Tomato Sauce for Freezer from Vicki Delany

It’s my favourite time of the year. Tomato season.  All shapes, all colours, all sizes, I love them all. I eat them fresh in salads or sandwiches, cooked into pasta sauce or on top of pastry. I freeze the excess to enjoy over the long dark winter. 

San Marzanos are generally the preferred type for making sauce, but if you don’t have a basket of plum tomatoes another sort of red tomato should do.  

This recipe is strictly my own, meaning I made it up as I went along, but I do have a lot of experience in making tomato soups and sauces. (Be warned, this sauces simmers for a long time and boils down so you don’t get as much as you’d expect from a basket of ingredients)

Vicki Delany’s San Marzano Tomato Sauce

Approx 3 kg San Marzano or other plum tomatoes

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 tbsp tomato paste

Salt and pepper

1 bunch basil

 

Add tomatoes to a large pot of boiling water and boil for about three minutes.  Remove from water and submerge in a bowl of cold water.  Peel off skins and any tough ends and chop roughly

Heat oil in large pot and add  garlic and onions.  Sauté until onions are slightly browned.

Add chopped tomatoes to the onions along with the tomato paste and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low and simmer on low for approx. 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Add chopped basil leaves and combine.

Remove from heat. 

At this point you can either leave the sauce as is, if you like a chunky sauce, or blend to the consistency you prefer if you like a smoother sauce. As I do.

Cool and add to plastic containers or glass jars and freeze. 

 

Follow Vicki at www.vickidelany.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/evagatesauthor. You can sign up to receive Vicki’s quarterly newsletter at Newsletter Sign-up - Vicki Delany

Now available for pre-order: O Deadly Night, the 7^th Year Round Christmas mystery from Crooked Lane Books.  Coming October 14.

 

Janet Snow's Shrimp Fritters by Lucy Burdette

 

LUCY BURDETTE: These are allegedly the shrimp fritters that Hayley’s mother Janet Snow was passing around when the catamaran blew up in the first chapter of The Mango Murders. I cannot vouch for that recipe because she did not share it with me and no one on the cruise was able to taste it! I did the best I could to imagine something similar, and included a mango peach salsa which was delicious. The salsa can also be made with avocados instead of peaches, if it’s not peach season. Either way, fair warning, it’s chunky and would be difficult to eat as a canapé. I’m certain a real caterer would come up with a solution! By the way, both of the jalapeños in the photo are from our garden. I was nervous about using the red, riper version, thinking it might be very hot. NB, it wasn’t too hot and it offered a gorgeous red pop.  

Ingredients for the mango salsa

1 ripe mango, peeled and diced

One ripe peach, peeled and diced

1/2 red onion, finely chopped, optional (I did not choose to add this)

1 jalapeño, seeded and minced (use more or less depending on your desired spice level)

1-3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped

1 lime, juiced

Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Combine the diced mango, peach, red onion if using, jalapeño, and cilantro in a medium bowl.

Add lime juice, salt, and pepper.

Stir to combine and let rest for 10–15 minutes, or refrigerate for up to 30 minutes, to meld flavors. 

Ingredients for the shrimp fritters

1/2 lb shrimp, peeled, deveined, and coarsely chopped

1/4 cup flour 

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 egg

Splash of Guinness

3 scallions, chopped 

1 jalapeno, minced

corn kernels cut from one ear

Vegetable oil, for frying (I used olive)

Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Stir together the chopped scallions, chopped jalapeno, corn, and egg. Chop the shrimp and add that. 

Sprinkle the dry ingredients over the shrimp mixture and mix lightly. Splash in a bit of beer.

Heat olive oil in a large frying pan. Drop batter by tablespoonfuls and fry in batches until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side.

Serve with the mango salsa and possibly also cocktail sauce and a wedge of lemon if desired. 

**Meanwhile, here are some deals for you. The ebook edition of A DISH TO DIE FOR is on sale this month for $1.99! 

**The audio editions of THE KEY LIME CRIME and DEATH WITH ALL THE TRIMMINGS are both on sale for $1.99! (Not sure how long this one will last...)

**Finally, after a several month delay, the audio edition of THE MANGO MURDERS is finally available!

USA Today bestselling author Lucy Burdette writes the Key West food critic mystery series including A POISONOUS PALATE and A CLUE IN THE CRUMBS. Join her mailing list right here.

Book 15 in the Key West series, THE MANGO MURDERS, is in bookstores now!

The trade paperback edition of A POISONOUS PALATE is out now! 

And the trade paperback edition of A CLUE IN THE CRUMBS is out now!

Pumpkin Risotto #Recipe by @LibbyKlein #Pumpkin #Thanksgiving

Libby Klein Risotto is one of those things I have had in restaurants that lack a decent gluten-free menu. It seems like some of them go out of their way to add gluten to everything. Steak marinated in beer. Chicken with soy sauce in the gravy. Bread crumbs on everything. Risotto has been the only gluten-free option on some menus. But I would not make it at home for years.

Risotto always sounded like it would be something very complicated and tricky. Restaurants have made it sound like it took a lot of finesse to pull off successfully. I'm not sure why. Maybe it's because the first risotto I ever made was foolproof and addressed the potential problem areas, but I find this dish to be rather easy. Keep your cooking liquid hot, add it in batches when the risotto cooks down, and test your risotto when you think it's done to be sure the rice has cooked all the way. If you find it's a little hard, add some more hot water/broth and let it cook down some more.

This risotto is perfect for fall, and makes a great vegetarian Thanksgiving dish.

Pumpkin Risotto

4 servings

Ingredients

Topping:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter divided

12 fresh sage leaves

¼ cup dried cranberries roughly chopped

¼ cup shaved almonds, toasted

2 slices of crispy bacon, chopped

Risotto

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 large shallots, diced

4 cloves garlic minced

½ teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

1 cup arborio rice

½ cup white cooking wine

4 cups chicken stock

½ teaspoon nutmeg

½ thyme

1 cup pumpkin puree

½ cup parmesan cheese

Instructions

Toppings

In a small pan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Then add in the sage leaves and cook for 1-2 minutes or until crispy. Immediately remove from the heat and pour off into a small dish and set aside. I'll assume your bacon, cranberries, and almonds are ready to go.

  

Pumpkin Risotto

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and add in the shallots, garlic, salt, and pepper. Cook slowly for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally until the onions are soft, golden brown, and beginning to caramelize. 

In a medium pot, heat your stock over medium heat until almost simmering. You don't want it to boil because it will start to reduce and you'll have to add more stock or water.

Add in the rice to the skillet with the shallots and garlic and toast, stirring frequently, for about 2 minutes. Then add in the white wine to de-glaze the pan and make sure to scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan.

  

Add in ½ cup of the hot stock and stir the risotto until the stock is completely absorbed, then add in another ½ cup and repeat. Continue to add in the stock ½ cup at a time until it’s all absorbed and the rice is fully cooked. Mix in the nutmeg and thyme. Test your rice to see if it is soft. If not, add a little more hot stock (or hot water if you're out of stock) and let it cook down some more. Once it is soft, stir in the pumpkin puree and parmesan cheese until fully combined and creamy. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed.

Top the pumpkin risotto with the bacon, cranberries, toasted almonds and crispy sage.

For creamier risotto, stir in a splosh of heavy cream before adding the toppings.

Layla Virtue, a blue-haired, 30-something recovering alcoholic and former cop is trying to reinvent herself as a musician—between AA meetings, dodging eccentric neighbors at her trailer park, and reconnecting with her mysterious dad—in this ​unforgettable new mystery brimming with hilarity and heart.

Layla is taking her new life one day at a time from the Lake Pinecrest Trailer Park she now calls home. Being alone is how she likes it. Simple. Uncomplicated. Though try telling that to the group of local ladies who are in relentless pursuit of Layla as their new BFF, determined to make her join them for coffee and donuts.

After her first career ended in a literal explosion, Layla’s trying to eke out a living as a rock musician. It’s not easy competing against garage bands who work for tacos and create their music on a computer, while all she has is an electric guitar and leather-ish pants. But Layla isn’t in a position to turn down any gig. Which is why she’s at an 8-year-old’s birthday party, watching as Chuckles the Clown takes a bow under the balloon animals. No one expects it will be his last . . .

Who would want to kill a clown—and why? Layla and her unshakable posse are suddenly embroiled in the seedy underbelly of the upper-class world of second wives and trust fund kids, determined to uncover what magnetic hold a pudgy, balding clown had over women who seem to have everything they could ever want. Then again, Layla knows full well that people are rarely quite what they seem—herself included . . .

Libby Klein writes ridiculously funny murder mysteries from her Northern Virginia office with a very naughty calico Persian named Miss Eliza Doolittle, and a sweet black Lab named Vader. She can name that tune for 70s and 80s rock in the first few notes, and she's translated her love of classic rock into her Layla Virtue Mysteries. Libby was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease that prevents her from eating gluten without exploding. Because bread is one of her love languages, she includes the recipes for gluten free goodies in her Cape May based Poppy McAllister series. Most of her hobbies revolve around travel, and eating, and eating while traveling. She insists she can find her way to any coffee shop anywhere in the world, even while blindfolded. Follow all of her nonsense on her website www.LibbyKleinBooks.com/Newsletter/

Creamy Mushroom Chicken Pasta with Red Bell Pepper and Thyme

LESLIE BUDEWITZ:  This is a classic combo that somehow, we’d never made—essentially, an alfredo with chicken, bell pepper, and mushrooms. It’s easy enough for a weeknight dinner, pretty enough for weekends or guests. 

We used a mix of button and crimini mushrooms. Did you know crimini are baby portobellos? No wonder they’re so tasty! 

Give me a call when this is on your menu—I’ll be right over! 

PS: I finally figured out how to embed a PDF of the recipe for easy printing. 

Scroll down to the 💕 for the link. 

Creamy Mushroom Chicken Pasta with Red Bell Pepper and Thyme 

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts

salt and pepper to taste

2 tablespoons olive or canola oil (divided use)

1 pound penne or other short pasta

1 medium onion, diced

½ pound mushrooms, washed and sliced 

1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and diced

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup chicken or vegetable broth

1-1/2 cups heavy cream

1 tablespoons fresh thyme or 1 tablespoon dried thyme

3/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for serving

3 tablespoons parsley, chopped

Lay the chicken breasts on a cutting board. Use a mallet to slightly flatten them, for more even cooking. Season with salt and pepper.

In a large stock pot, heat 1 tablespoon oil. Add the chicken and cook until golden brown on both sides; cut to make sure it’s cooked through, then use a slotted spoon or spatula to remove to a cutting board. Allow to rest a little, then slice.

Start the pasta, in a separate pot, and cook until al dente. Drain. (I forgot to take a picture, but you know what cooking pasta looks like!)

Meanwhile, add the additional tablespoon of oil to the pot where you cooked the chicken. Add onion and cook until slightly soft. Add the mushrooms and cook until golden, about 3 minutes. Add the bell pepper and garlic, and cook, stirring, another 2-3 minutes. 

Add the broth and scrape the bottom to deglaze, loosening all the tasty bits. Add the cream and thyme. Simmer 2-3 minutes, then turn off the heat. 

Add the Parmesan and stir until melted. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add the chicken and stir well, then add the pasta and parsley and toss. Serve with additional Parmesan, if you’d like. 

Serves 4-6. 

Buon appetivo!

💕 Click here for a free printable PDF! 

At Seattle Spice Shop, owner Pepper Reece has whipped up the perfect blend of food, friends, and flavor. But the sweet smell of success can be hazardous . . .  

Spring is in full bloom in Pike Place Market, where Pepper is celebrating lavender’s culinary uses and planning a festival she hopes will become an annual event. When her friend Lavender Liz offers to share tips for promoting the much-loved—and occasionally maligned—herb, Pepper makes a trek to the charming town of Salmon Falls. But someone has badly damaged Liz’s greenhouse, throwing a wrench in the feisty grower’s plans for expansion. Suspicions quickly focus on an employee who’s taken to the hills. 

Then Liz is found dead among her precious plants, stabbed by a pruning knife. In Salmon Falls, there’s one in every pocket. 

Pepper digs in, untangling the tensions between Liz and a local restaurateur with eyes on a picturesque but neglected farm, a jealous ex-boyfriend determined to profit from Liz’s success, and a local growers’ cooperative. She’s also hot on the scent of a trail of her own, sniffing out the history of her sweet dog, Arf. 

As Pepper’s questions threaten to unearth secrets others desperately want to keep buried, danger creeps closer to her and those she loves. Can Pepper root out the killer, before someone nips her in the bud?

Available at Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Books-A-Million * Bookshop.org * and your local booksellers!

ALL GOD'S SPARROWS AND OTHER STORIES: A STAGECOACH MARY FIELDS COLLECTION, now available in in paperback and ebook 

Take a step back in time with All God's Sparrows and Other Stories: A Stagecoach Mary Fields Collection of historical short mysteries, featuring the Agatha-Award winning "All God's Sparrows" and other stories imagining the life of real-life historical figure Mary Fields, born into slavery in 1832, during the last thirty years of her life, in Montana. Out September 17, 2024 from Beyond the Page Publishing.  

“Finely researched and richly detailed, All God’s Sparrows and Other Stories is a wonderful collection. I loved learning about this fascinating woman . . . and what a character she is! Kudos to Leslie Budewitz for bringing her to life so vividly.” —Kathleen Grissom, New York Times bestselling author of Crow Mary

Available at Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Books-A-Million * Bookshop.org * and your local booksellers!

Leslie Budewitz is the author of the Spice Shop Mysteries set in Seattle's Pike Place Market, and the Food Lovers’ Village Mysteries, set in NW Montana. As Alicia Beckman, she writes moody, standalone suspense, most recently Blind Faith. She is the winner of Agatha Awards in three categories: Best Nonfiction (2011), Best First Novel (2013), and Best Short Story (2018). Her latest books are To Err is Cumin, the 8th Spice Shop Mystery and All God's Sparrows and Other Stories: A Stagecoach Mary Fields Collection, in September 2024. Watch for Lavender Lies Bleeding, the 9th Spice Shop Mystery, on July 15, 2025.

A past president of Sisters in Crime and former national board member of Mystery Writers of America, Leslie lives in northwest Montana with her husband, a musician and doctor of natural medicine, and their cat, an avid bird-watcher.

Swing by Leslie's website and join the mailing list for her seasonal newsletter. And join her on Facebook where she shares book news and giveaways from her writer friends, and talks about food, mysteries, and the things that inspire her.

Around the Kitchen Table: Our Favorite Birthday Meals + 5-Book #Giveaway #ATKT

MADDIE DAY here. Some of us celebrate our birthdays all month, and November is mine. In fact, today is my actual birthday!

My cake from three years ago, with all the names
various loved ones call me - except Edith!

November can be very dark in New England, as the day length dwindles to a near minimum, so a birthday helps. I'm always happy to have candles lit in my honor at the beginning of the month. And then there's New England Crime Bake next weekend, a joyful gathering of writers and fans and editors and agents. Thanksgiving, my favorite holiday, follows a couple of weeks later. It means food and family,  sans gifts or elaborate decorations. Some years I've also had a new book release in November or at the tail end of October, but not this year. 

But first November starts with birthdays, mine and others. My granddaughter, Ida Rose, squeaked into Scorpio territory two years ago with her October 20th birthday (trust me on this - Hugh checked his ephemeris). My bestie Jennifer is also a Scorpio, plus several other women friends I felt an instant affinity to when we met. (Two important lovers in my distant past were also Scorpios.)

Jennifer and me two years ago -
we've been friends for 48 years!

Bloggers, let's share our favorite birthday meals. I'll start. As a child in southern California, I would request roasted chicken and roasted potatoes, my mother's French cut green beans with slivered almonds, half a steamed artichoke with melted butter, sliced avocado, and chocolate or marble cake. 

Now I request to be taken out to a favorite bistro or other gourmet dinner when it's just Hugh and me, since he doesn't enjoy cooking. I like to finish a special meal with a decadent chocolate dessert, a decaf espresso, and a cognac. 

If my sons are going to be around, they cook for us, and nothing makes me happier than having them working together in the kitchen while I sit. We chat and laugh and do a bit of kitchen dancing. (Every birthday needs kitchen dancing!) 

MLKers and readers: Did you request certain foods as a child? What kind of food do you celebrate your day with as an adult? Favorite kind of cake or birthday dessert? And do I have any fellow Scorpios among the MLK group or our readers? Dish!

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LUCY BURDETTE: Wow Edith, your birthday requests were so specific! In my house growing up, the birthday person chose the cake--that's the tradition I've carried forward. 

My sister and I were born close together, so we often shared an angel food cake frosted with whipped cream. Now my surrounding birthday people mostly want chocolate. 

Luckily, I have a wide range of chocolate recipes to offer! Here's a fairly recent chocolate Guinness cake--so yummy!

 

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LESLIE KARST: I always requested cherry pie for my birthday instead of birthday cake. And my mom would oblige, baking one with little cookie-cutter pastry horses marching around the top. I wish I had a photo, because her pies were so darling! 

Nowadays, I still love me a cheery pie, but am far more interested in the main course--my favorite being steak-frites with sauce bèarnaise. 

steak au poivre, no frites

My sister's birthday is the day after mine (plus five years), so we try to celebrate together each year and often cook for ourselves. Luckily she has the same food taste as I. But I often skip the bèarnaise sauce, since it's a bit of a pain to make. (And we send someone out to McDonald's for the frites.)

 

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I still have that
cake plate! 

LESLIE BUDEWITZ: Happy Birthday, Edith! (And Maddie, too!) Like Lucy, the tradition in my childhood was that the birthday celebrant got to choose the cake -- and birthdays were about the only time we had cake, being People of the Pie, preferably cherry pie. And I too chose angel food cake for my birthday, with frosting -- I have no idea what kind it was.  

And that brings up a poignant memory. For my mother's last birthday, the family was gathering in the retirement community in Helena, MT, where she lived. She asked for angel food cake and strawberries, but I did not think it would survive the 160 mile drive, in August, over the mountains. So I called Safeway. "Oh, sure, hon, we can do that for you," the bakery woman said when I made my request---and she did. I showed up, and picked up a grocery bag packed with a fresh angel food cake, strawberries, glaze, and a can of whipped cream -- and birthday candles. It was a kindness I have never forgotten. Here's my version of Angel Food Cake with Strawberries. which I often make in my mother's memory. 

Mr. Right and I like going out for birthday celebrations, and since his is mid summer and mine mid winter, it's a great combo -- especially if we're someplace warm like we were last year. 

Birthday tiramisu,
in Honolulu! 

But even if we've gone out, I still enjoy making my own birthday cake, to keep the celebration going. No longer the creature of habit I once was, it might be a carrot cake, like this Carrot Graham Layer Cake, or Walnut Cake, or Almost-Flourless Chocolate Torte. The dinner itself, out or at home, is never the same twice -- one year in a small beach town in Mexico, it was street tacos with beer followed by coconut ice cream because that was all that was available. And you know what? It was perfect!

Happy Birthday, all you November girls and boys! 

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MOLLY MACRAE: My birthday is one week after Halloween. I’ve always loved that and I’ve had some wonderful birthdays. Here I am with my friends Martha Lee and Maureen, and my brother Andy celebrating my birthday and static electricity with balloons stuck to our hair in 1959.

As kids (six of us), we were sometimes asked what kind of cake we’d like to have. But right around when I turned nine or ten, Mom got it into her head that I LOVED ice cream cake roll and that’s what I got every year from then until I went away to college. It made her so happy to put it on the table with candles that I never had the heart to tell her I don’t like ice cream cake roll at all. My brother Jack and I agree that the best and only birthday cake is yellow cake with chocolate frosting. As for a favorite birthday meal these days? Nope, haven’t got one. I like most everything we have at home (and if someone were to fix something for my birthday that I don’t like, I wouldn’t have the heart to tell them).

Happy birthday fellow Novemberistas! That’s not a real word but it collects all the November Scorpios and Sagittarians together and we can say it with flair and the clicking of castanets.

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CLEO COYLE: Happy Birthday, Edith! Because my February 2nd birthday lands on Groundhog Day, I start the day by celebrating with the most famous groundhog in the world and the people of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. Getting up before sunrise, I brew a pot of coffee and video stream this lively party that goes on all night long with tens of thousands attending and culminating in the appearance of Punxsutawney Phil at the break of dawn....

I almost always re-watch the Bill Murray classic Groundhog Day movie that week, and (unlike Bill's loop of a life in that film) my birthday meal varies, depending on the winter weather and my writing deadlines, but there will always be cake! 

I have been enjoying the Red Ribbon cakes on my birthday for years. This beloved Filipino bake shop has some wonderful varieties, including the Choco Mocha Crunch Cake with honeycomb candy, and the light and creamy Mocha Roll (one of my favorites, pictured below). Highly recommended. May you all have a delicious birthday! ~ Cleo 

Cleo's "Red Ribbon"
Mocha Roll Birthday Cake

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KIM DAVIS: Wishing you the happiest of birthdays, Edith! My mom had six siblings who all lived in the vicinity of us. I had a lot of cousins so as a kid all of our birthdays were big events when the family gathered together. I don't remember what was served for meals--it was potluck style no doubt--or even what kind of cake was served. What I do remember with great fondness is the homemade ice cream made with the old-fashioned hand-crank churn with lots of cracked ice and rock salt since my birthday is in August. That ice cream was the BEST and as the birthday girl, I got to lick the ice cream off the paddle when it was done. One year--I was probably six--I decided I'd be helpful and water the grass with the melted water left in ice cream churn. Let's just say I learned my lesson that grass and plants do NOT like salt water! On my actual birthday I got to choose what to have for dinner with my immediate family and I'd always choose tacos with my dad's homegrown pickled jalapeños. As an adult I make my own birthday dinners and generally have swordfish or every once in a while, steak. And for a birthday dessert, it's always ice cream although I buy it instead of making it.

While birthday cake might not be my ideal dessert, I jumped in wholeheartedly to learn how to decorate cakes when my granddaughters came along. As my youngest granddaughter put it every single year, "it's the best birthday ever," whenever she'd see the cake! The princess castle is from her 4th birthday and I made the two towers from slabs of homemade gingerbread cookies, while the stacked center is all cake. 

I always let them choose a theme for the cake and then I'd come up with a design. The hardest theme I had to work with was when my youngest granddaughter, turning seven, insisted it had to be gummy worms 😕It took me a few weeks to think on it, but finally landed on this cake:

A tropical forest with gummy worms and cookie crumb dirt on the base! No matter how you celebrate, wishing all the November birthday people, the happiest of days!

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PEG COCHRAN/MARGARET LOUDON: Happy Birthday, Edith!  At one time we had four family birthdays in November--my Dad, niece, grandmother and my late husband.  It was a busy month! I don't remember any special meals for my birthday although when I went to stay with my grandmother for a week during the summer she  always made my favorite--potato soup and "German pancakes" (crepes) filled with sweetened cottage cheese and dusted with cinnamon.  Birthday cakes always came from the local bakery--white cake with white icing.  Now I choose chocolate every time! Funny cake story: when I was pregnant with my younger daughter, my water broke in our local Chinese restaurant.  For many years afterwards we would go there to celebrate her birthday. On her tenth birthday, a strange car pulled into our driveway.  It was the owner of the Chinese restaurant with a cake for my daughter.  I suppose he never forgot the trauma of my nearly giving birth in his restaurant!

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VICKI DELANY: November! The month of my birth as well. It’s been a heck of a long time since anyone made me a birthday cake. (Sob story, I know). My children don’t live near enough to me for a drop in dinner or just a night out, so I am quite often on my own. Which I don’t mind. Really!

This year, I’m going to Ottawa to go out to dinner with my eldest daughter and my mom.  Admittedly, it’ll be as much if not more of a treat for Mom (turning 101 in January, and we have a big celebration planned for that), but I’m looking forward to it. My daughter knows all the best places.

I can’t complain too much – on my 60^th birthday I was in South Sudan, 65^th in Amsterdam, 70^th in Mozambique. Next year it’s the 75^th and we will be doing something involving international travel for that.

I do like to bake however and several times I’ve made this celebration cake to take to events like children’s birthday parties, and last year for Christmas Eve when we had children at the table.  You don’ have to be a kid to enjoy this cake though as everyone loves it.  (Caveat, mine always turns out a lot muddier looking than the picture in the cookbook. But it still tastes great).  

Mystery Lovers' Kitchen: Vanilla Cake
with Sprinkles from Vicki Delany

One other thing about November birthdays.  My granddaughter, Isla Webb, was born on my 70^th birthday!  Here’s a picture of my daughter serving my birthday cake shortly after we got the word that the baby had arrived. 

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LIBBY KLEIN: Happy Birthday Edith! My birthday is December. Also known as the month of getting the shaft. I'm trying to make the "half birthday" a thing. I don't remember food or special cakes for any of my birthdays. I only remember the year Santa came to my party. As an adult, I want one thing for my birthday. To have it in another country. I need to team up with Vicki! I threw my granddaughter a pool party for her 4th birthday and we had a seven layer My Little Pony rainbow cake. She still talks about it.

 

GIVEAWAY!

To be entered in this week's drawing

for these terrific mysteries below,

join us in the comments.

    What about you? How do you celebrate your special day? Favorite kind of birthday cake or dessert? And are there any fellow Scorpios among our readers? 

Join the

conversation!

📚 🍰 📚 

DEADLY CRUSH by Maddie Day

SILENT NIGHTS ARE MUDER by Libby Klein 

BULLETPROOF BARISTA by Cleo Coyle

THERE'LL BE SHELL TO PAY by Molly MacRae

ESSENTIALS OF MURDER by Kim Davis

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Through Wednesday
November 5

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