Wednesday, March 31, 2010

How Traditions Begin...The Bunny Cake


WE HAVE A CRUMBS CUPCAKE WINNER!

Susan of Massachusetts won the drawing for a
$25 gift certificate to Crumbs Bake Shop!
Her idea: "Wackiest cupcake ingredient?
How about a wacky cupcake idea
- pepperoni pizza. The cupcake could contain
bits of pepperoni and the frosting a hint of cheese.
Actually, this is kinda gross, isn't it??"


Very funny, actually! Congrats, Susan!

And now to the blog:


How do family traditions begin?

Some are passed down from parent to
child through the generations, keeping
alive the memory of those who've gone
before us. Others are new traditions that
we pick up along the way from friends or
family or new life experiences.


And then there are those that we find in the dollar bin at the grocery
store during a post holiday sale. At least, that's how the tradition of
the bunny cake started for us. Seriously, a cake pan in the shape of
a bunny for a dollar. I had to have it! Little did I know that it would
become the subject of heated discourse each Spring as we debated
what flavor cake and what color icing would decorate the
bunny that year.

The bunny review:





As you can see, we've been making the bunny cake for a few years now.
This year I was asked to make a black bunny cake, but I don't think my
skills are quite up to that. I believe we are currently having a toss up
between green v. purple and vanilla v. chocolate. I have, of course, informed
the dudes that I accept bribes.


The frosting is critical, so I will share with you my recipe for the perfect
buttercream frosting, which I use in my frosting gun (the only kind
of weapon I am qualified to shoot).




BUTTERCREAM FROSTING


1/​2 cup solid vegetable shortening
1/​2 cup (1 stick) butter softened
4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
1 tspn vanilla extract
2 tblspns milk



Directions:
In large bowl, cream shortening and butter. Add vanilla. Gradually
add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Now
add the milk. Scrape sides of bowl often. Frosting can be stored for
up to 2 weeks in a sealed container in the refrigerator.

No matter what you celebrate, how or when, enjoy your holidays and
your traditions. It's the stuff of which memories are made!

LAST CHANCE! To celebrate the April release of CUT TO THE CORPSE, I am giving away an autographed copy of the book. All you have to do is visit the contest section on my 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 our heroine Brenna is going to have to make a choice! Help her out and cast your vote today! The winner will be announced next week!

Jenn McKinlay SPRINKLE WITH MURDER Available Now!

aka Lucy Lawrence CUT TO THE CORPSE Available for pre-order










Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Eggsquisite Easter Cookies

Just back from a Florida vacation with (most of) my family. We were there to support our youngest daughter's marching band as they competed in DisneyWorld. Had a fabulous time, but I'm glad to be back and I'm now in the midst of planning Easter dinner here for a group of about 17 - 19 people. But before that - on Wednesday evening - I'm participating in "Bowls & Books" in Kenosha, WI. If you're in the area, please stop by my regular blog for more information. This is the 10th Annual Bowls & Books, a benefit for Rhodes Center for the Arts.


EGGSQUISITE EASTER COOKIES

Who says cookies are just for Christmas? Not me. I love cookies, and homemade
are the best of all. I found a version of this recipe in a magazine years ago and have modified it slightly to suit my family's tastes. The one thing I haven't altered is the inclusion of orange extract. That little zing makes these taste like spring. Very light, very sweet, these go great with a hot cup of coffee, not to mention how pretty they look on the table. Don't be dismayed by the fact that they need to be rolled out. Unlike some dough, this one behaves beautifully. Hardly fights back at all!

Egg-shaped Cookies

3 cups flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 cup butter
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp orange extract
1/4 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350.
Combine flour and baking powder, set aside. Cream butter and sugar. Add egg, vanilla, orange, milk, and mix well. Add the dry ingredients one spoonful at a time. You may need to add a teeny bit more milk, or just wait to add the milk as you add the dry ingredients. Makes the dough less likely to poof up and shoot flour at you when the mixer's going.

Roll dough out with floured rolling pin. Use cookie cutters or cut out desired shapes free-hand (which is what I've done with the egg shape). Bake on lightly greased cookie sheets for about 11 - 12 minutes, or until the edges start to brown. Cool on rack.



Eggstremely Easy Icing

4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup of milk (give or take)
2 tsp orange extract


Add milk to sugar a little at a time until you reach desired "icing" consistency. You may use a bit less than the full 1/2 cup. Add orange extract. Separate mixture into several smaller bowls and color with food coloring. I used yellow, pink, orange, and purple, and I kept a small batch of white for decoration. Have fun decorating. Allow these to dry -- set them on a pretty plate -- and enjoy!!


Julie

Egg-shaped cookies give me the perfect segue to talking about EGGSECUTIVE ORDERS... but instead, how about I suggest signing up for my newsletter? I'll be running a brand-new contest in my next newsletter in anticipation of the release of GRACE UNDER PRESSURE, the first in my new Manor of Murder Mystery series. Sign up today on my regular blog - here!


And your last chance to enter Jenn's contest is fast approaching... Jenn McKinlay’s Sprinkle with Murder is now out in bookstores! If you’d like to win cupcakes from Crumbs Bake Shop, send us an e-mail at MysteryLoversKitchen@gmail.com or leave a comment with your idea of the wackiest cupcake ingredients you can think of.


Monday, March 29, 2010

Avery Won't Passover Easter Potatoes

Passover - to celebrate the Hebrews' escape from enslavement in Egypt.

Easter - to celebrate the life and death of Jesus Christ.

Spring - to celebrate the birth of chocolate bunnies!



Because Passover and Easter occur during the same week, let's pause for a moment and think about these holidays.

Candy doesn't quite set the mood, right?

Don't get me wrong. I love candy. Love it. I love creme eggs and chocolate bunnies and jelly bellys and chocolate gelt. But we can get lost in the sweet, the colorful, the fun and forget about the bittersweet. The reason for Passover and Easter. The faith, the passion, the turning point. The love, forgiveness, and hope.

For those of you who celebrate a religious holiday this week, may you find all that you seek.

For those of you who don't celebrate, may you also find what you seek.

And for those of you cooking dinner for your family and friends...

Here's my treat.

And it's not candy!

What tastes good with either brisket, lamb, or ham? Potatoes!

This week I decided that I really wanted to tweak those potatoes. Make them something special. Offer a side dish worth showing off, that is fresh tasting in honor of spring.

I bought a pound of small potatoes of various colors. Purple, gold, red with white centers. Pretty. And then I improvised with my favorites flavors adding, of course, cheese!


Avery Won't Passover Easter Potatoes

Ingredients:

¼ cup chicken broth

¼ cup oil

¼ cup milk

¼ cup white wine

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground pepper

3 long springs of rosemary, cut into snips

4 tablespoons leeks, sliced (rinsed well!)

2 tablespoons shallots, diced

1 pound colorful small potatoes, rinsed and halved

1/2 cup shredded parmesan [Parmigiano Reggiano Mitica at Whole Foods]


Directions:

Pour liquids and spices into a 2-3 quart baking pan. Layer the potatoes on top.

Cover with foil. Bake 1 hour at 325 degrees.

Remove from oven, remove foil.

Stir and top with ½ cup shredded parmesan

Return to oven. Broil for 5 minutes.

Adorn with sprig of rosemary.

These potatoes are melt in your mouth great and heat up well the next day.

* These also do well baked in individual ramekins.


In other news:

It’s the last of March and we’re still celebrating cupcakes! Our own Jenn McKinlay’s Sprinkle with Murder is now 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. This contest ends SOON!

Also:

If you're interested, visit my website by clicking this link: Avery Aames. The Long Quiche Goodbye, the first in A Cheese Shop Mystery series, will be coming out soon. It's available for pre-order. Check out my newsletter for upcoming contests. And check out the SNEAK PREVIEW of chapter one!



Sunday, March 28, 2010

Welcome Guest Blogger - Hannah Reed!


Please welcome author Hannah Reed as our guest blogger today. Hannah is the author of Buzz Off, the first book in a brand new series of mysteries. I was lucky to be given the chance to read Buzz Off before its publicaiton, and I just loved it. To wit:

“A stellar debut! The death of a beekeeper makes for an absolute honey of a read in this engaging and well-written mystery. Story Fischer is a sharp and resilient amateur sleuth, and Hannah Reed sweeps us into her world with skillful and loving detail. Booksellers, listen up: Once readers get a taste of the Queen Bee Mysteries, they will be swarming for more!"

~ Cleo Coyle

And now . . . here's Hannah!


A big bold Thank You to Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen for inviting me to share information on my upcoming Queen Bee mystery and, of course, I have a honey of a recipe for you. Buzz Off (the first) comes out September 7th (2010) and features Story Fischer, a beginning beekeeper and owner of The Wild Clover, a small Wisconsin grocery store catering to local products.


Here’s a little more about Buzz Off . . .

Story’s messy divorce is final; the honey from her beekeeping business has been harvested; and her market is thriving. Life seems pretty sweet until her mentor in the honey business is found stung to death in his apiary.
Story is still trying to explain to the panicked locals that Manny was killed by wasps, not honeybees, when another body is found floating in the Oconomowoc River. This time the evidence points to Story's ex. Sure, Clay's a womanizer and a buzz kill--but a murderer?

With the townsfolk stirred up against her honeybees, and a handsome cop--who also happens to be Story's former high school sweetheart--putting Clay in cuffs, it's up to Story to get them both out of a very sticky situation.

Now for the
promised recipe!

Wisconsin is famous for frozen custard, which is much like ice cream, only richer and creamier. (Yes, that’s really possible!) So if you visit our state, ‘bee’ sure to stop at one of our custard shops.
This is Story’s version of honey frozen custard from The Wild Clover newsletter found in the back of Buzz Off.



Honey Frozen Custard

2 c. milk
2 c. heavy cream
6 eggs
2/3 c. honey
1 tsp. vanilla
Ice Cream Maker

Whisk together eggs and honey and set aside. While stirring, heat milk and
1-1/4 cup of the cream until almost simmering. Important! Unless you want honey scrambled eggs (which are delicious BTW), make sure to SLOWLY add 1 cup of the cream mixture to the egg mixture, whisking.
Add all that to the pan, stirring. Simmer until thick enough to coat a spoon. Cool, then chill in fridge at least one hour. Add 1 tsp vanilla and remaining 3/4 cup cream. Pour into ice cream maker and follow those directions.




You could win a honey
of a mystery prize!

Buzz Off is now available for pre-order. To celebrate I'm running a special spring deal. Pre-order Buzz Off before May 1st and send a copy of the receipt - either email(hannahreed51@gmail.com) or snail mail (email for the address), and you'll be entered in the May 1st drawing for the prize.

Your favorite brick-and-mortar bookstore can handle the pre-order for you. Or take care of it online by clicking one of the hot buttons below.


* Barnes and Noble's pre-order
page for Buzz Off -
click here.


* Amazon's pre-order page
for Buzz Off -
click here.


Hannah Reed is the pen name for author Deb Baker. You can visit Hannah at her official website http://www.queenbeemystery.com/
for more recipes and fun facts about honey and bees.
Or visit her at her Facebook Queen Bee Page by clicking here.



Comments for
Hannah welcome!

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Strawberries Are Here!

I was thrilled to see fresh organic strawberries in my grocery store again. Company was coming, and I immediately had visions of waffles with fresh strawberries for breakfast. Is there anyone who doesn't like strawberries?

I'll digress for a moment to say that I once read a review of one of my books in which the reviewer said she liked the book but got tired of reading the word "organic"! I won't badger anyone, but note that strawberries are on the USDA's dirty dozen list. You can't peel them and you can't do much more than rinse them. Google USDA dirty dozen and you'll find the top twelve fruits and vegetables that contain pesticides.


In any event, they're delicious. But the morning after you buy them, they look a little dimpled. You've tried leaving them on the counter, right? You've tried refrigerating them. Nothing seems to help them last longer.


There's a simple trick. It works best with a large flat food container. My favorite is a glass lasagna dish with a lid. Any airtight food container will work, but the broader the bottom, the easier this is to do.


These simple tricks will keep strawberries fresh for days.

1. Don't wash them.

2. Line the bottom of the container with a paper towel. Place the strawberries inside in little rows, but be sure they don't touch each other.




3. Place another paper towel over top of the strawberries and add another layer of strawberries. You can fit them into the little nooks created by the lower layer, but be sure there's paper towel between them so they don't touch.

4. Continue adding layers of paper towels and strawberries. If you're using a smallish container, you can roll the paper towel over a row and add more as I have below.

5. Add an airtight lid.

Just remember, don't wash them and don't let them touch each other. That's it! Now you can shop one day and make those Strawberry Shortcakes, or in my case, Strawberry Waffles, a couple days later.







And don't forget to leave a comment with your idea of the wackiest cupcake ingredients you can think of. The contest to win cupcakes from Crumbs Bake Shop will end fairly soon. Our own Jenn McKinlay’s Sprinkle with Murder is now out in bookstores near you!

Friday, March 26, 2010

Cleo Coyle's Roasted Garlic Dip & the Ugly Truth About Writing

So after last week's Twilight Cauliflower, I have rediscovered my love of raw vegetables, and now I am on the hunt for vegetable dip recipes. Feel free to share your favorites with me or post links to your recipes in the comments section below...

Yeah, sure, everyone knows raw vegetables are filled with vitamins, antioxidants, and a lot of other polysyllabic good stuff. But the real reason I'm doing the veggies and dip thing is this: the ugly truth about writing...
Click the arrow in the YouTube window below and you will see the trailer for the 2002 film Adaptation (staring Nick Cage). IMHO this film is the most accurate depiction of a writer's process that I've ever seen. And (as you will quickly notice in the clip) the very first thing Nick Cage thinks when sitting down at this typewriter (in his role as screenwriter Charlie Kaufman) is: What should I write on this blank page? The second thing he thinks is...


"Coffee would help me think.Coffee and a muffin..."


Yes, constantly stuffing one's face is the biggest hazard for any writer diligently working under deadline. And if you don't want to be three times the size you were when you started your book (or adaptation), then you had better pack your fridge with things like....oh, raw veggies and roasted garlic dip...




With that ugly truth revealed, I give you today's super-easy, super-healthy recipe, filled with creamy, roasty garlicky flavor and sprightly top notes of sunny lemon. This dip is delicious on raw veggies, including cauliflower, carrots, celery, broccoli, and...heck, the skies the limit...
Cleo Coyle's Roasted
Garlic Veggie Dip

For a printable copy
of this recipe,
CLICK HERE



Makes 1 cup

30 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons virgin olive oil
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste


Step 1 -- Roast the garlic. Place 30 cloves of fresh, peeled garlic into a baking dish in a single layer. Add 1 teaspoon of olive oil and a splash of water. Lightly toss to coat. Cover with alumimum foil and bake at 350 degrees F. for 30 to 40 minutes. You are looking for your cloves to display some nice caramelized color (without going to the Dark Side). Check them out at 30 minutes, stir them around and continue cooking uncovered until you've reached the level of "roasted" flavor that you prefer. Remove from oven and set aside.


Step 2 -- Mash up the 30 roasted garlic cloves with the remaining teaspoon of olive oil. (The garlic will be very soft after roasting and you can simply mash it up with the prongs of a fork.) In a small bowl, combine the plain yogurt, sour cream, and lemon juice. Stir in the mashed up garlic and chill the dip. The longer you chill it, the more the roasted garlic flavor will develop. Serve with your favorite raw vegetables, and....




Eat with joy!

~ Cleo Coyle, author of 


To get more of my recipes,
enter to win free coffee, or
learn about my books,
including my bestselling
Haunted Bookshop series,
visit my online coffeehouse:





The Coffeehouse Mysteries are national bestselling
culinary mysteries set in a landmark Greenwich Village 
coffeehouse, and each of the ten titles includes the 
added bonus of recipes. 

 


The Ghost and
Mrs. McClure


Book #1 of 

The Haunted Bookshop
Mysteries
, which Cleo writes
under the name Alice Kimberly
To learn more, click here.



Thursday, March 25, 2010

A Little Caffeine Addiction

RileyAdamsFoodBlogPostpic_thumb_thumb Something happened to me the last few months. My carefully-controlled caffeine addiction went spiraling out of control! I’ll place the blame on assorted deadlines, my precious (but apparently sickly) children, and days that are about 10 hours too short.

Now I’m pretty far over my head. A few cups in the morning, a nice little eye-opener in the afternoon. Oh! A friend wants to have coffee with me? No problem! I am there!

CleoCoyle-BookCover My fellow Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen cook, Cleo Coyle, has a whole series devoted to my current craving—The Coffeehouse Mysteries. She’s a true co-coffee lover and I have great admiration for her—if I wrote about coffee, I think I’d have to get up and have a cup every time I wrote the word. I’d never get the book written!

So, onto the recipe du jour. I started thinking about how warm temperatures are finally here (or, at least, they’re here in North Carolina.) Having an ice coffee would be another way to enjoy coffee, despite the temperatures. Or, maybe, I could even bring the punch to the next gathering (it will be a Brownie Scout function, but –hey! the grown-ups need punch, too!) And then, as I was looking through some (really, really old) recipes, I found one for Coffee Punch. This makes a lot of punch….50 servings. Obviously, this is intended for a summer party. Or…maybe just for me. Smiley

Coffee Punch

Coffee Punch 1 gallon strong coffee :)
1 pint heavy cream
2 quarts vanilla ice cream
2 quarts chocolate ice cream
5 t vanilla
5 T sugar

Chill coffee. Mix sugar and vanilla into heavy cream and add to the chilled coffee. When you’re ready to serve the punch, place ice cream (sliced into thin slices) in the punch bowl and pour coffee over it. Mix well before serving.

There wasn’t quite so much in the cup because I kept tasting it. I tasted it out of the goodness of my heart, of course—I couldn’t share a recipe with y’all without making sure it was good…. Smiley

Riley/Elizabeth
Delicious and Suspicious (July 6 2010) Riley Adams
Pretty is as Pretty Dies –Elizabeth Spann Craig

http://mysterywritingismurder.blogspot.com

Contest Time!

sprinkleIt’s March and we’re celebrating cupcakes! Our own Jenn McKinlay’s Sprinkle with Murder is now out in bookstores near you! If you’d like to win cupcakes from Crumbs Bake Shop, send us an e-mail at MysteryLoversKitchen@gmail.com or leave a comment with your idea of the wackiest cupcake ingredients you can think of.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

In Quiche You're in a Hurry!


So, last week I made Irish Soda Bread with
buttermilk. I'm not a big buttermilk user, so
I was left wondering what to do with the leftover
buttermilk. Well, we made pancakes one day, but
I still had some left. Not enough for more bread but
enough so that I didn't want to just toss it out.


Then I had one of those days where everything that could
go wrong did (one child home sick from school, the new puppy
clearly not appreciating that peeing is an outdoor activity if you're
a dog or -- in my house -- a boy, misplaced keys, and a toilet that had
gone on strike and didn't want to flush anymore, good times!).
Then dinner time rolled around and found me, scratching my head
wondering what I could pull together that everyone would eat.
I looked in my frig and decided a quiche was in order. But I wanted
to use up the buttermilk, so I decided to work it in as well and here's
how it turned out.

BUTTERMILK QUICHE

Ingredients:

1 (9-inch) pie crust
3 eggs (slightly beaten)
1 cup buttermilk
dash of pepper
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup chopped turkey pepperoni
1/4 cup green onion




Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Arrange the pie crust in the pie
plate and cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 5 minutes. Remove
the foil and bake for another 5 minutes. Crust should be done.
Lower the oven temperature to 325.
In a large bowl, mix the eggs and buttermilk and pepper. Coat the
cheese lightly with flour and add to the egg mixture. Then add the
pepperoni and green onion. Mix well.
Pour the mixture into the hot crust and bake for 40-45 minutes.
Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
I served this quiche with peas, salad and bread and it made for a
light but filling supper. I was going to take a picture of an individual
slice all nicely arranged, but the quiche didn't live long enough for
me to manage it. Enjoy!

http://www.jennmckinlay.com/

Jenn McKinlay
SPRINKLE WITH MURDER
Available Now!

aka Lucy Lawrence
CUT TO THE CORPSE
Available for pre-order now



CONTEST
Don't forget about our contest! We’re celebrating cupcakes now that
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 at
MysteryLoversKitchen@gmail.com or leave a comment with your
idea of the wackiest cupcake ingredients you can think of. Tofu, anyone?


ANOTHER CONTEST!
To celebrate the April release of CUT TO THE CORPSE, I am giving
away an autographed copy of the book. All you have to do is visit
the contest section on my 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
our heroine Brenna is going to have to make a choice! Help her out
and cast your vote today!

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

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!