Hurricanes--the good kind by Nicole Leiren #recipe #giveaway

Please help me welcome my friend Nicole Leiren to Mystery Lover's Kitchen. When Nicole asked if a drink recipe was okay, I told her as long as she made it for me the next time we were together, it would be fine. 😈

Hi Everyone!

Nicole Leiren here on behalf of Lilly Waters, bartender extraordinaire from The Smugglers’ Tavern in Danger Cove, Washington. Lilly, like myself, is no Betty Crocker (or Martha Stewart) so we both have a great deal of appreciation for all the amazing culinary creators that grace the pages of this blog.

Lilly lived in New Orleans for a short time before moving to Danger Cove. That’s where she learned to make her famous hurricanes that are featured in “Heroes and Hurricanes.” Named after the lamp shaped glasses the drink was served in when they were originally served at Pat O’Brien’s bar in New Orleans, the hurricane is a fresh, fruity drink that has been enjoyed by thirsty people since the 1940’s.

To make these traditional hurricanes (recipe courtesy of New Orleans Official Guide), simply follow this easy recipe:

2 oz light rum

2 oz dark rum

2 oz passion fruit juice

1 oz orange juice

½ oz fresh lime juice

1 Tablespoon simple syrup

1 Tablespoon grenadine

Garnish: orange slice and cherry (preferably speared with a plastic sword LOL)

Shake all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice (Lilly does a little dance during this part, but you can skip that if you want) and strain into a Hurricane glass filled with ice. Garnish with a cherry and an orange slice.

To make the virgin version, simply leave out the light and dark rum and garnish with your favorite fruit!

Want to learn more about Lilly and her special cocktails (and how she catches the bad guys?) check out Heroes and Hurricanes or her newest adventure, Deadly Dirty Martinis.

For everyone who comments, you’ll be entered to win the Danger Cove Cocktail Mystery Box Set that includes 3 full length adventures for the occupants of Smugglers’ Tavern, including Heroes & Hurricanes.

For Purchase Information: http://nicoleleiren.com/mysteries/

Bio:

Described by those who know her best as perky, quirky and effervescent, USA Today Best-Selling author Nicole Leiren likes to have fun — in life, with her characters and, of course, her readers.  She admits to being sassy (just ask her mother!) and inspiration for her characters are drawn from the real-world heroes and heroines she meets while traversing the country.

Nicole enjoys sharing the love, laughter, mystery, and occasionally a touch of the mayhem she forces her characters to endure—all for the reader’s pleasure!  Her real-world heroes and heroines will keep you turning the pages until you reach the whodunit or happily ever after (usually both!)

Social Media Info:

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/NicoleLeirenAuthorPage

Twitter:  @NicoleLeiren

Website:  www.nicoleleiren.com

Street Team:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/Leirens.Lovelies/

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

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/LeirensLovelies/

Magnificent (and Healthy!) Stuffed Peppers #recipe @LucyBurdette

LUCY BURDETTE: Before I talk about food, I wanted to acknowledge what a difficult week it's been for those in the path of Hurricane Irma. This included my beloved Florida Keys, though Key West itself sustained less damage than the islands further north. (And also in the Caribbean islands further south.) My heart is down there with the workers who are trying to restore phone, electric, water, and sewer service--and with all those anxiously awaiting news of their homes and businesses. I'm hoping and praying that life can return to something like normal soon on that magical spray of islands...

Now back to food...Two things happened this week that led me to this particular post. First, our green peppers began to ripen in the garden. Aren't they gorgeous? And second, in my quest to slowly clean stuff out of my closet and drawers, I found an old cast iron frying pan that came from my dad. He worked for International Nickel Company his whole career, and he was very proud of the nickel plating on this pan. I did not take care of it the way my sister does with her cast-iron pans, which is to say, don't wash them with soap. Instead, clean them with water and then oil them. You can see the logo on the back of the pan testifying that it came from the Griswold company in Erie Pennsylvania. Apparently they stopped making these in 1957, and it seems as though I have a collectors' item. So I thought I better start using it! (Even if I've possibly ruined the finish.)

I have a recipe for stuffed peppers which both John and I have loved. Unfortunately it's fairly high in sodium because of the sausage and the spaghetti sauce that I used to choose. And don't forget the cheddar cheese! If you're not concerned about sodium, you can find that recipe here. It was also a favorite of my mother-in-law. 

Meanwhile here are the instructions for this updated version, which was also delicious. 

Ingredients

5 to 6 large green peppers
One large or two smaller onions, chopped
One hot pepper, diced
Handful of fresh basil, shredded
24 oz spaghetti sauce (Mine came from a local store, Bishops, and has only 140 mg sodium per quarter cup)
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Half cup rice (I use brown)
Half cup water
1 to 1 1/4 pounds ground beef

Brown the beef and set it aside to drain. Add a dollop of olive oil to the pan and sauté the chopped onions, Hot pepper, and rice for a few minutes. Add the sauce, the water, the beef, and the Worcestershire sauce, and sliced basil, and simmer this until the rice is soft, half hour to 45 minutes depending on the brand you use.

Slice the peppers lengthwise, and take out the seeds and webbing. 

Place them in a greased 9 x 13 hand. When the beef mixture is ready, fill the pepper shells with the sauce and top with a little grated Parmesan if you desire.Bake at 350 for half an hour or until the peppers are soft and the stuffing bubbly. Here's the whole photo review:

chopped peppers, onions and basil

Everything is browning

simmering in my father's pan

Stuffed and ready to bake

Lucy Burdette writes the Key West food critic mysteries--find them wherever books are sold! Find her on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest--Instagram too...