Jim’s Baked Jalapeño Poppers by Lucy Burdette

 LUCY BURDETTE: last year as part of our Friends of the Key West Library season, we threw a benefactor party that featured New York Times food critic, Sam Sifton. 

He made ceviche for the audience which we all got to taste. Other board members brought hors d’oeuvres. A new member, Sharon, offered her husband‘s jalapeño poppers. I adore poppers, and these were so good, that I probably ate six of them. (Don’t tell the others!)

Sharon's husband Jim was good enough to share the recipe which I made recently. It’s terrific because it does not involve any frying. He used low-fat versions of the cheese, the mayonnaise, and the cream cheese. I did not! I meant to spray the tops of the peppers as suggested, but I was in a hurry to get to a party and I forgot. They turned out amazing anyway.

Just be careful while seeding the peppers—don’t touch your face, especially your eyes. If you’re very sensitive, wear gloves. Otherwise, wash your hands after you work on the peppers! Don’t worry about them being too hot to eat as they mellow while baked.

For my party, I made 17 large jalapeños and doubled the ingredients. This was the perfect amount for a group of 12. We have one gluten-free friend, and for him I skipped the step of dipping the peppers in Panko crumbs. Those turned out fine as well.

Ingredients

Olive oil cooking spray, divided

1 cup shredded Mexican style blend cheese

1/2 cup whipped cream cheese spread

2 Tbsp mayonnaise

1/4 C minced green onion

10 Jalapeño pepper(s)

Panko bread crumbs

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.

2. In a medium bowl, combine the cheddar cheese, cream cheese, green onion and mayonnaise; mix well and set aside. Halve the peppers lengthwise and remove the seeds. Fill the peppers with the cheese mixture. 

3. Dip each pepper into bread crumbs

4. Transfer the peppers to the prepared baking sheet and coat with cooking spray. Bake until the filling is bubbly and the outside begins to brown, about 30-35 minutes. Serve hot, but room temperature works as well!

Note: If you’re making these for a party, you can make the filling ahead of time, then fill, dredge, and bake the peppers the day of your gathering. (Top three photos courtesy of Nick Doll Photography.)

What's your favorite hors d'oeuvre to bring to a party?

 A DELICIOUS DECEPTION can be found at a bookstore near you!

A Delicious Deception has a slightly different tone than some of the earlier books, with more emphasis on family, but I loved it just as much as the rest of the series. Ms. Burdette has created characters who have grown in such natural, believable ways. She delivers an excellent mystery while also weaving in a major, emotional turning point in their lives. There is drama, murder, secrets, late-pregnancy feelings and hormones, a sick father-in-law, home renovations, a fun baby shower, and friends and family ready to tackle whatever comes their way. And in the end, a beautiful baby! Escape with Dollycas

This cozy mystery expertly balances personal stakes with a fast-paced plot in a consistent Burdette fashion. It’s a suspenseful, heart-filled addition to the series that proves Hayley is just as effective at solving crimes as she is at critiquing menus. Netgalley reviewer

Book 15 in the Key West series, paperback edition of THE MANGO MURDERS, is in bookstores now!

USA Today bestselling author Lucy Burdette writes the Key West food critic mystery series including A POISONOUS PALATE and A CLUE IN THE CRUMBS. Join her mailing list right here.

Korean Style Meatballs by Lucy Burdette

LUCY BURDETTE: As much as I try to change this about myself, I adore meatballs. My eyes always stray to that dish on a menu...

 and it's a special treat to eat them at home too. 

Today's recipe originated with the New York Times cooking section. If you read this section, you’ll know that the recipes get lots of comments—some pure snark and some helpful tweaks. I try to take the helpful tweaks and leave the snark! For instance with this recipe, some folks commented that the meatballs tasted unremarkable. This was addressed with one cook’s glaze and the addition of the sesame oil to the meatballs. I did both of those, then dropped the meatballs into the glaze when they were baked. Served over white rice—delicious!

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef (I think you could use turkey as well)

½ cup Panko

½ cup chopped scallions

2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce

2 tablespoons minced garlic (I forgot I was out!)

1 tablespoon minced ginger

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon maple syrup

1 tsp sesame oil 

Mix all the ingredients together and shape into balls. Bake at 425 until cooked through, 9 to 15 minutes depending on the size of the meatballs

Ingredients for the glaze

1/3 cup apricot preserves

2 tablespoons chili crisp or paste

1 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 tablespoon soy sauce

Meanwhile, in small saucepan, combine all glaze ingredients. You won’t really need to cook this, just warm it up.

To serve, drop meatballs into the glaze and sprinkle with green onion and sesame seeds. Serve with white rice and sautéed bok choi or asparagus.

Do you read the comments in online recipes?

 A DELICIOUS DECEPTION can be found at a bookstore near you!

A Delicious Deception has a slightly different tone than some of the earlier books, with more emphasis on family, but I loved it just as much as the rest of the series. Ms. Burdette has created characters who have grown in such natural, believable ways. She delivers an excellent mystery while also weaving in a major, emotional turning point in their lives. There is drama, murder, secrets, late-pregnancy feelings and hormones, a sick father-in-law, home renovations, a fun baby shower, and friends and family ready to tackle whatever comes their way. And in the end, a beautiful baby! Escape with Dollycas

This cozy mystery expertly balances personal stakes with a fast-paced plot in a consistent Burdette fashion. It’s a suspenseful, heart-filled addition to the series that proves Hayley is just as effective at solving crimes as she is at critiquing menus. Netgalley reviewer

Book 15 in the Key West series, paperback edition of THE MANGO MURDERS, is in bookstores now!

USA Today bestselling author Lucy Burdette writes the Key West food critic mystery series including A POISONOUS PALATE and A CLUE IN THE CRUMBS. Join her mailing list right here.

#Spotlight on Lucy Burdette’s Key West #giveaway

LUCY BURDETTE: When my hubby and I visited Key West in 2006, we did not expect to fall in love with the island. But like so many others, we did exactly that, and now we live there half the year. Even more importantly, the characters of the Key West food critic mystery series live and work there too. It’s a quirky and delightful setting and very much real. When I’m trying to figure out the plot for a new book, these are the places I visit for inspiration. The snippets below are from these books, from food critic Hayley Snow's point of view.

Mallory Square as told in THE MANGO MURDERS

Key West’s Sunset Celebration on Mallory Square has been a magnet for visitors to our island since the 1960s. An hour or two before sunset, the square on the waterfront begins to bustle with food and drink carts, performers and buskers of many kinds, a sprinkling of homeless folks, and purveyors of Key West-themed trinkets and tchotchkes. Everyone loves it—except the police tasked with keeping people safe, including my hubby, Nathan Bransford. I tease that for him, from his police officer’s perspective, that deliciously fun event is all about what could go wrong. 

The Key West Cemetery as told in THE MANGO MURDERS

The cemetery was a big space right in the middle of Old Town. It was laid out in a giant grid, identified with street names, and contained the resting places of many Key West residents, along with elaborate family crypts and various celebrity graves with oddball inscriptions. “I told you I was sick,” was a very popular destination, along with “I’m just resting my eyes” and “I always dreamed of owning a small place in Key West.” There were more serious gravesites too, of course, including the section devoted to the victims of the U.S.S. Maine, and a trove of local eccentrics and heroes. A tall, black metal fence surrounded the cemetery so it could be locked up at night, leaving only iguanas and chickens as company for the dead. 

The Key West Woman’s Club as told in THE MANGO MURDERS

Wide white porches and tall columns against the red brick set the Woman’s Club building apart from other structures on this same Duval Street block. Unless there was a party in the front yard, most passers-by didn’t realize this home represented more than a century of Key West history, philanthropy, and community service. By the time I arrived, party guests were already gathering on the front porch’s white wicker benches.

The inside of the home was equally beautiful, with wooden floors, old-fashioned wallpaper, more wicker seating, and balloon window treatments. Chandeliers, large mirrors, stained-glass windows, and displays of old-fashioned China and glassware reminded visitors of more elegant, formal days. (You might also recognize this club as the setting for A DISH TO DIE FOR, where clues are buried deep in a cupboard.)

The Hemingway House as told in A POISONOUS PALATE

I had visited the Hemingway Home on Whitehead Street many times since moving to Key West. It was one of my favorite places to unwind. The home itself was a beautiful two-story, cream-colored French colonial structure, with lemon lime shutters and a wide front porch. The grounds, expansive and luxurious for tightly packed Key West, were surrounded by a tall vintage brick wall and populated by fifty or so polydactyl cats. 

The Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory as told in A DELICIOUS DECEPTION

Further back in time, she had posted about some of her favorite places to take her daughter. They both loved the Sheriff’s Office animal farm of course, plus the Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory. They had even attended a flamingle, a special private after-hours session visiting the two resident flamingos, Rhett and Scarlet. My heart ached as I studied the photo of one of the pink birds nibbling on Tam’s ball cap. She had an expression of sheer delight and amazement on her face. 

The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Animal Farm as told in A DELICIOUS DECEPTION

I suddenly remembered that the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Animal Farm was open to the public two Sunday afternoons per month, which would explain the crowd. Abandoned, abused, or special needs animals were taken in by the farm’s employees, cared for underneath the jail, and generally treated like royalty. 

I could go on and on but you’d get tired of reading! Have you ever visited Key West yourself? Or wished you could visit after reading one of these mysteries? Leave a comment about what you’d love to see to be entered in a giveaway for A DELICIOUS DECEPTION.

 A DELICIOUS DECEPTION can be found at a bookstore near you!

A Delicious Deception has a slightly different tone than some of the earlier books, with more emphasis on family, but I loved it just as much as the rest of the series. Ms. Burdette has created characters who have grown in such natural, believable ways. She delivers an excellent mystery while also weaving in a major, emotional turning point in their lives. There is drama, murder, secrets, late-pregnancy feelings and hormones, a sick father-in-law, home renovations, a fun baby shower, and friends and family ready to tackle whatever comes their way. And in the end, a beautiful baby! Escape with Dollycas

This cozy mystery expertly balances personal stakes with a fast-paced plot in a consistent Burdette fashion. It’s a suspenseful, heart-filled addition to the series that proves Hayley is just as effective at solving crimes as she is at critiquing menus. Netgalley reviewer

Book 15 in the Key West series, paperback edition of THE MANGO MURDERS, is in bookstores now!

USA Today bestselling author Lucy Burdette writes the Key West food critic mystery series including A POISONOUS PALATE and A CLUE IN THE CRUMBS. Join her mailing list right here.

Negroni Sbagliato Cocktail for a Book Launch Celebration #giveaway

LUCY BURDETTE: The 16th Key West food critic mystery, A DELICIOUS DECEPTION, is now out in the world! We had a totally full house at RJ Julia Booksellers in Madison CT, where I had a blast talking about the book and the writer's life. We drank wine and ate this cake! (BTW, they have lots of signed copies of the book along with some earlier books in the series. You can contact them here to order.)

So we must celebrate here as well! With what? I wondered. Two weeks ago we ate Sally's strawberry roll-up cake, so I didn't think we needed another dessert. Special cocktail to the rescue!

Earlier this summer, John and I took the train to New York City to celebrate our 34th anniversary. We love to grab tickets to a Broadway show, eat at some delicious restaurants, and then walk our feet down to nubbins on the city sidewalks. 

On our final night in the city, I scored a last-minute reservation at I Sodi, a small Italian restaurant  in the West Village. Their menu opened with all kinds of variations on Negroni cocktails. Since I’m not a big fan of gin, I chose a lighter version of the traditional Negroni, called Negroni Sbagliato, with flavors of bitter and sweet. Since we still have some great summer nights on the porch, and now a new book, I share it with you! (Leave a comment about how you would celebrate a milestone and you'll be entered in the drawing for the new book.)

Ingredients

1 oz Campari

1 oz sweet vermouth 

3 oz Prosecco or dry sparkling wine 

Orange peel for garnish

Directions

Fill a pretty glass with ice. Add the Campari and sweet vermouth and stir. Top with prosecco. Garnish with a big piece of orange peel or even a slice of orange. Enjoy!

A DELICIOUS DECEPTION can be found at a bookstore near you!

This cozy mystery expertly balances personal stakes with a fast-paced plot in a consistent Burdette fashion. It’s a suspenseful, heart-filled addition to the series that proves Hayley is just as effective at solving crimes as she is at critiquing menus. Netgalley reviewer

Book 15 in the Key West series, paperback edition of THE MANGO MURDERS, is in bookstores now!

USA Today bestselling author Lucy Burdette writes the Key West food critic mystery series including A POISONOUS PALATE and A CLUE IN THE CRUMBS. Join her mailing list right here.

RELEASE DAY NEWS! A DELICIOUS DECEPTION is on bookshelves now...by Lucy Burdette!

 

Congratulations to our own Lucy Burdette on the publication of her 16th Key West food critic mystery, A DELICIOUS DECEPTION!

Mother-to-be Hayley Snow bites off more than she can chew in the sixteenth installment of Lucy Burdette’s USA Today bestselling Key West Food Critic mysteries.

When Sheriff’s Deputy Darcy Rogers asks Hayley for a small favor, she can’t say no. Nine months pregnant and temporarily benched from her food critic duties, Hayley’s itching for a distraction and eager to help. All she has to do is tag along while a young woman picks up her daughter from her father at Monroe County’s safe custody exchange location. Easy, right?

Wrong.

In the chaos of the Sheriff’s Office open house, the mother disappears. Then the father bolts, leaving Hayley with a terrified girl and the realization that something has gone terribly wrong. Hayley and Deputy Rogers head north up the Keys to search for answers. 

When a body turns up, Hayley realizes this isn’t just a missing-persons case—it’s a race against time. With the little girl’s safety at risk, Hayley must trust her instincts—and her heart—to uncover the truth.

Available now, wherever books are sold!

This cozy mystery expertly balances personal stakes with a fast-paced plot in a consistent Burdette fashion. It’s a suspenseful, heart-filled addition to the series that proves Hayley is just as effective at solving crimes as she is at critiquing menus. Netgalley reviewer

Release Day News! New Paperback Edition of The Mango Murders by Lucy Burdette

 

Congratulations to our own... Lucy Burdette!

On the release of the 

*New Paperback Edition* 

of her Key West Food Critic Mystery 

THE MANGO MURDERS

Now in Paperback! 

Praise for The Mango Murders:
“A colorful background and fun for foodies enliven a tale of jealousy and revenge.”
—Kirkus Reviews

“Readers will fall in love with everything about this series.”
—Cozy Mystery Book Reviews

“Another gem of a cozy mystery . . . For readers with an interest in deftly crafted ‘whodunnit’s starring an amateur female sleuth.”
—Midwest Book Review

“A marvelous mystery.”
—Escape with Dollycas

“Another good one . . . Fans of the series will enjoy.”
—Red Carpet Crash

“If you’re looking for something light and gossipy, full of food and sunshine and friendship—and there are times when we all need that—this is a perfect book for you.”
—Ann Cleeves, New York Times bestselling author

Strawberry Rhubarb Cornbread by Lucy Burdette #giveaway

LUCY BURDETTE: We have this ridiculously large rhubarb plant outside the garden and I haven’t made a thing with it all spring. Since I was preparing cheesy green chili beans for supper, I thought this special cornbread might go well with it! We thought the result was quite delicious. If I was going to go crazy with experimenting, I might try more fruit and stir it all in to the batter. Let me know if anyone tries this?

Meanwhile, don’t forget to leave a comment below to be entered in the drawing for TWO Key West food critic mysteries, one for you and one for a friend. Number sixteen in the series is coming your way very soon!

INGREDIENTS

3/4 cup cornmeal

3/4 cup flour

1 and 1/2 Tbsp baking powder

1 Tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp baking soda 

1/2 tsp salt

Mix these dry ingredients together in one bowl.

2 large eggs

1 and 1/2 cups milk, plus 1 Tbsp white or maple vinegar

3-4 Tbsp butter

1 stalk rhubarb, chopped

1/2 cup strawberries, chopped 

Add the vinegar to the milk and wait a bit for it to thicken. (I've given up buying buttermilk, as I wasted too much of it.) Beat the eggs into the milk, add this to the dry mixture and stir until combined. 

 Meanwhile, heat the oven to 400 degrees. Drop the butter into the 8x8 inch pan you will use to bake, and melt it by popping the pan into the oven for a few minutes with the rhubarb. Sprinkle with strawberries. Pour the cornbread batter into the prepared pan and bake 15 to 20 minutes until slightly brown. Serve hot, with more butter if desired, or possibly a drizzle of honey. 

T-bone keeps his eye on the baby bunny

 A DELICIOUS DECEPTION, coming July 14 at a bookstore near you!

This cozy mystery expertly balances personal stakes with a fast-paced plot in a consistent Burdette fashion. It’s a suspenseful, heart-filled addition to the series that proves Hayley is just as effective at solving crimes as she is at critiquing menus. Netgalley reviewer

USA Today bestselling author Lucy Burdette writes the Key West food critic mystery series including THE MANGO MURDERS, A POISONOUS PALATE and A CLUE IN THE CRUMBS. Join her mailing list right here.