Around the Kitchen Table: Your Most Memorable Holiday Dinner + #Giveaway

MAYA CORRIGAN: Which is your most memorable holiday celebration? Christmas Eve dinner in 2016 stands out for me because it collided with my research for the 5th Five-Ingredient Mystery, S’More Murders. My sleuth Val is hired to cater a Titanic memorial dinner aboard a yacht while the guests assume the roles of Titanic passengers in a whodunit mystery game. I couldn’t write that scene without doing what Val does. I downloaded a Titanic mystery dinner party game. Then I coaxed family members into assuming roles as Titanic guests, eating their last meal and solving a murder that took place on the ship. 

Molly Brown and the Titanic captain are on the right

My relatives arrived dressed to kill 1912 style. We had wine with Titanic labels and clues to peruse, including a telegram, a birth certificate, and a medical examiner’s report. 

After dessert we each accused the person we believed had committed the murder. And none of us figured it out! We all had fun, though, and I had the experience I needed to write the dinner scene in S’more Murders. The murder game played by my characters is nothing like the game I downloaded. The victim, suspects, and crime are different, and the game in S'more Murders is designed for nefarious purposes rather than fun. If you'd like a fun version of the Titanic murder game, you can download it at Printable Mystery Games. Read about S'more Murders and the last dinner on the Titanic.

Leave a comment to enter a raffle for 7 cozy mystery books!

Accusations fly across the table

🤶

 

LUCY BURDETTE: I have to go with a New Year's eve celebration too, about five years ago. Our kids came to Key West to celebrate (a special treat). Our son-in-law Jeff's birthday is New Year's eve so I made a special dinner with all his favorite things including his mother's recipe for stuffed shrimp and a giant carrot cake. Here's the recipe--delicious even though I'd never choose carrot cake myself! Then we all went out to watch the madness on Duval Street...

🎄

MADDIE DAY: I got divorced in the fall of 2002. The first Christmas, I wanted to make new traditions with my young-teen sons. We all love sushi, and I had learned to make it when I lived in Japan in my twenties. My boys were going to be with their father on Christmas Day, so the three of us made Christmas Eve sushi, a tradition we've kept nearly every year since.

I brought that round wooden dish home from Japan, as well as a nori-maki rolling mat. I'm not sure I'll have the heart to make it this year, but fingers crossed for a safe family Christmas in 2021, along with more festive sushi. 

🎅

LESLIE B: Oh, I love these stories! This truly is the time of year for memories, especially as we get older and the memories pile up! The little Irish nun who taught high school French class decided we would make a French dinner, and I was assigned the buche de Noel, or Christmas log, a long, rolled-up cake filled with raspberry jam and covered with chocolate frosting. My mother helped me---she wasn't a good cook, but boy, could she bake---and it was such a hit that we made another for our own Christmas dinner. My father hadn't seen the school version and was totally surprised. He hadn't had or even seen one since the Christmas of 1944 when he was stuck in a small Swiss village, one of the Swiss internees---the troops whose planes had been forced to land in Switzerland, his because of engine damage during a raid; to retain its neutrality, Switzerland had to keep all soldiers who landed there, Allies on one side of the country, Axis on the other, separated by nationality and by officers/enlisted men. He cried at the sight. When Don and I were in France last January, we saw elaborate buches de Noel in bakery windows, many with little trees and mushrooms made of frosting, surrounded by forest animals. I thought of my father, long gone, and I cried. 

🎄

      

DARYL: Maya, your mystery dinner sounds amazing. What fun.  Nearly every holiday has been good for me. I love when family gathers. We had a full house a few years ago. The smiles were constant and food plentiful.  I serve the same thing every year. It's now expected, so that tradition won't change, although I do switch up the desserts! The number of people will change from year to year, I fear, as we go through this particular year and then going forward when the little ones grow up and go off to college, etc. We have to be ready for change, I think.  I will admit that a cranberry cheesecake dessert was one of the favorites over the years as was the gluten-free yule log I made. 

 

🌞

VICKI DELANY: Two years ago my mother and I went to Mozambique to have Christmas with my daughter, newly arrived to live there for four years.  I lived in South Africa for a long time, so I know hot Christmases, but that was a long time ago. It was fun to see our holiday traditions - Santa Claus, a decorated tree - implanted in such a different sort of place. But never fear, we went to a pot luck dinner, and my daughter made a turkey and I made an apple pie.  This picture is of my mom and me out for drinks on Christmas Eve. And a picture of the Christmas tree. 

 

🍷 🌲 🍴

 

LESLIE KARST: Our family’s traditional Christmas dinner has long been roast beef (or “roast beast,” as we call it), Yorkshire pud, and green beans, with pumpkin and mince pies for dessert. And we always include British Christmas crackers, which come with a small toy, a “motto” (i.e., riddle or joke—which we act out as a game of charades), and a festive paper crown. But one time some years back, Robin and I were lucky enough to celebrate Christmas with my parents and sister in Hawai‘i, where Robin and I live half time. Good fun!

 

 Robin, Mom, and Laura

 

For this special occasion, I decided to try my hand at making a “real” mince pie—i.e., with actual minced beef and suet, as well as fruit. It was the most delicious pie I’ve ever had (though very rich). And that "Christmas in Paradise" we celebrated together lives on as one of my very favorite memories.

🎅

DENISE

My husband and I celebrated New Year's Eve in Melbourne, Australia on a converted tram car. We had dinner in our own little cubby and then were invited to join a large party of Australians to ring in the New Year. Truly a one of a kind experience!

⛄

 

PEG: So many interesting stories here! All holidays are memorable so it's hard to choose.  I'd have to say that it might be the Christmas my late husband and I spent in England. He was there on business so I joined him.  We spent some time in London having afternoon tea, seeing Cats, which was new then and visiting Harrods and enjoying the decorations at Marks & Spencer.  I found a bookstore and snapped up a bunch of books by Nancy Mitford and Patricia Wentworth.  We then headed into the countryside via train to a manor house that had been turned into a hotel. It was exquisite and the food was fantastic. Christmas Eve all the guests were taken to a small, stone church in the village for the midnight service.  When we arrived back at the manor house, we were served a small bowl of hot soup and the British version of grilled cheese.  Christmas morning they brought a real English "fry up" to our room. By the time we finished the eggs, sausage, tomato, mushrooms etc. we thought we'd never be hungry again. But then it was time for Christmas dinner, another memorable meal shared with new friends, made jolly by Christmas crackers and paper crowns!

🎄

MARY JANE MAFFINI

What fantastic Christmas memories you all have!  Are we the only people where things go pear-shaped? Christmas Eve is the big shindig in our family, but we always have a smaller dinner on Christmas Day.  Many of our memorable Christmas stories involve nearly-averted disasters such as the time when, in addition to the usual suspects, we had four Brazilian visitors and my ninetysomething mother-in-law arrive at the same time. In the confusion of arrivals and multiple languages our adventurous little dachshund, Lily, escaped without anyone noticing  and trotted purposefully down the road in the cold Ontario winter late afternoon wearing her velvet and taffeta Christmas dress.  She was spotted by a passing librarian (you can't make this stuff up!) who found our phone number on the tag and saved the day.  Dinner resumed with the breakout artist back in her bed, cuddled up with her sister awaiting extra treats.  Lily is nearly fifteen now and none the worse for her many adventures, but I may have lost a few years off my life.   Merry and safe Christmas, friends!

☕

CLEO COYLE:  Because our beloved parents and grandparents are gone now, both Marc and I are sentimental about our most memorable holiday meals. Both took place during our childhoods. Mine was a Thanksgiving feast with my big Italian-American family, where homemade Italian foods (from wedding soup and gnocchi to pizzelle and biscotti) were served right along with traditional American Turkey and pumpkin pie. Marc’s most memorable meal took place one Christmas eve, when his family served him the traditional Feast of the Seven Fishes. “As the oldest grandson,” Marc told me, “I sat at the adult’s table for the first time, beside my cousin Loretta. We listened to their conversation—some of it in Italian—and shared a wee bit of wine and a drop of after-dinner anisette.” 

As for the menu, Marc’s grandmother was a poor orphan from Naples, but (as he put it) “she could have been a master chef.” The seven seafood dishes she served that night were: (1) shrimp cocktails with white garlic sauce, (2) savory fritters with anchovies; (3) smelts; (4) baccàla (dried and salted cod) in red sauce; (5) calamari, coated with seasoned flour and fried “to perfection.” (Marc remembered the tentacles resembling “dried flower blossoms” though his cousin Loretta was “thoroughly grossed out by them!”) The main course included (6) a whole fresh cod, stuffed with crabmeat, and finally (7) fried shrimp coated with a breading that included Italian herbs and parmesan cheese. Marc and I still make and enjoy that wonderful “Italian-fried shrimp.” We love it so much we shared our recipe and tips with our readers via one of our most popular Coffeehouse Mystery characters. (Click here or on the picture below for a free PDF of our recipe.) As for the desserts, Marc remembered some amazing treats being served, but he failed to eat them. “Why?” I asked. “Because after that seven fish dinner, I was stuffed to the gills.” (Hey, no groaning. Puns are our business, too.) May your own holidays be delicious!

Click here for a free PDF
of Cleo's recipe.

GIVEAWAY

Now it's your turn!
Do you have a holiday meal memory to share?

Join our chat and leave a comment by December 9th
to win these seven terrific books, US only.

Include your e-mail address
so we can contact you if you win.

As the Christmas Cookie Crumbles by Leslie Budewitz

Candy Slain Murder by Maddie Day

Deadly Feast by Lucy Burdette

Mistletoe, Moussaka & Murder by Tina Kashian 

Not a Creature was Purring by Krista Davis

Wreath between the Lines by Daryl Wood Gerber

Gingerdead Man by Maya Corrigan

🎄

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us!

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours. 

May your hearts be full.

Around the Kitchen Table and Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

Sometimes a new year brings changes and that's the case for Mystery Lovers' Kitchen. We're waving a teary farewell to Victoria Abbott. We hope she'll still drop by once in a while to tell us what she's doing. On a happier note, today we're welcoming Denise Swanson to the kitchen. Many of you know Denise from her beloved Scumble River Mysteries. She has a tasty new series coming, too. But we'll let her tell you all about that!

Today on Around the Kitchen Table, we're chatting about our "possibilities" for the upcoming year and maybe give you a few insights into what is coming up in the publishing world.

One commenter will win this cute Around the Kitchen with MLK authors tote bag. See giveaway below.

From Daryl:  Well, the publishing world turned a bit topsy-turvy this past year. I lost two contracts, but I gained two new ones. So as I  keep a positive mental attitude about what the future may hold, I continue to write and drum up new characters. I love living with my characters. They bring me joy. They help me problem solve. I find wonderful resolution solving cases and serving up justice to the "bad guy." What's coming for me this year?  The 6th Cookbook Nook Mystery, PRESSING THE ISSUE, will come out in February. Because this is through a new publisher, it will have a different look and the paper version will only be available on Amazon, through print on demand. I hope that won't put you off. It's still the same gang of characters and set in Crystal Cove. The Renaissance Fair  has come to town and Bailey is planning her wedding at a vineyard, hence the title using the word: pressing (grapes).  I don't have the cover yet, but it will be available SOON. In June, the paperback version of the first French Bistro Mystery, A DEADLY ÉCLAIR, comes out. In July, you'll see the release of the 2nd French Bistro Mystery, SOUFFLÉ OF SUSPICION. Better get my PR dancing shoes ready!

🍏

From Krista:  Those of you who aren't involved in the publishing business might not know that one publisher decided to cut back on cozy mysteries, and another cut them altogether. We have lived through some turbulent times! I'm pleased to say that I have a new series, the Pen and Ink Mysteries. By day, Florrie Fox manages a bookstore and by night, she's creates adult coloring books. She's a doodler, too, and doodles the clues she's thinking about. You can find them on the cover of the book, which can be colored! COLOR ME MURDER will be released on February 27th.

The Domestic Divas have moved to a new publisher and will be back on May 29th in THE DIVA COOKS UP A STORM. Sophie and friends are back (including Natasha). When a neighbor dies under odd circumstances, everything points toward his wife as the killer. Sophie is the only one who can't believe this woman killed her husband. But is she right?

I am also happy to announce that the ink is drying on a new contract for two more Wagtail books!

🍀

From Sheila: Once upon a time, in a universe far, far away, the publishing world was simple. It was made up of a handful of long-established and well-respected publishers, and any new writer's dream was to be accepted by one of them. But then the Internet was invented and things changed. And even those of us who were published by the Big Six (and then the Big Five) were sometimes orphaned. It happened to a lot of talented people. Publishing is a business, and decisions were based on sales numbers, not whether we were talented, hardworking writers.

But the good news is, we at Mystery Lovers' Kitchen have survived, and we've found new publishing homes, or in some cases created our own. We write because we love to write, so we're still writing. I will miss some of the characters from series that did not go on, but I can have some of them drop into new series, or I can go ahead and publish more books in a series myself. There are a lot of opportunities these days.

The County Cork Mysteries have been picked up by Crooked Lane Books, and the newest one, Many a Twist, will come out this month. I've got a new series coming from St. Martin's Press: the Victorian Village Mysteries, starting with Murder at the Mansion, which will appear in June--and that's where some of the characters from the Museum Mysteries will appear now and then. I'm planning to continue the Orchard Mysteries with Beyond the Page Publishing in the fall, and the Relatively Dead series as well.

Our characters become our friends, and a part of our lives. We can't just let them disappear, so we find new ways to get their stories into our readers' hands. We hope you'll continue to enjoy their company.

🍒

From Peg: You know the saying, when one door closes, another opens. As those posting before me have already said, the publishing world is changing...again. Nothing is a constant in today's world. But I'm pleased to say that a lot of new opportunities have opened up as well!  I'll be continuing my Cranberry Cove series with Beyond the Page--like Daryl and Sheila with two of their series. I'm also debuting a brand new historical mystery series, Murder, She Reported, with the Alibi imprint of Random House. It will be ebook only. It's a new profit model for writers, and I'm excited to see how things turn out! The series is set in 1938 NYC and my protagonist, Elizabeth"Biz" Adams, is a debutante turned crime photographer for the Daily Trumpet. The first book comes out on July 31.  I will also continue my Lucille Series for at least one more book--when Lucille and family and friends go to Italy and have fun with gondolas in Venice, motorbikes in Rome and a close encounter with Michelangelo's David in Florence!  Wishing you lots of exciting possibilities in the year to come!

🌷

LESLIE: Like my blog sisters, I too was affected last year by the post-merger decision of Penguin Random House, home to Berkley Books, where we all started our mystery careers, to significantly cut paperback original fiction. (Not just cozies and not just mystery; it was a business model change, not a reflection on sales or on readers' tastes or buying habits.) As a lawyer, I can understand those changes; as a creator, I know how they can mess with the mind. Fortunately, I can cook and soothe my sore head and twisted tummy with tasty food! My Food Lovers' Village Mysteries moved to Midnight Ink, and the 5th, As the Christmas Cookie Crumbles, will be out in June 2018. I've got a lot of proverbial irons in the proverbial fire---and I'm looking forward to a smokin' New Year!

🍸

LINDA: Okay, you've heard it all before, the news about the topsy-turvy publishing world. I look around at the demise of series written by friends, series I was hooked on, and think, what's going on! Obviously, I wasn't consulted. Nor was I consulted about my own series. The third book in the Dinner Club Mysteries from Berkley Prime Crime, MARINATING IN MURDER, comes out in March, 2018 but I'm sad to report, that series  has not as yet been renewed, and I don't expect it to be. I'm happy to report though, that I'm writing a new series for a new publisher, Crooked Lane, where a number of us has happily landed. It's called the Castle Bookstore Mysteries and the first one (working title is The Body at the Blye) appears in Nov., 2018 and along with the new everything, I'm a new person, too. Hope you'll make note of the name Essie Lang, that's me, and that's who's now immersed in the life of bookstore co-owner, Malin Stahr, and the day to day business of bookselling, and murder, in spectacular Blye Castle, on Blye Island in the Thousand Islands. Here's to great reading adventures for us all in the New Year!

🍴

LUCY: I too have found a new home with Crooked Lane, this for two more books in the Key West food critic mystery series. DEATH ON THE MENU will be out on August 7, and I'm busy writing #9. After that, who knows? I have two other projects in the works that are not cozy mysteries. Hopefully I can get them in readable shape and find homes for both. I look forward to many more books from my friends at MLK--and we are so grateful for you, our readers and friends!

☕

CLEO: Marc and I have been writing professionally for decades and non-professionally (as a vocation) since we were children. What we know for sure about this sort of life is that nothing is sure. When we entered the publishing business, it was described as a volatile landscape, full of seismic changes—that was more than thirty years ago. And so it goes. With few exceptions, the artist’s life has more in common with a roller coaster than a carousel (which explains why you sometimes see authors throwing up hands and screaming). Our philosophy: never lose your love of storytelling; make friends with risk (there are virtues in it); try not to take yourself too seriously; and always be game for a wild ride. For now, our ride is continuing with our longtime publisher, and we sincerely thank our readers (along with so many kind booksellers and librarians) for the priceless treasure of their support. If you are among them, we hope you will continue to enjoy our upcoming works. Our 17th Coffeehouse Mystery will be published in April, read more about it here. Our 18th is now underway and scheduled for release next year; and our 6th Haunted Bookshop Mystery finally has a firm pub date of October 2, 2018 (and will be available for pre-order soon). If you'd like to keep in touch, subscribe to our newsletter so you don’t miss updates to our writing life. Whether you read our works or that of our co-bloggers, we thank ALL READERS for supporting your favorite authors. You can give us no better gift. We wish you all a happy, healthy, and industrious New Year!

🍓

And from our newest writer, Denise Swanson: Happy 2018! It's wonderful to begin the new year with a new project and joining Mystery Lovers' Kitchen has got to be one of the most fun. Like many of my fellow cozy mystery writers, 2017 brought a LOT of changes for me. After 17 years and 25 books, I left Penguin Random House. And in September my new publisher, Sourcesbooks, debuted a reboot of my long-running Scumble River series, dubbing it Welcome Back to Scumble River. While the titles are no longer Murder of a.... and the covers are markedly different, the characters and setting are exactly the same. In my most recent book, Dead in the Water, Skye experiences a tornado, a kidnapping, and she gives birth!

April of 2018 will bring about my new culinary mystery series, Chef-to-Go. In the first book, Tart of Darkness, you'll meet Dani Sloan a former HR consultant and the brand new owner of the Chef-to-Go culinary business. She and her three boarders, college girls from the nearby university, immediately get elbow deep in a murder.

My third series, the Dime Store mysteries are on hiatus for a year. I may bring them to another publisher or I may publish them myself, but Dev and the gang will continue to solve mysteries in Shadow Bend, MO.

🌺

Victoria Abbott Well, it's good-bye from me and alter ego Mary Jane Maffini. We are still hoping to have more book collector mysteries following all the turbulence in the industry. MJ is finishing the seventh in her Canadian Camilla MacPhee series and we have several projects in the planning stages. Sign up for our newsletter if you want to stay in the loop. Just click here

We have loved being part of Mystery Lovers Kitchen and the fabulous group of friends and readers here and we'll be popping to get recipes and the news. You will really enjoy having Denise Swanson here 'in the kitchen'. I know you'll welcome her with open arms.

Giveaway

Leave a comment and tell us what are you looking forward to this coming year. 

Remember to include your email so we can contact you if you win the tote bag.

Around the Kitchen Table with Mystery Lovers Kitchen Authors + book #giveaway!

Every few weeks, we're having a new Around the Kitchen Table discussion. We hope you'll like getting to know us as we have a little chat!

Today, we're talking about our love affair with reading, when it began, why we write.

BUT FIRST - new RELEASES plus two GIVEAWAYS below.  

Both Sheila and Linda have new releases!!  Congrats, ladies.

And now, let's chat!

From DARYL:

One set of my mystery bookshelves

I wasn't a reader until the 4th grade. I mean, sure, I COULD read, but I didn't like it. I was an active girl. I wanted to be outside, running, playing. I also enjoyed math and cooking. But reading? Yech. Then I got sick with the measles and I was bedridden for a week. My mother worked. My parents were divorced. Back then, latchkey was not a forbidden word. I was home alone until my mom came home at lunch to check on me. "I am so bored," I told her. So she gave me her set of Nancy Drew books (all 37 of them) and said she thought I might enjoy them. Honestly? (Ugh!) Luckily, I picked one up...and I read all 37 of them in a week. I was hooked. I tried my hand at writing one six months later. That never saw the light of day, but it was my first inspiration to become a writer. I'm so thankful!  (Sadly, I do not know what happened to that set. I would imagine they were sold along with all my comic books when my mom and sisters and I had to downsize. Sigh!)



From SHEILA:

I can't remember not being able to read (and wanting to!). The first book I remember reading on my own is Harold and the Purple Crayon, neck and neck with my battered copy of Read Me More Stories, an anthology which was given to me on my third birthday (it includes an early version of "The Runaway Bunny"). It has memorable black and white illustrations, and I added a few of my own. It wasn't long after that my mother got me a library card, and we would go pick out books every week or two. One small misunderstanding: I thought the books were mine to keep and stuck them under my bed. It took my mother a while to catch on. Clearly my passion for book-collecting started early!

From DARYL:

Sheila, I remember my first library card, too. I did love going to the library and picking out books. Wonder why it took me so long to fall in "love" with reading. Hmm.

From LESLIE:

I'm the youngest child by 9 years, so as a kid, it seemed to me like everyone else was always reading. Naturally, I wanted to read, too. The first books I devoured were The Happy Hollisters and The Bobbsey Twins. They went to the seashore! (No seashores in Montana!) They found clues in old mailboxes and decrepit buildings! Much as I loved those books, it was probably Harriet the Spy who made me want to be a writer -- I remember sitting in my bedroom with my notebook, looking out the window, hoping something would happen "out there" that I could write about. I'm eight in this photo -- could that be Nancy Drew in my hands?


From LINDA: 

I hear you, Leslie. I had an older sister, 14 years older, so I grew up almost an only child. I had a wonderful fantasy life and reading fed it. We had a lot of books in the house but mainly in Swedish, so I dove into the popular kids books of the time - starting with the Golden Books, and then, The Bobbsey Twins, and Charlotte's Web. And I loved horses, so I read Black Beauty, Misty of Chincoteague, My Friend Flicka, and all of the Black Stallion books. Then, I decided to write a novel...about a young girl, oddly enough same age as me, who lived on a ranch, and had a horse. The only mystery is why I still have it in my drawer.



From LUCY: 

Oh don't throw that away Linda--it's precious history! I'm so sorry I can't find my first short story ever--something happens to a girl and she's unhappy and so runs to the top of the Cape Hatteras lighthouse, soon followed by her dream boyfriend, Micky Dolenz. That's right, Micky Dolenz of The Monkees LOL. That could be worth a lot in blackmail, don't you think?

I have loved to read as long as I can remember, and the first book I remember owning was called THE SCARY THING by Laura Bannon. My older sister and I (11 months apart), would come home from school and go to our rooms and read until dinner. Certainly Bobbsey Twins and Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys (stolen from my younger brother) and yes, the black stallion books, and hundreds more. I thank my parents for the love of reading--they read to us every night and they themselves were always reading. The best gift ever!


From KRISTA: 

I can't remember not reading, either. I was a huge Nancy Drew fan. In fact, I remember my mom shooing me out of the house to play. I took Nancy with me and read sitting on the lawn. I also had an older sibling. When I had the chicken pox (there seem to be some themes here!) my brother was going out one night. My mom gave him some money and asked him to pick up a book for me to read. I must have been around seven or eight. He brought home a collection of short stories that a seventeen-year-old-boy would like. It included Edgar Allen Poe and, most memorably, The Adventure of the Speckled Band by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. As you might imagine, they were a bit grisly for a kid. I read every single one of them.

And PS to Lucy—after attending a performance of The Point, I rode home on the Tube seated just in front of Micky Dolenz.

From CLEO:

Mickey Dolenz! (Krista and Lucy: Marc and I are both unabashed fans of Mickey and The Monkees!) Okay, back to the subject. I loved reading all your memories of reading! I'll just add that my own connection with books began as a newborn. No, I couldn't read at the age of 0, but... My sister, Grace, was four years old and loved the story of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland so much that my parents decided to name me Alice (Cleo, of course, is my pen name). My next "chapter" on books came via my Dad. Our small Western Pennsylvania town had no library, but that didn't stop my father from driving me and my sister to the Big Green Bookmobile every Wednesday evening when it pulled into the Acme parking lot. Thank goodness (and it was literally goodness) for libraries and librarians. We didn't have the money to buy, but we sure had the will to borrow, which sparked a lifelong passion for stories and a fulfilling vocation in telling them. So here's to the librarians...and all those bookmobiles that rolled into kids' imaginations with hundreds of worlds on wheels.


 VICTORIA ABBOTT: 

Victoria here! One of the fun things about being a mother-daughter team is that we read together. I always loved reading with my mom..  We still love (and share with children)  the Frog and Toad books by Arnold Lobel. Here's Frog and Toad all year, a charming and funny look at the two friends through the seasons. These books are easy to read to pre-schoolers and great fun for young readers.





 MJ: The tragedy of my early life was when our public library burned to the ground when I was seven, putting an end to my access to the 'fairy tale' books from many countries. I'd had enough time to get hooked though, and switched to MacLeod's bookstore and Hardy Boys books. Now and then, books were treasured gifts:




I still have my tattered copy of Anne of Avonlea, the follow-up to Anne of Green Gables, a gift from my fourth grade teacher. I read all Lucy Maud Montgomery's magical stories of life in PEI.

From DARYL:  MJ, I can't imagine the horror of losing a library to a fire! How horrible. But I'm jealous that you still have childhood books. I have The Jungle Book, Robinson Crusoe, Dr. Doolittle, and a few others, all of which were my grandmother's.  The bindings are very fragile! The artwork in a few is amazing!

So, delightful fans, how did your love of reading begin?

GIVEAWAY!

Linda and Sheila are each giving away one of their mysteries this week. 
Two commenters will win! 
So remember to leave your email so they can contact you by Friday. 

Happy New Year from Mystery Lovers' Kitchen!

LESLIE:  Common wisdom says that the Chinese character for crisis combines "danger" and "opportunity." Mr. Right, who speaks Mandarin and practices acupuncture and Oriental medicine, tells me that this is a myth. But myths can be wonderfully useful. And so, in this noisy, chaotic time in which we live, my wish for you is the ability to see opportunity in crisis. The unplanned, the unexpected, even the unwanted can lead us---and at times, force us---to the deepest discoveries and greatest pleasures.

Thank you, dear readers, for including us and our books and recipes in your lives, this past year and in the New Year to come!

DARYL:  My wish for you in 2017, sweet readers, is that you enjoy each day as it happens. Look for the bright moments. Search for the things that make you smile.

Reach for your dreams. Sing when you can. Dance as if no one is looking. Read with an open mind and open heart.

And treasure yourselves.





SHEILA: As this last year has shown, you can never tell what's going to happen. All the more reason to treasure the good moments, whenever and wherever they happen. None of this "I'll get back to it later" nonsense. Spend time with the people you care about. If they don't get in touch with you, reach out to them.

Forget about the laundry and the car tune-up and that stack of filing, and do the things that give you pleasure. Try new things--maybe you'll be a whiz at fly-fishing or furniture refinishing and you don't even know it. And we at MLK hope that our books and our recipes fall into one or the other category!

Be kind. Smile. Stop and smell the roses. And embrace the unexpected.

PEG: My wish for you in 2017 is that you find peace--peace with yourself (love yourself exactly as you are), peace with family and peace with friends.  Go out and cross something off your bucket list.  Do something just for you every day whether that's meditating, spending time on your yoga mat or just taking a hot bath (while reading a cozy mystery, of course!)

What we all wish is that our books have brought you pleasure, entertainment and a short escape from reality!




KRISTA: I wish each of you and your loved ones good health, and the time and ability to enjoy life. I'm going to try to walk away from all the machines and phones and cyber-madness for at least 1/2 an hour a day. Take a walk, brush your cat, play with your dog, or treat yourself to a relaxing cup of your favorite tea in pure blissful silence.

Thank you not only for being our readers, but also for being our friends.



LUCY: Ditto what my friends here on the blog have said--I had written about wishing you good health, but Blogger decided to erase me. So maybe another good one would be a sense of humor in 2017--I think we're all going to need that! Thanks for being our readers and friends!



CLEO:  Marc and I couldn’t agree more with you, Lucy, on a sense of humor for 2017...

“I do find things funny. When you see life through the eyes of someone with a good sense of humor, which my grandmother did, life is a human comedy.” --George Takei 

Likewise, our New Year's wish for all of you: laughter for your spirit, joy for your heart, and (no matter what curves life throws you) a sanity-saving sense of humor! Love, Cleo (Alice and Marc)

LINDA: My wish to you is for good health, good friends, and good reading! May the year to come bring more peaks than valleys, and more laughter than tears. Family and friends are what matter the most, so thank you so much for being such wonderful readers and friends.

Victoria Abbott aka Mary Jane and Victoria Maffini: We wish for all of you a wonderful 2017. Join us enjoying January, a month when we don't feel the need to shop, race about or live by lists.  May it be a year of curling up with good books, spending time with special friends and enjoying the things that money can't buy, like the bright flash of a cardinal against the snow.  

 Love to all our wonderful readers.    

Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah from Mystery Lovers' Kitchen

What will you be enjoying?

Krista:  It's the traditional goose with potato dumplings at my house this year. Dessert will be a family favorite, my mother's yule log. I wish you all a delicious holiday filled with fun, family, and friends.

Daryl:  I'm doing Christmas Eve and Christmas day. I always do! Christmas Eve is the traditional Honeybaked ham and trimmings. I'm making a Blum's coffee cake for dessert. Plus I made traditional ginger snaps. For Christmas morning, a brunch after presents.  Eggs, homemade waffles, ham (reheated), fruit, juice. And for dinner.  My favorite. Roast beef, green beans drenched in butter, and Yorkshire pudding. I even have a gluten-free version for the pudding that is terrific. My son expects the yule log and I won't disappoint.  Now, remember, it's also the first night of Hanukkah, so to honor my husband, I've set out the menorah and I've made potato latkes already. They're in the freezer, ready to heat up and serve as appetizers! Yum! Let the festivities begin. Wishing you all a merry, merry holiday, whatever your faith, and may the new year bring you loads of love, laughter, and health! 
 

Linda:  We share the holiday cooking in my family.  Christmas Eve is held at my sister's; Christmas brunch at my niece's; and I host Christmas dinner. But even that is a shared event. I'm in charge of the turkey, stuffing and gravy. I love doing this because I inherit the leftovers! I also love the aroma of turkey cooking all afternoon, filling the house. My niece and her family are the bringers of the vegetables and dessert. The veggies are always a surprise and that makes it fun! But mashed potatoes are assured. The dessert will undoubtedly be a Yulelog. And my sister and brother-in-law fill in the gaps.There's always far too much to eat and we manage to do just that. But the best part is sharing the time with family members. It's also a time to remember those no longer with us and those who can't be with us. From our house to yours....best holiday wishes for a joyous family time!

LUCY: We have a funny year this time. We'll be spending Christmas Eve in Key West, including a lovely brunch overlooking the Atlantic Ocean at Louie's Backyard. And then the beautiful church service that was in DEATH WITH ALL THE TRIMMINGS, with the real live Officer Torrence in charge! Then we'll hurtle up to Connecticut to see our kids and our new granddaughter--hurray! We've been included in the in-laws celebration so I'm not in charge of anything on Christmas Day, which is kind of nice...

Peg:  Our holiday will start on December 23 because that is the day my younger daughter is coming home from Chicago with her boyfriend.  I will probably make meatloaf (everyone loves Mom's meatloaf and it's become a December tradition to have it at least once.)  And I'll make latkes to go with it.  Christmas Eve is usually a pasta dish and this year it will be Rigatoni al Forno (baked rigatoni) with Christmas cookies for dessert.  Christmas morning is a breakfast casserole that cooks while we open presents and a homemade coffee cake that is already done and in the freezer! Christmas dinner is beef tenderloin, scalloped potatoes and I'm undecided on the veggie-maybe broccoli and cauliflower with cheese sauce.  Desert is a chocolate mocha rolled cake with homemade mocha ice cream.  Can't wait!   Wishing you a delightful holiday!

Sheila: Our daughter will be flying in from Chicago for (count 'em) five days (think she'll be on the same flight as your daughter, Peg?). She leads a busy life! Of course we're always thrilled to see her, and to catch up on her ever-changing schedule--which these days includes writing short plays for production by a small theatre troupe (think she got my genes?). Otherwise we're still discombobulated by our recent trip to Ireland, where life seems so much calmer and simpler, even if you're running around like an idiot buying screws and lumber and furniture. The sunsets are worth it! I know back here we're having a small turkey for Christmas dinner, and I'm still debating about which stuffing recipe to use, and I'm trying to figure out a new and different way to make a steamed pudding, an old family favorite (I think it may involve two kinds of chocolate. Or maybe three.). Have a wonderful holiday surrounded by family and friends--and good food!

Leslie: We treat friends to a holiday brunch in mid December, serving pecan rolls, fruit salad, sauteed potatoes with my own version of herbes de Provence, and a frittata or omelet muffins---and lots of champagne! For Christmas itself, though, we're non-traditionalists. (Unlike Mr. Right's sweet sister, who tucks notes into her serving dishes on what goes where, and diagrams the buffet!) We're joining friends on Christmas Eve, and I'm taking a yummy salad of green beans, white beans, and cherry tomatoes tossed with pesto. I'm threatening to substitute Lucy's cherry and ginger scones for the usual pumpkin-cranberry muffins Christmas morning, but if I want something other than coal in my stocking, I'd best be careful! Christmas dinner is likely to be crab legs and a small filet---unless, of course, something else calls to us! No matter where your table falls on the traditional vs. adventure scale, we wish you the best of friends, flavors, and celebrations!

Victoria/Mary Jane: The holidays are extra busy this year because there will be a family wedding on the 30th.   We always have visitors who start arriving on Dec 23 and leave at some point.  We have a big family pot luck (with ham and turkey for about 35) on Christmas Eve, usually at MJ's daughter's (and Victoria's sister's place).  But a special part of Christmas Day is our slightly weird Italian tradition of ravioli in brodo (little meat ravioli in homemade stock with fresh ground Parmesan).  They used to be made by Victoria's grandmother and her great-aunt,  but now they are made by her friend, Luisa. Enough for the whole family. They are strangely addictive and our guests are hooked too.  Christmas Day is very relaxed and sometimes we just stay in pajamas. But as we have four dinner guests from Brazil this year, we promise to get dressed.  We'll have turkey (surely the easiest main dish to cook), MJ's mum's stuffing and gravy.  There will be sweet potato casserole, spinach souffle and potato casserole and sparkling wine.  We always make our chocolate ice cream dessert.  Bless you all: enjoy your Christmas, Hanukkah or whatever you celebrate: Remember, we love all you readers. 

Click here for Cleo's Christmas
Pain Perdu Recipe 

Cleo Coyle:  We have Italian traditions, too, Mary Jane! Pain perdu on Christmas morning made from Italian panettone. And as a special treat...

We invite everyone to join us for the sights and sounds of New York's holiday season. We made a special VIDEO CHRISTMAS CARD for our friends, family, and readers and posted it to facebook. Below is a short teaser of the video in "gif" form. To see the full, two-minute version with sound, click here or on the gif below, and...

Click here to see our full two-minute
"Christmas in New York" video! 

Merry Christmas

Happy Hanukkah

&

Happy Holidays!

Happy 4th of July to all our fans!! Enjoy our #recipes!

HAPPY 4th OF JULY!

From Daryl aka Avery: I love the 4th of July. I love the history of it.  I love the thrill of fireworks. I love the beautiful aroma of a barbecue. [Perhaps that's why I put all the barbecue recipes in my upcoming book!] And I love dessert.  I shared this tart on MLK a bit ago, but it's one of my favorite desserts. There's nothing like a good colorful "pie" to bring a smile to my guests' faces.  Enjoy the flavor. Enjoy the day. Treasure your independence!   BTW, have any of you heard the music from the hit musical HAMILTON? I downloaded it and I can't stop thinking about it. I have never liked rap music, but this is incredible. It's a fabulous way to learn about the history of our nation! So clever. 

Fourth of July Fruit Tart

LESLIE BUDEWITZ:  We live outside a small village in NW Montana, much like the town in my Food Lovers' Village Mysteries, where 4th of July weekend seems to mark the real start of summer. Village shops and restaurants boom, every seat in the Playhouse is sold, and concerts in the park fill the air. But the heart of the celebration is the annual parade, a true small-town spectacle. We only have one street that goes all the way through town, and people line both sides of it to watch the hour-long parade. Businesses create floats, drill teams march, pipers pipe, and the big dogs pad through town. Got a vintage car? Bring it down and roll through town! Hosting a family reunion? Make a sign, borrow an old truck, and throw the kids in back and get in line! The owners of the nearby guest lodge and dude ranch bring up the rear with their antique fire engine, guests perched on top throwing candy to the crowd, and firing up the hoses -- which I think we'll all appreciate this year!

The early heat has ripened the famous Flathead Cherries early, so we're heading to some friends' home to pick a few before the birds get them. And then, time for cherry pie!

Classic Cherry Pie

  

Sheila Connolly: In my neighborhood (near Cape Cod in Massachusetts), the Fourth of July is the real beginning of summer. It's also the time of year when the two bridges that cross the Cape Cod Canal take two hours to cross from Thursday through Monday (if you were thinking of just stopping by). 

And it's a great time to barbecue. The summer vegetables are in the farmers markets, and it's too hot to stay in the kitchen to cook, so break out the grill! I went hunting for one of my all-time favorite recipes, Spatchcocked Chicken, which first appeared here five years ago. Wow, we've survived that long! And we still love to cook. And write. Often both at once.

The recipe is simple (and you don't really have to perform surgery on your chicken--you can just as easily use pieces.) and healthy and tastes good. I'm still making it--a lot!

Spatchcocked Chicken

Happy Independence Day!

Happy Birthday, USA!

Cleo Coyle: The older I get, the greater the debt I see that we owe to those who sacrificed for what we now enjoy. To those who signed the Declaration of Independence on this day 240 years ago…to those who pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor…to those who lost their lives fighting for our right to breathe free…we remember you, we thank you, and we toast you on this Independence Day.

To help you along with that toast, I'm happy to share two refreshing drink recipes. My Virgin Sangria and Virgin Mojitos can be served to children and non-drinkers, but very easily spiked for those who want to turn it into an adult beverage. May you drink with joy and enjoy our national holiday!

For my Virgin Sangria recipe, click here. 

For my Virgin Mojito recipe, click here.

Here's to you, USA!

Krista Davis: The weekend of the 4th is the time to keep entertaining easy. After all, even the cooks want to join in the fun, whether it's boating, swimming, or hiking. So I'm sharing a quick dessert that's bite-size, no-bake, and can easily be eaten with fingers. My quick blueberry and lemon tarts. Using pre-made shells saves so much time but they're still pretty and festive.

Blueberry and Lemon Tarts

Wherever you are this weekend, stay safe and take a moment to appreciate all the freedoms we have in this wonderful country.

Happy Fourth of July!

Celebrating National Days!

Linda: This is my take on a fun way to celebrate any national day. I started with the basics, for my somewhat restrictive needs: gluten free scones, Coconut whipping cream (in an aerosol can), and raspberries! Like I said, the basics. I am a Canadian, so for July 1st, Canada Day, it was complete -- red and white. For July 4th, Independence Day, I added blueberries and a little extra red in the form of watermelon. Red, white and blue! Enjoy the dessert and enjoy the celebration!

VICTORIA ABBOTT aka MARY JANE MAFFINI:

We love a party and we've just finished celebrating Canada Day and here it is the Glorious Fourth. It's worth celebrating these wonderful days. We Canadians and Americans are all so lucky to live in prosperous democracies with rights, educational possibilities, freedom of movement, access to bookstores, libraries and online sources of reading and so much more, including, of course, wonderful food. No wonder we have so much fun here at Mystery Lovers Kitchen. And now back by popular demand is one of our favorite summer desserts Ice cream torte surprise which first showed up here on the 4th of July, 2010, when I was a guest author. 

Ice cream torte surprise 

Enjoy it and Have a Happy 4th of July!

Peg Cochran: Dear friends of ours, who have since retired to North Carolina, hosted a 4th of July party every year called "Nothing but Dawgs." They supplied the hot dogs, brats, drinks and dessert, and the guests brought side dishes to share. Jim is a party planner extraordinaire and we had games where we divided up into teams. One year it was "Who's Your Daddy" and all the questions revolved around our country's presidents. I have to say that the 4th of July hasn't been the same since they moved!

Welcome to the Nothing
but Dawgs Fourth of July Party!

A favorite recipe of ours for any patriotic holiday is Strawberry Sponge Cake. Instead of shortcake, I make a large sponge cake, smother it in whipped cream and top with berries--strawberries and blueberries for a red, white and blue theme!

Another favorite is homemade macaroni salad. The store bought stuff is fun but loaded with sugar so we prefer to make our own. It's great at a BBQ or picnic.

Happy 4th everyone! 

We're blessed to live in such a great country!