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My name is Donna Hechler Porter. I am an author, educator, and speaker. I was born with one foot in the present and two in the past. I love books and the worlds they take me to. Chocolate makes everything better. Cats are the best and smartest animals around. And, well . . . a man with a tricorn will always turn my head. Grab your coffee, your tea, or your favorite flavored water and read a book review, grab a recipe to try, or read my latest blog post. Explore the links below to my author website, my genealogy blog, my books, and more! Here at Books, Chocolate, and Men in Tricorns its all about community, learning new things, and trying to live my best life while getting all these stories out of my head!

Dusty Cookbooks

Exploring History

A Kitchen Hero: The Slow Cooker Through the Ages

January is National Slow Cooker Month, and so, thinking about crock pots got me to thinking . . . One of my most vivid Christmas memories as a child was of my Mother receiving a crock pot for Christmas. Now, before you naysayers do your naysaying and ask quietly or even out loud why did she get such a Christmas gift - she had asked for that crock pot. This was, after all, the 70s. Children got five inexpensive gifts at Christmas time and maybe some candy in their stockings .

Jan 114 min read

The Fabric Wars: Cotton vs Polyester (Or, did you know that polyester is really plastic?)

Fabrics and clothes bring back memories. There's a reason why Cotton used the tagline the fabric of our lives in their commercials. There's a reason why quilts were not only prized for their warmth and purpose in times past, but because they wove a story of memories - from a daughter's first dress, to a baby's first blanket, to a husband's work shirt . . . and then, a single phrase changed my world and set me onto another deep dive . . . polyester is really plastic.

Sep 13, 20255 min read

Of Roses, Pine Trees, and Egg Yolks: Old-Fashioned Healing in a Pre-Modern Medicine World

In my upcoming release, The Brooch, my hero comes home from the war with a severely damaged and infected arm. Prior medical help, for army surgeons were not known for the skill, has not only offered no help, but it has actually worsened his condition. His return home brings him to Elizabeth Johns McQueen and her healing hands. She trained under her father, a physician in the British army, who was better than the average army surgeon/barber.

Apr 30, 20223 min read

Genetic Memories Anyone? (or, my fascination with Daniel Boone . . .)

Recently, someone posted about the old 60s television show Daniel Boone. Of course, there are a number of inaccuracies in the show. Boone wore a felt beaver hat not a coonskin cap (although Davy Crockett wore one). Boonesborough and the surrounding environ looks a LOT different than the television suggests. The Shawnee, and not the Cherokee, populated the Kentucky area. Boone and wife Rebecca had ten children not just two . . .

Apr 11, 20213 min read

Book Review: "Pure as the Lily" by Catherine Cookson

If you have read my previous blogs, or talked to me in person, you know Catherine Cookson is my all-time favorite author. I cycled through every book I could find while in late junior high and early high school. When I went to Canada with my then fiancee to visit his parents, I found more Cookson books I could not find in the states (as she is an English author). I quickly snapped them up, happy as a clam that I had others.

Jun 30, 20184 min read

Book Review: "Blessings," by Anna Quindlen

Blessings is the story of three lost souls - one young, one old, and one abandoned. It is a beautiful tale of the end of lives and the beginning of others, no matter your age.

May 15, 20183 min read

Book Review: "Only the River Runs Free" by Bodie & Brock Thoene

In a short few words - I loved this book! I have never read the Thoenes (pronounced Tay-Nee) before, but needless to say, I already have the next three books in The Galway Chronicles coming to my local library.

Apr 30, 20183 min read

Pocketbooks & Pie Crusts

On my last last blog I shared my Chocolate Buttermilk Pie recipe, which is great comfort food even if its not good for your waistline. I mentioned I froze my pie crusts ahead of time so that I always had them handy. Doing so is a great time-saver. So this week, after several requests, I am sharing my frozen pie crust dough recipe. And, let me say up front, I have no idea where I got this recipe from, so credit, unfortunately, cannot be given.

Jan 17, 20183 min read