Welcome Terry Ambrose for a Father's Day Guest Post and #Giveaway

Secrets of the Treasure King
by Terry Ambrose

Please welcome award-winning author Terry Ambrose back to the Kitchen! 

Terry is sharing a wonderful recipe, a fun giveaway, and a few words about his heartwarming new cozy series with a seaside setting that makes perfect summer reading. Take it away, Terry! 

~ Cleo















Happy Father’s Day!

With so many of us across the country self-isolating either by choice or directive, it’s definitely an unusual Father’s Day. The good news is, we can still eat, and eat well. Even more good news! All of the ingredients in this bread should be easy to get.

When Cleo asked me to be the Father’s Day guest here at Mystery Lover’s Kitchen, I was flattered. She said she thought of me because of my protagonists in the Seaside Cove Bed & Breakfast Mystery series, dad Richard Atwood and his daughter Alex. Like all dads, Rick’s main concern is keeping Alex safe, even when that means grounding her because she’s done something she shouldn’t—like trying to solve murders before the cops. 

Secrets of the Treasure King is the fourth book in the Seaside Cove series. This time, the town of Seaside Cove is all abuzz with news about a murdered ship captain who claimed to know the location of a treasure worth millions. Once again, Rick is working with the cops, and Alex is going rogue. With a secret worth millions at stake, everyone’s out to solve the mystery.

I’ve always loved quick breads, but I started getting more serious about them a few months ago. I wanted a recipe that produced consistently tasty bread with the potential for variety. Ta-da! Introducing my Fruity Chocolate Chip Banana Bread recipe. This recipe is derived from my Gluten-free Chocolate Chip Banana Bread, but it has a twist—less chocolate chips and the addition of the pulp from blueberries, raspberries, or whatever type of berry you like.

Fruity Chocolate Chip Banana Bread 
with gluten-free option

Prep Time: 30 min
Cook Time: 1 hr - 1 hr 30 minutes
Serves: 1 loaf, pan size 8-1/2 x 4-1/2 inches

Ingredients

1/2 cup unsalted butter (softened)

1 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs

3 bananas (ripe medium bananas peeled and mashed)

1 tsp milk (any kind should do: buttermilk, almond milk—use what you have in the fridge)

2 cups Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-1 Baking Flour (Can substitute all purpose flour if gluten-free is not needed)

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp. allspice

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

3/4 cup blueberries (or other berry)

1 tsp Orange zest (If not available can use a few drops of almond extract)

Preparation Steps

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. (can be done once you start mixing ingredients). Grease a loaf pan, size 8-1/2 x 4-1/2 inches.

2. Prepare the blueberries by smashing them in a small bowl and then straining through a sieve to extract most of the juice. Let the berries drain while you continue to assemble ingredients.

3. Mash bananas with the milk in a small bowl and set aside

4. In another bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice together

5. Mix butter, sugar, and vanilla on high speed in mixer until creamy. The mixture should be light when done.

6. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until well blended (to avoid an errant shell, I like to put the eggs into a prep bowl first).

7. Finish mixing by hand. Alternately fold in about 1/3 of dry ingredients, then 1/3 of bananas into the sugar and egg mixture. Continue until all are combined, folding in the drained berries, as well, but do not overmix.

Note: The liquid that you drained from the berries is not part of the recipe. You can discard the liquid, blend it into a smoothie, or simply drink it like any other juice.

8. Pour the batter into your greased loaf pan. Bake for 1 to 1-1/2 hours. Check during last 1/2 hour for doneness by inserting toothpick or cake tester. 

9. Allow to cool on wire rack for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and cool completely on wire rack.

Notes: The amount of time it takes for the bread to bake thoroughly is influenced by how much liquid there is in the berries.

Terry Ambrose has written and published fourteen mysteries. His Seaside Cove Mystery series new releases have risen to the Amazon genre Top 100.  

In 2014, Con Game, Terry’s second thriller in the License to Lie series, received the San Diego Book Awards Best Mystery/Thriller award. Terry also writes the McKenna Trouble in Paradise mysteries and organized an anthology written by bestselling mystery writers to benefit a literacy nonprofit in Hawaii.

To learn more about Terry and sign up for his newsletter, visit TerryAmbrose.com

TERRY'S GIVEAWAY

Leave a comment for Terry below, and you will be entered to win a random drawing for a $5.00 Amazon Gift Card. Be sure to include your email address for contact purposes if you're selected to win. 

Congrats to Terry's winner: 

Pat D.

Good luck, good reading, and 

thanks again to Terry for being our guest. 

Happy Father's Day!