Unbroken Circle - Drama, Love and Food

Though the story told in Unbroken Circle is one of injustice, hardship and the healing power of love and friendship, an underlying thread is the wonderfulness of food.

Anyone who follows Mary Griggs on Facebook knows that foodie pursuits rank high in her life. In between meetings of New Orleans rights activists and home improvement projects, Mary manages to share photographs and descriptions of southern dishes, and she maintains Mouth Brothels, a personal blog and review of New Orleans eateries. In Unbroken Circle, her debut romance novel, Sallie Lee Hybart believes that food is the great healer, and her diner serves it up in delectable detail.

Mary is sharing recipes from Sallie Lee's cookbook and we're posting one below in the hopes that it will whet your appetite for Unbroken Circle, which releases in June.

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Sallie Lee Hybart doesn’t see many strangers at her diner counter. Pennington, Alabama, is a town the interstate passed by, so newcomers are rare. But this one looks familiar.

Janet Bouton has nothing and no one. Her life has been stripped down to the clothing on her back. Counting out her meager change to pay for a stick-to-the-ribs meal, she is hoping to escape the diner unrecognized. She shouldn’t have come back...but no place else on earth was familiar.

An act of kindness sets a chain of events in motion and pulls Sallie Lee and Janet together, but the past has the power to tear them apart. There are still people in Pennington who remember Janet too well. Small town memories have had a lot of years to simmer, and love may not be the recipe for happiness.

Mary Griggs’ debut romance novel unites a lost soul and a determined survivor to create a passionate story that readers will remember long after the final page.

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Baked Chicken with Potatoes

Marinade:

2 cloves garlic minced

2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoon dried oregano

1 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 Tablespoon olive oil

Juice of 1 lime

Main Ingredients

4 chicken breasts

1/2 cup butter, melted

2 lbs potatoes, lightly boiled and sliced

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

In a large bowl, stir all the marinade ingredients together to form a paste. Liberally rub it on the chicken. Cover and let marinate for at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a medium sized casserole, place sliced potatoes along bottom and sides of dish. Transfer chicken and marinade to dish. Pour the butter over the chicken and potatoes. Bake for 1 hour, uncovered, basting occasionally.

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Read more about Mary Griggs at her site.