Mystery Lovers' Kitchen

Wednesday, June 24, 2026

Braised Chicken with Barley #recipe by @LeslieKarst

I’ve long been a fan of barley for it’s toothsomeness and earthy flavor. But I rarely eat it, except when I open a can of bean with barley soup every so often for lunch. So a few weeks ago when I happened to spy a bag of barley while picking up some rice at the grocery store, I snagged it, too.

But what to make with it? It was a foggy day here in Santa Cruz, so I decided to go for something hearty: braised chicken with barley, it was. I made up the recipe as I went along, but it turned out quite tasty, indeed.

(For those of you who care, “pearled” barley is barley grain that has had its fibrous outer hull polished off, which allows it to cook more quickly that the whole barley “groat.”)

Braised Chicken with Barley

(serves 4)

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 chicken thighs

S&P

herbes de Provence

2 carrots, coarsely chopped

2 stalks celery, coarsely chopped

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 onion, coarsely chopped

1 cup pearled barley

3 cups chicken (or other) stock

Directions

Season the chicken with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with herbes de Provence.

In a large, heavy skillet (cast iron works great for this), heat the oil over medium heat until shimmering, then add the chicken, skin down. Fry until nicely browned, then flip over.

Add the carrots and celery and stir, so that they’re covered in the oil/chicken fat in the pan. Cook for a minute or two, then add the garlic and stir it in.

Add the onions and stir them in. Cook for another couple minutes to allow the vegetables to start to brown.

Add the barley to the pan, and then the stock.

Stir again, bringing the chicken thighs to the top of the pan. Simmer, covered, for about 30 minutes, checking half-way through to make sure the liquid hasn’t boiled away and the barley isn’t sticking to the pan.

After 30 minutes, taste the barley to see if it’s is done. You want it to be fully cooked, but still toothsome. Add more water if it’s not done, and continue simmering, covered, another 5-15 minutes, however long it takes.

Serve the chicken and barley with a green vegetable. I made sautéed kale, for my meal.

🌱 🍋 🌿

Just Released!

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MURDER, LOCAL STYLE

Available for purchase here.

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Kirkus Reviews

🍍 🌴 🍹

Out now in paperback!

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Buy link here.

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while enjoying the entertaining mystery."

Kirkus Reviews

Also available

in paperback!

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Orchid Isle Mystery #1

Buy link here

2025 Lefty Award Finalist

for Best Mystery!

“Karst’s first Orchid Isle novel is part murder mystery, part vividly evocative, colorful sketch of Hawaii and its history, geography, tradition, culture, food, language, and people. Armchair travelers and mystery aficionados alike will find it entertaining.”

Booklist

This first book in my brand-new Orchid Isle mystery series features retired caterer Valerie Corbin and her wife Kristen who, on a trip to the Big Island of Hawai‘i, swap surfing lessons for sleuthing sessions when a hike to an active lava flow turns deadly.

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2024 Lefty Award Finalist

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--Kirkus Reviews

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"[This] book is a romp from cover to cover—and, just like a great meal, left me ready for more."

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All of the Sally Solari Mysteries (as well as my other books) are available through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Bookshop.

Tuesday, June 23, 2026

How to Bake a Fireworks Cake for July 4th + Tips on Frosting Any Cake by Cleo Coyle

From Cleo Coyle: The red, white, and blue American flag cake is a July Fourth tradition in the USA, enjoyed at backyard cookouts throughout the land. This Fireworks Cake is my version of it, just in time to wish the United States of America a Happy 250th Independence Day!

This colorful cake has a wonderful "WOW" factor to it (especially after you cut it; see my photo above), yet it's incredibly easy to create, practically a klutz-proof design, making it a great project for families with kids.

I posted photos of my step-by-step process for you below. To make the cake itself, you can certainly use your favorite white cake and frosting recipes, but (honestly) I saved time the way so many busy families do. I used a boxed white cake mix and 2 cans of white frosting.

I didn't use a pastry bag, either. To prove that almost anyone can easily make this cake, I simply used the cake decorating supplies that I found in my grocery store's baking aisle, like the ones you see in my photo (at right). So let's get started...

To download a free PDF
of my recipe that you can
print, save, or share, click here.

http://www.coffeehousemystery.com/userfiles/file/FireworksCake_CleoCoyle.pdf

Click here to download this
recipe in a free PDF document.

Cleo Coyle's
Red, White, and Blue
July 4th Fireworks Cake!

To make the cake you will need:

2 eight-inch round cake pans

Parchment paper

Non-stick cooking spray

1 box White Cake Mix (I saw nice results with Pillsbury's Moist Supreme Classic White cake mix, which has pudding in the mix)

1-1/4 cups water (or according to your mix's directions)

1/3 cup oil (or according to your mix's directions)

3 to 4 egg whites (or according to mix directions -- just do not use whole eggs, the yellow in the yolk will muddy up the food coloring)

2 teaspoons liquid food coloring per cake layer (red and blue) or 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of food coloring gel or paste per layer (also called "icing color," this is a much denser food coloring, so start with a small amount and add more gradually)

2 (16 ounce) cans of White Frosting (or about 3 cups of homemade white frosting, be sure to use clear vanilla extract for a pure white frosting look)

For the final Fireworks cake decorating supplies, see my instructions below...

METHOD:

Step 1 - Prep oven and pans: Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees F. (or according to your own recipe or cake mix directions). Line two 8-inch round cake pans with parchment paper and lightly spray the paper with non-stick cooking spray. (If your baking pans are non-stick, just spray the paper. If your pans are not non-stick, lightly spray the sides of the pans, as well.)

Step 2 - Color your Batter: Make your cake batter according to package directions or your own recipe, with these notes.

(a) Use egg whites only and not whole eggs. Yellow egg yolks will muddy up your cake color. And...

(b) Cake mix directions will tell you to beat the batter for 2 minutes. (You are whipping air into the batter and this is an important step, but you don't want to over-beat, either, so...) Instead, beat the batter for only 1 minute. Then stop the mixer. You should have about 3-1/2 to 4 cups of batter. Divide the batter evenly into two bowls.

Now add red food coloring (or gel or paste) to one bowl and blue to the other. Next beat the batter for your 2nd minute. The color should blend in nicely.

Step 3 - Bake your cake: Simply bake according to package directions or your favorite recipe.

Step 4 - Cool and prep for frosting: Allow the cake to cool completely then run a knife along the outside edge of the pan, place a flat plate over the pan, and flip. The cake should come right out. If the parchment paper is still stuck to the cake, carefully peel it off. Place the blue layer top side down, flat side up onto your cake plate, cardboard, or serving platter. (A few dabs of icing on the plate first is a good trick to help it stick.)

Generously slather white icing onto the blue layer. This will (of course) give you the "white" layer between your red and blue cake layers.

Stack the red layer on top. Here's how: Using a sharp knife, carefully level off the top of the red layer. Then flip it and place it on the iced blue layer. You want the flat bottom of the red layer to serve as the very top of your cake. This will give you a perfectly flat surface to create your fireworks design.

ICE, ICE, BABY!

3 Tips on Icing Any Cake

If you're an old pro at this, you already know these standard pointers. For those with less experience, these tips will help you get great results.

Tip #1: Never Frost a Warm Cake: Be sure that your cake is completely cool before frosting. If you apply icing to a warm cake, the icing will begin to break down, and you'll get a gloppy mess.

These 2 cake layers have
been crumb coated.

Tip #2: Crumb Coat and Chill: You should always frost a cake in two stages. The first stage is called the crumb coating. This is a very thin layer of frosting. It's so thin that you should be able to see the cake through the layer. This will create a smooth base for the final coating of frosting.

NOTE: You must chill the cake to set this coating properly (1 or 2 hours in the refrigerator). To speed up the process, I place mine in the freezer for 15 to 20 minutes. The remove the cake and do the final frosting. You'll be amazed at how easy it is to get smooth, pro results.

Offset (aka Angled) Spatula

Tip #3: Use an Offset Spatula (also called an Angled Spatula): If you've been applying frosting with the back of a big spoon or a butter knife, consider using an offset spatula (see my picture above). This single tool will make it possible for you to smooth the sides and tops of your cakes like a pro.

You can find these at Michael's stores (in their cake decorating section) or most stores that sell kitchen tools. Click here for an online buy link.

CAKE DESIGN:

CREATING THE FIREWORKS

Cleo Coyle writes two
bestselling mystery
series with her husband.
To learn more, click here.

☕ The inspiration for this "fireworks" cake design came out of my research for my Coffeehouse mystery novels. Baristas use this method to create latte art. Of course, pastry chefs also use this method, calling it a spiderweb pattern...

Begin with a simple dot in the center of the cake.

I'm not using anything fancy or pro, just the "drawing tips" that comes with the red and blue cans of Betty Crocker "Cupcake Icing" for decorating cakes.

NOTE: I found these easy-to-use cake decorating cans in the baking goods ailse of my grocery store. They come with several different tips. If you don't see them in your store, try Walmart or Amazon online here.

Draw concentric circles around the dot with alternating colors of red and blue. The last circle should be just off the top of the cake, around the side. This allows you to extend the design down the side of the cake.

As you can see, my circles are far from perfect, but the final result will still look great. (You've got to love a kid- and klutz-proof cake design.)

Next you'll need a wooden skewer, a toothpick, or the edge of a knife. (When using the knife, do not cut into the cake. Simply drag it lightly through the icing.) Drag the tool from the center dot to the outside of the cake. Clean the tool between each drag. Do this four times, making a simple cross...

Be sure to drag the tool all the way over the top edge of the cake to include the circle you made on the side...

Repeat this process 4 more times, bisecting each quarter of the cross you made. (You will now see 8 "slices" of cake in the design.)

Now REVERSE the dragging direction. Instead of dragging the tool from the center to outside of the cake, start at the outside and drag your tool to the
center of the cake. Be sure to clean your tool between each drag.

Using the reverse drag, you are now bisecting

each of the original 8 cake "slices" that you made above.

Now clean up the edge of the cake plate, wiping off excess frosting. Use the "star tips" which also come with your red and blue cans of Betty Crocker Cupcake Icing for decorating, to pretty up the base of the cake, and...