LIBBY KLEIN: Welcome to day 2 of our Birthday Bonanza! Fifteen years of delicious recipes with murdery intentions is quite an achievement. I bet a lot has changed in that time - not only in each author's writings, but in the way we cook too. I know fifteen years ago I had four kids in the house who ate like forty linebackers. I made a lot of casseroles. I had a whole spreadsheet for it. 1 pasta + 1 meat + 1 sauce + 1 cheese = 1 dinner. Today I can't help but notice that there is not 1 vegetable in there. These days my cooking is just for my husband and me and we eat a lot healthier. I grill a lot of chicken and roast a lot of vegetables.
I'm one of the newer authors in the Kitchen and I don't have the stunning booklist that most of these ladies have. I've only been writing for about seven years, but in that time I've grown in both my skills and diligence. It took three years and a lot of procrastinating with video games to write that first book. Now I write for several hours a day, and unless I fall into a research hole on the internet, I get the first draft of a chapter before bed. I started out writing cozies, but these days I write a funny Women's Fiction Mystery series about a woman trying to break into her dream career as a rock n roll musician about twenty years too late. If you'd asked me fifteen years ago where I'd be today, the author of two published series would never have entered my mind.
MLK Authors - How has your writing AND your cooking changed over the past 15 years?
MLK Readers - It's our birthday but you're getting the gifts! Leave a comment with your email address and enter to win our Book Haul Giveaway!
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LUCY BURDETTE: When I was fairly new to MLK--maybe 2013?, I mentioned to Krista Davis that I'd run out of my own recipes. She laughed and laughed, saying she'd run through hers years ago. My point is, being a blogger at Mystery Lovers Kitchen has really expanded my cooking horizons. I know that twice a month, three times on the long months, I have to post something new and it has to be well photographed and mostly edible LOL. (My hubby always worries if I don't want to take a picture of his dinner plate.) I truly appreciate how the blog has expanded my food horizons. Plus I love the camaraderie of this group and our wonderful readers--I only wished we all lived close enough to have weekly potlucks!
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MADDIE DAY: Potlucks with you all would be fabulous, Lucy! My mystery series have mostly included recipes, so I was a guest here at the Kitchen celebrating book releases long before I became a regular contributor. I think my first post was for Spring Garlic Quiche, a recipe with a brown rice crust that I included in A Tine to Live, a Tine to Die, my first Local Foods mystery, which released in 2013.
I took over the great Sheila Connolly's Kitchen slot shortly before she passed away in April, 2020 - very big shoes to fill. My cooking hasn't changed too much in fifteen years - I still like to cook with fresh, unprocessed ingredients - but my recipe documentation skills have improved, for sure. And I love that I can dip into the archive here if I need a good recipe for potato salad or one of Sheila's many cakes. I also love this group of author pals; we always have each other's backs.
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LESLIE KARST: What an amazing group of women/writers/cooks we have in the Kitchen, and I am honored to have been a part of this blog for the past four years. Fifteen years ago I had just retired from the law and was starting work on my first mystery novel, DYING FOR A TASTE. Not too long before that, I'd graduated from culinary arts school, so I was still obsessed with trying out new and different (and often difficult) recipes (a failed salmon mousse comes to mind).
glazed shrimp with citrus and pan-fried noodles
These days, I've become much more of a lazy cook, and I'm far more likely to roast up a one-pan meal of chicken, veggies, and potatoes than I am to whip up a sauce béarnaise. But every once in a while, I revert to that eager and adventurous cook and try my hand at something new--especially if it's a new recipe for one of my books (this weekend I'm trying out Ube Blondies for book two in my Orchid Isle mystery series).
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VM BURNS: If anyone asked me how long I've been blogging with the wonderful writers/cooks at Mystery Lovers' Kitchen, I would have said I was merely an infant. I checked back and it's been two years. I guess that makes me a toddler. I wasn't one of those people who loved to cook at an early age. I loved to BAKE, but I did NOT love cooking. Even now, my love of cooking depends on a lot of factors including the day of the week, the temperature, the moon phase, and the alignment of the planets. Somedays, I channel my inner Julia Child and think I can make the most elaborate French cuisine. Other days, I'm all about DoorDash. However, now that I know I have to post SOMETHING edible at least twice each month, I have tried (and failed) often. I have also tried and succeeded! The biggest change I've made in the past two years is that my phone is full of pictures of food. Whenever I cook now, I immediately start taking pictures. You never know when a simple craving for a salad will find its way on the blog
KORINA MOSS: Hello, from the newbie! I was honored to have been asked several months ago to be a part of Mystery Lovers' Kitchen, and especially so since seeing the incredible list of culinary mystery authors who've held a spot on this blog. I write the Cheese Shop Mystery series, which has original recipes in the back of each book. So it's natural to think I'd share cheese-forward recipes, such as this Croque Monsieur that has cheese on the inside and the outside. However, in real life, my cooking these days tends to be lighter and low salt. Cheesy or not, the one thing you can always count on is that my recipes will be easy peasy and quick to make! With my fifth book, Fondue or Die, releasing in October, I need that extra time to come up with more cheese pun titles!
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Croque Monsieur "Mr Crunchy Bite" |
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PEG COCHRAN/MARGARET LOUDON: I have no idea how long I've been blogging on MLK. More than 5 years and less than 10 years? At any rate, it's been awhile. Until last year, when my daughter and granddaughter moved in with us, hubby and I were empty nesters. I tried to keep our meals healthy and mostly simple. No more boning and stuffing an entire chicken, which I did a couple of times in my younger years. But my granddaughter has eclectic tastes in food to put it mildly. She won't eat tomatoes, beans, chicken (except chicken nuggets), fish (except shrimp and salmon), but she will eat brussel sprouts (even hubby won't touch those), asparagus, various cheeses like brie, anything with soy sauce and it's impossible for something to be too spicy for her. This has made cooking a challenge. I know that lately I've posted a lot more "kid friendly" recipes like these chicken nuggets because of it!
VICKI DELANY: Fifteen Years! In my eating and cooking life,
not much has changed. I moved to Prince Edward County, Ontario, 17 years ago, and am
still living in the house I bought then. My children are adults, and they were
so 17 years ago, so I still cook mostly for myself. I have family and friends
to visit often, however, and I love to cook for them. In particular that’s when
I can indulge my love of baking, which I don’t often do because of the aforementioned
cooking for myself.
In my writing life, it’s a different story. Fifteen years ago, I was writing very different
books than I am now. A couple of standalone suspense, a police detective series,
and a historical mystery series set in the Klondike during the gold rush.
And then nine years ago, in 2015, it all changed when my first cozy book, By Book or By Crook, was published by Penguin under the pen name of Eva Gates. The Lighthouse Library series is still going strong at eleven books now, and in addition I am writing three other cozy series. I love writing cozies and I've never looked back.
I’ve been a regular Mystery Lovers Kitchen
blogger for about five years now, but I was often a guest before that. I see that I was an early guest on the blog, with my first post published on August 8, 2010. This is for blueberry pudding cake, a recipe
I still use often. I notice that although I included a picture of the finished
product, there are none of the steps in preparing it.
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Vicki, in 2015. Younger and chubbier. |
Mystery Lovers' Kitchen: The Pleasure of Anticipation (mysteryloverskitchen.com)
The guest post after that is another perennial favorite, for red pepper and tomato soup. I still make buckets of it when tomatoes are in season. In that recipe I have pictures of tomatoes but none of the soup being prepared. Seems strange, now.
LESLIE BUDEWITZ: I chose three cherries for my separator images because I truly feel I hit the jackpot when Krista and Sheila invited me to join the Kitchen as a regular in 2015, when my second series, the Spice Shop mysteries, debuted. I'd been a guest several times -- my first post is for a chopped salad with shrimp we call Hail to the Shrimp that we still make regularly. (Just last weekend!)
I love creating and writing the recipes for my books and this blog. As I've said here many times, I did not grow up in a foodie family, so browsing and eating my way through Pike Place Market as a student at Seattle University was the beginning of my culinary education. When I started the Spice Shop mysteries with Assault & Pepper in March 2015, I wanted to share the love of herbs and spices I'd picked up in the Market. But it's one thing to enjoy flavor, another to portray it on the page and screen. And so over the years, in my writing and my recipe-sharing, I've striven to convey Pepper's love for herbs and spices, some of her knowledge, and the sense of creativity they can bring to a willing cook -- and a willing eater! I've learned cooking tips, how to make blends, and odd bits of spice lore, history, and trivia that have worked their way into the stories, along with my love of Pike Place Market. It's been a treat, friends, a true gift.
I'm often asked my favorite spice, and it's one I would not have discovered if not for the Spice Shop mysteries, smoked paprika. (Just don't tell the others!) It's got a bit of heat and a LOT of flavor, and oh, my, look at that color! Here it is in Edgar's Baked Paprika Cheese, from Chai Another Day.
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Finally, let me echo my blog sisters here in my deep appreciation for this delicious community of writers and readers. Stories and friendship, the spice of life!
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MOLLY MACRAE: I’ve been reading and loving Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen since it began 15 years ago. I’ve also read and loved all the members’ books. My first guest post was in January 2013 with a recipe called Mediterranean Pressed Cob Sandwich – Fun with Reference Materials.
It’s a very tasty sandwich that makes use of the old encyclopedias that might be hanging around your house. Imagine how blown away I was when the cooks in the kitchen invited me to join the blog in 2021. Has my style of cooking changed over the past fifteen years? Not much. You’d have to go back twenty years or more to when half the family (including me) went vegetarian.
Here’s a fun 15th anniversary coincidence – Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen is 15 years old and Wilder Rumors, my first mystery novel, is 15 years old, too.
I’d been publishing short stories in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine for quite a few years before that book came out. The biggest change in my writing over the years is my output. I’m not as prolific as some of my blogmates, but in the past 15 years I’ve managed to write 21 books, most of them while also working at a fulltime day job.
Guess what? I’m still blown away to be part of this wonderful group. Happy
anniversary, Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen!
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MAYA CORRIGAN: Fifteen years ago I quit my job as an instructional design consultant to spend more time with family members who had serious health problems. I also started writing a suspense novel with a side of romance. It took me three years to finish it. As an unpublished manuscript, it won the Daphne Award and was a finalist for Malice Domestic. Before I could query agents about it, I received a contract to write the Five-Ingredient Mysteries. It was a dream come true. I always wanted to write fiction, but I never expected to write recipes for publication. Though I’d cooked a lot, measuring each ingredient was a challenge. And I’d boxed myself into five ingredients for each recipe in my mysteries.
I became a member of MLK five years ago and have felt at home in this community of mystery and food lovers. And I was delighted to be able to share recipes with a few more than five ingredients. The recipe I posted with the most ingredients (10) is shrimp paella.
I recently skimmed the book I started 15 years ago and realized how much would have to change to bring it up to date. Four of the five restaurants in the DC area where I’d set scenes are now gone, along with other businesses I mentioned. Remember Kinkos? The characters in my book have landlines, almost quaint. And social media has transformed our interactions, giving villains new weapons. I’ll also make changes to the book based on what I’ve learned about writing mysteries in the last fifteen years.
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| Cleo circa July 2009 |
CLEO COYLE: As the last of the original founding members still active on this beautiful blog, I am thrilled to join in our blogoversary celebration!
Over these past 15 years, the authors of Mystery Lovers' Kitchen have cooked up more than 5,000 recipe posts, hosted hundreds of guests, and clocked more than 11 million pageviews (and counting, thanks to all of you). Cheers to our past and especially our current mystery writing cooks for their talent, enthusiasm, and dedication to keeping our community Kitchen going strong...
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As for my writing, I’m still happily cooking up stories. My husband and I just celebrated the 20th Anniversary of our Coffeehouse Mystery series. with the publication of its 20th entry, Bulletproof Barista. Our 21st will be out in 2025, and we’re now writing the next entry in our Haunted Bookshop Mystery series.
I still enjoy cooking, baking, and sharing recipes, and I thought it would be fun to re-share my first Mystery Lovers' Kitchen post from our launch month in July 2009, just as it looked back then via the "Wayback Machine". Click here or on the image below to see it. No surprise, it included coffee!
WAYBACK MACHINE - JULY 2009!
Whether you’re new to our blog or a longtime part of our Kitchen community, I sincerely thank you for joining in our daily dose of deliciousness, and I hope you’ll continue to enjoy or blog for years to come! ~ Cleo ☕
9 B O O K
G I V E A W A Y
Readers: Let us know, how has your cooking changed over the past fifteen years? Include your email address in case you win our fabulous giveaway!
Assault & Pepper by Leslie Budewitz
A Scone of Contention by Lucy Burdette (paperback)
Murder is a Piece of Cake by Valerie Burns
Honey Roasted by Cleo Coyle
Gingerdead Man by Maya Corrigan
Murder at the Rusty Anchor by Maddie Day
Mischief Nights Are Murder by Libby Klein
A Deadly Dedication by Margaret Loudon (Peg Cochran)
Come Shell or High Water by Molly MacRae
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Mystery Lovers' Kitchen Recipe Card Packet!
I love all of your mysteries! Have also tried several of your recipes! Please keep writing!
ReplyDeleteIt won’t let me sign in! I’m Misty K and I have made a commitment to sit down in the chair and start writing my own book! Lol. I see a few new authors and looks like new recipes.
ReplyDeletecongratulations Misty! Let us know how it goes...
DeleteI have loved to cook for years so enjoy any/all mysteries with food! But my cooking changes with the seasons - I bake a lot of bread-type things in winter but not so much in summer, and I experiment with soup in winter and salads in summer. And now that I'm older, I go for low fat/low salt/more vegetarian things on doctor's orders. BTW, I love the punny titles several of you choose. They really make me smile!
ReplyDeleteI bake Madeline cookies, make tortillas and waffles. I am not enjoying my electric stove.
ReplyDeleteI definitely cook more things that are out of my comfort zone. Recently I made baklava for the 1st time and it turned out well.
ReplyDeleteJess
Maceoindo(at)yahoo(dot)com
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteMy cooking has changed to include more fruits, vegetables, fish and leaner cuts of meat. I also stopped using margarine and now only use butter (very little). I enjoy the recipes and have added several to my menu rotation (thanks for the new ideas!). Congratulations on the anniversary - keep posting and I will keep reading, experimenting new dishes and responding. Thank you for the chance to win!
ReplyDeletemadamhawk@gmail.com
Again, I have to say HAPPY 15 YEAR ANNIVERSARY! All of you have brought so much joy in the books you write and delicious recipes to share for your readers. Please keep doing what you do so well for your faithful readers and for newbies alike. It's been lots of fun to read through yesterday's and today's post taking a stroll down memory lane. Love ya'll's books and love the recipes. Here to many more years to come and please keep doing what you do so well!
ReplyDeleteOur cooking style has changed a lot over the 15 years. We once were cooking big meals to share with family and friends and hubby's appetite, even not being a big man could out eat 3 men after they had worked a hard day. Hubby's "matured" and his appetite isn't near what it use to be. Now the family is either deceased or moved away and friends have similar changes as we have. Not only are we not doubling or tripling recipes, but now we are using math skills to cut them in half or even fourths at times. Hubby's increased love of heat in food has had us working to find a happy medium - hot for his tastes and mild enough I can eat it too. My waking to find myself in an older body and unable to walk off the sweets, has us finding ways to have sweets without having to carry the extra pounds since losing them appears to be almost impossible as we age. We both love to cook/bake and being in the kitchen together making it fun to try new recipes (often from the Mystery Lovers Kitchen posts) even if we have to reduce the ingredients in the recipe for our needs. Living is learning and once you stop learning you aren't living!
2clowns at arkansas dot net
I love cooking, it is therapy for me! Plus, as a retired RN, it continues my desire to take care of people. I used to cook huge meals, regularly having enough to freeze several meals worth. Now that I'm retired and have the time, I cook smaller amounts (although I still make my bolognese sauce 16 quarts at a time) and I try to make meals healthier. Lots of vegetables and whole grains, along with a lot of love! Organic and non-GMO are words I have come to love and use often! And of course, I love reading recipes and descriptions of food mixed in with a mystery. And many times, I will follow the recipes in a mystery I'm reading, and love the expression on my husband's face when I tell him the year/setting of the mystery!! Here's to eating food from the 1920's, my favorite era!!
ReplyDeleteHasn't changed just cook for myself. cheetahthecat1982ATgmailDOTcom
ReplyDeleteHmm, when I think about it, my cooking has changed a lot in the past 15 years. I was working full-time, and cooking was a wonderful creative escape. I would come up with all kinds of food and soup combinations. I mostly would read over a recipe and then "fix" it to match what my taste buds wanted. Granted, I could never duplicate that wonderful creation because I generally seasoned by smell. Truth be told, I still do. I just find measuring spices to be a bad fit for me. Good thing I don't have a food blog or folks would revolt.
ReplyDeleteToday, I am retired and really have to push myself to fix a meal. I am happier eating out a few days a week and then preparing simple meals to fill out my daily menu. I also just discovered a new cookbook that has wonderful vegan recipes that I am looking forward to trying. It seems I've gone from lots of meat and potatoes meals to vegetarian and vegan meals with a dab of meat once or twice a week. Huge change and I feel better for it. Too bad this cookbook wasn't written decades ago. I suspect my body would be much healthier for it. -- Victoria email: jara2009@att.net
As far as main meals, I don't think it's changed. That's not to say I never try a new dish, but I pretty much stick to the same basic idea or ingredients that I know everyone likes. I experiment more when it comes to desserts. In the last 15 years I've gotten on a candy making kick, and have worked out a homemade recipe for my mom's favorite ice cream (discontinued about 30 years ago).
ReplyDeletekozo8989(at)hotmail(dot)com
Congratulations again on 15 years! 🍾🎉 My cooking has definitely changed over the years. I have always loved to bake, now I cook bigger family dinners when my kids visit on the weekends. I also enjoy cooking out of cookbooks a lot more lately.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for the chance!
jarjm1980(at)hotmail(dot)com
I loved reading all of your blurbs! Happy Anniversary!
ReplyDeleteMy cooking has changed a lot in the last 15 years. I used to bake all of the time for our 3 kids who were either still at home or away at school and needing some free food!
I was diagnosed with Celiac disease in 2007 which really threw me for a loop cooking wise. I had many recipes failures but I now (mostly)have it under control and can make just about anything that I used to have.
I then realized I was lactose intolerant but it can be managed easily as well. Fast forward, we now have a son-in-law who has a tree nut allergy. Christmas baking has definitely changed but we are all healthier for it. We focus mainly on main dishes and appetizers.
Life is ever changing and our diets should be as well. Just go with it and things will be easier.
sandra shenton 13 at gmail dot com
My cooking hasn't changed very much but I've added some recipes thanks to you. ckmbeg (at) gmail (dot) com
ReplyDeleteI used to have big family dinners where I cooked for 16 people now it is just the two of us and an occasional visit from my son and Granddaughter. So I cook smaller meals and freeze leftovers for another meal when I am tired. Thank you for the chance. Congratulations on 15 years. deborahortega229@yahoo.com
ReplyDeleteThanks for commenting, Deborah. I'm in exactly the same situation with big dinners in the past and smaller family gatherings now, cooking mostly for two. And I love leftovers! ~Maya
DeleteEating and gathering recipes has always been more up my alley than actual cooking :) but now in "retirement" I look forward to trying to cook some of these great recipes and sharing them with others. Looking forward to another 15 years since I'm just now checking into this blog more closely. ksabhinesATsamericaDOTcom
ReplyDeleteSo happy you are all so willing to keep this blog going! I so look forward to reading it each day and seeing what recipes are being shared. My cooking has definitely changed over the last few years. Due to some health issues, I rarely bake anymore and cook with many more vegetables and lean protein sources. Still fun to read the others though! Thanks for all the happy hours of reading material, both here and in your books and for all the tasty recipes!
ReplyDeleteForgot to leave this, makennedyinaz at hotmail dot com
DeleteMore vegetables and less carbs.
ReplyDeleteWskwared(at)yahoo(dot)com
I am still in awe of all the rich cooking/baking content you have contributed to over the last 15 years! This ias heen a monumental effort, and all of us readers have greatly benefitted from yiur culinary expertise! Thank you, thank you, thank you! My cooking has changed in the last 7 years due to my returement from the airline business. I was never home long enough (and too tired) to cook much other than salads or easy soups. I do carry with me the gusto for international cuisines, and now I attempt to replicate what I have enjoyed abroad...some faikures, but some successes too! I love to try most of your recipes too, and I have too many keepers that have become favorites at our house. Thank you for that! I have to add that after reading Peg's description of her granddaughter's cuisine likes and dislikes, I am convinced that my granddaughter and hers must be in contact, because their menu is almost identical! What! I do so enjoy reading your blog, print recipes, and then get to "creating" food to kill for...the results are alwaays a mystery. JOY! Luis at ole dot travel
ReplyDeleteSo much fun to hear from all of you -- and of course, we are so pleased that you love the blog as much as we do, and grateful for the time you spend with us, here and on the pages of our books.
ReplyDeleteAlthough my cooking over the years has been pretty limited, I finally live in a place with a kitchen I love! My cooking is mostly seasonal (hot foods/casseroles in cold weather; salads and lighter fare for warm weather). I do try to experiment with new recipes more often now that I have the time and space for it.
ReplyDeleterosalie@utexas.edu
My cooking has changed greatly. It is healthier and consists of fish, veggies, salads, greens and it is so appetizing and appealing. Summer is a variety of green and pasta salads and winter roasted veggies, fish, roast chicken which gives us a variety. I have learned about so many new and healthy options. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com
ReplyDeleteIt’s just my husband and I. Mine has changed, now I pretty much keep making my tried and true recipes now. I do still try new recipes because I like to cook, and if we like it I’ll either print it out or write it out on a recipe card.
ReplyDeleteI try to do a balance of healthier meals mixed in with our normal cooking. My husband and I do try to branch out and look at new recipes or try something I wouldn’t normally make. Recipes that have a ton of ingredients or a lot of steps make me anxious.
ReplyDeletesusanbichell@yahoo.com
I'm not working now, so I've had time to experiment with different recipes. Some are hits, some are misses, but I keep trying. anitalklaboe@aol.com
ReplyDeleteI cook and bake a lot more than before. Our family has grown and along with that we all have different tastes and allergies. So I do a lot more now. bmedrano34 at yahoo.com
ReplyDeleteHappy Anniversary! I am using more fresh veggies and local food! I plan my meals around what I can get from the wonderful farmers markets that are nearby. I have even found an awesome year round farmer’s market where I can get veggies in the winter. Thank you, diedraw@earthlink.net
ReplyDeleteSince going Plant-based 5 years ago, I have a healthier life style. Lots of salads in the summer, soups, chili.
ReplyDeleteHappy Anniversary! I use more vegetables and fruit, emphasizing eating seasonally. I am gluten free, so always adjusting recipes as needed. Thanks for your inspiration! ljbonkoski @yahoo.com
ReplyDeleteCongratulations of 15 years. I have become more bold and daring with my cooking.
ReplyDeleteKitten143 (at) Verizon (dot) net
I make a lot of one-pot dishes now since I am cooking for one.
ReplyDeleteI’m eating more convenience foods or easy to cook foods as it’s just me. Lindar617@att.net
ReplyDeleteThree summers ago, my husband and I moved to my home state. Our 2 adult son's decided to stay 2000+ miles away in Colorado, so we became empty nesters in about a 2 month timeline. I loved to cook and bake, or I did when I lived in Colorado. Now I bake to send them care packages. Cooking for 2 has become an ongoing chore, it seems like. I never realized how many foods I don't like because if my husband & boy's liked it, I made it, and now if I make certain recipes, they end up down the garbage disposal. We eat a lot of leftovers! I do freeze a lot of meals, but they are still leftovers.
ReplyDeleteI’ve read many of these authors and love their books, I always read the recipes but seldom actually make one. We eat a lot more fresh vegetables now and grill regularly. Love my local Farmers Market, first of the blueberries this week! Keep up the good work.
ReplyDeleteNot only did I discover so many delicious (and easy) recipes when I found MLK, but I discovered lots of new (to me) authors. I never knew there was a genre called "culinary cozy mysteries," but you all have me completely hooked and I'm loving it! Fifteen years ago, I was a single mom cooking for my son and I. Now, I'm retired, my son is married to the best DIL in the world, and I cook for my husband and I. We try eating healthy, but those sweets and carbs (especially pasta and bread) creep in more often than they should. lgmiller831@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteThe biggest change is purchasing meats and vegetables locally. We
ReplyDeletesubscribe to a farm that supplies grass fed beef, pork, chicken and eggs. The farmers provide a wonderful variety of vegetables, cheeses and jams.
jtcgc at yahoo dot com
Simpler meals or everyone for himself! Lately my husband has jumped in to make dinner for us. I'm all for it! patdupuy@yahoo.com
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your blogs anniversary! My cooking has changed in the fact that I have been trying to cut carbs more and increase protein and veggies. cherierj(at)yahoo(dot)com
ReplyDeleteI love to cook and bake. I learned at my mom and aunts' sides growing up. I have grown a lot in my skills over the years. I learn from recipes, baking shows, Google (lol) and trial and error. Lol I cook for my family and friends. Cooking and baking is one of my love languages. I have learned to cook healthier over the years and cook using different methods. It's a love and a passion. I love recipes and to try new things. My man likes to brag about my cooking. He is so sweet. Also Culinary cozies are my favorites.
ReplyDeleteEmail mariah_sue@msn.com
I'm cooking for one now, so things are easier. I love all the recipes in these posts and have even tried some of them Thank you.
ReplyDeleteI love to cook and bake and now my 2 daughters in college are loving doing it too. zweigenbaum@comcast.net
ReplyDeleteOver the past 15 years, my cooking has changed since my 4 children are all adults now. I have learned to cut recipes down since less servings are needed now. I am also trying out new recipes. Thank you for this opportunity.
ReplyDeleteNancy Urtz
jnurtz@yahoo.com
My cooking has changed as my children grew and went off to college. Now I find I maybe cook 1-2 times a week and then enjoy the leftovers in the following days. My efforts are simpler and healthier as well. I enjoy the variety of recipes published here and have made several and enjoyed them!
ReplyDeleteElaine B
emb1psu@gmail.com
I like experimenting with scratch baking and was honored to win my college's just for fun bake-off. At the same time, I'm also trying to eat healthier as I age so I need to be careful about my consumption of the baking fails! But even a bad macaron is good! bdewolfe@roadrunner.com
ReplyDeleteCongratulations, Beth!
DeleteI don't cook as much anymore a7br3x9eolvn@opayq.com
ReplyDeleteI've used my air fryer so much more this year than ever! tWarner419@aol.com
ReplyDeleteMy cooking style hasn't changed much over the years. I have enjoyed many of your recipes and look forward to more. Happy 15th Anniversary! bella_ringer@hotmail.com
ReplyDeleteGreat to read on an airplane and to whet your appetite for when you get home ❤️📚
ReplyDeleteMy cooking has changed in the fact that I don’t care to do it much anymore. When I do, I keep it simple. Tracy S faithfully93(at)yahoo(dot)com
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on MLK 15 years of eating and writing, and a strong friendship bond!! I totally agree with Lucy Burdette that MLK has expanded my "eating" horizon (hubby cooks, and I have saved a lot of MLK recipes for him to try out!)
ReplyDeleteOur cooking and eating habit have changed to much smaller portions and healthier as we get more mature (means getting older...), and actually we feel good about it! We still indulge ourselves with some wonderful desserts!
cwkuen(at)yahoo(dot)com
My cooking has become more basic as it is mostly just my husband and me. I do get more creative when my grandson joins me as he enjoys trying different recipes.But recently we have moved to a neighborhood where we enjoy getting together so I am trying some new things. I do enjoy seeing the recipes included in the stories. blondie544@comcast.net
ReplyDeleteOver the last 15 years I'VE gotten better at cleaning up prep dishes as I cook creding3@comcast.net
ReplyDeleteThe types of dishes I cook at home have been modified for health reasons.
ReplyDeleteFor 4 years, I could not eat any nightshades (tomatoes, sweet peppers, chili peppers, eggplants). I got a swollen face and whole body rash/hives. I had used canned tomatoes or tomato paste in most stews/soups & had to modify those recipes. I avoided buying pre-made spice blends/mixes.
Good news: since 2023, I can now eat tomatoes & sweet peppers again. Still have a dicey allergic reaction to most chili peppers.
grace (dot) koshida (at) gmail (dot) com
I always was an avid baker but have cut down on my home baking. Too much tasty temptation for a solo home dweller!
Congratulations on 15 years of yums and friendship. I am now gluten free so pretty much my baking days are behind me. I now cook for 2 so I use more expensive ingredients lol. The Instant pot has been a game changer too!
ReplyDeleteSuseyhomemaker at gmail dot com
My cooking has changed a lot over the last 15 years. I cook more of the things I really enjoy eating, like steak, roasts and ribs so I haft leftovers so I don't have to cook everyday.
ReplyDeletediannekc8(at)gmail(dot)com
I have a broader range of recipes- when my kids were young and in every sport possible I did quick on the go meals - now I take time to prepare high protein meals to keep it healthy !
ReplyDeleteRonda rondajstall@gmail.com
Congrats again on the 15-years - it's so fun to read through the blog! My cooking has evolved to be more plant-based and avoiding gluten. Also, I do less of it, with my husband and daughter hitting their strides to make simply devine plant-based eats - we love when she's home :)
ReplyDeletethehilaryflanagan@gmail.com
DeleteI cook the same adding new recipes that I want to try when I find them. im2early4u(at)gmail(dot)com
ReplyDeleteMy cooking has changed a lot in the past 15 years. First of all, it’s usually just my husband and I as my grandkids are all getting grown so not as much company to cook for.
ReplyDeleteAlso I do not cook as much from scratch— I do a lot more mixes and convenient foids.
Congratulations on 15 years,
My email is. Sissie_sue@yahoo.com
DeleteMy cooking has changed greatly over the last 15 years. In part from gaining employment beyond what a high schooler and college student makes, and partly from a growing love of other cultures and ideas. I focusing on trying to do my part to help the world by shopping for more sustainable products, as well as greatly decreasing my intake of processed foods. Right now, I am in a huge Mediterranean inspired kick, and am making all things feta cheese, cucumbers, tomatoes, and tzatziki.
ReplyDeleteI am also cooking with my 4 year old daughter now, so trying to inspire a live of cooking in her with fresh, colorful ingredients.
martinh0803&gmail.com
My cooking has changed a lot due to being disabled. I can only prepare simple recipes, the fewer ingredients the better. My husband does most of the cooking but then again he does most of the eating. Thank you so much for this chance at your wonderful giveaway. pgenest57 at aol dot com
ReplyDeleteOver the last 15 years we went from the two of us to 4 of us and then moved to a larger parcel of land so we now grow a lot more of our own food! What we don’t grow, I now buy from other local farms. So, we are definitely eating a lot healthier and with a lot more flavor!
ReplyDeleteMulesndreams@hotmail.com
DeleteOver the past 15 years, my cooking has changed a lot. I cook many, many more vegetables and sometimes have vegetarian meals.
ReplyDeleteNancy
allibrary (at) aol (dot) com
I love to read fiction that has a cooking/baking theme or the main character cooks. Examples are Lucy Burdette’s Key West food critic series, Karen MacInerny’s Gray Whale Inn series, Laura Childs’ Tea Shop mysteries, and Diane Mott Davidson’s Goldy Bear catering series. I print the recipes that sound good andI want to try. I just purchased The Outlander Cookbook because I want to try the scones. Lucy Burdette is responsible for that purchase (ha,ha) because of her novel that takes place in Scotland, Scone of Contention. And to all the authors I haven’t read, I hope to read your soon!
ReplyDeleteI love cooking and trying new recipes. I like to experiment with different flavors/textures. Thank you for this chance. areewekidding(at)yahoo(dot)com
ReplyDeleteMy daily cooking has gone full circle with a twist--Fifteen years ago I would assemble a plate of disparate foods designed to get even the pickiest of tiny eaters to try ( think star shaped cheese slices, cubed chicken bites, sliced apples and baby carrots with a pink (colored) sauce) Now- unless I'm feeding more than two people- I really like a plate of strange mixes (chicken salad with a side of leftover curried lentils) as a dinner option. I can't count how many recipes I've used from Mystery Lovers Kitchen, but I know that more than a few are crowd pleasers! shogroian@hotmail.com
ReplyDeleteI love baking better than cooking; many years I would bake around 14 cookies and cakes, etc. but decided I should tone the # down; it is hard to do as I go to myself I can’t not make this one or that BUT am trying. This is a neat place. yourstrulee@sasktel.net.
ReplyDeleteI cooked a lot for my husband and daughter. I used to prepare lunch for my husband for the week for work. No w since he passed I am just cooking for my daughter and I. I still prepare a lunch for her and myself everyday. Just have to make the dishes smaller.
ReplyDeleteI have never enjoyed cooking big meals but I love using a slow cooker. I have 4 and can usually make an entire meal including dessert in them! Abretske@yahoo.com
ReplyDeleteI think I'm a pretty good cook. I love to make lots of foods and try recipes and even change them up some. Sadly my double ovens and cooktop were new in 1978 and you can't get parts anymore so they don't work very well. I do have a larger toaster oven so that's how I bake. In cooler weather I will make lots of food to freeze and share with my adult kids that have moved out. I guess I believe that good food and cooking is love.
ReplyDeletescarletbegonia5858@gmail.com
Happy 15 year anniversary!
ReplyDeleteI'm definitely trying to cook healthier now that my kids taste buds are expanding a little. Working on adding more from scratch recipes to our menu since there is little to no good nutrients in processed foods these days.
Happy 15th Anniversary! I enjoy reading mysteries & other genres. I still have recipes from high school home economics class. I enjoy baking in my toaster oven, cooking pork chops or ground beef skillet concoction on my gas stovetop. sqbradshaw@hotmail.com
ReplyDeleteGood morning to you all!!!
ReplyDeleteYour food looks delicious!!!
Happy Anniversary!!
Loved Loved your comments!!!
Thank you for the chance to win your amazing giveaway!!!!
Sherry Brown
ozdot4@sbcglobal.net
Happy anniversary! My cooking has changed the last few years as my husband now does as least half if not more of the cooking. He really started to cook more when we lived in the desert. He just seemed to be approaching a different season in his life and cooking, for some reason, seemed to be a big part of that. Baking, too. He loves to bake. Good thing too! My kids say I bake only from a box, which is mostly true. We’ve been staying in a temporary cabin for over two months and our cooking has been tweaked some. We don’t have anything from our last house yet. We moved to New Jersey for my husband’s civilian job- he retired from the Marine Corps in February. The market here was so rough! But God-willing we’ll get keys to our new home next week. With the new job and everything I expect our cooking habits will change again. As he transitions into his new job, with travel expectations, I’ll probably take over the bulk of the cooking again.
ReplyDeletejromeroswanson@hotmail.com
Thanks to several of you, I have added several new recipes to my menu. I get so tired of making the same thing over and over! lol I had to change my cooking about eight years ago when my husband had a heart attack. Not much fried food here anymore! Happy Anniversary and thanks for the wonderful books! Michele4ou@att.net
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on 15 years. My cooking has changed because I don't cook as much. When I do, I fix enough for a couple of days.
ReplyDeletediannekc8(at)gmail(dot)com
Happy 15th Anniversary!!! Very impressive!! All of these books look amazing and I love meeting new authors! New recipes are also fun!
ReplyDeleteI find myself cooking simple healthy meals but love to experiment a bit with baking brownies/cookies/cupcakes.
ReplyDeletemy email is startrek1976@yahoo.com
DeleteI started as not knowing how to cook. As my family grew, I tried new recipes, learning what my family liked. I also discovered a love of baking. Now, the birds have flew the nest, and I am learning to make smaller recipes for my husband and I.
ReplyDeleteI've never been much of a cook really. My DIL does most of the cooking, or my son. I eat a lot healthier now. Less fast foods and a lot more vegetables and fruits. lkish77123 at gmail dot com
ReplyDelete15 years ago I had been laid off after moving several states away from home. Hubby was working 2 jobs trying to make ends meet. Other than job hunting for hours a day, I cooked thinking if I couldn't see him much, I would make sure he had something delicious to eat.
ReplyDeleteI still love to cook but have really scaled back the effort I give to it.
Congratulations, and here's to many more years of recipes and books. Thank you for the chance to win. Dmskrug3 at hotmail dot com
I've been reading a lot of cozy mysteries over the past decade or so, been an avid reader since I started reading comic strips at 4 years old. I love to look at the recipes in so many cozies, but as a diabetic, I can't eat most of them. My husband is the main cook in the house; he's retired, I'm still working as a librarian. He cooks mostly Asian - lots of stir fries with vegetables such as choy sum, ung choy, gai lan, bok choy, etc. He had double bypass surgery 11 years ago, so we both have to take care what we eat. We go light on carbs most of the time, but some Sunday afternoons we might have something like homemade banh mi or muffuletta sandwiches. We love to eat good food, we just have to make sure it's healthy - at least most of the time. Thanks to all of you for writing wonderful books that I enjoy and recommend to my patrons at the library! teenlibn(at)hotmail(dot)com
ReplyDeleteI love reading this blog, trying so many of the recipes,., and adding to my To Be Tried and To Be Read lists! just retired this spring and, when the weather is not a heat wave I thought I’d go back to really enjoying cooking more. Not exactly, although I have having more fun reading more and more recipes.
ReplyDeleteI love reading this blog and adding recipes to my repertoire, also adding the recipes to my To Be Tried and books to my To Be Read lists. Over the years I’ve gotten away from complicated recipes. The fewer steps and ingredients the better these days. Now thatI’ve retired perhaps that will change, a little. sciancio64@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteSorry I'm so late wishing you a glorious 15th anniversary!
ReplyDeleteMy interenet has been largely non-existent.
Here's to at least another 15 wonderful years!
Happiness on this anniversary🎉CONGRATULATIONS for 15 years of good food & fun🎉 we thank you all.
ReplyDeleteMy cooking life has changed due to illness. I was in hospital from double pneumonia that went into my heart as Covid began I nearly didn't make it they Dr's said. It left me weak & lungs damaged. Unable to do much- husband just completed radiation from 3 surgeries from stage 3cancer- he took over cooking😉 But purchasing MANY appliances I have no idea how to work😂😅 air fryer, convection thing, air cooker thing that does Everything. He cooks Turkey, roasts, magnificent vegetables & magical food of of every kind & in very little time.
I have spent my life doing recipes from my grans, all of whom were glorious Baker's & chefs. I adore reading the recipes here because I am very visual and you all have fabulous columns here- Plus Book's which are my Life long main addiction.📚