Sunday, February 13, 2022

Please Welcome Guest Sarah E. Burr #Recipe Pasta Tomato Alfredo #GIVEAWAY

 


PEG:  Please welcome our guest today--Sarah E. Burr!  We're so pleased to have you Sarah and we're excited about your latest release #FollowMe for Murder as well as your delicious recipe!

 

Greetings, everyone! Sarah E. Burr, here. I’m celebrating the release of my book #FollowMe for Murder, first in the Trending Topic Mysteries. Now, when Peg so graciously invited me to share a recipe on Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen, two things happened. One: My mind nearly short circuited over the fact that THE Peg Cochran was emailing me, and two, I panicked because my most-used recipe is how to order takeout.

 

*Spoiler alert* I don’t get to do a lot of cooking, and neither does my main character Coco Cline. She’s a social media influencer and blogger who has recently begun her own marketing firm, so she’s a busy gal. I write three different book series (and counting), so quick-and-easy is my go-to for dinner. But I really love to cook when I have the time. What’s more, I love creating my own recipes. I get these flavor ideas in my head that I just go with, so today, I’m sharing a super easy, super yummy dish that will trend with your family for all the right reasons. I call it Tomato Alfredo.

 

What you’ll need:

 

1 16-ounce box of your favorite pasta

4 ounces smoked gouda cheese, shredded

4 ounces extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

1 pint of cherry or grape tomatoes

1/3 cup heavy cream

Crushed, dried basil to taste

Black pepper to taste

 


 

 

Let’s get the pasta cooking. Fill a pot with water and a teaspoon of salt and bring to boil. My preferred pasta is capellini, as the sauce really binds well to the thin pasta strands. But any pasta will work!

 

Slice your tomatoes in half. The sweeter variety the tomato, the better this dish tastes. I don’t recommend using roma, hot house, on-the-vine tomatoes, etc. Cherry or grape tomatoes are best!

 


 

 

Once the tomatoes are sliced, drizzle olive oil into a sauté pan and add the tomatoes. For an extra kick, try an infused olive oil; my favorite is bacon-infused.

 

Begin sautéing on medium-high, using a spoon or spatula to stir the tomatoes. After about one minute, sprinkle the tomatoes lightly with dried basil and pepper.

 


 

 

Continue to sauté the tomatoes until they are mushy, almost like a puree. While you wait, shred your cheeses. Once the tomatoes are cooked, add your heavy cream to the tomatoes and stir. The mixture won’t be super runny, but feel free to add more heavy cream if you prefer.

 


 

 


 

 

Let the tomatoes and cream cook on medium for about 2 to 3 minutes. Before moving onto the next step, wait until your pasta water is boiling and add your pasta. If the timing doesn’t line up, let your tomato-cream sauce simmer on low.

 

Once the pasta is in the water, turn the heat up on your tomato-cream sauce to medium-high and add your cheeses. Things are going to get gloppy. Stir in the cheese, and it will begin to melt. I prefer a stiffer sauce because it latches onto the capellini pasta nicely. However, feel free to add a little more cream if needed.

 


 

 

Continue to stir the sauce until cheese is fully melted. You’ll still have some nice bits of tomato in the sauce to give you texture. Simmer sauce on low and stir until your pasta is cooked.

 

Strain pasta and add pasta to your saucepan, tossing until the pasta is thoroughly coated. At this point, you’re ready to dish out and serve!

 


 

 

Some tips:

For those who like spice, sprinkle red pepper flakes on the dish once served.

Swap out or add spinach – if you’re not a tomato fiend like me, spinach makes for a great substitute!

I let my guests season their dishes with salt and pepper to their own taste. There is a lot of salt in the cheeses, so make sure to issue a healthy reminder.

 

When Coco first began her blog Trending Topic, she did dabble in cooking how-to’s, but her recipe videos always ended with something burning. Making the best of a smelly situation, Coco launched her #FlawlessFails hashtag, encouraging her online followers to share their epic fails in the kitchen. 

 

Have you had a #FlawlessFail that haunts you to this day?  Leave a comment below to be entered to win a signed copy of #FollowMe for Murder. Sorry, US Only. Contest closes at midnight Wednesday, February 16.

 




Murder is about to go viral for social media influencer Coco Cline.

After selling a tech startup to Facebook in a multi-million-dollar deal, blogger Coco Cline has returned to her hometown of Central Shores, Delaware to launch her own social media consulting firm. Her new clients, Sean and Olivia Chen, are ten days away from the grand opening of their specialty consignment shop when Coco stumbles across their assistant Stacy dead behind the register.

Worried that a cloud of suspicion will ruin their chances of a successful business launch, the Chens ask Coco to work alongside the inexperienced Central Shores police to speed up the investigation. Using her celebrity status and social media savviness, Coco realizes Stacy’s seemingly ordinary life was all an act. Following a trail of cryptic online posts, confusing timelines, and muddied gossip, Coco and her friends discover Stacy’s questionable relationships just might be the reason for her untimely demise.

 

Remember:  to enter the giveaway of #FollowMe for Murder, please respond in the comments below: Have you had a #FlawlessFail that haunts you to this day?  

 

 

Bio: Sarah E. Burr grew up in the small town of Appleton, Maine, but now lives near New York City. Since she was seven, Sarah has wanted to be Nancy Drew, but, unfortunately, she wasn't stumbling across any mysteries in corporate America. So, she left her healthcare IT career and began writing mysteries of her own. Sarah is the author of the Trending Topic Mysteries, the Glenmyre Whim Mysteries, and the Court of Mystery series. In addition, Sarah currently serves as the social media liaison for the NY-TriState Sisters in Crime chapter. When she's not writing, Sarah is either singing Broadway showtunes, video gaming, or enjoying walks with her dog, Eevee.

 

Purchase Link:

 

https://bit.ly/followmeformurder

 

Socials:

 

Instagram: https://bit.ly/saraheburrinstagram

Facebook: https://bit.ly/saraheburrfacebook

Twitter: https://bit.ly/saraheburrtwitter

Website: www.saraheburr.com

Other Books by Sarah: https://bit.ly/authorsaraheburr

 

 

 

40 comments:

  1. Thank you for the yummy sounding Pasta Tomato Alfredo recipe.

    The one disaster that always stands out in my mind is years ago when we were first married, I was trying to make something hubby loved, my Grandmother made and I thought would be a piece of cake - pun intended. :) Hubby liked the little snack cakes that were a sponge cake rolled with a raspberry filling. Then they changed them adding a white fluff layer that he didn't like. Remembering my grandmother's jelly roll from childhood and how good it was, I got the recipe from my Mom. Well, it didn't look like hers and tasted awful so I ditched it before anyone seen it. Hubby asked me why I did that without him at lest trying it. I told him because I knew he loved me and would have eaten it to keep from hurting my feelings. It took years before I tried that venture again - this time is a lot better results.

    In baking through the years, I have learned that not every recipe is going to be a 5 star dish, but if we don't experiment and try outside of our comfort zone that our taste buds get really bored.

    Thank you for the fabulous opportunity to win a copy of #FollowMe for Murder. Shared and hoping. Would love to read and would gladly leave reviews everywhere.
    2clowns at arkansas dot net

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm so glad you tried the recipe again and had success! It's hard coming back from a baking disaster, but you know the old saying 'you gotta get back up on the horse.' I think that definitely applies for cooking!

      Delete
  2. I don't have a good one of my own but I've always heard the story about the day I was born and how my dad went home after and was so tired from being up all night waiting that he put a frozen pizza in the oven and forgot to take off the plastic and cardboard. Needless to say, the oven was full of smoke and the pizza was inedible.
    kozo8989(at)hotmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh my goodness! What a story -- I can only imagine how many directions your dad's mind must have been going in. I once cooked a frozen pizza right on the oven rack (like the directions said to) only to have the whole thing melt through the rack and burn up on the bottom of the oven!

      Delete
  3. Yes, a cake which completely fell apart due to missing what I do not know. But I did a rescue on it. I cut it up into small cubes and added a lovely pudding on the side so that it was edible. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  4. That sounds so yummy! I love a good pudding - if bread pudding is on a restaurant menu, I always order one to go for breakfast the next day!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Congrats on the release of #FollowMe for Murder, Sarah! It's such a fab story. I can't wait for folks to fall in love with Coco and her gang!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Way back when I was baking a cake using my Betty Crocker's Cookbook for Boys and Girls. I made 1/2 of the recipe for one layer, but didn't reduce the liquids, only the dry ingredients. It was a very moist cake!
    libbydodd at comcast dot net

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh wow, I bet it was! That's too funny - thank you for sharing!

      Delete
  7. Congrats on your upcoming release.

    This sounds like my kind of dish, minus the tomatoes which I can no longer have.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much! I've subbed in both spinach and broccoli when I can't get tomatoes - they make for excellent substitutes!

      Delete
  8. Libby, I also had the Betty Crocker's Cookbook for Boys and Girls. I actually found a reprint of the original cookbook a few years ago so I bought it. It was a great starter cookbook for girls and boys. I made many recipes from it.

    One failure I had as a newlywed was when I cooked a whole frozen turkey for the first time. I did not remove the packet of frozen giblets from the center of the turkey before I cooked it. Either I didn't know to do that or it was still so frozen that I couldn't get them out. Otherwise the turkey was cooked just fine.

    Nancy
    allibrary (at) aol (dot) com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm so glad the turkey was saved! I can live without the giblets :)

      Delete
  9. Welcome, Sarah, and congrats on the new release -- it sounds like a lot of fun!

    ReplyDelete
  10. My fail is always any kind of bread with yeast in it! I think my house is too cool for anything to rise like it should! I tried making rolls for Thanksgiving and yeah as my Nephew said they were hockey pucks! Oh also I need practice on pie crusts. Thanks for the chance! almaj80(at)suddenlink(dot)net

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You are way more adventurous than I am -- I have yet to try a pie crust. When I was a kid, my mom was always wary of pie crusts, but she finally found one that works for her, and she makes amazing pies!

      Delete
  11. Oooo...Alfredo sauce and caramelized tomatoes--two of my very favorite things! Gonna try this soon, Sarah--thanks!

    Congrats on the new book--such a great idea for the theme!

    ReplyDelete
  12. The latest fail I had was actually just a couple of years ago and it was a boxed brownie mix. I was taking care of my Sister after back surgery and was going to surprise her with brownies. I thought I had followed the directions but I left out the water or oil and it turned out like a rock. We couldn't even cut into it.
    diannekc8(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, wow! Well, it's the thought that counts, right? Thank you for sharing!

      Delete
  13. Welcome, Sarah! The recipe sounds delish, and the series is a brand-new premise. Congratulations.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much, Edith! It's wonderful to be here!

      Delete
  14. Sounds yummy, Sarah! And who doesn't love pasta. I plan to try your recipe. Best of luck with your latest book!

    ReplyDelete
  15. My latest fail happened last week when I was making a homemade layered cake and forgot to add the eggs and oil. I had all of the ingredients sitting out ready to go and noticed after I took the cake out of the oven that I didn't add the missing items. LOL.

    Congrats on your book! Thanks for the chance!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. jarjm1980(at)hotmail(dot)com

      Delete
    2. It's so hard to keep track of everything while baking! I've done that plenty of times - you are not alone! Thank you for sharing :)

      Delete
  16. Blessings for much success on your book.
    Your recipe. Looks fabulous.
    My fail was huge :-( We were very involved at our Church husband President on Christian Board of Education I was Director of Sunday School. We were having big school-church pinic. I was making many round cakes for each table. Oh yes I was caring for 4 babies under 2 pound the space shuttle with the 1st teacher was due to lift off. I had to have that on. Cakes turned out fabulous. Decorated each differently.Then-Shuttle-lifted-off. Then*Exploded*
    As I finished a decorative powder sugar.
    We are at the pinic, when a wife comes to me saying her husband can't stop eating my cake. What is it? She tasted it and had an odd look?.I tasted a bit..
    I didn't use powdered sugar. All my ingredients are in glass jars..it was corn starch!
    Aauughhh...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh my goodness! What a story! A friend once used corn syrup instead of corn meal...yeah, those muffins did not come out well LOL Thank you for sharing!

      Delete
  17. I had a cake that turned out really dry one time so I topped it with vanilla pudding and whipped cream and saved it that way. cherierj(at)yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yum! Yay for cakes that can be saved! That's turning a fail into a fabulous win ;)

      Delete
  18. Right after we were married at 19 (!), my wife was working late, so I wanted to make something to eat that would b a surprise...and she would love m more (Haha). I had never baked anything, so I searched her Betty Crocker recipe book and decided I would make a loaf of bread...The first problem was that we had no flour (poor college kids). I did find oatmeal, so I decided to use that instad. The recipe called for 'sifting' the flour, and I knew we had a sifter, so I sifted the oatmeal until I had enough. I followed the instructions and baked the ingredientes in a pan I found. Anticipating a delicious brad, I waited...when it was done, I let the beautiful baking masterpiece cool...When my wife returned, I proudly presented her with the delicious loaf of bread...and she did love me more...until she tried to cut it...That did not happen, because instad of fluffy brad I had baked a brik!!! We have told that story for 53 years, and laughed a lot. I bake and cook a lot now...(many recipes from y'all) and my wife does love me mor, so all is good! Happy Valentines' Day!! luis atole dot travel

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What a thoughtful gesture and a lovely story! The laughter it brings you to this day is the gift that keeps on giving.

      Delete
  19. I do simply things that I like by memory. cheetahthecat1986ATgmailDOTcom

    ReplyDelete
  20. I apparently cant even make toast. I had put some bread in the toaster and it popped early so I put it in again. It became charcoal.
    wskwared(at)yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  21. The receipe looks like it's easy enough to make and it's end result looks delicious. I would definitely love a signed copy of your book.

    ReplyDelete
  22. My flawless fail was what has been dubbed "the Brown Meal". I made chicken fried steak, fried potatoes and opened a can of brown beans as a side. It was good but soooo boring - the only bit of "color" was the white gravy. This was over 30 years ago but hubby reminds me of it every so often. Thank you for the chance to win - would love to read your book. I'd share it with my sister. madamhawk at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  23. Yes the first time I tried making round cake it did not cool enough and the icing was a mess.
    Jess
    Maceoindo(at)yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete