GUEST Mia P. Manansala--Chai Hot Chocolate #giveaway

 

Leslie Karst here, pleased as punch--I mean hot chocolate--to bring you a delicious recipe for yes, chai hot chocolate, from the marvelous Mia P. Manansala. And she's giving away a copy of her newest book, Death and Dinuguan, to one lucky commenter! Take it away, Mia!

Happy New Year, everyone! Hope you have a 2026 that's as sweet and satisfying as this drink.

The final book in my Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mystery series, DEATH AND DINUGUAN, is centered around an attack on the town’s new chocolate shop owners during the lead up to Valentine’s Day. As such, much of the food mentioned in the book is focused on chocolate. While I had fun coming up with fancy truffle, fudge, and chocolate bar recipes, my favorite recipe experiments were the creative spins on hot chocolate that my main character, Lila, and her partners served at the Brew-ha Cafe: Ube White Hot Chocolate, Mexican Hot Chocolate, as well as the Chai Hot Chocolate that I’m sharing below. Each drink is inspired by the cafe owners’ backgrounds and is a delicious way to fight the winter blahs.

The hot chocolate drinks served at the Brew-ha Cafe are rather decadent (Adeena, the barista, does not have the word “moderation” in her vocabulary) but I don’t like making my everyday drinks too rich, so I’ve included a range for how much chocolate to add. The higher the amount, the richer it gets, so make sure to adjust your sweetener accordingly!

Chai Hot Chocolate Recipe
Yield: about one 12oz mug

Ingredients:

1 TBSP loose-leaf chai or 2 chai teabags 
2 cups milk of choice
1 TBSP cocoa powder
2-4 TBSP chocolate chips or good quality chocolate bar, chopped up
2 TBSP brown sugar, jaggery, or sweetener of choice (or to taste)
Pinch of salt, optional

 

Directions:

Add the milk and chai to a medium saucepan. Choose a saucepan that’s slightly larger than you think you need since milk has a tendency to boil up.

Heat on medium until the milk comes to a simmer, then turn to low/medium-low and let simmer for 5 minutes.

 

Add the cocoa powder, chocolate, sweetener, and salt (if using) to the mixture and whisk until the chocolate is fully melted and everything is well-incorporated. Taste and adjust to your palate. Too sweet or rich? Add more milk. Not sweet or rich enough? Add more chocolate or sweetener. You want a stronger chai flavor? Add another teabag or spoonful of tea leaves and let steep for a few minutes.

 

 

Once you get the flavor how you like it, turn off the heat. If using teabags, remove them now and pour the chai hot chocolate into a mug. If using tea leaves, ladle the mixture through a handheld strainer directly into your mug.

 

You can get fancy and top it with whipped cream, a sprinkle of cinnamon, etc. but I prefer it straight. Enjoy! 

Mia P. Manansala (she/her) is a writer from Chicago who loves books, baking, and bad-ass women. She is the author of the multi-award-winning Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mystery series and the YA mystery, DEATH IN THE CARDS. She uses humor (and murder) to explore aspects of the Filipino diaspora, queerness, and her love for Millennial pop culture.
 
Find her on Facebook and Instagram: @MPMtheWriter 
Check out her website: www.miapmanansala.com

Find Death and Dinuguan here. 

 

 

And now for the GIVEAWAY: For all you hot chocolate drinkers out there, what’s the best hot chocolate you’ve ever had? If you don’t care for hot chocolate, what’s the best chocolate you’ve had (yes, white chocolate counts)? 

Let me know in the comments for a chance to win a signed paperback copy of DEATH AND DINUGUAN! Make sure to leave your email address in the comments. (U.S. only.)

 

Umbrian Flatbread #recipe from Molly MacRae

 

These no fuss flatbreads are fun to make and remind me of a lighter version of Irish griddle bread (also fun to make). They cook more quickly than griddle bread and they can be eaten as is or split to make sandwiches. We’ve had them with a lovely combination of sauteed mushrooms and fontina cheese. We also like them alongside soup or salad.

When you knead the dough, do it briefly ( less than a minute), just to bring it together in a smooth, cohesive mass. If you knead it the way you would a yeasted loaf or the flatbreads will be tough.

 

Umbrian Flatbread

Adapted from Milk Street Bakes by Christopher Kimball

Makes 4  

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup olive oil

 

Directions

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. In a measuring cup or bowl, combine the olive oil and water. While stirring the flour mixture, slowly add the oil and water mixture. Stir until a shaggy dough forms, adding another tablespoon of water (or 2 or 3), as needed, if the mixture is too dry.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured board. Knead until smooth and cohesive, but only for about 30 seconds, 1 minute tops. Divide the dough into four equal parts (I make one large ball and cut it into quarters). Shape each quarter into a smooth ball. Leaving the balls on the floured board, cover them with a kitchen towel and them let rest at least 15 minutes and up to an hour.

Using your hands, press each dough ball into a 5- or 6-inch round. Heat a 12-inch cast-iron skillet over medium-low until water flicked onto the surface immediately sizzles. Add a round (or two if they’ll fit) and cook until well browned in spots, 5 to 6 minutes. Flip and cook until the second side is spotty brown, another 4 or 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack. Cook the rest of the rounds the same way. Wrap the breads in a kitchen towel and set them aside until the rest of your meal is ready.

See the flatbread on the small plate above the bowl of soup?
You'll find the recipe for that Spicy Peanut Pumpkin Soup here.

💗 click here for a free, printable pdf of the Umbrian Flatbreads recipe 💗

 

Coming in June 2025!

All Shell Breaks Loose

Haunted Shell Shop book 3

 

On North Carolina’s Ocracoke Island, Maureen Nash sells exquisite seashells to locals and tourists—with Bonny the shop cat and the ghost of a Welsh pirate for company. And when needed, she steps in to help the police solve a murder . . .

Dr. Irving Allred is boasting around town that he’s about to get his hands on an authentic haunted sword. But minutes after Maureen hears the story, a woman walks into the Moon Shell, sword in hand. She found it while walking her bulldog on the beach—and its blade is stained with what looks like blood. Looks like it’s time to call the sheriff’s department.

Allred is furious that his prize is now in police custody—and even more agitated that an unknown buyer was trying to outbid him. He’s convinced the sword will lead him straight to the ghosts he’s been hunting. He’s not the only one on the Outer Banks who’s been searching for spirits, though. An odd visitor also showed up at Maureen’s shop claiming the ability to sense them . . . though somehow she didn’t seem to notice Maureen’s spectral friend hanging about.

When a man who’d been camping nearby is found cut down along the shore, Maureen starts providing some unofficial assistance to Captain Rob Tate by digging into the island’s maritime history. But it’s not the only mystery she’s facing—because the shop’s resident ghost is seeing ghosts himself . . . 

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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Creamy Tomato Lentil Soup @MaddieDayAuthor

MADDIE DAY here, with a yummy recipe for the new year - and for a new baby's parents!

My younger son and his wife, Alex, had a due date of January 2nd for the birth of their first baby. That has come and gone, but I wanted to stockpile a few easy-to-reheat vegetarian meals for them after they are home with their little boy. They live less than an hour's drive from us, so food delivery is easy.

When I saw a recipe in the New York Times Cooking section (I'm a subscriber to that and the puzzles) that used red lentils, I knew I had a winner, with a jar of red lentils in my pantry and all other ingredients at hand.

This turned out to be such an easy dish to make, and it will freeze easily to keep for whenever they're ready for it.

(Aren't they cute? I got them matching flannel shirts for Christmas.)

Whether you or yours have a new baby coming along or not, I guarantee you'll love this warming comfort soup this winter.

Creamy Tomato Lentil Soup

Adapted from a slow cooker recipe by Sarah DiGregorio in NYT Cooking

Ingredients

5 cups water

1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes

2 cups red lentils

4 garlic cloves, smashed and chopped

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon dried oregano

Black pepper

Juice of 1 lemon

2 cups grape tomatoes, roughly chopped

2 tablespoons basil pesto

¾ cup heavy cream 

Directions

In a Dutch oven or large pot, combine water, the can of tomatoes with juices, lentils, garlic, tomato paste, olive oil, salt, sugar, oregano and several generous grinds of black pepper. Bring to a boil, then stir and reduce to a simmer for one hour.

Stir in the chopped tomatoes, pesto, and lemon juice. Simmer for another half hour or more, stirring occasionally. Taste for seasoning and add more salt or pepper if necessary. 

Fifteen minutes before serving, add cream and stir. Do not let it come to a boil.

Serve with rice or cornbread and a green salad.

Note: When tomatoes and basil are ripe in season, absolutely substitute in fresh versions instead of pre-prepared.

Readers: What's your favorite warm winter meal?

News Flash - the baby boy was born in the wee hours last Sunday! Silvio Ilán Llegus-Maxwell was just under eight pounds, and after an under eight-hour labor, he and his mama are doing well, as is my son. They're now home and figuring out life with a newborn. I'll be dropping off their frozen lentil soup, plus cornbread and a cheese-broccoli quiche, this weekend. I'm over the moon to meet the newest addition to our family!

🍅🌿🍜

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.

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.