RELEASE DAY NEWS: Read and Buried (New Paperback Edition) by Eva Gates

Congratulations to our own... 

EVA GATES

On the release of the
New Paperback Edition of her
Lighthouse Library Mystery

READ AND BURIED

Librarian Lucy Richardson unearths a mysterious map dating back to the Civil War. But if she can't crack its code, she may end up read and buried.

The Bodie Island Lighthouse Library Classic Novel Book Club is reading Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne while workers dig into the earth to repair the Lighthouse Library's foundations. The digging halts when Lucy pulls a battered tin box containing a Civil War-era diary from the pit. Tucked inside is a hand-drawn map of the Outer Banks accompanied by a page written in an indecipherable code.

The library is overrun by people clamoring to see the artifact. Later that night, Lucy and Connor McNeil find the body of historical society member Jeremy Hughes inside the library. Clearly Jeremy was not the only one who broke into the library--the map and the coded page are missing.

Lucy's nemesis, Louise Jane McKaughnan, confesses to entering the library after closing to sneak a peek but denies seeing Jeremy--or his killer. When Lucy discovers that fellow-librarian Charlene had a past with Jeremy, she's forced to do what she vowed not to do--get involved in the case. Meanwhile, the entire library staff and community become obsessed with trying to decode the page. But when the library has a second break in, it becomes clear that someone is determined to solve that code.

READ AND BURIED

To learn more or buy,

CLICK HERE

📖

Click to see more of our
upcoming releases.

👓

Gluten-free Dairy-free Blueberry Scones from Vicki Delany

I don’t eat either gluten-free or daily-free but when I had a guest over the summer with dietary restrictions, I wanted to make her something she could enjoy. I was making scones for everyone else, so I made this version for her. It turned out pretty good.

Gluten-free dairy-free blueberry scones

Ingredients

·         1/4 cup coconut oil 

·         1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk

·         4 tablespoons lemon juice

·         1 tablespoon lemon zest

·         8 tablespoons maple syrup 

·         1 teaspoon vanilla extract

·         Pinch of salt

·         1 1/4 cup ground almonds

·         1 cup fresh blueberries

·         1 1/4 cup gluten-free flour

·         2 teaspoons gluten-free baking powder 

·         1/4 teaspoon baking soda 

Instructions

1.                   Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

2.       Place the coconut oil in a large bowl and melt over a saucepan of boiling water or in the microwave

3.       Once melted, add the milk to the same bowl along with the lemon juice, lemon zest, maple syrup, vanilla, salt, ground almonds and blueberries

4.       Sift in the flour, baking powder and baking soda

5.       Mix well until a dough forms - it should be soft, but firm enough to mould easily.

6.       Line a baking tray with greased baking paper

7.       Place dough on baking tray and shape the dough into a slightly elongated circular shape about 2 cm/1 inch thick  

8.       Carve the surface of the dough into eight - cut in half first, then each half into half, and each quarter into half again. Do not cut all the way down through the dough.

9.       Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until browned and an inserted skewer comes out clean

10.    Leave to cool slightly before cutting

11.    Tastes best when fresh, but keeps covered in the fridge for up to a few days

 Vicki Delany's latest book is READ AND BURIED, a Lighthouse Library mystery by Eva Gates. 

Harvest Soup with Butternut Squash and Sweet Potatoes

 By Vicki Delany

This is totally my own recipe, so feel free to mix ingredients as you like. This soup freezes well, so I make lots of it to enjoy over the cold winter months. I particularly enjoy soups that have no milk or cream – just the vegetables and a touch of spices.

Two butternut squash, peeled, seeded and chopped into about 1 inch pieces

3 large sweet potatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped into about 1 inch pieces

2 large potatoes peeled, seeded and chopped into about 1 inch pieces

2 medium onions, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp curry powder

1/2 tsp dried basil

½ tsp chili powder

½ tsp red pepper flakes

Salt and pepper

3 cups chicken or vegetable stock

Combine curry powder, dried basil, chili powder and red pepper flakes in a small bowl.

 Add all chopped vegetables to a roasting pan. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with mixed spices. Toss to coat

Roast about 45 minutes in 350 degree oven, or until the potatoes and squash are soft

 Dump the cooked vegetables into a soup pot. Add stock. Bring to boil and then simmer about 20 minutes.

Using an immersion blender or blender, puree until smooth.  If the soup seems too thick, just add more stock and simmer to combine.

 Add more salt and pepper if desired.

NOW AVAILABLE: READ AND BURIED the sixth Lighthouse Library mystery from Cooked Lane Books.

RELEASE DAY NEWS: Read and Buried by Eva Gates (aka Vicki Delany)

Congratulations to our own... 

EVA GATES (aka Vicki Delany)

On the release of her new  
Lighthouse Library Mystery

READ AND BURIED

Librarian Lucy Richardson unearths a mysterious map dating back to the Civil War. But if she can't crack its code, she may end up read and buried.

The Bodie Island Lighthouse Library Classic Novel Book Club is reading Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne while workers dig into the earth to repair the Lighthouse Library's foundations. The digging halts when Lucy pulls a battered tin box containing a Civil War-era diary from the pit. Tucked inside is a hand-drawn map of the Outer Banks accompanied by a page written in an indecipherable code.

The library is overrun by people clamoring to see the artifact. Later that night, Lucy and Connor McNeil find the body of historical society member Jeremy Hughes inside the library. Clearly Jeremy was not the only one who broke into the library--the map and the coded page are missing.

Lucy's nemesis, Louise Jane McKaughnan, confesses to entering the library after closing to sneak a peek but denies seeing Jeremy--or his killer. When Lucy discovers that fellow-librarian Charlene had a past with Jeremy, she's forced to do what she vowed not to do--get involved in the case. Meanwhile, the entire library staff and community become obsessed with trying to decode the page. But when the library has a second break in, it becomes clear that someone is determined to solve that code.

READ AND BURIED

To learn more or buy,

CLICK HERE

📖

Click to see more of our
upcoming releases.

👓

Tomato Sauce for Freezing

By Vicki Delany

If you’re like me you’re overwhelmed by tomatoes at this time of year. And that, definitely, is a good thing. But what to do with all the marvelousness?  Freeze it, of course

Here’s a very quick and easy recipe for pasta sauce that you can put in the freezer to enjoy the real fresh tomato taste in the bleak mid-winter.

I used to always boil the tomatoes and remove the skins, but this recipe skips that step, and I think it gives the sauce an even richer taste. 

This recipe can be multiplied many times over if you have an excessive amount of tomatoes (lucky you!)

Vicki Delany’s Tomato Sauce

4.5 lbs fresh ripe tomatoes

1 onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

¼ cup fresh basil leaves

1 tsp salt

Cut the tomatoes in quarters and remove the seeds

Place the tomatoes in a large pot. Add onion, garlic, basil and salt

Bring to boil, lower the heat, simmer, covered for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally

Use a blender or immersion blender to puree the tomatoes

Return pureed tomatoes to pot, simmer over medium-low for 20 minutes

Cool and store in air-tight containers to freeze.

Now available for pre-order, coming October 15. READ AND BURIED the 6^th Lighthouse Library mystery by Eva Gates.

10th Anniversary Blueberry Muffins from Vicki Delany

By Vicki Delany

My good friend Mary Jane Maffini invited me to be a guest blogger back in February 2015 in celebration of the first Lighthouse Library book, BY BOOK OR BY CROOK (written as Eva Gates).  Blueberries aren't exactly in season in North America in February, so I think reposting this in July, just in time for berry season is more appropriate!.

Eva Gates' Blueberry Muffins 

I always make tons of these when the farm markets are overflowing with blueberries because they freeze perfectly, right up until it’s time to make another year’s batch. These muffins are traditional in my family for Christmas breakfast.  Nothing beats the taste of a fresh blueberry on a cold winter’s morning.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp
2 cups fresh blueberries
1 1/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup of milk
1/4 tsp nutmeg 

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Grease and flour a 12-cup muffin tin

In a medium bowl. whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.

In a large bowl, beat butter and ONE CUP sugar until light and fluffy, approximately three minutes with an electric mixer.   

Beat in eggs, one at a time and add vanilla.

Add flour mixture to sugar and butter slowly until incorporated.

Add milk slowly and mix on low speed until just combined. Do not over mix batter. 

Sprinkle the blueberries with a little bit of flour, no more than a teaspoon, just to coat them. Shake off excess flour. The step will prevent the blueberries from sinking to the bottom of the muffins. 

Fold blueberries carefully into the muffin batter. 

Pour batter into muffin tins.  

Mix remaining 1/4 cup sugar with nutmeg. Sprinkle on muffins for nice crunchy top.

Bake for about 30 minutes until toothpick comes out clean if inserted in the middle of a muffin.

Let cool and remove from pan.

By Book or By Crook was the first Lighthouse Library Mystery.  The sixth is READ AND BURIED and it will be released in October 2019. How time flies!

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ENTER OUR 10th ANNIVERSARY

10-BOOK (+ TOTE BAG) GIVEAWAY!

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featuring Mystery Lovers' Kitchen authors!

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2-WEEKS OF FAVORITE, RETRO POSTS!

We're throwing a two-week party to celebrate a decade of blogging at Mystery Lovers' Kitchen. Every day (through July 13), one of the authors of MLK will post a retro "anniversary" recipe from our blogging past. Stop back each day to see what we post. Each time you leave a comment on a post, you'll earn an extra entry in our drawing and increase your chances of winning our grand prize package. Be sure to use the entry form above to register with our contest *and* be sure to leave a blog post comment. (You must do both to be entered.)

GOOD LUCK and...

HAPPY 10th ANNIVERSARY,

MYSTERY LOVERS' KITCHEN!

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Keep warm with this delicious soup (even in Canada!)

Please welcome our guest, Erika Chase, to Mystery Lovers Kitchen.

Erika is the author of the Ashton Corners Book Club mysteries from Berkley Prime Crime. In another life she was the owner of Prime Crime Mystery Bookstore. She knows her mysteries and her cold weather soups.  Take it away, Erika!

SAUSAGE AND KALE SOUP 

Thanks for having me here at Mystery Lovers Kitchen.

There’s nothing I love more on these cold winter days than homemade soup. Okay, maybe I love chocolates more but not the best choice for supper.

Last time I made this Sausage and Kale Soup, I stuck to the recipe. This time I became a bit more adventuresome…partly because I didn’t have enough kale, so added some bok choy to the pot. It doesn’t call for any seasoning but I thought I’d try using andaouille sausage to make up for that lack, rather than the turkey sausage I used last time. And, I ended up substituting black beans for the pinto, navy or kidney beans the recipe suggests, just because I like them.

The result… very tasty to my taste buds with a bit of a kick.  Hope you enjoy!

1 tbsp olive oil

½ onion

2 cloves garlic

1 package sausage

2 large white button mushrooms

2 ½ cups chicken broth

1 – 25 ounce can minced tomatoes

1 bunch fresh kale

1 – 15 ounce can beans

Brown sausage in frying pan.  Cool slightly then slice into bite-sized pieces and cut kale into 2-inch pieces (discarding tough kale stems). Dice the onion and the garlic. Chop the mushrooms.

Heat olive oil and onions in a large saucepan and cook until translucent.  Add sausage, garlic and seasoning and cook for 3-4 minutes; adding mushrooms halfway through. Pour in the chicken broth and tomatoes. Add the kale.

Bring to a gentle boil and simmer 25 minutes. Add the beans and simmer another five minutes.

 Sit back and savor! 

Read and Buried: the second Ashton Corners Book Club Mystery is now available.  Don't miss this chance to catch up with Lizzie Turner and the intrepid readers at the mystery book club!  

And find out more about this book-lovin' series over at  www.erikachase.com