Tuesday, June 5, 2012

A Domestic Diva Release Day Party with 3 Fantastic Krista Davis recipes!


Today is the official release day for The Diva Digs Up the Dirt, the witty and wonderful sixth entry in the Domestic Diva Mysteries by Krista Davis!


Krista is our unofficial blog captain here at Mystery Lovers' Kitchen. Behind the scenes, while she writes her books and posts her delicious recipes, she manages to keep us on track and inspired, too. For that, and for so much more, all of us wish her the very best today!


Of course, Krista is also an accomplished author with multiple Agatha nominations to her credit, so check out her latest mystery--or, if you haven't yet, the entire series. The Domestic Diva novels are as warm and wonderful as Krista herself, and you're sure to enjoy them. ~ Cleo


To find out more about Krista's bestselling books, visit her official website here.




And now it's time
for today's...



RELEASE PARTY!


Like her mysteries, Krista's recipes are also fantastic. If you've been following this blog, then you already know that! If you're relatively new to us, however, you may have missed some of her delicious posts in our MLK past.


Today, with Krista's indulgence, I'm going to share three of her recipes with you that I think you'll enjoy as much as my husband and I have. 


Krista's Summertime
Cherry Strudel

"Cherries and apples create juices when they cook," Krista noted in her post, "so there has to be something to bind the juices. Instead of cornstarch or tapioca, most strudel recipes call for bread crumbs. It sounds odd, but it works. This time, on my mother's suggestion, I tried something new and used graham cracker crumbs. They worked very well."

They did indeed. This recipe was a snap to make and it disappeared even faster. The first time I baked it, my husband flipped for it, and (I kid you not) I made it two more times within the week!

For Krista's Summertime Cherry Strudel recipe, click here.




Krista Talks Turkey 


"Quite by accident," Krista wrote, "I discovered that leaving a duck uncovered in the refrigerator for 24 hours before roasting yields a fabulous skin. That's what Chinese restaurants do. They hang ducks to dry before transforming them into crispy-skinned Peking Duck. Turns out the same thing works great for turkey."

We tried this on our Thanksgiving turkey the year Krista suggested it, and it worked like a dream. Now we do it every year, and it works on chicken, too, so you don't have to wait for November to try this wonderful tip. 


To read more of Krista's 
wise words on the bird, click here.







Zwetschgendatschie (Pflaumenkuchen) 
aka Plum Cake! 



"When I was growing up, this was always a huge summertime treat," Krista wrote in her post. "It only comes around for a very brief period in late August and early September when the plums are ripe. This recipe uses the same plums that prunes come from, also known as Italian plums and damson plums."


Huzzah! I thought when I saw this post. My father planted Italian plum trees in our back garden so I knew all about damson plums, but the plum cake was new to me, and I loved Krista's recipe. This one's a real keeper for summer recipe files. If you'd like it too, click the link below.


For Krista's Plum Cake recipe, click here.






Congrats again on your new release, Krista!

And for all you do...
thank you! 



~ Cleo




11 comments:

  1. I'm with Cleo--thanks for all you do for us here Krista! Rushing out to buy that book this afternoon. Hooray for a new diva! xoxox

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  2. How exciting. I loved the first four books in this series (How did I miss the last one??? Sorry about that both the newest and the last newest are now on my summer read list). 6 books... Now that's a REAL SERIES!!!

    And if I can ask a food question... I brine my turkey, the meat is terrific, but I am always a bit disappointed in the crispiness of the skin... Did you brine your bird before letting it air dry?

    And again, congrats!

    Dave
    Sometimes Year on the Grill but mostly eRecipeCards.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dave, I brine the bird first, then let it air dry in the refrigerator for 24 hours. You have to brine it a day ahead of time to give it a chance to dry out.

      Some recipes will tell you to tent the bird loosely with foil after taking it out of the oven. Not if you want crispy skin! Tenting it produces moisture and creates steam. It doesn't impact the meat, but it makes the skin limp.

      Oh, and it works great for duck, too!

      ~Krista

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  3. Hear, hear!!! Yay, Krista, on your release day and for all you do. I'm ordering this very minute from my favorite indie in California! Yay!

    ~Avery aka Daryl

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  4. Oh my goodness! I'm bowled over. Seriously, I feel like I'm the one celebrating a Diamond Jubilee! Thank you, Cleo, this was such a lovely surprise. And thanks to Roberta and Avery, too! I love this blog. What our readers don't know is how very nice all the authors are. They're just the best!

    ~ Krista, throwing kisses

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    Replies
    1. Returning those kisses, K! Cheers and have a great release week! ~ Cleo

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  5. Congratulations on your new release, Krista. And thanks for the tip about the crispy turkey skin. I have a recipe for ginger turkey breast I may be able to use it with.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Elaine. Let us know how that turns out!

      ~ Krista

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  6. I pre-ordered this book and have it here!... Also Love Miss Sunshine.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you so much, Shawn. I really need to get her picture up on Pinterest. She's a sweetheart!

      ~ Krista

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  7. I'm a day late, but congratulations on your book release!

    ReplyDelete