Thursday, March 28, 2024

Roasted Asparagus #recipe #giveaway @vmburns

 V. M. Burns: Asparagus isn't a vegetable I eat often. However, I was tired of eating the same vegetables and wanted something a bit different. Asparagus came to mind. Most asparagus recipes include garlic. And while I like garlic, it doesn't like me. So, I'm always scaling back on garlic or looking for alternate seasonings that will add flavor. If garlic doesn't bother you, then you can easily add garlic instead of the Italian seasoning. Or, you can add it in addition to the Italian seasoning. I also love lemons and cheese, so anytime I can add more of those, I do. This came out perfect for me. You may want to tweak it a bit for your own tastebuds. Fortunately, it's really easy.


ROASTED ASPARAGUS


Ingredients

  • 1 lb Asparagus
  • 1 Teaspoon Olive Oil
  • 1/2 Teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 1/4 Teaspoon pepper
  • 1 lemon
  • 1/4 Cup Grated Parmesan
  • Sprinkle of shredded parmesan cheese



Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Snap the ends off of the asparagus, drizzle with olive oil, and place on a baking sheet.
  3. Sprinkle salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and grated parmesan. NOTE: I added a little shredded parmesan just because...cheese.
  4. Bake for 9-12 minutes depending on how much snap you like in your asparagus. 

READERS: Asparagus YES or NO? Let me know in the comments. I still have extra KINDLE copies of Murder on Tour. Type YES in the comments if you want to be entered for the giveaway. Don't forget to include your email address. 

MURDER ON TOUR 





Bookstore owner and Michigander Samantha Washington is thrilled to see her debut historical mystery finally on the shelves, but a killer seems determined to steal away the spotlight . . .
 
While Sam wraps up her first whirlwind book tour, Nana Jo has kept Market Street Mysteries running smoothly. The last stop is a prestigious book festival in Sam’s hometown of North Harbor, Michigan. But not everyone thinks the guest of honor, bestselling author Judith Hunter, deserves stellar reviews. Sam witnesses nasty arguments between Judith and two different authors—who accuse her of plagiarism and sabotage . . .
 
When a publicist is poisoned during a cocktail reception, Sam wonders if the killer missed the intended target. It’s a twist that echoes the plot of Sam’s mystery, 
Murder at Wickfield Lodge. But fact can be stranger—and deadlier—than fiction. How much collateral damage is the killer willing to risk? With feisty Nana Jo and the girls from Shady Acres Retirement Village lending a hand, Sam tries to solve the case before the festival delivers another fatality . . .

Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Val's Mai Tai #recipe by @LeslieKarst

 

As you know if you read my Author Spotlight here in the Kitchen last Sunday, I’m thrilled that the first book in my new Orchid Isle mystery series, Molten Death, releases next Tuesday, on April 2. So to celebrate, what could be better than shaking up a fun and festive tropical drink—the delicious Mai Tai! (This recipe—as well as many others—appears in the new book.)


Many Mai Tais one gets in bars these days are sickeningly sweet, as they’re made with cheap dark rum and canned orange and pineapple juice, heavy on the high fructose corn syrup. But the original recipes for the cocktail back in the 1940s were far less cloying, using quality high-proof rums from Jamaica and Martinique, fresh-squeezed lime juice, and nary a can of pineapple juice in sight. (The name supposedly derives from the Tahitian phrase, “maita‘i roa a‘e,” which loosely translates as “terrific!” or “best of all!”)


Valerie is the protagonist of Molten Death, and her version is inspired by the original Trader Vic’s recipe for a Mai Tai, but employs Amaretto liqueur instead of Orgeat syrup, and includes a splash of soda water because, you know...fizz

 

 

Val’s Mai Tai

(makes one cocktail)


Ingredients


6-8 ice cubes

2 oz. Myer’s or similar dark rum

½ oz. (1 tablespoon) orange Curaçao or triple sec

2 teaspoons Amaretto liqueur

½ oz. (1 tablespoon) fresh lime juice

2 teaspoons simple syrup (2:1 water dissolved in sugar)

1 oz. soda water

1 lime slice, for garnish

 



Directions


Place the ice in a metal cocktail shaker, add the rum, Curaçao, Amaretto, lime juice, and simple syrup and shake vigorously until well chilled, then pour everything (including the ice) into an Old Fashioned glass. Top with a splash of soda water and garnish with the lime slice. 

 


 

🌱  🍹  🌿

 

 

Coming April 2!

MOLTEN DEATH

Orchid Isle Mystery, book 1

available for pre-order here!

 

“Karst’s first Orchid Isle novel is part murder mystery, part vividly evocative, colorful sketch of Hawaii and its history, geography, tradition, culture, food, language, and people. Armchair travelers and mystery aficionados alike will find it entertaining.”

Booklist

 


This first book in my brand-new Orchid Isle mystery series features retired caterer Valerie Corbin and her wife Kristen who, on a trip to the Big Island of Hawai‘i, swap surfing lessons for sleuthing sessions when a hike to an active lava flow turns deadly. 

 

Advance praise for MOLTEN DEATH:


“a compelling read that will enlighten, engage, and entertain, leaving readers longing for their next trip to the Orchid Isle.”

--New York Times bestselling author Jenn McKinlay




“a terrific debut to a series that will go on my must read list!”

--USA Today bestselling author Deborah Crombie

 

 

A SENSE FOR MURDER

has been short-listed for the Lefty Award

for Best Humorous Mystery!

This newest Sally Solari mystery

is available for purchase here !

 

Praise for A SENSE FOR MURDER:

 

“[Sally is] sassy, irresistible company... Culinary cozy fans will be in heaven.”

 --Publishers Weekly

 

“An enjoyable read for mystery mavens and foodies alike.”

--Kirkus Reviews



Also now available:

Justice is Served:  A Tale of Scallops,

the Law, and Cooking for RBG

(available for purchase here)



 
"a suspenseful, exhilarating memoir; Karst relays her determination to serve the 'perfect' meal to RBG alongside an uplifting, enlightening portrayal of one of the most admired justices in the history of the Supreme Court." 
 

-Foreword Reviews (starred review)

 

"[This] book is a romp from cover to cover—and, just like a great meal, left me ready for more."

-Karen Shimizu, executive editor, Food & Wine-



All of the Sally Solari Mysteries are available through AmazonBarnes and Noble, and Bookshop.


 

 


Release Day News: Lucy Burdette's The Ingredients of Happiness (paperback edition)

 Congratulations to our own Lucy Burdette on the paperback edition of

                        THE INGREDIENTS OF HAPPINESS!


“Lucy Burdette’s The Ingredients of Happiness is a compelling take on contemporary life and society’s longing for personal fulfillment. Dr. Cooper Hunziker takes the reader on quite a journey—which includes the friendship of a gargoyle named Howard—as she untangles the threads of her life to accept the past, reveal a present betrayal, and finally find her own brand of happiness in an honest and heartfelt tale of self-discovery.”

—Jenn McKinlay


Tuesday, March 26, 2024

Easy Stovetop Smashed Baby Red Potatoes by @CleoCoyle #comfortfood



A few weeks ago, I posted my comfort food recipe for Mini Meatloves and Creamy Roasted Garlic Gravy. On the plate in my photos were these golden brown baby red potatoes. A few of you asked me about the recipe for these potatoes, and today I'm happy to share it.

This way of making potatoes on the stovetop is a common one. My late mother and aunt used this method to make their potatoes, using stock for flavor, and this recipe simply reflects the way I like to make them in my own kitchen, using baby reds and bone broth (and sometimes mixing things up with a little grass-fed beef tallow). 

Cleo Coyle writes two
 bestselling mystery
 series with her husband.
To learn more, click here.

Now let's get our potatoes on...

















To download this recipe in a
free PDF that you can print, save,
or share, click here or on
the image below...



Cleo Coyle's Easy, Stovetop
Smashed Baby Red Potatoes


Makes about 4 servings

Ingredients:

2 pounds small red potatoes
3-4 cups chicken, beef, or vegetable stock or bone broth
      (+ if needed a bit of water, per directions)
2 Tablespoons butter*

*Cleo Note: I like to use beef bone broth and sometimes split the butter into 1 T. butter and 1 T. grass-fed beef tallow.

Directions: Cut the potatoes in half and place them in a deep skillet with their cut sides up. Add the stock or bone broth until potatoes are just covered, no more. If needed, add water to be sure the potatoes are indeed covered. 

Over medium high heat, bring the liquid to a boil. Reduce the heat a bit, but keep the potatoes  simmering for 45-50 minutes or until the liquid is completely cooked away. 



Now add the butter (or butter and beef tallow) to the skillet. As it melts, roll the potatoes in the melted butter. Continue cooking and flipping until the potatoes sizzle and turn a nice golden brown...






When you see those nice crispy, golden brown edges, you're ready for the fun, smashing step. Turn all of the potatoes so that they're cut side is down. Using the bottom of a coffee mug, a heavy glass, a ladle or large serving spoon, smash each of the potatoes aginst the flat of the pan as shown.

This step should finish the browing and crisping process for you, as well...



I like to serve them hot with a splash of my Creamy Roasted Garlic Gravy. For the gravy recipe, click here or on the image below...




Click here or on the image above for two recipes:
My Creamy Roasted Garlic Gravy & my Mini Meatloaves
(with a "special" ingredient). May you...




Eat (and read) with joy!

New York Times bestselling author
of The Coffeehouse Mysteries and
Haunted Bookshop Mysteries

Cleo (Alice) with her husband, Marc


Visit Cleo's online coffeehouse here.
And follow her at these links...





"Wildly Entertaining" 

~ Criminal Element

Bulletproof Barista

To Buy:


KIRKUS REVIEWS

"Scads of red herrings, peeks behind the show-biz curtain, and bountiful appended recipes will leave fans smiling contentedly."


BOOKLIST

"This twentieth Coffeehouse mystery (after Honey Roasted) brings together the history of the shop, ripped-from-the-headlines plot elements, [and] the drama of on-site filming."






The Coffeehouse Mysteries are bestselling works
of amateur sleuth fiction set in a landmark 
Greenwich Village coffeehouse, and each of the 
20 titles includes the added bonus of recipes.  


Get a free Title Checklist of
Cleo Coyle's Books in Order
Click here 
or on the image below.






Don't Miss Our New
Haunted Bookshop
Mystery...

  

Jack & Pen 
Together Again!


"Amazing and Unique" 

~ Fresh Fiction



"DELIGHTFUL" ~ Kirkus Reviews


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Bookshop.org

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+ Many More Buy Links









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