The
protagonist in FINAL SENTENCE, the first in A Cookbook Nook Mystery series
(coming out next week!), loves eating, loves food, and loves watching TV
cooking shows. The chef of the café (part of the Cookbook Nook) advises her to
watch the cooking shows to get tips. I’ve done that. I’ll turn something on and
think, gee, I can make that. It took all of about 30 minutes and was a few
steps. What could be so hard? Granted, most of the shows have the preparation done ahead of time, and
the show doesn’t include the cooking time, it sort of flashes forward.
Anyway, I
walk on a treadmill when I’m watching TV. [I’m sitting the rest of the day. I’ve
got to get my exercise someho.] And I saw a show with a female chef. She was
making a super simple dish. Sort of a mock chicken cacciatore. Honestly, I
can’t remember which show. I can’t even remember which chef. (Bad me. I think
my mind is in overdrive right now with writing book 3 of the series and PR
stuff to launch this book…if only I had two heads so I could wear both hats
comfortably.)
This recipe
was quick! And easy. With only a few steps and a few ingredients, I memorized
it and then tweaked it to suit my tastes. If anyone knows which chef this was, please let me know so I can credit her with a "link" or tweet.
Enjoy and
savor the flavors. [PS This kept well in glassware for a number of
days.]
Mock Chicken
Cacciatore
Ingredients:
6 Chicken
breasts – thin ones so they’ll roll well (or thick and you’ll have to pound)
Veggies (I
used 3 zucchini)
Mozzarella
cheese (6 thin slices)
Fresh herbs
(chopped fine) (about 6 teaspoons)
1 jar of pasta
sauce (your favorite)
1 cup (8
ounces) light or regular sour cream (I used light)
Parmessan
cheese, grated
Directions:
Preheat the
oven to 300 degrees. Slow cooking!
Set foil on
a roasting pan. Set out the chicken
breasts on the foil. Top with Mozzarella
cheese, zucchini, and herbs.
Roll up each
breast and skewer with two toothpicks to hold the breast together.
Seal the
foil. Put the roasting pan in the oven. Cook chicken for 30 to 40 minutes.
In about 30
minutes, empty a jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce into a saucepan. Heat
through on medium, for about 4-5 minutes.
Add the light sour cream (or regular sour cream, if you desire) to the
sauce. Stir. Heat through about another 2-3 minutes.
Remove the
chicken from the oven. Set a chicken piece on each plate.
Remove the
toothpicks. The chicken will hold together. Top with sauce and Parmessan
cheese. Adorn with fresh herbs.
Voilá. How
easy is that??
By the way, I’m having two contests right now. One is a launch contest. I’m giving away a $50 bookstore gift certificate plus some books on my website. Follow this link.
The other is a June Mystery Scramble contest on Facebook with three other authors: Krista Davis, Janet Bolin & Maggie Sefton. Do you like puzzles? Scrambles? You could win a $25 bookstore gift certificate or books from the authors! Go to my Facebook page or any of the authors' pages, and click on the Scramble link!
And TODAY I'm giving away a few fun things to those who leave comments. A copy of your choice of a Cheese Shop Mystery (written by my "other persona" Avery) plus some swag.
Do you watch TV cooking shows?
* * * * * * *
July 2nd!! It's set in the fictional coastal town of Crystal Cove, California and features Jenna Hart, a "recovering" ad exec who returns home to help her aunt open a culinary bookshop and cafe.
FINAL SENTENCE
You can pre-order the book HERE.
You can
learn more about Daryl by clicking this LINK. "Like" my page on Facebook and "follow" me on Twitter. And if you haven't done so, sign up for the mailing list so you can learn about upcoming events, releases, and contests!
