Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Join Our Blogiversary Party: 5 Delicious Years! + Enter Our Book-a-Day Giveaways #bookgiveaway


This month is our blog's fifth anniversary! Every day, for the next two weeks, we're giving away a book. We're also hearing from our wonderful MLK alums. Here is a fun update from the great and gracious author Julie Hyzy! 

Leave a comment today (answering my question) and enter to win her new release. More on that below. And now...

Take it away, Julie!

~ Cleo



What's new: I'm in the middle of writing the sixth Manor House Mystery - a new Grace book that is yet untitled. GRACE AGAINST THE CLOCK came out July 1st.

My favorite post for MLK was probably this one because I was able to use a few other MLKer's recipes for my party and share one of my go-to favorites as well: 
Puppy Chow (for humans). If you'd like that recipe, click here.




A Blast from our MLK Past...
Puppy Chow for Humans!


What a fun reminder, Julie.
Before you blogged this recipe,
I'd never heard of chocolate
"puppy chow," and I loved it!  
~ Cleo

For the recipe,
click here.



Scrolling through some of my old posts, I realized how much I learned during my time with MLK. And how much more I enjoy cooking and creating these days. 

My time in the kitchen (MLK) has truly enhanced my time in the kitchen here. I've gotten to be a much better cook and I've thoroughly embraced the cooking-as-entertainment mindset. So... thank you to MLK for getting me started down that path.

~ Julie Hyzy


Thank you, Julie, for such a gracious post and for the many fun and fascinating posts you left in our archives. Let's raise a glass together this week to good eating and good reading!

~ Cleo





To help our readers 
celebrate with us...


Don't miss our fun
Blogiversary Contest!


In honor of our fifth anniversary,
5 people will win our
Mystery Lovers' Kitchen tote and 7 books!






To enter our contest
CLICK HERE.

It's a photo contest.
Have fun with it!


To enter TODAY'S daily book giveaway
drawing, answer this question for Cleo...


What is one (or more) of your favorite 
Mystery Lovers' Kitchen recipes?


You'll be letting other readers know about it, too,
and we cannot thank you enough for sharing and
liking our posts on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest,
and other social media sites. And telling your
friends, co-workers, and family about MLK!


Today's prize is a copy of author
Julie Hyzy's fabulous new release... 


Grace Against the Clock



To be entered answer the question above
and don't forget to leave an email address
or link to a Facebook page so we can contact you. 

Answer the question before midnight because 
after midnight, the next drawing starts!



Cheers and
good luck, everyone!

~ Cleo

46 comments:

  1. One of my favorite recipes is for Cleo's Black Bean Brownies----that might not be the recipe name, but the brownies have beans in them.
    suefarrell.farrell@gmail.com

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    1. Sue - Right you are, the Black Bean Brownies (from scratch) were the bomb. The secret to black bean brownies (I discovered by making them many times) is in getting those beans pulverized in a food processor or powerful blender. If the beans are pureed well enough and mixed with good quality dark chocolate, all you'll taste is the happy, happy chocolate. Thanks for dropping by, Sue, and helping us celebrate five delicious years!

      Cheers,
      ~ Cleo

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  2. Wish I could enter, but I don't do Facebook

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    1. No worries! You don't have to do Facebook - just leave your little old e-mail address where we can contact you if you win. (True you do need an e-mail address, but if you're online, that's probably the case, right?! :))

      Cheers and enjoy the week!
      ~ Cleo

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  3. There was a shepherd's pie recipe that was good.

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    1. Sandy - Oh, for sure! We have three shepherd's pie recipes in our archives -- one from Sheila Connolly (who def. knows Irish cuisine!), one from Peg Cochran (who gave us a tasty light version), and one from Jenn McKinlay, too. How do you find them? Easy - for anyone who wants to search our recipe archives, just scroll all the way down the right column and look for the tag words, which are listed alphabetically. There is also a search box in the right column at the start of the list, and you can type in an ingredient to see if there is a recipe for it (chicken, chocolate, cheese, etc...)

      Thanks for dropping in today, Sandy, and good luck in today's drawing!

      ~ Cleo

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  4. Thank you so much, Cleo! I miss hanging out in the kitchen with all of you. This, truly, is one of my favorite places to visit online and I congratulate you all on your successful five years!
    :::clinking glasses with you:::
    Thanks for inviting me back for the celebration!

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Julie - Thank you for the many wonderful posts that you shared with us while you were here. We miss you, too (teary eyed)...but we've been following your success with pride and joy. Thank you for coming back to help us celebrate. You're welcome in the Kitchen anytime!

      Cheers,
      ~ Cleo

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  5. Grilled cheese recipes.

    kpbarnett1941[at]aol.com

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    1. Karen - You can say that again! I love the grilled cheese recipes that Avery Aames has shared with us (everyone should check them out in our index list in the right column). As the author of The Cheese Shop Mysteries, she's truly an expert and has done some fantastic pairings of cheeses and other ingredients. She even did a post or two on attending Grilled Cheese Competitions. Thanks for dropping in today and helping us celebrate and good luck in the drawing to win Julie's new release!

      ~ Cleo

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  6. I keep coming back again and again to Cleo's carnitas! They are just so good.

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    1. Libby - aw, thx. Marc and I love them, too - they're so easy, aren't they? And we always make an amazing fast Italian spaghetti sauce from the fond in the pan. But what I really want to say is thank you sincerely for your continued support of Mystery Lovers' Kitchen. You're comments and questions are always a pleasure to see. Cheers and here's to another five years of foodie fun.

      ~ Cleo

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  7. Your "Puppy Chow" recipe has always been a fun one, although we call it "Trash". :)

    patucker54 at aol dot com

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    Replies
    1. Pat - Thanks for dropping in to help us celebrate. And I'm with you on Julie's Puppy Chow (aka chocolate trash) whatever you call it, it's hard to stop eating it!!

      ~ Cleo

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  8. Ok, first of all I'd like to say that there are many favorite recipes that I use from this blog. However with it being summer and time for family reunion, I would have to say the "Broccoli Salad". It is delicious and is a Big Hit at the reunion. :) (Riley Adams - Memphis BBQ Series) bubs(dot)girl(at)yahoo(dot)com

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    Replies
    1. Tonya - The Broccoli Salad from "Riley Adams" (aka Elizabeth Spann Craig) is an excellent recipe, thank you for reminding me. I'm going to make it again this week now that you've mentioned it! One of my fave recipes from her is her pimento cheese, fantastic family recipe that she shared with us. Both recipes (for anyone reading this who is new to our blog) can be found by scrolling down the right column. There is an index of "tag words" listed alphabetically, or you can search by typing a term into the box at the start of the list. Either way, there are plenty of fantastic foodie finds in there.

      Thanks for dropping in, Tonya, we appreciate your longtime support of our blog and helping us celebrate our fifth blogoversary!

      ~ Cleo

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  9. I like the Date Squares recipe. They have always been a favorite of mine.

    lkish77123 at gmail dot com

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  10. I just found this site recently, so I haven't tried hundreds (yet!). I do love the little pizzas on zucchini slices (also is yummy on eggplant, if you like that sort of stuff.). I also really enjoy the potato wedges with the parmesan cheese.

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  11. coconut cupcakes

    bn100candg at hotmail dot com

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  12. Pumpkin pancakes ... yum!

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  13. I use 2 of Cleo's recipe's regularly. Microwave Fudge and Frito Shephard's Pie. Don't make me choose.

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  14. I've really loved the Honey-Glazed Peach Crostata. I've made it with peaches, blueberries, and strawberries - so far.

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  15. Aphrodisiac brownies! rachelkb at gmail.com

    http://www.mysteryloverskitchen.com/2011/08/aphrodisiac-brownies-and-favorite.html

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  16. I have really enjoyed and made many of the recipes found on this blog. They are easy recipes that I can make even with not being able to stand for too long in my "golden" years. One of my favorite recipes was posted recently by Lucy Burdette and it as David Lebovitz's recipe for almond cake. I love almond pastry and for many years could not find almond paste that didn't have an added ingredient to which I was allergic but I started making my own almond paste in my food processor and so was thrilled to make this cake. I made this cake for company and put out a bowl of fresh strawberries that were sweetened, and some sliced peaches with sugar and a big bowl of sweetened whipped cream. I also had the confections sugar on the cake and most everyone added some fruit and cream and totally enjoyed this cake. I have made many other of the pastry recipes from this blog too
    and have really enjoy just about every one of your recipes Cleo.
    Would be thrilled to win this book by Julie.

    Sincerely,
    Cynthia E. Blain

    ceblain(AT)tmlponline(DOT)com

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    Replies
    1. Oh I love that cake too Cynthia! And the way you describe the presentation, no wonder your guests were in heaven...

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  17. Probably the favorite is the butterscotch pecan cheesecake recipe. I make it for my sister-ib-laws birthday every year and this year it was requested for Christmas also.

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  18. My favorite recipe is the Banana Coconut Upside Down Cake. My family loves this cake and requests me to make it often. I am making it this weekend for my son-in-laws birthday dinner. Yummy!

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  19. I confess that I haven't tried too many yet, although there's a few hundred I want to try, but Pumpkin Pie Dip, yummm. I love anything with pumpkin in it...except pumpkin pie itself, that I'm not crazy about, go figure, LOL.
    momzillasteel at gmail dot com

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  20. One of my faves was the blueberry pie recipe by Lucy Burdette from July 2012.
    dotkel50 at comcast dot net

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  21. The Chocolate Brownie Affogato was one of my favorites! There really are to many to list. Love to try the recipes and read the books! Thanks for the enjoyment on both fronts.

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  22. Love hearing from all of you that you're cooking your hearts out, right along with Mystery Lovers' Kitchen! xoxo

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  23. It doesn't get any better than cholocate crepes for Bastille Day. Can't eat them as I've just had dental surgery, but will look forward to them sometime in the future.

    Karen94066 at aol.com

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  24. Julie, you are sorely missed!! I will never forget that first meet! You in your beautiful blue-green jacket! Your sweet smile and energy. Hugs & wishing you lots of success.

    Daryl aka Avery

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  25. I love the gluten free recipes in Nancy Parra's gluten free series as I am celiac and those are about the only recipes I can use.

    Kimberlee
    girllostinabook@hotmail.com
    www.girllostinabook.com

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  26. Apple Crisp! YUM! The addition of cheese...so good! Carnitas and casseroles are on top of list to try. :)

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  27. Apricot Noodle Kugel! What a surprising twist on a classic! :) areewekidding@yahoo.com

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  28. Black bean brownies! maryb@gabl.org

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  29. One of the many recipes I've pinned from this site is the one for Strawberry Cheesecake Bites from Krista Davis.

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  30. I love Cleo's Peanut Butter Cookies and Pizza Bites (Crust Free)

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  31. the cookies recipes is what 'gets' me every time!!! LOL!!!

    cyn209 at juno dot com

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  32. There are many recipes that I have used and enjoyed, but a couple of favorites that I go back to time and time again are: Krista's Blueberry Tea Cake from April 2012; Cleo's Coffee Shop Muffin Doughnuts from August 2011; Cleo's Cake Pan Dutch Babies from May 2010. Can you tell that I like sweet treats?
    18LMMS at gmail dot com

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  33. I like the dessert recipes.
    littleone At Shaw DOT ca

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  34. What wonderful recipes. The Blueberry tea cake is a hit. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

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  35. The best are the treasures brownie recipes. elliotbencan(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  36. I am so enjoying reading your foodie finds from Mystery Lovers' Kitchen, thanks to everyone for your comments and please feel free to continue commenting below this happy announcement. Congrats to Dotty Kelley for winning Julie Hyzy's new release GRACE AGAINST THE CLOCK. Dotty - you have a notifying e-mail sent to you. Check your e-mail box, reply to my e-mail with your address and the book is yours!

    Good cooking, eating, and reading, everyone,
    here's to the next five years!

    ~ Cleo Coffeehouse Mystery.com
    “Where coffee and crime are always brewing…”
    Cleo Coyle on Twitter

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