Showing posts with label Terry Ambrose. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Terry Ambrose. Show all posts

Sunday, October 23, 2022

Welcome Author Terry Ambrose with Mini Pumpkin Pies #Halloween Recipe + #BookGiveaway @terryawriterguy


Please join me in welcoming author Terry Ambrose to the Kitchen. Terry's sharing news about his new Beachtown Detective Agency mystery series along with a tasty fall recipe and book giveaway.

Welcome, Terry, take it away...

~ Cleo




Thanks for hosting me today here at Mystery Lovers Kitchen. Today I’ll be sharing a recipe for mini pumpkin pies for two. After all, who doesn’t love pumpkin pie at this time of year? I know that my protagonist in the new Beachtown Detective Agency series, Jade Cavendish, loves them when her mom makes a batch (Jade’s not much of a baker!) One thing she didn’t love was learning that her dad decided (thanks to a minor midlife crisis) to turn over the agency to her.

On her first day as an entrepreneur, Jade realizes she had never reconciled herself to this whole concept of being an adult. She’s also sure that unless she can find new clients on her own, she’ll sink the agency her father built. Fortunately for Jade, she gets that client, a wealthy young woman who’s sure her husband is stealing money from her. Jade soon learns the ultra-wealthy have some very dark secrets. Her case draws her into the hunt for a man known as the Amorous Assailant and a showdown with a killer.


“Ambrose’s mystery is thrilling and unpredictable…
An entertaining and suspenseful detective tale.” 

—Kirkus Reviews


A
s soon as the nights cool down, we start looking forward to making little pies. A few years ago, we found this recipe on Food Network. It can easily be adapted to fruit pies. And the best thing is that you aren’t making a whole pie, so if it’s just you and your sweetie, this is a great way to go!


🎃 Pumpkin Pie for Two  

Original recipe from Food Network

Cook Time: 20 min Serves: 2 servings

Ingredients: 

PIE CRUST:

2/3 cup all-purpose flour (we use Bob’s 1-1 Gluten Free)

3 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, at room temperature

1 tbsp granulated sugar

1 tbsp confectioners' sugar

Pinch of salt 

PIE FILLING:

2 large eggs

1/4 cup heavy cream

2 tbsp packed dark brown sugar

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground allspice

3/4 cup pumpkin puree

🎃

Preparation Steps:

1. Put a small baking sheet on a rack in the center of the oven, and preheat to 375 degrees F. Process the flour, butter, granulated and confectioners' sugars and salt in a food processor until the mixture resembles wet crumbs and holds together when squeezed in your palm, about 2 minutes. Divide the mixture evenly between two 5-inch pie pans or ramekins. Firmly press the dough into the bottoms, any corners, and up the sides.

2. Place the tins on the hot baking sheet and bake the crusts until the bottom and sides are golden brown. About 12 minutes for pie tins, about 18 minutes for glass ramekins). Let cool completely on a cooling rack.

3. After the crusts have cooled, whisk together the eggs, cream, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and allspice in a medium bowl. Stir in the pumpkin puree.

4. Mound the filling in the pie shells. Bake until puffed and the centers still look slightly wet but not loose, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely before serving with whipped cream on top.

Note: If making fruit pies, there’s no need to cook the fruit, but the pies cook for 45 minutes.

 



TERRY AMBROSE has written fifteen published mysteries. His series include the McKenna Trouble in Paradise Mysteries, the Seaside Cove Bed & Breakfast Mysteries, the License to Lie thriller series, and the Beachtown Detective Agency mysteries.

Visit Terry's Website

Follow Terry on: INSTAGRAM 





Novice PI Jade Cavendish isn’t one of them, though. After inheriting the Beachtown Detective Agency, she’s worried about landing a paying client. Any client. She’d even settle for a dognapping.

Gina Rose, a wealthy young heiress, has a problem. Her new husband, a man she thought was her perfect match, is bleeding her dry. When Gina hires Jade to prove her husband is defrauding her, Jade quickly learns he's a terrible businessman. His investment properties are oozing money like open wounds.

On the surface, it appears Gina simply has bad taste in men. But Jade refuses to give up on her client so easily. Her investigation pulls her into a world filled with greed, one where secrets are a way of life, events are not always what they seem, and lies conceal deadly realities—including the Amorous Assailant’s true motive.

To Purchase Click Here



Terry's 

Halloween Week

Giveaway!


This giveaway is now over... 

The prize is The Case of the Amorous Assailant
in either Kindle or print (for US residents.) 


And we have a winner!

Congratulations to...

Grandpalanu!



Sunday, June 21, 2020

Welcome Terry Ambrose for a Father's Day Guest Post and #Giveaway

Secrets of the Treasure King
by Terry Ambrose



Please welcome award-winning author Terry Ambrose back to the Kitchen! 

Terry is sharing a wonderful recipe, a fun giveaway, and a few words about his heartwarming new cozy series with a seaside setting that makes perfect summer reading. Take it away, Terry! 

~ Cleo















Happy Father’s Day!

With so many of us across the country self-isolating either by choice or directive, it’s definitely an unusual Father’s Day. The good news is, we can still eat, and eat well. Even more good news! All of the ingredients in this bread should be easy to get.

When Cleo asked me to be the Father’s Day guest here at Mystery Lover’s Kitchen, I was flattered. She said she thought of me because of my protagonists in the Seaside Cove Bed & Breakfast Mystery series, dad Richard Atwood and his daughter Alex. Like all dads, Rick’s main concern is keeping Alex safe, even when that means grounding her because she’s done something she shouldn’t—like trying to solve murders before the cops. 

Secrets of the Treasure King is the fourth book in the Seaside Cove series. This time, the town of Seaside Cove is all abuzz with news about a murdered ship captain who claimed to know the location of a treasure worth millions. Once again, Rick is working with the cops, and Alex is going rogue. With a secret worth millions at stake, everyone’s out to solve the mystery.


I’ve always loved quick breads, but I started getting more serious about them a few months ago. I wanted a recipe that produced consistently tasty bread with the potential for variety. Ta-da! Introducing my Fruity Chocolate Chip Banana Bread recipe. This recipe is derived from my Gluten-free Chocolate Chip Banana Bread, but it has a twist—less chocolate chips and the addition of the pulp from blueberries, raspberries, or whatever type of berry you like.




Fruity Chocolate Chip Banana Bread 
with gluten-free option

Prep Time: 30 min
Cook Time: 1 hr - 1 hr 30 minutes
Serves: 1 loaf, pan size 8-1/2 x 4-1/2 inches


Ingredients

1/2 cup unsalted butter (softened)

1 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs

3 bananas (ripe medium bananas peeled and mashed)

1 tsp milk (any kind should do: buttermilk, almond milk—use what you have in the fridge)

2 cups Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-1 Baking Flour (Can substitute all purpose flour if gluten-free is not needed)

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp. allspice

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

3/4 cup blueberries (or other berry)

1 tsp Orange zest (If not available can use a few drops of almond extract)

Preparation Steps

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. (can be done once you start mixing ingredients). Grease a loaf pan, size 8-1/2 x 4-1/2 inches.

2. Prepare the blueberries by smashing them in a small bowl and then straining through a sieve to extract most of the juice. Let the berries drain while you continue to assemble ingredients.




3. Mash bananas with the milk in a small bowl and set aside

4. In another bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice together



5. Mix butter, sugar, and vanilla on high speed in mixer until creamy. The mixture should be light when done.



6. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until well blended (to avoid an errant shell, I like to put the eggs into a prep bowl first).

7. Finish mixing by hand. Alternately fold in about 1/3 of dry ingredients, then 1/3 of bananas into the sugar and egg mixture. Continue until all are combined, folding in the drained berries, as well, but do not overmix.

Note: The liquid that you drained from the berries is not part of the recipe. You can discard the liquid, blend it into a smoothie, or simply drink it like any other juice.





8. Pour the batter into your greased loaf pan. Bake for 1 to 1-1/2 hours. Check during last 1/2 hour for doneness by inserting toothpick or cake tester. 

9. Allow to cool on wire rack for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and cool completely on wire rack.

Notes: The amount of time it takes for the bread to bake thoroughly is influenced by how much liquid there is in the berries.





Terry Ambrose has written and published fourteen mysteries. His Seaside Cove Mystery series new releases have risen to the Amazon genre Top 100.  

In 2014, Con Game, Terry’s second thriller in the License to Lie series, received the San Diego Book Awards Best Mystery/Thriller award. Terry also writes the McKenna Trouble in Paradise mysteries and organized an anthology written by bestselling mystery writers to benefit a literacy nonprofit in Hawaii.

To learn more about Terry and sign up for his newsletter, visit TerryAmbrose.com





TERRY'S GIVEAWAY

Leave a comment for Terry below, and you will be entered to win a random drawing for a $5.00 Amazon Gift Card. Be sure to include your email address for contact purposes if you're selected to win. 


Congrats to Terry's winner: 

Pat D.


Good luck, good reading, and 
thanks again to Terry for being our guest. 
Happy Father's Day!







Sunday, April 22, 2018

Welcome Guest Terry Ambrose: Author of Clues in the Sand + #BookGiveaway


Please join me in welcoming author Terry Ambrose back to the kitchen! 

Terry has news for us about the launch of his terrific new mystery series. Leave a comment on his post, and you will be entered to win one of his books. Here's Terry to tell you more about it... 

--Cleo

⛵


Thanks for having me as a guest here in the kitchen! In fact, kitchens seem to be a more commonplace for me since I started writing the Seaside Cove Bed & Breakfast Mystery series. 

The series features sort-of-single dad Rick Atwood and his precocious daughter Alex. They’re your basic unstoppable crime-solving duo, with Alex being the unstoppable half and her dad doing most of the crime solving. Unless you listen to Alex, who will tell you she’s the one who gives her dad his best ideas. Ah, the confidence and wisdom of a ten-year-old!


Terry Ambrose
In Clues in the Sand, Rick has a B&B to run, a killer to find, and is trying desperately to keep Alex from sticking her nose where it doesn’t belong—in the murder investigation. 

The recipe I’ve brought along today is for spaghetti and meatballs. The basic recipe had been in my family for years—until I lost it. Fortunately, the loss came right after I’d made the recipe and could reconstruct it. Now, it’s stored safely in digital format (in two different places) so I won’t lose it again!

I hope you’ll stop by to learn more about me and the Seaside Cove Bed & Breakfast Mystery series at terryambrose.com



By Dr.Conati [Public domain], from Wikimedia Commons


Spaghetti and Meatballs by Terry Ambrose


This spaghetti and meatballs recipe is sure to be a hit with any spaghetti lovers. The meatballs are more work than a meat sauce, but they are well worth the effort! Plus, this recipe has no added salt, so for those on a low -sodium diet, it works well. You can easily make this recipe gluten-free by using gluten-free bread crumbs.

Prep Time: 20 minutes 

Cook Time: 1-2 hours




Ingredients:

Sauce

1 small onion, chopped
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 – 6 oz.cans tomato paste
1 – 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 – #2can crushed tomatoesThis is a 1 lb 4 oz can.
2 cups water
2 cloves garlic minced
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. black pepper

Meatballs

1 lb. ground turkey
2 tsp. Worscestershire sauce
1 egg (beaten)
1/2 cup bread crumbs (seasoned)You can make your own with the heels of loaves of bread!
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 cloves garlic minced
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil

Directions

Sauce

1. In a large pot, heat 1 tbsp. olive oil and sauté onion until soft. 

2. When onions are soft, combine the rest of the sauce ingredients over medium heat. Stir occasionally and then simmer on low for at least one hour. 

Meatballs

1. In a large bowl, combine all meatball ingredients. 

2. Heat oil in large skillet. 

3. Roll meatballs by taking a small amount of meat and rolling between your palms. A good size is about the size of a golf ball. Add this batch of meatballs to oil. Turn regularly to avoid having them flatten. Brown on all sides. 

4. When all meatballs have been browned, add them to the sauce to continue cooking.



Terry Ambrose

TERRY AMBROSE has written more than a dozen books, several of which have been award finalists. In 2014, his thriller, Con Game, won the San Diego Book Awards for Best Action-Thriller. He’s currently working on the Seaside Cove Bed & Breakfast Mystery series.








📖

#BookGiveaway!



To learn more
or buy, click here.

Leave a comment on this post with a way to contact you (email address or Facebook name), and you will be entered to win a print or e-book (your choice) of Terry's Clues in the Sand.

This giveaway is now over. Thanks to everyone for participating, and thanks especially to Terry for joining us this week at Mystery Lovers' Kitchen.

Congrats to our winner:

Kara M.

⛵

Sunday, January 3, 2016

Murder in Paradise with Terry Ambrose + Book and Latte #Giveaway



We are delighted to welcome award-winning mystery author and Crime Fiction Examiner reporter Terry Ambrose as our special guest.

Details on how to enter today's "Book and Latte" giveaway are at the end of this post. 

First please welcome Terry...


For ten years, I was a member of Kiwanis International. The focus of Kiwanis clubs is to improve the lives of children by doing community service. For the past fourteen years, our web design business has supported local clubs by helping them to have better websites. After that many years, I suppose the concept of trying to help others is somehow ingrained in me.

A couple of years ago, I came up with the crazy idea to try and raise money to help support literacy in Hawai’i. The project was always intended to be a model of partnering—find an organization that was already dedicated to improving literacy and work with them, get other authors to contribute their stories, find an editor, a book designer, etc. I’m proud to say the plan worked and we’re about to launch Paradise, Passion, Murder: 10 Tales of Mystery from Hawai’i.

There were a number of other authors who had already written stories set in Hawai’i. Multiple organizations were already working to improve literacy in the state. And the coolest, most heartwarming, thing of all? Everyone who joined the project was passionate about helping others learn to read.

Our writing team includes JoAnn Bassett, Gail Baugniet, Frankie Bow, Kay Hadashi, Laurie Hanan, Jill Marie Landis, AJ Llewellyn, Toby Neal, and CW Schutter. Most of our stories are about characters from our existing series. We’ll take you from the Big Island to the North Shore of Kaua’i, where you’ll find the Tiki Goddess Bar. Our characters’ stories involve family drama, Hawaiian legends and history, and everyone’s favorite subject, murder. Whether you want a funny locked-room mystery on a tour bus on the far side of Maui or a prison breakout with an unwilling escapee, we’ve got them all.


The beneficiary from this project is Read Aloud America, a Hawai’i 501.c.3 organization dedicated to improving literacy in the Aloha State. Everything for this anthology was donated, so Read Aloud America receives 100% of the royalties for soft-cover and e-book sales. Learn more about the authors and books on our website at hawaiianmystery.com. (Preorders available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.)

Unfortunately, none of our authors write foodie mysteries, but that doesn’t mean we don’t enjoy eating. One of my favorite things to eat is (yum!) cookies. I have a problem, however—I’ve got celiac disease and am gluten intolerant. 

Fortunately, that doesn’t mean I can’t indulge. Last year when I was here, I shared a recipe for Coconut Macaroons and this year I wanted to bring in another gluten-free cookie recipe. This time, I have Chewy Dark Chocolate Meringue Cookies. This recipe was originally published in the December 6, 2015 Parade. We tried them right away and they lived up to their name…the chewy chocolate melts in your mouth.



Chewy Dark Chocolate Meringue Cookies

(Makes 36)

Ingredients:

4 egg whites

1/2 tsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

3/4 cup sugar

12 oz 70-72 percent cacao dark chocolate, melted and cooled

1/2 cup chopped walnuts, plus walnut halves for garnish

1/2 cup chopped dried cherries or cranberries

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat egg whites, lemon juice, vanilla and salt until foamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until stiff peaks form. Fold in chocolate, walnuts and cherries.

3. Scrape half of batter into a large zip-top plastic bag. Cut a 3/4-inch hole in one corner of bag. Pipe 2-inch cookies onto prepared cookie sheets. Repeat with remaining batter and a clean zip-top bag. Top each cookie with a walnut half. Bake 15 minutes or until outside is set and dry. Cool completely on sheet pans. Store in an airtight container for up to a week.



Note: We’ve tried these with dark chocolate and semi-sweet—both are just as delicious. You can also get creative with the topper. The recipe calls for walnuts, but if you really want a chocolate orgasm, try a Hershey’s Kiss. Oh, yeah, now we’re talking.


About Terry Ambrose

I write the McKenna Mystery series, the License to Lie thriller series, and novellas for the Lei Crime Kindle World. I started my business career as a skip tracer—the guy who tracks down deadbeats when they disappear. My job earned me the nickname of “Loan Shark” and taught me many valuable life lessons such as—always keep your car in the garage. Learn more about me at terryambrose.com.





Book and Latte 

GIVEAWAY!

This giveaway is now over.
Congrats to Celia Fowler, who won...

Leave a comment for Terry with your email address on this blog post
by 
Friday, January 8th (Midnight PST) and you are entered to win...

Paradise, Passion, and Murder
and a
 $10.00 Starbucks Gift Card

Preorder on Amazon
or Barnes & Noble.

This giveaway is inspired by Terry's own "Book and Latte"
giveaways every month in his excellent newsletter, "The Snitch,"
which 
includes author interviews, tips on avoiding scams, recipes,
book reviews, photos from Hawaii, 
and fun contests. 



Click here to learn more and subscribe 
to Terry's newsletter "The Snitch."

And don't forget to leave a comment on this post
with your e-mail address
to be entered in our
"Book and Latte" giveaway...




Sunday, January 11, 2015

Author Terry Ambrose Shares a Recipe from Hawaii and a #Bookgiveaway


In a former life, author Terry Ambrose was a skip tracer and repo man, fascinating experiences that he now puts to use in his mystery novels, as well as his columns on avoiding scams. 

As a writer for the Crime Fiction Examiner, he has done interviews with some of the top names in mystery writing. Be sure to check out his wonderful website here, which is more of a mini magazine, where he posts interviews and reviews, and often runs fun contests for readers. It is now my pleasure to welcome this talented man to our Kitchen. Take it away, Terry...      
                                                                           
~ Cleo Coyle


Thanks for inviting me to be a guest on Mystery Lovers Kitchen. Or, as we say when in Hawaii, mahalo! My wife and I have visited the islands for twenty-five years. We fell in love with Kauai on our first trip and return for our "island-fix" almost every year.



While we’re visiting, one of our favorite foodie places is Sweet Marie's, a gluten-free bakery. Marie’s deserts are exquisite and we liked her Coconut Chocolate Chip Macaroons so much that we reconstructed the recipe from the list of ingredients. After a couple of very tasty mistakes, Kathy hit on this oh-so-easy and yummy recipe that will transport you to coconut-lover’s heaven.




Coconut Chocolate Chip Macaroons

Servings 26

Ingredients:


1 - 14oz Sweetened Condensed Milk

1 - 14oz Sweetened Flaked Coconut

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

2/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, combine sweetened condensed milk, vanilla extract, coconut and chocolate chips. Drop by rounded teaspoon onto baking sheet.

3. Bake 15 to 17 minutes or until tops start to turn golden. Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes. Place macaroons on wire racks until completely cool.



During my thirty years of writing mysteries, Hawaii has had a continually increasing influence on my work. The first McKenna Mystery came about when we were living in Arizona. In looking back, the desire to write that book was probably a subconscious effort to escape our 100-day string of 100+ degree days.

Food is not a central element of the McKenna Mysteries, but scams and cons are. There is always at least one in each book and BIG ISLAND BLUES, the latest in the series, is no exception. 
For this adventure, McKenna visits the Big Island to help find his best friend's missing niece, Andi Kapono. 

Soon, McKenna realizes he's being tracked by an island hacker and Andi is on her own hunt to find the truth behind a bizarre-sounding curse that threatens those she loves. If McKenna doesn't find Andi soon, they could both become a killer's next victims.

In addition to mysteries, I also write about real-life scams and cons on my website at terryambrose.com and in my monthly newsletter, "The Snitch," where you will find a recipe, a scam tip, contest information, and more.





About the Author

Terry Ambrose started out skip tracing and collecting money from deadbeats and quickly learned that “liars come from all walks of life.”  It was Terry’s experience in skip tracing that led to his creation of McKenna, the protagonist in his novels Photo Finish and Kauai Temptations. And ultimately, he says, it led to the two main characters in License to Lie. A resident of Southern California, Terry loves spending time in Hawaii, especially on the Garden Island of Kauai, where he gets to “invent lies for the unsuspecting to read.” He says his years spent chasing deadbeats taught him many valuable life lessons such as—“always keep your car in the garage.”

You can visit Terry’s author page on Facebook, follow him on Twitter, or learn more about Terry and his books by visiting his website. 


Terry's Book and Latte
Birthday Giveaway!




Terry is celebrating 
his birthday today!


Thanks to all of you for your kind
Happy Birthday comments
for Terry!

Congrats to our comment
giveaway winner...


JEN SCOTT

Jen's comment was randomly
selected to win Terry's
latest mystery, Big Island Blues,
and 
the $10.00 Starbucks Gift Card


Thanks to everyone for commenting
and thanks especially to Terry
for spending his birthday with us...


Aloha!