See You At Harry's
Written by: Jo Knowles
I was fortunate enough to receive an ARC of this book through NetGalley and I thought a lot about how I was going to write this review. I debated whether to do a detailed outline of what was going on in the story and finally opted on leaving that up to you as the reader and telling you a little more about Jo and just giving a touch on the story. Jo has really done
it this time! I loved her first three
books, “Lessons From A Dead Girl”, “Jumping Off Swings” and “Pearl”, but with “See
You At Harry’s”, I felt more emotions than I thought possible with the reading
of one book. Jo takes you down a path
where your heart breaks, heals and then soars.
She has a remarkable talent for writing; her words seem to flow
effortlessly. Jo captures the essence of
her subject creating an inspiring reading experience. I feel that her writing is a gift and she is
the channel from inspiration to paper.
“See You At Harry’s” is coming out in May of
this year. This is Jo’s first, ‘middle-grade’
novel, where her other stories are for the Young Adult Genre, although I feel
that this book is ageless.
When you stop by
Harry’s you will meet, Fern, who is twelve, her older brother and sister,
Holden and Sara, and then there is Charlie who is three. Their parents own and run the family
restaurant, “Harry’s Homemade Ice Cream and Family Restaurant”. While reading this story I was drawn into the
world of the characters and found their happenings truly realistic. Here is a family that truly loves each other
with realistic emotions of annoyance, grief, anger, despair and fear.
Thank you, Jo, for
finding a way to share this beautiful story, not only for the sake of the story
itself, but for the message you spread with it.
Reading her blog, leaves you with the
feeling that you have known her forever, even though you may never have met.
Chocolate Covered Brownie
Ice Cream Sandwich Cookie Pops
For the
Brownies:
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa, plus more for pan
2 eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup flour
pinch of kosher salt
For the Ice Cream Sandwiches:
1 quart vanilla ice cream, slightly softened
2 pounds chocolate chips
1 teaspoon oil
Directions:
Preheat
the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 13x9inch
pan. Place a sheet of parchment paper in the bottom, spread with butter, and
dust with cocoa powder. Set aside.
In the
bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together
butter, sugar, and 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder. When the mixture is creamy,
and all lumps are gone, add in eggs, one at a time, incorporating well after
each addition. Add in vanilla.
With the mixer
on low, add in flour and salt. Mix until just combined. Spread into prepared
pan and bake until shiny on the top, 10-15 minutes. Remove from oven, and allow
to cool completely.
Remove
brownie from the pan, and cut in half. Spread ice cream on one half, and top
with the other half. Freeze for 2-4 hours, until firm.
Cut the
large ice cream sandwich into smaller sandwiches. Insert wooden popsicle
sticks, and freeze for another hour.
Melt the
chocolate chips with the oil in the microwave in 30 second intervals, until
chocolate is smooth. Dip each ice cream sandwich in the chocolate, and let set
on a sheet of parchment paper. Wrap in parchment
Don't Forget The Milk!
Enjoy!