Virgin Sangria @vmburns #recipe

 VMBURNS: I was looking for a fruity punch to celebrate the holidays and stumbled across a recipe for a virgin sangria. I, of course, made adjustments and tweaked to my tastes. Feel free to do the same.

The original recipe I found used a Pink Lady Apple. I didn't have a pink lady, but I did have a red delicious. I thought the bright red skin would be great. I was wrong. I do NOT recommend the red delicious. The texture of the apple's flesh didn't hold up well. I LOVED the blackberries in the sangria. In fact, I eventually scooped them out and ate them with a spoon. My biggest adjustment came with the sparkling water. Initially, I used a plain sparkling water. However, on my second batch, I tried flavored sparkling waters and OMG was it tasty. I tried peach flavored and blood orange. Both were delicious. If you are going to drink this immediately, then I would recommend adding the sparkling water to your pitcher. Otherwise, I recommend waiting until you are serving the sangria/punch and just pour some sparkling water in the glass.

VIRGIN SANGRIA

INGREDIENTS

• 
  
• 1 Apple (I like Honey Crisp)
• 2 Oranges
• 1 Lemon
• 1 Cup Blackberries
• 1 Cup Sparkling Water
• 3/4 Cup Apple Juice
• 1 Cup Orange Juice
• 3 Cups Cranberry Juice
• 
  
• ▢
• 
  

• 
  
• INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cut the apple into chunks. Slice the oranges, and cut the lemon in half, and slice one half of the lemon. Add all of your fruit, including the blueberries to a pitcher.

   
2. Fill the pitcher with the apple juice, orange juice, and cranberry juice. Squeeze the juice from the remaining lemon half into the pitcher.
3. Stir and place in the refrigerator to cool.

   

   
   
   
4. Pour the juice into a glass about 80 percent full, then add the sparkling water to the glass.






READERS: Do you have a fruit that you like to include in beverages? Or a fruit that you HATE in beverages? Let me know in a comment below. 







MURDER FROM A TO Z






When Michigan bookshop owner and mystery writer Samantha Washington and her sister, Jenna, agreed to host a class for seniors on estate planning, they didn’t plan on discovering shady doings at Shady Acres Retirement Village . . .

Nana Jo has volunteered her lawyer granddaughter, Jenna, to teach estate planning to retirees—with Sam providing her bookshop as the venue. But during the seminar, entitled Getting Your Ducks in Order, it quickly becomes clear someone’s up to Fowl Play. When elderly Alva Tarkington, accompanied by her niece, sits down for a consultation, Sam realizes the woman’s frequent blinking is actually Morse Code—S.O.S. The sisters get her alone, and Alva tells them she believes her life is in danger and must change her will . . .

Unfortunately, Alva is found dead the next day—seemingly from natural causes. But Nana Jo and the sisters suspect otherwise. In between penning her latest historical mystery, set in 1939 as England declares war on Germany and Lady Elizabeth Marsh pursues stolen paintings and a traitor, Sam teams up with the senior sleuths of Shady Acres to search for motives—beginning with Alva’s family. They soon learn not everyone is who they say they are, and someone is more than qualified to teach a class on cold-blooded murder . . .

 

BUY LINK

Curried Chicken Baked with Rice from Vicki Delany

I cut this recipe out of Canadian Living Magazine long long ago, and only just came across it recently in the back of the recipe folder, so I decided to give it a try.

It makes another delicious warm meal for these cold winter nights. In this dish the rice cooks in the oven right alongside the chicken, meaning you can prepare it all ahead of time, if you need, and then give it a reheat. It doesn’t freeze terribly well, though, but the leftovers will keep in the fridge for a few days.

Curried Chicken Baked with Rice

Ingredients:

6 chicken drumsticks

6 chicken thighs including bones and skin

2 tbsp olive oil

1 large tomato, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

1 onion, chopped

1 lb button mushrooms, halved

2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

1 ½ cups basmati rice

2 tbsp. curry powder

1 tsp ground turmeric

Salt and pepper

Method:

Bring 6 cups of water to a boil. Add chicken pieces, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

Drain chicken while reserving the stock.

Heat oil in an oven-proof saucepan or Dutch oven over medium high heat, sauté tomato, pepper, onion, mushrooms, and parsley for 5 minutes.  Add rice and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes.  Stir in 3 cups of the reserved chicken stock, curry powder, turmeric, salt and pepper.

Add chicken and return to boil.

Cover and bake in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.  Check occasionally and if the dish seems too dry add more stock.

Follow Vicki at www.vickidelany.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/evagatesauthor. You can sign up to receive Vicki’s quarterly newsletter at Vicki Delany – Canadian Author of Mystery Novels and Suspense Novels » Contact. She’s on Bluesky at @vickidelany.bsky.social

Just Released! THE DEVIL IN THE DETAILS, the 11^th Sherlock Holmes Bookshop mystery.

 

Lentil-Butternut Squash Soup -- a #recipe for winter warmth from @LeslieBudewitz

 

LESLIE BUDEWITZ: We’re big fans of butternut squash, and this time of year, it’s often available peeled and cut, although peeling and chopping it yourself isn’t terribly hard. We also love lentils, and the combination makes for a complete protein, something a pair of former vegetarians learned to appreciate a long time ago! 

The original recipe called for roasting the garlic. I used a layered approach instead, combining chopped fresh and dried garlic. We used butternut squash; you could substitute carrots, parsnips, turnips, and any kind of potato if you prefer – a lot depends on what’s in your fridge! If your fridge includes goat cheese, a dollop on top with the parsley is delish. 

This is a warming dish for cold evenings. Add some crisp French or Italian bread and a glass of red wine, and welcome the new year with a smile!

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

Scroll down to the 💕 for the link. 

Lentil and Butternut Squash Soup

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 cloves garlic 

4 cups diced butternut squash or other root vegetables (½-inch dice) (I used a combination of squash and celery)

1 medium yellow onion, diced

¾ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste 

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste 

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 

1-1/2 cups brown or green lentils 

2 teaspoons fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme 

6 cups chicken or vegetable broth

goat cheese (optional), for serving 

1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped, for serving 

In a small stock pot or other medium pot, heat the olive oil. Add the garlic and saute briefly, 2-3 minutes. Add the squash or other vegetables and onion. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and just starting to brown, 8 to 10 minutes. 

Add 1 tablespoon of vinegar, drizzling it over the vegetables; stir to coat, making sure to scrape the bottom of the pan to get any stuck bits of garlic or vegetables. 

Add the lentils and thyme. Add the broth and stir. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Cover loosely and cook, stirring regularly, until the lentils are tender, about 30 minutes.

When the lentils are tender, taste. Add the remaining vinegar and more salt and pepper, if needed. Ladle into bowls, garnish with the goat cheese if you’d like and parsley, and serve. 

Serves 4-6. Keeps well for several days; the lentils may soak up liquid as they cool, so you may need to add water or broth when you reheat the soup. 

💕 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. 

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: What We Cook When We’re Eating Alone + 5-Book #Giveaway!

 

ANG POMPANO: I was thinking about the protagonist of my soon-to-be-released book, Diet of Death, Quincy Lazzaro. Quincy writes a hugely successful cooking column under protest, made worse by the fact that it runs under the name Betty Ann Green, while his real identity must remain hidden.

Quincy also has some questionable eating habits, like eating tuna straight from the can when he’s in a hurry (guilty) or mixing Coke and orange juice when there’s only a little of each left (guilty again).

And then there’s me. Even though I live in the land of good pizza, when I’m on my own I’ll warm a flatbread for 30 seconds in the microwave, spread it with tomato sauce, add some cheese or whatever toppings are around, anchovies included (I’m the only one who likes them here), plus oregano and a drizzle of olive oil, then pop it under the broiler for a minute or two. Not fancy, but it works. 

Which got me wondering: what do my fellow Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen bloggers cook when they’re eating alone and no one is watching?

🍷 🧀 🌮

 

MADDIE DAY: I love this topic, Ang. It's not cooking, exactly, but one of my favorite solo dinners is as follows: I grate or slice some cheese (whatever's at hand, usually a sharp cheddar) onto a flour tortilla and put it in the toaster oven to melt. Add a dollop of salsa and a handful of lettuce, fold it over, and enjoy alone at the kitchen table with a glass of wine and a good book. Simple, tasty, and fast.

Another easy meal I'll do when alone is a plate of salad greens and whatever else is around. A hard-boiled egg? Sure. Half an avocado? Add it. Last week there was one handful left of my homemade Chex Mix - guess what makes a great crouton addition? Drizzle it all with olive oil and call it dinner.

 

🌱 🐓 🌿 

 

LESLIE KARST: My wife Robin isn't a fan of eggs for breakfast (unless it's a poached egg added as a garnish to something like a salad), so when she's gone, my go-to dish for dinner is creamy scrambled eggs and toast. Sometimes I'll add grated cheese or a little salsa (in which case I might eat the eggs with a tortilla), but truly, there is nothing like the perfect scrambled egg, unadulterated with anything but some butter, salt and pepper. And then I'll savor the meal as I work the crossword puzzle. Heaven. 

🌱 🍋 🌿 

 

PEG COCHRAN/MARGARET LOUDON:  I'm rarely alone for dinner but when I am, I make something that hubby doesn't particularly like.  Recently it was mussels in white wine sauce.  Or, I might whip up a batch of pasta.  Hubby likes pasta but doesn't want to eat it too often because "it's a carb."  Apparently, cookies, cake and candy don't count as carbs because he will happily eat those.  I could eat pasta every day with just about anything on it that's easy and simple like garlic and oil or a quick tomato sauce.  If I am feeling totally unmotivated and don't want to cook, crackers and cheese will suffice!  
 

 

🌱 🍋 🌿  

LUCY BURDETTE: John is a very good eater, so it's hard to find something he won't eat to have when alone. I thought I was going to be this recipe for sauteed dumplings in a chili crunch and fresh tomato sauce, but then he requested it the other night! One thing I used to eat when I was single was a can of El Paso tamales. Remember those, with a layer of disgusting orange fat around the edges? I would scrape that off, heat the tamales up and eat all of them!

MADDIE DAY: I have to jump in here and say, Lucy, that I grew up in Southern California with cans of tamales being just a staple of everyday life! My family has no ties to Mexico, but when you're blessed by growing up among immigrants, you crave a comfort tamale, whether it comes from a can, the high school cafeteria (which offered steamed tamales way better than canned), or these days, one frozen by Trader Joe's.

🍷 🧀 🌮

KIM DAVIS:  Maybe because I cook so much for my family (including my granddaughters and their parents), and for blogging, and my book recipes, when I have the rare evening to myself and no obligation to provide a meal for anyone else, I want something simple and snack-y... which generally means a huge bowl of popcorn and a glass of crisp, white wine. I'm not a fan of microwave popcorn, and instead, like to use some avocado oil in a large pot with organic heirloom popping corn. Instead of butter, I season lightly with salt and grated parmesan cheese. My dog, Missy, loves it too! If I have several evenings to myself (when my husband travels), I will sometimes make simple nachos with bagged tortilla chips, canned black beans, and pre-grated cheese, and heated in the microwave (I know it would be better heated in an oven 😀) then topped with sour cream, salsa, and chunks of avocado. 

Of course there's dessert popcorn to consider. Our own Leslie Budewitz created the most decadent Jewel Bay Critter Crunch, which is by far the BEST caramel corn I've ever had! I featured her recipe on my blog in 2015 and it's still a favorite. When I make a batch, I keep some hoarded away just for myself to nibble on when alone because I don't want to share. 

Jewel Bay Critter Crunch

And, Ang, there is nothing wrong with eating tuna from the can when in a hurry! It's a go-to for me when I have three minutes for lunch before needing to dash out the door, lol.

🌱 🍋 🌿 

MOLLY MacRAE: Like Peg, I’m rarely home alone at mealtimes. We have a small, multigenerational household that works well for us. But it means that I can’t remember the last time I was alone in the house for a meal since 2018. At some point before 2018 there was an amazing convergence of potato chips in the cupboard, blue cheese in the refrigerator, and me on my own for supper. Remembering a friend’s description of chips with blue cheese that a restaurant up in her part of the state served, I indulged. What a treat! I probably had a sandwich, too, but who knows? More to the point, who cares? Those were the best potato chips ever.

And that reminds me—there’s a piece of leftover pizza in the fridge, right now, and the last of the stilton from Christmas Eve. It’s almost time for lunch, and the others will fend for themselves, so what do you think? I know what I think.

Best leftover pizza ever. 

🌱 🍋 🌿 

LESLIE BUDEWITZ: I'll admit, I had to think about this. It's not often that I'm home alone for dinner -- more likely to be the other way around, and Ang, Mr. Right would approve of your tuna habits. Some women would take the opportunity for a big bowl of popcorn -- Kim, good to hear I'm not the only one who doesn't care for microwave popcorn -- followed by a pint of ice cream. I'm all for whatever you love, but am pretty sure the carb-butter-sugar combo would make me feel lousy. Like Lucy, I've got a honey who's a pretty good eater so it's hard to make a meal of things he doesn't like -- although split pea soup with cornbread and a dose of cauliflower on the side would touch all his 'no, thanks' bases. (To be fair, when I decided to make cornbread despite knowing his thoughts, he loved it. Turns out what he didn't like was his mother's cornbread -- dry and taste-free, in his account, though she was otherwise an excellent cook.) 

So what would I eat? I spotted this photo from last spring while cleaning up my camera roll, a vegetable saute of red onions, asparagus, a handful of grape tomatoes, and the last few baby white potatoes. I've always got fresh herbs in pots on the deck (in winter, the survivors huddle by the back door, or when the Christmas tree is up, on the tub surround in our bathroom), and snipped in some tarragon, topping it off with a bit of goat cheese from a neighbor's goats. Added a glass of white wine. Voila! A lovely May evening home alone on the back deck! 

Clearly, leftovers and stray bits in the fridge are key. Lacking those, pasta with basil pesto -- and maybe a few shrimp. And just a little of that ice cream!

🍷 🧀 🌮

VICKI DELANY: I'm obviously the outlier here. I live alone, so I almost always eat alone. That means I can have the same thing every day for a week, if I want. And I sometimes do. One quick meal I favour is to saute chicken breast with onions, mushrooms, peppers, chilli powder to wrap in a tortilla with sour cream and tomatoes. Yes, I might have that five nights in one week. One of the things I most love about being part of the MLK crew, is it gives me the incentive to occasionally try something new. To that end, I make dishes in the slow cooker or try a big casserole, something that I can put in the freezer for future meals. Otherwise, it might well be chicken tortillas every night of the week.  

🍚🍜🍲

VM BURNS: Like Vicki, I'm single, so almost all of my meals involve me eating alone. It may sound lonely, but I don't mind. I cook what I want to eat. I don't have to worry about pleasing anyone else. If I want it, I cook it. Sometimes, I feel adventurous and like to pretend I'm Julia Childs and cook elaborate meals (I made prime rib for Christmas). But, I can only eat leftovers for so many days. I like meals that are versatile and work well as leftovers or that freeze well. IF I have to choose one favorite, then I'd go with Egg Roll in a Bowl. I will often serve with rice or Ramen noodles. I NEVER have leftovers for more than one day.

☕ 🍕☕

CLEO COYLE: When I’m alone, these Mini Zuke Pizzas are high on my list of no fuss noshes. They make a wonderfully quick, low-carb, low-calorie snack. They're kid friendly, too. My Italian-born mom and aunt used to make them for me when I was a little girl. In fact, I'm pretty sure those two could have written a book on 101 things to do with squash! Click here or below for the easy recipe. Whether you're eating alone or with friends or family, we wish you buon appetito!

Click here to learn more about
Cleo's Mini Zuke Pizzas.

 

GIVEAWAY!

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for these terrific mysteries below,

join us in the comments, and be sure
to leave your email address.

What about you? What do you cook when you're eating alone and no one is watching?  

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conversation!

👇

Diet of Death by Ang Pompano

Bulletproof Barista by Cleo Coyle

Essentials of Death by Kim Davis

Murder Uncorked by Maddie Day

Murder From A to Z by V.M. Burns

🔎📚🔍

Comments Open 

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January 7

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Chicken Marsala #Recipe Peg Cochran/Margaret Loudon

 

This chicken Marsala was surprisingly quick and easy.  It's a recipe that's uncomplicated enough for a weeknight dinner or fancy enough for company.  I reduced the recipe since there were only two of us.  I had one enormous chicken breast that I was able to slice into four pieces.  The original recipe calls for cremini mushrooms but I already had some white button mushrooms in the fridge so I used those.  Baby bellas would be good too.  I also dialed back on the wine, using about 1/3 cup.  My Marsala (which has been in the pantry for ages) was on the sweet side--I think a drier wine would have been a bit better although we still enjoyed this tremendously.  I served it over noodles but rice, pasta or even mashed potatoes would go well with the dish.

2 large chicken breasts

Salt & pepper to taste

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Flour for dredging

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 tablespoons butter divided

8 ounces cremini mushrooms sliced fairly thin

1 large clove garlic minced

3/4 cup marsala wine  

1/2 cup heavy/whipping cream

 

Cut the breasts in half to make four thin cutlets.  Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder.

Coat each piece in flour.

Heat the olive oil and one tablespoon of the butter in a skillet.  Add chicken and sear for four to five minutes per side.  Remove chicken from pan and set aside.

  

Add the remaining butter and the mushrooms.  Cook until browned.

 

Add the minced garlic and marsala wine and cook until the alcohol burns off, approximately three to five minutes.

 Add the cream and then return chicken to pan.  Cook for another four to five minutes until chicken is cooked through and sauce has thickened.

 

 

Serve with noodles, rice, pasta or mashed potatoes.

 

  

 

When a wealthy local benefactor is slain on the farm, Monica has to figure out who wanted to cash in on the killing . . .

As Sassamanash Farms hunkers down for the long winter, Monica agrees to let the local animal shelter host their Christmas-themed fundraiser there. The draw of the event—a chance to have your pet’s picture taken with Santa—brings in animal lovers from far and wide. But when the crackling fire dies down and the festive holiday props are all carted away, Monica discovers a very un-jolly sight next to the barn—the dead body of one of the shelter’s biggest donors. With the farm’s good name in jeopardy, Monica goes to work to root out the killer.

By all accounts the victim was a charming and generous supporter of the shelter, but Monica discovers that he was loathed by those who knew him for being tight-fisted and unscrupulous. Suspecting money might be the motive, she turns her sights on his stylish wife and her lavish lifestyle, along with the manager of the struggling shelter, who stood to collect a hefty bequest from his will. But as Monica closes in on one final clue, the culprit closes in on her. Caught unawares, she’ll have to survive the brutal winter weather, as well as a cold-blooded killer . . . 

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