Mystery Lovers' Kitchen: O Deadly Night

In the newest Year Round Christmas book, O Deadly Night, by Vicki Delany, Vicky Casey, owner of Victoria’s Bake Shoppe, writes a cookbook. Along with her favourite cookies, tarts, and cakes, she has suggestions for fancy holiday meals or quick suppers to feed the visiting crowd. For the first time in this series, there are some recipes in the book. One of them is a perennial favourite of mine (Vicki Delany).

This soup is hearty and filling and the perfect thing to have on the back of the stove if people are arriving at different times.

Makes 8 servings

Sausage and Sweet Potato Soup

Ingredients:

· 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

· 1 lb sausage (I used hot Italian for a bit of extra heat)

· 2 medium onions, chopped

· 2 large garlic cloves, minced

· 2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices

· 1 pound white-skinned potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices

· 6 cups chicken broth

· 1 5-ounce bag fresh spinach

· Salt and pepper

Method:

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in frying pan over medium-high heat. Add sausage; cook until brown, stirring often, about 8 minutes. Transfer sausage to paper towels to drain.

Add onions and garlic to pan and cook until translucent, stirring often, about 5 minutes.

In a large stock pot, add all potatoes and broth; bring to boil, add garlic and onions, scaping browned bits off bottom of frying pan

Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until potatoes are soft, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes.

Using potato masher, mash some of potatoes in pot.

Add sausage. Stir in spinach and simmer just until wilted, about 5 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper.

Follow Vicki at www.vickidelany.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/evagatesauthor. You can sign up to receive Vicki’s quarterly newsletter at Vicki Delany – Canadian Author of Mystery Novels and Suspense Novels » Contact

Now Available for Pre-order: O Deadly Night, the eighth Year Round Christmas book by Vicki Delany. From Crooked Lane Books. Coming October 14, 2025.

This is a non-recipe recipe. Nothing I love more than tomatoes in season, preferably bought direct from the farmer who grew them. Right now, here in Southern Ontario we’re overwhelmed with the bounty. Although, due to the summer’s drought some home gardeners are reporting low yield.

This is one of my favourite ways of using small, fresh tomatoes in a pasta sauce. It isn’t really a recipe, because I just add what I like. So you can easily adapt it to suit the number of people you are cooking for. Give it a try and have fun with it.

The arugula isn’t essential, but I like it for an extra serving of fresh greens.

Fresh Tomato Pasta

Ingredients:

Fresh Tomato Pasta

Splash of olive oil

¼ onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tsp red pepper flakes or some chopped, seeded jalapeno pepper

Cherry tomatoes, all sizes and colours will work. Cut larger ones in half or quarters.

Bunch of arugula, chopped

Couple of tablespoons of soft cheese (I use goat cheese)

Pasta (I like spaghetti or fettuccine in this dish)

Directions:

Prepare pasta according to package directions.

Heat olive oil in a frying pan and sauté onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes or jalapeno until soft. Add tomatoes and cook until very soft. Add chopped arugula and cook on low until arugula is wilted.

Add cheese and stir until melted. You might want to add some strained pasta water if you like a thinner sauce.

Serve over drained pasta.