Happy Birthday, Pepper! Celebrating with spice blends and a giveaway!

LESLIE BUDEWITZ: Happy Birthday to Pepper Reece, the star of my Spice Shop mysteries! I've long known her birthday is June 2 -- by no small coincidence, the birthday of my BFF. Why that day? Why not? 

Series readers tell me how much they like Pepper, for her smarts, her loyalty, and her determination to use her skills to make the world a better place, by solving crime -- and by serving up tasty spices and blends. So today, I thought I'd share a few of her favorite blends, each of them my variation on a classic. Each has appeared in a book and on the blog, so you can follow the links to favorite recipes using the blends.

Two lucky winners will receive a $10 gift card to Bookshop. org. Talk to me in the comments for a chance to win -- tell me your favorite herb blend, a recipe you've tried from the series, or something you like about Pepper. Or guess her age! (Be sure to leave your email address.)

Reader Tracie took A&P to the Market!

I shared my Herbes de Provence recipe, inspired by a delicious trip to France, in my very first post for Mystery Lovers' Kitchen as a member of the crew, which talks about my love for Seattle's Pike Place Market, where the Spice Shop series is set, and shares a recipe for Potato and Broccoli Frittata. which originally appeared in Assault and Pepper, the first Spice Shop Mystery. (I'd been a guest before that.) The blend remains a household staple, especially good on potatoes and eggs, but in other dishes, too. I also love it in these Salted Olive Crisps. 

Herbes de Provence

A savory touch, to transport your taste buds.

2½ tablespoons dried oregano
2½ tablespoons dried thyme
2 tablespoons dried savory
2 tablespoons dried crushed lavender flowers
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried sage

Mix spices in a small bowl. Store in a jar with a tightly fitting lid. Makes just over half a cup.
As with all herb blends, experiment with your own touches. Let your taste be your guide. Other frequent additions: rosemary, sweet marjoram, or fennel seed. (Marjoram and oregano are distinct herbs but closely related and can be substituted for each other in some recipes.) Try a blend with whatever combination of the suggested herbs you have on hand. Then, next summer, grow a pot of lavender on your deck or in a sunny window!

Herbes de Provence are spectacular sprinkled on sautéed potatoes, rubbed on chicken before grilling, or best of all, in roast chicken and potatoes. Add them to a lamb or a vegetable stew—think eggplant, tomatoes, and zucchini, maybe some cannellini (white beans). Use them to season homemade croutons or tomato sauce.

Wrap a teaspoon of Herbes de Provence in cheese cloth and tie with kitchen string to make an herb bouquet, also called a bouquet garni. Drop it into a small jar of olive oil for a few days to make an infusion for salads or sautées.

Pepper’s Italian Herb Blend 

Jerry finds Killing Thyme a tasty treat!

Next up, Pepper's Italian herb blend. I first shared this in KILLING THYME, the 3d Spice Shop Mystery, in which Pepper investigates when an old friend of her mother's---a woman long thought to be dead---returns to Seattle and sets up shop in Pike Place Market.  

This is a good basic blend that you can adjust for your own taste. Remember that blends take a few hours for the flavors to meld; because of the mildness of these herbs, you can use the blend generously right away, and taste how the flavors improve over time.

3 tablespoons dried basil
2 tablespoons dried thyme
4 teaspoons dried marjoram
4 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons dried sage
2 teaspoons dried garlic flakes or garlic powder
2 teaspoons dried rosemary (break the needles with a mortar and pestle or in a small bowl with the back of a sturdy spoon)

Mix herbs in a small bowl. Yield: about 10 tablespoons, just over ½ cup.

A few recipe suggestions: This Herbed Black Bean and Pasta Recipe from Killing Thyme is---well, killer! (If you've read the book, you may remember what I mean!) As your summer garden comes on, , try it in this Late Summer Veggie Saute. And I used it recently in this Tomato Lovers' Minestrone, inspired by a bowl of soup in an airport restaurant!

Herbed Black Bean Pasta

Pumpkin Spice Blend is a perennial favorite at the Spice Shop. To be honest, I first created it for Butter Off Dead, the third book in my Food Lovers' Village mysteries, set in fictional Jewel Bay, Montana, based on the town where Mr. Right and I live. Erin Murphy is the star of the series, with her mother Francesca, aka Fresca, a hit with readers, too. And while Fresca is a bit of a food snob, she adores this blend Erin gave her for her morning coffee---and adds it to cookies, pound cake, and other treats as well. So when I created the Spice Shop mysteries, it was obvious that Pepper and her staff and customers would love it as much as Erin, Francesca, and I do! 

Fresca’s Pumpkin Spice Coffee Blend 

from Butter Off Dead by Leslie Budewitz

2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons ground nutmeg

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1-1/2 teaspoons ground allspice or cloves, or a blend

dash of ground cardamom

1 teaspoon dried orange or lemon peel

Mix together in a small bowl and store in a jar or tin with a tight lid. For a pot of drip coffee, add ½ to 1 full teaspoon of the spice blend to the ground coffee. For a single cup of espresso, drip coffee, or French press coffee, use 1/4 teaspoon to start, until you know how much tastes just right to you. 

Turbinado sugar is a good sweetener with this blend; add it to your cup or the blend. Feel free to experiment with the amounts and other spices, such as a vanilla bean. Trust your own taste buds, and have fun! 

Thanks for taking this journey with Pepper and me. Food, flavor, and friends---what could be better? Leave a comment (with your email address) for a chance to win a gift card to Bookshop.org. And remember, stories are the spice of life. 

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.

Potluck Beans #giveaway and #recipe #Father's Day @Kim Davis

 

KIM DAVIS: With summer and Father's Day right around the corner, casual gatherings for barbecues and/or potlucks are starting up. A dear friend of mine, Janet, always served these Potluck Beans as a side dish to the grilled meat whenever she hosted a get together. The dish quickly became a favorite of mine and I immediately begged for the recipe. She graciously shared it with me (which I adapted to suit my tastes, i.e. ground turkey instead of beef, and bacon limited to garnish instead of a pound cooked with the beans) and since my family enjoyed it so much, I often serve it as a main course, especially during chilly winter months. What I especially like is the ease of making this dish. It relies on canned beans along with a few other staples. Once the turkey (or beef) is cooked through, and the beans come to a simmer for a short time, the dish is done and ready to serve giving you time to enjoy your family and friends! 

Be sure to scroll all the way down to find out how to win a copy of Essentials of Death! 

Potluck Beans

 
Ingredients

1 pound ground turkey (or ground beef)
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3-pound can pork & beans (or 2 large cans Bush’s Baked Beans)*
1-pound can chili beans
1-pound can cannellini beans, drained
1-pound can red kidney beans, drained
1-pound can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup ketchup
3 tablespoons white vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Suggested toppings (not shown in photo)
Cooked and crumbled bacon
Shredded cheddar cheese
Sliced green onions
Pickled jalapeño rings
Sliced black olives

Instructions
In a large soup pot, cook the ground meat with the diced onions until the meat is no longer pink. Drain off the liquid/fat and discard.

Add the remaining ingredients, stirring well to combine. 

Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serve with your choice of toppings and cornbread.

Notes
*If you must eat gluten-free, I recommend substituting Bush’s Baked Beans. Their large cans are 1 pound, 12-ounces. It’s fine to use 2 full cans.

For gatherings, you can keep the Potluck Beans warm in a crockpot for easy serving.

💕 Click here for a free printable PDF of the recipe!💕

Books available at most online retailers

 

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Kobo * Apple

 

Cupcake Catering Mysteries * Essentials of Murder* Essentials of Death

 

About the Author:

Kim Davis writes the Aromatherapy Apothecary cozy mystery series, and the award-winning Cupcake Catering cozy mystery series. She has also written several children’s nature articles published in a variety of magazines. Kim Davis is a member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.

She lives in Southern California with her husband and rambunctious mini Goldendoodle, Missy, who has become an inspiration for several plotlines. When she’s not spending time with her granddaughters or chasing Missy around, she can be found either writing on her next book, working on blogs, or in the kitchen baking up yummy treats to share.

Click here to sign up here for Kim’s newsletter: Newsletter

Connect with Kim: Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Bluesky, Bookbub, Goodreads, TikTok, and website

 

I'm celebrating my new release today!

While this isn't a copy mystery, I'm celebrating the release today for my middle grade fantasy book, The Secret of Sweet Treats Kingdom, the first book in The Board Game Chronicles! Suitable for ages 7 to 11. If you have kids or grandkids who needs to do some reading over the summer, please check it out. It's free on Kindle Unlimited, and ebook and print versions available on Amazon. Print is available on Barnes and Noble as well.

What it's about: 

Amber Addison is fed up with her kindergartener sister. It’s Ava’s fault she’s missing her best friend’s birthday party, the most anticipated event in their sixth-grade class. To make matters worse, Ava has coerced her into playing Sweet Treats board game and she keeps losing to a five-year-old. When Amber’s irritation gets the best of her, she throws the game, destroying it.

As the board disintegrates, the two girls are swept into a swirling vortex and they find themselves in the middle of Sweet Treats kingdom. Ava is kidnapped by an evil queen, and Amber finds herself relying on a mint-green rabbit to help her find her way to Bonbon Castle with the hope of finding her sister. Along the way, she encounters more sweets than she could ever eat along with fantastical beings. Some will become her friend and others create danger that she must survive in order to save her sister and find their way home.

A fun recipe is included

Purchase Amazon ebook or read for free on Kindle Unlimited: HERE

Purchase Amazon print:  HERE

Purchase Barnes & Noble print: HERE

G I V E A W A Y   T I M E !!!

I'm giving away a copy of Essentials of Death, your choice of format: print, ebook, or audiobook.

Comment below and include your email (yourname at yourserver dot com) for a chance to win a copy of Essentials of Death. (Contest ends 11:59pm on Wednesday, June 3, 2026. Print and ebook limited to US residents; audiobook is available for everyone.)

Readers, do you have a favorite side dish you make for barbecues or potlucks?

Demystifying the CIA's Avocado and Grilled Shrimp Salad plus a giveaway by Ang Pompano

Ang Pompano: I recently turned in the manuscript for the next book in my Reluctant Food Columnist Series, Simmering Secrets. I’ll admit, this one took longer than I expected. There were times when the story simmered beautifully and others when it sat there like a pot of water refusing to boil. But I kept stirring until the ingredients finally came together. 

In this installment, food columnist Quincy Lazzaro investigates the death of celebrity chef Connie Langston after she announces plans to relocate the prestigious Langston Culinary Arts Academy from Connecticut to New York. As Quincy digs deeper, he uncovers a web of culinary rivalries, hidden motives, and deadly secrets.

The Langston Culinary Arts Academy in the novel was inspired by the world-famous Culinary Institute of America, which actually began right here in New Haven before moving to Hyde Park. I always thought it was cool that the CIA became legendary in the culinary world while its roots started in my own backyard.

I also had a connection to the CIA through a friend who graduated from the New Haven campus years ago. Hearing stories about the pressure and almost military precision of professional cooking helped shape some of the atmosphere that found its way into Simmering Secrets.

Several years ago, I visited the Hyde Park campus and picked up one of the CIA cookbooks, Chef’s Notes: St. Andrew’s Café. 

After spending months untangling clues, motives, suspicious chefs, illegal dinners, and Quincy’s latest problems, I’m finally happy with how the manuscript turned out. I decided the best way to celebrate was by making a recipe from the book. I picked Avocado and Grilled Shrimp Salad with Citrus Hazelnut Vinaigrette because the dish featured several of my favorite ingredients, including citrus, grilled shrimp, and avocado. 

As I cooked, I found myself thinking about Quincy Lazzaro and the strange world he keeps stumbling into. Having worked in restaurants, I knew the hullabaloo of the kitchen firsthand: giant personalities, bruised egos, and impossible ambition are often behind the perfection that arrives at the table. Those ingredients could easily lead to murder. In real life, thankfully, they never did. It came close a few times, but those stories are better left untold.

Making something delicious felt like the perfect way to mark this milestone, although there are still edits ahead. There are always edits ahead. But for one evening at least, I traded fictional murder for grilled shrimp and a really good vinaigrette. 

Note: Before I share the recipe, a quick confession: the CIA's original version felt a little intimidating for a weeknight, so I took a few shortcuts based on what was on hand. Hazelnuts weren't available this time of year, so I substituted toasted walnuts. I also skipped the hazelnut oil. When I can find it, it's usually expensive. I used olive oil instead. If I'd had more time, I might have infused the oil with the toasted walnuts, but dinner was calling. Also, I used bottled orange juice, which reduced beautifully. 

Part of my job as a mystery writer is demystifying things, and I decided to do the same with this salad. I'm sharing the original recipe because you deserve to have it exactly as written. Still, you may decide, as I did, to adapt it to what you have on hand.

Either way, the dressing was delicious. My version was a big hit at home, and when hazelnuts return in the fall, I plan to make it again and see how the original ingredients change the dish.

Stay tuned for more news about Simmering Secrets and future adventures in the Reluctant Food Columnist Series from Level Best Books.

What about you? Do you change recipes to suit your tastes or what you have on hand, or do you follow every step to the letter? Leave your answer below with your email address, and you'll be entered in a drawing to win a copy of Diet of Death.

AVOCADO AND GRILLED SHRIMP SALAD WITH CITRUS HAZELNUT VINAIGRETTE from the Culinary Institute of America 

Serves 4

Vinaigrette Ingredients

• 2 cups reduced to ½ cup orange juice, 
• 1 tablespoon Gulden's mustard
• 2 ounces champagne vinegar
• 1 tablespoon honey
• ½ cup hazelnut oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Pinch black pepper

Salad Ingredients

• 12 each pink grapefruit (segments)
• ¼ cup hazelnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped
• 2 each avocados, ripe
• 12 each shrimp, grilled
• 4 cups baby spinach
• 2 cups arugula
• ½ cup sprouts, mikro greens
• ¼ cup cilantro leaves, whole

Grilled Shrimp Ingredients

• 12 each shrimp
• ½ ounce lemon infused olive oil
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
• 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• 4 each small bamboo skewers

Method for Vinaigrette

Place the reduced orange juice, mustard, honey and vinegar into a bowl and whisk in the hazelnut oil.

Season with salt and pepper.

Method to Assemble Salad

1. Slice avocado and fan onto outside of plate.
2. Toss the spinach, arugula, mikro greens, and cilantro in a mixing bowl with vinaigrette and place in the center of the plate.
3. Place 3-4 of the trimmed grapefruit segments on the greens and top with warm grilled shrimp. Garnish with some toasted hazelnuts.

Method to Grill Shrimp

Marinate shrimp in olive oil, chopped parsley, cilantro, and salt, pepper.

Place shrimp onto skewers and grill as needed.

Wine Suggestion (also from the CIA)

"Naia, Bodegas Aldail, Rueda Spain

The citrus in the wine would complement the citrus in the salad and the dressing, while the acidity found in the wine would help offset the creaminess of the hazelnuts and the avocados; enough fruit tones in the wine to complement the sweetness in the shrimp."

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 and their two rescue dogs.

Diet of Death

by Ang Pompano

The first in the Reluctant Food Columnist Series

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.

Simmering Secrets

by

Ang Pompano

Book Two in the Reluctant Food Columnist Series

Coming November 2026

When celebrity chef Connie Langston collapses dead during a glittering anniversary gala at the prestigious Langston Culinary Arts Academy, struggling investigative reporter Quincy Lazzaro suspects there’s more on the menu than champagne and truffle risotto.

Unfortunately, Quincy has problems of his own. He’s secretly ghostwriting a wildly successful food column under the fake name Betty Ann Green, dodging anonymous texts from someone threatening to expose him, and trying to save his friends’ beloved South Norwalk luncheonette from ruthless developers. Now, against the warnings of the police and his detective girlfriend, Quincy finds himself pulled into a world of celebrity chefs, hidden rivalries, illegal luxury ingredients, and private dinners where the ultra-wealthy will pay fortunes to consume the forbidden.

With the help of his sharp-tongued elderly neighbor, Mary Ticcarelli, Quincy uncovers a web of simmering secrets stretching from elite culinary circles to dangerous underground supply networks tied to powerful people who will kill to protect their appetites.

As the bodies pile up and the anonymous watcher closes in, Quincy must decide how far he’s willing to go for the truth before his own carefully constructed life boils over.

Perfect for fans of Richard Osman, Carl Hiaasen, and culinary mysteries with bite, Simmering Secrets serves up murder, dark humor, found family, and a generous helping of Connecticut coastal charm. 

When It’s Time for Leaving

by Ang Pompano

The first in the Blue Palmetto Detective Agency Series

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

Book Two in the Blue Palmetto Detective Agency Series

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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.