Jim’s Baked Jalapeño Poppers by Lucy Burdette

 LUCY BURDETTE: last year as part of our Friends of the Key West Library season, we threw a benefactor party that featured New York Times food critic, Sam Sifton. 

He made ceviche for the audience which we all got to taste. Other board members brought hors d’oeuvres. A new member, Sharon, offered her husband‘s jalapeño poppers. I adore poppers, and these were so good, that I probably ate six of them. (Don’t tell the others!)

Sharon's husband Jim was good enough to share the recipe which I made recently. It’s terrific because it does not involve any frying. He used low-fat versions of the cheese, the mayonnaise, and the cream cheese. I did not! I meant to spray the tops of the peppers as suggested, but I was in a hurry to get to a party and I forgot. They turned out amazing anyway.

Just be careful while seeding the peppers—don’t touch your face, especially your eyes. If you’re very sensitive, wear gloves. Otherwise, wash your hands after you work on the peppers! Don’t worry about them being too hot to eat as they mellow while baked.

For my party, I made 17 large jalapeños and doubled the ingredients. This was the perfect amount for a group of 12. We have one gluten-free friend, and for him I skipped the step of dipping the peppers in Panko crumbs. Those turned out fine as well.

Ingredients

Olive oil cooking spray, divided

1 cup shredded Mexican style blend cheese

1/2 cup whipped cream cheese spread

2 Tbsp mayonnaise

1/4 C minced green onion

10 Jalapeño pepper(s)

Panko bread crumbs

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.

2. In a medium bowl, combine the cheddar cheese, cream cheese, green onion and mayonnaise; mix well and set aside. Halve the peppers lengthwise and remove the seeds. Fill the peppers with the cheese mixture. 

3. Dip each pepper into bread crumbs

4. Transfer the peppers to the prepared baking sheet and coat with cooking spray. Bake until the filling is bubbly and the outside begins to brown, about 30-35 minutes. Serve hot, but room temperature works as well!

Note: If you’re making these for a party, you can make the filling ahead of time, then fill, dredge, and bake the peppers the day of your gathering. (Top three photos courtesy of Nick Doll Photography.)

What's your favorite hors d'oeuvre to bring to a party?

 A DELICIOUS DECEPTION can be found at a bookstore near you!

A Delicious Deception has a slightly different tone than some of the earlier books, with more emphasis on family, but I loved it just as much as the rest of the series. Ms. Burdette has created characters who have grown in such natural, believable ways. She delivers an excellent mystery while also weaving in a major, emotional turning point in their lives. There is drama, murder, secrets, late-pregnancy feelings and hormones, a sick father-in-law, home renovations, a fun baby shower, and friends and family ready to tackle whatever comes their way. And in the end, a beautiful baby! Escape with Dollycas

This cozy mystery expertly balances personal stakes with a fast-paced plot in a consistent Burdette fashion. It’s a suspenseful, heart-filled addition to the series that proves Hayley is just as effective at solving crimes as she is at critiquing menus. Netgalley reviewer

Book 15 in the Key West series, paperback edition of THE MANGO MURDERS, is in bookstores now!

USA Today bestselling author Lucy Burdette writes the Key West food critic mystery series including A POISONOUS PALATE and A CLUE IN THE CRUMBS. Join her mailing list right here.

@AUTHOR DARCI HANNAH, BLUEBERRY BUCKLE RECIPe

DARCI HANNAH: Here in Michigan, August is the heart of blueberry season, and I can’t go through a summer without using these delicious, flavorful berries in nearly everything I make. Another benefit is that blueberries are a superfood. Not only do they taste great, but they also contain high levels of antioxidants and help improve heart health, brain function, and blood sugar. There’s no reason not to eat them up!

When I was a kid, I remember my grandmother giving me an old coffee can to gather up the wild blueberries that grew in the field behind her house. The blueberries were tiny, and I worked until I filled that darn can. When we got home my grandmother would use the blueberries for pancakes, pies, salads, and coffee cake. I have so many fond memories of blueberries in the summer that I even dedicated a whole mystery to them. MURDER AT THE BLUEBERRY FESTIVAL, the third book in my Beacon Bakeshop Mystery Series, centers around a blueberry festival held in my fictitious town of Beacon Harbor, Michigan. It’s one of my favorite books for many reasons, especially because it has some of my very favorite family blueberry recipes in the back.

Purchase Link!

Last summer when I was visiting my son and daughter-in-law in Seattle, we discovered that they had several beautiful blueberry bushes growing in their yard. Since they had moved into the house in the late fall, and had their first baby that July, the kids were so busy that the blueberry bushes were a surprise to them too. It was a wonderful discovery, and I went on a blueberry scone making binge while visiting my little grandson. When he’s old enough, I’m going to hand him a little bucket and we’re going to go blueberry picking in his yard. I would hand him an old, large coffee can, like the one I used to use, but my Seattle kids are what I call coffee snobs. They don’t drink the kind of coffee that comes in a can. They serve delicious coffee instead! I really wanted to make Blueberry Buckle for them too, but I had left that recipe at home. I’m including it here so that you can make this delicious blueberry coffeecake. 

Blueberry Buckle

Prep time: 20 minutes. Cook time: 50 minutes. 

Ingredients for crumble topping:

½ cup all-purpose flour

½ cup firmly packed brown sugar

½ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ cup cold butter, cut in small cubes

Ingredients for the cake:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ cup (1 stick) butter

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup milk

2 ½ cups fresh or frozen blueberries, thawed, and dried.

1 tablespoon lemon juice (for blueberries)

1 tablespoon flour (for blueberries)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour sides of a 10-inch spring form and line the bottom with parchment paper. This will make cake much easier to release once baked. 

In a medium bowl combine washed and dried blueberries with the lemon juice, then toss with one tablespoon of flour. This will help prevent the blueberries from sinking to the bottom of the batter as it bakes. 

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time. Add vanilla. In a medium bowl combine the flour and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients alternating with milk, being careful not to over mix. Fold in blueberries and immediately spread batter evenly into the prepared pan. 

Make the crumble topping by mixing the flour, sugar, and cinnamon. Next, cut in the cold butter until mixture resembles a coarse meal. Sprinkle crumble topping evenly over top of batter and put in oven. Bake for 50 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 20 minutes. Remove cake from pan and enjoy!

*Note: my blueberries all sank to the bottom of my Blueberry Buckle. Try placing them on top just under the crumble topping. They will slowly sink as they bake.

Print a copy of my Blueberry Buckle Here!

Do you like blueberries? What is your favorite way to eat them?

Darci Hannah is the bestselling author of the Beacon Bakeshop Mystery Series, the Food & Spirits Mystery Series, the Very Cherry Mystery Series, and two works of historical fiction, The Exile of Sara Stevenson, and The Angel of Blythe Hall. Darci grew up in the Midwest and currently lives in a small town in Michigan with her husband and two dogs. Darci is a lifelong lover of the Great Lakes, a natural wonder that inspires many of her stories. Passionate about family, dogs, food, baking, history, books, lighthouses, laughter, good conversations, coffee, and the paranormal, Darci feels especially blessed to have found a way to combine her interests in the stories she writes. It brings her great joy to be able to share them with you. 

Connect with Darci at www.darcihannah.com

Instagram: @authordarcihannah

Facebook: @Author Darci Hannah

Murder at the Campfire Cookout

By Darci Hannah

Book #7 in the Beacon Bakeshop Mystery Series

ORDER YOUR COPY TODAY!

When Lindsey Bakewell leaves behind her lighthouse bakeshop, her boyfriend, Rory, and her Newfoundland dog, Wellington, for a glamping trip with her mother in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, the bears leave them alone—but a killer doesn’t. . .

Converting the old Beacon Point lighthouse into a bakery is as adventurous as Lindsey cares to get. Her mother, Ellie, a former 80s fashion model, likes her creature comforts even more—until she sees a business opportunity for her Beacon Harbor fashion boutique when she’s invited by the Mitten Kittens Glamping Club on a woodsy getaway.

Far from roughing it, the ladies will be warm and cozy in chic vintage campers. Ellie insists Lindsey come along to win the campfire cookout contest. Campfire cooking has come a long way from bacon and beans. Soon Lindsey is making pizza, berry cobbler, and gooey Carmelita camping bars.

But the festive spirit is soon dampened when a body is found in Ellie’s camper. It seems like an accidental death until everyone’s tires are slashed and it’s clear the glampsite has become a crime scene. With no cell service to call for help, it’s up to Lindsey to smoke out the killer around the campfire . . .

Because no one is out of the woods yet.

A Spirited Supper at Dundoon Castle

By Darci Hannah

Book #2 in the Food & Spirits Mystery Series

 

ORDER YOUR COPY TODAY!

When chef Bridget “Bunny” MacBride got a role on the reality show Food & Spirits, she thought “spirits” meant cocktails. Instead, she’s cooking up dinners meant to tempt the departed to appear. And to her surprise, she’s discovered abilities to connect with the beyond—and crack murder cases . . .

Now that Bunny’s entrées come with a side of the Other Side, it comes in handy to have a grandma who’s friendly with the elderly owners of a haunted Scottish castle. During Bunny’s childhood she heard all about Dundoon’s bloody history and the “ghostly piper” who roamed the grounds—and soon she’ll be visiting the ancient place with her ghost hunter and psychic co-stars. The annual bagpipe competition in the late piper’s honor will make for some good footage as well. 

After Bunny serves a feast fit for a 17th century king, including lamb chops with plenty of fresh herbs, she heads outdoors for the ghost hunt. But in the dark, dense fog, someone fatally plunges from the clifftop over the loch. The sound that follows is a mournful, otherworldly bagpipe . . . and once the body of another perished piper is retrieved, Bunny is determined to solve this Highlands homicide—and prevent a killer from getting off scot-free . . .

    Coming February 23, 2027!

A TOAST TO AGATHA CHRISTIE'S GHOST

Food & Spirits book #3

PREORDER YOUR COPY TODAY!

Chef Bunny MacBride has gotten roped into a ghost-hunting reality show called Food & Spirits, creating dishes to whet the appetites of apparitions. Along the way, she’s discovered she has some supernatural gifts of her own—and an eerie knack for solving murders…

The cast and crew are on Burgh Island, at a restored Art Deco hotel that boasts Agatha Christie as its most famous guest—and now its most famous ghost. They’re filming at a murder-mystery weekend, and Bunny expects it to be more kooky than spooky. But she’s excited to meet the renowned resident chef and delighted to run into her Granny Mac playing the role of Miss Marple. As a bonus, her romance with costar Brett continues to simmer.

The downside is dealing with arrogant guests like Buckley Thorne, who sends back her beetroot salad and demands whipped cream for her peach Melba. Then the show’s phony psychic, Giff, insists on playing Poirot, complete with an absurdly bad accent. When it turns out the victim role is assigned to Buckley Thorne, she feels a touch of satisfaction—until she realizes he’s doing too good a job of playing dead . . .

Shocked to learn Buckley’s true identity, Bunny has to change course once again from cook to crime-solver. She’d sensed an undercurrent of drama at the dead man’s table—and with help from the spirit of the world’s greatest mystery writer, she’s looking closely at the victim’s handsome son, much-younger wife, and elegant circle of friends to conjure up a solution . . .

Summer Means Tomatoes – and a Tomato Tart, from Leslie Budewitz

LESLIE BUDEWITZ:  Summer means fresh tomatoes, whether you grow your own, prowl the farm stands, or stand dolefully at your neighbors’ gate with your garden basket in hand. 

This kind of tart, made with a folded crust instead of in a pie plate or tart pan, is immensely popular in France, where it is often called a galette. Crusts are sometimes made with buckwheat flour; this one combines all-purpose flour with cornmeal. David Lebovitz, whose recipe I’ve adapted here, says you can use any grind of polenta or cornmeal, or substitute more all-purpose flour or buckwheat if you’d rather not use the cornmeal. To my mouth, the cornmeal gives a sturdier texture that holds up well with the tomatoes.

The recipe calls for chilling the dough, and you should do that, to let the gluten relax – really, who wants tense gluten? It makes the dough easier to roll, and allows the dough to more fully hydrate, meaning it will shrink less in the oven. You will have to let it sit on the counter 20-30 minutes before rolling, so factor that into your dinner plans. You can make the dough up to 3 days in advance. 

When I saw Lebovitz call for tucking “slices” of ricotta into the tomatoes, I feared what he was using is ricotta salata, a drier, firmer version of the ricotta we all know, which comes in little plastic tubs or balls. 

I added fresh herbs before and after baking, borrowing from a household favorite, Tomato Camembert Pie. Use whatever you have; here, it was a mixture of oregano, basil, and parsley. Tarragon and savory are very French, and very yummy, if you want to add a spring or two. 

The mustard forgot to show for its closeup. Lebovitz says he prefers Dijon while his partner prefers the grainier variety. We love both, so I spread Dijon over the dough and added a little whole grain, sometimes called old-style or country mustard. 

A while back, Mr. Right spotted a tomato knife in a kitchen shop – a serrated blade with a hook on the end for popping the core. We started using our bread knife for slicing tomatoes. You’re welcome. 

Serve with lightly dressed salad greens, crusty bread, and a glass of a crisp white wine for a trip to France, no shoes or airplane needed!

Bon appetit! 

PS: I finally figured out how to embed a PDF of the recipe for easy printing. 

Scroll down to the 💕 for the link. 

Summer Tomato Tart

For the dough:

1-1/4 all-purpose flour

1/4 cup polenta or cornmeal

2 teaspoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cubed

5 tablespoons ice water, plus more if necessary

For the tart:

1/4 cup Dijon or whole-grain mustard, or a combination

3 medium slicer tomatoes (about 1-1/2 pounds)

kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

6 ounces (roughly) whole-milk ricotta

1-1/2 tablespoons melted butter

1/4 cup mixed fresh herbs, chopped (such as oregano, parsley, and basil)

2-3 tablespoons Parmesan, grated

To make the dough:

In your stand mixer or large food processor, combine the flour, polenta, sugar, and salt. 

Add the cubed, cold butter and mix until pieces the size of peas begin to form. Add the water and mix until the dough starts to come together or “gather.” 

Add a little water, 1 teaspoon at a time, if needed. Shape it into a disk with your hands. Wrap in plastic or your favorite alternative and chill at least 1 hour. (The dough can be made up to 3 days in advance.)

To make the tart:

Heat oven to 400 degrees. 

Lightly flour a piece of parchment paper or a silicon baking sheet, at least 14 inches across. Unwrap the disk and place it on the parchment. Allow to rest 20-30 minutes or more, until you can easily roll it out, working from the center, into a 14 inch circle. 

Place the dough and parchment on a baking sheet. Spread with mustard, leaving 2-3 inches around the edge, to fold over the filling. 

Slice the tomatoes about 1/3-inch thick. Layer, starting on the outside, overlapping the slices. Sprinkle with a little salt and freshly ground pepper. Fold the edges of the dough over the tomatoes to make a cute round envelope. 

Spoon ricotta into the tart, slipping it under, over, and between the tomatoes. Spread about half the herbs on top. Brush the edges of the dough with melted butter and sprinkle Parmesan over both tomatoes and crust. 

Bake until the tomatoes are soft and cooked through and the crust is golden brown, about 40-45 minutes. Top with the rest of the chopped herbs. Slide the tart onto a wire rack and let rest about ten minutes before serving.  

Cut into 4 or 8 slices. 

What's your favorite way to enjoy summer's fresh tomatoes?

💕 Click here for a free printable PDF! 

At Seattle Spice Shop, owner Pepper Reece has whipped up the perfect blend of food, friends, and flavor. But the sweet smell of success can be hazardous . . .  

Spring is in full bloom in Pike Place Market, where Pepper is celebrating lavender’s culinary uses and planning a festival she hopes will become an annual event. When her friend Lavender Liz offers to share tips for promoting the much-loved—and occasionally maligned—herb, Pepper makes a trek to the charming town of Salmon Falls. But someone has badly damaged Liz’s greenhouse, throwing a wrench in the feisty grower’s plans for expansion. Suspicions quickly focus on an employee who’s taken to the hills. 

Then Liz is found dead among her precious plants, stabbed by a pruning knife. In Salmon Falls, there’s one in every pocket. 

Pepper digs in, untangling the tensions between Liz and a local restaurateur with eyes on a picturesque but neglected farm, a jealous ex-boyfriend determined to profit from Liz’s success, and a local growers’ cooperative. She’s also hot on the scent of a trail of her own, sniffing out the history of her sweet dog, Arf. 

As Pepper’s questions threaten to unearth secrets others desperately want to keep buried, danger creeps closer to her and those she loves. Can Pepper root out the killer, before someone nips her in the bud?

Available at Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Books-A-Million * Bookshop.org * and your local booksellers!

ALL GOD'S SPARROWS AND OTHER STORIES: A STAGECOACH MARY FIELDS COLLECTION, now available in in paperback and ebook 

Take a step back in time with All God's Sparrows and Other Stories: A Stagecoach Mary Fields Collection of historical short mysteries, featuring the Agatha-Award winning "All God's Sparrows" and other stories imagining the life of real-life historical figure Mary Fields, born into slavery in 1832, during the last thirty years of her life, in Montana. Out September 17, 2024 from Beyond the Page Publishing.  

“Finely researched and richly detailed, All God’s Sparrows and Other Stories is a wonderful collection. I loved learning about this fascinating woman . . . and what a character she is! Kudos to Leslie Budewitz for bringing her to life so vividly.” —Kathleen Grissom, New York Times bestselling author of Crow Mary

Available at Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Books-A-Million * Bookshop.org * and your local booksellers!

Leslie Budewitz is the author of the Spice Shop Mysteries set in Seattle's Pike Place Market, and the Food Lovers’ Village Mysteries, set in NW Montana. As Alicia Beckman, she writes moody, standalone suspense, most recently Blind Faith. She is the winner of Agatha Awards in three categories: Best Nonfiction (2011), Best First Novel (2013), and Best Short Story (2018). Her latest books are To Err is Cumin, the 8th Spice Shop Mystery and All God's Sparrows and Other Stories: A Stagecoach Mary Fields Collection, in September 2024. Watch for Lavender Lies Bleeding, the 9th Spice Shop Mystery, on July 15, 2025.

A past president of Sisters in Crime and former national board member of Mystery Writers of America, Leslie lives in northwest Montana with her husband, a musician and doctor of natural medicine. 

Swing by Leslie's website and join the mailing list for her seasonal newsletter. And join her on Facebook where she shares book news and giveaways from her writer friends, and talks about food, mysteries, and the things that inspire her.

Celebrating! 🎉 Mystery Lovers' Kitchen Listed Among Best Culinary Blogs!

 

We are delighted to share the happy news that Mystery Lovers' Kitchen has been listed as one of the BEST CULINARY BLOGS to follow on the internet! Check out the list below. 

45 Best Culinary Blogs to Follow in 2026 

We are listed at #35! 

(#1 Is the Culinary Institute of America.) 

According to the list curators, this list of The Best Culinary Blogs "reflects the most active, influential, and valuable culinary blogs on the internet today," and "were ranked based on multiple factors, including "content relevancy, subject expertise, posting frequency, and freshness of content."

We are all thrilled and WE THANK YOU, our readers and followers, for being part of our Kitchen community.

 
Cheers!