Semi-homemade Peach Melba Poundcake #Recipe by @Libby Klein

Libby Klein I was a huge fan of cooking shows in the 90s before they became all about competitions and judging. One that was a little unique was called Semi-Homemade Cooking with Sandra Lee. Who remembers that?

Sandra Lee's recipes always called for things like boxed cake mixes, or instant pudding. I refused to make them back then because I was a wannabe chef and it seemed like cheating. These days I'm so overrun that I'm rethinking my previous stance. That's where this recipe come in. I bought a bunch of mixes for those times when I have unexpected company. And I bought some beautiful raspberries and peaches then got too sick to eat them fast enough. For the first time in the history of fruit on planet earth, these raspberries stayed fresh for more than a week which made me extremely suspicious of them. I threw them in a saucepan with the cut up over-ripe peaches and made a quick jam which I then ladled into the middle of a boxed pound cake. I zazzed up the enclosed glaze by using lemon juice instead of water so I could feel fancy about it. The end result was delicious. Sandra Lee is onto something. 

What are some of your semi-homemade recipe ideas?

Semi-homemade Peach Melba Poundcake

 

Peach Melba "Jam"

 

Add Around 3 cups of cut up peaches and raspberries and 1 cup of sugar to a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat and let it reduce and cool.

Poundcake

Follow directions on the box. Only spoon half the batter (okay like 55%) into your prepared pan. Then cover that with a layer of peach melba jam. Spoon on the other half of the batter. Bake according to the package directions but expect it to take about 10 minutes longer. Don't remove it from the oven until it starts to lightly brown and the toothpick comes out clean. 

Let it cool before making the glaze and slicing.

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/

Lemon Freeze Bars -- a no-bake treat

LESLIE BUDEWITZ: You know what happens: You see a recipe go by online and it sticks in your mind. And keeps on sticking, but you didn’t make a note of it and don’t know where to find it. Sometimes it’s not so easy, but other times, thanks to the magic search mice, you find what you’re looking for in a flash. That seems like a good sign. But is it?

In the case of these Lemon Freeze Bars, reader, I assure you, it’s a very good sign. They are EZ-PZ, as Erin Murphy in my Food Lovers’ Village Mysteries would say – easy to make and easy to eat. No oven or stove required, so if it’s still super hot where you are, bingo! (Which she would also say.)

My local groceries seem to have stopped carrying boxes of graham cracker crumbs. If this sorry trend has hit yours as well, no worries -- you'll be crushing them with the food processor anyway.  

The only tricky part is making room in your freezer for the pan of uneaten bars, but trust me, you won’t need it for long. 

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

Scroll down to the 💕 for the link. 

Lemon Freeze Bars 

For the crust:

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

12 graham crackers or 1-1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs 

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

For the lemon filling:

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

3 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest (about 3 lemons) 

1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 4 lemons)

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 1/2 cups cold heavy cream

Make the crust:

Line an 8x8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper or foil (the precut sheets are perfect for this), leaving an overlap around each side. 

Place the graham cracker crumbs or broken crackers in the bowl of a food processor. Add 2 tablespoons sugar and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Pulse until the mixture becomes like coarse sand, about 15 seconds. Set aside 2 tablespoons of the mixture for garnish.

Add the butter to the food processor and pulse to combine. 

Pour mixture into prepared pan. Press into an even layer, using the back of a heavy spoon or your fingers. Be sure to press the crumbs firmly into the corners and around the edges. 

Make the filling:

In a medium bowl, stir together the sweetened condensed milk, 2 tablespoons of zest, lemon juice, and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt. 

In a stand mixer with a whisk or whip attachment, beat the heavy cream until soft peaks form, 3 to 4 minutes.

 Fold into the lemon mixture until no streaks remain.

Pour filling onto the crust and smooth into an even layer. 

Sprinkle the reserved graham cracker crumbs and remaining lemon zest evenly over the top. Cover and freeze until firm, at least 3 hours or up to overnight.

When frozen, use the foil overhang to lift the lemon freeze out of the pan and place on a cutting board. Cut into 12 bars, wiping the knife clean between each cut. Return bars to pan, using the foil, to keep frozen until ready to serve. Return any leftovers to the pan, cover, and return to freezer. Bars keep several days.

Makes 12 bars. 

💕 Click here for a free printable PDF! 

What are your favorite places to find new recipes -- besides here at Mystery Lovers' Kitchen? 

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.

Confessions of a Habitual Griller- I grilled a melon and it actually worked by Ang Pompano

 

ANG POMPANO: One of the earliest lessons I learned was, "Don't play with your food." But when I heard about grilling watermelon, I had to give it a shot. I had no recipe, no clue how it was supposed to be done—as a habitual griller, that just made it more tempting. I'd been waiting all summer to try, yet every time we brought one home, my family devoured it before I could get near the grill. Then one day I spotted a perfect honeydew in the fridge and though, close enough. This was my chance to play. (Sorry, Ma!) I figured the internet was full of recipes, but where’s the fun in that? I wanted to see if I could create my own. So, I played around with grilling honeydew and came up with a method that actually worked.

What you’ll need for this simple recipe:

Melon (or any other fruit you’d like to experiment with. I plan to try watermelon or peaches next.)

Olive oil

Mixed greens

Dressing of choice

First, I peeled the melon and cut it into roughly one-inch chunks so they wouldn’t fall through the grill grates. The next time I'll probably try slices and cut them up after grilling.

Then I coated them with olive oil because, let’s be honest, EVOO makes everything taste better. 

I fired up the grill, put the chunks on with the heat on high and the lid open… and tasted a piece. Just regular honeydew.

Next, I closed the lid and let the temperature climb to 350°F, which seemed like a safe bet. After a few minutes, I tried another piece. Sweeter, yes, but still not worth the effort.

Then I noticed the searing section on the grill and decided to give it one last shot. Four minutes later, I opened the lid. Success! 

The honeydew chunks tasted like candy. Too good to eat on their own, I tossed them into a salad with a simple olive oil dressing. Annette and I had a lunch worth breaking the rules for. 

You can follow my method or look up a recipe yourself. I’m sure there are plenty of tips I could have used, but it wouldn’t have been half as fun as playing around until I got it right.

What about you? Have you ever grilled fruit? Or made up a recipe from scratch? I’d love to hear about it. Let me know in the comments, and you’ll be in a drawing for a free e-book of Blood Ties and Deadly Lies. Don't forget to leave your e-mail address.

Ang Pompano is a mystery author, editor, publisher and blogger.  He writes the Blue Palmetto Detective Agency, and the Reluctant Food Columnist series, both published by Level Best Books. In addition to his writing, Ang is a co-founder of Crime Spell Books and serves as co-editor of the Best New England Crime Stories anthology. He blogs about food on Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen. He lives in Connecticut with his wife, Annette, an artist, and their two rescue dogs.

 

BUY LINK

When It’s Time for Leaving by Ang Pompano

Al DeLucia walked away from the police—and his past. But when his long-lost father leaves him a detective agency in Savannah, Al finds himself trapped between family secrets and a murder on the agency’s dock. Partnered with Maxine Brophy, a fierce detective who doesn’t trust him, Al is pulled into a deadly search through Savannah and the Okefenokee Swamp—where the truth about the case, and his father, may cost him everything.

BUY LINK

Blood Ties and Deadly Lies by Ang Pompano

Al DeLucia returns to Sachem Creek expecting a kayak race and a chance to confront his childhood bully, Abe Cromwell. Instead, he finds a dead lawyer, a web of deceit, and Abe claiming they’re brothers by DNA. Reluctantly joined by Maxine Brophy, his formidable partner and girlfriend, Al dives into a murder investigation that exposes land swindles, hidden maps, and buried family secrets. In a town where the past won’t stay buried, Al must face truths that could upend everything.

Comming soon: The Reluctant Food Columnist series

Book 1—Diet of Death 

Book 2 —Simmering Secrets 

Savory Spice -- Welcome a real-life Mistress of Spice!

LESLIE BUDEWITZ: Last spring, at Left Coast Crime in Denver, I took a group of readers to Savory Spice on Platte St., a branch of the Colorado-based spice company not far from the hotel. We sniffed, sampled, tasted, and shopped -- and laughed a LOT. The shop is in a historic building -- as another reader said when she saw my photos, it feels like you're walking around my fictional spice shop in Seattle's Pike Place Market! 

So I'm delighted to welcome to the blog today Rebecca Brandt, who manages the two shops in Denver, with a tale of her life in spice and a fun recipe. (And you know I love it when a spice queen raves about her job -- and sounds a lot like my Pepper Reece! Plus I can vouch for Savory Spice's ground cumin -- I'd run out, after all the recipe testing for To Err is Cumin -- I picked up a bag in the shop and it's terrific!) 

You've got to love a recipe that refers to "the guts"!

And scroll down for a special offer!

REBECCA BRANDT, SAVORY SPICE: I never would have imagined that, after 20 years behind a desk in a high-pressure office environment, I would find my new professional home in a spice shop in bustling downtown Denver, but here I am! Savory Spice Shop is a proud Colorado company, established in 2004, with shops now across the Denver Metro area and the country. I’ve been lucky enough to work here for the past nine years, eventually becoming manager of two of our Denver shop locations.

It's been exciting to work with both home cooks and professional chefs, some who are looking to re-create a flavor blend that they remember from their youth or, as is more often the case, their global travels. One of my favorite experiences was to work with a customer  to develop her own custom Shawarma spice blend as a gift for colleagues who assisted her in a successful employment search! After a few afternoons of blending and tasting, we were able to land on a perfect recipe that we blended here at the shop for her to package in bespoke jars and send off around the country. That is the perfect example of why I really love this position: I cross paths every day with people who are passionate about cooking delicious food for themselves and the ones they love. Assisting cooks of all levels and open their taste buds to new experiences has been a true gift.

My own spice story started relatively late in life. After making a lot of prepackaged and processed food throughout college and grad school, I came across a few good cookbooks that were simple and inspiring. When I moved to Denver from the East Coast, I started to become more comfortable in the kitchen and ventured out to the local spice shop (the very same one where I now work!) for ground cumin. The flavor was nothing like I had ever had from the grocery store, and I was hooked! I saw the value in buying spices in small quantities to keep them fresh and even buying whole spices to toast and grind at home.

Each location of Savory Spice Shop carries two signature blends that are unique to that location, and each signature blend is handmade locally at each shop. One of the standouts is the Northside Hatch Dip, a zingy bright green chile-based blend with onion and garlic flavors. Our goal in crafting this blend was to recreate a chile dip from a local dairy with a cult following among Denverites. While the blend is marketed as a dip, we encourage our customers to think outside of the box and use it in creative ways: in guacamole, with roasted potatoes, and to brighten up a chicken tortilla soup!

One of my favorite current spices in our shop is the Aleppo Chile Flakes, an oily fruity bright red chile flake with a medium-range heat level. When I teach our kimchi class, it is the preferred alternative to the traditional korean chile flake, gochugaru. I loosely based this recipe on one from Edward Lee, a Korean-American chef out of New York. 

Napa Cabbage Kimchi, by Rebecca Brandt of Savory Spice (adapted from Edward Lee, Smoke and Pickles) 

Makes one tightly packed gallon jar

Cabbage

1 large or 2 small Napa cabbage, about 4 to 5 pounds

1 ½ gallon water

1 cup kosher salt

Kimchi Paste (optional)

3 cups water 

¾ cup sweet (glutinous) rice flour (this is a gluten-free product)

¼ cup sugar

Guts

½ -1 cup chopped onions

½ c - 2 ½ cups Aleppo chile flakes, depending upon your taste (I use about 3/4 cup)

10 ounces grated daikon radish

4 ounces grated ginger

6 cloves of chopped garlic

1/3 cup fish sauce or vegetarian fish sauce (optional)

Add

2 cups chopped scallions before packing into jar(s)

Method

1. First slice the cabbage lengthwise into quarters. Core out the heart. Fit the cabbage into a large container and add the water and salt. Leave at room temperature for 2 hours. Drain and rinse the cabbage. Roughly chop the cabbage into about 2-inch portions following the length of the cabbage. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.

2. To make the kimchi paste, combine the water, sweet rice flour and sugar in a pot and bring to a simmer. Stir constantly until the mixture thickens approximately 1 to 2 minutes. Allow it to cool while making the guts.

3. To make the guts, add the onions, chili flakes, radish, ginger, garlic and fish sauce into a food processor or high speed blender, and puree on high until well combined.

4. Fold the guts into the cooled paste. Add the chopped scallions. Wearing clean gloves, mix this thoroughly into the cabbage and massage thoroughly. Transfer to a clean glass jar or an air-tight plastic container (reserved only for kimchi) with a tight fitting lid – but cover loosely at this time.

5. Leave this container out at room temperature for 24 hours to 4 days (covered loosely). Then store in the refrigerator with the lid screwed tightly. It will be ready to eat in several days but will keep for another 6+ months.

Suggested uses for kimchi: in Bibimbap (a Korean rice bowl with egg), kimchi fried rice, and kimchi jigae (stew), or alongside any fish or meat for a touch of bright flavor! 

Enjoy!

Doesn't that gorgeous bowl full of spices make you want to make this recipe, if for no other reason? What new recipes or spices have you tried recently?

A special offer for Mystery Lovers' Kitchen readers, call into the Savory Spice shop at Platte Street and place a phone order (or come in person) and mention Mystery Lovers' Kitchen for a 15% discount (good through 11/1/25).  And if you'd like to browse in person in another location, here's the company store directory. 

A few shots from our visit last March:

Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread #recipe from Molly MacRae

 

Zucchini is versatile and so is this recipe. You can make it as muffins, as one big loaf, or as two smaller loaves (adjusting the baking time accordingly). You can add nuts, substitute butter for all or some of the vegetable oil, leave out the cinnamon, or add other spices—cardamom comes to mind. It took a long time to bake but the day was cool and the smells coming from the oven were delectable.

 

Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Ingredients

1 ½ cups sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

1 cup vegetable oil

3 large eggs

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 cups finely grated zucchini, slightly drained (I pressed it a bit between paper towels)

1 cup chocolate chips

 

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease or spray a large (9”x5”) loaf pan or line it with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, beat together sugars, oil, eggs, and vanilla until thoroughly combined.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon.

Gradually add dry ingredients into the sugar mixture and mix until just combined. Fold in zucchini until it’s evenly distributed in the batter. Stir in chocolate chips.

Pour batter into prepared loaf pan, spreading so top is somewhat level.

Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean, 60 – 75 minutes.

 

Take time to curl up with a trio of 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.