Welcome Guest Blogger - Sheila Connolly

Thanks so much to you all for having me here (and I wish you'd stop making me hungry when I read your blog in the morning!).

I was one of those kids who refused to eat a lot of things. Onions. Mushrooms. Tomatoes. Beets. Even mayonnaise and ketchup! I also kept all the foods on my plate separate and ate them one at a time. Luckily my mother believed in good basic food, and found plenty of fresh vegetables that I would eat. My father worked for duPont and followed their high-protein diet, so we always had some kind of meat. And I always loved dessert.

Now I'm surprised to find that I'm a foodie. I can date my conversion to the year I turned 21 and went to France for the first time. I found myself in a restaurant eating country paté with Dijon mustard and those lovely, tiny cornichons. I had never eaten liver, mustard, or pickles but there they were, all on the same place–and I loved it. One appetizer changed my life.

But when I started writing mysteries, no one told me I'd be writing recipes too. I think it went to my head, because in my most recent Orchard Mystery, Red Delicious Death, I created a complete restaurant. I gave it a menu using all local foods. I am now a convert to the locavore movement and haunt my local farmers markets (including winter markets–yes, they exist). And of course apples are very versatile–you can include them in savory dishes as well as sweet.

Apple Slaw is one of the recipes from the book. If you're bored with regular cole slaw, this is a nice alternative, with a little sweetness from the apples and the parsnips. The sour cream lightens it up a bit and helps balance the sweetness. And it's very colorful!

APPLE SLAW

4 carrots, shredded

3 small parsnips (the big ones get too tough), shredded

2 apples, peeled and cored, then chopped or shredded (Granny Smiths work well–you want a tart, firm apple)

1/4 head red cabbage, shredded

1 small red onion, sliced (optional, if you don't like onions)

2 Tblsp. chopped parsley

2/3 cup mayonnaise

2/3 cup sour cream

1 Tblsp. ketchup

1 tsp. sugar

salt and pepper to taste

Using a food processor to shred/slice the ingredients makes this quick and easy.

Combine the shredded apple and vegetables in a large bowl and toss. In another bowl, combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, ketchup, sugar, and salt and pepper. Combine with the vegetable mixture (you may not want to add it all at once–you don't want it to be soupy). If you're not going to eat it quickly, chill.

You can experiment with other vegetables as well. Try celery root or jicama!

Lila wanted to help!

Sheila Connolly has been an art historian, a financial consultant, a political fundraiser, and a professional genealogist. Now she writes mysteries for Berkley Prime Crime: the Glassblowing Mysteries as Sarah Atwell, whose debut book, Through a Glass, Deadly, was nominated for an Agatha Award; and the Orchard Mysteries, under her own name. Sheila's new series, the Museum Mysteries, also from Berkley Prime Crime, will debut in October 2010.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

CONTEST

Don't forget about our contest! We’re celebrating cupcakes now that Jenn McKinlay’s SPRINKLE WITH MURDER is out in bookstores near you! If you’d like to win cupcakes from Crumbs Bake Shop, send us an e-mail atMysteryLoversKitchen@gmail.com or leave a comment with your idea of the wackiest cupcake ingredients you can think of.

ANOTHER CONTEST!

To celebrate the April release of CUT TO THE CORPSE, Jenn is giving away an autographed copy of the book. All you have to do is visit the contest section on her web page (http://www.jennmckinlay.com/) and cast your vote for Team Nate or Team Dom. For those of you who read the first book in the series STUCK ON MURDER, you know that
her heroine Brenna is going to have to make a choice! Help her out and cast your vote today!