SPOTLIGHT ON PEG COCHRAN/MARGARET LOUDON #GIVEAWAY

 

I’ve done a few of these now and I’ve been puzzling over how to make this Spotlight different.  I could tell you that my 31^st book, Where the Bodies Are Berried, #10 in my Cranberry Cove Series, just came out.  I still can’t believe I get to write books let alone thirty-one!  My first books were published by what was then Berkeley Prime Crime.  The logo was a bloody handprint on the spine.  I remember going in bookstores on my lunch hour, seeing those books and thinking one day I want my name on one of those.  I can’t believe it’s actually come true!

 

And now, I thought I’d do a Q&A highlighting a few things about my various books.

 

Favorite Series I’ve Written:  My Murder, She Reported series.  It’s set in New York City in 1938.  Researching the details for the books was so much fun—finding a floor plan for the Waldorf Astoria Hotel so I would know where the ladies room was on the ballroom floor (where my victim is murdered);  pouring over details of the 1939 New York World’s Fair including the pool where Billy Rose staged his Aquacade musical (and where my victim is found dead, floating in the water) ; reading all about the “Long Island Express” the terrible storm that took the east coast by surprise causing untold damage and loss of life (and nearly covering up the murder of my victim).

 

 

Favorite Research Trip:  Visiting a cranberry farm in South Haven, MI to witness a cranberry harvest firsthand for my Cranberry Cove Series.  I also startled the tour guide when I asked him what they would do if a body floated up in the bog!

 

 

Favorite Character:  Impossible to pick!  I love all my characters and can’t single out a favorite.  That would be like asking which of my children was my favorite.

 

Series That Made Me Laugh:  My Lucille Series actually made me laugh out loud on occasion as I put my character Lucille Mazzarella in humorous situations.

 

 

Series That Allowed Me to Travel:  My Open Book Series written as Margaret Loudon, although it was only armchair travel to England.  And I wouldn’t have been able to visit my setting, the town of Upper Chumley-on-Stoke, since it was purely fictional.  

 

 

Most Unusual Murder Method: In Steamed to Death from my Gourmet De-Lite Series, the victim is drugged and trapped in an overheating steam cabinet.

 

Now for my question for you:  what is your favorite location to visit vicariously through the books you read? 

 

 

GIVEAWAY! 

 I am giving away one e-book copy of Where the Bodies Are Berried to one person who comments below--what is your favorite location to visit vicariously through the books you read?

 

 

  

 

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 . . . 

Amazon

Barnes & Noble 

A former Jersey girl, Peg now resides in Michigan with her husband. She is the author of numerous cozy mystery series including the Open Book (writing as Margaret Loudon), Murder, She Reported, Cranberry Cove, the Farmer's Daughter, Gourmet De-Lite, the Lucille series and Sweet Nothings Lingerie (written as Meg London). When she’s not writing, you’ll find her either cooking, reading or spoiling her granddaughters and grandson.

 

Triple Ginger Skillet Cake #recipe from Molly MacRae

 

If you’ve read my Haunted Yarn Shop mysteries, you might remember that the ghost, Geneva, loves the smell of ginger. I do, too. Anytime I use ginger in a savory or a sweet recipe, I think of Geneva floating nearby. I made this cake one recent blustery afternoon. The kitchen warmed right up and the whole house smelled like Geneva’s idea of heaven. She would like the idea of baking it in a cast iron skillet, too.

If you don’t have a 12-inch cast iron skillet, don’t worry. Any non-stick skillet or baking pan will do. The cast iron gives the cake a nicely caramelized bottom, but no one will miss that after they take their first bite no matter what kind of pan you use.

 

Triple Ginger Skillet Cake

Adapted from Erin Jeanne McDowell in The New York Times

Serves 12-16

 

Ingredients

1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature, plus more for greasing the skillet

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 cup molasses

About 2 inches of fresh ginger, peeled

1 large egg

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup diced crystallized ginger

1-2 tablespoons of turbinado sugar to sprinkle over the top before baking

 

Directions

Heat your oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease a 12-inch oven-safe skillet with unsalted butter.

In a large bowl (or the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment), cream the 1/2 cup of room temperature butter with the sugar until light and fluffy. Add the molasses, and then, using a fine grater, grate the fresh ginger into the bowl. Mix until combined, scraping the bowl as needed. Add the egg and mix well again.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, ground ginger, cinnamon, and salt. Add half the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir to combine.

Stir in the milk then add the remaining flour mixture and stir until just incorporated. Fold in the crystallized ginger.

Pour the batter into the prepared skillet. Spread into an even layer. Sprinkle the surface with turbinado sugar. Bake until a toothpick, when stuck in the center, comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes.

Let cool for 15 minutes before cutting. Serve warm or at room temperature. The cake is great on its own, but if you want to jazz it up, try sprinkling it with powdered sugar or serve it with whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, custard sauce, or lemons curd. Here's Leslie Karst's recipe for lemon curd.

  

💖 Click here for a free, printable pdf of the recipe  💖

 

It’s the time of year to curl up with a trio of warm cozies – a drink, a treat, and a good book. May I suggest a bit of armchair travel, too? 

Visit Ocracoke Island, off the coast of North Carolina, in the Haunted Shell Shop Mysteries.

 

Or travel to the Scottish Highlands in the Highland Bookshop Mysteries.

 

Spend time in northeast Tennessee in the Haunted Yarn Shop Mysteries, two stand-alone mysteries, and a collection of short stories.

 

Or travel from Cape Cod on the east coast to Monterey on the west coast, with a stop in Ohio along the way in my very gentle mysteries written as Margaret Welch.

 

Happy reading!

 

The Boston Globe says Molly MacRae writes “murder with a dose of drollery.” She’s the author of the award-winning, national bestselling Haunted Yarn Shop Mysteries and the Highland Bookshop Mysteries. As Margaret Welch, she writes books for Annie’s Fiction. Her short stories have appeared in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine and she’s a winner of the Sherwood Anderson Award for Short Fiction. Visit Molly on Facebook and Pinterest and connect with her on Instagram or Bluesky.

 

Baked Salmon and Broccoli @MaddieDayAuthor

MADDIE DAY here. Christmas and Hanukkah are over for the year, and I wanted to make a simple, healthy dinner for tonight that I didn't have to think too much about. I had a piece of salmon and a head of broccoli, plus a fresh baguette.

My son and his wife, who are staying with us for a few more days, are vegetarians who occasionally eat fish, and they're giving my granddaughter tastes of it, too. 

So I bring you baked salmon and broccoli.

Baked Salmon and Broccoli

Ingredients

1 pound salmon filet

3 cups broccoli florets

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon dried dill weed

1/2 cup white wine

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil into a 9" x 11" baking dish. Add salmon skin down into middle of pan and arrange broccoli around the edges. Spread mustard over salmon. Drizzle rest of olive oil over broccoli. Sprinkle wine over fish.

Cover with foil and bake for twenty minutes or until middle of salmon is opaque, not translucent.

Serve with crusty bread and butter, or over rice.

Yes, the Santa placemats are still on the table!

Readers: What do you make for family in the aftermath of a holiday, if not leftovers?

🐟🥦🐠

Murder at Cape Costumers is out and available wherever book are sold!

My most recent releases are Scone Cold Dead, #13 in the Country Store Mysteries,

 Deadly Crush, 

and A Case for the Ladies.

Check out all my writing.

We hope you'll visit Maddie and her Agatha Award-winning alter ego Edith Maxwell on our web site, sign up for our monthly newsletter, visit us on social media, and check our all our books and short stories.

Maddie Day (aka Edith Maxwell) is a talented amateur chef and holds a PhD in Linguistics from Indiana University. An Agatha Award-winning and bestselling author, she is a member of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America and also writes award-winning short crime fiction. She lives with her beau and sweet cat Martin north of Boston, where she’s currently working on her next mystery when she isn’t cooking up something delectable in the kitchen.

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS, FELIZ NAVIDAD, HAPPY HANUKKAH #Holiday #Christmas

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

This is a season for hope, peace, and goodwill. It's a time for spending time with friends and family, and a time to enjoy good FOOD! 
Happy Holidays from Mystery Lovers' Kitchen!

Glazed Carrots #HolidayRecipe @LeslieKarst

 

My mom used to make glazed carrots fairly often when I was a kid, and it was the only way I liked that particular root vegetable. She didn’t add much—if any—sugar to the dish, but the natural sweetness of the carrots came out by virtue of the slow cooking and the addition of sherry to the recipe. And her secret ingredient? A cube or two of chicken bouillon, to pump up the savoriness of the side dish.

This version is basically the same as my mother’s, but with the addition of onions (because who doesn't want onions added to their veg?) and a bit of brown sugar, which I think helps bring out the natural flavor of the carrots without making it too cloyingly sweet.

 

So if you’re at a loss for a last-minute side dish for your Christmas dinner tomorrow—or simply want a way to use of that bag of carrots I know you have in your fridge—this is for you!

Happy holidays, everyone!

Glazed Carrots

(serves 6)

Ingredients

4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter

2 lbs. carrots, sliced into thin batons

¼ cup cooking sherry

2 medium onions, thinly sliced

2 teaspoons chicken base or 2 chicken bouillon cubes

2 teaspoons brown sugar

black pepper, to taste 

chopped parsley, for garnish (optional)

Directions

Melt the butter over medium heat in a large skillet (one that has a cover), then add the carrots and stir until they’re evenly coated with the butter.

 

 

Pour in the sherry, then cover the pan and cook the carrots until just starting to soften—about 5 minutes. 

 

Add the bouillon and the sugar, and continue to cook, stirring until they have dissolved. 

 

Add the onions and stir them in, then continue to cook, uncovered, until they soften and the carrots are cooked through. (Use a fork to test for doneness.)

 

Season with pepper to taste (you likely won’t need any salt, as the bouillon contains a lot of it already), then turn up the heat and continue cooking for a couple more minutes, stirring often, until the veg start to brown.

 

Garnish with chopped parsley.

🌱  🍋  🌿

 

Coming April 7!

Orchid Isle Mystery  #3

MURDER, LOCAL STYLE

Available for pre-order here.

 

A dinner to die for! Retired caterer Valerie Corbin and her wife Kristen investigate a suspicious poisoning in this new Orchid Isle mystery featuring a feisty couple who swap surfing lessons for sleuthing sessions in tropical Hilo, Hawai‘i.

 

 🍍 🌴 🍹

 

Out now in paperback!

Orchid Isle Mystery  #2

WATERS OF DESTRUCTION

Buy link here. 

 

"Immerse yourself in Hawaiian lore and savor the portrayal of the stunning landscapes
while enjoying the entertaining mystery."

Kirkus Reviews

 

Also available

in paperback!

MOLTEN DEATH

Orchid Isle Mystery  #1

Buy link here

 

2025 Lefty Award Finalist

for Best Mystery!

 

“Karst’s first Orchid Isle novel is part murder mystery, part vividly evocative, colorful sketch of Hawaii and its history, geography, tradition, culture, food, language, and people. Armchair travelers and mystery aficionados alike will find it entertaining.”

Booklist

 

This first book in my brand-new Orchid Isle mystery series features retired caterer Valerie Corbin and her wife Kristen who, on a trip to the Big Island of Hawai‘i, swap surfing lessons for sleuthing sessions when a hike to an active lava flow turns deadly. 

 

Praise for MOLTEN DEATH:

“a compelling read that will enlighten, engage, and entertain, leaving readers longing for their next trip to the Orchid Isle.”

--New York Times bestselling author Jenn McKinlay

“a terrific debut to a series that will go on my must read list!”

--USA Today bestselling author Deborah Crombie

 

 

A SENSE FOR MURDER

2024 Lefty Award Finalist

for Best Humorous Mystery!

This newest Sally Solari mystery

is available for purchase here !

 

Praise for A SENSE FOR MURDER:

 

“[Sally is] sassy, irresistible company... Culinary cozy fans will be in heaven.”

 --Publishers Weekly

 

“An enjoyable read for mystery mavens and foodies alike.”

--Kirkus Reviews

Justice is Served:  A Tale of Scallops,

the Law, and Cooking for RBG

is the 2024 Silver Medal Winner for both the

IBPA Benjamin Franklin Award

and the IPPY Award!

Buy link here

 

 

 

Praise for Justice is Served:

 

"a suspenseful, exhilarating memoir; Karst relays her determination to serve the 'perfect' meal to RBG alongside an uplifting, enlightening portrayal of one of the most admired justices in the history of the Supreme Court." 

 

-Foreword Reviews (starred review)

 

"[This] book is a romp from cover to cover—and, just like a great meal, left me ready for more."

-Karen Shimizu, executive editor, Food & Wine-

All of the Sally Solari Mysteries (as well as my other books) are available through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Bookshop.