RELEASE DAY NEWS: Tea & Treachery by Vicki Delany

Congratulations to our own... 

VICKI DELANY

On the release of her
A Tea by the Sea Mystery

TEA & TREACHERY

In this charming new cozy mystery series from nationally bestselling author, Vicki Delany, a New York City expat-turned-Cape Cod tea shop owner must solve the murder of a local real estate developer to help her feisty grandmother out of a jam... 

As the proud proprietor and head pastry chef of Tea by the Sea, a traditional English tearoom on the picturesque bluffs of Cape Cod, Roberts has her hands full, often literally. But nothing keeps her busier than steering her sassy grandmother, Rose, away from trouble. Rose operates the grand old Victorian B & B adjacent to Lily’s tea shop...for now. An aggressive real estate developer, Jack Ford, is pushing hard to rezone nearby land, with an eye toward building a sprawling golf resort, which would drive Rose and Lily out of business.

Tempers are already steaming, but things really get sticky when Ford is found dead at the foot of Rose’s property and the police think she had something to do with his dramatic demise. Lily can’t let her grandmother get burned by a false murder charge. So she starts her own investigation and discovers Ford’s been brewing bad blood all over town, from his jilted lover to his trophy wife to his shady business partners. Now, it’s down to Lily to stir up some clues, sift through the suspects, and uncover the real killer before Rose is left holding the tea bag.

THE DIVA TEA & SWEETENS THE PIE

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Chocolate Chip Cookies. Recipe #1 From Tea by the Sea

My forthcoming book, Tea and Treachery (July 28, from Kensington Books) is the first in the new Tea by the Sea series. It’s set in a traditional afternoon tea room, and the book will have recipes in it for things that might be served at Tea by the Sea.  I spent a good bit of my quarantine time having bake-offs to test recipes that could be used in the second book, Murder in a Teacup (summer 2021). 

Chocolate chip cookies are not usual afternoon tea fare, but Lily Roberts, owner and head baker at Tea by the Sea, makes them for her children’s tea. The children’s tea is just as nice, just as formal, but the food served is more suited to younger tastes.  

Here’s one of the contestants, a recipe I got from my daughter Julia.  The cookies are on the sweeter side, a bit too sweet for me, but they were a big hit with young and old I tested them on. Also very quick and easy. 


Chocolate Chip Cookies as Served at Tea by the Sea Tea Room  


1 cup butter, room temp

½ cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar

Combine and mix until fluffy

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

Add to above and beat until smooth

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

Mix in separate bowl then slowly add to wet mixture until combined

1 cup chocolate chips

            Gently add to mixture

Drop on greased cookie sheets and bake at 375 for 8 – 10 minutes. 

Tea and Treachery, coming July 28 from Kensington Books.

Spaghetti Sauce with Sausages from Vicki Delany

I got this recipe from my good friend, the writer and marvellous cook Rick Blechta, and I’ve adapted it slightly.  Check out Rick’s blog A Man for All Seasonings, about his food adventures and travels.

Spaghetti Sauce with Sausages

Serves 4-5


INGREDIENTS


2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil

2 cups diced onions

1 Tbsp. minced garlic

1 Tbsp. oregano

1.5 Tbsp. dried rosemary

1 small can tomato paste

1 large can diced tomatoes

2 tsp sugar

1.5 tsp sea salt

1 tsp black pepper

4 whole Italian sausages


METHOD


Heat olive oil over medium heat in a saucepan


Sauté the onions with a half teaspoon of the salt until they’re getting fairly soft and translucent. When nearly ready, add the minced garlic


Add the herbs and tomato paste and mix thoroughly while cooking for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly.


Stir in the tomatoes, the remaining salt and pepper until everything is well mixed.


In the meantime sauté the sausages in a separate pan until they are ALMOST cooked though (but not quite)


Remove sausages from heat and slice into chunks.


Add sausages to tomato sauce


Lower heat to a simmer and cook for about an hour. Check the salt level before serving over cooked spaghetti

Coming in July, Tea and Treachery, the first in the new Tea by the Sea series from Kensington. Now available for pre-order.

Find Vicki at www.vickidelany.com and follow her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/evagatesauthor for news of her books and contests and giveaways