Murder in the Graveyard -- Halloween guests and treats and a sale!

LESLIE BUDEWITZ:  With spooky season upon us, it's the perfect time to share a few treats from our friends Cathy Wiley and Karen Cantwell,  celebrating a special price on Murder in the Graveyard, a Destination Murders anthology set -- well, you guessed it! 

The Destination Murders series -- Graveyard is the 5th -- gathers together short stories from a group of cozy mystery authors, giving you the chance to meet new-to-you authors and series, and reconnect with some of your favorites between books. Cathy and Karen's brainchild, the series has visited the beach, the mountains, the sea, and the air -- and of course, the graveyard. I've contributed to three and each one is great fun!

Cathy's serving up a Char-BOO-terie Board, while Karen's pouring cocktails in keeping with the season. And I'm bringing dessert, reprising one of my favorites for the season -- Boo Scotti, as fun to say and make as they are to eat!

Murder in the Graveyard is just .99 -- less than the price of a treat-sized candy bar -- for Kindle through October 24.  

Char BOO-terie Board

by Cathy Wiley 

Char-BOO-terie boards are very popular this time of year on social media! While I loved some of the creative ideas I came across, many of the boards were too gruesome or creepy for my taste. I want my Halloween treats to be appetizing, not make me lose my appetite!

So I created my own Char-BOO-terie board, combining a few of my favorite ideas with some spooky creations straight from my imagination. The result? A Halloween spread that's more cute than creepy, with plenty of delicious treats to enjoy!

Ingredients 

Brie Gravestone

1 wheel of Brie cheese

1–2 teaspoons balsamic glaze

3–4 fresh rosemary sprigs

Mandarin Orange Pumpkins

5 mandarin oranges

1 celery stalk, cut into short stems

Mozzarella and Tomato Boo-schetta

1 French baguette, sliced on the diagonal

8 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced

bruschetta topping (I used a jar of sun-dried tomato version. You could, of course, make your own topping.)

Balsamic glaze for ghost faces

Boursin Spiders

1 packages Boursin Garlic & Fine Herbs cheese

thin pretzel sticks, broken in half as needed

10 candy eyeballs (for 5 spiders)

Hot Dog Ghosts

1 package refrigerated crescent roll dough

5 hot dogs, cut in half

1 egg yolk for an egg wash

Additional Board Fillers

1 cup black olives

2 carrots, cut into sticks

4 ounces cheddar cheese, sliced into sticks

4–6 ounces salami

candy corn

candy pumpkins

Halloween-shaped cookies or crackers

Additional crackers for serving

Blueberries or blackberries (unlike me, remember these)

Note that this is easily simplified, if you'd like to include just a few elements!

Create the Brie Gravestone

Cut a small portion from the bottom of the wheel to create a flat edge, forming a rounded gravestone shape. Place the Brie near the center of the serving tray. Using a toothpick or skewer, carefully write RIP on the Brie. Drip balsamic glaze into letters. Arrange fresh rosemary along the bottom edge to resemble grass growing around the grave.

Create the Mandarin Orange Pumpkins

Peel the mandarin oranges carefully, keeping each orange whole. Cut celery into small pieces approximately ½ inch long. Insert one celery stem into the top center of each orange. Set aside until ready to assemble the arrangement.

Make the Mozzarella Ghost Boo-schetta

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Brush baguette slices lightly with olive oil. Place them on a baking sheet and toast for 5–8 minutes, until lightly brown. 

Spoon a small amount of the bruschetta topping onto each toasted baguette slice.

Using a small ghost-shaped cookie cutter, cut ghost shapes from the mozzarella slices. Alternatively, cut freehand with a knife. (Which is what I did, obviously.) Place a mozzarella ghost on top of each baguette slice.

Use a toothpick and balsamic glaze to make two eyes and a mouth.Make the Boursin Spiders

Remove cheese from refrigerator and rest for ten minutes so it is easy to form into round balls.

Divide the cheese into five portions and roll each into a ball. Arrange the balls on a parchment-lined tray. Cut pretzel sticks in half (this often results in smashed pieces, so be warned). Insert four pieces into each side of each cheese ball to create eight spider legs. Press two candy eyeballs into the front of each spider.

Refrigerate until ready to arrange on the board.

Prepare the Crescent Roll Hot Dog Ghosts

Preheat oven to 375°F, or according to the crescent dough package. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

Unroll the crescent dough and cut into squares. Cut hot dogs in half crosswise and stand them up. Drape the crescent dough over the hot dogs. Use a straw to make three holes (two for eyes, one for mouth). Mix egg yolk with a little water and brush ghosts. 

Arrange on the baking sheet and bake for approximately 12–15 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through.

Cool slightly before placing on the board.

 Make the Salami Roses and place the cheese

There are different ways to make Salami Roses. I’ve had more success with the method where you first lay out overlapping salami slcies (similar to how it comes out of the package, but with more space.) Then fold in half and roll tightly into the flower shape.

Fill in the spaces with candy, crackers, and fruit.

Unlike me, remember that you had washed blackberries and blueberries to add to the board. Unfortunately, my family had already started to eat from the board before I remembered the berries.

 Happy Halloween!

Tasty Good Lemon Lavender Zingers 

by Karen Cantwell 

Perfect after a night chasing ghosts and ghouls -- or touring a historic cemetery! 

For each drink:  

2 oz vodka

1/4 oz. lemon juice

1/2 oz lavender simple syrup

ice

edible lavender sprig

You'll also need:

cocktail shaker

strainer

 

Put ice in the bottom of a cocktail glass, set aside.

In a cocktail shaker, mix vodka, lemon juice, and simple syrup. Fill shaker with ice and shake hard until it's very cold on your hands. Strain drink into the glass with ice and garnish with 1 or 2 lavender sprigs.

Enjoy!

Boo Scotti

All you need: 

biscotti 

white chocolate

semi-sweet chocolate

Lay a sheet of parchment paper on a cutting board. Lay your cookies on top of it, on a flat side. 

 

Melt the white chocolate. Use a spoon to spread white chocolate on one end of each cookie, making a curved ghost-like shape at the bottom edge. Don’t worry about any drips on to the edges of the cookies—they add to the ghostly effect. Allow to sit, until chocolate is hard, about an hour. 

Melt the semi-sweet chocolate. Use a chopstick, toothpick, or small paintbrush to create eyes and mouths on the white chocolate ghosts. Allow to sit until chocolate is firm. If you goof, it’s easy to scrape off a bit of chocolate, fill it in, and start over. Or, just eat ‘em. 

Tell us, readers, about your Halloween traditions? Is wandering around a cemetery looking for ghosts and history part of your idea of fun, like for some of our characters? 

 

Happy Haunting from Mystery Lovers' Kitchen and the contributors and editors of Murder in the Graveyard, available in ebook and paperback! 

Murder in the Graveyard, the fifth entry in the fan-favorite Destination Murder series, invites you to take a walk among the tombstones—just watch your step. This collection of cozy mystery short stories delivers light chills, clever thrills, and a few restless spirits who may have unfinished business

Perfect for curling up with on a crisp fall evening or anytime you’re craving bite-sized mysteries with big personality, this anthology is also a great way to discover new favorite authors who know exactly how to balance the eerie with the endearing.

Dig into Murder in the Graveyard today...your next cozy mystery obsession is just six feet under.

Stories by Meri Allen, Leslie Budewitz, Karen Cantwell, Misha Crews, Eleanor Cawood Jones, Tina Kashian, Daphne Silver, Rosalie Spielman, and Cathy Wiley. More about Murder in the Graveyard and other books in the series at the Destination Murders website.