Lazy Day Lasagna from @TinaKashian1

Hello from TINA KASHIAN! For all my friends, it is with great sadness that I am leaving MLK. I’m juggling family (my two teenage girls), the day job, and writing. I love this blog, our readers, and all the MLK authors, and I hope to visit and share more Mediterranean and other recipes as a guest. As for today’s post, we love a good lasagna in our house, but it can be time consuming to prepare. I found a simple recipe on Pinterest and gave it a try. It’s especially nice because I used a crock pot and could prepare it on a workday and come home to a good meal for the family. I hope you enjoy it too!

 

Ingredients:

1 lb lean ground beef

½ small onion diced

2 cloves garlic minced

1 ½ teaspoons Italian seasoning

Salt and pepper to taste (I used 1 tsp salt and ¼ tsp pepper)

1 large jar (45 oz) high quality pasta sauce

4 cups mozzarella cheese

1 large package (25-30 oz) cheese and spinach filled ravioli (uncooked)

 

Directions:

Brown ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until no pink remains. Drain fat. Stir in Italian seasoning and pasta sauce. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. 

 

 

Spray the inside of a crock pot with cooking spray. Layer sauce, ravioli, and cheese.

 

 

Repeat layers ending with cheese. 

 

 

Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours. Enjoy!

 

 Readers, what is your favorite Italian dish? Please share!

  

 

Tina Kashian writes the Kebab Kitchen Mediterranean mystery series, and her first book, Hummus and Homicide, spent six weeks on the B&N bestseller list. Tina is an attorney and a mechanical engineer whose love of reading for pleasure helped her get through years of academia. Tina spent her childhood summers at the Jersey shore building sandcastles, boogie boarding, and riding the boardwalk Ferris wheel. She also grew up in the restaurant business, as her Armenian parents owned a restaurant for thirty years. Tina still lives in New Jersey with her supportive husband and two daughters.

You can also connect with Tina at:

Website: www.tinakashian.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TinaKashianAuthor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TinaKashian1
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tinakashian/

Armenian Potatoes from @TinaKashian1

Hello from TINA KASHIAN! Armenians celebrate Christmas on January 6. My teen girls can never wait to open their presents and we opened them on December 25. But our traditional Christmas on my side was just celebrated this past weekend. One of our side dishes was these lemony potatoes. The potatoes are cooked in chicken broth but are not soggy. They are moist and tender, and you can taste all the lemon, garlic, and seasonings. The recipe is easy to prepare and goes well as a side dish to any meat or fish meal. Enjoy!

 

Ingredients:

2 lb potatoes (I used red bliss potatoes)

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

½ cup lemon juice

1 cup chicken broth

1 tbsp lemon zest

4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced

½ tbsp Italian seasonings

Salt and pepper to taste (I use 1 tsp salt and ¼ tsp pepper)

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 240 degrees F. Wash and cut the potatoes into chunks. Only peel them halfway. Pour the olive oil, lemon juice, chicken broth, lemon zest, garlic, Italian seasonings, salt, and pepper into a pan and mix well to combine. Add the potatoes and mix well. 

Cover the potatoes with foil and roast the potatoes for 70 minutes. Remove the foil and gently turn the potatoes. Cook uncovered for an additional 10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the potatoes from the cooking broth and place them in a serving dish. Enjoy!

What is your favorite potato or carb side dish? Please share!

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3d6TK2V
Barnes & Noble: https://bit.ly/2V2R4NV
Google Books: https://bit.ly/3hrFS73
iBooks: https://apple.co/3hyqMfI
Kobo: https://bit.ly/2ABK3wc

Not even her impending nuptials can keep Lucy Berberian, manager of her family-owned Kebab Kitchen, from the Jersey Shore’s annual Polar Bear Plunge. But her dive into the icy ocean is especially chilling when she finds a fellow swimmer doing the dead man’s float—for real . . .

 

Who would kill a man in cold blood during Ocean Crest, New Jersey’s most popular winter event? When Lucy learns the victim is Deacon Spooner, the reception hall owner who turned up his nose—and his price—at her wedding plans, she can’t help wondering who wouldn’t kill the pompous caterer . . .

 

Perhaps the culprit is the wedding cake baker whose career Deacon nearly destroyed? Or the angry bride whose reception he ruined? With her maid of honor, Katie, busily planning Lucy’s wedding without her, Lucy will have to get to the bottom of this cold-hearted business in time for Kebab Kitchen’s mouthwatering Christmas celebration—and before her hometown’s holiday spirit washes out to sea . . .

 

Recipes included

  

 

Tina Kashian writes the Kebab Kitchen Mediterranean mystery series, and her first book, Hummus and Homicide, spent six weeks on the B&N bestseller list. Tina is an attorney and a mechanical engineer whose love of reading for pleasure helped her get through years of academia. Tina spent her childhood summers at the Jersey shore building sandcastles, boogie boarding, and riding the boardwalk Ferris wheel. She also grew up in the restaurant business, as her Armenian parents owned a restaurant for thirty years. Tina still lives in New Jersey with her supportive husband and two daughters.

You can also connect with Tina at:

Website: www.tinakashian.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TinaKashianAuthor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TinaKashian1

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tinakashian/ 

Meet our guest Ellen Byron – Pumpkin Chiffon Pie #Holidays #Giveaway

Hello from TINA KASHIAN! I have a special holiday treat for our readers today! My friend and guest is Ellen Byron, and she is sharing a delectable dessert of Pumpkin Chiffon Pie plus giving away a copy of Bayou Book Thief, Vintage Cookbook Mystery #1. Let’s welcome Ellen!

 

 

  

One of the pleasures of writing my Vintage Cookbook Mystery series is that I get to mine my own collection of vintage cookbooks for recipes to include with each book. I love finding dishes or treats that have fallen out of favor, so this recipe for Pumpkin Chiffon Pie, which will be included in French Quarter Fright Night, Vintage Cookbook Mystery #3, caught my eye.

 

The original recipe, which I’ve adapted and updated, is from Adventures in Good Cooking and the Art of Carving in the Home: Famous Recipes, A Duncan Hines Book (1948 ed.) Unlike Betty Crocker, a fictional character created in 1921 for a Saturday Evening Post contest,  Duncan Hines was a real person: a traveling salesman who compiled a list of restaurants he’d eat at during his travels that he shared with friends. This turned into a book and a food column. Eventually, he licensed his name for baked goods, hence the Duncan Hines mixes we know today.

 

Chiffon pies were popular in the 1950s and 1960s, but you don’t see them around anymore. After making this recipe, which creates a delectably light and fluffy pie, I think chiffons are due for a comeback.

 

Pumpkin Chiffon Pie

Ingredients:

1 cup brown sugar

3 eggs, separated

1 and ¼ cup pumpkin

2 tsp. cinnamon

½ tsp. ginger

¼ tsp. allspice

½ tsp. salt

1 T. gelatin

¼ cup cold water

2 T. sugar

10” baked pie shell (I used a graham cracker crust because I think it complements the pumpkin)

Directions:

 

Place brown sugar, egg yolks, pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and salt in a double boiler. Mix ingredients and cook until the mixture begins to thicken, then turn off heat.

 

Soak the gelatin in the cold water for five minutes. Add it to the hot mixture, stir until it’s thoroughly dissolved, and cool. Beat the egg white until they form stiff peaks, then beat the sugar into the egg whites. 

Fold the egg whites into the cooled mixture.

 

Pour into the baked pie shell and chill. Serve garnished with whipped cream. Servings: 6-8.

 

 

 

ABOUT: Ellen’s Cajun Country Mysteries have won multiple Agatha Awards for Best Contemporary Novel and Lefty Awards for Best Humorous Mystery. Bayou Book Thief, her first Vintage Cookbook Mystery,  won the Lefty for  Best Humorous Mystery Award and was nominated for Agatha and Anthony awards. She also writes the Catering Hall Mysteries (under the name Maria DiRico) and will soon debut a new series, the Golden Motel Mysteries.

 

Ellen is an award-winning playwright, and non-award-winning TV writer of comedies like Wings, Just Shoot Me, and Fairly Odd Parents. She has written over two hundred articles for national magazines but considers her most impressive credit working as a cater-waiter for Martha Stewart.

 

Giveaway to one lucky reader! (U.S. Only for print). Please leave an email address to enter to win. What is your favorite pie? 

WINED AND DIED IN NEW ORLEANS, Vintage Cookbook Mystery #2: 

It’s hurricane season in New Orleans and vintage cookbook fan Ricki James-Diaz is trying to shelve her weather-related fears and focus on her business, Miss Vee’s Vintage Cookbook and Kitchenware Shop, housed in the magnificent Bon Vee Culinary House Museum.

Repairs on the property unearth crates of valuable French wine over a century and a half old. Ricki, who’s been struggling with upping her social media profile to attract more customers to Miss Vee’s, is thrilled when her post about the discovery of this long-buried liquid treasure goes viral. She’s less thrilled when the post brings distant Charbonnet family members out of the woodwork, all clamoring for a cut of the proceeds when the wine is auctioned off, including Jean-Pierre Charbonnet, a long-lost French relative.

When a dead body turns up in Bon Vee’s cheery fall outdoor decorations the NOPD zeroes in on Eugenia Charbonnet Felice, as the prime suspect, figuring that as board president and the head of the Charbonnet family, she has the most to gain. Ricki is determined to uncover the real culprit, but she can’t help noticing that Eugenia is acting strangely. Ricki wonders what kind of secret her mentor has bottled up, and fears what might happen if she uncorks it.

In the second Vintage Cookbook Mystery, Ricki has to help solve a murder, untangle family secrets, and grow her business, all while living under the threat of a hurricane that could wipe out everything from her home to Bon Vee.

 

Lamb Loin Chops @TinaKashian1 #Christmas

 Hello from TINA KASHIAN! A favorite Mediterranean and Middle Eastern dish is lamb. As we decorate our Christmas tree and the house for the holidays, we are looking forward to getting together with family. Lamb will most likely be one of the dishes served on Christmas day. Today, I’m sharing a recipe for lamb loin chops. I found this recipe from Pinterest. I wish everyone a happy and healthy holiday season. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

8 lamb loin chops

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves minced garlic

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried parsley

1 teaspoon lemon juice

salt and pepper to taste

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking dish with parchment paper and arrange chops in a single layer. Season chops with salt and pepper. Combine all other ingredients in a small bowl and mix well. Spoon 1/8 herb mixture onto each chop and spread to coat evenly.

 

Bake until internal temperature reads 135 degrees Fahrenheit (about 15 minutes) Remove from oven and tent with foil for five minutes.

 

Serve hot. Enjoy!

 

 

What is your favorite holiday dish? Please share.

 Christmas is coming and this is the festive read for you! Prepare a hot cup of cocoa or tea and curl in a comfy chair with a blanket and read.

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3d6TK2V
Barnes & Noble: https://bit.ly/2V2R4NV
Google Books: https://bit.ly/3hrFS73
iBooks: https://apple.co/3hyqMfI
Kobo: https://bit.ly/2ABK3wc

Not even her impending nuptials can keep Lucy Berberian, manager of her family-owned Kebab Kitchen, from the Jersey Shore’s annual Polar Bear Plunge. But her dive into the icy ocean is especially chilling when she finds a fellow swimmer doing the dead man’s float—for real . . .

 

Who would kill a man in cold blood during Ocean Crest, New Jersey’s most popular winter event? When Lucy learns the victim is Deacon Spooner, the reception hall owner who turned up his nose—and his price—at her wedding plans, she can’t help wondering who wouldn’t kill the pompous caterer . . .

 

Perhaps the culprit is the wedding cake baker whose career Deacon nearly destroyed? Or the angry bride whose reception he ruined? With her maid of honor, Katie, busily planning Lucy’s wedding without her, Lucy will have to get to the bottom of this cold-hearted business in time for Kebab Kitchen’s mouthwatering Christmas celebration—and before her hometown’s holiday spirit washes out to sea . . .

 

Recipes included

  

 

Tina Kashian writes the Kebab Kitchen Mediterranean mystery series, and her first book, Hummus and Homicide, spent six weeks on the B&N bestseller list. Tina is an attorney and a mechanical engineer whose love of reading for pleasure helped her get through years of academia. Tina spent her childhood summers at the Jersey shore building sandcastles, boogie boarding, and riding the boardwalk Ferris wheel. She also grew up in the restaurant business, as her Armenian parents owned a restaurant for thirty years. Tina still lives in New Jersey with her supportive husband and two daughters.

You can also connect with Tina at:

Website: www.tinakashian.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TinaKashianAuthor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TinaKashian1
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tinakashian/

French Toast in a Mug @TinaKashian

Hello from TINA KASHIAN! One of my favorite meals as a kid was breakfast for dinner. Who didn’t love this? My two daughters think I’m a fabulous mom when I make the most simple recipes and breakfast for dinner is one of them. As they’ve grown, I’m including them more and more in the kitchen. My youngest found this recipe on Pinterest. French toast in a mug. I was doubtful at first but was surprised to discover that not only is it easy to make, but it tastes great. Add some maple syrup and a side of eggs and you have breakfast for dinner.

 

Ingredients:

½ tablespoon butter

½ ripe banana, mashed

3 tablespoons milk

1 egg

½ teaspoon vanilla

½ teaspoon cinnamon

Pinch of salt

1 thick slice of day-old bread (white or wheat), torn into 1-inch pieces.

Optional toppings: maple syrup, powdered sugar

 

Directions:

Grease a microwave safe 12-ounce mug using butter. In a mixing bowl, add mashed banana, milk, egg, vanilla, cinnamon, and pinch of salt. Stir to combine. 

Add bread pieces to the mug to fill all the way to the top. Pour liquid mixture over the bread and mix with a spoon until all pieces are coated. Microwave on high for 60-90 seconds, or until the mixture is solid and egg is no longer runny. Let sit for 60 seconds before serving. If you’d like, top with maple syrup or powdered sugar. Enjoy!

 

Readers: What is your favorite breakfast food?

  

 

Tina Kashian writes the Kebab Kitchen Mediterranean mystery series, and her first book, Hummus and Homicide, spent six weeks on the B&N bestseller list. Tina is an attorney and a mechanical engineer whose love of reading for pleasure helped her get through years of academia. Tina spent her childhood summers at the Jersey shore building sandcastles, boogie boarding, and riding the boardwalk Ferris wheel. She also grew up in the restaurant business, as her Armenian parents owned a restaurant for thirty years. Tina still lives in New Jersey with her supportive husband and two daughters.

You can also connect with Tina at:

Website: www.tinakashian.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TinaKashianAuthor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TinaKashian1
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tinakashian/

Lemon Dill Salmon from @tinakashian

 Hello from TINA KASHIAN! I enjoy salmon but not everyone likes seafood in my house. I've been experimening with salmon recipes and I found one that I like and others in my family are willing to try. It goes well with any side dish and I served it with noddles. I hope others like this recipe as well.

Ingredients:

1 pound salmon

3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon

1 teaspoons dried dill

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

2 pads of butter

 

Directions:

Place salmon on an aluminum foil lined pan. Add the freshly squeezed lemon. Add the dried dill, salt and pepper. Top with the pieces of butter. 

 

Bake the salmon for 25 minutes or until cooked through. You can also grill the salmon as well. Serve with any rice or vegetable. Enjoy!

 

 What is your favorite salmon or fish recipe?

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3d6TK2V
Barnes & Noble: https://bit.ly/2V2R4NV
Google Books: https://bit.ly/3hrFS73
iBooks: https://apple.co/3hyqMfI
Kobo: https://bit.ly/2ABK3wc

 MISTLETOE, MOUSSAKA AND MURDER

Not even her impending nuptials can keep Lucy Berberian, manager of her family-owned Kebab Kitchen, from the Jersey Shore’s annual Polar Bear Plunge. But her dive into the icy ocean is especially chilling when she finds a fellow swimmer doing the dead man’s float—for real . . .

 

Who would kill a man in cold blood during Ocean Crest, New Jersey’s most popular winter event? When Lucy learns the victim is Deacon Spooner, the reception hall owner who turned up his nose—and his price—at her wedding plans, she can’t help wondering who wouldn’t kill the pompous caterer . . .

 

Perhaps the culprit is the wedding cake baker whose career Deacon nearly destroyed? Or the angry bride whose reception he ruined? With her maid of honor, Katie, busily planning Lucy’s wedding without her, Lucy will have to get to the bottom of this cold-hearted business in time for Kebab Kitchen’s mouthwatering Christmas celebration—and before her hometown’s holiday spirit washes out to sea . . .

 

Recipes included!

 

 

Tina Kashian writes the Kebab Kitchen Mediterranean mystery series, and her first book, Hummus and Homicide, spent six weeks on the B&N bestseller list. Tina is an attorney and a mechanical engineer whose love of reading for pleasure helped her get through years of academia. Tina spent her childhood summers at the Jersey shore building sandcastles, boogie boarding, and riding the boardwalk Ferris wheel. She also grew up in the restaurant business, as her Armenian parents owned a restaurant for thirty years. Tina still lives in New Jersey with her supportive husband and two daughters.

You can also connect with Tina at:

Website: www.tinakashian.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TinaKashianAuthor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TinaKashian1
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tinakashian/