Mystery Lovers Kitchen Presents PUMPKIN!

Welcome to our very first Iron Chef Week! Each day this week, we're cooking up a dish using our secret ingredient, which is . . . pumpkin!

NOAA Photo

If you entered our Iron Chef contest, stay tuned and check back. One of you has won a $25 gift card to Williams-Sonoma. The winner will be announced soon, along with the next mystery ingredient . . .


In the meantime, I'd like to give a special shout out to those of you who suggested secret ingredients, especially Grace for suggesting cardamom, a wonderful spice which I think is vastly underused and it's certainly the time of year for it, and to Wendy for suggesting smoked paprika, one of my favorites!

And now (drum roll here) --

PUMPKIN SOUFFLE´ with BOURBON CREAM

This is actually a simple recipe. The only difficulty is timing if you wish to serve it hot, but I actually prefer it cold. It's not as pretty when it's cold, but oh -- does it taste good. I started with a simple pumpkin souffle, which came out fine (you'll notice some optional ingredients) but it lacked spunk. In fact, it tasted remarkably like pumpkin pie without the pastry. So I went back to the drawing board and added a few items to spark it up. It bursts with flavor, and is best served with the bourbon cream. In fact, you may find yourself looking around the kitchen for other excuses to eat the bourbon cream!

butter
4 tablespoons sugar
4 egg whites
1 29-ounce (large) can pumpkin
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
3/4 cup apple butter (optional)
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 tablespoons orange liqueur (optional)
3 tablespoons crystallized ginger, chopped fine (optional)
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

2 mixing bowls
1 souffle dish

1. Place the egg whites in a mixing bowl and set aside.

2. Preheat the oven to 375.

3. Butter the souffle dish and dust with 2 tablespoons of sugar (like you would flour a cake pan).

4. In the other mixing bowl, combine the pumpkin, milk, apple butter, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt, lemon juice, orange liquor, and crystallized ginger. Mix thoroughly.

5. Beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar. When they begin to hold a shape, add the remaining two tablespoons of sugar, and beat until stiff and glossy but not dry.

6. No matter how hurried and tempted you might be, do NOT mix the contents of the two bowls with an electric mixer. Spoon about 1/3 of the egg whites into the pumpkin mixture and stir gently to lighten. Add the remaining egg whites and combine gently.

7. Pour into the prepared souffle dish and bake 40-45 minutes.

BOURBON CREAM

1 cup whipping cream
3 tablespoons bourbon
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar

Beat the whipping cream until it begins to take shape. Add the brown sugar and bourbon slowly. Beat until thoroughly combined. Serve with Pumpkin Souffle´!

Enjoy!

~ Krista
http://divamysteries.com

If you have a hankering for a Thanksgiving mystery to put you in the mood for the holidays, the first Domestic Diva Mystery, The Diva Runs Out of Thyme, is full of seasonal tips -- and a Thanksgiving dinner with a murderer at the table . . .

Win a $25 Gift Card to Williams-Sonoma
Gourmet Food and Kitchenware Store!

Today, we're launching our first Iron Chef Week! All week long, each of our mystery writing cooks will post a recipe with the same secret ingredient. To enter our upcoming drawing for a $25 Williams-Sonoma gift card, all you have to do is send an e-mail, suggesting a future Secret Ingredient to: MysteryLoversKitchen@gmail.com

NOTE: You must be a follower of our blog for your entries to count. Just click on one of the "follow" buttons in the right column and you're all set. One entry allowed per day per person. Again, if you're not following our blog, another winner will be chosen, so be sure to follow! And keep suggesting those secret ingredients. We're having another Iron Chef week and a brand new drawing for another gift card very soon!

Good Luck!

RECIPES and TIPS from HOLIDAY GRIND

Enter our new "Secret Ingredient" contest.
Find out how in the post above this one...

Happy Friday...

I cannot believe it's already November!
Man, does time fly...

For many of us, November marks the start of holiday season buzz. We're already starting to make our plans for family gatherings, office parties, religious celebrations...

For me, November also marks the publication of a very special entry in the Coffeehouse Mystery series: HOLIDAY GRIND.

The story is set during the Thanksgiving-Chanukah-Christmas nexus, which can be an incredibly uplifting time of year but (let's face it), sometimes a grind to get through.

You know what I'm talking about: the shopping, the crowds, the high epectations, the cooking for far too many guests, the interaction with certain family members who might be, shall we say, not so easy to deal with!

Anyway, some of these "grinds" get covered in my mystery, which is partly about my main character (Clare Cosi) solving the murder of a friend and partly about her desire to reclaim the spirit of the season, which was lost to her because of that murder.

In a way, the story is Clare's search for the meaning of the season, (admittedly) a well-worn theme for holiday books, but with good reason. I think many of us find ourselves looking for meaning at this time of year, and if we're very lucky, we find it.

You can read a free excerpt
from HOLIDAY GRIND
by clicking here (pdf doc).

AND NOW FOR SOME...
FOOD TALK!

Next week, I'll have a brand new recipe for you here. For today, I'm sharing what foodie finds I have in store for those who pick up Holiday Grind...

The "Recipes and Tips" section for my latest mystery is by far the largest I've ever done (80 pages -- practically a mini book in itself). But, as I explained in Holiday Grind's afterword, this is really my bonus gift to those readers who continue to get a kick out of the coffee and culinary themes in my novels.

Flourless Chocolate Jamaican Rum Cake with Warm Coffee-Rum Sauce


This is a picture of just one of the many recipes you'll find in the back section of my new Coffeehouse Mystery...

(Another recipe from
Holiday Grind...)

Homemade
Candied Citrus Peels

This recipe
also produces a
fantastic by product:

Citrus-infused
Bar Syrup

To see a list of exactly what Recipes and Tips you will get in the back of HOLIDAY GRIND, simply CLICK HERE.

This LINK will jump you to my Web site's Recipe Page. Scroll all the way down and you will see the recipes listed...

Cheers & Happy Holidays!
(a little early),

~ Cleo Coyle

author of The Coffeehouse Mysteries &
The Haunted Bookshop Mysteries (as Alice Kimberly)

My Official Web Home:

www.CoffeehouseMystery.com

"Where coffee and crime
are always brewing..."

To comment on this post, click the comment
link below...

Festive in the Fall

CONTEST INFORMATION AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST!

I always look forward to the fall each year. There’s a crispness to the air here in North Carolina and after a summer of humidity, it’s a welcome break!

There’s also so many different festivities going on in the fall. My daughter’s elementary school has its fall festival, complete with a dunk-the-principal dunking booth, a cake walk, and lots of candy to keep the kids revved up.

Halloween is one excuse for a party after another. Lately I’ve wondered if the adults are having more fun than the kids are!

A few weeks ago I enjoyed a wonderful dinner party with friends. My good friend Shelly had a fabulous supper of amazing foods. She’s got a great eye for presentation and she capitalized perfectly on the season by serving a delicious Tuna Tartare—in fall-colored peppers.

Shelly’s Tuna Tartare

• 2 pounds sushi grade tuna, finely diced
• 2 cucumbers
• 1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon wasabi powder
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper
• sliced French bread

In a bowl, stir together olive oil, wasabi powder, sesame seeds, and cracked black pepper. Toss tuna into mixture until evenly coated. Adjust seasoning as desired with additional wasabi powder or black pepper.

Riley/Elizabeth
Pretty is as Pretty Dies –Elizabeth Spann Craig
Delicious and Suspicious (May 2010)—Riley Adams

http://mysterywritingismurder.blogspot.com

New Contest Announcement!

Win a $25 Gift Card to Williams-Sonoma gourmet food and kitchenware store! In early November, we're going to have an Iron Chef Week. Each of our mystery writing cooks will post a recipe with the same secret ingredient. To enter our drawing for the gift card, all you have to do is send an e-mail, suggesting a future Secret Ingredient to: MysteryLoversKitchen@gmail.com

NOTE: You must be a follower of our blog for your entries to count. Just click on one of the "follow" buttons in the right column and you're all set. One entry allowed per day per person. The winner will be announced right here on November 9th! (Again, if you're not following our blog, another winner will be selected...so be sure to follow!)

Good luck!

Do the Crock - pot mashed potato!

Did you ever have one of those crazed holiday moments when the turkey was done early, the potatoes were still boiling, you forgot to
make the green beans and you burned the dinner rolls? If not, count yourself lucky. If you have, well, welcome to my house!

Timing is everything as they say. And when you're the one cooking the big holiday dinner and want everything that's supposed to be hot hot, well, then it really is everything. There is nothing more annoying than a bird who decides to be finished cooking an hour early or even worse an hour late. After a few years of having to hit the cooking sherry just to get through the stress of making the big meal, I finally learned some time management tricks to make it all much easier. Now, I try to cook as much as I can ahead of time, to avoid exactly those types of situations.

One of my favorite recipes, to help me achieve this happy end is Crock- pot mashed potatoes. Made ahead of time, all you have to do is keep them warm. It frees up a whole chunk of time that can be better spent prying your husband away from the football game and navigating your children towards the bathroom to wash their hands.

Ingredients:

5 lbs. potatoes, chopped and boiled until tender (skins optional)

8 oz. container sour cream

8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Mash potatoes with sour cream and cream cheese, adding reserved water from boiling the potatoes (I like to add a tbspn of minced garlic to the water when boiling the potatoes) to reach desired consistency. Transfer to a Crock-pot, cover, and cook on low for 2 to 3 hours. Just before serving, stir in butter and season with salt and pepper.

Jenn McKinlay

SPRINKLE WITH MURDER March 2010

aka Lucy Lawrence

STUCK ON MURDER Sept 2009

www.jennmckinlay.com

NEW CONTEST!!!

Win a $25 Gift Card to Williams-Sonoma gourmet food and kitchenware store!

In early November, we're going to have an Iron Chef Week. Each of our mystery writing cooks will post a recipe with the same secret ingredient. To enter our drawing for the gift card, all you have to do is send an e-mail, suggesting a future Secret Ingredient to: MysteryLoversKitchen@gmail.com

NOTE: You must be a follower of our blog for your entries to count. Just click on one of the "follow" buttons in the right column and you're all set. One entry allowed per day per person. The winner will be announced right here on November 9th! (Again, if you're not following our blog, another winner will be selected...so be sure to follow!)

"Nacho" Ordinary Pork Chops

Nacho Ordinary Pork Chops – get it? “Not Your” Ordinary Pork Chops?

I was going to leave the title without explanation but was afraid the written words didn’t translate. I *love* puns... but I’m betting you already knew that.

Back when I talked about Walking Tacos, I mentioned another recipe that uses Doritos. This is another of my house staples. It’s not veggie friendly, but the rest of us love it. And I’m going to explain how to make these without giving exact measurements, because I’ve never really measured anything, and they’ve always turned out just fine. So, bear with me and I’ll just explain the process…

Ingredients:
Pork chops
Dried Italian dressing mix
Mayonnaise
Regular sized bag of Cool Ranch Doritos (Not single serving. Not jumbo size.)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Start with pork chops. I’ve used several different cuts and they’re all very good. I tend to like them best when they’re about one-half to three-quarters inch thick. I like to make six at a time because that’s how many fit best on my baking pan.

Scoop about three big spoonfuls (use your serving spoons here, not teaspoons) of mayonnaise onto a dinner plate. Add in about one-half of a single packet of dry Italian dressing until it’s pretty evenly mixed.

Crush the Doritos in the bag. You may want to open the bag and let air escape before you start crushing, to avoid a Dorito explosion. Once Doritos are crushed, put about half the contents on another dinner plate.

Cover each pork chop with mayo mixture. You can do this by smearing the mayo mix on with a knife, or you can “dip” the pork chops into the mayo filled dinner plate. That method results in some heavily coated chops, which is okay, but be aware you may then be required to refill the plate at pork chop #4.

Dip coated pork chop in crushed Doritos to coat. Be sure to fully coat *both* sides. At this point, you may be thinking it would be better to put the crushed chips in a Ziploc bag and coat them via “Shake n’ Bake,” but I find that to be way too messy and the inside of the bag catches too much of the mayo mixture. You will need to replenish the plate after pork chop #3. Your mileage may vary – so feel free to coat however you feel most comfortable. Once pork chop is coated, place on baking sheet. Follow with remaining chops.

Whenever you’re finished, take the crushed Doritos remaining on the plate and top off each pork chop. Use it all up.

Calorie/cholesterol alert: I put a small pat of butter atop each chop. I know it’s not the healthiest option, but I like the way it tastes.

Place the baking sheet in for about 25 minutes to 40 minutes. This really depends on how thick your chops are. When they start to bubble at the bottom (especially evident if you’ve used the butter), they’re probably done. Cut into one to check. If most of the pink is gone, you’re good. Remove from oven and let sit for about 10 minutes before serving.

These are addicting. Leftovers disappear very quickly. Even my vegetarian daughter misses them. Whenever we serve these, she asks me to make a cheese-Dorito mix for her to have instead.

I didn't include photos of the how-to, but I think you all understand the process. Taking pictures with my hands full of mayo and chips, and with pork chop juices just didn't seem like a good plan ;-)

Hope you try these. They're impossible to mess up, and extremely tasty!

Julie

My White House Chef Mystery series includes State of the Onion, Hail to the Chef, and Eggsecutive Orders (coming in January). All from Berkley Prime Crime.

Sign up for my newsletter at http://www.juliehyzy.com/

A Tour of Historic Holmes County, Ohio

CONTEST INFORMATION AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST!

But for right now, I’d like to share a bit of Ohio with you.

Providence, Ohio, the fictional town in The Cheese Shop Mysteries, is located in the western portion of Holmes County.

I recently toured the area and took a ton of pictures.

Isn’t it beautiful? Pastoral? Bucolic?

I decided to stay at a bed and breakfast that was listed in a visitor’s guide
to Holmes County.

Acorns at the White Oak Inn was first in the alphabet.
So is Avery Aames.
And the inn had received awards.
Kismet, right?

I headed north from the airport with a song in my heart, but right off the bat, I was rerouted from the clear directions I had received from the Inn. Uh-oh. I definitely needed GPS to get there. To make matters worse, while getting intermittently detoured, my cell phone reception vanished. No phoning home, no GPS. Let’s hear it for good old AT&T. Boo-o-o-o!



Rather than lose my cool, I leaned back in the seat, took deep calming breaths, and drove along a number of scenic routes knowing I had enough gas to get me just about anywhere. And then I drank in the atmosphere. The hills undulated like a theme park rollercoaster. The burnt amber and shimmering gold leaves on the trees lit up the horizon like a brazen fire. And there were hundreds upon hundreds of farms. Big farms, small farms. I stopped to take pictures of barns, silos, and vistas. I laughed when I saw not only cows, sheep, and goats, but llamas. Yes, llamas!


Finally I arrived at the historic White Oak Inn and was greeted by Yvonne and Ian, the owners.

Shout out to Yvonne and Ian. http://www.whiteoakinn.com

They advertise that the inn is “in the middle of nowhere.” Well, my friends, it really is. There are no houses around. No hotels. No sounds but the babble of the nearby river and the wind blowing through the trees. A slice of heaven. There are no telephones in the room--which was a little worrisome seeing as I still had no cell phone reception--but I was able to get on the internet when I sat in the inn’s great room, a meditative spot decorated with antique furniture, collections of teacups and teapots, earthenware, and an old square Chickering piano. When I retired to my little cottage, which was decorated with brocade and lace, I lit the fire, poured a glass of wine. (Of course, I'd purchased some cheese along the way for a snack.) I picked up a book and suddenly realized I was on vacation. Wahoo!

I slept like a log in the comfy bed,
and in the morning, after a serene walk and a scrumptious breakfast made by Yvonne--a foodie who blogs with other innkeepers--I set off for Millersberg and Berlin, cute, touristy towns…

…where I met LaVonne of Amish Tours of Ohio--a terrific gal with a sharp wit and the most intimate knowledge of Holmes County and the Amish people. Check out: http://www.amishtoursofohio.com

Over the course of six hours, LaVonne took me to a number of cheese makers, a winery, an Amish leather maker, and a general store, all while regaling me with stories. [That's an Amish farm on the right.]

I gained a wealth of tidbits to add to my stories--lucky me! But I also learned something else.

I go too fast.

I don’t take enough time to breathe and listen and absorb.

If you’re like me, take a minute now. Breathe. And then enjoy life one moment at a time.

Oh, and try a bit of Guggisberg Baby Swiss cheese or Heini’s cheddar, local Holmes County cheeses made with Amish farm milk. Yum!!

If you want to know more about The Cheese Shop Mysteries, coming from Berkley Prime Crime in July, 2010, click on this link to check out my website: Avery Aames

AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST...

OUR CONTEST!

Win a $25 Gift Card to Williams-Sonoma gourmet food and kitchenware store!

In early November, we're going to have an Iron Chef Week. Each of our mystery writing cooks will post a recipe with the same secret ingredient. To enter our drawing for the gift card, all you have to do is send an e-mail, suggesting a future Secret Ingredient to: MysteryLoversKitchen@gmail.com

NOTE: You must be a follower of our blog for your entries to count. Just click on one of the "follow" buttons in the right column and you're all set. One entry allowed per day per person. The winner will be announced right here on November 9th! (Again, if you're not following our blog, another winner will be selected...so be sure to follow!)

Welcome Guest Blogger Christy Evans!!

It's my great delight to introduce Christy Evans as our Guest Blogger today. Christy (real name Chris York)! Woo-hoo!! I got to know Chris back in 2002 at an extremely intense writers' workshop on the Oregon coast (very near where Chris lives and where Christy's books are set). Multi-published in many genres, she's an amazing writer and an all-around great person.

Christy Evans is the author of the a very new, very cool new mystery series featuring female plumber Georgiana Neverall. The first book in the series, Sink Trap, debuted October 6th -- here's a sneak peek...

An amateur sleuth with a great set of pipes…

When Georgiana Neverall’s fast-paced, corporate lifestyle goes down the drain, she moves back home to Pine Ridge, Oregon, and makes an unconventional choice—to apprentice herself to Barry the Plumber. Her uptight, super-successful realtor mother, Sandra, is plumb disgusted. She never dreamed she’d see a Neverall in coveralls toiling under someone’s sink.Georgiana loves her new occupation, but is a bit surprised when she finds the favorite brooch of Martha Tepper, the town’s former librarian, clogging a sink. Martha supposedly retired to Arizona, but everyone who knew her says she never would have left without that brooch. Georgiana has a sinking feeling that Martha may have been retired permanently—and suddenly it’s up to a plumber’s apprentice to flush out a killer.

Today Christy shares a little about herself and not one, but three, recipes!!

Oregon native Christy Evans, author of the Lady Plumber mystery series, spent her childhood in sunny Southern California, where fresh oranges at the holidays were often as close as a neighbor’s tree. Now all grown-up and back in Oregon, Christy’s latest book, SINK TRAP, introduces lady plumber Georgiana Neverall. Like Christy, Georgiana has left the hectic big-city life for a small town in Oregon. Fortunately for Christy, dead bodies aren’t part of her life the way they are for Georgiana.

Like Georgiana, Christy (actually writer Christina York) has a busy schedule and sometimes deadlines leave little time to cook. Unlike Georgie, whose culinary skills don’t go much beyond keeping the best pizza joint on speed dial, Christy still loves to whip up holiday goodies for her friends and family.

Orange Caramel Cookie Bars

These are a childhood favorite. The fresh oranges are a unique addition to a familiar bar cookie recipe.

Heat oven to 350°. Grease a 10X15 baking sheet with 1” sides and set aside.

1 ½ c. brown sugar

2 eggs
1 ⅓ c. flour
⅔ c. cup-up fresh orange slices

⅔ c. chopped pecans

Beat eggs and sugar 3 minutes at high speed, fold in flour, fold in oranges and pecans. Spread thin in greased pan and bake 30-35 minutes, until golden brown. While warm spread with glaze of

⅔ c. powdered sugar

Grated rind of 1 orange

2 T. cream

Cool and cut in 1” squares.

Gumdrop Cookies

Gumdrops are one of my mother’s favorite candies, and their addition to this bar cookie give it a sweet surprise as well as jewel-like color embedded in the sweet cookie bars.

Heat oven to 300°. Grease a 10X15 baking sheet with 1” sides and set aside.

4 eggs

2 ½ c. brown sugar
2 c. flour

¼ t. salt
18 gumdrops (cut up)

1 c. chopped nuts

Combine all ingredients except gumdrops and spread on baking sheet. Press in gumdrop pieces. Bake until brown and slightly puffy. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and cut in 1” squares.


Lunch Room Cookies

The first time I made these for my new husband, he exclaimed in delight “Lunch Room Cookies!” Turns out his little Southern grade school cafeteria had served these quick and easy cookies regularly, and though he hadn’t had them in the years since, they’re still one of his favorites.

Mix together in a large, heat-resistant bowl, and set aside:

3 c. oatmeal

½ c. peanut butter

In sauce pan, mix together:
2 c. sugar

¼ c. cocoa powder
½ c. butter

½ c. milk

Bring to a boil and boil 1 minute. Then add:

1 tsp. vanilla

¼ tsp. salt

Pour hot sauce over peanut butter/oatmeal mixture, stirring until thoroughly combined. Drop the hot mixture by teaspoonfuls on waxed paper. Let cool. Store tightly covered.

(Julie here again)

Isn't this a great cover? I first saw this artwork on Chris's Blog and her post about the artist inspired me to contact the artist for my books and thank him for doing such a marvelous job.

Don't you just love the look on the dog's face?

Thanks so much for joining us here on Mystery Lovers' Kitchen, Chris!