Monday, July 12, 2010

Caprese on a Stick


Well, The Long Quiche Goodbye has been officially on sale for a week, and it's doing great (thanks to all of you). I have an on-going VIRTUAL LAUNCH PARTY with a contest running until tomorrow, the 13th. The winner will be announced in my newsletter at the end of July. Check it out.

On July 6, the launch day, I had a party at Mystery Bookstore in Los Angeles, attended by friends, family and some drop-ins, and it was a blast! Bobby McCue, the store owner, was such a great host. His staff is fabulous. I chatted a bit and read from the book and answered questions...for my very first time. Fun! Pictures will be posted on my website soon!

Now I'm traveling to a few cities, trying to see all the friends who supported me on my road to publishing. I can't wait to post all the rest of pictures and share stories with you. If you want to check out the tour schedule, click this SCHEDULE LINK.

I can't tell you how surprised some people are to find out there are recipes at the end of The Long Quiche Goodbye. Four in fact. However, that means I didn't include every meal or appetizer that I mentioned, so for fun, I thought I'd share a few on our blog over the next few weeks.

This first one comes from one of my favorite scenes in the book when Charlotte prepares a picnic for her grandmother. Charlotte adores her grandmother and is upset knowing Grandmère is in a funk. Charlotte surprises her grandmother by bringing a basket full of goodies to her house. She sets the table, using special plates--Grandmère thinks every meal should be an occasion. The salad she brings is called Caprese on a Stick. It's simple but delish. It's your basic Caprese salad but presented in a whole new way. Fun, colorful, perfect for a summer barbecue.

Caprese on a Stick


Ingredients:

[Serves 4]

20 Mozzarella balls

20 Tomatoes, small and round

40 basil leaves

8 wooden skewers

Marinade:

2 tablespoons olive oil

6 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon garlic powder

10 grinds of a pepper grinder


Directions:

Mix marinade. Set Mozzarella balls and tomatoes into the mixture. Let sit for 2 hours, turning once in the mixture so they are completely coated.

String the Mozzarella balls and tomatoes, with a basil leaf between each, on wooden skewers.

Portion: 2 skewers per person


Say cheese!


15 comments:

  1. When you come to St Thomas, plan to bring a case of books as your carry on. I am going to make one more trip into the only bookstore on the island, but so far, neither yours nor Delicious and Suspicious have been in stock. The owner said he did order them (I pre ordered through him), but that is island living. On Tuesday, I will Amazon them.

    I love a Caprese Salad. Anything on a stick is fun for me.

    So, I have a question for you... is it OK for us to cook and blog a recipe from your book??? With credit of course.

    Who among us has the strength of character to do a book cook through project ala Julie and Julia???

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  2. Avery - my first comment went AWOL, but I definitely wanted to tell you how festive these look! I love Caprese salad. One of my favorite meals but I've never made it on a stick. Can't wait to serve this next time I entertain!

    Julie

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  3. I love this! Caprese on a stick is pretty and easy to make. Thanks for this, Avery, and congratulations on the new release!

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  4. Year On- of course you can cook and blog our recipes. Let us know so we can tweet. A nice compliment. Sorry you haven't received your books yet. Hurry up and wait syndrome?? Hugs ~Avery

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  5. Oh, such visual appeal! Makes me want to take a bite right now.

    As, by the way, does your entire book! Every time a cheese is mentioned in there, I want some. Every time a dish or a recipe is mentioned, I have to try to make it! I've finished the book, and while it was very satisfying to the mystery lover in me, the cheese lover is frantic! More cheese!

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  6. Laineshots - how wonderful! Thanks for the review. Hope you'll tell a friend. :)

    Cute story - yesterday I was in Barnes and Noble signing books and talking about The Long Quiche Goodbye and a lady [who was reading in a comfy chair nearby] rose to leave. She strolled by and said, "I love the grandmother and grandfather in the book. Loved the book." She'd already read it!

    And get this, I got to meet Mare, one of our regular commenters! What a delight! She brought me some handcrafted items. I'll blog more about this next week. What fun.

    Enjoy the day!

    ~Avery

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  7. I'm stopping at the market on the way home to add these to dinner with grilled zucchini slices and pork chops. I can't wait.

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  8. I love pasta caprese--when we moved to Florida, anything that required little or no cooking was a hit. The skewers look great (and since I still don't have a kitchen, something do-able!). Congrats on the book. I really enjoyed it. "See" you in a week over at my place.

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  9. I LOVE this idea! Caprese salad is one of my all time favorites and this is a fabulous idea! Fresh basil and balsamic vinegar...yum!

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  10. Congratulations on your new release!

    I love the idea of Caprese on a stick - so pretty!

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  11. Grinning because it sounds like you are having the time of your life -- and you deserve to after all of your hard work writing and blogging and researching and cooking. Enjoy it!! And I'll be enjoying Caprese on a Stick - FABULOUS!

    Release-week hugs,
    ~ Cleo
    Coffeehouse Mystery.com
    Cleo Coyle on Twitter

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  12. Thanks to all for the release week hugs and good wishes. It has been a whirlwind of activity and good vibes. I'm so lucky!

    ~Avery

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  13. Avery, I'm delighted that you're having such a fabulous launch!

    Caprese on a Stick looks like perfect summertime fare.

    ~ Krista

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  14. Gorgeous! And since our basil is going like gangbusters, this is a "must try."

    Congrats on LQG!!

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