EASY-BREEZY-BLUEBERRY
BOOK CLUB TREATS
It’s steamy mid-summer, but my odd-couple sleuths Summer and Dorothy—aka the Ladies Smythe & Westin—and I have a lot on our (paper) plates. I’m working on a new book and the Ladies are working to solve a murder. And as the Goddesses of High Humidity would have it, all three of us need to whip up some tasty, quick-and-easy treats for our next book club meetings ASAP. 
But she vividly remembers how much she loved filling baskets with freshly-picked, wild blueberries, and the simple but delicious recipes her mother jotted onto berry-stained cards and filed in a small wooden box. In fact, Dorothy keeps that same, faded box with the blueberry wreath painted on the lid in a place of honor on her kitchen counter.
But she knows those berries are full of antioxidants and Vitamin K to pack a punch in her favorite smoothie. Plus, she loves the idea of minimal cooking and maximum yum. Book club refreshments (or unexpected visitors) problem solved—and more time to solve a mystery!
ROUND-THE-CLOCK COOKIES
Serves 2 dozen
Prep Time: 30 mins.
Cooking Time: 10-12 mins at 350°
INGREDIENTS:
¼ cup soft butter
¼ cup brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
¼ cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
2 Tbsp. lemon zest
1 cup flour
½ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
1½ cups old-fashioned oats
Sprinkle of cinnamon
1 cup blueberries
Chocolate chips or chopped walnuts (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS: Pre-heat oven to 350°F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper (for easy blueberry clean-up!)
In large mixing bowl, beat butter, sugars, egg, vanilla, cinnamon, and lemon zest on Medium until smooth. Mix in flour, baking soda, and salt until combined, then mix in oats with wooden spoon. Add chopped walnuts or chocolate chips, if desired. Carefully fold in blueberries.
Use cookie or ice cream scoop to form and drop cookies onto lined cookie sheets. Flatten slightly with back of scoop. Bake 10-12 minutes until golden brown. Let stand on sheets for a minute or two, then transfer to wire rack for cooling.
BLUEBERRY MOON LEMONADE
Dorothy brings this classic, refreshing beverage to the pool in a Thermos to share with Summer and their adorable 6-year-old friend, Juliette-Margot. (At cocktail hour, the Ladies sometimes add a little vodka to theirs.)
Serves 6-8
Prep Time: 20 mins.
INGREDIENTS:
½ cup sugar
1 cup blueberries
¾ cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice
½ lemon (sliced)
Mint leaves or springs
Water (total 7-8 cups)
INSTRUCTIONS: To make a blueberry simple syrup, stir sugar and 1 cup water together in saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Stir in blueberries and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer about 3-4 minutes, until blueberries pop.
Strain blueberry mixture and discard skins. Allow liquid to cool.
In large pitcher, whisk together blueberry syrup, lemon juice and 6-7 cups water. Chill in refrigerator.
Serve over ice. Add a few more blueberries, lemon slices, and mint to each glass, for a festive touch!
BLUEBERRY-LEMON ICED TEA ZINGER
Need a morning or late-afternoon pick-me-up? The Ladies have the perfect answer, especially if you have a lot of reading to do! (If you prefer, though, you can substitute decaffeinated tea bags.)
INGREDIENTS
1 16-oz package frozen blueberries
½ cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice
4-6 cups of water
3 large tea bags
¾ cup sugar
Lemon slices and mint leaves or sprigs
INSTRUCTIONS: Bring frozen blueberries and lemon juice to a boil in large saucepan over medium heat. Cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and pour through a strainer. (Dorothy suggests doing this over the sink.) Discard skins and rinse saucepan.
Bring 4 cups water to a boil in same saucepan. Add tea bags and steep 5 minutes. Remove tea bags, stir in sugar and blueberry syrup. Pour into pitcher, add more water to fill. Cover and chill. Serve with ice and garnish with lemons and mint.
SUMMER’S 1-2-3 SALAD
This was Summer’s favorite side dish back in LA. It’s so fast and easy, you may have time to catch some rays (or a murderer) before book club!
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup fresh blueberries
2 cups diced cucumbers
3 cups diced watermelon
½ lime, juiced
Pepper and pinch of sea salt to taste
Mint leaves
INSTRUCTIONS: Mix together the watermelon and cucumber. Drizzle with lime juice and stir. Carefully fold in blueberries. Add pepper to taste (if you’re not eating til later, wait to add the salt). Garnish with mint, stick in the fridge, and hit the beach!
SAL’S ALMOST-INSTANT
BLUEBERRY SAUCE
The Ladies and I found we still had plenty of blueberries left over, even after making so many book club treats. Dorothy went back to her mother’s old recipe box for this one—try it over pancakes, yogurt, toast, graham crackers, bananas, in smoothies and, of course, over ice cream for a perfect sundae. (Stir into slightly-melted, classic vanilla and, presto! Designer-blueberry ice cream.)
INGREDIENTS:
3 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen)
1 cup water
½ cup sugar
1 ½ Tbsp. corn starch dissolved into 3 Tbsp. water
½ tsp. vanilla
INSTRUCTIONS: Place 2 cups of the blueberries in saucepan. Cover with water; add sugar and vanilla. Heat over medium-high until mixture comes to a low boil and blueberries start to pop.
Add dissolved cornstarch to saucepan and bring mixture to rolling boil. Turn down heat and simmer on low for about 2 minutes, until sauce reaches desired thickness. (If it gets too thick, add water, a tablespoon or two at a time.)
Remove from heat and add remaining blueberries. Stir gently. May be served warm or cold.
To learn more about Lisa and her books, please visit her website at: LisaQMathews.com.
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| To learn more or buy, click here. |
Permanently Booked
by Lisa Q. Mathews
The final chapter…?
Semi-reformed party girl Summer Smythe is finally feeling at home at the Hibiscus Pointe retirement community. All that’s left to do is replace her late grandma’s massive book collection with a big-screen TV. Donating them to the on-site library is the perfect solution—until she finds the librarian buried in books. Literally.
Summer and her sleuthing partner, longtime resident Dorothy Westin, can’t imagine who would want to kill poor, dedicated Lorella. Soon they’re on the case…and the Hibiscus Pointe Book Club is the perfect cover for their investigation.
A murdered librarian is headline news in South Florida, and even outsiders, including an oddball professor and a pair of dueling authors, are eager to join the once-dull group. But one menacing member has Dorothy and Summer bookmarked for the morgue. If the Ladies Smythe and Westin don’t nab the killer fast, the Hibiscus Pointe Book Club may be reading their own obituaries next…
PERMANENTLY BOOKED, CARDIAC ARREST and the Ladies’ most recent case, FASHIONABLY LATE, are available wherever e-books are sold. And don’t forget to mark your engagement calendar for October 1, 2018, when the paperback edition of PERMANENTLY BOOKED officially pubs (you can pre-order here)!
#GIVEAWAY!
LISA'S PRIZE PACKAGE INCLUDES...
An e-book copy of PERMANENTLY BOOKED (if preferred, print copy available to winner late August) with matching mug and spoon set and a tin of blueberry green tea. Available to US and Canadian readers. Good luck!
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Congrats to Lisa's winner Martha Franks! |
Drawing for winner will take place
after 12 Midnight, Wed. July 18
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