It's book club week! Hooray! Yay for book clubs and people talking about books and people sharing books. I love it.
Momentary pause for another Hooray! For Victoria Abbot's new release:
THE WOLFE WIDOW! Love this series!!!!
Back to book club week:
For one book club this week, I'll be giving away a shipment of bookmarks and swag, so make sure you leave a comment about your book club and your email so I can contact the winner!
I've included a few book club questions below for my upcoming book, STIRRING THE PLOT, the 3rd in the Cookbook Nook mysteries. It comes out in less than 4 weeks: September 30. It has a Halloween theme, but it is NOT a paranormal. It's a traditional cozy with recipes. On my website, I have book questions for all of my books. Check them out!
But you've come to Mystery Lovers Kitchen, where authors, who love to cook up crime, share recipes. So here's a recipe that is perfect for your next book club.
When I write or go to a book club or talk to a book club, I want sweets. I love them. Don't you? There's something about sugar (and chocolate) that makes the brain kick into gear. Shhh, don't tell anyone. It's our secret.
These goodies are easy to make. Just a few ingredients. Why am I telling you that it's easy? Because Jenna, the protagonist in the Cookbook Nook mysteries, is an avid book reader and a foodie, but she doesn't know how to cook. She never learned. Her mother did it all while Jenna and her siblings were growing up. Once Jenna entered the business world of advertising, she had no need to cook. Dinners out. Lunches on the go. When she lost her husband in a tragic accident and decided to return to Crystal Cove to help her aunt open a culinary bookshop and cafe, Jenna jumped at the chance. Now she's determined to learn how to cook. She's in love with cookbooks. But she needs recipes to be simple.
In Final Sentence, the first of the Cookbook Nook mysteries, I share a recipe for Chocolate Peanut Butter Crisp Bonbons. I, personally, had never really made candy before. Fudge, sure. Easy. Rock candy? Oh, yeah. String, sugar. Simple. But bonbons? I had to learn a whole technique: how to roll them AND how to keep from eating all of them in one sitting!
CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER CRISP BONBONS
1 c. peanut butter
2 c. powdered sugar
1/2 c. butter, softened
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. chopped Rice Crispies
1 (12 oz.) pkg. chocolate chips (dark)
2 tbsp. paraffin
Beat together powdered sugar, peanut butter,
butter, vanilla and Rice Crispies (gluten-free, if needed).
Form into small balls, smaller than walnuts, and
place on a tray lined with waxed paper.
Set the tray of balls in the refrigerator
while preparing chocolate chips.
Melt chocolate and paraffin over hot water
(not boiling).
Remove the balls from the refrigerator.
Reshape so smooth and round. Dip bonbons in chocolate mixture (using 2 forks to
handle * super easy). Return the bonbons to waxed paper. Cool completely.
Store in airtight container.
PS Lucy asked, so I'm adding this, so that no one is worried about paraffin. It will go right through your system with no ill effects. (per Internet searches). You could substitute beeswax. Paraffin is used in lots of Easter candies, too.
PS Lucy asked, so I'm adding this, so that no one is worried about paraffin. It will go right through your system with no ill effects. (per Internet searches). You could substitute beeswax. Paraffin is used in lots of Easter candies, too.
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Here's an additional recipe that you might enjoy. I blogged about it a bit ago. It's from the 2nd Cookbook Nook mystery: INHERIT THE WORD.
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Stirring the Plot
Trouble is brewing, with a dash of murder...
Trouble is brewing, with a dash of murder...
Halloween
in Crystal Cove, California, is a big deal, involving a spooky soiree where the
Winsome Witches, a fund-raising group, gather to open up their purse strings
and trade superstitions. But party magicians, fortune-tellers, and herbalists
are only the beginning of this recipe for disaster… Jenna Hart has packed The
Cookbook Nook chock-full of everything from ghostly texts to witchy potions in
anticipation of the annual fund-raiser luncheon. But there’s one unexpected
addition to the menu: murder.
Book Club Questions
Note:
I am available to talk with your book club by telephone or
iChat or Skype or FaceTime. Please email me to arrange a date and time. CONTACT ME LINK
1. The Winsome Witches are throwing their
annual luncheon to raise money for literacy. Do you belong to any volunteer
programs? Do you, like the WWs, aim for one big blowout of an event or do you
feel it’s better to stretch the events over the course of a year?
2. At the opening faire, Jenna learns that a lot of people are superstitious. She isn’t; not really. But as spooky occurrences increase, she finds herself a little bit more so. Are you superstitious?
2. At the opening faire, Jenna learns that a lot of people are superstitious. She isn’t; not really. But as spooky occurrences increase, she finds herself a little bit more so. Are you superstitious?
3. When Aunt Vera claims to lose her power to see the future, Jenna scoffs. Do you know anyone who is psychic? Does it bother you that they are or you are not?
4. Jenna’s relationship with Rhett is heating up. His past isn’t entirely brought to light yet. Should she or shouldn’t she?
5. Jenna might not be superstitious, but she certainly is suspicious. When she
coordinates events so that she might overhear a conversation, do you feel she
has overstepped her boundaries?
LINK TO MORE QUESTIONS (on my website).
Hey, if you are up for some fun, here's a link to a book club survey with 9 questions that should take you all of about 15 seconds to do. I'll reveal the results next week! Here's the link: SURVEY
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And now for
Giveaways!
Giveaways!
Here's a picture of the one coming up for the launch of STIRRING THE PLOT -
for mailing list/newsletter fans only! This will go to US fans only, but I'll be giving away sets of the first two books in the series to all, including international fans.
Remember, today leave a comment about your book club so you can enter to win "swag" for the club! (Don't forget your email so I can contact you.)
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