A Hot Dish: Shepherd's Pie

Ta Da! The winner of our

drawing for an autographed

copy of Sally Goldenbaum’s

book is Janel from Michigan.

Congratulations, Janel!

The happiest day of my year, every year, is when

the temperature outside finally drops below 90.

Yes, I said 90. I live in the Southwest and believe

me when you suffer through stretches of 115 degree

days, 90 is almost chilly. Seriously, I consider 70

cold and pull on my hat and mittens if it drops into

the 60’s. So, last week when it dropped to 88 (brr)

degrees, I fired up my oven to bake one of my favorite

cold weather hot dishes – Shepherd’s Pie!

Easy Shepherd's Pie

(Cottage Pie in the UK)


1 pound lean

ground beef
1 teaspoon

Worcestershire sauce

Salt and pepper

to taste

1 cup frozen

mixed veggies

(corn, carrots and peas)
6 medium potatoes,

peeled, boiled, and

mashed

1 cup cheddar cheese


Brown ground beef. Drain grease if necessary. Simmer
beef and season with Worcestershire sauce, salt, and
pepper. While simmering add frozen vegetables. When
vegetables are warmed through, pour mixture into a 2 qt
casserole dish. Spread mashed potatoes on top (should be
about an inch thick). Sprinkle with cheddar cheese and
bake at 350° until cheese is browned on top, about 25 to
35 minutes. I like to serve it with homemade biscuits.
Yum!

Jenn McKinlay

SPRINKLE WITH MURDER

March 2010

aka Lucy Lawrence

STUCK ON MURDER

Sept 2009

www.jennmckinlay.com

Walking Tacos

For years my family served Walking Tacos at parties. Whether it was a birthday bash during the grammar school years, a Halloween party during middle school, or a band get-together in high school, Walking Tacos have been among the most-requested foods at our house.

Portable, easy, delicious, and perfect for big crowds, this delightful treat has been a go-to recipe for me since I first learned about them from my sister-in-law years ago. They're called "Walking Tacos" because you walk around while you eat them.

I used to make these with ground beef but now that my youngest has adopted a vegetarian lifestyle, we've been Walking-Taco-less for a couple of years. Lately we've defaulted to serving our teenage guests cheese pizza, but that can get boring pretty quickly.


But wait! Hope is on the horizon! Morningstar Farms makes "Meal Starters" which are soy-based meat crumbles that act and taste a lot like ground beef. My daughter and I decided to see if this veggie-friendly item would work to bring back the Walking Tacos she used to love so much.

And guess what? It did. The taste was spot-on!

Now, before I provide the recipe, let me share a few tips with you. You can make this, exactly as described below, with either the veggie option, or with real ground beef. If you're making this for a crowd, you'll want to brown your ground beef on your stovetop, but then once it's seasoned, place it in a crockpot to keep nice and hot.

Also, if you're feeding a crowd (as we often do) you may want to buy the mini-chip bags in bulk. We get ours at Sam's Club -- usually 50 small bags at a time. (See, I really did mean a crowd!). Most kids eat two bags, but this makes great leftovers, so we always prepare extra and it never goes to waste.

Ready? Here goes:

Walking Tacos
(multiply as needed)

1 lb ground beef or veggie substitute
1 pkg taco seasoning (I use McCormick original)
+/- 6 small bags of chips (We like Cool Ranch Doritos, but this works well with regular Doritos and Fritos)
Chopped onion
Chopped tomatoes
Chopped lettuce
Shredded cheddar
Sour cream

Brown ground beef/heat beef substitute. Add Taco Seasoning and water as directed on package. Heat until beef/substitute is cooked through.

To Assemble:



Choose a bag of chips. Crush them (you may want to allow a little air to escape before you start sqeezing the bag. We've had a few bags explode with first-timers!)




Add a heaping spoonful of cooked and seasoned ground beef/substitute









Add shredded cheddar, and (as desired) chopped onions, tomatoes, lettuce, and sour cream.

Grab a fork and you're good to go! You eat right out of the bag as you mingle and chitchat.



One small word of warning. If you add a lot of ground beef to your bag, the bottom gets pretty hot. Just hold a napkin there (convenient for when you need to wipe your mouth!) and you're all set.

We're thrilled to know we can start serving these again here at the Hyzy house. My older two daughters won't have a problem with the meat version, but since they're not home that much these days, it looks like it's Morningstar Farms for us.

I hope you enjoy this. It's super easy and everyone who's ever tried it here, has gone on to serve it at their parties. It's genius!

On a personal note, although I'm super swamped with my current manuscript, I'm very much looking forward to Bouchercon. Just over a week from now--I can't believe it. I hope to see some of you there!

Best,
Julie
----
Julie Hyzy’s White House Chef Mystery series features State of the Onion, Hail to the Chef, and Eggsecutive Orders (coming in January). All from Berkley Prime Crime.

Julie’s *next* newsletter is coming out very soon. Sign up to subscribe at http://www.juliehyzy.com/

Say Cheese for Five Cheese Tips!

Have you ever been to a cheese shop? A real cheese shop? Where the cheese monger is more than willing to cut a slice of cheese off for you to taste? At no charge? Where the scents of grasses and nuts and clovers waft through the air? It’s a heavenly experience. You owe yourself a trip.

When you’re there, see how the cheese monger wraps up the cheese for your trip home. I'll bet she (or he) doesn’t smother it in plastic wrap. She wraps it in paper so the cheese can breathe. Cheese heads, cheese makers, dairy scientists, (and authors) say cheese is a “living thing.” It needs to breathe. So here are a few tips that I've gleaned over the past year while writing The Cheese Shop Mysteries.

Tip #1: When you get home, if the store you bought from wrapped your cheese in plastic wrap, rewrap it in wax paper or parchment. That allows it to breathe but protects it from drying out in the fridge.

Tip #2: If it’s a smelly cheese, place the paper-wrapped wedge in a plastic container. That still gives it a little air to breathe.

Tip #3: Don’t store the cheese in the deli bin. Put it in the produce bin which has a higher humidity.

Tip #4: Taste the cheese at the store first, if you’re allowed. Wheels of cheese can vary and one could be “off” or overripe. Be particular.

Tip #5: Try not to buy too much cheese. {I know, this is difficult!!! LOL} But buy only what you will consume in one week. That’s right, one week. Cheese should be enjoyed as “fresh” as possible. (Sort of like fish.) However, in weeks to come, I'll give you a wonderful recipe for your "leftover" cheeses.

And now, may I offer you one of my favorite dishes. It’s a no-cook dish…serving my favorite cheeses with a lovely wine, adding some olives, a little candlelight, and voila.

For those of you on the run, I hope you’ll enjoy the simple pleasures of cheese.

Tonight’s serving:

St. Agur's Blue is a blue cheese made from cow’s milk. It was developed in 1988 in the Village of Monts du Velay, in the Auvergne region of France by the cheese company Bongrain. Because of it’s rich butterfat content, it qualifies as a double-cream cheese. It becomes spicier as it ages and doesn't have the bite of Stilton.

Campo de Montalban is a semi-firm Spanish Cheese made from a blend of cow, sheep and goats’ milk in La Mancha. It is like manchego in texture, though manchego is only sheeps’ milk.

Cypress Grove's Purple Haze, a goat's milk cheese with hints of lavender and fennel. I just made Portobello Mushroom "Naked Burger" with this cheese melted on top.

Remember: Offer a simple cracker. Spicy crackers might overwhelm the cheeses.

And tonight's wine:

Nobilo Sauvignon Blanc, from South Africa, yummy, with a bouquet of tropical fruit and citrus. And reasonably priced.

Enjoy!

If you check out my website, Avery Aames, you'll find more recipes and histories of cheese and links to wonderful cheese sites!

Say Cheese!

Welcome Guest Blogger--Patricia Stoltey

Patricia is the author of the August release, The Desert Hedge Murders, the second book in the Sylvia and Willie mystery series. She loves to look at the pictures in her new favorite cookbook, the Junior League of Denver's colorado classique: A Collection of Fresh Recipes from the Rockies. Visit her blog at http://patriciastoltey.blogspot.com.

When Riley Adams invited me into the Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen, my first reaction was to laugh. My goal is to throw a meal together in about thirty minutes and clean up in ten. Occasionally I cook from a recipe, although to me a recipe is a lot like the scene outline I use to write novels—it serves as a guide, but it won’t hold me back if I come up with a better idea along the way.

I was raised on a farm where the mid-day meal during the growing season was intended to feed a room full of field hands. A common meal included a big platter of fried chicken, a ton of mashed potatoes, white gravy, and vegetables out of the garden. Many years later, when I spent two years in the South of France, my taste buds went through culture shock. I adapted quickly, however, and brought home a few new habits. For instance, I use a lot of extra virgin olive oil and Herbes de Provence.

Here are my guidelines for down home French cooking Colorado style:

1. Keep it simple.

2. Keep it colorful.

3. Use as many locally grown products as possible (but go ahead and choose Norwegian salmon and French wine from time to time).

4. Avoid packaged products with a long list of strange ingredients.

5. Change recipes to suit your tastes and use whatever you have on hand.

6. Be creative.

I make up a lot of recipes just for fun. Sometimes they turn out well, sometimes not so much. I still blush to think of the frozen peach yogurt pie I served company last year. It was so solid that when one of my guests pushed her fork into the slice, most of the piece sailed off her plate and onto the floor.

On the other hand, here’s an interesting side salad I developed that tastes great (and I think it’s much better than the traditional three-bean salad).

Bean Salad: Prepare about two cups of frozen shelled edamame according to directions on the package. Rinse and drain one can of garbanzo beans and one can of dark red or kidney beans. Toss the edamame, garbanzo beans and kidney beans in a bowl with homemade vinaigrette dressing. Chill for a couple of hours before serving, stirring the salad occasionally to mix well.

Homemade vinaigrette: In a container with a lid (so you can shake the dressing before serving), mix 1/3 cup olive oil, 1/3 cup red wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon Herbes de Provence, 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard, and 1 teaspoon sugar. You may, of course, vary the amounts of mustard, herbs and sugar according to taste. And if you don’t care for the stronger flavor of olive oil, substitute canola oil.

Thanks a bunch for inviting me to visit the Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen. It’s been fun.

A Chat with Joanne Fluke

Anyone who reads culinary mysteries knows the name Joanne Fluke. The author of Cherry Cheesecake Murder, Fudge Cupcake Murder, Sugar Cookie Murder and many more delicious titles, Joanne keeps us coming back for more tastes of life at Hannah Swensen's bakery in a small town in Minnesota.



Her books have been translated into Russian, Hungarian, Japanese, and Korean! How fun is that?




Joanne's latest book, Plum Pudding Murder has just been released and includes Hannah's favorite Christmas dinner recipes! In case you can't get enough of Joanne's recipes, you'll be happy to know that she's working on a cookbook to be released about this time next year. But her husband Ruel has to taste all the recipes first. Poor Ruel!


Joanne was kind enough to give us a glimpse into her private life (and her fridge!).

1. Name three foods in your fridge right now (that might surprise
people)…

Chipolte salsa, natural yogurt, and (for the dogs) chopped chicken and pork.


2. Who does most of the cooking in your house? There's often a divide between people who love to cook, and those who love to bake. Are you strictly a baker or do you like to cook as
well?

We both do it, about the same. I do most of the baking. Ruel makes the best Lasagna and other pasta concoctions.


3. What's a typical mid-week dinner at your house?

Sandwiches and salad.


4. Name your top five favorite cookie recipes (and tell us what books
they're in, too!)

Impossible. We like them all. When I bake it's usually some new recipe I'm working on.


5. Your amateur sleuth, Hannah Swensen, is awesome and so incredibly
loved! Can you tell us a few ways that you are like Hannah--and a few
ways that you are not like Hannah?

Hannah is quicker with snappy replies. She's a lot younger.


6. This is a really touchy issue, and we don’t mind if you don’t want to answer – just say “pass" -- but can you tell us if Hannah is going to be baking a wedding cake (for herself!) in a future book? To put it another way - will your readers ever hear wedding bells ringing for
Hannah?

We’re going to have to wait to see if Hannah chooses one of the guys. I have very little to say about Hannah’s love life. I can throw her a curve, of course, like Ross, but she has a mind of her own. People think I’m crazy when I say that, but it’s the truth. I have tried making her do things that didn’t “fit” and it always came out flat, so that I had to go back and rewrite it her way.


7. Did you ever have a dream of opening a cookie shop like Hannah's?

No. I love what I do too much to switch. Besides, I'd go broke in business.


8. Your latest book, Plum Pudding Murder, will be released in
October. What's Hannah up to this time?

She finds a body and figures out who done it. And she makes a great plum pudding that is nothing like the ones Mrs. Crachitt made. Hannah's are not steamed and actually have plums in them!


9. Would you care to share a recipe with us?

Sure!

Lovely Lemon Bar Cookies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, rack in the middle position.

2 cups flour (no need to sift)
1 cup cold butter (2 sticks, 1/2 pound)
1/2 cup powdered sugar (no need to sift, unless it's got big lumps)

4 beaten eggs (just whip them up with a fork)
2 cups white sugar
8 tablespoons lemon juice (1/2 cup)
1 teaspoon or so of zest (optional) (zest is finely grated lemon peel)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
4 tablespoons flour (that's 1/4 cup -- don't bother to sift)

Cut each stick of butter into eight pieces. Zoop it up with the flour and the powdered sugar in a food processor until it looks like coarse cornmeal (just like the first step in making a piecrust). Spread it out in a greased 9 x 13 inch pan (that's a standard cake sheet pan) and pat it down with your hands.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden around the edges. Remove from oven. (Don't turn off oven!)

Mix eggs with white sugar. Add lemon juice (and zest, if you want to use it). Add salt and baking powder and mix. Then add flour and mix thoroughly. (This will be runny -- it's supposed to be.)

Pour this mixture on top of the pan you just baked and stick it back into the oven. Bake at 350 degrees for another 30-35 minutes. Then remove from the oven and sprinkle on additional powdered sugar.

Let cool thoroughly and cut into brownie-sized bars.

Thanks for joining us today, Joanne!

To find out more about Joanne and her books, visit her website at http://www.murdershebaked.com

Cleo Coyle's Cuppa Joe Mocha Drops & Espresso Shot!

My recipe for you today is a decadent chocolate frosted brownie-like cookie kissed with the sultry note of coffee. But first...(drumroll please...) I am thrilled to announce the publication of my most recent Coffeehouse Mystery, Espresso Shot, in mass market paperback format! Huzzah!

For months now, I’ve had e-mails from readers asking when it was coming, and this week it’s finally here! In honor of its publication, I’m serving you up a little nibble today—a very special little excerpt!

To read a fun, free
excerpt from my latest
CoffeehouseMystery:
Espresso Shot

CLICK HERE

The excerpt will appear
in PDF format.

This is actually one of my favorite scenes in the book. ~ Cleo

So what is this book about? In a hazelnutshell, Espresso Shot is a murder mystery set during the week of an elaborate wedding. Clare Cosi, the main character and amateur sleuth of the series, gets roped into protecting the clueless bridezilla of this affair, who doesn’t believe her life is being threatened—which, off course, it is. Clare’s pulling double duty, too, because she was also hired to create a gourmet coffee and dessert bar for the grand reception to be held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

When she’s not solving murders, Clare’s regular gig is manager and head barista of the Village Blend, a century-old landmark coffeehouse located in New York’s historic Greenwich Village, a charming neighborhood of welcoming cafes, cozy bistros, and lovingly preserved town houses.

Click here to visit Joe the Art of Coffee, the real Greenwich Village coffeehouse that inspired the creation of my fictional Village Blend and provided me with valuable insights and info.

Last fall Food and Wine magazine name Joe one of the best coffee bars in the country. Go Joe!

To get a little taste of what Clare Cosi's job is all about (and witness some world-class Latte Art being made right before your eyes!) play the little video below. It features Kyle Glanville, one of the top baristas working in the United States today. Kyle won last year's U.S. Barista Champtionship, which qualified him to advance to world competition...

In Espresso Shot, Clare's coffee was only half of the culinary story.

Coming up with an elaborate dessert menu (as well as a selection of exotic coffees) for the book's elegant wedding reception was great foodie fun for me. It also brought back some wonderful memories.

While I was growing up, bountiful trays of cookies, baked by the women of my family, were a beloved and expected addition to our Italian-American wedding feasts. Click here or on cookie tray to virtually visit a famous NY Italian bakery with an online shop! And, yes, they have cannoli!

Of course, in Italian culture, cookies aren’t just eaten at special occasions. Pizzelles, sesame cookies (see my recipe in Decaffeinated Corpse), pignolis, amaretti, biscotti (see my recipe in Latte Trouble), and many other kinds are enjoyed at all hours of the day: at breakfast with cappuccinos, in the afternoon with an espresso pick-me-up, or after dinner on an elegant dessert dish.

Two of my favorite Italian cookie recipes are included in the Recipes and Tips section Espresso Shot. The first is an anginetti, a satisfying treat to have with coffee. Light and buttery with a sweet lemon glaze, they often make their appearance during the holidays, and the (optional) sprinkle of nonpareils (confetti in Italian) over the glaze makes them an excellent wedding cookie, too.

Baci di Romeo or Romeo’s Kisses (isn’t that the greatest name for a wedding cookie?!) is another of my favorites: Rich chocolate ganache seals the kiss of two delicious, almond-flavor cookies. My recipe for Baci di Romeo is included in Espresso Shot, too. So for today, I'm bringing you another...

I created this cookie a few months ago for the "customers" of my own *virtual* coffeehouse.

My Cuppa Joe Mocha Drops (pictured above and below) may not be Italian, but they were invented by an Italian-American cook (me!) and they make use of an ingredient Italians love to put to use in sweet confections, like tiramisu—of course, I’m talking about coffee, java, bean juice, nectar of the godesss caffina! So click the link below to get my frosted mocha cookie recipe and Eat with Joy!

To get my recipe for
Cuppa Joe Mocha Drops,
click here.


The recipe will appear in PDF format
You can print it out or save it to your computer.

For more of my recipes or to find out more
about the books in my culinary mystery series,
click this link to my virtual home at
http://www.coffeehousemystery.com/

~Cleo Coyle
author of the Coffeehouse Mysteries

www.CoffeehouseMystery.com/
"Where coffee and crime are always brewing..."


TIP: Sign up at my Web site for my free seasonal E-newsletter and you'll be entered automatically in my weekly FREE COFFFEE drawings--just a way for me share my latest "Coffee Picks" with readers and site visitors.

To leave a comment for Cleo, visit her Web site's
Message Board at http://www.coffeehousemystery.com/...

Spicy Corn Muffins

Announcement: We will be holding a
drawing this week to win an autographed
copy of Sunday's guest blogger Sally
Goldenbaum's book. Just send us an email
or comment on any of our blogs this week
to be entered in the drawing. Good Luck!!!

I know each part of the US has favorite breads—anything from bagels to pita to rye. In the South, it’s biscuits and muffins.

I can’t remember a meal when I was little that didn’t have bread figured into it somewhere. There were biscuits, hot from the oven. And cornbread that would fall into a million pieces when you lifted it up to eat it. There were blueberry muffins with huge blueberries popping out at you, and garlic bread slathered with butter. (Butter is something else we’re fond of down here.)

In my upcoming Memphis Barbeque mystery, barbeque restaurant owner Lulu Taylor makes scrumptious spicy corn muffins that are known around Memphis.

(So delicious that couldn’t resist nibbling on one of the muffins in my picture…)

Here’s the recipe for those of you who like a little zest to your bread:

Spicy Corn Muffins:

1 cup self-rising cornmeal

1/3 cup melted shortening

1 cup sour cream (not low fat)

1 8 oz. can creamed corn

2 eggs, beaten into oil (after it has cooled somewhat)

3/4 cup picante sauce

1 T finely chopped jalapeno

1 cup grated extra-sharp cheddar

Preheat oven to 400.

Grease a 12 cup muffin pan.

Stir cornmeal into egg-shortening mixture. Add sour cream, creamed corn, picante sauce, and jalapeno. Beat well.

Spoon half the batter into muffin cups. Sprinkle with cheese. Cover with remaining batter.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until done.

Riley/Elizabeth
Pretty is as Pretty Dies
Memphis BBQ series (May 2010)

http://mysterywritingismurder.blogspot.com