come for a holiday visit!

  6. amy guillaume lindermanOctober 8, 2017 at 7:27 PM

    my dad was always soo funny at the dinner would drive my mom nuts, lol

  7. My favorite dinnertime memory is when we were finally able to sit with the adults instead of at the kids table at Thanksgiving.
    marypopmom (at) yahoo (dot) com

  8. My favorite dinner table memory is our family holding hands and praying.

  9. Not dinner but breakfast my father would fix eggs, canadian bacon and hard rolls with butter every sunday morning.

  10. mom always made dinner a special event. I suppose with 5 children, she had to keep us all at the table and eating. LOL. Before dinner though we would hold hands and each night a different person would pray. Mom has been gone for 6 years now, and when we all get together we still do what mom had taught us.
    quilting dash lady at Comcast dot net

  11. Home-made Chicken and Dumplings. My least favorite is Liver.
    Janet E.

  12. Thank you for your beautiful blog post! I'm so thankful you're a member of my Bakery Bunch!

  13. A funny memory is related to extended family Christmas meal at my grandparents' home. There was an adult table and kiddie table (card tables). As the adult table was FULL, the two young newly married couples, a cousin and I, and our spouses, wind up assigned to the kiddie table. It was actually more fun. Always enjoy Amy's books! Thanks!