Guest Gail Oust's Layered Crabmeat Spread

Hi Everyone,

I’m Gail Oust, author of the Bunco Babe Mysteries for NAL, and a first-time blogger.  I happened to meet Wendy recently at Malice Domestic, and she kindly invited me to be a guest at Mystery Lover’s Kitchen.  If any of you have ever played bunco (a simple, strictly social, dice game,) you know munchies and drinks are as important as the numbers we roll—sometimes even more so.  

I thought I’d share one my favorites with you for a spread that’s always a big hit.

LAYERED CRABMEAT SPREAD

1 (8 oz.) package of cream cheese

2 Tbs. lemon juice

1 Tbs. mayonnaise

½ tsp. seasoned salt

½ tsp. lemon pepper

¼ tsp. Worcestershire sauce

¾ cup cocktail sauce

1 (6 oz.) can crabmeat, drained

2 cups (8 oz.) shredded Monterey Jack cheese

3 green onions, chopped

½ green bell pepper, chopped

½ cup sliced ripe olives (optional)

Beat cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth; add lemon juice and next 4 ingredients, beating until blended.  Spoon mixture into a 9” serving dish.  Cover and chill at least 20 minutes.

Spread cocktail sauce evenly over cream cheese mixture.  Top with crabmeat; sprinkle with cheese, green onions, bell pepper, and ripe olives if desired.

Serve with assorted crackers or fresh vegetables. 

For fewer calories, I use 1/3 less fat cream cheese, light mayo, and 2% reduced fat cheese.

~~~~~

Once a mystery lover, always a mystery lover.  Former romance writer (historicals) Gail Oust turned to the dark side when a a golf buddy remarked that something smelled rotten in the underbrush.  "Maybe it's a dead body" comment became the basis for Bunco Babe Mysteries.  Shake, Murder, and Roll, released in May is the third of the series.  Be sure to visit Gail's website.

Polenta Pie

Texas continues to wilt beneath a brutal heat wave.  All but six of our 254 counties have burn bans in effect. I can't actually remember the last time it rained.

Still, a girl cannot live on fruit, salad, and frozen treats forever.  Mr. Wendy has been lobbying (at first subtly, lately more loudly) for something a bit heartier.

Heartier, but not too fatty or rich.  After all, our household has recently returned to Weight Watchers.  And, again, it's like an oven outside ... fatty and rich might kill us on the spot.

The perfect compromise?  This tasty polenta pie.  The original recipe is from one of the Moosewood cookbooks.  I don't know which one (definitely not one I own); I got the recipe from a friend.  The original makes a single pie with a thicker, softer polenta base topped with sliced veg and a little cheese.

Polenta Pie with Faux Sausage, Tomatoes, and Mushrooms

I've modified the heck out of the original, turning it into something closer to deep dish pizza ... but, again, without all the fat and goo.  Adding a little garlic powder and parmesan to the polenta gives it a flavor boost and helps it crisp up a bit.  Dividing the polenta between two 9-inch pie pans (instead of the original, single 10-inch pan) brings the texture and thickness closer to a hearty pizza crust.

I've also mixed up the filling, adding more tomato and some Gimme Lean sausage to simulate Chicago-style pizza toppings.

For you meat eaters out there, you could use half a pound of ground sausage instead of the soy substitute ... just brown and drain off the excess fat before you add the mushrooms.  You could also use any pizza toppings you want to (onions? olives?); just be sure you cook out most of the liquid from any vegetables and that you precook all meats.  An added bonus?  The crust is gluten-free!  (The Gimme Lean is NOT gluten free, however, so celiacs need to modify the filling.)

Mr. Wendy declared this a "keeper" and it's now gone into our reserve of Weight Watchers-friendly comfort food.  I hope you enjoy it, too!

Polenta Pie

Crust:

1 1/2 c. coarse corn meal (or corn grits, if you live in the south)
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 1/2 c. cold water
2 c. hot water
1/4 c. grated parmesan cheese
1 tsp. olive oil

Filling:

2 c. shredded mozzarella
1 tsp. olive oil
7 oz. Gimme Lean (sausage style -- NOT gluten free)
1 pound mushrooms, chopped
28-oz can diced tomatoes, drained well in a colander
1 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1 1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper (optional)

For the crust:  Preheat oven to 375.  Spray 2 9-inch pie plates with nonstick spray.  Combine the corn meal, salt, garlic powder, and cold water in a bowl.  Heat the 2 c. water to a boil in a medium saucepan.  Add the cornmeal mixture to the boiling water, whisking.  Immediately reduce heat to medium-low.  Cook (just below a simmer) for about 10 minutes, whisking often.  Polenta will thicken considerably.

Mix in olive oil and parmesan cheese.  Divide mixture between the two pie pans.  Spread with a spatula or wet hands to cover the bottom and sloping sides of the pans.  Bake for 45 minutes.

Filling:  About 15 minutes before the crusts are done, heat the remaining tsp. of olive oil in a large skillet.  Brown the sausage, breaking the pieces into fairly small bits.  Once the sausage is fairly well cooked, add the mushrooms and herbs.  Saute until the mushrooms are starting to brown (they will shrink and give off most of their liquid ... you want the liquid to evaporate).  Add the drained tomatoes and heat through.

When the crust is done, remove from the oven.  Immediately heat the oven to a high broil.  Sprinkle a half-cup of shredded cheese in the bottom of each crust.  Top with the filling (divided between the two pans).  Top with remaining cheese.  Return to the oven and let "broil" (in the middle of the oven) for 5 - 7 minutes, until the cheese starts to brown a bit on top.

** Since there are only two of us, there's no way we could eat all this food.  I made both crusts and all of the filling, but I only assembled one pie the first night.  I stored the second crust and the remaining filling SEPARATELY overnight.  I then reheated both separately before I assembled the second pie.  I think that's the way to go, to prevent the crust from becoming soggy.

~~~~~~

Wendy is the author of the Mysteries a la Mode. Visit her on the web or on Facebook.

How many mystery writers does it take to turn on the grill?

Big congratulations to two of our own

Cleo Coyle with a new Coffeehouse Mystery

MURDER BY MOCHA

&

Sheila Connolly with a new Orchard Mystery

BITTER HARVEST.

What a week!

Shrimp in Coconut-Lime Glaze

In the course of this recipe, I’ll answer the age-old question: how many mystery writers does it take to turn on the grill? The answer – as I am sure you all know – is five.

Some members of the Ladies Killing Circle, thrilled by the publication of Little Treasures, their first e-collection of short stories were celebrating with food. I mean what are friends for? My contribution to the food festivities was to be this shrimp in coconut-lime glaze.

We were also having coconut cumin rice and chicken with grilled peaches, salad and ice cream and fresh berries for dessert. Some other time, we'll diet.

The only problem was our hostess’s new grill. It had never been used. I mean never. So while I was merrily trying to get the glaze to turn the right color (tan), others were working hard to get the grill lit, and may I add squealing dramatically with every toss of a match. Dave (of A Year on the Grill) if you are reading this, try not to fall off your seat laughing.

The automatic starter didn’t work, but eventually, mystery writer Erika Chase tamed that grill single-handedly. Joan Boswell is the cheering section here. By the way, we’ll be celebrating again when Erika’s first mystery: A Killer Read (Berkley Prime Crime) hits the stands in April.

The shrimp as well as everything else was a big hit. A suitable culinary celebration of the launch of Little Treasures. We think that’s a treat too.

Shrimp in Coconut-Lime Glaze

■ 2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined. I used colossal!

■ metal skewers, or bamboo skewers (if bamboo soak for an hour to keep them from burning)

■ Salt and freshly ground black pepper

■ 2 limes, cut into wedges

For coconut-lime glaze:

■ 1 cup coconut milk

■ 1/2 cup cream of coconut

■ 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (about 4 limes)

■ 8 drops Tabasco or other hot sauce (or to taste)

■ 1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Place all the glaze ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Lower the heat to medium and cook for 20 minutes, or until the mixture is reduced by two-thirds. It will take on a tan color. Stir to prevent the mixture from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Remove from heat and set aside.

2. Skewer two or three shrimps onto each skewer. Heat grill to high and close the lid. Wait at least 15 minutes.

3. Season the shrimp all over with salt and pepper and slather on the glaze, coating well.

4. Oil the grill grates with vegetable oil and place the shrimp skewers on the grill. Keep the lid open so the shrimp don’t overcook before the sugars in the glaze caramelize.

5. Grill the shrimp for about 4 minutes per side, basting with glaze. The shrimp are ready when they turn opaque and the glaze begins to caramelize.

6. To serve, arrange the shrimp skewers on a platter and serve with lime wedges.

These are great as an appetizer for a group or as a main with coconut rice and a crisp salad.

The recipe was fun to make, the shrimp were even more fun to eat, and we hope the story collection we were celebrating will be fun to read.

Little Treasures: by Ladies Killing Circle is available through Kindle and Smashwords!

When seven award-winning women authors with crime on their minds join forces the result is seven anthologies in just over a decade. In these stories from the first anthology, The Ladies' Killing Circle, everyone has secrets and sometimes murder is the only way to keep them safe. Some of the stories are sweet, others spicy. Other are haunting and tragic.

Mary Jane Maffini won Best Short Story Award from Crime Writers of Canada for Cotton Armour in which ultimate power is wielded from a death bed.

Cross Country Skiing turns out to be deadly in Joan Boswell's One Cold Cookie.

Audrey Jessup's The Little Treasures proves that a lonely woman with a houseful of valuables can be far too trusting.

In Birdbrain, by Vicki Cameron, dumb animals turn out to be both smart and vengeful.

Linda Wiken (Erika Chase) proves the adage that a picture is worth a thousand words and all of them end in murder in There Goes the Neighbourhood.

Sue Pike's story, With Friends like These, asks the question, what's a girl to do when she believes all of her friends are gunning for her?

And, finally, in Barbara Fradkin's Secrets of the Night, the darkest stories are revealed just before the dawn.

All to say, the ladies will slay you!

Cowboy Burgers with Blue Cheese or Cheddar

Congratulations to 

Cleo Coyle with a new Coffeehouse Mystery 

MURDER BY MOCHA

& 

Sheila Connolly with a new Orchard Mystery

BITTER HARVEST. 

Both with new books out this week! 

What a great month to dive into a new cozy!!! 

Tasty and fun.

* * *

Do you love to barbecue? You all know I do. Have I gone on  and on and on about them this summer. I find such solace outdoors, listening to the wind, to the birds. Drinking in the aroma of the barbecue. Ahhh.

Earlier in the summer, I shared a steak with blue cheese. But what about a burger? With blue or cheddar.  I adore a good burger. Juicy. With or without a bun. A crisp salad. A hearty red wine like a Sin Zin Zinfandel, with upfront flavors of black cherries, blueberries, vanilla and spice. Fabulous!

Now, you probably know which cheddar you prefer, but not every blue is the same, so here are a couple to choose from...depending on your palate.

  

From the heart of Emmentaler cheese territory in Switzerland comes Blause Wunder Blue cheese.

I read about this cheese in Culture Magazine and had to try it. It was totally different from typical blue cheeses. The exterior rind of the cheese is powdery blue in color. Inside the semi-soft meat of the cheese is a bone white/gray interior, shot through with fine blue vein lines. The magazine said the cheese offered flavors spice imparted and an underlying sweetness. I thought it was a mild blue cheese, lovely for eating with appetizers. Mild for a cowboy burger.

 Another choice is Bayley Hazen Blue. This comes from Cowlgirl Creamery in California. It iis a buttery, natural-rind blue cheese made with raw Ayrshire cow’s milk. These cows graze from late spring to early fall. Though it is drier than many blue cheese, and the flavors are spectacular, offering all the hints of the grasses that the cows feed on and a hint of anise. It’s a strong enough cheese to hold its own against a fat juicy burger.

COWBOY BURGER WITH BLUE CHEESE (OR CHEDDAR)

Ingredients:

(4 burgers)

2 pounds hamburger (15-20% lean)

1 sweet yellow onion

¾ cup (6-8 ounces) crumbled blue cheese  or shredded Cheddar (plus more to adorn burger) 

4 tablespoons Penzey's Bouquet Garni (mixed herbs *)

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon white pepper

Directions:

Heat oven to broil or prepare barbecue to a medium high heat

Peel and chop onion small bits. 

Shred 6-8 ounces of cheddar cheese.

I used Penzey's Bouquet Garni herbs. If you can't find Penzey's at your store, you can mix together your favorite herbs. [*Suggestion: 1 tablespoon dried basil, 1 tablespoon thyme, 1 tablespoon rosemary, 1 tablespoon dried parsley.] Add salt and pepper.

In medium bowl, mix hamburger, onion, cheese and spices.  Mold the mixture into four thick patties.  [Keep them thick in order to keep them rare to medium rare.  If you desire medium to well-done, make the patties flatter.]  [By the way, I saw Ina Garten making burgers, on a rerun, and she was adamant that you not pat the burgers too hard or they won't stay juicy. So be gentle.]

In an oven or on the barbecue, cook the burgers approximately 4-5 minutes on each side.  Pressing on the burger with the back of a spatula will give you an idea of “doneness.”

Adorn burgers with extra cheese. 


Enjoy!!!

* * * * * * **

BOOKSELLERS LINK

More Ideas for Okra

First of all, a big congratulations to my fellow mystery-loving cooks, Cleo and Sheila for their releases yesterday! Hope you’ll grab a copy of Cleo’s Murder by Mocha, the paperback edition of Roast Mortem, and Sheila’s Bitter Harvest. Can’t wait to read mine! Remember to enter Cleo’s contest: details here.

One thing about growing okra—you get to the point where you have okra coming out of your ears!

It grows like crazy in the South and before you know it, you’re trying to come up with new ways to enjoy it. It’s either that, or give it away (which is one option I’ve already taken. Popular with my neighbors, but I’d rather hang onto my okra!) :)

It’s just so good, though, that we’ll keep on growing it each summer. And here’s a skillet recipe for preparing it that’s an adaptation of an old Cajun dish, Maque Choux. The nice thing about this recipe is that you’re also taking advantage of the fresh corn that’s available right now. You could also add other ingredients to this dish, like onion and garlic. And…it’s super-simple to make.

Corn and Okra Sauté

1/4 pound sliced Jalapeno Cheese sausage (available at the store)
3 cups fresh corn kernels
1 cup diced tomatoes
1 cup sliced okra

Place sliced sausage in a skillet and brown (3-4 minutes). Add the remaining ingredients and sauté about 10 minutes.

Enjoy!

Got any more ideas for cooking okra? Please share! :)

Riley/Elizabeth
Delicious and Suspicious (Riley Adams)
Finger Lickin’ Dead—June 7 (book 2 of the Memphis BBQ series!) It’s here! Download it on Kindle: http://amzn.to/kh7MAp
Mass market paperback: http://amzn.to/lfUE2N

Pub Party for Murder by Mocha! Enter to win a Gimme Coffee Latte Cup (made in Italy) from Cleo Coyle



Congrats to James "Library Jim"
who won this adorable cup and
a signed copy of my new
Coffeehouse Mystery: MURDER BY MOCHA,
now a Top-9 National Mystery Bestseller
in Hardcover! 


My original post is below, but
I'll have a NEW contest starting shortly.
Check back HERE or at
my Web site for the link to the
NEW CONTEST! 


Cheers ~ Cleo

www.CoffeehouseMystery.com 


--------------------------------------------------



Cleo Coyle, author of
The Coffeehouse
Mysteries

We have 3 new releases to celebrate this week. Sheila's Bitter Harvest, the 5th book in her Orchard Mystery series (Congrats, Sheila!) and my own Murder by Mocha, the 10th entry in my Coffeehouse Mystery series...

I’m also celebrating the release of Coffeehouse Mystery #9, ROAST MORTEM, which came out last year in hardcover and is now a national bestseller in paperback! 


Isn't the cover pretty?

ROAST MORTEM was also a "Favorite Book of the Year" Reviewer's Pick for 2010 by Bookreporter.com To read more about the story or purchase the book, click here. 

TO READ
ROAST MORTEM'S
PROLOGUE AND
FIRST CHAPTER,
CLICK HERE.




GET A PEEK AT
ROAST MORTEM'S
FIREHOUSE RECIPES HERE.

<< Madame's Osso Buco 

Clare Cosi's
Old-Fashioned
Doughnut Muffins 

Clare's Blueberries 'n' Cream Coffee Cake Pie
5 minutes to stir together, yet impressive to serve

Find this and many more recipes in my culinarymystery Roast Mortem

Next week, and in the coming weeks of August, I'll tell you more about my new hardcover release, MURDER BY MOCHA, share some of its delicious recipes, and have more fun contests, some of which will test your knowledge of MURDER BY MOCHA's characters and story. To learn more about my new release or purchase it, click here or here or visit your favorite local bookseller...and stay tuned. 

I  hope you enjoy my release month as much as I plan to!

For those of you who are brand new to this blog or my series, check out the official book trailer below or visit the About the Coffeehouse Mysteries page of my Web site by clicking here.

Cleo Coyle's
MURDER BY MOCHA
"Gimme Coffee!" Latte Cup CONTEST

Thanks to all of you who entered last week’s Countdown to Release contest. Your notes and comments meant a lot to me. 


Last week's winner: Nan of Northern New England and Letters from a Hill Farm blog. Congrats, Nan!


This week's prizes were won by...

James "LibraryJim" 

of Tallahassee, Florida!




My new contest is starting shortly.
I'll post a link HERE and on
my Web site so stay tuned!

~ Cleo Coyle, author of

The Coffeehouse Mysteries

To get more of my recipes,
win free coffee or learn about my bestselling Coffeehouse Mysteries, 

and Haunted Bookshop Mysteries,
visit my virtual coffeehouse at...

www.CoffeehouseMystery.com 


*

Strawberry French Toast for Breakfast on the Patio

Does this blog look familiar?  We had a little mix-up yesterday morning, but we're back on track now. 

Lots of breakfast cravings around here this week so it seemed like the right time to share this recipe! 

Three times in the past week I heard people talking about getting their summer vacations in before school starts.  Some schools are starting in two weeks.  Where did the summer go?  Of course that means a lot of us have house guests.  In the miserable heat that has been sweeping the country, breakfast is the only meal that can be enjoyed outside. 

I included these recipes in a newsletter that I sent out last year.  They're very easy, but good enough for company. They passed the test of my pickiest eaters!  We're still getting wonderful strawberries around here, and everyone loves them.  If you're not sure when your company will arrive, keep a bag of frozen strawberries in the freezer so you can make this for breakfast on short notice.

If you would like to sign up for the Domestic Diva Mystery Newsletter, please go to my website and scroll down to the sign-up box.  I only send them 3 or 4 times a year, so you won't be inundated with email.

Easy French Toast

canola oil
1 egg for every 2 slices of bread
sliced bread (I used Pepperidge Farm Italian with Sesame Seeds)
powdered sugar

Whisk the eggs.  Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large pan on medium high.  Dredge the bread through the eggs, coating both sides.  Cook in pan until each side is very lightly browned. Dust with powdered sugar.

Strawberry Reduction

1 bag frozen strawberries (10-12 oz.)
3/4 to 1 cup sugar
1 cup water

Combine in a saucepan.  Bring to boil.  Let simmer, uncovered, about 45 minutes.  Serve warm.  Can be made ahead and heated the next day.  Also very tasty cold!

Fresh Strawberries

1/2 to 1 quart fresh strawberries
1/4 to 1/2 cup sugar (to taste)
lemon

Wash and slice strawberries.  Sprinkle with sugar and a couple of squeezes of lemon.  Stir and let stand until ready to serve.