Sunday, December 28, 2014

Please Welcome Our Guest Kay Finch!


Kay Finch is the author of the new Bad Luck Cat Mystery series, with the first of the series, BLACK CAT CROSSING, coming from Berkley in September 2015. Her most recent published mystery, Relative Chaos, features a professional organizer who finds a dead body in a hoarder's garage. Kay grew up on a Pennsylvania farm, but she got to Texas as fast as she could and discovered her favorite vacation spot, the Texas Hill Country, setting of her new series.

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Thanks for inviting me to Mystery Lover’s Kitchen. My family is especially delighted because I actually quit writing for a while to bake something.  I’ve had fun this year writing Black Cat Crossing, book one of my new series, and defending Hitchcock, the alleged Bad Luck Cat, from characters who believe black cats bring bad luck. As my granddaughter wisely points out, that’s just plain silly.  I’ve learned, though, that some people are dead serious about their superstition. I prefer those that claim black cats are good luck. Hitchcock is definitely good luck for me, and I can’t wait to see Black Cat Crossing in print come September.  

PECAN TARTS (from the Finch Family Cookbook)



Crust -
1 stick butter
3 oz package cream cheese
1-1/4 cup flour

Soften butter and cream cheese. Mix together, then add flour.



 Chill for 2 hours. Roll into small balls, then press into tart pans.



Filling -
1 egg
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup chopped pecans

Beat together eggs, brown sugar, butter and vanilla. Stir in pecans. Spoon 1 teaspoon in each crust. Bake at 350 F. for 25 minutes. Makes 24.




Enjoy your tarts. Don’t tell anyone, especially not my thrifty Pennsylvania Dutch relatives, that I bought pecans for this instead of shelling the bushels of pecans we picked up from our own backyard trees.

Black Cat Crossing will be available for pre-order from Amazon soon, and I’ll be shouting that from the rooftops when the time comes. Meanwhile, my Corie McKenna mysteries, Final Decree and Final Cut, and Relative Chaos are available now in print and Kindle versions.

Happy New Year everyone!





14 comments:

  1. Welcome, Kay! We lived with a black cat for over fifteen years. I wouldn't say she brought bad luck, but she was one nasty cat (since we kept her, obviously she came out ahead on that deal).

    Pecan pie is really rich, so making mini tarts is a great idea. And I love your simple crust recipe.

    Looking forward to the series!

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    1. Hi Sheila - My husband actually voted for a little more sugar in this recipe, which means it's just perfect for those who like things not quite so rich.

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  2. They sound really good! And our black cat was pretty nice. I will be looking forward to reading about Hitchcock.

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  3. Thanks, Elaine. Hitchcock is nice, too, though he's a little hard to keep track of.

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  4. Thanks for joining us today, Kay! I never knew how people got the dough into those little teeny tiny tart pans--now I know and it's not that hard! Like Sheila said, these are the perfect size because a whole slice of pecan pie can raise your sugar levels for a month! Can't wait for your new series. We've had a long string of cats (or they've had us would be more accurate) but never a completely black one!

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  5. Welcome to Mystery Lovers Kitchen. I know the perfect person for your books. She's in love with black cats!

    How cool to have your own pecan trees! These tarts look wonderful and not nearly as complicated as I expected. I'm definitely going to try them!

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    1. Thanks, Krista! I think we had enough pecans this year to supply all of the Mystery Lover's Kitchen authors.

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  6. Glad to have you here, Kay! Wonderful recipe! Happy New Year. Can't wait for your book!

    XO

    MJ/VA

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    1. Thanks, M.J. I can't wait, either, but as you told me a year ago the time will fly. And it has. Happy New Year!

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  7. Marvelous! Bite sized pecan pies and no corn syrup.
    Well done

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  8. Exactly. It's hard to find things without that pesky corn syrup.

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  9. Love Pecan Tarts they are just the right size for everyone. We have pecan trees and make them all the time. We have a black cat no bad luck and she is a sweetheart. She loves to sleep on my side during the night. Thank you for the recipe.

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    Replies
    1. You're welcome. Best regards to you and your sweet black cat.

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