The Destination Murders series -- Graveyard is the 5th -- gathers together short stories from a group of cozy mystery authors, giving you the chance to meet new-to-you authors and series, and reconnect with some of your favorites between books. Cathy and Karen's brainchild, the series has visited the beach, the mountains, the sea, and the air -- and of course, the graveyard. I've contributed to three and each one is great fun!
Cathy's serving up a Char-BOO-terie Board, while Karen's pouring cocktails in keeping with the season. And I'm bringing dessert, reprising one of my favorites for the season -- Boo Scotti, as fun to say and make as they are to eat!
Murder in the Graveyard is just .99 -- less than the price of a treat-sized candy bar -- for Kindle through October 24.
Char BOO-terie Board
by Cathy Wiley
Char-BOO-terie boards are very popular this time of year on social media! While I loved some of the creative ideas I came across, many of the boards were too gruesome or creepy for my taste. I want my Halloween treats to be appetizing, not make me lose my appetite!
So I created my own Char-BOO-terie board, combining a few
of my favorite ideas with some spooky creations straight from my imagination.
The result? A Halloween spread that's more cute than creepy, with plenty of
delicious treats to enjoy!
Ingredients
Brie Gravestone
1 wheel of Brie cheese
1–2 teaspoons balsamic glaze
3–4 fresh rosemary sprigs
Mandarin Orange Pumpkins
5 mandarin oranges
1 celery stalk, cut into short stems
Mozzarella and Tomato Boo-schetta
1 French baguette, sliced on the diagonal
8 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced
bruschetta topping (I used a jar of sun-dried tomato version. You could, of course, make your own topping.)
Balsamic glaze for ghost faces
Boursin Spiders
1 packages Boursin Garlic & Fine Herbs cheese
thin pretzel sticks, broken in half as needed
10 candy eyeballs (for 5 spiders)
Hot Dog Ghosts
1 package refrigerated crescent roll dough
5 hot dogs, cut in half
1 egg yolk for an egg wash
Additional Board Fillers
1 cup black olives
2 carrots, cut into sticks
4 ounces cheddar cheese, sliced into sticks
4–6 ounces salami
candy corn
candy pumpkins
Halloween-shaped cookies or crackers
Additional crackers for serving
Blueberries or blackberries (unlike me, remember these)
Note that this is easily simplified, if you'd like to include just a few elements!
Create the Brie Gravestone
Cut a small portion from the bottom of the wheel to create a flat edge, forming a rounded gravestone shape. Place the Brie near the center of the serving tray. Using a toothpick or skewer, carefully write RIP on the Brie. Drip balsamic glaze into letters. Arrange fresh rosemary along the bottom edge to resemble grass growing around the grave.
Create the Mandarin Orange Pumpkins
Peel the mandarin oranges carefully, keeping each orange whole. Cut celery into small pieces approximately ½ inch long. Insert one celery stem into the top center of each orange. Set aside until ready to assemble the arrangement.
Make the Mozzarella Ghost Boo-schetta
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Brush baguette slices lightly with olive oil. Place them on a baking sheet and toast for 5–8 minutes, until lightly brown.
Spoon a small amount of the bruschetta topping onto each toasted baguette slice.
Using a small ghost-shaped cookie cutter, cut ghost shapes from the mozzarella slices. Alternatively, cut freehand with a knife. (Which is what I did, obviously.) Place a mozzarella ghost on top of each baguette slice.
Use a toothpick and balsamic glaze to make two eyes and a mouth.Make the Boursin Spiders
Remove cheese from refrigerator and rest for ten minutes so
it is easy to form into round balls.
Divide the cheese into five portions and roll each into a ball. Arrange the balls on a parchment-lined tray. Cut pretzel sticks in half (this often results in smashed pieces, so be warned). Insert four pieces into each side of each cheese ball to create eight spider legs. Press two candy eyeballs into the front of each spider.
Refrigerate until ready to arrange on the board.
Prepare the Crescent Roll Hot Dog Ghosts
Preheat oven to 375°F, or according to the crescent dough package. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
Unroll the crescent dough and cut into squares. Cut hot dogs in half crosswise and stand them up. Drape the crescent dough over the hot dogs. Use a straw to make three holes (two for eyes, one for mouth). Mix egg yolk with a little water and brush ghosts.
Arrange on the baking sheet and bake for approximately
12–15 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through.
Cool slightly before placing on the board.
There are different ways to make Salami Roses. I’ve had
more success with the method where you first lay out overlapping salami slcies (similar
to how it comes out of the package, but with more space.) Then fold in half and
roll tightly into the flower shape.
Fill in the spaces with candy, crackers, and fruit.
Unlike me, remember that you had washed blackberries and
blueberries to add to the board. Unfortunately, my family had already started
to eat from the board before I remembered the berries.
Tasty Good Lemon Lavender Zingers
Perfect after a night chasing ghosts and ghouls -- or touring a historic cemetery!
For each drink:
2 oz vodka
1/4 oz. lemon juice
1/2 oz lavender simple syrup
ice
edible lavender sprig
You'll also need:
cocktail shaker
strainer
Put ice in the bottom of a cocktail glass, set aside.
In a cocktail shaker, mix vodka, lemon juice, and simple syrup. Fill shaker with ice and shake hard until it's very cold on your hands. Strain drink into the glass with ice and garnish with 1 or 2 lavender sprigs.
Enjoy!
Boo Scotti
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white chocolate
semi-sweet chocolate
Lay a sheet of parchment paper on a cutting board. Lay your cookies on top of it, on a flat side.
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Melt the white chocolate. Use a spoon to spread white chocolate on one end of each cookie, making a curved ghost-like shape at the bottom edge. Don’t worry about any drips on to the edges of the cookies—they add to the ghostly effect. Allow to sit, until chocolate is hard, about an hour.
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Melt the semi-sweet chocolate. Use a chopstick, toothpick, or small paintbrush to create eyes and mouths on the white chocolate ghosts. Allow to sit until chocolate is firm. If you goof, it’s easy to scrape off a bit of chocolate, fill it in, and start over. Or, just eat ‘em.
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