Friday, February 11, 2022

Orzo Salad from @MaddieDayAuthor plus #giveaway

MADDIE DAY here, delighted to bring you a recipe from Batter Off Dead


The book takes place amid a hot July. The present-day murder happens during Friday night fireworks in South Lick, Indiana. Eerily, it echoes an unsolved murder from long ago. Will Robbie Jordan be able to solve one or both? You'll have to read the book to find out. Luckily, you don't have long to wait - it releases February 22. 

And look - my box of books arrived early!


Read down for a giveaway.

As a few of us discussed around the kitchen table last Sunday, it can be hard to find summer ingredients while iced-in during the winter - like now. This easy yummy salad calls for fresh basil. But, oh, my. The only basil I could find this week was tired, indeed. And I was fresh out of lemons. So I took the liberty to transform the salad into a delicious side dish served hot.

Orzo Salad

In Batter Off Dead, Robbie’s husband Abe makes this easy side dish for a July Sunday night dinner.

Ingredients




3 cups cooked orzo, tossed while warm with 1 tablespoon olive oil

½ cup pitted Kalamata olives, halved

½ cup sliced marinated artichoke hearts

Fresh basil leaves, slivered

2 additional tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice or rice wine vinegar

Directions

Toss all ingredients and serve at room temperature.




Adding the pesto



Option one: Add other Mediterranean vegetables like halved cherry tomatoes, diced sweet red pepper, and diced roasted eggplant.

Option two: In the winter, add a tablespoon basil pesto and omit the lemon juice or vinegar. Serve as a warm side dish. This is what I did last week.

We enjoyed it with sauteed chicken, a green salad, and a glass of chilled white. Plus a good book, of course!



Readers: What's your favorite side dish with chicken? I'll send one commenter a signed copy of Batter Off Dead

I hope you'll join me and nine other cozy mystery authors in a fun Facebook party on February 22 (2-22-22!) with chat and games and giveaways. We'll not only celebrate my release but also the tenth book birthday of the Country Store Mysteries. Find us here.

My most recent release is Murder at the Lobstah Shack, the third Cozy Capers Book Group Mystery.



The next up is Batter Off Dead, Country Store Mystery #10, to release on February 22,  2022. Preorder your copy now!

We hope you'll visit Maddie and her Agatha Award-winning alter ego Edith Maxwell on our web site, sign up for our monthly newsletter, visit us on social media, and check our all our books and short stories.

Maddie Day (aka Edith Maxwell) is a talented amateur chef and holds a PhD in Linguistics from Indiana University. An Agatha Award-winning and bestselling author, she is a member of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America and also writes award-winning short crime fiction. She lives with her beau north of Boston, where she’s currently working on her next mystery when she isn’t cooking up something delectable in the kitchen.


31 comments:

  1. My favorite thing to have with chicken is rice and broccoli

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  2. Well phooey, Nancy A. took my answer....lol But that is a fav, especially roasted broccoli with garlic.

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  3. My favorite side is with chicken is brown rice.
    Kitten143 (at) Verizon (dot) net

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  4. MADDIE/EDITH: Thanks for those two options to modify your orzo side dish. I love artichokes and olives and I have plenty of basil pesto in the freezer.

    My fave side dish with chicken would be roasted root veggies: carrots, beets, parsnips.

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  5. If I'm grilling the chicken my family enjoys Italian potatoes. If we're baking the chicken it's usually some kind of rice and vegetable. Veggies are a must and in most cases it's whatever is on hand.

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  6. The orzo dish sounds delicious and easy enough for me to make! I can’t wait for Batter Off Dead…I love Robbie, Abe, and the rest of the group. My favorite side dish with chicken is broccoli and rice casserole. cking78503(at)aol(dot)com

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    1. Chris, congratulations! You are the lucky winner. Please check your email.

      Delete
  7. Taters or corn, broccoli or carrots. Chicken is the most frequent meal in our house, so I vary the sides. Thanks for the recipe!

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  8. Depends what kind of chicken I’m making/recipe I’m using but usually a rice of some kind lol cannot wait to read Batter Off Dead!

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  9. Potatoes are a must, and corn or peas.
    kozo8989(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  10. My favorite side dish with chicken is jasmine rice and broccoli. Love your books. Thanks for the chance!

    jarjm1980(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  11. I love to cook chicken, potatoes and fresh green beans together. just cover with ranch seasoning ,salt, pepper and lots of butter. Bake and it's delicious

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  12. Thank you for specifying "marinated artichoke hearts." Recipes often say "artichoke hearts", but don't specify which kind. There's a big difference.
    I've been enjoying pre-cooked russet potatoes (cut side down) added to the pan of whatever I'm roasting so they are in the juices/fat produced.

    libbydodd at comcast dot net

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  13. I don’t have a set side. It’s usually baked sweet potatoes, corn or green beans
    sgiden at verizon(.)net

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  14. My favorite side dish with chicken is potatoes or rice and Brussels sprouts or cauliflower. The orzo dish looks like a dish I would enjoy.
    diannekc8(at)gmail(dot)com

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  15. For most chicken dishes, rice is a natural. But my favorite is a sweet potato casserole!

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  16. Chicken is so versatile, easy to pair with any side like rice, potatoes or pasta. I especially love roasted veggies, so easy and delicious! lola777_22 at hotmail dot com

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  17. I like a baked potato and roasted brussel sprouts or roasted asparagas with chicken. 3labsmom(at)gmail(dot)com.

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  18. Good old fashioned mashed potatoes and chicken gravy!!
    lindalou64(@)live(dot)com

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  19. Hmm, I think I'd like it best with rice--flavorsome saffron-y rice, or maybe delicious rice that has been baked with mushroom soup and topped off with onion soup mix?

    jsmith[delete brackets]3may[delete brackets]2011

    [at symbol]

    yahoo[dot]com

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  20. Mine is broccoli salad, thanks for sharing your recipe! tWarner419@aol.com

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  21. My favorite to have with chicken is dressing. My husband likes potatoes and gravy.

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  22. My favorite side with chicken is broccoli. lkish77123 at gmail dot com

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  23. Does wine count as a side dish? NO? Okay, Biscuits, Mashed potatoes, and country gravy.

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    1. oops, forgot my email address:
      BattyDawna@gmail.com

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  24. Potatoes or sweet potatoes, with broccoli or string beans. I could eat chicken every day, one of my favorite foods!

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  25. Chris is the lucky winner. Congratulations, and please check your email!

    Thanks to all for these yummy-sounding sides.

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  26. The recipe sounds good. Think I'll try it soon. conney.parkhurst@gmail.com

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  27. Thank you so much for the Orzo Salad recipe dear Maddie! I must make it, and will buy ingredients this week. My favorite side dish to chicken is my wife's delicious coleslaw! Yummy! Thanks for the chance to receive your generous gift of "Batter Off Dead". CAN'T WAIT TO READ IT! Luis at ole dot travel

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  28. My mother used to make orzo salad and I forgot all about it. Thank you for this post and the recipe! I will try this during the week.

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