Around the Kitchen Table: Celebrating Spring! + 8-Book #Giveaway!

     

PEG COCHRAN/MARGARET LOUDON:  Spring is finally here.  The season is a symbol of renewal, growth and rebirth and much anticipated after the long winter.  Just like the season changes, does your dinner menu change with it?  I find myself turning toward lighter dishes and putting away my recipes for soups and stews until it’s fall.  Salads like this Asian chicken salad are on the menu again along with lighter dishes like chicken satay or these chicken gyros done on the grill.
 

 

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MADDIE DAY: Oh, yes. Even when New England seems to have an iron grip on winter, the long days still draw me to brighter flavors and lighter tastes. 

I always host Easter lunch, and serve a cold poached salmon with a dill-sour cream sauce and sliced cucumbers. 

It's pink, white, and green, and so lovely. Even though our local asparagus won't be out until May, when I'm invited to a potluck I often hunt down a bunch of spears grown farther south, steam them, and lightly dress with a homemade vinaigrette. When I've planned my garden well, I'll have salad greens to cut sometime in April, but dreams of incorporating local strawberries has to wait for June.

In my first guest post for the Kitchen, I shared an herbed spring-garlic quiche recipe. You don't have to wait! 

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LESLIE BUDEWITZ: Here in Northwest Montana, the calendar may say "spring," but the weather has other ideas! Spring flowers and early spring vegetables don't really crop up for a few more weeks, and even hardy bulbs like daffs and crocus aren't quite in bloom. But that doesn't stop us from pretending! Mr. Right and I are huge fans of asparagus, and I've shared a lot of asparagus recipes here, including this fabulous Puff Pastry with Asparagus, Brie, and Honey  -- tasty little pockets of spring! 

 

This Asparagus Soup with Cumin, from To Err is Cumin: A Spice Shop Mystery, bridges the gap between the calendar and the clouds nicely, with the comfort of soup and the warmth of cumin on one side and the delight of spring green on the other.  Lemon is another bright taste that suits the changing seasons, whether you use it in a main dish, like this Lemon Arugula Pasta, or this creamy but light Lemon Mousse. 

Here's to lighter, brighter days, my friends, in the kitchen and beyond! 

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KIM DAVIS: Since I live in coastal Southern California, we don't have a huge swing in seasonal temperatures. Honestly, it can be 90+ degrees any time of the year even during the winter (thank you... NOT... to the Santa Ana winds), and a chilly, overcast mid 60s in the summer which we call June-Gloom. We never quite know what we'll be getting outside of our 10-day forecast. We're also blessed to have local, fresh produce year round so I've never really cooked according to the season. Instead I choose whatever sounds good or whatever suggestions my family come up with or whenever a new recipe catches my eye. 

Fresh garden salads (often from lettuce we've grown ourselves) are served just about every day, and I serve fish at least once a week like my Salmon with Maple & Dijon Sauce or my Baked Parmesan Pesto Tilapia. Another family favorite that I make year round are Zucchini Taco Boats which are probably more aligned with spring/summer. But if someone has a craving for beef stew or chicken tortilla soup in the middle of an August heat wave, I'll happily prepare the dish and crank up the air conditioning. 

Wishing you all a delicious spring! 

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LUCY BURDETTE: In Connecticut, spring means the vegetables at the farmer's market and John's asparagus are in! Peas, chives, arugula, broccolini, overwintered carrots--I love them all. Here's a recipe I'd forgotten about, with veggies on polenta with Parmesan crisps. 

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LESLIE KARST: Here in Hawai‘i, of course, the weather doesn’t change a whole lot with the seasons, but since March is traditionally the rainiest month of the year, often bringing the famous Kona storms (and the state sure saw that happen this last March!), the arrival of April can mark the return of the typical mild trade wind weather. So yes, cold dishes and salads!

One of my favorites is this simple and delicious ramen salad, always a hit at potlucks. 

And this green bean salad with queso fresco is also quite refreshing. Or how about this Japanese restaurant-style salad, with a yummy mayonnaise based dressing with soy sauce and a bit of sugar? And to top off any of the above, may I recommend making your own pickled onions—so easy and such a great addition to so many foods! 
 

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VMBURNS: I'm not sure that Georgia got the memo about the weather. A couple of weeks ago we had snow, and yesterday I turned on the air conditioning. But, I'm starting to look for lighter meals like this Cowboy Pasta Salad. With the addition of ground beef, it's hearty enough for when the weather is fickle, but doesn't require a lot of time slaving over a stove or oven. Plus, it's super tasty. 

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DARCI HANNAH: Living in Michigan, and after our bitter cold winters, the slightly warmer days of spring are very welcome. I look forward to more sunshine and longer days. Once spring is here I start craving lighter meals. However, the temperature in Michigan can fluctuate so greatly from one day to the next, going from sixty degrees and sunny down to twenty degrees and snowy, that it's hard to fully embrace salads and cold dishes. I look forward to Easter where we often see asparagus at the stores for the first time all year. Our family also loves to celebrate with leg of lamb and mint jelly. There's just something about the taste of mint jelly that reminds me of spring! As our dinners get slightly lighter from stews and heavy pastas to more chicken and fish dishes, I also start to crave brighter and more citrus-y flavors. Since I'm a baker that directly translates into treats like lemon bars and lemon scones that I bake for my family and friends. Honestly, I think the changing of the seasons affects my baking more than my cooking! 

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MOLLY MacRAE: During my years working in delicatessens, from the late 60s into the mid-70s (my salad days?), I noticed an interesting phenomenon. Every spring, when the world started turning green with tender shoots and leaves, people just wanted to eat it up. It made me wonder. If we hadn’t served the beautiful green salads they craved, would they have gone back outside to join the rabbits for a good graze? Here’s a recipe for a delicious arugula, carrot, and chickpea salad any self-respecting rabbit might love. 

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CLEO COYLE: When you find yourself shivering in a freezing garage at 3 AM, blowing a hair dryer on a frozen water pipe and praying it won’t burst, you jump for joy at the first sign of springtime, and Marc and I are not just happy but relieved to see those tiny green buds finally appearing on our trees here in Queens and cherry blossoms blooming up the street. Soon the wild violets will be peeking their purple heads up in our back yard, and we’re looking forward to those, too, along with some Mason Jar Cold Brew Coffee...

As for the food, we tend to eat more fresh vegetables at this time of year, but we still love our baked treats like this Easy Melted Gelato Cake. You can adapt the recipe to any gelato flavor, though the pistachio (pictured below) nicely celebrates the season of green. And in that spirit... We wish you all a Happy Easter and Happy Spring! ~ Cleo

For Cleo's Easy Melted Gelato Cake recipe,
click here or on the image above.

Readers, how about you?

Does your menu change with the seasons or are you just as likely to whip up a pot of soup in the summer as well as in the winter?  Comment to be entered in this month's giveaway!   

Murder Uncorked by Maddie Day 

Murder at the Lemonberry Tea by Darci Hannah 

Where the Bodies Are Berried 
by Peg Cochran 

 
Essentials of Murder by Kim Davis 
 
Snakeberry by Ang Pompano 

All Shell Breaks Loose (ARC)
by Molly MacRae 

A Deadly Feast by Lucy Burdette 
 
Bulletproof Barista by Cleo Coyle 

🔎📚🔍

Comments Open 

Through Wednesday 

April 8

Be sure to leave 
your email address. 

Coconut Banana Bread #Recipe PegCochran/Margaret Loudon

 

I wanted to make something special for Easter breakfast but with all the other cooking and preparing, I also wanted something simple.  This easy coconut banana bread fit the bill. I thought the addition of coconut made it special and more "spring like".             

3 very ripe bananas mashed (1 ½ cups)

1/3 cup melted butter

1 cup sugar  

1 beaten egg  

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp baking soda

pinch of salt

1 1/2 cups flour

½ cup coconut shredded or flaked plus extra for topping (optional)

 

Preheat oven to 350

Mix all ingredients by hand until well incorporated

 

Pour into a greased bread pan  

 

 Sprinkle top with coconut if desired.

 

Bake 50 to 60 minutes until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean (check at about 50 minutes)

 

 

  

 

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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Ham and Cheese Quiche from Vicki Delany

Many Canadian families have a ham for Easter dinner.  We will be in my house this year.  A big ham usually means a meaty bone to make bean soup with after, as well as plenty of leftovers.  This is a nice way to use up some of that delicious cooked ham.  But not too much, you want lots for sandwiches too.

I used a pre-made pastry here, but of course you can make your own. 

Ham and Cheese Quiche

Ingredients

1 (9 inch) refrigerated pie pastry

1 cup grated Cheddar cheese

½ cup grated Swiss cheese

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

½ cup diced cooked ham

2 tablespoons honey mustard

1 ¼ cups half-and-half

5 eggs, beaten

¼ cup chopped green onions

¼ teaspoon salt

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F

Press pastry into the bottom of a 9-inch pie plate.

Bake pastry for 5 minutes. Poke holes into the pastry with a fork and continue cooking until lightly browned, about 5 minutes more.

Remove crust from the oven, and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F

Mix 1/2 cup Cheddar cheese, Swiss cheese, and 1 tablespoon flour in a bowl; spread over warm crust.

Mix ham and honey mustard together in a bowl; spoon over cheese mixture.

Mix half-and-half, eggs, green onions, remaining 1 tablespoon flour, and salt together in bowl. Pour mixture carefully over ham layer; top with remaining ½ cup of Cheddar cheese.

Bake for 40 to 50 minutes until set in the center. Cool for 10 minutes before cutting.

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

Now available: The Devil in the Details, the eleventh Sherlock Holmes Bookshop novel

Coming in June: Whose Body in the Library by Eva Gates, the thirteenth Lighthouse Library mystery

Pavlova: New Zealand’s National Dessert

LUCY BURDETTE: John and I recently traveled to New Zealand--I can assure you that very little work was accomplished as I was focused on the scenery in this amazing country. Of course, you can't take the mystery writer out of the tourist, so I did come up with a few devious murder weapons. You can read more about that here. One evening, we were treated to Pavlova, which is not only New Zealand’s national dessert, but also Morelea Farms signature dessert. Our host Angie served us a delicious homestyle dinner, followed by Pavlova with whipped cream and kiwi and passion fruit.

I haven’t made pavlova yet, but I guarantee that Angie’s version was perfect and delicious. As she explained her recipe and process, she was making two more pavlovas for guests the next day. She had the kitchen cleaned up before we even finished dinner. A whirlwind in the kitchen!

Morelea Farm’s Pavlova

Ingredients

Four egg whites +4 tablespoons of water.

8 ounces sugar

1 tablespoon corn flour, a.k.a. cornstarch

1 teaspoon vanilla essence a.k.a. vanilla

1 teaspoon malt vinegar.

The eggs should be at room temperature. Separate the whites from the yolks and beat them with the water until stiff. Slowly add the sugar and beat until stiff and shiny.

Fold in the corn flour, vanilla essence, malt vinegar, taking care not to knock the air out of the meringue.

Mound the egg white mixture onto a piece of parchment paper on a baking tray, smooth out with spatula. Heat the oven to 240°C a.k.a. 464°F and slide the Pavlova onto the bottom rack. Turn the oven off and leave the meringue in the oven until it is entirely cool.

Serve with whipped cream and seasonal fruit. In New Zealand, that would be kiwi and possibly passionfruit.

Note: I am also going to post our trip leader’s mother’s recipe. As you’ll see, the ingredients are approximately the same, but the oven temperature is different. I will adjust this after I’ve tried it, but my impression is lots of different techniques will work! I can assure you that the dessert we had at Morelea Farms was perfect.

Have you made this dessert? How did yours differ from the New Zealand version?

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.

Coming July 14--isn't it gorgeous?

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!

Beacon Bakeshop’s Giant Cinnamon Rolls, #giveaway, #Easter #recipe from DarciHannah

 

Darci Hannah: Easter is right around the corner, and with that special day in mind, I thought I’d share one of my favorite recipes that I make for my family every Easter for our morning brunch. Making cinnamon rolls from scratch is truly a labor of love. The method is quite simple, but there’s no getting around the two rise times that this sweet yeast dough requires. That’s why I reserve this warm, gooey, cinnamon-flavored baked good for special occasions, like Easter.  

I come from a family that loves their gooey baked goods. I don’t remember when I had my first bite of a cinnamon roll, but I do remember when I decided to make them. I was newly married and trying to save money. Isn’t that how every great kitchen adventure starts? Well, my first attempt bombed because my dough didn’t rise, which means that I probably killed the yeast with scalding milk instead of warm milk. Over the years, I began to perfect my recipe, figuring out what worked and what didn’t until I grew confident that my cinnamon rolls would not only turn out, but would also be delicious. 

Years later when I began writing the Beacon Bakeshop Mystery Series, I knew that my protagonist Lindsey Bakewell was going to have a few key staples in her bakery cases, like giant cinnamon rolls and caramel pecan rolls. That’s because these gooey, delicious treats were always offered in my favorite bakeries, and of course, I just had to try them. Oddly enough, I’ve never put this recipe in the back of the books, so I thought I’d offer it here. If you’d like to bake some cinnamon rolls this Easter, here’s a recipe you might wish to try.

Beacon Bakeshop’s Signature Giant Cinnamon Rolls

Prep time: 2 hours.  Cook time: 30-40 minutes.   Makes 6-8 large cinnamon rolls

Ingredients:

½ cup butter, melted

2 cups whole milk, warmed to 100-110 °F

½ cup granulated sugar

1 package of active dry yeast

5 cups all-purpose flour, divided

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons salt

6-8 tablespoons heavy cream (for baking)

For the filling:

½ cup butter melted

¾ cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

For the frosting:

4 oz cream cheese, softened

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 ½ cups powdered sugar

2 tablespoons whole milk

Directions:

Grease 9 x 13 baking pan. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the warm milk, melted butter, and sugar. Gently stir the yeast into the warm mixture and let sit for 1 minute.

Add 4 cups of flour to the warm mixture and mix with a wooden spoon until the mixture is combined. Do not overwork the dough. It will be sticky, and that’s okay. Cover with a towel and set in a warm place to rise for 1 hour. The dough should double in size.

In a small bowl, mix ¾ cup of flour with the baking soda and salt. Once the dough has risen, stir in the flour mixture. Mix well and turn onto floured surface. Lightly knead the dough, adding flour as needed until dough is no longer sticky. Be careful not to overwork the dough.

Roll dough out to a large square, roughly 18 x 18 inches, trying to make the corners as even as you can. In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar and cinnamon together. Next, melt the ½ cup of butter and brush evenly on the dough. Once the dough is covered with melted butter, evenly sprinkle on the sugar mixture, making sure the entire square is covered. 

Using a sharp knife, cut the dough in 3-inch strips, making 6 rolls in all. If you want smaller rolls, cut the dough into 2-inch strips. It’s up to you. Next, roll the dough strips up into a tight roll, pinching the dough on the outside seam to seal it together. 

Place the cinnamon rolls in the prepared baking pan. Cover with a dish towel and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes. The cinnamon rolls will expand noticeably. 

Preheat oven to 350° F. 

Once rolls have risen pour 1 tablespoon of heavy cream on the top of each roll, using a pastry brush to spread it around. Bake rolls for 30 to 40 minutes, or until they rise and are a nice golden-brown. If the insides need a little longer to bake, cover the pan with tinfoil and bake 5 to 10 minutes longer. Remove from oven and let cool for 20 minutes.

While the cinnamon rolls are cooling, make the cream cheese frosting. Using an electric mixer, blend the cream cheese, melted butter, milk, and vanilla. Once blended add the powdered sugar and blend until smooth. 

Once cooled, remove the cinnamon rolls from the pan and frost the tops of each roll with the cream cheese frosting. 

Enjoy!

Print a copy of the recipe here!

Readers, for a chance to win a copy of Murder at the Beacon Bakeshop, tell me in the comments below what your favorite treat is that you buy when you visit a bakery. Don’t forget to include your email.

Darci Hannah is the bestselling author of the Beacon Bakeshop Mystery Series, the Food & Spirits Mystery Series, the Very Cherry Mystery Series, and two works of historical fiction, The Exile of Sara Stevenson, and The Angel of Blythe Hall. Darci grew up in the Midwest and currently lives in a small town in Michigan with her husband and two dogs. Darci is a lifelong lover of the Great Lakes, a natural wonder that inspires many of her stories. Passionate about family, dogs, food, baking, history, books, lighthouses, laughter, good conversations, coffee, and the paranormal, Darci feels especially blessed to have found a way to combine her interests in the stories she writes. It brings her great joy to be able to share them with you. 

Connect with Darci at www.darcihannah.com

Instagram: @authordarcihannah

Facebook: @authordarcihannah

Just Released!

Purchase link

When chef Bridget “Bunny” MacBride got a role on the reality show Food & Spirits, she thought “spirits” meant cocktails. Instead, she’s cooking up dinners meant to tempt the departed to appear. And to her surprise, she’s discovered abilities to connect with the beyond—and crack murder cases . . .

Now that Bunny’s entrées come with a side of the Other Side, it comes in handy to have a grandma who’s friendly with the elderly owners of a haunted Scottish castle. During Bunny’s childhood she heard all about Dundoon’s bloody history and the “ghostly piper” who roamed the grounds—and soon she’ll be visiting the ancient place with her ghost hunter and psychic co-stars. The annual bagpipe competition in the late piper’s honor will make for some good footage as well. 

After Bunny serves a feast fit for a 17th century king, including lamb chops with plenty of fresh herbs, she heads outdoors for the ghost hunt. But in the dark, dense fog, someone fatally plunges from the clifftop over the loch. The sound that follows is a mournful, otherworldly bagpipe . . . and once the body of another perished piper is retrieved, Bunny is determined to solve this Highlands homicide—and prevent a killer from getting off scot-free . . .

Trade Paperback Release!

 Purchase Link

While filming at a haunted English manor, chef Bunny MacBride’s big break on her first reality TV show may be cut short by an unscripted murder in Darci Hannah’s new Food & Spirits cozy mystery series . . .

It isn’t how chef Bridget “Bunny” MacBride imagined her own cooking show unfolding. But, if preparing historic meals with a modern flair is what it takes to get her cooking on the air, she can deliver, even if her dinner guest is a ghost. That’s the premise of the new reality TV show Food & Spirits, where Chef Bunny teams up with ghost hunter Brett Bloom and psychic medium Giff McGrady to visit haunted locales around the world and tempt lingering spirits back to the table with a beloved meal. For their first episode, the Food & Spirits team sets off to investigate Bramsford Manor, a historic house turned famously haunted hotel, in picturesque Hampshire, England. The sprawling estate is said to be home to the Mistletoe Bride, a young woman who died in the 18th century, the victim of a tragic accident on her Christmas wedding night.

Bunny leaves the spectral search to the pros and focuses on the feast, creating a traditional English holiday wedding dinner, complete with a gorgeous prime rib, Yorkshire pudding, and rustic apple tarts. But Bunny’s task is made more difficult when someone steals a boning knife from her custom kit. Alas, when the blade finally turns up again—in the chest of an all-too-human dinner guest—Bunny’s woes only grow as she is named a lead suspect in the case! Now, with a haunted house full of living residents, staff, and crew, Bunny will need the help of Brett, Giff, and her clairvoyant Grandma Mac, to solve this murder before the manor gains another ghost!

Coming this July!

Book #7 in the Beacon Bakeshop Mystery Series

Preorder today!

When Lindsey Bakewell leaves behind her lighthouse bakeshop, her boyfriend, Rory, and her Newfoundland dog, Wellington, for a glamping trip with her mother in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, the bears leave them alone—but a killer doesn’t. . .

Converting the old Beacon Point lighthouse into a bakery is as adventurous as Lindsey cares to get. Her mother, Ellie, a former 80s fashion model, likes her creature comforts even more—until she sees a business opportunity for her Beacon Harbor fashion boutique when she’s invited by the Mitten Kittens Glamping Club on a woodsy getaway.

Far from roughing it, the ladies will be warm and cozy in chic vintage campers. Ellie insists Lindsey come along to win the campfire cookout contest. Campfire cooking has come a long way from bacon and beans. Soon Lindsey is making pizza, berry cobbler, and gooey Carmelita camping bars.

But the festive spirit is soon dampened when a body is found in Ellie’s camper. It seems like an accidental death until everyone’s tires are slashed and it’s clear the glampsite has become a crime scene. With no cell service to call for help, it’s up to Lindsey to smoke out the killer around the campfire . . .

Because no one is out of the woods yet.