Cheese Slices (Dessert!) and a Contest!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Thank you to my wonderful blog-sisters here for the incredible launch support for Buffalo West Wing. I am thrilled to have Ollie's fourth adventure out there and I'm very excited to see all the great reviews. Thank you!!

Couple of things you may not know about this new book...

The Buffalo Wings central to the story are named for my best friend, Rene. She makes the most awesome chocolate chip cookies. Ask anyone who knows her... Rene's chocolate chips are the best. If you ask her for the recipe, she'll tell you she just follows the directions on the back of Nestle Toll House morsel packages and that's it. I've followed that, too, but mine are never as good as hers are. She's not hiding any ingredients or secrets, because that's not her style. It's a mystery and we all love investigating because it means more cookies for us.

Anyway, I originally planned to have cookies as the the mysterious gift in BWW, but once another friend, Margie, came up with the fabulous title, Buffalo West Wing, I decided that Rene's chocolate chips needed to morph.

With all that in mind, and in honor of the chocolate chip cookies that didn't make it into the story, I'm here to share a different recipe from Rene with you. Cheese slices. Sounds like something you get from Kraft in little cellophane wrappers, right? Not even close.

You're going to love these. Rene got the recipe from her mother-in-law (Hey Nana Nancy!!) and this dessert shows up at almost all their events. My family loves these so now the slices show up at most of our events, too. You just can't get enough cheese slices!

Thank you, Rene! Thank you Mrs. B!

(Stay tuned for contest news after the recipe!)

Cheese Slices

2 cans Pillsbury Crescent Rolls (original flavor. Spring for the name brand here. I've tried using store brands and the dough just doesn't hold up. Sticky, icky!)

2 pkgs 8 oz cream cheese, softened

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg yolk (save the white for later)

1 tsp vanilla

Spread one package of rolls in the bottom of an ungreased 9 x 13 pan. Smash and maneuver until the entire bottom is covered. Mix cream cheese, sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla. Spread over the bottom layer.

At this point, you need to decide if you want them plain, or with other flavors. Here I did half plain, half with mini-morsels. I haven't yet tried it with fruit, but I plan to. We just all like the plain *so* much that I'm reluctant to mess with success.

Spread the second set of crescent rolls on top.

Beat the egg white until frothy. Brush on top.

Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes, until golden brown. Refrigerate. Slice into serving pieces (I really like to cut these on an angle) and dust with powdered sugar. Serve.

Enjoy!!

Julie

* * *

Now, are you ready for a contest?

CONTEST!

This one is for all you fast readers out there who devour books

as fast as you get your hands on them!

I want to send one lucky winner a $10 bookstore gift certificate.

How to win it?

Simply email me JulieHyzy (at) gmail (dot) com -- put CHARACTER or CONTEST in the subject. In the body of your email, answer a question (or two):

1) Who is your favorite *new* character in Buffalo West Wing?

2) Why is he/she your favorite of the newbies?

(I really love to know how readers relate to new characters, so this is enormously helpful for me!)

Answer one question, you're entered once. Answer both, you're entered twice.

It's that easy.

There's no right or wrong answer. The winner will be chosen at random. No matter which of the newbies you love (or love to hate), just providing an answer gets you in the running. (BTW, there's one character we haven't seen since book #2. If he's your favorite, that's fine too.)

ENTER BY MIDNIGHT JANUARY 13, 2011

I will announce the winner sometime on Friday, January 14, 2011

I'll announce a winner a week from today. So many of you have emailed to let me know they've already read it, so I thought this would be a perfect way to pick your brains before I start book #6 (#5, as yet unnamed, is done).

Thanks in advance, and happy reading!

Football Frenzy - Potato Salad

First off, a big congratulations to JULIE HYZY for her acclaimed new release, BUFFALO WEST WING. Chef Ollie is at it again! My copy is waiting by my bedside.

We've had lots of new books coming out these past few months:

KRISTA DAVIS with a new DOMESTIC DIVA MYSTERY.

CLEO COYLE with a new COFFEEHOUSE MYSTERY.

Check out the side bars on the blog. Congratulations to all for bringing good reading to our fans!

* * *

Okay, New Year's Day has come and gone, but college football lives on. The championship game is being played at the Fiesta Bowl.

I don't know about you, but I really enjoy a good game, where the players are trying their darnedest to win. And watching a good football game can make me hungry.

But not just for chips and slaw and deli sandwiches. I want a potato salad that sticks to my ribs.

Bit of trivia: Charlotte, the protagonist in A Cheese Shop Mystery

series, went to Ohio State University. (I, myself, went to a west coast college: Stanford. Go Cardinal!) OSU played in the Sugar Bowl this past week and won by a slim margin. Stanford played in the Orange Bowl and won by a big margin.

BUT back to the recipe.

For this potato salad, because I'm always open to trying new things - tastes, textures, etc., I used my basic recipe and added Mozzarella because it's just a fun cheese. It doesn't add a lot of color, but the texture is so much fun.

Trivia for 10: Buffalo mozzarella is made from the milk of water buffalos and not from cows.

Trivia for 20: There is a question as to how water buffalos got to Italy. A story I read on the Internet suggested that Anthony and Cleopatra had something to do with it. Wikipedia (which we all know is 100% reliable, right? LOL) suggested the Goths. But then, under the same history, the author suggests that the Arabs introduced them into Sicily and the Normans brought them north from Sicily during the medieval ages. A final theory suggests that Arabs brought the buffalo from Mesopotamia and European pilgrims and crusaders brought them north.

Note: References to recipes made with buffalo mozzarella surfaced around the 12^th century.

Who knows what the truth is? It tastes great.

POTATO MOZZARELLA SALAD

INGREDIENTS:

4 red potatoes

1 hard-boiled egg

½ cup cider vinegar

1 teaspoon dried parsley

½ teaspoon garlic salt

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon relish

2 tablespoons oil

2 oz. fresh mozzarella

1 teaspoon paprika

DIRECTIONS:

Bring 6 cups of water to boil in a pot. Slice red potatoes in half, add to water, and boil for approximately 20 minutes, until a fork pierced in potatoes slides out easily. Remove pot from heat and drain.

Pour potatoes into a bowl and pour vinegar over the potatoes. Let the potatoes drink in the vinegar as much as possible. {Some people prefer less vinegar, I love the taste.} After 10 minutes, pour off the vinegar.

For hardboiled egg, set egg into 2 cups of cold water. Bring water to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes and reduce heat to medium high for 10 minutes. Turn off water. Let egg sit for 5 more minutes. Pour off hot water and immerse egg in cold water until needed. [*I usually make a batch of 5 eggs or more. They seem to cook better.]

Peel and dice egg and add to potatoes. Add the salt, garlic, parsley, relish and oil. Stir until coated.

Cube the mozzarella. Add to the cooled potatoes. Serve cooled or cold. Sprinkle with paprika.

And when celebrating (like the "college of your choice" football game win), good drinks go along with the fun. My mother used to make a mean margarita, so I've given the recipe to one of my characters in A Cheese Shop Mystery -- Charlotte's grandmother. Grandmere knows how to mix up the drinks. It's a fun little quirk. Inspired by my mother's margarita, I made a new recipe that would taste great at brunch--or early football games. This turned out fun. It's tasty and colorful. Enjoy.

GRANDMERE'S SCOTCH MARGARITA

Ingredients:

[per drink]

1 ounce Scotch

1 ounce Triple sec

2 ounces orange juice 100% juice

3-4 cubes ice

1 sprig fresh thyme for decoration

Directions:

Mix scotch, Triple sec and orange juice. Add ice. Stir. Add thyme.

Drink.

Easy and delish!

* * * * * * * *

If you'd like to know more about A Cheese Shop Mystery series and want to download a few other recipes from me (on recipe cards), click on this link to my website: Avery Aames. I've posted recipes in the "morsels" section. There's lots of other fun stuff, as well. And sign up for the mailing list to get in on the next contest...coming soon.

Say cheese!

A Sweet Start to the Year--Chocolate Pecan Bark

First off, a big congratulations to my friend Julie Hyzy for her acclaimed new release, Buffalo West Wing. I can’t wait to find out what Chef Ollie is up against this time! This book is coming out to outstanding reviews, so y’all be sure to pick up a copy.

New Year. Time to crack down on what we’re eating and start the new year out right. Make resolutions, make plans, get healthy.

Or not. :)

Rules are made to be broken, aren’t they?

I do like to start out a new year with something sweet. Maybe that’s just as superstitious as eating greens was—but it makes me think the year will be sweet, too.

With this recipe, you can break the rules just a little bit. A pinch of chocolate bark here and there…and pecans are good for you!

Jenn gave us a treat last month with her delicious peppermint bark recipe.

Or, if you really do want to be good, just bookmark this recipe and make it next month…and give it to your sweetie for Valentine’s Day. :)

Chocolate Pecan Bark

1 cup pecans chopped (or any chopped nut)
3 (4oz) Ghiradelli 60% cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Bars
3 (4oz) Ghiradelli White Chocolate Bars

1 tsp kosher salt

Line jelly roll pan with parchment paper
Break each chocolate bar into even pieces
Arrange alternately in checkerboard pattern in pan on top of parchment paper
Bake at 200 for 5 minutes until chocolate is melted
Remove pan and swirl chocolate with a toothpick for a marble pattern
Sprinkle with nuts and salt
Chill 1 hour
Break into pieces

Store in airtight container.

Enjoy breaking your resolutions! I know I am! :)

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

An American Pâté from Cleo Coyle

How we came up
with this recipe post...

A Play in One Scene
by Cleo Coyle




Click here for the handy PDF of this recipe that you can print, save, or share.



Marc: The holidays are over, honey, what do we have to eat?

Me: (Sticking head in fridge.) Leftovers. More leftovers. Slices of ham…

Marc: Hey, my grandmother used to make ham salad. How about that?

Me: Ham salad? Um… (As I contemplate my husband's suggestion, I break the fourth wall and address you, the audience)

Ee-gad, I’ve heard of ham salad. I know it’s been popular for years, kind of a retro Mad Men ’50’s canapé thing, but isn’t it on par with awful stuff like Spam in a can? Speaking of which, whatever happened to those adorable little cans of ham spread enveloped with that signature crinkly paper and the cute little devil logo? (Do any of you remember Underwood Deviled Ham Spread?)

By now, my husband groks my skeptical expression, if not my internal thoughts...

Marc: Oh, honey, you never had it made fresh for you. It’s delicious. Really, you don’t know what you’re missing.

Me: Okay, I’m game. So what goes in it? Ham. Obviously.

Marc: Mustard, onion, a hard-boiled egg, mayonnaise...

Me: I have an idea. Let’s see if anyone posted their grandmother’s recipe online….

(Sure enough there was a recipe here. We tinkered with it a bit and came up with our own particular version.)

Me: Problem. Nobody will click on this post if I call it Ham Salad.

Marc: Well, our version has Dijon mustard in it, and you’re serving it with jalapeno slices and dry-cured olives with Herbes De Provence.

Me: I’ve got it! We'll call the recipe Yankee Tapas, or better yet…

Cleo Coyle's American Pâté

For PDF click here.

3 cups ham, fully cooked
1 hard-boiled egg, chopped
2 heaping teaspoons dill relish (you can swap in sweet)
1 Tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
1 green onion, chopped (or 1 T. chopped shallots)
1 heaping teaspoon Dijon mustard (or yellow if you like)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
 
 

Directions: Grind your ham slices with a blender, food processor, meat grinder, or (use the method of Marc's grandmother), a pastry blender! (See our photo.)

Add remaining ingredients. Mix well. Chill and serve on your favorite crackers or slices of crusty baguette. We enjoyed topping ours with slices of jalapeno and cured, pitted olives.
 

Eat
(yes, even leftovers)
with joy!

~ Cleo Coyle, author of
The Coffeehouse Mysteries

To get more of my recipes, win free coffee,

or find out more about my books, visit me
 at my *virtual* coffeehouse:

CoffeehouseMystery.com



 

Click on the book covers above
to learn more about Cleo's culinary mysteries.



 



Butterscotch Pecan Cheesecake

Happy New Year, everyone!

I hope your weekend was as much fun as mine. My house guests were delightful and were quite pleased to sample the selection of delicious cookies that won the Christmas cookie contest. I thought you might like an update to know which cookies froze well.



The bottom line -- everything froze well, except the Pecan Lace Sandwich Cookies. The ones that I froze without the filling were scrumptious straight from the freezer. However, when the pecan cookie came to room temperature, they became unpleasantly sticky. In addition, the filling had become grainy. They keep well in the refrigerator, but not in the freezer.

For a grand New Year's Eve dessert, I was determined to flambe a cheesecake. I'd never done that before, but it just sounded right for the occasion. I was very impressed with the recipe for Holly's Peach Flambe Cheesecake, so I tweaked and made a few changes, and the result was the creamiest melt-in-your-mouth cheesecake I think I've ever eaten.

Peaches are not in season where I live, and fruit topping seemed too summery, so I used Butterscotch Schnapps to flavor the cheesecake. I also happen to love cheesecakes with a sour cream layer on top, so I added that as well, and then topped it all with a brown sugar and pecan mixture.

You can use whatever liquor you like for the flambe, but be forewarned, liqueurs, like schnapps, don't have enough alcohol content to flame. I tried by testing a small amount poured into a glass. It's true. Use brandy or rum, or even bourbon.

There are several steps in making this, but don't be intimidated. It's all very easy.

Butterscotch Pecan Cheesecake

Bottom~

1 1/2 cups honey graham crackers
6 tablespoons butter

Preheat oven to 325.

Crush the graham crackers in a bowl. (The easiest way is to simply squash them with a smaller bowl or glass until no chunky bits remain. Melt the butter (I microwave it for about 40 seconds), and mix with the crushed crackers. Press into the bottom of a nine inch cheesecake pan and bake eight minutes.

Cheesecake~

3 8-ounce packages of cream cheese
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons Butterscotch Schnapps
3 large eggs at room temperature

aluminum foil
1 pan large enough to hold the cheesecake pan
hot water


Beat the sugar with the cream cheese and add the schnapps. Beat in one egg at a time. Pour the mixture into the cheesecake pan.

Wrap the bottom of the cheesecake pan with aluminum foil. Place the wrapped cheesecake pan inside the larger pan and pour in enough hot water to come up about 1/3 of the way on the cheesecake pan.

Bake 45 to 50 minutes. When the pan is gently wiggled, the center should be almost set.

Sour Cream~

1 1/3 cups sour cream (use the full fat version)
1/3 cup sugar

Mix the sour cream with the sugar. Pour over top of the cheesecake and bake 10 more minutes.

Remove from oven. Take out of water bath and remove the aluminum foul. Place on a cooling rack and let stand for one hour.

Approximately fifteen minutes after removing from oven, run a knife around the edge to loosen it. DO NOT REMOVE THE CHEESECAKE PAN yet.

After one hour of cooling, refrigerate, preferably overnight.

Pecan Topping~

Make this shortly before serving.

1/2 cup dark brown sugar
4 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup finely chopped pecans

In a small saucepan, melt the butter with the sugar until the grains of sugar have dissolved. Add the pecans. If you don't use it right away and it begins to harden, simply reheat and stir until it's a sauce consistency again.

Just before serving, remove the side portion of the cheesecake pan. Pour the pecan topping on top of the cheesecake and spread. Add a splash of brandy to the top and light with a match. The alcohol will burn off in a lovely display.

Serve and enjoy!

Welcome, Mary Kennedy!

A very warm New Year's welcome to author Mary Kennedy. Mary writes the Talk Radio Mystery series, about Maggie Walsh, a psychologist who closes up her Manhattan practice and heads to sunny Florida to take a job as a radio talk show host.

Mary has generously offered to send a copy of her book to one winner today. Everyone who leaves a comment will be entered in the drawing! Good luck!

In addition to everything else she does, Mary adopted the 389th Renegades, stationed in Iraq. Here's Mary with her wonderful story!

The soldiers in the photo are Lt. Colonel Lisa Schieferstein and Command Sergeant Major Eric Cooke. I wrote a piece for PW on my experiences called "Books on the Battlefield." http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/columns-and-blogs/soapbox/article/44576-books-and-the-battlefield.html

What kind of goodies would you send to 90 hungry American soldiers stationed at a remote desert outpost in Iraq? This was the problem I faced last summer, when I “adopted” the 389th Renegades, headed by Lt. Colonel Lisa Schieferstein, the garrison commander. There were 3 requirements; the goodies had to withstand extreme heat, had to travel well and had to be delicious. I had already sent 200 pounds of home-made brownies over the summer (which were a hit!) but now I wanted to add something new.



I turned to Martha Cheves, cookbook author extraordinaire, for advice. She gave me a recipe for Baked Cereal Squares from marthaskitchenkorner.blogspot.com and it was a big hit! I made trays and trays of it during the summer months, packed them into empty two gallon pretzel jars and the troops loved it.

BAKED CEREAL SQUARES

1 (16 oz.) pkg. cereal squares (rice, oats, corn, wheat)

2 cups whole pecans

1/2 cup corn syrup

1/4 (1/2 stick) butter

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. baking soda

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Combine cereal and pecans in 9 x 13 baking dish. In a 2 cup microwavable bowl, mix corn syrup, brown sugar and butter. Microwave on high 1 1/2 minutes. Stir. Microwave on high for 1 minute more or until mixture is boiling. Stir in vanilla and baking soda. Pour over cereal & nuts. Stir until evenly coated. Bake 1 hr. tossing every 20 minutes. Cool.

Makes about 2 qts.



It turns out the “Renegades” loved mysteries, so I sent plenty of paperback mysteries, including copies of DEAD AIR and REEL MURDER, from my Talk Radio Mysteries. The Renegades are all safely back home, now, and I mentioned them in the acknowledgment page of STAY TUNED FOR MURDER, my January 4th release. Hope you enjoy this wonderful snack!




Mary Kennedy is a licensed psychologist in private practice on the east coast and the author of The Talk Radio Mysteries from Penguin.




Happy New Year!

A note from Krista ~

January first is traditionally a time for new starts. You made some resolutions, right? I know I did.

This January first, we're going through some changes at Mystery Lover's Kitchen. It's with great sadness that we're waving so long to Jenn McKinley. She's bowing out to spend more time writing her delightful books. We're sorry to see her go, and we'll certainly miss her. Don't worry, Jenn promises to come back and visit!


On a happier note, three new regulars will be joining us on Saturdays. We're thrilled to add Wendy Lyn Watson, Sheila Connolly, and MJ Maffini to Mystery Lover's Kitchen!

Wendy Lyn Watson writes the Mystery A La Mode series about Tallulah Jones, proprietor of Dalliance, Texas’s old-fashioned ice-cream parlor. In addition, Wendy is a vegetarian, so she'll be sharing some great meat-free dishes.

Sheila Connolly writes the Orchard Mystery series, about apple orchard owner, Meg Corey. In addition, Sheila writes the Museum Mysteries, which just debuted this fall. Sheila's interest in food and history has spurred her to recreate some fascinating recipes like Emily Dickinson's Black Cake.

MJ Maffini is the author of the Camilla MacPhee mystery series, the Fiona Silk mysteries, and the Charlotte Adams mysteries. Shh, I hear there's a new series on the horizon. While MJ isn't writing culinary mysteries, she's a creative cook and tells us that the new series will include a housekeeper, Senora Panetone, whose cooking skills are phenomenal.

Mystery Lover's Kitchen is delighted that these three talented authors and cooks have agreed to join us!

Today you're getting a twofer! Jenn McKinley is leaving with a bang with her Mexican Chocolate Cupcakes. Ringing in the new is Wendy Watson with Touchdown Taco Dip!


Well, what better way to start the new year than

with cupcakes? BUTTERCREAM BUMP OFF will be released in just three days on January 4th, and I am so excited I decided to whip up a batch of Mexican Chocolate Cupcakes for Christmas and share the recipe here with you!

Sadly, this will also be my last regular post for Mystery Lover's Kitchen, so I wanted to share a special cupcake recipe and this one will be featured in DEATH BY THE DOZEN, which is due out in October 2011.

It was a hard decision to leave the kitchen. These ladies are the best, but I've signed on for another mystery series (yes, that makes four) and what with being a part time librarian and a full time mom, well, something had to give. Hey, maybe this

means the Hub will take me out to eat more often. See? There's always an upside!

Not only that, but the ladies will be inviting some truly spectacular talents to take over the Saturday slot! It's going to be terrific!

Oh, and I will be popping into the kitchen, so it really isn't goodbye but more of a I'll see you when I see you!

And now here is the recipe, which I must say, turned out AMAZING!

Mexican Chocolate Cupcakes:

1 box devil's food cake mix

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp chile powder

A pinch of kosher salt

A dash of black pepper

3 large eggs

1 cup water

4 tbspn canola oil

1 disk (3.1 oz) Mexican chocolate,

ground in food processor

Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a cupcake tin with paper cups.
In a mixing bowl, stir together the cake mix, cinnamon and chile powder, plus salt and pepper. Add eggs, water and oil. Stir until the mix is just combined, then add the ground chocolate stir until all of the dry ingredients are moistened. Do not overmix.

Ganache frosting:

3/4 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon light corn syrup

6 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips

In a double boiler bring the cream and corn syrup to a simmer. Add the chocolate chips, stirring frequently until the mixture is smooth. Remove from heat and let sit for five minutes to cool and thicken. Holding the cupcakes upside down, dip them into the ganache until the top is coated. Allow the excess to drip off and then set aside to allow the frosting to set.

Tip: To jazz it up, I piped a little red chili pepper on top.

I used a basic buttercream frosting recipe and red food coloring!

Enjoy! It has been a pleasure blogging with all of you for the past year and a half. Good luck and good eating, everyone!

Jenn

www.jennmckinlay.com

And now, Wendy Watson!

New years means lots of things to lots of people -- drunken revelry, resolutions, diets (ahem), clean slates. For me, though, January 1 means football.

It will come as a great surprise to my students--who have to put up with my half-baked and ill-conceived sports analogies on a regular basis--but I watched a lot of college ball as a child. I'm a third generation Michigan Wolverine - Go Blue! - so I didn't have a lot of choice in the matter.

For the first 28 years of my life (until the whole BCS nonsense), the Rose Bowl on January 1 was the crowning moment for the Big 10 Champ, and for 20 of those 28 years, the Rose Bowl was either the last chance to cheer on my beloved Wolverines or the last chance to boo and hiss at our arch-rival, Ohio State. So our family always spent January 1 planted in front of the television, doing terrible things to our blood pressure and our overall cardiovascular health.

As I mentioned before, I watched a lot of football, but I never exactly understood, well, the rules. The ball moved up and down the field, there was a lot of yelling of "hit him, hit him!", but the finer points were wasted on me. For me, there were two highlights to watching football. First, I could sing "Hail to the Victors" as loudly as a I wanted, and no one complained about how off-key I was. And, second, there were lots of snacks ... especially chips and dip.

So for those playing along at home, here's the math:

January 1 = Football = Vast Quantities of Chips and Dip

By the transitive property, January 1 = Dip. Isn't math grand?

Many dips graced my childhood--the ever-popular French-onion-soup-and-sour cream, the Knorr spring vegetable soup version of the same, Velveeta queso, pecan-crusted cheese balls. But no dip was so loved, and quickly devoured, as our family's take on the 7-layer taco dip.

The beauty of this dip is

1. it takes about 10 minutes to make (before photo taken at 10:52, after photo at 11:00);
2. it's pretty;
3. it's delicious;
4. you can get just about every ingredient at the corner 7-11;
5. it has protein and veg in it, so you can rationalize eating the whole pan yourself; and
6. while I have no firsthand experience (riiiight....), I've heard it's excellent hangover food.

So if you're spending today watching football or simply huddling at home trying to recover from last night's overindulgence, take 10 to whip up some of this dip.

Touchdown Taco Dip

1 15-oz container sour cream (light is fine)

1 can refried beans (fat free is fine)

1 packet of taco seasoning (1/4 c., if you buy in bulk)

8 oz. shredded cheddar cheese

3/4 c. jarred salsa or picante

small can chopped black olives (optional)

Spread the beans in the bottom of a 7 x 11 or 9 x 13 pan. Mix the sour cream with the taco seasoning. Spread that over the beans. Sprinkle with cheese. Drizzle with salsa/picante. Dot with black olives.

If you're really feeling festive, you could spread a layer of purchased guacamole between the beans and the sour cream. Or throw a handful of actual diced tomatoes on top. Go crazy!

GO BLUE!



Happy New Year from all of us to all our friends who make Mystery Lover's Kitchen such a special and fun place!