Monthly Archives: July 2025

Fern Michaels > Blog WP > 2025 > July
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July 2025 Monthly Letter

Dear Friends,

July 4th!  Holy firecrackers.  If you are reading this after the holiday I hope you had a blast!  No pun intended! 😊

The weather has been extremely hot and steamy, although that’s not new to South Carolina.  It seems like it lasts longer and gets hotter more often.  Apparently we are not the only people living in a steam bath.  The fluctuations in the temperatures are crazy, especially in my house.  Last week my air conditioner quit on me when the heat index was 106°!!!  The mechanic said he had to order new blades and it could take up to ten days!  I wasn’t sure if I was going to faint from the heat or what he had just told me.  Probably both.  Thankfully he was able to find two of the three blades, pulled a “MacGyver” and rigged it so it would work.  BUT…I couldn’t control the thermostat and my house became a meat locker at 54°.  I kept going outside to warm up.  The fun never ends.

By now you are probably accustomed to my fur-family stories.  In the past three years I’ve become one of those “Cat Ladies”.  I refrain from inserting the word “Crazy” but give me time…BECAUSE my grandson rescued a very young kitten and guess what?  I’m keeping her.

Book news:  The Wild Side is now on sale in mass market, with a kick-ass cover!  A new series TWIN LIGHTS will debut with Smuggler’s Cove in August.  The first part of the story is character development; some you will love to hate!  It’s also filled with interesting historical facts about pirates, privateers, sunken ships and rum runners, as we spend modern day at the shore.

This months’ contest winner will receive signed copies of the paperback editions of The Wild Side, Lilac Time and Plain Jane.

All the best,
Fern

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July 2025 Recipes

P.S. I LOVE bacon.  I make a salad with a pound of bacon but I’ll share that recipe another time.  With summer Bar-B-Ques I wanted to give you a menu including one of my favorite recipes for potato salad, grilled chicken and a no bake dessert!

GERMAN POTATO SALAD

Ingredients

  • 5 slices bacon (diced and cooked until crisp)
  • 2 tablespoons bacon drippings
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon prepared mustard
  • 1/2 cup cider vinegar
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 4 cups sliced cooked potatoes – look for thin skinned like red or fingerling

Instructions

  1. Boil already-sliced potatoes until they are cooked through. Set aside.
  2. Cook the bacon and keep the drippings. Set it aside to cool.
  3. Heat bacon drippings in a pan large enough to add the potatoes.
  4. Blend in flour, sugar, salt, and mustard.
  5. Slowly add vinegar and water, stir until smooth.
  6. Continue cooking over low heat, until thickened.
  7. Add potatoes and heat through, slowly add crumbled bacon-save a few tablespoons for garnish.
  8. Serve warm or room temp.

DIJONNAISE GRILLED CHICKEN

Ingredients

  • ½ cup mayonnaise
  • ½ cup Dijon mustard
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely grated
  • Salt and black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon thyme leaves or dried thyme
  • 1½ to 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, patted dry

Instructions

  • Heat a grill to medium-high. (You can also cook the chicken on the stovetop over medium-high heat, following the same timing.) Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, mustard and garlic, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer half to a small bowl and refrigerate until serving.
  • To the medium bowl with the reserved Dijonnaise, stir in the thyme leaves. Season the chicken all over with salt and pepper, then transfer to the medium bowl and toss to coat. Let sit at least 15 minutes or refrigerate up to overnight. (Let it come to room temperature before cooking.)
  • Clean the grill grates. (No need to grease; the mayonnaise keeps the chicken from sticking.) Scrape excess marinade off the chicken, then grill over direct heat until the chicken unsticks from the grates and is deep golden and cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes per side. If using a gas grill, cover grill between flips. Discard the chicken marinade. Serve with the small bowl of reserved Dijonnaise alongside.

NO BAKE CHEESECAKE

Ingredients

  • 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
  • ⅓ cup white sugar
  • 4 cups frozen whipped topping, thawed
  • 1 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker crust
  • ½ pint sliced fresh strawberries – sprinkled with sugar – set aside

 Instructions

  1. Beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth.
  2. Fold in whipped topping.
  3. Spoon mixture into graham crumb crust. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
  4. Once the cheesecake has set, garnish with sliced strawberries.