Salted Apricot Blondies -- a treat from Leslie Budewitz

LESLIE BUDEWITZ:  Last year at Left Coast Crime in Denver, the mystery fan convention, a group of readers and I made a delightful visit to Savory Spice, the Denver-based spice company with locations across the country. We had a wonderful time and each of us took home spices, blends, and recipes to enjoy. I shared one, for Scallops and Snow Pea Salad earlier this year. 

If you were lucky enough to buy their Saffron Salt, available only in February, then I’ve got another wonderful treat for you from the Savory Spice recipe box. If not, never fear! Any large-crystal salt will do nicely. You can use ground cardamom or grind up a few seeds. 

As a friend said when she saw the shop’s historic building, you half expect my Pepper Reece to greet you!

I’ve rewritten the directions to make this a one-pan, no-bowl recipe. Not what the pictures show, but it's not the first recipe I've made several times but only photographed once! 

The chopped apricots are a treat for the tongue, just like the shop itself is a treat for the senses! 

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

Scroll down to the 💕 for the link. 

Salted Apricot Blondies, adapted from Savory Spice

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

1/2 teaspoon Saffron Salt, plus more to sprinkle, or any good crystal salt

1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom

1 cup (packed) light brown sugar

1 egg

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup dried apricots, finely chopped 

1/2 cup pecans, chopped 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8" square pan with parchment paper. 

In a small saucepan on medium-low heat, melt butter with salt and cardamom. 

Stir in the brown sugar. Remove from heat. 

Add the egg and stir until well-blended, cooling mixture briefly first if necessary to avoid scrambling the egg! 

Stir in flour, apricots, and pecans. The batter will be very thick.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Spread mixture evenly and sprinkle generously with  Saffron Salt or crystal salt. 

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the blondies comes out clean. Let cool completely in the pan before cutting and serving.

Enjoy!

💕 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.

Eggs in Purgatory: The Dish My Wife Warned Me About by Ang Pompano — Plus a givaway!

Ang Pompano: Eggs in Purgatory, uova in purgatorio, belongs to the great Italian tradition of cucina povera. The phrase translates to “poor kitchen,” but it’s less about scarcity than ingenuity, turning a few simple staples into something that actually satisfies.

This is everyday food. The kind you make because you’re hungry and want something good, not because you’re trying to impress anyone. It’s practical, unfussy, and built more on instinct than instruction.

Somehow this dish, eggs poached in tomato sauce, slipped right past me growing up. The bubbling red tomato sauce stands in for the fires of purgatory, while the white eggs floating in it represent souls awaiting redemption. I only came across it recently while watching A Taste of Murder on BritBox. It looked so simple and so good that I figured it was worth a try, even with my wife warning me it was one meal she’d always skipped as a kid.

Turns out, she may have been missing out.

I thought it was terrific. It works just as well for breakfast as it does for lunch or dinner, especially eaten straight from the pan with good Italian bread dragged through the sauce. After a little coaxing, Annette gave it a shot and admitted it was better than she remembered. Which, in this house, counts as a ringing endorsement.

This recipe serves 2

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil

1 clove garlic, thinly sliced (you can use more if you'd like)

1/4 Sliced onion

1 can of crushed tomatoes

4 large eggs

Salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes (to taste)

Fresh basil (optional)

Grated Parmesan (optional)

Italian bread, for serving

Instructions

In a medium skillet over medium heat, cook the garlic and onions lightly. 

Pour in the crushed tomatoes and add the red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Simmer gently for about 8–10 minutes, until slightly thickened.

Use a spoon to make four little wells in the sauce. Crack an egg into each. Then cover the pan and cook until the whites are set but the yolks are still soft, about 4–6 minutes. If the whites are too runny you can spoon a little sauce over them.

Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Serve from the pan or in a bowl with Italian bread for scooping.

Readers, Would you try Eggs in Purgatory, or is that one you’d leave to the sinners? And what’s a dish you once avoided but ended up liking? Drop an answer below and be entered to win a copy of Bloodroot: Best New England Crime Stories. BE SURE TO LEAVE YOUR EMAIL 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 lives in Connecticut with his wife, Annette, an artist, and their rescue dog Alfie.

Just Released!

Diet of Death

by Ang Pompano

The first in the Reluctant Food Columnist series.

Buy Link

Betty Ann Green is a beloved culinary icon…who doesn’t exist. She is the brilliant, beautiful illusion created by two unlikely collaborators. Behind the façade is Quincy Lazzaro, a culinarily challenged writer whose witty, sharp prose is the public face of Betty, while those flawless, genius recipes are all thanks to his octogenarian neighbor, Mary Ticarelli.

When the arrogant diet guru, Dr. Alan Tolzer, inventor of the Westport Diet, demands a face-to-face interview, Quincy reluctantly steps in as Betty’s frontman, only for Tolzer to drop dead. The police call it natural causes, but Quincy knows better. He sees it as the investigative break he’s been waiting for.

Now, caught between a crime-solving grandma, a no-nonsense detective girlfriend, and a killer who may be one step ahead, Quincy must unravel the mystery before the killer strikes again.

When It’s Time for Leaving

by Ang Pompano

Buy Link

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.

Blood Ties and Deadly Lies

by Ang Pompano

Buy Link

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.

Snakeberry: Best New England Crime Stories 2025

Edited by

Christine Bagley, Susan Oleksiw, Ang Pompano, and Leslie Wheeler

BUY LINK

Every year the anthology brings welcome surprises and satisfactions, and this year is no different, featuring stories by 21 of New England’s best crime writers.

Includes “Minnie the Air Raid Warden” by Ang Pompano.

Welcome Guest Ashley-Ruth Bernier #pumpkinfritters

  LUCY BURDETTE: I’m delighted to welcome Ashley-Ruth to our kitchen today. Her first novel sounds delicious, as do her fritters! Don’t forget to add a comment to be entered in the drawing for The Bush Tree Murder!

ASHLEY-RUTH BERNIER: I’m often asked about the inspiration for my culinary based stories about St. Thomian food journalist Naomi Sinclair, and my answer always begins the same way: with my grandmother’s cookbooks. 

My grandmother, Ruth Moolenaar, and I bear a lot of similarities. Like me, she was an elementary school educator, and she also wrote several books throughout her lifetime, although hers were nonfiction and focused on the history of Virgin Islands neighborhoods and people. Perhaps the biggest similarity? We both collected books. Lots of them. Over her 99 years, my grandmother amassed a treasure trove of books that she proudly displayed in her “library room”---mostly volumes about the Virgin Islands, Caribbean, and African Diaspora—and although I observed and marveled at her collection over the years, I never realized the true extent of it until she passed away in 2018. Many of the books were decades old, written by Virgin Islands cultural icons, and out of print. I got to take them home with me, and felt like I’d inherited a fortune.

I gravitated to the books about food and plants first. A yellowing paperback called “Herbs and Proverbs” inspired my short story “Ripen”, which was nominated for a Derringer Award in 2023, and also made it into The Best American Mystery and Suspense 2023. A petite and fragile book barely held together by its plastic binding inspired the rest of the stories, which together provide the base for my debut novel, THE BUSH TEA MURDER. This older cookbook, “Virgin Islands Native Recipes”, may have just cost my grandmother $2.50 when she bought it back in 1954, but to me, this volume is priceless.

While there are many fantastic recipes in this book—some of which I’ve never heard of, as they’d fallen out of fashion before my generation showed up—the one I’m highlighting today is pumpkin fritters. Pumpkins seem to be seasonal eating here in the continental United States, but in the Virgin Islands, they’re year-round fare. I used to make a version of this recipe when we still lived on-island and large pumpkins—bumpy and green on the outside, vivid orange on the inside—grew wild in our backyard. Although canned pumpkin is a perfectly fine substitute, there’s something special about boiling and mashing a fresh one!

Here’s a photo of the recipe. It’s pretty spare, I know! The good news is that the recipe is simple enough to make quickly. First, I gathered all my ingredients, but I made a few modifications I’m sure the 1954 Women’s League of St. Thomas would approve. First, I added a teaspoon of almond essence in addition to the vanilla—almond essence is a big part of the VI flavor base for sweets. I also added a dash of nutmeg. Finally, I added ¼ cup of milk and ¼ cup of water instead of the full ½ cup of water for a richer flavor. 

I combined my ingredients in order, which made a thick batter. This yielded about 25 small fritters. 

I’ll also note that I used self-rising flour, although the recipe doesn’t specify which kind of flour to use. This makes a rounder, fluffier fritter. Using all-purpose flour results in a flatter, denser fritter (which also tastes fantastic!). The kind of pot you use matters as well. I used a cast iron pot to fry these. It’s old—it originally belonged to my husband's grandmother, who ran an elementary school cafeteria for decades. It’s thick and heavy, perfect for this recipe. I used vegetable oil for frying.

These can be enjoyed on their own or as part of a traditional Virgin Islands breakfast that includes bush tea, a boiled egg, saltfish, chopped greens (spinach and okra), and either a sweet fritter or johnny cake. The sweetness in the fritter is a great balance for the savory elements on the plate.

   I hope you enjoy these fritters, and that they bring to mind the feeling of a cozy Caribbean kitchen. If you’d like more Virgin Islands cuisine and a whole lot of mystery, check out my debut novel, THE BUSH TEA MURDER, available April 21st from Crooked Lane Books!

Ashley-Ruth M. Bernier’s work has appeared in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, Black Cat Weekly, The Best American Mystery and Suspense 2023, and other esteemed anthologies. Originally from St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Ashley-Ruth writes mysteries highlighting the vibrant culture of her home. Ashley-Ruth is a 2022 winner of NCWN’s Jacobs-Jones award, a 2023 SMFS Derringer finalist, a Killer Nashville Claymore finalist, a 2024 recipient of MWA’s Barbara Neely grant for Black mystery writers, and a 2026 Agatha and Derringer Award nominee. THE BUSH TEA MURDER is her first novel-length work. She currently lives with her family and teaches first grade in Apex, North Carolina. 

Links:

   Facebook: Ashley-Ruth Moolenaar Bernier

   Instagram/Threads: armbernier

   Bluesky: armbernier.bsky.social

Creamy Garlic Chicken Thighs #Recipe Peg Cochran/Margaret Loudon

 

 

This recipe is from the Country Cook.  I made it pretty much according to the recipe, adjusting seasoning to taste.  It's quick and easy enough for a weeknight dinner but still special enough to serve to company.  It was a big hit even with our pickiest eater!

For the Chicken:

▢ 4-5 bone-in skin on chicken thighs (about 2 pounds)

▢ 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

▢ 1 teaspoon garlic powder

▢ ½ teaspoon salt

▢ ½ teaspoon black pepper  

▢ 2 Tablespoons olive oil  

For the Creamy Garlic Sauce:

▢ 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter  

▢ 5-8 cloves garlic, sliced in half

▢ 2 Tablespoons flour (I used gluten free)

▢ 1 cup chicken broth.   

½ tsp ground pepper   

▢ ½ cup heavy cream  

▢ ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese.    

▢ ½ teaspoon salt or to taste

 

Season both sides of the chicken thighs with the Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.

 

Heat the olive oil over medium heat and brown chicken on both sides.  Set chicken aside.

Melt butter over medium heat and add garlic.  Sauté until fragrant, about 1 to 2 minutes.

Sprinkle in flour and whisk, cook for a minute or so.

 

Whisk in chicken broth.  Scrape up browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

 

Whisk in heavy cream, Parmesan cheese and salt and pepper to taste.  Simmer until sauce begins to thicken.

Return chicken to pan and simmer 5 to 8 minutes until chicken is cooked through.

 

 

  

 

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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