Aunt Ginny's Fig Jam with Port Wine #Recipe by @LibbyKlein #Christmas

 Libby Klein Way back in Restaurant Weeks Are Murder, Aunt Ginny made a top-secret Fig Jam. And you know Aunt Ginny will try to sneak booze into anything. The end result is fabulous on ice cream, pound cake, or biscuits. You can even serve it with a pork roast for Christmas Dinner and everyone will be suitably impressed. And it makes a great Christmas gift. This will keep in the fridge for a couple of months, but unless you go through the canning process (which I don't) or you sterilize your jars and make a wax seal (which I didn't) you'll want to refrigerate it right away. As a special bonus gift, come back next week for a recipe for the lightest, fluffiest, gluten-free biscuits you've ever eaten.

Aunt Ginny's Fig Jam with Port Wine

Yield 4 cups

Ingredients

2 cups dried figs, stemmed and chopped

2 cups fresh figs, stemmed and chopped

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

1 cup port wine

Directions

If your dried figs are too dry and hard, start by covering them with boiling water for about 30 minutes.

Then proceed to stem and chop your dried and fresh figs. Put all in a saucepan with 1 cup of water and 1 cup of sugar. Boil on low for about 30 minutes. Keep an eye on it so it doesn't run too dry. You should end up with a thick syrupy mixture. Don't worry, it won't look like jam yet. Put about 2/3 of the fruit and syrup in a blender. blitz until thick.

Then add this back into the saucepan and simmer for another 10 minutes. It will be really thick now. Add the 1 cup of port wine and simmer for 10 more minutes. 

Remove from heat and let cool. Store in the refrigerator in a clean glass jar. Serve with Gluten-Free biscuits. Come back next week for the biscuit recipe.

Cape May, New Jersey, is the site of a big culinary competition—and the knives are out . . .

 
Poppy McAllister is happy about opening a Jersey Shore B&B—but working in a professional kitchen has always been her real dream. Now it’s coming true, at least briefly, as she teams up with her former fiancée, Tim—and his condescending partner, Gigi—during the high-profile Restaurant Week challenge. Poppy’s specialty is pastries, despite her devotion to a Paleo diet. But if anyone can make glorious gluten-free goodies, it’s Poppy.
 
Things get heated quickly—especially when some ingredients get switched and Tim’s accused of sabotage. Relatively harmless pranks soon escalate into real hazards, including an exploding deep fryer. And now one of the judges has died after taking a bite of Poppy’s cannoli—making her the chef suspect . . . 
 Includes Seven Recipes from Poppy’s Kitchen! 

Poppy McAllister discovers that gluten-free Halloweens can scare up another case of murder in the latest installment of this delightful culinary B&B mystery series! - Kirkus Reviews

Poppy is none too pleased when her B&B is coerced into participating in the Cape May Haunted Dinners Tour during Halloween season. Though her knack for finding dead bodies has given the place a spooky reputation, the Murder House is a completely undeserved nickname. At least it used to be . . .
 
While Poppy wrangles with some guests who can’t stop squabbling with each other—including a paranormal researcher, a very quirky pet psychic who freaks out her portly Persian, and an undercover tabloid reporter eager to catch her staff in a lie—one of them winds up facedown in a plate of tiramisu. And now she has bigger worries than getting her house TP’d . . .
 
Includes Recipes from Poppy’s Kitchen!
 

Libby Klein grew up in Cape May, NJ where she attended high school in the '80s. Her

classes revolved mostly around the Culinary sciences and Drama, with one brilliant semester in Poly-Sci that may have been an accident. She loves to drink coffee, bake gluten-free goodies, collect fluffy cats, and translate sarcasm for people who are too serious. She writes from her Northern Virginia office where she serves a very naughty black smoke Persian named Sir Figaro Newton. You can keep up with her shenanigans by signing up for her Mischief and Mayhem Newsletter on her website. www.LibbyKleinBooks.com/Newsletter/

Peach Mango Chia Seed Jam #recipe by Mia P. Manansala @MPMtheWriter

Even though fall is officially here, Chicago continues to be its usual weather-confused self by giving us crisp 50-degree mornings and 80-degree afternoons. These temperature swings are not only affecting my allergies (I'm rather sensitive to the changing of seasons and temperature fluctuations), but what I feel like eating. As much as I'd love to start baking up a storm and sipping on hot drinks, the weather hasn't been all that cooperative lately. Yet I can still sense the end of my favorite summer fruit season and wanted to share a delicious and easy jam recipe that you can adapt for any fruit.

Coconut yogurt topped with peach mango chia seed jam and granola

Chia seeds absorb liquid and are not only a good source of antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids, but can also be used in smoothies, puddings, jams, and even as egg replacements. They become slightly gelatinous after absorbing the liquid, and sometimes retain a bit of crunch in the center, depending on how long you let the seeds bloom in the liquid. Because of this gelatinous quality, you can make jam with much less sugar and way faster than the traditional method. I particularly like making chia seed jam when I have a small amount of fruit to use up rather than pounds and pounds of it. You can also play with the flavor by adding different extracts and spices, but for this recipe, I kept it simple.

Peach Mango (or any fruit) Chia Seed Jam Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 cups chopped fruit (can even use frozen fruit; I've used frozen mixed berries before)
• 2 TBSP chia seeds (I used black, but white would look better with lighter fruits)
• 1-2 TBSP sweetener (I used honey), optional
• 1 TBSP lemon juice, optional

Directions:

1. Prepare the fruit by peeling and chopping into pieces, if large.
2. Add the fruit to a medium-sized sauce pan and cook over medium heat until the fruit starts to break down and release juices, about 5-10 minutes, depending on the fruit you use. Mash with a potato masher or strong fork to your desired texture.
3. Stir in the chia seeds and lemon juice. Taste the mixture and add sweetener, if desired.
4. Remove from heat and let cool at least 10 minutes. It will thicken considerably.
5. If you prefer a smoother texture, you can blend the mixture to your desired consistency.
6. Pour into a clean jar. Will keep in the refrigerator for about a week and in the freezer for three months.
7. Enjoy!

Cast of characters

Prep the fruit by cutting into large chunks.

Cook until the fruit is soft and syrupy, then mash with a potato masher or strong fork.

Add sweetener.

Add chia seeds.

Stir together and remove from heat. Let sit for at least five minutes. Mixture will thicken as it cools.

If you'd prefer a smoother texture, blend until you reach your desired consistency.

Transfer to a clean jar and enjoy!
Can be used immediately or stored in fridge for a week, in the freezer for three months.

Have you ever used chia seeds in a recipe before? Let me know your faves in the comments!

If you liked this recipe, make sure you sign up for my newsletter! I include a Filipino-themed recipe every month, as well as giveaways and book recommendations!

 

One of BuzzFeed’s Highly Anticipated Mystery Novels of 2021!

 

The first book in a new culinary cozy series full of sharp humor and delectable dishes—one that might just be killer….

 

When Lila Macapagal moves back home to recover from a horrible breakup, her life seems to be following all the typical rom-com tropes. She’s tasked with saving her Tita Rosie’s failing restaurant, and she has to deal with a group of matchmaking aunties who shower her with love and judgment. But when a notoriously nasty food critic (who happens to be her ex-boyfriend) drops dead moments after a confrontation with Lila, her life quickly swerves from a Nora Ephron romp to an Agatha Christie case.

 

With the cops treating her like she’s the one and only suspect, and the shady landlord looking to finally kick the Macapagal family out and resell the storefront, Lila’s left with no choice but to conduct her own investigation. Armed with the nosy auntie network, her barista best bud, and her trusted Dachshund, Longanisa, Lila takes on this tasty, twisted case and soon finds her own neck on the chopping block…

Order

Order from my local indies for signed, personalized copies:  

The Book Table (Oak Park, IL) 

Centuries & Sleuths (Forest Park, IL)

Grilled Cheese - Three Ways

The three WINNERS of Hank Phillippi Ryan's guest blog book giveaway are:

drumroll...

Peg, Janel and Marie A.

Ladies and everyone, thanks for your comments!

Scroll to the bottom of this post and find out how to choose your "Time" book from Hank.

And now...

GRILLED CHEESE

Do you love grilled cheese sandwiches? I do. I have fond memories of vacations at Lake Tahoe (one of the finest lakes in the whole world! Clear blue, super deep, extremely cold).

After a chilly swim in the lake, my sisters and I would meet on the porch and our mother would make us a warm lunch that included grilled cheese and tomato soup. A tiny slice of heaven.

But I digress. Back to grilled cheese.

[If you haven’t guessed by now, because I’m writing A Cheese Shop Mystery, I’ve become obsessed with cheese. I dream cheese. I Google cheese. I savor cheese.

[*My protagonist, Charlotte, would be very proud of me!]

By the way, did you know there are grilled cheese competitions? They’re sort of like Top Chef for the masses. People from all over the country attend the competitions offering up their versions of a grilled cheese.

I’ve got to include a competition in an upcoming book, don’t you think? Charlotte will be a judge. Her pal, Delilah Swain, who runs The Country Kitchen diner, will be a contestant. I’m seeing big possibilities here.

In the meantime, I’m trying my hand at a variety of grilled cheese combos. The best one will make it into the book as a recipe.

I’d use the same basic ingredients in all the cheese sandwiches -- turkey, cheese, bread -- but they’d taste decidedly different.This week, while I was making a grilled cheese with Wensleydale cheese and turkey, I thought, hey, what if I made this sandwich three different ways. My own version of Iron Chef.

And I’d rate them, with the help of my family and friends.

Here are the results.

An open-faced Wensleydale cheese and turkey broil.

A grilled Wensleydale cheese and turkey and ham.

A regular sandwich, not cooked, with Wensleydale cheese and turkey and homemade raspberry jam.

Note:

Wensleydale is produced in North Yorkshire, England. The pastures in Wensleydale give the cheese a lovely flavor of wild honey. It’s crumbly and moist and melts like a Caerphilly

The Wensleydale I’ve used actually came from Costco. Yes, you can buy good cheese at Costco. It is laced with cranberries and tastes incredible on a cracker or just by itself. It’s lovely with a glass of Pinot Grigio. The acid in the wine brings out the acidity in the cheese.

Here's how I constructed the sandwiches:

Grilled Cheese

Ingredients:

2 slices of bread

1 Tbs. butter

2 oz. sliced Wensleydale cheese

2 oz. sliced turkey

Directions:

Heat skillet. Butter the bread on one side. Lay butter side of one slice in skillet. Layer with cheese and turkey. Put other piece of bread, butter side up, on top. Grill for about 3-4 minutes until bread is browned. Flip the sandwich. Grill another 3-4 minutes, until bread browned and cheese melted. If necessary, put a lid over the sandwich to help the cheese melt.

Open-faced Grilled Cheese

Ingredients:

1 slice bread

2 oz. Wensleydale cheese, sliced thin

2 oz. sliced turkey

1 Tbs. Italian or raspberry vinaigrette dressing

Directions:

Toast bread by itself first.

Remove from oven. Baste with dressing. Layer with turkey and then cheese.

Put under the broiler for 3-5 minutes, until crispy.

Serve warm with sliced fruit or small green salad.

Regular Cheese and Turkey Sandwich

Ingredients:

2 slices bread

2 oz. Wensleydale cheese

2 oz. sliced turkey

2 Tbs. raspberry jam [I used my sister Kristy's homemade jam! Fabulous!!!]

Directions:

Spread jam on 2 slices of bread. Layer cheese and turkey on one slice. Top with the other slice of bread spread with jam.

Done.

As for the taste test, my husband and I both agreed that the grilled cheese was the best, but the "regular" sandwich is fabulous and would taste great grilled. And the open-faced sandwich was a lovely morsel of good flavors. Go figure! We love grilled cheese.

Enjoy.

If you want to know more about A Cheese Shop Mystery series or the first in the series, The Long Quiche Goodbye, click on my website: Avery Aames.

Reminder:

We have a NEW CONTEST. Win a set of COOKIE CUTTERS from

Wilton. To enter the contest, all you have to do is leave a comment!

Check back on March 2, when the cookie cutter winner will be announced -- oh heck, check back every day! There's always something fun going on ;-) But that's when Jenn McKinlay will launch her new book Sprinkle with Murder, as well as a new CONTEST. One you won't want to miss!

Also, don't forget to enter Jenn’s Name the Cupcake Contest. Go to her website to enter. You and your cupcake might be the lucky ones to be written intoBUTTERCREAM BUMP OFF.

Last but not least -- Hank Phillippi Ryan's THREE BOOK GIVEAWAY. Peg, Janel and Marie A. Please Just email Hank directly by going to her website HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN, and click on contact in the upper left. (The little animation will resolve, and then it’ll say contact.) Enjoy a good read!!!