Peas with Garlic and Parmesan #Recipe Peg Cochran/Margaret Loudon

 

I always have meat in my freezer.  I buy family packs of chicken breasts, chicken thighs and boneless chicken thighs, ground turkey and ground beef.  I divide the packages into portions for two.  Consequently, I always have meat to build dinner around.  But what sends me to the grocery store more often than not is the need for some sort of vegetable.  Frozen peas to the rescue! I always have a bag on hand and they are the perfect accompaniment to almost any meal from serving as a side dish to being added to shepherd's pie.  But sometimes plain peas can be...boring.  However, they are easy to "jazz" up!  This is just one recipe that can turn peas from ordinary to extraordinary! (Below are the original quantities. I adapted them  to serve only two people.)

 

PEAS WITH GARLIC AND PARMESAN

1 tablespoon olive oil 

 1 shallot - peeled and diced

 3 cloves garlic - pressed or minced

 2 cups sweet peas - frozen peas, thawed

 ¼ cup aged Parmesan - freshly grated, more to taste

Salt and pepper to taste 

Heat olive oil in skillet and add shallots.  Sauté until beginning to soften.  Add garlic and cook until garlic is just beginning to take on color.

 

Add peas and cook until peas are heated.

 

Remove from heat and stir in Parmesan.

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Peg Cochran is the author of the Open Book Series (writing as Margaret Loudon), the Cranberry Cove Series, the Murder, She Repored series, the Farmer's Daughter Series, the Lucille series and the Sweet Nothings Lingerie Series (writing as Meg London.)

Broccoli with Orzo #Recipe Peg Cochran/Margaret Loudon

This is a quick, simple dish that can serve as a vegetable and a starch.  Perfect for a weeknight dinner.  It's also a way to sneak some veggies into reluctant children and husbands, er, adults.  I imagine this could be delicious done with peas instead of broccoli for a change.  If you haven't had orzo, you'll find it in the pasta aisle--it's pasta shaped like grains of rice. 

4 ½ ounces uncooked orzo

2 cups fresh broccoli florets (save stems for another use)

4 cloves of garlic, smashed and finely chopped

3 tsp. olive oil

Salt & pepper to taste

 

Remove stems from broccoli and cut florets into bite-sized pieces.  Season with salt if desired.

 

 

 

Cook pasta in boiling, salted water until al dente. (See timing on package)

 

Drain orzo, reserving ½ cup of pasta water.  Add oil to pot.

 

 

 

Sauté garlic until golden and add chopped broccoli.

 

Add orzo and stir to combine.  Add reserved liquid if needed to moisten pasta.

 

 

Tonight, I will be appearing on Delicious Mysteries along with many of your favorite cozy authors.  You can catch me at 6:30 pm EST.  There will be lots of giveaways so be sure to tune in!

 

Link to Delicious Mysteries Party: https://www.facebook.com/groups/DeliciousMysteries

Spinach Catalan Style #Recipe Peg Cochran/Margaret Loudon

 

If you think you don't like spinach, you might want to try this recipe.  Even my vegetable-phobic husband declared it to be fantastic. Below are the original ingredient quantities (from feastingathome.com) but I adapted the quantities a bit for the two of us. Also, the recipe called for chili flakes, which I don't have so I substituted crushed red pepper in a smaller quantity since hubby is not a fan of anything too too spicy.  I didn't include the apple because I didn't feel like peeling and dicing one! (You know how that is!)  I can imagine it adds great flavor so next time I will try it.  I also used dry vermouth as a substitute for the sherry/wine, which I didn't have. And I forgot to toast my almonds, which is probably a good thing since I always seem to burn the first batch.  It was still delicious! 

 

SPINACH CATALAN STYLE

2 tablespoons olive oil  

1 cup onion, diced

1/2 an apple, diced (optional)

4–6 garlic cloves, chopped

1/2 teaspoon chili flakes (or crushed red pepper flakes)

1/4 cup golden raisins (or regular raisins, currants, Craisins)

1/4 cup toasted pine nuts or slivered almonds   

1/4 cup sherry or white wine or broth

5–6 cups packed spinach, chopped  

Salt and pepper to taste

Pinch of sugar and nutmeg   

 

Heat oil and add onion and apple. Stir until tender.

 

Lower heat and add garlic and chili flakes or crushed red pepper and sauté until fragrant.

 

 

 

Add raisins and wine and sauté until wine is mostly evaporated.

 

 

 

Add greens and stir until wilted.

 

 

 

Add a pinch of sugar and nutmeg and sauté until desired tenderness

 

Top with pine nuts or slivered almonds 

Treat yourself to some armchair travel to England with my 

Open Book Series!

 Coming August 1

Barnes & Noble

Amazon

When murder taints writer-in-residence Penelope Parish’s charming British bookshop, she must follow the clues to catch a killer before tempers boil over.
 
Penelope Parish thought she’d turned the page on her amateur sleuthing days but when the owner of Upper Chumley-on-Stokes’ proposed first high-end gourmet shop is poisoned, the American novelist starts to wonder if she and her quaint British town are in for another rewrite. It turns out that not everyone was a fan of Simeon Foster’s farm-sourced charcuterie and imported pastries—many of the locals were outraged by the potential new competition.
 
With a full menu of suspects on her hands, this just might be Penelope’s toughest case yet. Luckily, her friends at the Open Book are there to help with every twist of the poisoned pen.

 

 

 

Roasted Broccoli with Parmesan and Breadcrumbs #Recipe @PegCochran

 

I love broccoli.  My kids love broccoli.  My granddaughter loves broccoli.  My husband doesn't love broccoli unfortunately.  He'll eat it but he looks like he's eating some nasty, bitter medicine.  He likes it with my microwave Hollandaise or cheese sauce but I'm always looking for other ways to make it palatable.  He declared this roasted broccoli "not bad."  I thought it was delicious. This is super easy and can be modified for whatever amount of broccoli you are cooking.

6 to 7 cups fresh broccoli florets (or one bunch)
3 to 4 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup Italian style breadcrumbs or panko mixed with Italian seasoning
1/2 cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt or to taste
1/4 tsp black pepper or to taste

 

Preheat oven to 425 degrees and prepare baking sheet--line with aluminum foil and spray with non-stick spray.

 

Combine all of the ingredients in a zip lock bag including broccoli.  Shake bag to distribute coating.

 

 

 

Place broccoli in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.  Sprinkle with any coating remaining in bag.

 

 

 

Bake for 12 minutes, then stir or flip broccoli.  Bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes.  Timing may vary according to your oven so be sure to check.

 

 

 

COMING JULY 6 - AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER NOW

Writer-in-residence Penelope Parish will need to use every trick in her quaint British bookshop to unravel a murderous plot that threatens to ruin a ducal wedding.

The wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Upper Chumley-on Stoke has all the makings of a fairy tale, complete with a glowing bride and horse-drawn carriage. But it wouldn't be much of a story without a villain, and as American Gothic novelist Penelope Parish is coming to learn, happy-ever-afters are as fraught in this charming British town as they are in her books.

When the Duke's former girlfriend is found murdered at the reception it's up to Penelope and her newfound family at the Open Book bookshop to catch the killer before they strike again.

 

AMAZON
BARNES & NOBLE

Murder in the Margins has everything: England * Charming town * Book shop * Writer-in-residence * Royalty * Cute detective * Murder!

 

 

The plot thickens for American gothic writer Penelope Parish when a murder near her quaint British bookshop reveals a novel's worth of killer characters.

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Green Beans Almondine #Recipe @PegCochran

 

Sometimes I feel like kickin' it old school, you know?  Recently I was making a rib roast for a special dinner and needed a vegetable to go with it.  I'd already settled on scalloped potatoes--another oldie but goodie--but I needed a green vegetable.  Green beans were looking quite good at the market so I bought a pound of those.  But how to prepare them?  I perused any number of recipes and then decided to go back to an old standby--green beans almondine.  They became a staple on menus back in the 1960s for a reason--they're good!

3 tablespoons butter, divided  

1/2 cup sliced almonds

1/3 cup shallots minced

1 pound green beans   

salt and pepper to taste

2 teaspoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons chopped parsley (optional)

 

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a skillet over medium heat.

 

Add the almonds to the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes or until golden brown, stirring occasionally.

 

 

Remove the almonds from the pan; wipe the pan clean with a paper towel.

 

Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in the pan. Add the shallots and cook for 3-4 minutes or until tender.

 

 

Add the green beans and 1 tablespoon of water to the pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, until green beans are tender, about 4-5 minutes.

 

Stir in the lemon juice, salt and pepper.

 

Sprinkle the reserved almonds over the green beans, along with the optional parsley.  

 

 

Writer-in-residence Penelope Parish will need to use every trick in her quaint British bookshop to unravel a murderous plot that threatens to ruin a ducal wedding.

The wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Upper Chumley-on Stoke has all the makings of a fairy tale, complete with a glowing bride and horse-drawn carriage. But it wouldn't be much of a story without a villain, and as American Gothic novelist Penelope Parish is coming to learn, happy-ever-afters are as fraught in this charming British town as they are in her books.

When the Duke's former girlfriend is found murdered at the reception it's up to Penelope and her newfound family at the Open Book bookshop to catch the killer before they strike again.

 

AMAZON
BARNES & NOBLE

 

Murder in the Margins has everything: England * Charming town * Book shop * Writer-in-residence * Royalty * Cute detective * Murder!

 

 

The plot thickens for American gothic writer Penelope Parish when a murder near her quaint British bookshop reveals a novel's worth of killer characters.

Amazon

Barnes & Noble 

 

Creamed Spinach Lightened Up #Recipe @PegCochran

The other day I was craving creamed spinach--it goes so well with steak, which I planned to throw on the grill.  (So does a loaded baked potato, but I avoided that temptation!).  This recipe is from Skinnytaste with minor alterations.  That recipe calls for frozen spinach but I prefer to use fresh.

Ingredients

2 tsp butter
1 – 2 shallots, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 TBS flour
1 1/2 cups low fat milk
2 TBS parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp nutmeg
salt & pepper to taste
4.4 oz Boursin Light or light cream cheese
1 bag fresh baby spinach 

Instructions

Melt butter and add shallots and garlic.  Cook, stirring for approximately five minutes.

Add flour to shallot mixture, stir and cook for one minute.

Reduce heat to low and add milk, whisking well.

Add Parmesan cheese, nutmeg, salt and pepper.  Mix.

Add Boursin light or light cream cheese and mix until smooth.  

Add spinach, stir well to combine and cook until spinach is wilted and cooked.

Amazon Reviewer:  "Peg Cochran creates engaging characters and a wonderful sense of time and place. The mystery is well plotted and full of twists. There’s a little bit of humor, a splash of romance, and great historical details."

AMAZON

BARNES & NOBLE

An intrepid 1930s Manhattan socialite uncovers deadly secrets during an assignment to the Hamptons in this riveting historical cozy mystery for readers of Victoria Thompson, Anne Perry, and Rhys Bowen.

Westhampton, 1938. To the dismay of her well-to-do family, Elizabeth “Biz” Adams is quickly establishing herself as a seasoned photographer over at the Daily Trumpet. Growing more confident in her decision to pursue a career, Elizabeth is thrilled when she and her reporter sidekick, Ralph Kaminsky, are sent to Long Island to cover the story of a young maid found dead in one of the glamourous summer homes in the devastating aftermath of the Great New England Hurricane—also known as the Long Island Express.

At first it’s assumed that the young woman was caught in the terrible storm, but when a suspicious wound is found on the side of her head, the police suspect murder. The maid’s death becomes even more tragic when it’s discovered she was pregnant, and with Elizabeth and Kaminsky at the scene of the crime, the Daily Trumpet scoops all the other papers in town.

The young woman’s boyfriend emerges as the likeliest suspect. But as Elizabeth follows the story, she begins to wonder whether someone in the household of the maid’s employers might be responsible—someone who’ll stop at nothing to keep the truth about the baby’s paternity hidden.

COMING DECEMBER 3

Roasted Brussels Sprouts #recipe #Thanksgiving @LucyBurdette

LUCY BURDETTE: What to make to add to your Thanksgiving bounty if you need a side dish but don't have a lot of time to come up with something fussy? I can highly recommend roasted Brussels sprouts with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and Parmesan cheese to finish. This dish can go with just about any meal--say meatloaf, or Thanksgiving turkey, or roast chicken. I can even imagine it with pasta! Maybe these vegetables deserve a little doggerel...



You can eat them in spring, 
You can eat them in the fall,  
We think roasted Brussels sprouts 
Are good any time at all!



Ingredients to serve 3

1 pound fresh Brussel sprouts
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 450. Wash, trim, and halve or quarter the Brussels sprouts depending on their size. Mix the sprouts with the olive oil and vinegar. Roast 15 minutes on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper, turning from time to time, until the vegetables are slightly crisp. Place in a bowl and sprinkle with the grated cheese. Since the cheese is salty, we didn't find we needed to add salt, but you be the judge on that!

cut sprouts in oil and vinegar

after roasting

grate some cheese over top

And that's it! Time left to write or play or make dessert!

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