Main Course Salads -- Roasted Shrimp, Pepper, and Avocado Salad #MLKphotocontest @LeslieBudewitz

LESLIE BUDEWITZ: Summer is a great time for salads that serve as main courses. This one does require turning on your oven for half an hour, but if you don’t mind that, it’s super easy. The radishes may seem a curious addition, but they’re fun—a little heat and flavor, with a crisp texture that’s nice on the teeth while the avocado teases the tongue.

Slice up some crusty bread, or serve with hearty, seed-studded crackers, and a chilled Pinot Gris or Sauvignon Blanc, and enjoy!

And there's still time to enter our 7th Anniversary Photo contest! Look left to the Cheerleader photo for the details -- and get your books camera-ready! (Pics of e-readers, or in bookstores or libraries work, too.) Five winners will get a fabulous Mystery Lovers' Kitchen bag with five signed books by MLK authors! #MLKphotocontest

 Roasted Shrimp, Pepper, and Avocado Salad

2 medium shallots, thinly sliced
3 poblano peppers, seeded and sliced
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 pound shelled shrimp
4 radishes, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons lime juice
½ teaspoon kosher salt
6-8 ounces mixed green
1 avocado, sliced

Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment pepper.

Toss the shallots, peppers, oil, and chili powder; spread on the baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes. Add the shrimp, stir to coat, and roast for 5 minutes. Cool slightly.

Meanwhile, mix the radishes, lime juice and salt. Use the paper to dump the roasted mixture into your serving bowl, add in the radish mixture and greens. Stir to combine and top with avocado slices.

From the cover of TREBLE AT THE JAM FEST, Food Lovers' Village Mystery #4 (Midnight Ink, June 8, 2017):  

Erin Murphy, manager of Murphy’s Mercantile (aka the Merc), is tuning up for Jewel Bay’s annual Jazz Festival. Between keeping the Merc’s shelves stocked with Montana’s tastiest local fare and hosting the festival’s kick-off concert, Erin has her hands full.

Discord erupts when jazz guitarist Gerry Martin is found dead on the rocks above the Jewel River. The one-time international sensation had fallen out of sync with festival organizers, students, and performers. Was his death an accident?or did someone even the score?

Despite the warning signs to not get involved, Erin investigates. And when the killer attacks, she orchestrates her efforts into one last crescendo, hoping to avoid a deadly finale.

Leslie Budewitz is the author of the Food Lovers’ Village Mysteries and the Spice Shop Mysteries—and the first author to win Agatha Awards for both fiction and nonfiction. The past president of Sisters in Crime, she lives in northwest Montana with her husband, a musician and doctor of natural medicine, and their cat, an avid bird-watcher.

Swing by my website and join the mailing list for my seasonal newsletter. And join me on Facebook where I announce lots of giveaways from my cozy writer friends.

Pepper's Gingersnaps and a Launch Day #bookgiveaway

The giveaway is closed. 

LESLIE BUDEWITZ: Launch Day, Launch Day! So pleased to present KILLING THYME, the third installment in my Spice Shop Mysteries, set in Seattle's famed Pike Place Market.

Congratulations to Victoria Abbott on the release of The Hammett Hex, Book Collector Mystery #5, and Sheila Connolly, for Seeds of Deception, Orchard Mystery #10!

Leave a comment below for a chance to win a signed copy of KILLING THYME, Spice Shop #3!

I’ve often joked that in my childhood home, there were three spices: salt, pepper, and cinnamon. And of course, salt is actually a mineral. We did occasionally have a fourth—bay leaves—but I’m not sure my mother, bless her, had any real idea what to do with them.

So when I moved to Seattle as a college freshman (freshwoman?), the discovery of a real live spice shop in the Pike Place Market was the proverbial treat for my senses. I began drinking spice tea—they keep an urn going in the corner—and often walked around the Market sipping. When I got my first apartment and began learning to cook, I inched past spice tea into the herbs and spices themselves.

So what’s different or unusual about cinnamon and pepper? Cinnamon, a bark and one of the oldest known spices, comes from several countries. Each variety has a slightly different flavor, some sweeter, some mellower. Much grocery store cinnamon is actually cassia, the bark of a different but related tree; to my palate, it tastes a little darker and more bitter.

Pepper—which grows on trees, and was once used as money, so your dad was wrong—is often called the King of Spices. Black peppercorns has a history almost as old as trade itself. Although pepper trade drove the Age of Exploration, it also had a key role in the 18th century American economy, when the fleets from Salem and Boston became involved.

These gingersnaps combine the bark of cinnamon with an extra bite from a few twists of black pepper. They are Mr. Right’s favorite cookie, and when I was writing a scene in which Pepper’s ex-husband, Tag, drops by unexpectedly, it seemed perfectly natural that she’d be pulling a tray of fresh-baked gingersnaps out of the oven—and that they’d be a favorite of his, too. Even though Pepper knows good and well that Tag is not Mr. Right.

I do hope you enjoy both the cookies and the newest adventures of Pepper and her gang. 

Pepper’s Gingersnaps

The classic, with a bite of a little something extra. Call it Pepper’s personal touch.

2¼ cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground cloves

½ teaspoon finely ground black pepper

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup packed brown sugar

¾ cup vegetable oil, such as corn or canola

¼ cup molasses

1 egg

¼ to ½ cup white sugar for topping (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, black pepper, and salt.

 In a small mixing bowl, combine brown sugar, oil, molasses, and egg. Beat well. (No need to dirty your mixer and clean the beaters—the oil makes this dough easy to mix by hand.) Add flour mixture and stir until well mixed.

Shape the dough into 1-inch balls. If you’d like to top the cookies with sugar, pour the white sugar into a small soup or pasta bowl or on a small plate. Roll cookie balls in the sugar. Place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet or a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicon sheet. Bake about 10 minutes, until bottoms have darkened slightly and tops begin to crack.

Makes about 4 dozen. These cookies will be soft at first, but crisp up nicely. They freeze well.

What's the favorite cookie in your house?

Leave a comment below with your email address for a chance to win one of TWO signed copies of KILLING THYME. The winner will be chosen on Thurs, October 6.  

At Seattle Spice in the Pike Place Market, owner Pepper Reece is savoring her business success, but soon finds her plans disrupted by a killer…

Pepper Reece’s to-do list is longer than the shopping list for a five-course dinner, as she conjures up spice blends bursting with seasonal flavor, soothes nervous brides fretting over the gift registry, and crosses her fingers for a rave review from a sharp-tongued food critic. Add to the mix a welcome visit from her mother, Lena, and she’s got the perfect recipe for a busy summer garnished with a dash of fun. 

While browsing in the artists’ stalls, Pepper and Lena drool over stunning pottery made by a Market newcomer. But when Lena recognizes the potter, Bonnie Clay, as an old friend who disappeared years ago, the afternoon turns sour. To Pepper’s surprise, Bonnie seems intimately connected to her family’s past. after Bonnie is murdered only days later, Pepper is determined to uncover the truth. 

But as Pepper roots out long-buried secrets, will she be digging her own grave?

Leslie Budewitz is the author of the Food Lovers’ Village Mysteries and the Spice Shop Mysteries—and the first author to win Agatha Awards for both fiction and nonfiction. The 2015-16 president of Sisters in Crime, she lives in northwest Montana with her husband, a musician and doctor of natural medicine, and their cat Ruff, a cover model and avid bird-watcher.

Swing by my website  and join the mailing list for my seasonal newsletter. And join me on Facebook, where I often share news of new books and giveaways from my cozy writer friends.

Cleo Coyle's Cool and Creamy Peppercorn Dressing

Dang, it's hot here in New York. At this time of year, it always is, and it's never a dry heat. To paraphrase my amateur sleuth, Clare Cosi, it's the kind of relentless city sauna that liquefies every ounce of energy before sucking it right out of you.

What does that mean for this post? Cool and creamy is the order of the day. No, not ice cream. That's Wendy's department. :)

On my menu for you today is a cool and creamy salad dressing.

But first...

I must pause to send a shout-out of Congrats! to my fellow mystery writing cooks: Avery Aames and Riley Adams (aka Elizabeth S. Craig). Both became official national bestselling authors this week.

If you have not yet picked up Avery's THE LONG QUICHE GOODBYE and Riley's DELICIOUS AND SUSPICIOUS, then get yourself on over to the bookstore! These (uh-hem) bestselling culinary mysteries are both delightful reads with the fresh, fun voices of two amazing women writers.

Late breaking shout-out. Thanks to Cooking with Ideas, who just posted a review of Roast Mortem, my new Coffeehouse Mystery. To read the "bibliochef's" thoughts on my book, see her fun foodie comments and informative live links, click here.

(Now...as I was saying...)

I grew up on really basic salad. Almost every dinner, my mother would mix Regina brand red wine vinegar, olive oil, and a little salt -- that was it. The greens were usually fresh from Dad's garden and we didn't complain. We hardly ever had bottled dressing, either, and (to tell you the truth) I never could get used to the artificial taste of bottled. Still, vinegar and oil every single night became pretty darn boring.

Then, one day, my family dropped in on my uncle's house for dinner. My older cousin had tossed together the salad and, wow, it was fantastic. If you can imagine an eleven year old getting excited about a salad, that was me. Her secret? Dried herbs and freshly ground black pepper--lots of it. Her advice was simple: "Put more pepper on the salad than you think it needs." Over thirty years later, I still heed that advice, which really just comes down to something I've heard professional chefs say: season and re-season.

That pepper advice was also the inspiration for today's recipe: a cool and creamy yet far from bland salad dressing that my husband and I always enjoy in the summer.

The lemon and pepper in this dressing make for a classic combination, and the shaved Pecorino Romano on top finishes the dish with the perfect balance of flavors. It makes almost exactly one cup and has a nice consistency, too--not too thick and not too watery. You can also easily adjust the seasonings to your taste. The pepper can be decreased for a more subtle dressing or upped for a more powerful punch. The garlic can be doubled or eliminated. You can keep the sour cream, mayo, and milk full fat or cut back and use lighter versions. All up to you.

So eat well, stay cool out there, and...

Be sure to stop back next week. Starting Monday, we're celebrating our ONE YEAR BLOGOVERSARY! HURRAH!!

We will have a mystery giveaway every day, a fantastic grand prize for the week, and a wonderful culinary theme to our daily recipes. So come on back now and celebrate with us, y'hear?!

Cleo's Cool
and Creamy
Peppercorn Dressing

Makes 1 cup

Ingredients:

1/3 cup olive oil (extra virgin)
1 Tablespoon black pepper, ground coarsely (for a more subtle pepper dressing, reduce to 2 teaspoons)
1 whole garlic clove (2 if you really like garlic)
1/2 cup sour cream (regular or light)
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 Tablespoons milk (whole or skim)
2 teaspoons white vinegar (I use white rice vinegar)
Juice from 1/2 lemon (about 1 teaspoon)
Kosher or sea salt to taste


Method:

Step 1 - Infuse the oil with flavor: Place olive oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Throw in your whole garlic clove (or 2) and your ground pepper and simmer for about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. (To speed up this process, I transfer everything to an empty bowl; give it about five minutes on the counter then 10 in the fridge.) 

Step 2 – Whisk together your sour cream, mayonnaise, milk, vinegar, and lemon. When your oil has reached room temperature, discard the whole garlic clove (or cloves). Whisk your oil and all of the ground pepper into the creamy mixture. Salt to taste.

Serve chilled over crisp, cold salad greens. Romaine and iceberg pair well with this dressing. Shave Pecorino Romano over the top of the salad. (Parmesean will work nicely, as well.) The sharp, salty flavor of the aged, hard cheese is a beautiful complement to the creamy pepper and lemon on the crisp, cold greens.

Store any leftover dressing in an airtight container in the fridge. It should keep well for several days, so you pull it out on another hot day, and...

Eat with joy!

~Cleo Coyle, author of

The Coffeehouse Mysteries

To get more recipes ideas or to find out about the books in my nationally bestselling Coffeehouse Mystery series, visit me at my official website:
www.CoffeehouseMystery.com

On Sale
August 3, 2010

Roast Mortem

by Cleo Coyle

Comments for Cleo welcome!
Just hit the "comments" link below...