Sunday, August 8, 2021

Double Treats from guest Gabby Allan -- #recipe and #bookgiveaway

LESLIE BUDEWITZ: Who doesn't love a new series? And who doesn't love discovering the new identity of an old friend? Especially when she brings yummy treats AND a book giveaway?

So, welcome to Gabby Allan, aka Misty Simon, author of MUCH ADO ABOUT NAUTICALING, first in the Whit and Whiskers Mysteries, just out from Kensington Books.  

GABBY ALLAN: Hello and thanks so much to Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen for having me on today!

I’m so excited to introduce you to my new pen name, Gabby Allan, and my new series under that name, Whit and Whiskers Mysteries! I also write under the name Misty Simon, so you might see some similarities in the story-telling. The first book in this series is called Much Ado About Nauticaling, and I hope you love my girl Whit, her cat Whiskers, and the fun and shenanigans that ensue when she returns to the island of Catalina where she grew up. She thinks she’s starting over, out of the corporate world and into the slow pace of island-life. Instead she not only gets a murder mystery to solve but has to deal with an ex-boyfriend she thought she’d left behind on the mainland. This is just the beginning of the new series by Gabby Allan, and I hope I deliver on my promise of a little charm, a little mayhem, and a lot of fun! 

One of the things I loved the most about this new series is going back to some of the foods I used to eat when I lived in California. It’s not that you can’t get churros on the east coast, they’re just different so I decided to go back to the basics and give you the Catalina Churro Boat!

Let’s dive right on in how to make these beauties! And they’re delish too!

Leave a comment below for a chance to win a signed copy of MUCH ADO ABOUT NAUTICALING!  

Catalina Churro Boats 

1 cup water

2 ½ tbsp sugar

½ tsp salt

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 quarts oil for frying

½ cup white sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 can whipped cream

Strawberries (as many as you like!)

Now let’s roll up our sleeves and get our hands dirty!

Grab a small saucepan and crank the stove to medium heat. Combine the water, 2 1/2 tablespoons sugar, salt, and two tablespoons of vegetable oil. Bring that baby to a boil and then remove it from the heat. Go ahead and stir in the flour until the mixture forms a ball.

Now we’re going to heat the oil for frying in a deep fryer or deep pot. Get that up to about 375 degrees F (it can be a little less, I’ve also cooked them at 350. I recommend a metal thermometer just to be sure what temp you’re working with!). Now, you could put this yummy goodness into a sturdy pastry bag and drop strips of dough into the hot oil. But since we’re making boats, I actually took the dough in hand, rolled it out into a rope, and then connected the ends to make a kind of donut, so that I could then fill it with the delight of strawberries and whipped cream. Your choice! Don’t overcrowd the oil, though. Fry until golden, then drain on paper towels.

Mix up the 1/2 cup sugar and cinnamon. Drop the fried dough in and cover as desired.

Pop these bad boys onto a plate, grab that can of whipped cream and go to town! When you’re done, top with a couple of strawberries and you’re ready to delight your mouth to no end!








And that’s it! Enjoy, and maybe share a few with family or friends as this recipe is supposed to feed four.

Is there any recipe you’ve gotten a little creative with and taken it off the beaten cutting board? I’d love to hear about it! Talk to me in the comments for a chance to win a signed copy of MUCH ADO ABOUT NAUTICALING! (Be sure to leave your email address; US mailing addresses only. Winner to be chosen Tues, Aug 10.)

Oh! And Rom Cozy is a newish genre for me. I hope you enjoy that too!

From the cover: Whitney Dagner is your tour guide to a Pacific paradise that’s to die for—only to find it’s a place people are also willing to kill for—in Gabby Allan’s Much Ado About Nauticaling, first in the Whit and Whiskers Mystery series.

 After far too many years in the Los Angeles corporate world, Whitney Dagner has come home to Santa Catalina Island off the California coast to help her brother Nick run Nautically Yours, the family tourism business. Between gift shop shifts selling all manner of T-shirts and tchotchkes and keeping her feline Whiskers in fine fettle, she pilots the Sea Bounder, a glass bottom boat showing tourists the underwater sights of aquatic plants, marine life—and a murder victim?

 The self-proclaimed “Master of the Island,” Jules Tisdale was a wealthy man with business interests throughout Catalina who was about to be honored as Person of the Year before someone strangled him with his own tie and tossed his body into the water. That someone appears to be Nick, who had a raw deal from Jules and no alibi the night of his murder. To clear her brother’s name, Whit will have to investigate Jules’ shady associates and not exactly grief-stricken family members—with the unwelcome help of Felix Ramirez, police diver and Whit’s ex-boyfriend who’s looking to rekindle their relationship.


After writing plays for her friends to act out as a kid, bad poetry in high school, and her high school Alma Mater song, Gabby Allan finally found her true passion—cozy mysteries. Being able to share her world with readers, one laugh at a time, and touch people’s hearts with her down-to-earth characters makes for the best job ever. This California girl now lives with her husband, daughter, and two insane dogs in Central Pennsylvania where she is hard at work on her next novel.

Connect with Gabby: 

Website: www.gabbyallan.com 

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/GabbyAllanAuthor

Facebook Group: Merry Sleuths https://bit.ly/2UWZida

Instagram @gabbyallanspeaks

Buy link: https://www.kensingtonbooks.com/9781496731067/much-ado-about-nauticaling/


52 comments:

  1. Thanks for being a guest on MLK and for that yummy recipe, Misty/Gabby. Good luck with the new series. It has a great setting and set-up with the glass-bottomed boat. ~Maya

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  2. I don’t usually get to out there with recipes but I did take a chocolate chip oatmeal cookie and add dried cranberries
    sgiden at verizon.net

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  3. I do get a bit creative with most recipes - adding spices and extra vegetables - but nothing sticks out as totally wild and crazy.

    Nancy
    allibrary (at) aol (dot) com

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    1. Yeah, I don't normally do the flair on cooking since I'm afraid I'll ruin it :)

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  4. I always added or subtracted spices, fruits and vegetables with all my recipes. Such fun and surprising results. Most of the time delishious.
    lindalou64(@0live(dot)com

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  5. I made a creative cake with a lemon zest, pudding and mix which turned out better than home made. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

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  6. Your new series sounds fun! I'm afraid my creativity is limited to figuring out what to substitute when I don't have all the ingredients for a recipe.
    patdupuy@yahoo.com

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    1. Oh my word, I love that!!! You and me both :)

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  7. Adding herbs to many dishes gives it the flavor which is unique. Fish and chicken benefit from this delightful delicate taste. elliotbencan(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  8. Welcome back to the Kitchen, Gabby and Misty! Just slide a plate of those beauties through the screen, would you please? Thanks! Wishing you a wonderful series debut.

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    1. BWAHAHA! If only it were that easy :) Thanks for having me back :)

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  9. I don't get too wild, but I like to experiment with adding some new mix-in element to cookies and sometimes cakes. Right now I've been thinking about a strawberry brownie.
    kozo8989(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  10. Those sound and look so yummy! I am usually a recipe follower! I have made up my own recipes though. Thanks for the chance! I would love to read your book! almaj80(at)suddenlink(dot)net

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    1. You and me both on the mostly following the recipe :)

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  11. Wow. Landlocked central Pennsylvania. Quite a change from California!
    These look quite tasty.
    libbydodd at comcast dot net

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    Replies
    1. LOL yep, the closest water is the Susquehanna river which isn't tiny but it's not beach :)

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  12. I don't always like to eat meat so I substitute beans n a lot of recipes - white, black or pinto. Sounds like a fun new series! would love to read the 1st book

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  13. Recipe sounds good, I've been wanting to read this one! tWarner419(at)aol(dot)com

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  14. YAY!!!! I want you to read it :) Good luck!

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  15. The books sounds fun - thanks for the chance to own it.

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  16. Congratulations on your new series! This recipe sounds great!

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  17. I like adding almond extract to a lot of baked goods when I'm cooking. Not sure if that is creative. I just love the taste of it! LOL. Thanks for the chance! Excited to read your book!

    jarjm1980(at)hotmail(dot)com

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    1. That's very interesting! I'll have to try that out!

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  18. I love the start of a new series, and I can’t wait to read your new book. I love your Tallie Graver series! Thanks for the chance! cking78503(at)aol(dot)com

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    1. Oh my gosh! Thank you so much for loving Tallie! Me too :) And I hope you will also love Whit!

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  19. I need another series to get hooked on along with all the other ones I'm reading. LOL. I do seriously hope I win because I absolutely love to read! Congratulations on starting a new series!
    Laurie(dot)anismom2(at)Gmail(dot)com

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    1. Don't we all need a new series to hook us? LOL!

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  20. I’m sure there are recipes I have gotten creative with, but I can’t think of a single one right now! We do get creative with salad toppings—tonight I’m adding black beans, avocado and grilled corn. Thank you for the chance to win Much Ado About Nauticaling! smurphy(at)macados(dot)net

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    1. Ohhhh, very interesting on the salad toppings!

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  21. Hope everyone has a great week. Thanks for the opportunity. 🙂
    Denise
    dlc1228@gmail.com

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  22. I usually stick pretty close to the recipes. I am not much for trying different things. lkish77123 at gmail dot com

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  23. Hubby and I have taken my Mom's cinnamon roll recipe, a recipe he used before we married and a sticky bun recipe and combined them into what we call Garrett cinnamon rolls. There is a gooey bottom layer that contains pecans. Then there's the actual rolls which is half my Mom's recipe I grew up on and half hubby's recipe which also contains pecans and lots of goodies. Then just before you turn them out of the pan, there's another layer of goodness. The recipe makes 2 pans of 15. Although they freeze well, they very rarely get that far.

    I love to bake/cook and am blessed to have a hubby that so also. Plus he doesn't mind doing clean up. Life is GOOD!

    Thank you for the chance to win a copy of "MUCH ADO ABOUT NAUTICALING"! Shared and hoping to be the fortunate one selected.
    2clowns at arkansas dot net

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  24. I remember once over baking some brownies. I didn't want to throw them away so I decided to make a brownie trifle by cutting them into pieces and layering it chocolate pudding and whipped cream. My family loved it and it was nice not to waste. Thanks for sharing your recipe. cherierj(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  25. One thing extra I like to add to recipes is nuts! lindaherold999(at)gmail(dot)com

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  26. Yum, I love churros! I've always been tweaking recipes. I'll use leftover jambalaya to make stuffed colored peppers, turn thawed frozen spaghetti sauce into soups or Mexican dishes by adding cumin, chipotle, &/or ancho chiles,Mexican oregano,maybe corn, black beans,cheese and voila, Mexican casserole. I buy large pork shoulders or loin on sale, use the IP, and one night have pot roast, then maybe pulled pork BBQ, and another meal of fajitas, or perhaps fried rice. I taught dh how to make easy beignets out of canned biscuits & he's so proud!Same with leftover cake, just make pudding, add some fruit,layer it, add whipped cream and you've made trifle! I like trying different ingredients, herbs & spices to see what will happen! lola777_22 at hotmail dot com

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  27. I always follow the recipes. Thanks for the chance!
    Jess
    maceoindo(at)yahoo(dot)com

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