St. Patrick's Day is Coming

I've been traveling, and I have some deadlines to meet, so I apologize. I'm going to repost a few of the recipes that we have shared that honor the Irish because St. Patrick's Day is coming! 




Now, I know that not everyone out there is Irish, but around this time, everyone thinks she...he is. So get in the spirit.  Erin go braugh!


Also, this should remind everyone that we have a recipe catalogue...see it on the right? And it's packed with recipes for you to try!

Lesa, Kate, Earlene and myself

So where did I go? I went to a book festival in sunny, delightful Tucson, Arizona. There were over 200,000 people there. Authors, vendors, kids, animals. Like most festivals, I found that people were walking around smiling, but they were distracted, looking from booth to booth seeing if this might be the destination they desired.

Paige, Avery, Rebecca

There were giveaways---I really wanted a turtle hat but I needed to have a kid in tow to get one---and yes, I thought hard about borrowing a child for the purpose. I'll have to go online to see if I can find a foam turtle hat. Too cute.  Ooops, forgot to take a picture of that!

Avery & Beth

Kate, modertor Patti, Jenn

I shared time with fellow authors Jenn McKinlay, Kate Carlisle, Rebecca Hale and Paige Shelton. We signed at many of the publishers' venues: Poisoned Pen Press, Mysterious Galaxy, Clues Unlimited, and Mostly Books. I moderated a panel with the ladies and it was so much fun! And Paige and I had a delightful time talking to a crowd at the University of Arizona Bookstore.

I was also on a panel with the delightful Lesa Holstine as moderator, Kate Carlisle, and Earlene Fowler.

Avery & Alyssa White

And I got to meet some special fans. Beth (above) had won Clobbered by Camembert in a contest and came to meet me.  Alyssa, (on right) a FB pal, also came to meet all the authors. Yay!  We love readers!

AND NOW FOR THE RECIPE LINKS:

ST. PATRICK'S DAY CUPCAKES by Avery

BY THE WAY, the tastiest icing for cupcakes? In my humble opinion:

Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

1 cup powdered sugar

¼ cup butter, softened

1 8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

Blend all together until smooth.

*Note: leftovers may be placed in sealed container and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature to re-use.

[For fun, tint the icing green!]

Irish oatmeal cookie muffins from Cleo

Irish Reuben Sandwich from Avery



Shamrock Pistachio Muffins by Cleo






Burgers &Blue (using Irish Cashel Blue) by Avery



Irish Soda Bread by Jenn McKinlay









Irish Stew by Sheila


Lamb Stew by Avery

May you have length with your days,

and strength with your step,

and may each season have a reason

to celebrate your faith in mankind!

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You can learn more about me, Avery, by clicking this link.

Chat with me on Facebook and Twitter.

And if you haven't done so, sign up for my mailing list

 so you can learn about upcoming events, releases, and contests!


Say cheese!

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Zucchini Circles Recipe from CLOBBERED BY CAMEMBERT

In Clobbered by Camembert, Charlottes visits her grandparents when she needs a little down time and feedback on the crime she is trying to solve. The twins are there, too, helping Pepere build an aquarium.


While Charlotte talks to her grandfather (with the twins inserting their two cents) Grandmere offers to make a quickie snack before the twins have to run off to their vocal rehearsal. It turns out the snack is one of Charlotte's favorites: Zucchini Circles. She salivates in expectation.

Now sometimes people ask me how I am like Charlotte, or vice versa, and it turns out that she and I share this same love of fried zucchini. I remember years ago going to a restaurant called Hamburger Hamlet and sharing these little morsels with my stepdaughter. We would play backgammon and snack and I would learn what she was going on in her life. These were special moments for us, and fried zucchini will always be part of that memory.

BY THE WAY, they are fabulous dipped in sweet jammy sauces or just plain. And a glass of sauvignon blanc (for me, not my stepdaughter who was about anywhere from twelve to sixteen), added just the right balance.

Now that I eat gluten-free, I make these my way, without using regular flour, and they turn out just the same. So enjoy!

 ZUCCHINI CIRCLES

Ingredients:

(serves two)

3 Tablespoons oil

¼ cup bread crumbs (I used Gluten-free corn crumbs)

¼ cup grated Parmesan for recipe

¼ cup grated Parmesan for garnish

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon garlic powder

1 egg

1 large zucchini

Directions:

Slice zucchini into round slices.

Stir egg in a bowl.

Pour crumbs and ¼ cup Parmesan into a pie tin and mix with seasonings.

Heat oil in a skillet on high.  As it heats, drop zucchini circles into egg.  Remove from egg and roll in the cheese crumb mixture. 

REDUCE heat to medium and lay in all the zucchini slices.  Let brown about 2-3 minutes.  Using tongs, flip.  Let brown on the other side, 2-3 minutes or as crispy as you like.

Remove from plate.  Set on serving dish.  Top with grated Parmesan.

Serve immediately, as side dish or appetizer.

FYI:

Health benefits of zucchini: 
Helps in the cure of asthma, as it is packed with Vitamin C and antioxidants.
Its nutrients also contain lutein, good for the eyes.
Zucchin is also packed with magnesium and phosphorous, which is good for building and maintaining healthy bones.
Zucchini's nutrients helps against the fight of colon cancer.
Zucchini is high in water content and low in calories.

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You can learn more about me, Avery, by clicking this link.

Chat with me on Facebook and Twitter.

And if you haven't done so, sign up for my mailing list

 so you can learn about upcoming events, releases, and contests! I had two winners just last week whom won Sur la Table cheese paddles!

Say cheese!

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BOOKSELLERS LINK

End of Summer Salad

It's official!

It's autumn.

But before all the goodies of summer are out of the grocery store (or the fresh market), I wanted to share a summery salad that my grandmother loved to serve.

She was very elegant and refined. Whenever we went to her house, we enjoyed a three-course meal. Too much food, but always delicious. At her house, I learned how to set a table and which fork or spoon to use. The soup spoon was always laid sideways across the top of the table mat, which confused my sisters and me for a long time.

We learned that the bread (dry) was always on the left and the drink (wet) was always on the right. Except that darned soup, which was served and set in the center because it was an appetizer.

My grandmother was the one who introduced me to the ballet, the opera, the symphony, and the theater. She played the piano and encouraged me to do the same.

Last but not least, she taught me how to put my socks on. I kid you not. She showed me how to shove my thumbs into those socks and squish them all the way down to the toes so I didn't have to struggle. I slipped in my toes and the rest of the sock went on smoothly and easily. Ah, memories.

So, here's to grandmothers...and mothers...and fathers...and family. Do you have a favorite family memory?

Note: my grandmother's salad did not have feta cheese. I've added those and the mushrooms because, well, I adore both, and I thought they added a dimension to a "first course" salad that makes it an "entree." Enjoy!

GIVEAWAY:

Anyone who comments today, as a tribute to the end of summer, 

will be entered to win a free copy of LOST AND FONDUE. Winner will be announced at 11:59 EST. 
[This means that it will appear before tomorrow's post. Scroll up.]

And now...

MY GRANDMOTHER'S ELEGANT BUT SIMPLE SALAD

Ingredients:

(serves 2)

1 head endive lettuce

¼ pound bay shrimp

¼ pound crumbled Feta cheese

8-12 pieces asparagus, cooked tender

½ ripe avocado, sliced lengthwise

2-4 large mushrooms, sliced thinly

½ lemon, sliced for garnish

Dressing:

2 tablespoons olive oil

½ lemon (for juice)

½ teaspoon sugar

A pinch of salt

A grind of black pepper

Directions:

Rinse and trim endive lettuce. Arrange 3 leaves on each plate. Mound shrimp and Feta cheese on top.  [Note: endive can be slightly bitter. If you don't like the lettuce, switch it out for something else.]

Arrange asparagus, avocado and mushrooms and lemon wedges to your liking.

Mix dressing of oil, lemon juice from fresh lemon, sugar, salt.  Drizzle over the salad. Grind pepper on top of the shrimp.

A Bouchercon Tidbit:

I just went to a fun writers' conference called Bouchercon, in St. Louis, and I met up with some of my Mystery Lovers Kitchen pals Mary Jane Maffini and Sheila Connolly and former MLK pal Julie Hyzy. It's always lovely to be around "like" minds...you know...the kinds who like to write about murder and mayhem and no one thinks you're crazy...or if they do, they don't tell you. LOL

Julie, Sheila, Avery, Mary Jane

Also at the conference was one of my Los Angeles pals, a debut author in November, ROCHELLE STAAB (in red blouse).

Her new book: WHO DO? VOODOO comes out November 4. Don't you love the cover?  RT Book Reviews gave her 4 stars, saying: “The first in the Mind for Murder mystery series set in Los Angeles grabs your attention from the start with creepy tarot cards, voodoo priestesses

and cursed spell books. A fresh and entertaining premise for a new series

that is cleverly plottted and executed.”  She'll be Cleo's guest on MLK in just a few weeks.

Reminder, anyone who comments today, as a tribute to the end of summer, will be entered to win a free copy of LOST AND FONDUE.

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BOOKSELLERS LINK

Chicken Tortilla

I'm off at Bouchercon Conference this week, with other writers and lots of fans. What fun. It's set in St. Louis, a fabulous city. Have you ever seen the arch? It stands as a "gate" to the western United States.

I'm going to moderate a panel on Friday called Escape from Dragon House, with authors Jennie Bentley, Juliet Blackwell, Denise Osborne, and our own MARY JANE MAFFINI, who is nominated to win a short story award. Yeah!

*Picture from the Bouchercon site

On Saturday, I'll be on a panel moderated by one of MLK's former contributors, the fabulous Julie Hyzy (also nominated for Barry Award.) The name of that panel: You Smell Like Dinner.  What a hoot, right? Culinary mystery authors will dish the dirt, including Joanna Carl, Cathy Pickens, and Ellen Crosby.

So, since I'm not single--I have a husband--I have to leave something at home for dinner, right?

I love an easy casserole, with 5 -10 simple ingredients, that men love as well as women.

My favorite is Chicken Tortilla.

Yes, I've shared this casserole recipe before (about a year and a half ago for Super Bowl), but it bears repeating. Hope you don't mind.


I was reminded of this recipe because I was on Facebook the other day and responding to a post by  Chef Jamie Gwen (terrific gal!) asking how her fans would use La Victoria Salsa. Instantly I thought of this recipe and not chips and dip. A number of people "commented" and asked for the recipe. So I thought I would post it again.


My mother gave me this recipe. Though she became a great cook, starting out in her marriage, she learned to follow directions off cans and boxes. I'm sure she found this on the side of a soup can or got it from one of her bridge-playing pals. Who cares? It's delicious and easy. And packed with cheese. Betcha can't eat just one portion!

Note: Best if cooked a day ahead and reheated, but cooking the same day is fine, too. You put it together like lasagna.

SECOND NOTE: IF YOU USE A THROWAWAY 13 X 9 PAN SO THERE'S NO CLEAN UP!

Joanie's (My mom's)
Chicken Tortilla

Ingredients:

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, baked ahead, 1 hour, in foil.
1 chopped onion
2 (7-8 oz.) cans green chile salsa
2 cans Campbell's cream of mushroom soup  [use gluten-free mushroom soup, if you are celiac]
1 cup milk
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

12 corn tortillas, sliced in 1" strips


Directions:
Mix onion, salsa, soup, milk in a bowl. [Third note: this stuff will look like glop and unappealing. Don't worry. It makes a great sauce!]

In 13 x 9 pan, LAYER the following:

1 scoop sauce
half of the tortillas lengthwise and widthwise
half of the chicken
half of the sauce

REPEAT

Cover with shredded cheddar cheese.

Bake at 300 degrees (a slow oven) for 2 hours.

To reheat, put in oven at 250 degrees for 1 hour.

Enjoy!



I like to serve this with a zesty red wine, sangria, or beer.

Lastly, check out my website and join my newsletter. I'll be starting up a new contest for the launch of Clobbered by Camembert soon.  

Best to all.

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BOOKSELLERS LINK

Mashed Potatoes with Rosemary and Goat Cheese

Recipe and tale...coming soon...


But first...






Hooray to pal Krista Davis, who has a new book out this week, the fifth in the Domestic Diva Mystery series: THE DIVA HAUNTS THE HOUSE. 


I'm proud to say I've read this book and enjoyed every spooky fun moment!


Great reviews come from Lesa Holstine's LESA'S BOOKS CRITIQUES and more.

You can enter to win an autographed copy of Krista’s The Diva Haunts The House from the Dru's Book Musings by clicking here. (Hurry, contest ends 9/12.)


Once again, wahoo, Krista!! Bring on more Sophie and Natasha.






And now for my recipe or "peace" offering: 


I have been in the mood for a hearty meal. It's still warm in California, but there's something that happens to my appetite as "autumn" approaches. Or maybe it's as deadlines loom and I need sustenance. I have the final polish of book 3: CLOBBERED BY CAMEMBERT due this week and the turn in of the manuscript for book 4: TO BRIE OR NOT TO BRIE next week.  Food!  Feed me! Wine me and dine me, if you must. LOL


Perhaps I'm a bit of a squirrel. I feel like I'm storing up for the winter.

When I went on vacation in July in Lake Tahoe , my husband and I had the most delicious dinner. Lamb served with rosemary mashed potatoes laced with goat cheese. I decided to see if I could whip up my own version. The result was dynamite. Mashed potatoes, in my mind, are always comfort food or "peace" food - peace of mind, peace of soul...and definitely good for storing up for the winter.


Enjoy.

Mashed potatoes with rosemary and goat cheese

Ingredients:

Serves 4

2 thin-skinned potato (red, white…)

1/2 cup half and half

4  ounces goat cheese

4 tablespoons rosemary (fresh, snipped)

1 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Take the fresh rosemary and strip off the “petals”. Discard the stem. Snip into ¼” bits, and set aside.

Bake or boil the potatos.  (You can also microwave, which I did, according to directions, putting a slice in the potatoes first to let air escape so they don’t pop – about 5-8 minutes). Boiling potatoes timing depends on the size of your potatoes and saucepan. I like to use a six-quart saucepan, fill with water, and bring the water to a boil. I cut the potatoes in half, and set them into boiling water, then boil (reducing heat to medium) until a fork can pierce them easily. (10-20 minutes).

Dice the potatoes into small bites. Put into a bowl. Add the half and half, the goat cheese, the rosemary and salt. Beat (with a fork or an egg beater). Serve.

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Peach Pie with Mascarpone Cheese

So, it seems to me that a running theme this week is having too much of a good thing.

Well, I had the same experience. As we're nearing the end of peach season, I decided to go to the local fresh fruits and vegetables stand and buy a basket of peaches. I thought I'd treasure them for a week, one a day - yum - but to my dismay, they were really ripe and needed to be used immediately. I couldn't enjoy a peach sliced on my cereal for a week. I had to make something now!!

One of my all-time favorite foods in the world is peach pie. I adore it. Once made, I'll eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner until it's gone. I can't resist. (Yes, I make it gluten-free, but this recipe can be made either way.)

Now I could have given you a straight peach pie recipe, one that I've made since I was little girl, but I wanted to try something a little different, adding cheese to the pie, seeing as I'm always using cheese or a cheese kind of product nowadays.

I had made a cheese crust for my apple pie last year...picture on left. [For the life of me I can't find the recipe on the MLK site, which means I didn't tag it well, so I'm including the link to that recipe that is on my Avery Aames site: APPLE PIE WITH CHEESE CRUST.]


ANYWAY... like that experiment, I wanted to try using cheese in this peach pie. Literally "in." I hope you enjoy the result.

I used mascarpone. Mascarpone is an Italian dairy product, usually made from crème fraîche. It’s a lovely milky-white color and spreads like sour cream. It’s used in lots of dishes. It is the main ingredient of tiramisu.  And some people use it instead of butter or Parmesan cheese in risotto. Delish!

PEACH PIE WITH MASCARPONE 

(Gluten-free or regular)

Ingredients:

1 gluten-free 8-9” pie shell (may use regular if you're not celiac)

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup gluten-free flour (I used sweet rice flour; may use tapioca starch) (You may use regular white flour if you're not celiac)

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1/8 cup butter, room temperature

4 ounces mascarpone cheese

4 large peaches, skinned *

Directions:

Heat oven to 450 degrees.

 

In medium bowl, mix sugar,  flour, nutmeg. Cut in the butter. The mixture will start to form small “pea-sized” balls. Put half of the mixture at the bottom of the uncooked pie shell.

Remove the skins from the peaches. *The easiest way to do this is to heat a pot of hot water. Using tongs, dip each peach into the water for about 20 seconds. This loosens the skin. With a paring knife, peel off the skin. Slice the peaches into thick slices. Arrange the peaches in a pinwheel on top of the mixture in the pie shell.

Pour the rest of the mixture over the peaches. Drop dollops of the mascarpone on top of the mixture. This will mound high, but rest assured, it will all cook down in the oven.

Place the pie on a cookie sheet with an edge. Juice will drip off the pie.

Bake for 10 minutes at 450, then reduce the heat to 350 and cook another 25 minutes, until the top of the pie is brown. Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature. 

Note: if you serve warm, the insides of the pie will ooze out, and it’s definitely harder to serve. If you cool overnight in the refrigerator, the insides of the pie will set and serve up more easily. It’s tasty either way. 

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