Mystery Lovers' Kitchen: Fairy Garden Mysteries

Showing posts with label Fairy Garden Mysteries. Show all posts

Sunday, April 24, 2022

Guest Daryl Wood Gerber #Giveaway +#Recipe for a Brookie

MAYA: Please welcome back Agatha Award-winning author Daryl Wood Gerber, a former regular on Mystery Lovers Kitchen. She's joining us today with book news, a sweet recipe, and giveaways.

DARYL: Hi. Thank you for having me back on Mystery Lovers Kitchen. I’ve missed all of you so much! I’m excited because there’s a lot to catch up on. I have a new Cookbook Nook Mystery (#11 in series) coming out in a couple of days, SIMMERING WITH RESENTMENT. In June, I have the 3rd Fairy Garden Mystery coming out.

I think many of you have read at least one of the Cookbook Nook Mysteries, and I hope you’ll order this new one and enjoy. A killer’s explosive vengeance may lead to Jenna Hart’s happily never after . . . There are lots of tasty recipes in the book including an ice cream bombe! Watch out for an explosive story!

But today, I’d like to share a bit more about the Fairy Garden Mysteries. How many of you heard of them? They feature Courtney Kelly, the owner of Open Your Imagination, a fairy garden shop in the Cypress and Ivy Courtyard, one of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California’s many courtyards. They also feature Courtney’s sidekick Fiona, a fairy sleuth. Actually, Fiona is a righteous fairy (there are a few other types). She was kicked out of the fairy kingdom for being a bit of an imp, and now, in order to earn her adult wings and return to the kingdom and because she is a righteous fairy, she has to help humans—in particular, Courtney—solve problems.

Open Your Imagination serves tea on the weekends on the patio and often hosts a book club tea. I love drumming up recipes for the teas. Courtney doesn’t make them all. She can cook, but her friend Yvanna, who works at Sweet Treats, another shop in the courtyard, is a baker. She has dreamed up some deliciousness like lemon cupcakes with lavender icing, cinnamon swirl scones, and now brookies, a delicious brownie cookie that has won the hearts of all of Courtney’s customers. Actually, Courtney’s best friend Meaghan came up with the recipe and shared it with Yvanna, but Yvanna has tweaked it to perfection.

So I’d like to share it with you.

But first, what’s A HINT OF MISCHIEF about?

The proprietor of a fairy garden and tea shop in Carmel-by-the-Sea, Courtney Kelly has an occasional side gig as a sleuth—with a sprinkling of magical assistance. . . .

Courtney has thrown a few fairy garden parties—for kids. But if a local socialite is willing to dip into her trust fund for an old sorority sister’s fortieth birthday bash, Courtney will be there with bells on. To make the job even more appealing, a famous actress, Farrah Lawson, is flying in for the occasion, and there’s nothing like a celebrity cameo to raise a business’s profile.

Now Courtney has less than two weeks to paint a mural, hang up tinkling windchimes, plan party games, and conjure up all the details. While she works her magic, the hostess and her girlfriends head off for an indulgent spa day—which leads to a fateful facial for Farrah, followed by her mysterious death. Could the kindhearted eyebrow waxer who Farrah berated in public really be the killer, as the police suspect? Courtney thinks otherwise, and with the help of her imaginative sleuth fairy, sets out to dig up the truth behind this puzzling murder . . .

Now for the recipe!

BROOKIE

(Yield 20-24)

For the cookie layer:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 egg

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

For the brownie layer:

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips, if desired

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 x 13 baking dish.

To make the cookie layer:

In a large bowl, beat softened butter, light brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, and egg.

Whisk flour, salt, and baking soda together in a small bowl. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture and stir until combined.

Stir chocolate chips into the dough

Spread mixture evenly into the bottom of the 9 x 13 dish.

To make the brownie layer:

In a large bowl, stir sugar, melted butter, and vanilla. Add in eggs and beat well. Mix in cocoa powder and mix well. Add flour, baking powder, and salt to the cocoa mixture. Mix well. If desired, stir in the extra chocolate chips. Pour brownie mixture over cookie dough and spread to cover completely.

Bake the brookie in the preheated oven for 20–25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely, at least 30 minutes, before cutting into bars.

If you want the gluten-free version of this recipe, write me at daryl@darylwoodgerber.com to request it.

And now for the GIVEAWAY

I’ll give a choice of the first 2 Fairy Garden Mysteries

to one commenter or a choice of the Cookbook Nook Mysteries

and a totebag!!

Answer one of these two questions:

What’s your favorite treat with tea or coffee?

Or… have you ever seen a fairy?

BIO

Agatha Award-winning author Daryl Wood Gerber writes the nationally bestselling Cookbook Nook Mysteries as well as the Fairy Garden Mysteries and the French Bistro Mysteries. As Avery Aames, she pens the popular Cheese Shop Mysteries. Daryl also writes the Aspen Adams novels of suspense as well as stand-alone suspense. Daryl loves to cook, garden, and read, and she has a frisky Goldendoodle who keeps her in line!

MY LINKS

WEBSITE: https://darylwoodgerber.com

FACEBOOK: https://facebook.com/darylwoodgerber

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/darylwoodgerber

BOOKBUB: https://bookbub.com/authors/daryl-wood-gerber

YOUTUBE: https://youtube.com/woodgerb1

INSTAGRAM: https//instagram.com/darylwoodgerber

PINTEREST: https://pinterest.com/darylwoodgerber

GOODREADS: https://goodreads.com/darylwoodgerber

AMAZON: amazon: https://bit.ly/Daryl_Wood_Gerber_page

NEWSLETTER: Have you signed up to receive my newsletter? I send one out every month and with a new release. In the monthly, there is always a GIVEAWAY to one (or more) subscribers. Check it out here and make the call. There's always a recipe, a bit about Sparky, what I'm reading, etc. https://darylwoodgerber.com/contact-media/

Wednesday, August 5, 2020

Chocolate Banana Brownies #recipe from author @DarylWoodGerber

From Daryl:

I have really become obsessed with brownies since I started the Fairy Garden Mysteries. The edible kind. (Yes, I did have fun when writing the series and became obsessed with all things "fairy." I named a cat Pixie and gave Courtney's best friend Meaghan the last name of Brownie. )

Now, I have to admit, it's all Meaghan's fault that I'm obsessed. Whimsical, spiritual, and arty, Meaghan owns the art gallery at the other end of the courtyard from Open Your Imagination, Courtney's fairy garden shop. She also plays the harp at the teas Courtney offers on the weekends on the shop's outdoor patio. You see, Meaghan, thanks to her surname, has always been obsessed with brownies. She bakes them and brings Courtney samples. And she is always on the hunt for new recipes. She is in love with the caramel blondies served at the Hideaway Cafe, the lovely restaurant across the street from Open Your Imagination. She salivates over her grandmother's peanut butter brownie recipe. When she landed on today's recipe . . .

Okay, back to reality. I landed on this recipe when I was obsessing about brownies. I had bananas that needed to be eaten, and the Very Best Baking site had a delicious sounding recipe. I have tweaked it to be gluten-free. The great thing about gluten-free brownies is that they hold up well. They remain soft and gooey while maintaining the structure, thanks to the chocolate.

Enjoy. I hope you will become obsessed.

Chocolate Banana Brownie

Gluten-free version (See my note below re: making with regular flour)

1 3/4 milk chocolate OR dark chocolate morsels, divided

1 cup gluten-free flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum

1 1/2 teaspoons whey powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup light brown sugar, packed

1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 medium-sized ripe bananas, quartered lengthwise and chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease or use parchment paper on a 9-inch-square baking pan.

In a small bowl, microwave 1 cup of the morsels on medium for about 45 seconds. Stir. If necessary, zap again 10-15 seconds, stirring just until smooth. If using dark chocolate, you might need to add a teaspoon or two of water. Cool to room temperature.

In a large bowl, combine gluten-free flour, baking powder, xanthan gum, whey powder, and salt in small bowl.

In a medium bowl, beat brown sugar, butter, eggs, and vanilla extract until creamy. Beat in the melted chocolate. Gradually beat in the GF flour mixture. Stir in the bananas and remaining 3/4 cup morsels. Spread mixture into the prepared baking pan.

Bake for 40-45 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack. Cut into bars. Store in an airtight container. I like to wrap the individual squares in plastic wrap so that they stay moister. This really helps with gluten-free baked goods.

If you’d like to make this using regular flour, substitute the flour for the gluten-free flour, and omit the xanthan gum and whey powder.

🧚

This is the new

Fairy Garden Mystery series,

A SPRINKLING OF MURDER,
in trade paperback and e-book and audio.

You can read all about it and order it on various sites

on my website HERE.

Don't forget to order the 9th book in the

Cookbook Nook Mystery series,

SHREDDING OF EVIDENCE,

in trade paperback and e-book.

You can read all about it and order it on various sites on

my website, HERE

And here is my latest Aspen Adams novel of suspense...

Order FAN MAIL, the second in series, trade paperback and e-book: HERE

SAVOR THE MYSTERY!

Friend Daryl and Avery on Facebook
Follow Daryl on Twitter
Follow Avery on Twitter
Follow both of us on Pinterest
Plus check out my website

Follow Daryl on Bookbub
Follow Daryl on Instagram

Wednesday, July 29, 2020

White Fish with Beurre Blanc Sauce #recipe from A Sprinkling of Murder by @DarylWoodGerber

From Daryl:

One of my favorite dinners is white fish with beurre blanc sauce. I’ve used lots of different white fish to make this dish. One of my favorites is Chilean sea bass, which is a fish rich in omega-3 unsaturated oils. It’s mild and sort of buttery in flavor, and it won’t toughen up because of the extra oil.

Dining for one, as I usually do, I made a half recipe, and to experiment, I used two different kinds of fish. The bass was fresh; the mahi-mahi was frozen and thawed. Both turned out to my liking.

This recipe can also be found in A SPRINKLING OF MURDER along with a variety of brownie recipes.

WHITE FISH WITH BEURRE BLANC SAUCE

4 Chilean sea bass filets (or other white fish, about 6 ounces each)

Kosher salt, to taste

Black pepper, to taste

1/4 cup dry white wine

1 1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

1 1/2 tablespoons shallots, minced

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1 tablespoon heavy cream

6 tablespoons butter, cold, cut into small pieces

Garnish: lemon wedges

Heat oven to 425 degrees F.

Line baking pan with parchment paper. Brush parchment paper with olive oil. Set the filets on the paper and sprinkle lightly with Kosher salt and pepper. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes. The fish should be cooked through, not pink.

While the fish is baking, prepare the lemon beurre blanc sauce. In a saucepan, combine the white wine, vinegar, and minced shallots. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook until reduced to about half, about 3 minutes.

Add the lemon juice, zest, and cream. Remove the pan from heat and whisk in a pat of butter. Set the pan back over low heat and continue whisking until the butter has melted. Add remaining pieces of butter until all are incorporated. Taste and add salt and pepper, as needed.

*Note: If the sauce is too hot or cold, it will separate, so keep it warm until serving time.

Arrange the fish on plates with garnish and desired vegetable. Drizzle with the beurre blanc sauce.

Bass on the left; mahi on the right

A SPRINKLING OF MURDER
now in audio, too!

You can read all about it and order it on a

variety of sites via my website HERE.

Plus I've posted a few pictures of my fairy gardens and

I've included some trailers,
a PDF of where I buy some of

my fairy garden supplies, and more.

Don't forget to order the 9th book in the

Cookbook Nook Mystery series,

SHREDDING OF EVIDENCE,

in trade paperback and e-book.

You can read all about it and order it on a variety sites via my website, HERE

And here is my latest Aspen Adams novel of suspense.

Order FAN MAIL, the second in series, trade paperback and e-book: HERE

SAVOR THE MYSTERY!

Friend Daryl and Avery on Facebook
Follow Daryl on Twitter
Follow Avery on Twitter
Follow both of us on Pinterest
Plus check out my website

Follow Daryl on Bookbub

Wednesday, July 15, 2020

A SPRINKLING OF MURDER book #giveaway + CHOCOLATE CARAMEL BROWNIE #recipe from author @DarylWoodGerber

GIVEAWAY BELOW!!! DON'T MISS IT.

From Daryl:

With a new book comes a lot of public relations work. A friend on Instagram asked if I'd ever written a blog about what goes into PR. Sure, I've shared a bit here and there. I tell you guys all about the promotions I'm doing, but what really goes into it from the get-go?

Okay, here goes (there's a brownie recipe -- regular and gluten-free -- below and a giveaway if you want to breeze past this!) LOL

Months before the book is out, I update my website, first and foremost, and then I start putting together promotional materials. Bookmarks and swag featuring the new book cover or series name. Recipe cards. I update tote bags and such. Sometimes I even get charms or tea towels to give away. Fun stuff all focused on the theme.

I make a plan as to when I'll be giving everything away. Four weeks ahead? Two weeks ahead? Should I have a countdown? Will I do it on all my social media sites? Or just Mystery Lovers Kitchen and Facebook? I did do a countdown for A Sprinkling of Murder on my Facebook page, putting an item a day into a box. It was fun to do a reveal of each item. My fans enjoyed that. One fan won the entire box.

With the help of known bloggers and a wonderful woman who puts together an intensive blog tour, I arrange to do a virtual blog tour. This involves writing blogs or recipes or doing interviews for a variety of cozy mystery bloggers. Many of them read and write reviews for the book and many of them draw a diverse crowd of readers that I might not otherwise reach, so I feel these are worth it to build up the amount of new "eyes" on the book. But, boy, it can be daunting plugging each of those blogs during the week or two around the release of the book. On Facebook, on Twitter, on Instagram. Whew!

I do live chats on my Facebook page so that I can communicate face to face (I don't get to see the fans' faces, but they see me). I tell fans what I'm up to. They chime in. We say hello a lot. Last weekend, I actually built a fairy garden on the live chat to show how it can be done. I'm proud to say a few who might have been daunted by the thought of making one are now going to do so. Yay!

I schedule a couple of interviews either via podcasts or with fellow authors who have created a platform on their channels to interview other authors. Again, this introduces me to their fans, and my fans to them. A mutual admiration society. Here's a link to a podcast that was super fun to make with Public Display of Imagination.

In addition, I make a book trailer. Sometimes I do how-to videos and post them on YouTube as well as on my website.

And I update my newsletter! BTW, that's the best way for any fan to hear about my releases, plus you get a dose of Sparky and a recipe! Do you receive my newsletter yet?

Last but not least, I coordinate with my publisher's PR person to learn what they would like me to do. For example, we put together a number of virtual bookstore events - you can watch those interviews here: (Murder by the Book and Mysterious Galaxy) and I appeared on a few Facebook group events where fans read the book and we met as if in a book club. They did a LOT more than this -- magazine articles, promotional materials, etc. -- but this is just a taste for you.

Oh, and in the meantime, I must write. So I carve out hours of each day to do that.

Needless to say, I had NO IDEA when I became an author what the PR would entail. I thought I'd simply write a book and it would sell. NOT. Doing the PR is fun, challenging, sometimes near impossible, but I'm glad I am a published author and have the ability to share my books with readers.

NOW . . . FOR THE RECIPE I PROMISED. This chocolate caramel brownie is scrumptious. It's featured in A SPRINKLING OF MURDER and is one of Brady's grandmother's secret recipes. But guess what? I know the secret. Heh-heh. Enjoy. *If you want to make it gluten-free, that recipe follows the first!!

Chocolate Caramel Brownie

(regular version)

(Yield: 15-20)

2 cups sugar

3/4 cup baking cocoa, *choose the best

1 cup canola oil

4 large eggs

1/4 cup milk

1 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup chopped pecans, if desired

Caramel sauce:

2/3 cup granulated sugar

3 tablespoons water

4 tablespoons salted butter, cut into chunks

1/3 cup heavy cream, at room temperature

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease or line a 13 x 9-inch baking pan with parchment paper sprayed with non-stick spray.

In a large bowl, beat the sugar, cocoa, oil, eggs, and milk.

In another bowl, combine the flour, salt, and baking powder.

Gradually add the flour mixture to the egg mixture until well blended. Fold in the chocolate chips and chopped pecans, if desired.

Spoon two-thirds (2/3) of the batter into the 13 x 9-inch baking pan. Bake for 12 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the caramel sauce.

In a 3-quart saucepan, add the sugar and water and cook at medium heat. Stir until combined. Do NOT stir again. Bring to a boil and let boil until a candy thermometer reads 350 degrees. It takes a few minutes. Carefully add the butter and whisk until butter is melted.

Remove the pan from heat and slowly pour in the cream, stirring with a wooden spoon all the time until the cream is incorporated. You want the caramel to thicken up. If necessary, return to low heat and stir until thick. Set aside to cool.

Remove the partially-baked brownies from the oven. Pour the melted caramel sauce over the brownies and spread evenly.

Add the remaining one-third (1/3) batter by spoonfuls over the caramel layer. Using a knife, swirl the caramel with the batter.

(Note: If you didn’t pour enough of the batter in the bottom half, don’t worry. You just have more brownie on the top. However, it won’t swirl as well. If you want to make it perfectly, this means you’ll have to eat this entire batch and make another. Poor you.)

Bake 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out semi-clean. You don’t want to over bake brownies. Ever.

Cool completely on a wire rack before cutting into squares.

Chocolate Caramel Brownie

(gluten-free version)

(Yield: 15-20)

2 cups sugar

3/4 cup baking cocoa, *choose the best

1 cup canola oil

4 large eggs

1/4 cup milk

1 1/2 cups gluten-free flour (*I used a sweet rice/tapioca mixture)

1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup chopped pecans, if desired

Caramel sauce:

2/3 cup granulated sugar

3 tablespoons water

4 tablespoons salted butter, cut into chunks

1/3 cup heavy cream, at room temperature

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease or line a 13 x 9-inch baking pan with parchment paper sprayed with non-stick spray.

In a large bowl, beat the sugar, cocoa, oil, eggs, and milk.

In another bowl, combine the gluten-free, xanthan gum, salt, and baking powder.

Gradually add the GF flour mixture to the egg mixture until well blended. Fold in the chocolate chips and chopped pecans, if desired.

Spoon two-thirds (2/3) of the batter into the 13 x 9-inch baking pan. Bake for 12 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the caramel sauce.

Remove the partially-baked brownies from the oven. Pour the melted caramel sauce over the brownies and spread evenly.

Add the remaining one-third (1/3) batter by spoonfuls over the caramel layer. Using a knife, swirl the caramel with the batter.

Bake 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out semi-clean. You don’t want to over bake brownies. Ever.

Cool completely on a wire rack before cutting into squares.

(Same note as noted above: If you didn’t pour enough of the batter in the bottom half, don’t worry. You just have more brownie on the top. However, it won’t swirl as well. If you want to make it perfectly, this means you’ll have to eat this entire batch and make another. Poor you.)

If you'd like something a little lighter and citrusy, here is another recipe included in the book, but I posted it on MLK months ago as a teaser. Lemon Lavender Cupcakes