Leslie here, delighted to welcome my cousin---really, truly; I'm not being metaphoric---the fabulous Laura Childs, New York Times best-selling author of the Tea Shop Mysteries, Cackleberry Club Mysteries, and Scrapbooking Mysteries, and next summer, a new thriller series under her real name, Gerry Schmitt. And it's wonderful that she's talking about her dogs. Dogs play a role in many of her books, and family collie, Duke, was the first dog I ever loved!
Leave a comment to be entered for a chance to win a signed, harcover copy of PARCHMENT AND OLD LACE, the newest Scrapbooking Mystery!
A funny thing happened to me
in the kitchen the other day. My dogs
decided to watch me make scones. These
are two snooty, deign-to-even-take-notice Chinese Shar-Pei named Asia and
Moosha. Yet they seemed delighted when I
measured out all the ingredients, transfixed when I mixed the flour and butter
with my fingers, and sat – staring and immobile – while my scones baked in the
oven. What was the result of all this
kitchen love? A great pan of scones that
was enjoyed by all! (See photo of them
noshing away.) And because I manage to
slip tea drinking and scones into pretty much every mystery I write, I thought
you’d enjoy my basic cream scone recipe.
Basic Cream Scones
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup brown sugar, packed
1 Tbsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
½ cup (1 stick) butter,
chilled and diced
½ cup cream
1 egg
Preheat oven to 400
degrees.
Combine flour, brown sugar,
baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Add butter and, using fork or fingers, mix until ingredients form a
coarse meal. hisk egg and cream
together in a separate bowl and then add to flour mixture. Knead gently to thoroughly moisten and form
dough. Add more cream if mixture is too
dry. Drop dough (about a ¼ cup’s worth)
onto lightly greased baking sheet, spaced about 1 inch apart.
Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until golden
brown. Yields 1 dozen scones.
Note:
This is a basic recipe, so you can always toss in a cup of chocolate
chips or butterscotch chips if you prefer your scones a little sweeter!
Leave a comment on this blog post by Sunday, October 11, for a chance to win a signed, hardcover copy of PARCHMENT AND OLD LACE.
Here's the scoop on the newest Scrapbook Mystery, PARCHMENT AND OLD LACE:
In
this cozy-thriller from Laura Childs, scrapbook maven Carmela Bertrand tries to
track down the killer of a young bride-to-be who’s been brutally murdered in a
New Orleans cemetery. Could it be the
conflicted groom, stalker attorney, jealous bridesmaid, or crazy mother-in-law
to be? As Carmela sorts through this
dysfunctional group of suspects, snippets of antique lace and parchment become
critical clues in the case. And it all
comes to an enormous head at a raucous casino party that ends with a frantic
chase through an abandoned theme park. Scrapbooking tips are included along with recipes for Pecan Pie Muffins,
Sweet Potato Casserole, Big Easy Butter Chicken, and more.
Laura
Childs is the New York Times
bestselling author of the Tea Shop Mysteries, Scrapbook Mysteries, and
Cackleberry Club Mysteries.
Little Girl Lost, the first in her new
hard-edged thriller series written under the name Gerry Schmitt, will be out in
June, 2016.
Learn more at www.laurachilds.com Buy the books at Amazon, B&N,
BAM, IndieBound, or your local mystery or independent bookseller.
