A Really Nice Grilled Cheese Sandwich by Lucy Burdette

 

LUCY BURDETTE: when I go to lunch with a friend or family member, my eyes are not drawn to fancy things on the menu. If there is a tuna melt, or a turkey Reuben, or a grilled cheese, I find these impossible to resist. While I was imagining a recipe for the blog today, I realized that I had the ingredients for a really good grilled cheese sandwich. You’ll see from the photograph, that I’m lucky to have a tomato from John’s garden, arugula and whole grain bread from the farmers market, and cheese from our local cheese shop. And butter, you must have butter!

Forthwith are the ingredients for one delicious grilled cheese. Of course you can multiply the quantities to serve more but I am deep into edits on a manuscript so I didn’t have time to spare to host or go to lunch.

Two slices good whole grain bread

One small ripe tomato

One handful fresh arugula

Some slices of sharp cheddar (my favorite is Prairie Breeze from the local cheese shop, which I buy by the pound. Made in Iowa.)

Wash and dry the arugula. Wash and slice the tomato. Slice the cheddar cheese.

In a small frying pan, melt a pat of butter. Lay one of the slices of bread in the melted butter, and layer this with tomato, cheese, and arugula, in that order. Add the second slice of bread on top.

Cook at medium heat until you can see the cheese beginning to ooze out of the sides of the sandwich. Carefully flip, adding a little more butter if it looks necessary. The top slice of bread should be nicely brown. Cook a few more minutes until everything is melted together. Remove to a plate and cut in half.

Enjoy!

Here’s my recipe for a turkey reuben 

And here’s my tuna melt 

A DELICIOUS DECEPTION can be found at a bookstore near you!

A Delicious Deception has a slightly different tone than some of the earlier books, with more emphasis on family, but I loved it just as much as the rest of the series. Ms. Burdette has created characters who have grown in such natural, believable ways. She delivers an excellent mystery while also weaving in a major, emotional turning point in their lives. There is drama, murder, secrets, late-pregnancy feelings and hormones, a sick father-in-law, home renovations, a fun baby shower, and friends and family ready to tackle whatever comes their way. And in the end, a beautiful baby! Escape with Dollycas

This cozy mystery expertly balances personal stakes with a fast-paced plot in a consistent Burdette fashion. It’s a suspenseful, heart-filled addition to the series that proves Hayley is just as effective at solving crimes as she is at critiquing menus. Netgalley reviewer

Book 15 in the Key West series, paperback edition of THE MANGO MURDERS, is in bookstores now!

USA Today bestselling author Lucy Burdette writes the Key West food critic mystery series including A POISONOUS PALATE and A CLUE IN THE CRUMBS. Join her mailing list right here.

Top ten things I ate this year by Lucy Burdette

LUCY BURDETTE: They say you should start the year out the way you want it to continue, so I will be writing and eating:). I consider myself super lucky to have eaten many wonderful dishes this year. Most of you are food people—I hope you will drool along as I describe my top ten. These are not necessarily in order, and if you are a math person, you’ll see that there are actually eleven:). Some of them I cooked, others we enjoyed at restaurants. Here’s a link to last year’s list in case you’re interested.

1. Homemade pici pasta with fresh tomato sauce made at a cooking school in Siena, Italy. This entire meal was incredible, but John and I chose the pasta as the tip top taste. 

2. Fish chowder at The Fish Box in Dingle, Ireland. So creamy, so thick, sprinkled with crispy bacon and served with brown bread—all perfect on a rainy Irish day with a dear friend.

3. Janet Snow’s shrimp fritters with mango salsa. This was the hors d’oeuvre I pictured Hayley’s mother Janet Snow passing around when their boat blew up in THE MANGO MURDERS. 

4. Tomato and cheese pie. Fresh tomatoes, loads of grated cheese, all baked into a killer pie. 

5. Homemade Ricotta gnocchi. Yes, there’s a theme here, and it’s called CARBS! I adore gnocchi and these weren’t hard but came out tasting oh so delicious! 

The next three come from Paris: 

6. This HISPI CABBAGE was devoured at Kubri. It was prepared with Aleppo pepper butter, shanklish, cri-cri peanut, pickled apricot, oregano. (I don’t know what some of those things are, but it tasted amazing.)

7. Rice pudding with caramel drizzle at Juveniles. It’s their dessert specialty and if you love rice pudding, you’ll be spoiled for life.

8. Stuffed cabbage at Cafe des Ministeres in Paris, aka Chou farci façon Reine, saucisse de Morteau. This was the biggest fattest dish I’ve ever seen, and if that alone wasn’t enough, they drizzled creme fraiche on top after it was delivered. We wished we’d had a place to take the leftovers!

9. Homemade flan from Gloria, who made this for Friends of the Big Pine Key Library book group when we discussed A POISONOUS PALATE.

10. As part of the Key West Woman’s Club historic days, I helped with a panel on the subject of food in Key West history. This was Martha Hubbard’s lunch after, including Key West pink shrimp, salad with fresh hearts of palm, and tropical trifle.

11. Lest you think I’m a food snob, behold a tuna melt served with potato chips and a pickle on a paper plate. All winter I think about ordering this sandwich!

What are your favorite food memories from the year? What are you looking forward to? Happy new year everyone!

USA Today bestselling author Lucy Burdette writes the Key West food critic mystery series including A POISONOUS PALATE and A CLUE IN THE CRUMBS. Join her mailing list right here.

Coming July 14--isn't it gorgeous?

Book 15 in the Key West series, THE MANGO MURDERS, is in bookstores now!

The trade paperback edition of A POISONOUS PALATE is out now! 

And the trade paperback edition of A CLUE IN THE CRUMBS is out now!

Tuna Melts to Celebrate Summer @LucyBurdette

 LUCY BURDETTE: Now that it’s officially summertime, I feel I can indulge in one of my favorite lunchtime treats, the good old-fashioned tuna melt. There are a couple of places near my hometown in Connecticut that do these superbly. The secret might lie in good rye bread, just enough tuna salad, but not too much, and a good dose of melty cheese. I saw a recipe recently that called for adding salt and vinegar potato chips to the mix. This sounded like something I had to try. And here is my stab at the iconic dish…

Ingredients for two sandwiches

Four slices of good quality rye bread.

Eight slices of white American cheese or cheddar.

One can tuna in water. (could be oil if that’s your preference)

Two stalks celery, chopped

Half a cup sweet pickles, chopped.

One heaping tablespoon mayonnaise

Teaspoon Dijon mustard

Handful of salt and vinegar potato chips.

Squeeze the oil or water out of the tuna and flake that up in a bowl. Chop the celery and pickles and add these as well. Add the mayonnaise and the mustard and mix it all together.

Melt a tablespoon or so of butter in a frying pan. Place a slice of bread in the melted butter, and on top of that layer two slices of cheese, a scoop of the tuna salad, enough potato chips to cover, and a second two slices of cheese. Cover this with bread, and fry on medium heat until the bottom is brown, and the cheese is melted. Flip the sandwich and continue to cook until the second side is brown and oozing bubbly cheese.

Remove the sandwich to a plate. Cut in half and enjoy! 

Note from me: I’m not sure the potato chips in the sandwich were necessary as they were missing the appealing crunch. Next time I would serve them on the side. If you wish to add chopped raw onion to the dish, have at it!

Lucy Burdette writes the Key West food critic mystery series including USA Today bestselling A POISONOUS PALATE and A CLUE IN THE CRUMBS. 

Book 15 in the Key West series, THE MANGO MURDERS, will be in bookstores on August 12, but you can preorder now!

The trade paperback edition of A POISONOUS PALATE will be out on July 8.

And the trade paperback edition of A CLUE IN THE CRUMBS is out now!

Welcome Toni LoTiempo and Rocco!!

Welcome to Toni LoTiempo and her kitty, Rocco, who has his own blog. Toni is the author of the about -to-debut Nick and Nora mystery series. The first book is MEOW, IF IT'S MURDER! How cute is that? It will be out on December 2nd. Don't miss Toni's giveaway today. Leave a comment to enter to win a copy of hr new book!

Cats, Cozies…and Tuna Melts!


Most of the mysteries on my bookshelf, I confess, are cozy mysteries, so I suppose it would naturally follow that my first traditionally published novel would be – a cozy. What’s more, a cozy featuring a stubborn, opinionated tuxedo cat!

My series is the Nick and Nora mystery series. Nora is Nora Charles, ex-crime reporter turned restaurant entrepreneur. She’s returned after a 12 year absence from reporting on crime in Chicago back to her hometown of Cruz, California, to take over her deceased mother’s sandwich shop. Shortly thereafter, Nora finds a surprise waiting outside her door – a stocky, black and white cat. She takes the cat in and names him Nick (after Nick Charles, the Thin Man, of course). She later finds out that the cat did in fact belong to a PI, Nick Atkins, who is currently MIA – she also finds out that Nick has many talents, among them the ability to spell out words with Scrabble tiles – plus, he’s got a nose for scenting out crime and Nora’s special of the day!

And while Nora can’t turn down a good mystery, she’s also a very adept cook – and she loves coming up with unique names for the sandwiches she serves! People do enjoy her Michael Buble Burger, and her Antonio Banderas Cuban!

But really…What story about a cat would be complete without tuna? Below is Nora’s recipe for her Thin Man Tuna Melt – it’s a big hit with the residents of Cruz!

The Thin Man Tuna Melt

1 (6 1/2 oz.) can of tuna, drained
1/2 c. finely chopped celery
1/3 c. mayonnaise, regular or low-fat
2 tbsp. diced onion
2 tbsp. crumbled bacon bits
1/2 tsp. garlic salt or powder
4 slices cheese, Swiss or cheddar

4 thin-cut tomato slices
8 slices of your favorite bread
butter or margarine


Combine tuna, celery, mayonnaise, onion, and garlic salt and blend. Butter one side of bread, place in toaster oven. Cover with tuna mixture and spread out, then top with cheese slice. Sprinkle liberally with bacon bits. Place under broiler for one minute, then put tomato slices on top. Butter one side of remaining bread and place on top of cheese, buttered side up. Grill until golden brown on both sides, or cheese is melted. Remove, cut and serve. Serves two humans and one tubby tuxedo cat.

About the Author…..


While Toni Lotempio does not commit – or solve – murders in real life, she has no trouble doing it on paper. Her lifelong love of mysteries began early on when she was introduced to her first Nancy Drew mystery at age 10 – The Secret in the Old Attic. She lists among her favorite mystery/suspense writers Erle Stanley Gardner, Mary Higgins Clark and James Patterson, as well as EJ Copperman, Steve Hockensmith, Victoria Laurie, Ali Brandon, Rita Mae Brown, Miranda James and Sofie Kelly to name only a few! Toni is also passionate about her love for animals, as demonstrated with her four cats: Trixie, Princess, Maxx and, of course, ROCCO, who not only provided the inspiration for the character of Nick the cat in the Nick and Nora mystery series, but who also writes his own blog and does charity work for Nathan Fillion’s charity, Kids Need to Read! Toni’s also devoted to miniseries like The Thorn Birds, Dancing with the Stars, reruns of Murder She Wrote and Castle (of course!). She (and ROCCO, albeit he’s uncredited) pen the Nick and Nora mystery series from Berkley Prime Crime – the first volume, MEOW IF ITS MURDER, debuts Dec. 2, 2014. She, Rocco and company make their home in Clifton, New Jersey, just twenty minutes from the Big Apple – New York.

Where to find them:

ROCCO’s blog:

www.catsbooksmorecats.blogspot.com

Website:

WWW.tclotempio.com

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Amazon- Meow if its Murder

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