Author: Dora Hiers

Excited about Eating by Ernie Hiers

/ Dora Hiers

This edition of Excited about Eating takes us to Nantucket Grill, located at the corner of Hwy 54 & Farrington Rd in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. 


With its friendly casual environment, Nantucket Grill caters to couples, families and UNC fans with a wide variety of menu options. 

We visited on Saturday night for their much anticipated free cake night,  a free slice of mile high goodness with each entree over $13. 

Dora here. Confession time. We come up with excuses to make the two hour drive here on a Saturday just for the cake. Feast your eyes on this dessert case. Wouldn’t you?

Cake case. Bam! Right as you enter.

Since I judged BBQ that day, my wife and I shared the full portion of the Grilled Scallop Kabobs (2 skewers), served over herb rice and mixed vegetables and drizzled with lobster cream sauce. 

We were surprised when the meal came out already divided on two plates. 

Grilled Scallop Kabobs (full portion divided in half)

Dora here. Yeah, this plate is only half the meal! Yowza!

Generous scallops perfectly cooked, golden on the outside, tender and meaty on the inside. The rice, peppers and onions complemented the dish, but the main star was the lobster cream sauce. Creamy, with only a hint of seafood, a sauce that would raise any seafood to the next level. Outstanding!

Dora here. Oh. My! Smooth. Luxurious. Every bite leads to one more. I practically licked my plate clean!

And then…the Chocolate Peanut Butter cake. Six layers of chocolate cake separated by peanut butter filling and topped with chocolate butter cream icing, a Reese cup and peanut butter drizzle. Normally, I am not a big chocolate cake lover, but this cake was great with the peanut butter taking a back seat to the chocolate. So rich, it was difficult to eat the entire slice in one seating.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

Dora here. Speak for yourself, Ernie. I had no problem eating mine! 


Every time we visit, I scan the case for something different, but I always opt for my usual, Coconut Cake. Moist and rich, but not so rich I can’t eat every bite! A tip, though, get it to go and enjoy it later when you’re not so stuffed. You can thank me later. 🙂

Coconut Cake

We rate this restaurant 5 forks out of 5 for a family friendly restaurant serving outstanding food.


Ernie & Dora Hiers
Fiction Faith & Foodies Blog

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The Best Part of Traveling is…

/ Dora Hiers / 13 Comments
While our two sons were young, we lived in Florida, where seasons and cooler temperatures were non-existent. So, every winter break we loaded the car with heavy coats, sleds, and Christmas presents, and traveled to some faraway state, hoping to find snow.
After arriving at our destination, we would tuck all the presents under a miniature artificial tree and turn on the sparkling lights. Then, we’d snuggle in front of the fireplace and cheer for our favorite football teams or watch a movie, sipping hot chocolate loaded with whipped cream and sprinkles. In the morning, we’d all scramble to the window to see if it had snowed during the night. Nothing beat that first sight of freshly fallen snow, clean and pure, and shimmering like diamonds.
Now that hubby and I are empty nesters, we travel quite a bit more than we did when the kids were young. We’ve taken to cruising every year and have enjoyed visiting Italy, France, Croatia, Spain, Norway, Iceland, Denmark, Netherlands, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. We’ve tried new foods, explored new cultures, experienced unfamiliar situations, deciphered foreign languages, and encountered wonderful people along the way.
As much as I love traveling, the best part for me is…wait for it, wait for it…
Coming home. That sweet feeling that wells up as I walk in the door. Home, where everything is familiar, where our dog roams the yard without a leash, where I don’t need to pull up a map on my cellphone. Home, to a soft mattress and pillows shaped just the way I need them, coffee just the way I like it, and local restaurants with food and words I recognize. Home, to precious family nearby, where we don’t have to rely on Internet connections to chat or Google Hangouts to soak in their sweet faces. Home, to the comfort of a routine because that’s the way I roll.
Beck Harmon, fictional hero of Beck’s Peace, left home and wandered for ten years, seeking peace over his father’s death. Our motivation might be different, but he would say the same about his travels. The best part was coming home.

Which states/countries have you visited? What’s your favorite aspect of traveling? Least favorite?

Coming JULY 24
with Pelican Book Group
Burn survivor Savvy McCord doesn’t blame her best friend for running away. She can’t even look at her scars without wincing. When Beck’s disappearing act spans years, she relinquishes dreams of love and marriage. Unable to face Savvy’s expectations of happily-ever-after, Beck Harmon deserts her, far away from the rumors that he’s just like his father. When the wanderer returns, dreams of forever blossom in Savvy’s heart, but she worries he’ll leave again. Can Beck convince Savvy that her true beauty comes from her inner strength and faith? Will his idea to help burn victims regain their self-confidence restore Savvy’s trust in him? Will love be what the wanderer needs to find peace for his hurting soul?

Excited about Reading: Hope Harbor by Irene Hannon

/ Dora Hiers / 2 Comments
Amazon Purchase Link

The Cover Story~ 
Tracy Campbell never wanted to leave Hope Harbor, Oregon, or the idyllic three-generation cranberry farm where she grew up. But life–and love–altered her plans. When tragedy strikes and changes her plans yet again, she finds herself back in her hometown with a floundering farm to run and a heartbreaking secret. Romance is not on her agenda. Nor is it on Michael Hunter’s. The visitor from Chicago has daunting secrets of his own. But when Tracy recruits him to help save a struggling charitable organization, the winds of change begin to sweep through Hope Harbor, bringing healing, hope, and love to countless lives–including their own.

Sharing my take~
Meet the major players. Tracy Campbell, part time accountant and full time cranberry farmer. Michael Hunter, guilt-ridden, grieving businessman from Chicago who came to Hope Harbor to honor a wish of his late wife. Anna Williams, recluse, taking in wounded animals to make up for the two-decades-long rift with her estranged son. Charley, artist and taco maker (and angel?). And Floyd, a lonely seagull.

“In the beginning he brought his wife, but he’s been coming by himself for the past four months. I guess something happened to her.”
A husband and wife seagull pair.
Tickled by that fanciful notion, Michael dug out a few stray pieces of taco filling and tossed them to Floyd, who scarfed down the treat. “Maybe he’ll get married again.”
“He might, down the road…but gulls mate for life, and this one’s still in mourning.” 

Lonely and wounded by love…kind of sums up all of the characters in Hope Harbor except Charley, who seemed to be the orchestrater of healing. I enjoyed the story and how the characters grew during the course of the book, and I appreciated the parallel of their relationship with that of the seagulls. That said, the romantic chemistry was stiff and a bit lacking for me.

Ever read a book where you almost felt as if you were there? This is one of those books. The “charming Oregon seaside village” came to life. At times I felt like I was walking along the dikes of the cranberry farm flicking away bees or sitting on the picnic table outside Charley’s food trailer, the sea breeze kissing my cheeks.

But what really ramped this book up for me was its theme of forgiveness and restoration.

“Are you condoning her behavior?”
“No. But I guess I’ve gotten more tolerant of mistakes as I’ve grown older and made plenty of my own. It seems to me it’s better to treat people in the midst of a crisis with compassion than censure or criticism.”

Hope Harbor isn’t a fluffy book to wile away a lazy afternoon. It’s deep and packs a powerful message. Don’t pick up this book for the romance. Pick it up because of the story.

Disclaimer: Sending my thanks to NetGalley and Revell for the privilege of reading and reviewing Hope Harbor. I was provided a free copy of the book in exchange for my fair and unbiased review. I was in no way compensated for my review.