Please join me in welcoming bestselling author Lois Winston back to the Kitchen!
Lois is sharing a tasty recipe with us today, along with news about her latest release, Embroidered Lies and Alibis, and a giveaway for one lucky commenter.
Take it away, Lois...
~ Cleo
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Coffee, Wine & Baked Goods, Oh My!
Anastasia Pollack is the reluctant amateur sleuth of my Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries. She and I have many things in common. We both went to art school. We both decided we lacked the teaching gene and instead, worked as designers/editors in the consumer crafts industry. We both gave birth to two sons. And if humanly feasible (which, thankfully, it’s not!), we would both exist entirely on coffee, wine, and baked goods.
One big difference—Anastasia has a higher tolerance and better metabolism for all three than I do. With each passing year, my tolerance continues to plummet, and my metabolism has now slowed to a snail’s pace. I’ve cut back to two cups of high-test a day, one cup of decaf. Otherwise, I don’t sleep. Wine is now limited to one glass and only occasionally because more gives me a headache. And baked goods? If I so much as look at dessert, I’m a pound heavier when I get on the scale the next morning.
So far, Anastasia has none of these problems. Although she does on occasion bemoan her pear-shaped silhouette, she lacks the willpower to do much about it, irrationally chalking it up more to genetics than calories. Then again, she’s on the lower end of middle age, while I’ve transitioned into a woman of a certain age. I’m eating way more seeds and weeds than my younger self ever imagined possible, and I’ve even developed a taste for vegetables I used to abhor, like asparagus and brussels sprouts.
This doesn’t mean that I don’t occasionally indulge. Everything in moderation, though. I’ve also discovered I now prefer less coma-inducing sweets, like Blueberry Ricotta Cake. Not only does it satisfy my baked goods craving, but a small slice goes a long way.
Meanwhile, Anastasia has no idea what the future holds for her – either plot-wise or body-wise. However, you can discover what new murderous mystery I’ve visited upon her in Embroidered Lies and Alibis, Book 15 of the Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries, releasing February 10th.
Have you ever made a recipe or craft featured in a mystery? Post a comment for a chance to win a promo code for a free audiobook of any of the available Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries or Empty Nest Mysteries.
One big difference—Anastasia has a higher tolerance and better metabolism for all three than I do. With each passing year, my tolerance continues to plummet, and my metabolism has now slowed to a snail’s pace. I’ve cut back to two cups of high-test a day, one cup of decaf. Otherwise, I don’t sleep. Wine is now limited to one glass and only occasionally because more gives me a headache. And baked goods? If I so much as look at dessert, I’m a pound heavier when I get on the scale the next morning.
So far, Anastasia has none of these problems. Although she does on occasion bemoan her pear-shaped silhouette, she lacks the willpower to do much about it, irrationally chalking it up more to genetics than calories. Then again, she’s on the lower end of middle age, while I’ve transitioned into a woman of a certain age. I’m eating way more seeds and weeds than my younger self ever imagined possible, and I’ve even developed a taste for vegetables I used to abhor, like asparagus and brussels sprouts.
This doesn’t mean that I don’t occasionally indulge. Everything in moderation, though. I’ve also discovered I now prefer less coma-inducing sweets, like Blueberry Ricotta Cake. Not only does it satisfy my baked goods craving, but a small slice goes a long way.
Meanwhile, Anastasia has no idea what the future holds for her – either plot-wise or body-wise. However, you can discover what new murderous mystery I’ve visited upon her in Embroidered Lies and Alibis, Book 15 of the Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries, releasing February 10th.
Have you ever made a recipe or craft featured in a mystery? Post a comment for a chance to win a promo code for a free audiobook of any of the available Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries or Empty Nest Mysteries.
BLUEBERRY RICOTTA CAKE
by Lois Winston
Ingredients:
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3 large eggs
1-1/2 cups ricotta
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
1 cup fresh blueberries, divided
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°. Line a 9"-diameter cake pan with parchment paper and lightly coat with nonstick spray.
Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
Whisk eggs, ricotta, and vanilla in a medium bowl until smooth; fold into dry ingredients just until blended. Fold in butter, then 3/4 cup blueberries.
Pour batter into pan. Scatter remaining blueberries over top.
Bake cake until golden brown and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 50–60 minutes. Let cool at least 20 minutes before unmolding.
Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
Whisk eggs, ricotta, and vanilla in a medium bowl until smooth; fold into dry ingredients just until blended. Fold in butter, then 3/4 cup blueberries.
Pour batter into pan. Scatter remaining blueberries over top.
Bake cake until golden brown and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 50–60 minutes. Let cool at least 20 minutes before unmolding.
An Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery, Book 15
A Stitch in Time Could Save a Life…
When Anastasia’s mother Flora is offered a free spa vacation from Jeremy Dugan, a man connected to her distant past, Anastasia and husband Zack suspect ulterior motives. After all, too-good-to-be-true often spells trouble. Their suspicions are confirmed when the FBI swoops in to apprehend Dugan. However, Dugan isn’t who he claimed to be, and his arrest raises more questions than answers.
The Feds link Dugan to a string of cons targeting elderly single women across the country, but his seemingly airtight alibi leaves investigators stumped. Then, shortly after his release on bail, he’s kidnapped. A certain segment of New Jersey’s population is known for delivering deadly messages, and the FBI believes Dugan received one of them.
Meanwhile, bodies begin showing up in the newly created public garden across the street from Anastasia and Zack’s home. With two baffling crimes, no clear suspects, scant evidence, and every possible motive unraveling, both the FBI and local law enforcement are once again picking Anastasia’s brain. This time, though, her involvement is far from reluctant. Will she stitch together enough clues before she or someone she loves becomes the killer’s next victim?
Craft project included.
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Buy Links
LOIS WINSTON, a USA Today and Amazon bestselling author, began her award-winning writing career in 2006 with Talk Gertie to Me, a humorous novel about a small-town girl in Manhattan and the mother bent on bringing her home. That was followed by the romantic suspense Love, Lies and a Double Shot of Deception. Lois wrote her first mystery thanks to a conversation between her agent and an editor looking for a crafting-themed cozy series. Thus, was born the Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries, which Kirkus Reviews dubbed, “North Jersey’s more mature answer to Stephanie Plum.” The series now includes fifteen novels and three novellas. Learn more at www.loiswinston.com where you can sign up for her newsletter to receive a free Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mini-Mystery and find links to her other social media. 
GIVEAWAY!
Have you ever made a recipe or craft featured in a mystery? Post a comment for a chance to win a promo code for a free audiobook of any of the available Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries or Empty Nest Mysteries.
(US and UK residents only.)
👇
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through Tues. Feb. 10.
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