Celebrate our 5th Anniversary with photo contest & book giveaway & recipes!

From Daryl aka Avery:

YUMMY RECIPE FOR PLUM COBBLER BELOW!!!

But do you know we've been celebrating our 5th anniversary on this blog for about a week!?? That's right, 5 years!!  Yipes. Lots of recipes.

In honor of our anniversary, we're throwing two contests!

We're giving away a book every day from today until July 25th. All you have to do to enter is leave a comment here and tell us with whom you shared the news of our contests or our anniversary. Help us celebrate by spreading the word! Did you tell your neighbor? Did you email your sister? Did you post on Facebook or tweet? TODAY??? Be sure to leave a comment each day because there will be twelve total drawings. Leave a comment before midnight because after midnight, the next drawing starts!

REMEMBER TO INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS so we can contact you if you won!

THAT PLUM COBBLER RECIPE IS COMING...keep reading.

Today: I'm giving away a book by former member , WENDY LYN WATSON, aka ANNIE KNOX. Annie writes THE PET BOUTIQUE mystery series for NAL about a woman who runs a pet boutique in northern Minnesota.  The first, PAWS FOR MURDER, came out in January, and the second, GROOMED FOR MURDER, will be out in September.  She has also signed a contract for another series, written as Wendy Lyn Watson, called the BOOK MAGIC MYSTERIES.

Annie will give you your choice of the first in her  PET BOUTIQUE series or an ARC (advanced review copy) of the book coming out in September. Do you love to offer reviews? Mention that in your comment.

Our second contest is a photo contest!  You can find our photo contest here and at our Facebook page! Five lucky winners will receive a Mystery Lovers' Kitchen tote bag and seven paperback mysteries! Since we can't all get away on vacation, we hope our books are having fun this summer. Take a picture of one of our books having fun! You can enter up to five times, once in each of these categories:

1) One of our books with a cat

2) One of our books with a dog

3) One of our books having summer fun

4) One of our books in a library

5) One of our books in a bookstore.

CELEBRATE!

And now, today's recipe is:

Plum Cobbler

Plums are in season. Why not use them to their best advantage? And have you heard about a Plumcot? Or Pluot, depending where you get it? It's a plum apricot hybrid. Possibly the most delicious plum I've ever had. 

Pluot is the speckled one on the right.

My husband won't appreciate this, but when he travels, that seems to be when I like to make sweet things. Is it because I miss my sweet honey or is it because I'm trying to spare him the calories because I love him so much and he loves my sweets so much???  Or is it possibly because, this time, I was in edit "hell" doing my best to finish up the next Cookbook Nook mystery and I needed sugar!!!! Don't you love the organization on top of my kitchen table?

 LOL!!!!

"Am I too adorable for words?"

Anyway, I made this cobbler and finished it all by myself. Oops! Extra time on the treadmill and walking Sparky is in order now. Sparky doesn't seem to mind the walks, so that's a good thing. Though I have to admit, he doesn't like me putting that harness thing over his head.

Enjoy this delicious of-the-season dessert!

Plum Cobbler

Ingredients:

7 large plums, pitted and quartered

½ cup packed brown sugar

3 tablespoons plus 1 cup flour (gluten-free option below)

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

½  teaspoon nutmeg

1 egg lightly beaten

½ cup butter, melted

whipped cream, if desired

(If you need to eat gluten-free, substitute the flour with GF flour and add ½ teaspoon xanthan gum as noted below.)

Directions:

Grease a 2 quart to 2 ½ quart baking dish.

In a large bowl, combine the plums, brown sugar, 3 tablespoons flour, and cinnamon. Spoon into the baking dish.

Pluot is the red-pulp fruit.

In a small bowl, combine the sugar, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and remaining flour. (If you need to eat gluten-free, substitute the 1 cup flour with GF flour and add ½ teaspoon xanthan gum HERE.) Add egg and stir with a fork. This will become crumbly. Sprinkle the mixture over the plum mixture.

Melt the butter and drizzle the butter over the flour mixture.

Bake at 375° for 40 minutes or until top is golden brown. Cool for 20 minutes before serving. This is hot coming out of the oven! Serve warm or at room temperature. Serve with whipped cream if desired.

Note: insides are loose. It will scoop out of the baking dish and won’t come out in perfect sections.

Final note: If I were to make this again, I might use a 13 x 9 pan for the insides and double the crumb topping to spread over the entire thing. The topping is that good!!  In fact, hmmm, think I'll have to try that this weekend!! Is my hubby out of town? :)

* * *

For STIRRING THE PLOT, which comes out September 30th, I'm going to be doing a number of giveaways, starting in August. Books, mugs, stuffed kittens!  Make sure you're signed up for my newsletter and "like" me on Facebook, where information about the giveaways will appear.  Look for pictures of Tigger, the ginger cat in the series, celebrating ala Halloween!

******************

Friend Daryl on Facebook

Friend Avery on Facebook

Follow Daryl on Twitter

Follow Avery on Twitter

Follow both of us on Pinterest

Check out our website.

Days of Wine and Roquefort 
is out!
order here

Inherit the Word
  is out!
                                    order here

STIRRING THE PLOT is available for preorder: order here.

If you haven't done so, sign up for the mailing list 

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

Salted Caramel Sauce and a New Year’s Wish

We are delighted to welcome home Wendy Watson, who is now also known as Annie Knox. She has a brand, spanking new series debuting on January 7th with PAWS FOR MURDER! We wish you enormous success with the Pet Boutique Mysteries, Annie!

And now, take it away Annie~



Thank you to Krista and the rest of the Kitchen crew for letting me join you all today. As a former regular member, if feels good to be back.



The Christmas trees, menorahs, and Festivus poles have all been packed away for the year, and we’re about to flip the calendar to 2014. Traditionally, New Year’s is a time for reflection on the year gone by and a chance to resolve to make the next year even better.



In my world, 2013 was A-OK. My husband and I started the year by celebrating our tenth wedding anniversary and renewing our vows. Sigh. Very romantic. Summer brought a long and goofy road trip with two of my best friends. The rest of the year was filled with my day job (which I happen to love) and writing (two new books, and one heck of an edit on a third). Really, it’s been a great year.



The new year promises to be as fun and busy as the last. I’m planning trips to both Romantic Times and Malice Domestic, and my friends and I are recreating that road trip. What’s more, I have three books coming out (both Paws for Murder and Groomed for Murder in the Pet Boutique Mystery series, and a funny, edgy mystery that has yet to be named).



Sounds like fun, right?



It is, but I know that a great year requires a lot of effort: prioritizing tasks, balancing work and play, and most importantly, making time for friends and family.



That is my New Year’s wish: that I find—no, MAKE—the time in my busy schedule to grab lunch or a glass of wine with my girlfriends every week, to make my husband feel as loved as he makes me feel, to call my mom and my sister on a more regular basis. Friends and family aren’t just for special occasions like holidays and road trips. They’re the backbone of a happy and balanced life.



One thing I do with my friends is eat. I’m officially the Bringer of Dessert, but I don’t always have time to make a pie or a layer cake or a flourless chocolate torte. But I always have time to whip up this caramel sauce. It’s wonderful on ice cream (as pictured, being poured over coffee Heath bar crunch), but it’s wonderfully versatile: use is as a dip for a dessert fondue of pound cake and fresh fruit, pour it over cheesecake, swirl a little in your coffee … well, you get the picture.



Five Minute Salted Caramel Sauce



4 Tbs. butter

1 c. light brown sugar

2/3 c. heavy cream

2 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. rum extract (optional)

1 tsp. medium flake sea salt (optional)



Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add brown sugar and whisk until the mixture is well combined, thick, and slightly shiny (about 2 minutes).



Whisk in cream and continue to cook over medium heat, whisking occasionally, until the mixture starts to bubble (about 2 minutes). Remove from heat and whisk in extract(s) and salt.



Allow to cool before serving.

Bio: Annie Knox writes the Pet Boutique Mysteries for NAL. The first in the series, Paws for Murder will be out on January 7, and the second, Groomed for Murder, is scheduled for a September release. The series follows Izzy McHale, owner of Trendy Tails, a pet boutique in Merryville, Minnesota. Merryville has a pretty high body count, but Izzy and her friends and family are ready to solve the crimes that keep dropping into their lives.



Annie also writes as Wendy Lyn Watson. You can find them both on the web (annieknoxauthor.com and wendylynwatson.com) and on Facebook (/annieknoxauthor and /wendylynwatson)

Nothing Says "I'll Miss You" Like Rigatoni

Friends, I'm afraid my time in the kitchen has come to an end.  I love my fellow bloggers and have met such lovely people through the comments, but I am so crazy busy that I don't feel I can continue giving the blog the love and attention it deserves.

So I had this big plan to go out with a splash: snazzy pictures of this awesome (and easy) rigatoni, great big pearls of wisdom to pass on to you all, maybe a few fireworks.  Apparently my laptop decided that I was getting a little full of myself and decided not to upload those snazzy pictures.  And I realized that I've gained more wisdom here than I've given.  So I'm stuck with just the fireworks.

Pretty awesome, huh?

Obviously I cannot leave you with fireworks alone.  Despite my picture disaster, I'll leave you with this versatile and delicious baked rigatoni.

The recipe is very easy to make, especially if you have a sous chef who can help with chopping the vegetables, and the dish can be adjusted to met everyone's taste.  I use eggplant, zucchini, mushrooms, and spinach but you could use any combination of vegies (I'm thinking peppers and onions might be a good addition/substitution).  You can also slim down the recipe by using fat free ricotta or crumbled firm silken tofu; using a single tablespoon of olive oil; and reducing the amount of ricotta.

Speedy Vegielicious Rigatoni

1 box dried rigatoni
1/2 of a small carton of ricotta
3/4 c. parmesan
2 Tbs. olive oil
2 cloves garlic
2 tsp. oregano
2 tsp. basil
1 small eggplant, peeled and sliced into 3/4 in cubes
1 zucchini, cut in half moons
1 box sliced mushrooms
5 - 6 ounces baby spinach
1 jar spaghetti sauce (something tomato, without a lot of "stuff" in it)
1 28 - oz. can chopped tomatoes
About 5 oz of shredded mozzarella (more or less to taste).
salt and pepper to taste.

Preheat oven to 350.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Meanwhile, heat a large skillet well.  Add the oil and let it sit until it's shimmering.  Add garlic spices and veg (except the spinach).  Cook until most of the water has evaporated and the veggies are starting to brown a bit.  When the vegetables are done, add the spinach and toss with vegies until the spinach wilts.

Meanwhile, cook your rigatoni for about 6 minutes.  The past will not be done, but you actually don't want it to be.

After six minutes, drain the rigatoni and add ricotta and parmesan, stirring until cheese is evenly distributed.

Mix the spaghetti sauce and tomatoes together.  Spread a little of that mixture in the bottom of a 9x11 pan. Top with half the vegies, more sauce, the other half of the pasta and more sauce.

Bake about 20 minutes.  Test a piece of past to be sure it's done.  Top with mozzarella and bake another 10 minutes.

***

In all seriousness, I've loved being a part of this warm and generous group of authors.  While I'll be scarce here, I hope you all will visit me on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/AnnieKnoxAuthor ( where I'll be posting about the Pet Boutique Mysteries, the first book to be out in January '14, and, you know pets!), and at http://www.facebook.com/WendyLynWatsonAuthor (where I'll let you know about all my other writing projects. 

Jambalaya

When I was young, my family moved around a lot.  No, I wasn't an army brat, I was an oil brat.  We bopped back and forth between Louisiana and Texas (oil) and Michigan and Ohio (natural gas).

I confess I didn't like moving all the time, saying goodbye to friends, always being the new girl, always managing to lose a favorite toy in the move.



One of the very good things about moving around, though, was being introduced to all sorts of food:  barbeque brisket to Tex Mex to pasties to Creole and Cajun delights.

As far as new food went, Louisiana was the best.  Shrimp, king cake, red beans and rice, various meats served etouffee, alligator (once), and jambalaya.  Most of those foods disappeared into my past when we moved back to Michigan, and some of them are lost to me since I became vegetarian.  Still, over the years, I've had occasion to make red beans and rice and a pretty amazing king cake.  Jambalaya eluded me.

Until now.

I don't know why I suddenly decided that I had to have jambalaya, what sent me to the internet in search of an easy and easily veggie-ized version.  But here's what I came up with.  And it was dang good, if I do say so myself.

Jambalaya Two Ways (Omnivorous and Vegetarian)

1 Tbs. unsalted butter
1 large link of andouille sausage OR a Mexican or chipotle veggie sausage
1/4 c. diced onion
1/4 c. diced celery
1/4 c. diced bell pepper (any color)
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 1/2 c. diced cooked chicken OR 2 cans black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
1/2 c. chopped fresh parsley
2 c. parboiled rice (I used Uncle Ben's converted rice)
2 c. tomato sauce
2 c. chicken OR veggie broth
2 tsp. hot sauce (I used tobasco)
1 Tbs. Tony Chachere's salt free seasoning
salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter in medium pot over medium heat.  Add sausage, onion, celery, pepper, and garlic.  Saute until sausage begins to brown.  Add the chicken and allow to brown on all sides (or black-eyed peas, which don't need to brown).  Add parsley, tomato sauce, stock, hot sauce, salt and pepper and seasoning.  Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally for 20 to 25 minutes (stirring occasionally).

Guess what?  It's our own Cleo Coyle's birthday.  

Happy Birthday, Cleo!

Hot Fudge Sundae Cake

What with the holidays and all, I've been feeling pretty nostalgic lately, craving the foods I ate as a child.  (Look for my recipe for vegetarian jambalaya--based on my days in Louisiana--coming soon.)

This particular recipe wasn't a favorite in our house.  In fact, I think I only had it once.  But it holds a special place in my heart.  This, my friends, is the very first thing I baked in my whole life.  Okay, my grandmother was there to jump in if something caught on fire, but otherwise, this cake was mine from start to finish.

Here's the scene:  It was June of 1979, and we lived in Toledo, Ohio.  My mother had just finished her second year in law school and was massively pregnant.  My Gram had driven north to hang out while we waited for the baby to arrive.  Really, all the focus was on baby, baby, baby.

As excited as I was to be a big sister, I didn't think it was fair that we weren't doing anything for my mother's birthday.  (Her due date and her birthday were practically on top of each other.)  So my Gram plowed through the Betty Crocker cookbook to find a cake recipe that even a 9-year-old could handle.  Her choice:  the hot fudge sundae cake.

Not only did I avoid setting the kitchen on fire, but the cake was actually delicious.  It is a bit like a molten lava cake in that part of it doesn't set up and, instead, forms a wonderful warm sauce that you can spoon over the ice cream.  Oh, and as an added bonus, it's a type of crazy cake, so you mix everything directly in the pan ... no bowls to clean!

I don't remember what we had for dinner that night (likely steak and baked potatoes), but I remember putting the candles in that cake as if it were yesterday.  I was so stinkin' proud that I'd done it by myself.

My gorgeous mom and cute-as-a-button baby sister, about a year post-cake.

And a mere 36 hours after we ate that cake, I got a brand new baby sister.

This cake reminds me of that joyous time in my life when everyone was filled with anticipation, happy and excited, and I felt like a grown-up for the very first time.

Hot Fudge Sundae Cake
(From my mom's recipe card by way of a Betty Crocker cookbook)

Ingredients, in pan.

1 c. flour
3/4 c. white sugar
2 Tbs. cocoa powder
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. milk
2 Tbs. oil
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. chopped nuts (either pecans or walnuts)
1 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. cocoa
1 3/4 c. hottest tap water

A pint or two of your favorite ice cream . . . anything that would go well with hot fudge!

Preheat oven to 350.

In an ungreased 9x9 pan, stir in all ingredients down to the brown sugar.  Make sure it's mixed well.  Spread batter evenly in pan.

Sprinkle with brown sugar and 1/4 c. cocoa.  Pour on HOT tap water.  Bake 40 minutes.  Let stand 15 minutes before cutting into squares, serving with ice cream, and spooning the sauce over top.

Completed Cake

Dark Chocolate Peppermint Oreos

I used to love to bake.  Still do, actually.  But between my day job, a few pieces of contract work, deadlines, and my poor time management skills, I rarely find the TIME to bake.

But I hang out here in the kitchen, watching my fellow bloggers make all these wonderful tasty treats, and it makes me want to make wonderful tasty treats, too ... especially during the holiday season, when there's no better way to end the day with a cookie and a cup of cocoa.

So here's my busy-girl's fancy cookie idea:  Oreos.

Seriously.  Oreos are close to a perfect food as it is, but fudge dipped Oreos are killer.  I decided to make them a little more Christmasy by using dark chocolate, lacing it with peppermint extract, and then sprinkling a bit of crushed candy cane on top.  That last bit started off as a purely aesthetic addition, but it turns out that that little bit of pure peppermint crunch really ups the stakes.

Here's my Christmas recipe, in all its glory ... this one is dedicated to the folks who are so frantic that they occasionally leave their cell phone in the refrigerator (true story).

Dark Chocolate Peppermint Oreos

1 package of Oreos or similar chocolate sandwich cookie
1 bag dark chocolate chips
1 Tbs. shortening
1/4 tsp peppermint extract
3 full size candy canes

Getting ready:  First, you have to smash the candy canes to smithereens.  It's a great stress reliever.  (Take that, Rudolph!).  Second, line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Peppermint Aftermath

Put the chocolate chips and shortening in a microwave-proof bowl.  Microwave 1 minute at a time, stirring after each minute, until the chocolate is melted but not scorched.  (For a single bag, microwave on full power, I found 2 minutes to be absolutely perfect.)

Try not to think of the transfats involved in this recipe.

Stir the peppermint extract into the chocolate mixture.  Using a fork, drop the Oreos one at a time into the melted chocolate, turning to coat, and then using the fork to lift the cookie back out.  Drag the fork across the lip of the bowl to remove extra chocolate.  Place the chocolate-coated cookie on the parchment paper.  Pause every six cookies or so to sprinkle them with crushed candy cane.

Refrigerate the trays of cookies for about an hour, until the chocolate hardens.  Use a thin spatula to remove the cookies from the tray and plate.

Note:  A single bag of chips makes about 20 cookies.  If you want to do a whole package of Oreos, double the chocolate, shortening, and peppermint extract, and beat another candy cane to death.