Christmas Candy Cane Cookie

On Saturday, Krista kicked off a week of Christmas Cookie Recipes Week! Today, we resume the fun. Lucky me. My house smells fantastic!!!



I have to admit, Christmas is my favorite time of year. The beauty of a pine tree, the wonder of Christmas lights, the aroma of fresh-baked cookies and pies. Smiles on children's faces.


Like me, my protagonist Charlotte loves to bake. Being the proprietor of a cheese shop in Ohio, she is always trying out new recipes with cheese. For cookies, she prefers to use cream cheese, creme fraiche, and ricotta cheese. The smoothness of these cheeses mixes well into any baked goods. For her twin nieces, she likes to make cream cheese refrigerator cookies. She can make the dough ahead and bake them fresh any time of the day. Add sprinkles of peppermint candies or red sugar sprinkles, OR frost with cream cheese frosting and you have the perfect...



CHRISTMAS CANDY CANE COOKIE



Ingredients:

1 cup white sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1 3-oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened (or about 5 tablespoons)
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. peppermint extract
1 egg yolk
2 ¼ cups flour
1 egg white (for brushing on top of cookies)
½ cup crushed candy canes
red colored sugar (optional)

Directions:

In large bowl, combine sugar, butter, cheese, salt, extracts and yolk. Beat until smooth. Stir in flour. [This dough can be prepared ahead and chilled. You can also use half a recipe and freeze the other half in "rolls."]


Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Drop walnut-sized spoonfuls 1 inch apart on a cookie sheet. Press with spoon.


Bake for 7-10 minutes until golden brown.


Two ways to enjoy:



Option #1:

If you want, before you bake, you can brush the cookie with slightly beaten egg white and sprinkle with crushed candy canes and red colored sugar. [They will melt, like cookies on right of picture.]


Option #2:

Bake, let cool. Frost with cream cheese frosting and then sprinkle with crushed candies. [Like the cookies on the left.]



Option #3:

These can be made gluten-free by switching out the regular flour with gluten-free sweet rice flour and 1 tsp. Xanthan gum.

Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe:



Ingredients:

1 cup confectioner's sugar

1 8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature (soft)

1/4 cup butter, room temperature

1 tsp. vanilla extract.

Directions:

Put all ingredients in a bowl and blend with blender. Spread on cookies as you please. What you don't eat, you can store in a sealed container in the refrigerator. Let stand at room temperature to re-use.

Now, don't forget that this is the last week to send in suggestions for our January Iron Chef competition. If you enter, you could win a Junior's Cheesecake! We'll be announcing the winner next week. So get those suggestions in! Click on the picture of the cheesecake in the right column for more information.



Last but not least, check out changes on my web page www.averyaames.com. I've added more recipes. A link to my newsletter, and all sorts of fun things.

Say Cheese for Cheddar Biscuits

Dear Readers, our latest Iron Chef contest is completed, and we'll be using the special ingredient our winner Molly Ebert suggested in December, but we'll be having another Iron Chef contest in December, with the special ingredient to be announced in January, so continue to sign up and drop us suggestions! Someone will be a lucky winner close to the holidays! And the prize is a Junior's Cheesecake! Remember, one entry per person, per day, and you must be a follower of the blog.

This week, I've prepared one of my favorite things, Cheese Biscuits. But this week's recipe is for all my gluten-free pals. That's right, Gluten-Free Cheese Biscuits that melt in your mouth. My husband, who can eat anything he wants, loves these biscuits. The recipe uses two cheeses!And the biscuits don't need any butter on the side. YUM!

GLUTEN-FREE CHEESE BISCUITS

Ingredients:

2 oz. butter, room temperature (1/4 cup)
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar and Gouda cheeses
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp. dried parsley
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 cup sweet rice flour

1/2 cup tapioca flour or potato starch

1/2 tsp. Xanthan gum
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

In a mixing bowl, combine the butter, cheeses, sour cream and herbs. Add the Gluten-free flours, Xanthan gum, baking powder, soda, salt. Stir together until blended.

Spoon the dough equally into 8-10 muffin cups. [That's right. No forming, no nothing. Spoon it in!]

Bake for 20 minutes until lightly browned.


YUMMMMMM! Especially hot out of the oven.

Enjoy!

This coming holiday season, and throughout the year, enjoy your family. Enjoy your friends. Take long walks in the crisp air. And say thanks for the freedoms that you have in your lives. May they be many.

If you want to check out more about me, check out my website: Avery Aames. And don't forget to signup for my SAY CHEESE! newsletter, filled with facts and, well, news!!

Better yet, become one of the first to buy The Long Quiche Goodbye. It's now available on Amazon, Borders and Books a Million for pre-order!! [Haven't seen it yet on Barnes and Noble. What are they waiting for??] The publishing date is July 6! No cover art yet, but that's coming soon!

Herb Scalloped Potatoes

Dear Readers, our latest Iron Chef contest is completed, and we'll be using the special ingredient our winner Molly Ebert suggested in December, but we'll be having another Iron Chef contest in December, with the special ingredient to be announced in January, so continue to sign up and drop us suggestions! Someone will be a lucky winner close to the holidays! And the prize is a Junior's Cheesecake! Remember, one entry per person, per day, and you must be a follower of the blog.

And now for more "Thanksgiving Week Goodies."

Turkey isn't the only thing to eat at Thanksgiving. There are all sorts of side dishes. Stuffing, veggies, sweet potatoes.

But let's not forget the real POTATO. Add CHEESE. And WOW! Scalloped Potatoes, done right, can be the one item on the Thanksgiving buffet that trump all others. There's texture, taste, and satisfaction all in one casserole.

So what if you add a boursin cheese? That's a creamy concoction mixed with herbs and spices, delicious on a cracker, but absolutely fabulous in scalloped potatoes. Top with plenty of Grana cheese (which, if you remember, is parmessan cheese in the USA). And YUM!

So this Thanksgiving, don't just think mashed potatoes and gravy. Think layered potatoes and cheese! Here's my version of Herbed Scalloped Potatoes.

HERB SCALLOPED POTATOES


Ingredients:

3 russet potatoes, peeled
1 pinch salt
1 pinch ground black pepper
4 oz. Boursin cheese with garlic and fine herbs
4 whole eggs
1/4 cup milk
1 pinch paprika
1 whole yellow onion, finely chopped
4 oz. Grana (hard parmessan) cheese

Directions:

Thinly slice the potatoes and cook them for 2 minutes in boiling water. Drain and cool by rinsing.

Line 8” square pan with foil. Grease the foil.

Mix Boursin cheese, eggs, milk and spices to make a “sauce.” [I used a blender to whip the cheese into the mix.]

Layer the square pan, alternating with potato, Boursin sauce, onions, parmesan. 2-3 layers. Finish with grated cheese.

Cover the pan with foil and place in oven.

Bake a 350 degrees for one hour. REMOVE FOIL. Bake one half hour longer.

Enjoy!

If you want to check out more about me, check out my website: Avery Aames. And don't forget to signup for my newsletter, filled with facts and, well, news!!

Better yet, become one of the first to buy The Long Quiche Goodbye. It's now available on Amazon, Borders and Books a Million for pre-order!! The publishing date is July 6! No cover art yet, but that's coming soon!

Say Cheese! Say Fromage Fort!

Dear Readers, our latest contest might be completed, and we'll be using the special ingredient suggested by our winner Molly Ebert in December, but we'll be having another Iron Chef contest in December, with the special ingredient to be announced in January, so continue to sign up and drop us suggestions! Someone will be a lucky winner close to the holidays! And the prize is a Junior's Cheesecake! Remember, one entry per person, per day, and you must be a follower of the blog.
Also...I've just got to brag...about one of my blog pals. Cleo Coyle is now officially on TWO national bestseller lists. Holiday Grind hit the #6 position on the National Bookscan Hardcover Mystery Bestseller List and #9 on Barnes and Nobel's Hardcover Mystery List for the Chain Nationwide and Espresso Shot, which was just released in paperback last month, came in as the #2 ranked paperback bestseller for the month of October by the Independent Mystery Bookseller's Association. Wahooooo!


Now, on to the regular portion of this blog. If you are a fan of Krista Davis’s Domestic Diva Series (and you should be!!!) , prior to Mystery Lovers Kitchen, you might have checked out her solo blog, The Diva Dishes. On that blog, I shared the recipe below , so I apologize for any duplication, but heck, I promised this fabulous find to our MLK fans, and I try never to break a promise. [I didn't have any great pictures then, that's a plus now.]

When I started writing The Cheese Shop Mysteries, I knew I liked cheese, but I didn’t realize there was so much to learn about cheese. For instance, did you know that you could sample a different cheese every day of the year? Did you know that cheese and wine are considered soul mates? Why? Because they both come from the earth. How does cheese come from the earth, you ask? Well, you probably know that cheese is made from the milk of cows, goats, and sheep. Did you know that what the animals eat affects the flavor of the cheese? That’s right. The grasses of a season affect the flavors of the milk, and therefore, the cheese. And... cheese made from milk drawn in the early summer differs from one made late in the summer because of the maturity of the grass. Makes sense, right?

Well, put wine and cheese together in one dish and, voila! Major yum!

For a budget-wise treat, here is a great way to use up all that cheese that you bought when you went cheese tasting, but know you can’t finish right away. [I do that when I go to a cheese shop. Buy too much. It all looks, and tastes, so good!] [Also, cheese left over after a holiday bash...a party...any reason.]

Anyway, never discard those little leftover pieces. The French call this concoction fromage fort or strong cheese.

FROMAGE FORT

Ingredients & directions:

Gather one pound of leftover cheese, three kinds is enough but five to six kinds would be superb!!! Trim off any mold or rind or dried parts. Cut the cheese into cubes. Put the cheese in a food processor.

Toss in three to four cloves of garlic smashed up. Chop for a few seconds.

Add one half cup of dry white wine and one teaspoon ground pepper.

Puree until creamy, about thirty seconds.

Remove and transfer into a crock or bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Let warm to room temperature to serve with crusty bread or crackers.

Note: I’d probably pair this with my favorite every-day sauvignon blanc, St. Supery. It’s always consistent.

Enjoy!

If you want to check out more about me, check out my website: Avery Aames. And don't forget to signup for my newsletter, filled with facts and, well, news!!

Better yet, become one of the first to buy The Long Quiche Goodbye. It's now available on Amazon, Borders and Books a Million for pre-order!! The publishing date is July 6! No cover art yet, but that's coming soon!

Easy Pumpkin Cheesecake!! Really, it's easy!

Welcome to our very first Iron Chef Week! Each day this week, we're cooking up a different dish using our secret ingredient, which is...PUMPKIN!

However, before I get to that, I wanted to announce our Iron Chef Week WINNER! It's MOLLY EBERT. She's won a $25 gift card to Williams-Sonoma. Molly gave us a terrific secret ingredient. Tune in, in December, to find out WHAT IT IS and how we will use it when we have our NEXT Iron Chef Week. And thanks to all who came up with the great suggestions, like Pattie for artichokes, Judy for anchovies, and Joann for green apples. Great ideas!!!! Also, remember, if you didn't win this time, check back with us. Our next contest will be starting SOON.

And now, for my dish, I decided to combine pumpkin and CHEESE (of course) and, well, what could be better than pumpkin cheesecake?

I came up with the easiest recipe in the world. Impossible, you say? Don’t be such a skeptic. It really is easy.

I tossed together crunched up cookies and butter and put them in the springform pan. While that baked for 5 minutes, I DUMPED everything else into a bowl, whipped it up, and I was ready to pour it on top of the “crust.” That's right, DUMPED.

This is an excellent substitution for pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving. It’s also excellent pretty much any day of the week!

When I usually make a cheesecake, I whip the egg whites and egg yolks separately, folding the egg whites into the final batter and that makes the cheesecake “taller” and a little lighter, but truly the flavor of this EASY pumpkin cheesecake is so fabulous that it doesn’t need to be taller or lighter. It’s pure yum. I

The key, in my humble opinion, is using ricotta cheese as well as cream cheese. Ricotta has a lighter texture and blends well.

So, here it is…



EASY PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Ingredients:

For crust:

1/2 cup graham crackers crumbs (or crunchy chocolate chip cookies, pounded into crumbs)
2 Tbs. butter
1 Tbs. sugar

For filling:
1 cup sugar
12 oz. cream cheese softened
12 oz. Ricotta cheese
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup canned pumpkin
4 eggs
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ginger



Directions:

Make the crust by combining the cracker crumbs, butter and 1 Tbs. sugar.


Press into the bottom of an 8-inch springform pan. Bake the crust for 5 minutes, then set aside until ready to fill.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the cheese, 1 cup sugar, vanilla, pumpkin, eggs, spices. Beat on HIGH until smooth and creamy.






Pour into the springform.
Bake for 60-70 minutes.
The top will be a bit darker by this point.

Turn off oven and let stand in oven for 1 hour to SET.



Remove cake from oven. When the cake is at room temperature, put it into the refrigerator.

When the cake is chilled, run a knife around the outer rim and then remove the springform pan sides.


Serve plain or with whipped cream.



If you want to check out more of The Cheese Shop Mysteries, the first called The Long Quiche Goodbye and coming out in July, click on this link to check out my website:
Avery Aames.

A Tour of Historic Holmes County, Ohio

CONTEST INFORMATION AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST!

But for right now, I’d like to share a bit of Ohio with you.

Providence, Ohio, the fictional town in The Cheese Shop Mysteries, is located in the western portion of Holmes County.

I recently toured the area and took a ton of pictures.

Isn’t it beautiful? Pastoral? Bucolic?

I decided to stay at a bed and breakfast that was listed in a visitor’s guide
to Holmes County.

Acorns at the White Oak Inn was first in the alphabet.
So is Avery Aames.
And the inn had received awards.
Kismet, right?

I headed north from the airport with a song in my heart, but right off the bat, I was rerouted from the clear directions I had received from the Inn. Uh-oh. I definitely needed GPS to get there. To make matters worse, while getting intermittently detoured, my cell phone reception vanished. No phoning home, no GPS. Let’s hear it for good old AT&T. Boo-o-o-o!



Rather than lose my cool, I leaned back in the seat, took deep calming breaths, and drove along a number of scenic routes knowing I had enough gas to get me just about anywhere. And then I drank in the atmosphere. The hills undulated like a theme park rollercoaster. The burnt amber and shimmering gold leaves on the trees lit up the horizon like a brazen fire. And there were hundreds upon hundreds of farms. Big farms, small farms. I stopped to take pictures of barns, silos, and vistas. I laughed when I saw not only cows, sheep, and goats, but llamas. Yes, llamas!


Finally I arrived at the historic White Oak Inn and was greeted by Yvonne and Ian, the owners.

Shout out to Yvonne and Ian. http://www.whiteoakinn.com

They advertise that the inn is “in the middle of nowhere.” Well, my friends, it really is. There are no houses around. No hotels. No sounds but the babble of the nearby river and the wind blowing through the trees. A slice of heaven. There are no telephones in the room--which was a little worrisome seeing as I still had no cell phone reception--but I was able to get on the internet when I sat in the inn’s great room, a meditative spot decorated with antique furniture, collections of teacups and teapots, earthenware, and an old square Chickering piano. When I retired to my little cottage, which was decorated with brocade and lace, I lit the fire, poured a glass of wine. (Of course, I'd purchased some cheese along the way for a snack.) I picked up a book and suddenly realized I was on vacation. Wahoo!

I slept like a log in the comfy bed,
and in the morning, after a serene walk and a scrumptious breakfast made by Yvonne--a foodie who blogs with other innkeepers--I set off for Millersberg and Berlin, cute, touristy towns…

…where I met LaVonne of Amish Tours of Ohio--a terrific gal with a sharp wit and the most intimate knowledge of Holmes County and the Amish people. Check out: http://www.amishtoursofohio.com

Over the course of six hours, LaVonne took me to a number of cheese makers, a winery, an Amish leather maker, and a general store, all while regaling me with stories. [That's an Amish farm on the right.]

I gained a wealth of tidbits to add to my stories--lucky me! But I also learned something else.

I go too fast.

I don’t take enough time to breathe and listen and absorb.

If you’re like me, take a minute now. Breathe. And then enjoy life one moment at a time.

Oh, and try a bit of Guggisberg Baby Swiss cheese or Heini’s cheddar, local Holmes County cheeses made with Amish farm milk. Yum!!

If you want to know more about The Cheese Shop Mysteries, coming from Berkley Prime Crime in July, 2010, click on this link to check out my website: Avery Aames

AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST...

OUR CONTEST!

Win a $25 Gift Card to Williams-Sonoma gourmet food and kitchenware store!

In early November, we're going to have an Iron Chef Week. Each of our mystery writing cooks will post a recipe with the same secret ingredient. To enter our drawing for the gift card, all you have to do is send an e-mail, suggesting a future Secret Ingredient to: MysteryLoversKitchen@gmail.com

NOTE: You must be a follower of our blog for your entries to count. Just click on one of the "follow" buttons in the right column and you're all set. One entry allowed per day per person. The winner will be announced right here on November 9th! (Again, if you're not following our blog, another winner will be selected...so be sure to follow!)

Say Cheese for Spuds!

First and foremost – let’s hear it for a fellow blogger, Julie Hyzy, for winning the Barry and the Anthony Awards for her debut novel, State of the Onion!!!

Wahooooooooooooooooo, Julie!!!!!!

Needless to say, Julie looks as happy as a kid on Christmas, right? Everyone was wishing her well. And the well-wishing was well-deserved. Her debut novel is a fun, "thrill-sy" book. (Combination cozy and thriller.)

Now, check out her second, Hail to the Chef. You won't be disappointed.

And now for today’s blog.

Warning: this blog is not diet-conscious. There is butter and crème fraiche and cheese involved. [Oh, hooray, right?]

Comfort food.

Why are there days when we crave it? Supposedly, in ancient times, people ate heavier foods as winter drew near to pack on extra pounds to weather the, um, weather. A harsh, cold winter didn’t provide the best assortment of veggies, know what I mean? But that’s not the only reason to enjoy comfort food. The main reason to crave it is because…IT’S GOOD!

My protagonist in The Cheese Shop Mysteries, Charlotte Bessette, loves a good stuffed potato. The sports bar in her fictional town of Providence, Ohio, Tim’s Tavern, serves a different baked potato each week. Here’s a sample.

For this recipe, I used a Seaside Cheddar from Ford Farms, located by the sea in a beautiful part of Dorset, England. Check out their website: Ford Farms.

TIM’S TAVERN BAKED CHEDDAR POTATO

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp. olive oil
Salt and Pepper
1 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. crème fraiche
1 large brown-skinned potato
2 Tbsp. chives, snipped
2 Tbsp. Seaside Cheddar Cheese, diced

Directions:

Lay potato on foil. Brush potato with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Wrap foil tightly around the potato.

Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour.

Open the foil, slice the potato lengthwise. Press at ends to “pop” open. Using a fork, break up the meat of the potato. Add 1 Tbsp. butter and 1 Tbsp. crème fraiche. Sprinkle with 1 Tbsp. snipped chives. [Note: I use scissors to snip chives. So easy to make a consistent cut.]


Layer with 2 Tbsp. diced cheese.

Put under broiler for 6 minutes, until cheese melts and becomes a light golden brown.

Remove from oven, set on plate with extra chives and pepper. Sprinkle top of potato with chives.

Serve hot as a main “vegetarian” entrée.

Note: if you’d like this as a side dish…before broiling, cut potato in half, top each portion with half the ingredients, and broil for 6 minutes.

Little tidbit: Potato – slang, “spud.” Some people believe the Irish people dug their potatoes with spades and from spade we get the moniker spud. Other’s believe the word was used as a term for a short knife or dagger, probably related to Dutch spyd.

If you have the time, check out my website: Avery Aames for other recipes and little "tidbits" about The Cheese Shop Mysteries.

Enjoy!

Say Cheese Salad!

Congrats to last week’s winner who won our final $25 Williams-Sonoma gift certificate! For all of our new readers, look at the right column to find out more about the next contest!

As I do research for The Cheese Shop Mysteries, because my protagonist is supposed to be an expert in all things cheese, I am having the best time checking out restaurants that spotlight cheese. I found a great place this past week. It’s actually, get this, called Say Cheese! [my motto] It’s in the Los Feliz area of Los Angeles on Hyperion. It’s a charming deli as well as a café.

So, anyway, my friend and I went for lunch and we chose the same salad, Lemon Dill with Smoked Salmon. The salad was DELICIOUS!!!! But it did not have cheese in it, and I thought, harrumph, I must rectify that. I wanted to add a cheese that had a nutty flavor and the firm texture of a Tomme Savoie. The cheesemonger at Say Cheese fixed me up with Vacherin Fribourgeois, a cow’s milk cheese from Switzerland.

I went home that night with all the fixings and plated the salad as I’d seen it at the restaurant, but I tweaked by adding some spicy olives, baby tomatoes, and slices of the cheese. Voilá!

ASPARAGUS AND SMOKED SALMON SALAD

WITH VACHERIN FRIBOURGEOIS

Ingredients:

[makes one salad]

Mixed greens

4 stalks asparagus per salad, cooked al dente and cooled

3 oz. smoked salmon per salad

6 mixed olives

2 slices Vacherin Fribourgeois

6 baby tomatoes

Directions:

Layer the greens on a large plate.

Place the four stalks of asparagus down the center of the greens.

Place three olive and three tomatoes on each side of the plate.

Wrap slices of salmon around each stalk of asparagus.

Crisscross two triangular slices of Vacherin Fribourgeois cheese below the salmon.

Next, I tried coming up with the same dressing as the restaurant. While they probably used mayonnaise, I kept mine simpler, a little lighter. I had brought a sample home and had my husband taste-test. He preferred mine. [Note: He might be biased.]

Here’s the recipe:

LEMON DILL DRESSING

Ingredients:

[enough for 3-4 salads]

1 large lemon

2 Tbs. olive oil

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. balsamic vinegar

1/2 egg (whipped)

1 tsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

Pinch of dill

Directions:

Squeeze lemon juice into a bowl, remove any seeds.

Add the other ingredients.

Whip with a blender. Serve immediately.

Serve with a crusty loaf of bread and you’ve got a lovely fall meal as the temperatures start to turn.

Enjoy! And Say Cheese!

And if you like, visit my website: http://www.averyaames.com/ and sign up for my newsletter with recipes and tips and a recurring column about the history of cheese. Next month I'll spotlight Vacherin Fribourgeois!

HUNGRY GIRL SHOUT OUT

Have any of you heard of HUNGRY GIRL? HUNGRY GIRL is a free daily e-mail subscription service about healthy eating that launched in May 2004. Currently over 400,000 people receive the emails. Hungry Girl is on Facebook and Twitter with about 30,000 fans and growing constantly. The creator, Lisa Lillien, is a true marketing sensation. She’s known for her 200 Recipes Under 200 Calories. She’s on a mission to help people be successful in their diets with tasty food.

So, you ask, what’s a gal who’s writing The Cheese Shop Mysteries doing giving a shout out to someone who is helping all those people diet?

Well, get this!! I came up with a tasty treat that’s under 200 calories, made from bacon and shrimp and cheese. That’s right, cheese! The appetizer is melt-in-your-mouth delicious, if I do say so myself, and really pleased my taste-testers!

Oh, before I tempt you further, WE DO HAVE ANOTHER WEEKLY WINNER. Tune in because the winner will be announced later this week and it might be you!!!

Anyway, back to tasty treats. I’m calling this one:

BACON SHRIMP TALEGGIO KEBAB

Ingredients:

4 slices Apple- smoked bacon [I used Pederson’s Natural Farms]
6 Medium-sized cooked shrimp
12 half-inch cubes of Taleggio cheese
12 Toothpicks

Directions:

Fry up the bacon and cook crisply, but not so brittle it will break, then cut in thirds.
Slice the medium-sized shrimp in half, so you have a head and tail, 12 pieces in all.
Slice the Taleggio cheese in one-half-inch cubes

For each kebab, take a piece of the bacon, a piece of shrimp, and a piece of cheese.

Skewer with a toothpick while the bacon is still warm.

Hint: The cheese melts to perfection by the time you’re ready to serve a platter of these little goodies.

So, Hungry Girl and all of your fans, listen up. A person can diet and still have cheese! {I’m not sure Lisa a.k.a. Hungry Girl, ever said a dieter couldn’t eat cheese. I have to admit I haven’t reviewed all of her recipes.} But most people think that cheese is taboo on diets and it’s not.

And yes, you can eat JUST ONE.

“Moderation in all things.”

Know who said that? A fellow named Terence who was a comic playwright and dramatist during the Roman Republic 195 BC to 159 BC. Mark Twain, however, put a better spin on it and said, “All things in moderation, including moderation.”

So enjoy a good bite of cheese! It’ll make you smile.

***And don't forget to enter to win our weekly Mystery Lovers' Kitchen contest. The prize is a $25 gift certificate to the Williams-Sonoma kitchenware and gourmet food store. Just sign in to this blog and leave a comment or send an "Enter me!" e-mail with your first name and state to MysteryLoversKitchen@gmail.com

Say Cheese!

Antipasto Platter

WE HAVE ANOTHER WINNER and, yet again, I’m not the one who gets to announce. Boo-hoo. Keep taking a peek each day to hear who it is. Yep, it could be you!

Taking a lead from The Barefoot Contessa (SHOUT OUT TO INA),I thought I’d share one of my favorite ways to treat guests to appetizers. An antipasto platter. This even makes a fabulously easy dinner for my husband and myself.

What’s so wonderful is that you don’t have to prepare everything yourself. So many stores have these items all ready to go. Preparing an appetizingly scrumptious antipasto platter is all in the display. Serve with a zesty French bread or your favorite crackers and, voilá!

Hint: Make sure you go to the store with a list.

FOR THIS DISH, I USED:

Basil leaves
Fresh buffalo mozzarella (small bite-sized balls)
Marinated red peppers
Pepper crusted salami
Prosciutto
Olives (multi-colored and multi-sized for variety)
Artichoke hearts (from a can, in water)
Asparagus spears (cooked to a crisp tender and cooled)
Baby Tomatoes (I used yellow and red)
Paprika
Olive Oil
Fresh figs [reserved for last]

Using a big platter, lay out the vegetables, cheese and meats in sections, the meats to the outside. Clump the veggies together, reds next to greens, etc. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with paprika for color. Garnish with basil [which tastes terrific wrapped around the mozzarella and tomatoes.]

Lastly, layer the figs on the top. If figs aren’t in season, try pretty dried fruit like apricots. Either of these, wrapped in prosciutto, are a delicious bite!

For those with an adventurous spirit, you might add spicy pepperoncinis to the mix! They are also known as Tuscan peppers, sweet Italian peppers and gold Greek pepper.

Note: Buffalo mozzarella is made from the milk of domestic water buffalo. Apart from Italy, its birthplace, it is manufactured in many places including Southern California, Vermont, Australia and more!

Enjoy! And remember to "Say Cheese!" You can change the world, one smile at a time. And check out The Cheese Shop Mysteries, coming in 2010!

***

Also, before you leave us to visit another site, enter to win our weekly Mystery Lovers' Kitchen contest. The prize is a $25 gift certificate to the Williams-Sonoma kitchenware and gourmet food store. Just sign in to this blog and leave a comment or send an "Enter me!" e-mail with your first name and state to MysteryLoversKitchen@gmail.com We announce the winners right here every Sunday. Best to all!

Espresso-Chocolate-Mascarpone Ice Cream

Congrats to our latest winner Rebecca from Chow and Chatter! We have another contest winner, too, but I'm not the one who gets to share the news this week. So…keep tuning in to find out who has won the Williams Sonoma gift certificate. It might be you!!!

And now, for the Monday blog. Did anyone get to see the Julie & Julia movie? I loved it!!! Both actresses are so talented and captured just the right flavor. Anyway, remember how Julia, and subsequently Julie, believes butter makes everything better?

Well, cheese and cream make things taste better, too!

“Ice cream is exquisite.

What a pity it isn’t illegal.”

~ Voltaire

Over the weekend, I had a craving for ice cream. It’s summer. It’s hot. I adore ice cream! In The Cheese Shop Mysteries that I’m writing, Charlotte, the cheese shop owner, is always open to new experiments. She uses tried and true recipes and adds cheese into the mix to see what happens.

I, like Charlotte, decided to be as adventuresome! And this is what I came up with. I adapted my good old-fashioned vanilla recipe into (in my humble opinion) an epicurean delight.

ESPRESSO-CHOCOLATE-MASCARPONE ICE CREAM

Mascarpone cheese is an Italian version of cream cheese, which is actually a cow's cream and not actually a cheese because no rennet is used in its production. It has a cake icing-like texture and is sweet and rich and is comparable to crème fraîche and English Devonshire cream.

For the purposes of this recipe, I added "cheese." I substituted one cup of mascarpone for one cup of whipping cream and the addition created a velvety smooth texture. I added in espresso coffee beans and dark chocolate [this time it was Ghirardelli 60% dark] and, wow! Textures and flavors popped in my mouth.

The recipe, you ask? Here it is.

By the way, I use: Cuisinart Counter Top Mixer, pictured to the right and works like a dream.

ESPRESSO-CHOCOLATE-MASCARPONE

ICE CREAM

Ingredients:

3 egg yolks
1 c. sugar
1 c. half and half
1 c. whipping cream
1 c. (8 oz.) mascarpone
1 tsp. G-F vanilla
2 Tbs. ground espresso beans
2 oz. of your favorite dark chocolate, chopped

Directions:

Stir together yolks and sugar and cook in saucepan, 30 seconds on low.
Add half and half, cook 1 minute on low.
Stir and cook 1 more minute.
Stir and cook 1 additional minute. [Total 3 ½ minutes.]
Add whipping cream, mascarpone, and vanilla.
Stir and let cool to room temperature.

Chill 1-3 hours in refrigerator

Then:

Start counter top mixer. Add cream mixture. Whip 20-25 minutes.
Add ground espresso beans and chocolate, chopped into bits.
Whip 5 more minutes until goodies are incorporated.

Pour into clean containers and freeze.

Yum!

HINT: The cooking of the creams, sugar and eggs makes the difference. Some countertop recipes simply tell you to put it all into the unit and begin. Cooking breaks down the sugar and makes it melt into the creams.

If you’d like to download this recipe in simple text, go to: http://averyaames.com/mascarpone_ice_cream.htm.

To see more of my recipes or to find out more about The Cheese Shop Mysteries, coming to Berkley Prime Crime 2010, visit me at my website, Avery Aames

Say Cheese!

Last but not least, remember to enter to win our Weekly Mystery Lovers' Kitchen contest. You must enter NEW every week. The prize is a $25 gift certificate to the Williams-Sonoma kitchenware and gourmet food store. Just sign in to this blog and leave a comment or send an "Enter me!" e-mail with your first name and state to MysteryLoversKitchen@gmail.com We announce the winners right here every Sunday.

SAY CHEESE FOR GRILLED CHEESE!

We have a WINNER for our first Mystery Lovers Kitchen contest! Carol Noreen, from Wisconsin, has won the $25 gift certificate to Williams- Sonoma. Congratulations, Carol! To all our fans, we hope you'll continue to be fans, read the blog, and send us your comments. Sign up for this week's contest. There's always another chance to WIN!

Now...for today's blog from Avery:

Charlotte Bessette, the cheese monger in The Cheese Shop Mysteries, the first of which will come out from Berkley Prime Crime next year, loves bread and cheese.

For a quick bite, she’ll throw together a piece of good crusty French bread, swathe the bread in her favorite jam (try Dalmatia Fig), and add a slice of her favorite cheese. Easy and delicious.

However, on days when she has a little more time and she’s willing to go for the guilty pleasure, she’ll make grilled cheese. Not just any grilled cheese, mind you--you know the kind I mean, with one little slice of American cheese. No, she makes a crunchy sandwich made with three different kinds of cheese and coated in grated Parmesan. Charlotte will tell you, and so will I, that it is melt-in-your-mouth scrumptious. Add a side of fresh fruit and you have a feast for your eyes as well as your stomach. This meal also makes a great dinner for kids!

Here’s how Charlotte does it.

GRILLED CHEESE FOR ADULTS AND KIDS

Heat stove-top griddle.

Ingredients:

2 slices of your favorite bread
Butter
Garlic powder
Paprika
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 oz. American cheese
1 oz. favorite cheddar (Charlotte uses Collier’s Welsh Cheddar)
1 oz. of Taleggio

Directions:

Butter the bread.
Press grated parmesan onto the butter.
Sprinkle with garlic and paprika, to taste.
Lay each side down on the hot griddle. [This is the trick, getting both pieces of bread heated at the same time. *Note* Turn the griddle to low when you put bread on.]
Place 1 oz. slice of American cheese and 1 oz. of favorite cheddar on one slice. Place 1 oz. of Taleggio on the other slice.
Let all melt on low for 2-3 minutes. Lift one bread and cheese and place face down on the other side.
Let melt as a put-together sandwich another minute, flip sandwich and melt for one more minute.

Crunchy and melt in your mouth yummy!

For more about Charlotte’s favorite cheeses, take a look at my website: http://www.averyaames.com/. Every month, I’ll be featuring a cheese of the month. This month, it’s all about Taleggio!

Final Reminder: Don't forget to enter to win our weekly Mystery Lovers' Kitchen contest. The prize is a $25 gift certificate to the Williams-Sonoma kitchenware and gourmet food store. Just sign in to this blog and leave a comment or send an "Enter me!" e-mail with your first name and state to MysteryLoversKitchen@gmail.com We announce the winners right here every week.
Best to all!