Showing posts with label Kallie E. Benjamin. Show all posts

Thursday, August 8, 2024

RUM SOAKED GRILLED PINEAPPLE #RECIPE @VMBurns

VMBURNS: It's July and for weeks on, but the burgers needed to have cooked longer. July 4th I made Chili Lime Chicken Tacos and Grilled Pineapple Salsa. YUM! A friend gave me a tip and suggested I buy a grill mat. OMG! That was a life changer. I got the lovely grill marks, and cleanup was a breeze! Anyway, on July 6th I found a recipe on Cheff Recipe for Cilantro Lime Chicken and it was delish. Don't have a grill? You can fry, bake, or air fry. However, I highly recommend the grill if you have one. I forgot the cilantro in the first photo.

RUM SOAKED GRILLED PINEAPPLE

INGREDIENTS

1 Pineapple
1/2 Cup rum
1/2 Cup Brown sugar
1 Teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 Teaspoon Vanilla

INSTRUCTIONS

Combine the rum, brown sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla in a bowl.
Slice the pineapple into rings and remove the core. (FYI - I used my apple corer)
Place the pineapple rings into a baking dish and then pour the rum mixture over the pineapples. Toss to make sure the pineapple is coated well, then place in the fridge.
Pour the liquid into a saucepan and heat.
Grill the pineapple rings for approximately 2 minutes. I use a grill mat for easy cleanup but if you don't, you will probably need to use a little cooking spray to keep the pineapples from sticking.
Flip the rings and grill for 1-2 minutes.
Place the grilled pineapples in a bowl and add a scoop of vanilla ice cream and drizzle with the warm rum sauce.

READERS: I'm grilling everything. Have you tried grilling some unconventional foods? Let me know in the comments.

A CUP OF FLOUR, A PINCH OF DEATH
On the shores of Lake Michigan, influencer Maddy Montgomery has turned the bakery she inherited from her great aunt Octavia into a destination. There’s just one thing she won’t post: the body in the freezer . . .
Thanks to Maddy’s social media savvy, Baby Cakes Bakery is becoming a huge success—so much so that she’s attracted the attention of her former nemesis, the fiancé-stealing Brandy Denton. When Brandy blows into New Bison like an ill wind and disrupts a vlog Maddy’s filming, their argument goes viral. After Brandy’s body is found in the freezer at Baby Cakes, Maddy instantly goes from viral sensation to murder suspect.
AS Maddy is still reeling from the murder, a stranger shows up in the bakery claiming to have been a friend of Octavia. He believes Maddy is in danger. When a second body washes up on the lake shore, it seems clear someone’s out to kill to keep a secret—and it may have to do with her great aunt.

Maddy rallies her aunt’s friends, the Baker Street Irregulars; Sheriff April Johnson; and her veterinarian boyfriend Michael—not to mention her English mastiff Baby—to do some digging and root out whoever’s behind the killings. . .

BUY LINK

Thursday, June 13, 2024

Old Fashioned Club Sandwich @vmburns #recipe

VMBURNS: Last month my cousin died and I went home for her funeral. I hate funerals, but as I age, it seems like the only time I get together with family. The family wanted to celebrate her life, so we wore her favorite color - red. We told funny stories. And we remembered. Perhaps it was spending so much time down memory lane, but I had a craving for something I hadn't eaten in a long time - An Old Fashioned Club Sandwich. Now, you all probably know by now that I don't like tomatoes. So, there are none on this sandwich. If you like tomatoes, knock yourself out. It's a sandwich, but here are a few things that you can do to elevate this. First, use good quality bread. Second, you could make your own mayo. Okay, I wasn't in the mood for that, but it's pretty simple. Third, I like thick cut maple bacon. Lastly, don't forget the salt and pepper. A little salt and pepper makes a huge difference. You can also butter your toast (if you want). You will notice there is no lettuce in the ingredient picture. I didn't have lettuce, but I had some large pieces in bagged lettuce and I used those.

OLD FASHIONED CLUB SANDWICH

INGREDIENTS

3 Slices of white bread
4 slices of bacon
2 oz. turkey
2 oz. ham
2 slices cheese
2 Tablespoons mayo
Salt and pepper to taste
1 slice tomato (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

Fry bacon to desired crispness.
Toast bread. *For extra deliciousness, apply a thin layer of butter to the toast. Then, spread mayo on one side of a piece of toast.
Layer lettuce, tomato, turkey, 2 slices of bacon, and cheese.
Spread mayo on both sides of second piece of toast.
Layer with ham, bacon, bacon, and lettuce.
Spread last piece of toast with mayo on one side.
Add toothpicks to secure the sandwich and then slice diagonally.

READERS: Are there sandwiches you love from childhood that bring back good memories for you? Let me know in the comments.

SNIFFING OUT MURDER

When a murder unleashes a widespread investigation through Crosbyville, children’s book author Pris and her trusty bloodhound, Bailey, must sniff out the truth before the whole town goes to the dogs.

After deciding that life as a teacher wasn’t right for her, Priscilla found inspiration for her first children’s book in her three-year-old bloodhound’s nose for truth, and so The Adventures of Bailey the Bloodhound was born. After the book’s massively pawsitive response led Pris to move back to her hometown of Crosbyville, Indiana, to continue the series, she’s surprised by how things have changed in the town, but even more so how they haven’t.

Pris is frustrated to discover that newly elected school board trustee Whitney Kelley—a former high school mean girl—is intent on making Crosbyville more competitive by eliminating “frivolous spending” on the arts and social programs, including Pris and Bailey’s beloved pet-assisted reading program. A minor altercation between them isn’t anything unusual, but after Bailey sniffs out Whitney’s body in a bed of begonias, locals start hounding Pris and Bailey as suspects for the crime.

With Bailey’s sharp senses and Pris’s hometown know-how, can they prove to the community that they’re all barking up the wrong tree?

BUY LINK

Thursday, May 9, 2024

Chicken Corn Chowder #recipe @vmburns #giveaway

VMBURNS: I love chicken corn chowder. It is one of my favorite soups. Some days, I want soup and this was one of those days. On a normal day, I probably would have used boneless/skinless chicken and made it completely from scratch, but I was feeling a tad lazy. So, instead of taking the time to do that, I bought a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store. Most of the chicken went in the soup. The remaining chicken was ground up in my food chopper and turned into chicken salad. Soup and Sandwiches all from one rotisserie chicken.

CHICKEN CORN CHOWDER

INGREDIENTS

5-6 Strips of bacon
4 Cups of Chicken broth
1 lb. Yukon gold potatoes, died
2 Cups rotisserie chicken, shredded or cut into smaller pieces
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 Cup cheddar cheese
2 Cups heavy whipping cream or half and half
1/3 Cup flour
3 Cloves garlic, minced
3/4 Cup red bell pepper, diced
2 jalapeno peppers, diced
1 (15 oz) can sweet corn, drained
1 Teaspoon hot sauce
1 Teaspoon Worcester sauce
2 Tablespoons butter
1 bay leaf
1/2 Teaspoon sal, oregano, paprika, mustard powder, chili powder, cumin
1 /4 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

Fry the bacon in a 4 quart pot over low heat. Once it's cooked, remove it and set on a paper towel to drain. Remove all but 2 Tablespoons of bacon grease.
Combine the chicken broth, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce and seasonings in a large cup.
Add the butter to the pot and allow to melt. Then, add the diced onions, jalapeno peppers, bell peppers to the pot and saute until all are soft. Lastly, add the garlic. NOTE: I didn't find this recipe spicy, but if you're worried about the heat level you can reduce the number of jalapenos or remove the veins and the seeds.
Add the flour and cook for about 2-3 minutes until it browns. You don't want this to burn, but you also don't want it to TASTE like flour.
Add small amounts of the chicken broth mixture and stir until incorporated. Then, repeat until all of the liquid has been added and incorporated. NOTE: Take your time and do this slowly or you will break your roux and it won't thicken. Trust me.
Add the cream in the same slow manner, stirring until incorporated before adding more.
Add the bay leaf and bring to a boil. Then, reduce to a simmer.
Add the diced potatoes and cook until tender, approximately 20 minutes.
Add the shredded chicken and corn.
Add the cheese gradually and stir until melted.
Remove the bay leaf before serving.
Crumble the bacon and add as a garnish to the finished soup.

READERS: Do you have a recipe shortcut that you're willing to share? Leave me a comment below. I'll enter your name in a drawing for a Kindle copy of MURDER is a Piece of Cake. Please include your email address in the comments to be considered (US ONLY).

MURDER IS A PIECE OF CAKE

With small town New Bison’s Spring Festival just around the corner, the pressure is on Maddy to continue her late great-aunt Octavia’s legacy. That means scoring the top prize and transforming Baby Cakes into Southwest Michigan’s must-visit bakery, even though her inexperience in the kitchen brings nightmares of humiliating tagged photos and scathing reviews.

There’s another reason for lost beauty sleep. A second bakery is opening in town under the ownership of CJ Davenport, a shrewd investor with a reputation for sabotaging anyone who gets in his way. And savvy, flashy Maddy tops his list. It’s a sticky spot to be in—more so when Davenport turns up dead with a Baby Cakes’s knife stuck in his back.

Maddy’s whole life just went from #thriving to barely surviving. Now, supported by the crafty Baker Street Irregulars and her new boyfriend, she must find the courage to face off against a killer who could very well get her name trending for the first and last time . . .

BUY LINK

Thursday, April 11, 2024

Oven-Baked French Fries @recipe #giveaway @Vmburns

VMBURNS: I've probably mentioned that I'm trying to make better choices. So, when I had a craving for French fries, I figured baking would be a better option than frying in oil. There is a small amount of oil on these to keep them from sticking to the parchment paper (baby steps). Next time, I might try a quick spritz with a nonstick cooking spray. This is a very easy and flexible recipe. Peel the skin or wash and leave the skin. Don't like a lot of seasoning, skip it. If you're a French fry purist, then you can skip the seasonings and just try salt or salt and pepper. I dipped these in ketchup, but again, you can dip or not dip in whatever you like.

OVEN-BAKED FRENCH FRIES

INGREDIENTS

2 Russet Potatoes
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Teaspoon Smoked Paprika
1/2 Tablespoon Salt (I use Lawry's)
1/4 Teaspoon dried Oregano
1/4 Teaspoon Garlic powder
1/4 Teaspoon Onion powder
1/4 Teaspoon ground black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Peel and slice the potatoes to the desired size. Try to be consistent so they bake evenly, and place in cold water. Soak for 30 minutes.
Mix the seasonings in a small bowl.
Rinse and drain the potatoes and dry them with a paper towel (drying helps the seasonings stick).
Place the potatoes on the baking sheet and sprinkle the seasonings so they are well coated, and then drizzle with oil.
Bake for 15 minutes, then flip the fries and bake for another 15 minutes.

READERS: How do you like your fries? Skin? No skin? Salt? Seasonings? Leave me a comment below. I'll enter your name in a drawing for a Kindle copy of MURDER on TOUR. Please include your email address in the comments to be considered (US ONLY).

MURDER ON TOUR
Bookstore owner and Michigander Samantha Washington is thrilled to see her debut historical mystery finally on the shelves, but a killer seems determined to steal away the spotlight . . .

While Sam wraps up her first whirlwind book tour, Nana Jo has kept Market Street Mysteries running smoothly. The last stop is a prestigious book festival in Sam’s hometown of North Harbor, Michigan. But not everyone thinks the guest of honor, bestselling author Judith Hunter, deserves stellar reviews. Sam witnesses nasty arguments between Judith and two different authors—who accuse her of plagiarism and sabotage . . .

When a publicist is poisoned during a cocktail reception, Sam wonders if the killer missed the intended target. It’s a twist that echoes the plot of Sam’s mystery, Murder at Wickfield Lodge. But fact can be stranger—and deadlier—than fiction. How much collateral damage is the killer willing to risk? With feisty Nana Jo and the girls from Shady Acres Retirement Village lending a hand, Sam tries to solve the case before the festival delivers another fatality . . .