Kate Carlisle's Coronation Chicken Salad -- #recipe and #giveaway

LESLIE BUDEWITZ: Mystery writers--and I say this in all modesty--are the nicest people. Maybe it's because we work our aggressions out on the page, killing without fear of punishment or a stain on our soul. And one of the nicest is Kate Carlisle, author of the Fixer-Upper Mysteries and the Bibliophile Mysteries, and we're delighted to welcome her back today to celebrate the launch of Dressed to Drill, the 10th Fixer-Upper Mystery, earlier this month. 

Let's talk lunch! Three lucky readers will win a Fixer-Upper measuring tape---and who wouldn't love that?

KATE CARLISLE:  In my latest book, Dressed to Drill, a Fixer-Upper Mystery, building contractor Shannon Hammer has been hired to renovate a beautiful Victorian church and turn it into a fabulous art museum in her small hometown of Lighthouse Cove. On the first day of demolition, she discovers a body in the chapel—a young woman—not the first murder on one of Shannon’s job sites. Shannon feels compelled to follow the clues to catch a killer and bring justice for the victim.

She doesn’t do this alone, but with the help of her boyfriend Mac and her closest friends. Between them, they know pretty much everyone in Lighthouse Cove, so they can ask questions and discover things that the police can’t. One of the things I love best about writing mystery series is the feeling of community. We return to the same town, and interact with the same characters, book after book. It feels so homey, doesn’t it?

In Dressed to Drill, Shannon meets her girlfriends for lunch and a sleuthing session at their favorite local tea shop, where they enjoy Emily Rose’s famous coronation chicken salad. I thought this would be the perfect recipe to share here today. This chicken salad makes delicious sandwiches, too!

Coronation Chicken Salad

1 pound cooked chicken breast

¼ cup slivered almonds

1 Tbsp curry powder

½ cup mayonnaise

¼ cup cream

2 Tbsp apricot jam

¼ cup raisins

2 celery sticks

Shred the chicken breast with two forks and set aside.

Heat a small pan over medium-high heat. Add the almonds and toast, stirring constantly, until golden, about a minute.

Set almonds aside and add the curry powder to the same pan. Toast until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Combine mayonnaise, cream, apricot jam and toasted curry powder with an immersion blender. Mix well.

Chop celery.

Put all ingredients into the bowl with the chicken and fold in.

Scoop the coronation chicken salad onto mixed greens or use it to make a sandwich. Enjoy!

What is your favorite lunch spot? Do you have a favorite thing to order there? 

Three random commenters will each win a Fixer-Upper Mystery measuring tape, my all-time favorite swag. (Be sure to leave your email address. International addresses accepted! Winners will be chosen Wed, May 24.)

SNEAK PEEK AT DRESSED TO DRILL

While you’re munching away on your coronation chicken, enjoy this sneak peek from Dressed to Drill. . . 

I pushed open the chapel door. And jumped back in shock.

The body of a young woman was sprawled on her back on the floor. She wore a white linen tunic over black tights and boots. Her long blonde hair covered half of her face and was splayed across the hard marble surface, almost as if she were posing.

“Oh, no.” Chills swept through my body. “This can’t be happening.”

“What is it?” Madeline asked, then spotted the woman and started to rush over to her.

I held my arm out to block her from entering the room. “Madeline, no. Stay back.”

She glared at me. “But she needs help.”

She is beyond help, I thought, but couldn’t say it. Instead, I said firmly, “Don’t come any closer.”

Madeline struggled to pull away from me, then simply gave up trying. She stared down at the victim and all of a sudden comprehension hit her. Her tote bag slipped from her grasp and she began to scream. 

ABOUT DRESSED TO DRILL

Contractor Shannon Hammer’s new project renovating an old church reveals some old sins when a body is found on the premises in the latest Fixer-Upper Mystery from the New York Times bestselling author Kate Carlisle. 

While Shannon Hammer is thrilled to attend the premiere of the movie based on the latest book by her boyfriend, Mac, she can’t wait to trade her killer heels for work boots and start her next renovation project in Lighthouse Cove: a quaint Victorian church that has seen better days. And it will see them again—as an art museum—if Shannon, her talented crew, and her sister, Chloe, have anything to say about it.

However, on the first day of demolition, work comes to a screeching halt when they stumble upon the body of a beautiful young woman in one of the chapels. Who killed the assistant artistic director? Suspects crawl out of the woodwork as fast as Shannon can restore it. The church is hiding a century of secrets dating back to the days when smugglers wreaked havoc on the California coast. But it’s a more recent secret that leads to murder. Shannon and Mac will use every tool in their toolbox to nail down the truth before any more lives are sacrificed.

ABOUT KATE: 

Kate Carlisle is the New York Times bestselling author of two ongoing series: the Bibliophile Mysteries featuring San Francisco bookbinder Brooklyn Wainwright, whose rare book restoration skills uncover old secrets, treachery and murder; and the Fixer-Upper Mysteries (as seen on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries), featuring Shannon Hammer, a home contractor who discovers not only skeletons in her neighbors' closets, but murder victims, too.