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| Tulips by Ylanite Koppens via Pexels |
Sunday, March 31, 2024
Saturday, March 30, 2024
Pesto Turkey Meatball Soup #Recipe Peg Cochran/Margaret Loudon
This recipe is from Martha Stewart but with a few tweaks. I used gluten free panko for the meatballs. My grocery store didn't have fresh basil so unfortunately I had to eliminate it. I also had some spinach I wanted to finish up so I used that instead of escarole. My meatballs were a bit too large to cook off the stove in the hot broth in 8 minutes. I simmered them a bit to be sure they would be done. You don't want to pack the meatballs too tightly, on the other hand, if they aren't packed tightly enough, they will fall apart. Be very gentle when dropping them into the broth. It's best to drop them in one at a time with a large spoon. We enjoyed this with some crusty bread on the side. And although it's "spring" this is perfect to warm you up on those odd chilly days that are no doubt still ahead!
12 ounces ground turkey (I used 1 lb. because that’s what came in the package)
3 tablespoons pesto, plus more for serving
6 tablespoons panko breadcrumbs (gluten free is fine)
1 lightly beaten egg
3 tablespoons grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for serving
¾ teaspoon kosher salt (or to taste)
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper, plus more for serving
1 smashed and peeled garlic clove
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 sprigs fresh basil
1 cup chopped Escarole
In a large bowl, combine turkey, pesto, panko, egg, cheese, salt and pepper. Mix lightly--just until combined.
Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate while you continue with recipe.
Heat garlic clove over medium-high heat until fragrant. Add chicken broth and basil. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer partially covered for 10 minutes. Remove garlic and basil.
Meanwhile, form turkey mixture into small meatballs. Carefully add to broth, remove pot from heat and let sit for 8 minutes covered or until meatballs are done. If your meatballs are large, you may need to simmer them for a bit first.
Add escarole (or spinach) and serve with extra cheese and pepper and drizzled with pesto.
The Open Book Series
When murder taints writer-in-residence
Penelope Parish’s charming British bookshop, she must follow the clues
to catch a killer before tempers boil over.
Family fireworks lead to murder in the new Cranberry Cove Mystery from USA Today bestselling author Peg Cochran!
The
Fourth of July always means endless celebrations in Cranberry Cove, and
this year Monica and Greg have the added pleasure of spending it with
Monica’s college roommate, Kelly Cargill. When they join Kelly and her
family to watch the fireworks, it’s all very exciting—until the elderly
matriarch of the family dies on the spot. Then evidence comes to light
that she was poisoned, and Monica promises to do what she can to catch
the culprit.
Just about everyone in Kelly’s family wanted to get
their hands on what was sure to be a sizable inheritance. But Monica
also discovers that one of them was trying to hide a messy love affair
the older woman had discovered, and that the victim’s caretaker may have
wanted revenge for enduring years of mistreatment. And just as more
secrets surface and the clues begin to fall into place, Monica realizes
that as she’s closing in on the killer, the killer is closing in on her .
. .
Includes a mouthwatering cookie recipe!
Cranberry Cove #10 coming Summer 2024!
My article on the Enduring Appeal of Cozy Mysteries
Find me on:
Friday, March 29, 2024
Coconut Curry Chickpeas with Pumpkin and Lime from Molly MacRae
This is a delicious, quick meal full of flavor from the lovely blend of curry spices and fresh lime juice. The spices will warm you on a cold night and the lime is bright enough to feel just right for spring. Next time I make it, if we have extra fresh greens (spinach, arugula, kale – all three?), I’ll toss them into the pan during the last few minutes. That will up the green vegetable quotient, but the greens aren’t necessary at all to make a satisfying meal.
Coconut Curry Chickpeas with
Pumpkin and Lime
(adapted from The New York
Times)
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
3 tablespoons canola or other neutral vegetable
oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 jalapeños, seeded or not, thinly
sliced
1 bay leaf
1 piece fresh ginger (about 1-inch),
minced
5 or 6 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas,
rinsed
1 (13.5-ounce) can full fat
coconut milk
1 (13.5-ounce) can pumpkin purée
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 cup chopped cilantro, more for
serving
2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lime
juice plus wedges for serving (optional)
Cooked rice or couscous for
serving (optional)
Directions
Heat oil in a large skillet over
medium-high heat. Stir in onion, jalapeño, and bay leaf. Cook, stirring
occasionally, until onion is golden on the edges, about 8 minutes.
Add ginger and garlic and cook
until fragrant, about 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in garam masala,
cumin, and turmeric. Cook 30 seconds.
Stir in chickpeas, coconut milk,
pumpkin, 1/2 cup water, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Bring to a simmer and simmer
10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in cilantro and lime juice to taste. Taste
and add more salt if necessary.
Serve over rice or couscous, if you like, and top with more cilantro. Serve lime wedges on the side.
Look for Molly’s new series—the Haunted Shell Shop
Mysteries—coming in July 2024!
Book 1: Come Shell or High Water
"Molly MacRae's delightful
pirate ghost story and cozy mystery mashup is not to be missed. Cozy readers
will be enthralled with this trip to North Carolina's Outer
Banks." —Amanda Flower, USA Today bestselling author
of Blueberry Blunder
In the meantime, you can enjoy her other books.
The Boston Globe says Molly MacRae writes
“murder with a dose of drollery.” She’s the author of the award-winning,
national bestselling Haunted Yarn Shop Mysteries and the Highland Bookshop
Mysteries. As Margaret Welch, she writes books for Annie’s Fiction. Her short
stories have appeared in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine and she’s a
winner of the Sherwood Anderson Award for Short Fiction. Visit Molly on Facebook and Pinterest and connect with her on Twitter or Instagram.
Thursday, March 28, 2024
Roasted Asparagus #recipe #giveaway @vmburns
V. M. Burns: Asparagus isn't a vegetable I eat often. However, I was tired of eating the same vegetables and wanted something a bit different. Asparagus came to mind. Most asparagus recipes include garlic. And while I like garlic, it doesn't like me. So, I'm always scaling back on garlic or looking for alternate seasonings that will add flavor. If garlic doesn't bother you, then you can easily add garlic instead of the Italian seasoning. Or, you can add it in addition to the Italian seasoning. I also love lemons and cheese, so anytime I can add more of those, I do. This came out perfect for me. You may want to tweak it a bit for your own tastebuds. Fortunately, it's really easy.
ROASTED ASPARAGUS
Ingredients
- 1 lb Asparagus
- 1 Teaspoon Olive Oil
- 1/2 Teaspoon salt
- 1/2 Teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/4 Teaspoon pepper
- 1 lemon
- 1/4 Cup Grated Parmesan
- Sprinkle of shredded parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Snap the ends off of the asparagus, drizzle with olive oil, and place on a baking sheet.
- Sprinkle salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and grated parmesan. NOTE: I added a little shredded parmesan just because...cheese.
- Bake for 9-12 minutes depending on how much snap you like in your asparagus.
READERS: Asparagus YES or NO? Let me know in the comments. I still have extra KINDLE copies of Murder on Tour. Type YES in the comments if you want to be entered for the giveaway. Don't forget to include your email address.
MURDER ON TOUR
Bookstore owner and Michigander Samantha Washington is thrilled to see her debut historical mystery finally on the shelves, but a killer seems determined to steal away the spotlight . . .
While Sam wraps up her first whirlwind book tour, Nana Jo has kept Market Street Mysteries running smoothly. The last stop is a prestigious book festival in Sam’s hometown of North Harbor, Michigan. But not everyone thinks the guest of honor, bestselling author Judith Hunter, deserves stellar reviews. Sam witnesses nasty arguments between Judith and two different authors—who accuse her of plagiarism and sabotage . . .
When a publicist is poisoned during a cocktail reception, Sam wonders if the killer missed the intended target. It’s a twist that echoes the plot of Sam’s mystery, Murder at Wickfield Lodge. But fact can be stranger—and deadlier—than fiction. How much collateral damage is the killer willing to risk? With feisty Nana Jo and the girls from Shady Acres Retirement Village lending a hand, Sam tries to solve the case before the festival delivers another fatality . . .
Wednesday, March 27, 2024
Val's Mai Tai #recipe by @LeslieKarst
As you know if you read my Author Spotlight here in the Kitchen last Sunday, I’m thrilled that the first book in my new Orchid Isle mystery series, Molten Death, releases next Tuesday, on April 2. So to celebrate, what could be better than shaking up a fun and festive tropical drink—the delicious Mai Tai! (This recipe—as well as many others—appears in the new book.)
Many Mai Tais one gets in bars these days are sickeningly sweet, as they’re made with cheap dark rum and canned orange and pineapple juice, heavy on the high fructose corn syrup. But the original recipes for the cocktail back in the 1940s were far less cloying, using quality high-proof rums from Jamaica and Martinique, fresh-squeezed lime juice, and nary a can of pineapple juice in sight. (The name supposedly derives from the Tahitian phrase, “maita‘i roa a‘e,” which loosely translates as “terrific!” or “best of all!”)
Valerie is the protagonist of Molten Death, and her version is inspired by the original Trader Vic’s recipe for a Mai Tai, but employs Amaretto liqueur instead of Orgeat syrup, and includes a splash of soda water because, you know...fizz!
Val’s Mai Tai
(makes one cocktail)
Ingredients
6-8 ice cubes
2 oz. Myer’s or similar dark rum
½ oz. (1 tablespoon) orange Curaçao or triple sec
2 teaspoons Amaretto liqueur
½ oz. (1 tablespoon) fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons simple syrup (2:1 water dissolved in sugar)
1 oz. soda water
1 lime slice, for garnish
Directions
Place the ice in a metal cocktail shaker, add the rum, Curaçao, Amaretto, lime juice, and simple syrup and shake vigorously until well chilled, then pour everything (including the ice) into an Old Fashioned glass. Top with a splash of soda water and garnish with the lime slice.
🌱 🍹 🌿
Coming April 2!
Orchid Isle Mystery, book 1
available for pre-order here!
“Karst’s first Orchid Isle novel is part murder mystery, part vividly evocative, colorful sketch of Hawaii and its history, geography, tradition, culture, food, language, and people. Armchair travelers and mystery aficionados alike will find it entertaining.”
Booklist
This first book in my brand-new Orchid Isle mystery series features retired caterer Valerie Corbin and her wife Kristen who, on a trip to the Big Island of Hawai‘i, swap surfing lessons for sleuthing sessions when a hike to an active lava flow turns deadly.
Advance praise for MOLTEN DEATH:
“a compelling read that will enlighten, engage, and entertain, leaving readers longing for their next trip to the Orchid Isle.”
--New York Times bestselling author Jenn McKinlay
“a terrific debut to a series that will go on my must read list!”
--USA Today bestselling author Deborah Crombie
has been short-listed for the Lefty Award
for Best Humorous Mystery!
This newest Sally Solari mystery
is available for purchase here !
Praise for A SENSE FOR MURDER:
“[Sally is] sassy, irresistible company... Culinary cozy fans will be in heaven.”
--Publishers Weekly
“An enjoyable read for mystery mavens and foodies alike.”
--Kirkus Reviews
Also now available:
Justice is Served: A Tale of Scallops,
the Law, and Cooking for RBG
(available for purchase here)
"a
suspenseful, exhilarating memoir; Karst relays her determination to
serve the 'perfect' meal to RBG alongside an uplifting, enlightening
portrayal of one of the most admired justices in the history of the
Supreme Court."
-Foreword Reviews (starred review)
"[This] book is a romp from cover to cover—and, just like a great meal, left me ready for more."
-Karen Shimizu, executive editor, Food & Wine-
All of the Sally Solari Mysteries are available through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Bookshop.
Release Day News: Lucy Burdette's The Ingredients of Happiness (paperback edition)
Congratulations to our own Lucy Burdette on the paperback edition of
“Lucy Burdette’s The Ingredients of Happiness is a compelling take on contemporary life and society’s longing for personal fulfillment. Dr. Cooper Hunziker takes the reader on quite a journey—which includes the friendship of a gargoyle named Howard—as she untangles the threads of her life to accept the past, reveal a present betrayal, and finally find her own brand of happiness in an honest and heartfelt tale of self-discovery.”
—Jenn McKinlay
Tuesday, March 26, 2024
Easy Stovetop Smashed Baby Red Potatoes by @CleoCoyle #comfortfood
A few weeks ago, I posted my comfort food recipe for Mini Meatloves and Creamy Roasted Garlic Gravy. On the plate in my photos were these golden brown baby red potatoes. A few of you asked me about the recipe for these potatoes, and today I'm happy to share it.
This way of making potatoes on the stovetop is a common one. My late mother and aunt used this method to make their potatoes, using stock for flavor, and this recipe simply reflects the way I like to make them in my own kitchen, using baby reds and bone broth (and sometimes mixing things up with a little grass-fed beef tallow).
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Cleo Coyle writes two bestselling mystery series with her husband. To learn more, click here. |
Now let's get our potatoes on...
To download this recipe in a
free PDF that you can print, save,
or share, click here or on
the image below...
or share, click here or on
the image below...
Cleo Coyle's Easy, Stovetop
Smashed Baby Red Potatoes
Makes about 4 servings
Ingredients:
2 pounds small red potatoes
3-4 cups chicken, beef, or vegetable stock or bone broth
(+ if needed a bit of water, per directions)
Smashed Baby Red Potatoes
Makes about 4 servings
Ingredients:
2 pounds small red potatoes
3-4 cups chicken, beef, or vegetable stock or bone broth
(+ if needed a bit of water, per directions)
2 Tablespoons butter*
*Cleo Note: I like to use beef bone broth and sometimes split the butter into 1 T. butter and 1 T. grass-fed beef tallow.
Directions: Cut the potatoes in half and place them in a deep skillet with their cut sides up. Add the stock or bone broth until potatoes are just covered, no more. If needed, add water to be sure the potatoes are indeed covered.
Over medium high heat, bring the liquid to a boil. Reduce the heat a bit, but keep the potatoes simmering for 45-50 minutes or until the liquid is completely cooked away.
Now add the butter (or butter and beef tallow) to the skillet. As it melts, roll the potatoes in the melted butter. Continue cooking and flipping until the potatoes sizzle and turn a nice golden brown...
When you see those nice crispy, golden brown edges, you're ready for the fun, smashing step. Turn all of the potatoes so that they're cut side is down. Using the bottom of a coffee mug, a heavy glass, a ladle or large serving spoon, smash each of the potatoes aginst the flat of the pan as shown.
This step should finish the browing and crisping process for you, as well...
I like to serve them hot with a splash of my Creamy Roasted Garlic Gravy. For the gravy recipe, click here or on the image below...
Click here or on the image above for two recipes:
My Creamy Roasted Garlic Gravy & my Mini Meatloaves
(with a "special" ingredient). May you...
Eat (and read) with joy!