I’m excited to be helping Julia Buckley celebrate the release of PUDDING UP WITH MURDER, the third book in her Undercover Dish Mystery series. Lilah Drake provides private catering to people in the town of Pine Haven who want to take credit for cooking a particular dish themselves, but either don’t have the time or the talent to do so. Discrete is Lilah’s middle name but that’s gotten her in trouble in the past and may cause potential problems in this new book. I love, love the premise of series. How clever to have someone cook a dish so that someone else can take credit?!?! And so many mentions of delicious dishes! It also gives the protagonist an “in” with a variety of townspeople who she otherwise wouldn’t come in contact with.

Click on book to visit Amazon

While this is the third book in the series, it can easily be read as a standalone. A new reader won’t be lost as there is a bit of backstory mentioned. However, previous books sets up the scenes for Lilah’s blossoming romance with Detective Jay Parker. It’s very entertaining that Lilah met him via his mother, Ellie, who uses her catering service and claims the dishes as her own. Even her grown children think she’s an amazing cook. There is an undercurrent of romance throughout the book that is cute at times and also sweet but perhaps that’s because the season is spring and everyone is twitterpated. It does not detract from the plot and instead, provides a nice backdrop to the murder mystery.  

When Lilah accompanies Ellie to a 65th birthday party for Ellie’s next door neighbor, little did she know that the birthday “boy” would drop face first into her dish of rice pudding during the party, poisoned to death. Lilah feels a bit responsible since the man just ate her pudding and starts asking some questions and listening to the gossip going around town. The author provides plenty of suspects via the victim’s many adult children and the book deftly explores the theme of parent/child relationships, especially as they age. The threads of the plot and subplots are skillfully interwoven to provide a very surprising and suspenseful ending… one that I didn’t see coming at all! And as I read the last page, wondered just how long I have to wait for the next book to release!

Being a caterer, Lilah prepares many yummy dishes and the descriptions will make you hungry! Fortunately, Julia has provided several recipes at the back of the book and has graciously allowed me to share Lilah’s Raspberry-Almond Deep-Dish Coffee Cake. Using both fresh raspberries and raspberry jam, this coffee cake mixes up quickly without much fuss making it a perfect choice for breakfast or brunch tables. 

Amazon Synopsis

Secret chef Lilah Drake has a killer casserole to deal with in the latest Undercover Dish mystery from the author of Cheddar Off Dead….

Customers trust Lilah Drake to keep her mouthwatering meals under wraps, but when a millionaire meets his untimely end, some sinister secrets become the main course. . . .
 
Spring is right around the corner, and with the warmer temperatures come plenty of food requests from Lilah Drake’s covered-dish clients. Lilah pulls out all the stops with a sweet new casserole for the birthday party of Marcus Cantwell, a wealthy curmudgeon who has some angry ex-wives and more than a few enemies.
 
When he’s found facedown in Lilah’s casserole, it’s anyone’s guess as to who might have wanted the old man dead. A possible new heir to Marcus’s fortune adds some unexpected spice to the investigation, but Lilah fears that the old adage is true, and “the proof is in the pudding.” 

 A special thanks to Julia Buckley for offering a print copy of PUDDING UP WITH MURDER for one lucky winner! Contest ends Saturday, September 9, 2017 at 11:59 pm PST. Please use the Rafflecopter box located below the recipe to enter. The winner will be announced on this page and on Cinnamon & Sugar’s Facebook page, as well as notified by email (so check your spam folder!)

Print

Lilah's Raspberry-Almond Deep-Dish Coffee Cake

Ingredients

For the filling:

• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• a handful of fresh raspberries
• 1 teaspoon flour
• 1/2 cup raspberry jam
• 1-1/2 teaspoons butter, cut into small pieces

For the coffee cake:

• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds

For the glaze

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 2-3 teaspoons milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon raspberry extract
• 2 pats butter, softened

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F).

2. Grease and flour an 8-inch square glass casserole dish (OR use a larger one, but double the ingredients; I use a Pyrex 10 x 15-inch dish that my mother gave me, but then I double the recipe to feed more people.) OR, line an 8-inch round cake tin with parchment paper.

3. Mix raspberry jam, brown sugar, 1-1/2 teaspoons butter, and 1 teaspoon of flour along with some of the raspberries in a bowl. Keep this on hand for later in the recipe.

4. Next, find a larger bowl to combine all of the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, salt).

5. Mix your melted butter with the eggs and add the teaspoon of vanilla.

6. Add the egg and butter mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until combined.

7. Put half the batter in your pan. Take your raspberry mixture and carefully spoon it, as evenly as possible, onto the batter. Then put the rest of the batter on top.

8. Find your sliced almonds and sprinkle these in a pleasing arrangement across the top of the batter.

9. Set your timer for somewhere between 23 - 28 minutes, but only remove from the oven when a fork inserted into the center of your cake comes out clean. If you double the ingredients you may need to bake longer.

10. Combine the glaze ingredients; if they become stiff, add tiny amounts of water or milk until the frosting is the desired consistency.

11. Drizzle the glaze over a warm (but not hot) cake.

12. Serve with fresh raspberries, whipped cream, a pot of tea or coffee, or all of the above. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Pin to Pinterest:

If you receive my blog post via email you will need to visit my website to view the video.

 I was provided a copy of this book with the hopes I would review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I always enjoy getting the chance to start a brand new cozy series from the very beginning. Such was the case of THE FIESTA BURGER MURDER by Rosie A. Point. This novella cozy finds the protagonist, Christie Watson (love that her mother named her after Agatha Christie), moving back to Sleepy Creek, Ohio while placed on leave from her job. She didn’t mean to get overly aggressive “interviewing” a senator’s daughter in her capacity as a homicide detective in Boston but her enthusiasm made her get carried away. Christie hasn’t been back “home” for quite a long time, avoiding it in order to avoid the mystery surrounding her mother’s death. Ms. Point draws on that mystery to weave as a theme throughout the book and beyond. While Christie’s mother’s death may be unsolved, Christie gets involved almost immediately in the death of a man she got into a semi-altercation with the first day back in town. When her best friend, Griselda aka “Grizzy” becomes a suspect, despite the warning to not get involved in anything or lose her job, Christie knows she must find the real killer.

Click on the book to visit Amazon

THE FIESTA BURGER MURDER has a fast-paced plot with likeable and quirky characters. I enjoyed the dialog especially between Christie and the two senior citizen twin sisters who frequent Grizzy’s Burger Bar. Named after states, Mississippi (known as Missi) and Virginia can dish it out which provides entertainment. There could be sparks flying between Christie and the lead detective, Liam Balle. However, her friend Grizzy and second detective on the case, Detective Cotton brings smiles to the reader with their humorous, sweet interaction as they “crush” on each other but either don’t know it or won’t admit it. Being a short (novella) cozy, the ending felt a bit rushed, but the plot was wrapped up for a satisfying conclusion except for the mystery surrounding Christie’s mother’s death. I’m not faulting that… in fact given the time frame that has passed since the mother’s death, I think the author is smart to spread out the clues for a long term discovery on Christie’s part into investigating the mystery. Christie has both an emotional investment and a professional investment in her investigation. I look forward to seeing how the story unfolds.

Grizzy’s Burger Bar has a talented chef and as such there are some nice breakfast and “bar” type recipes at the back of the book. When I go out to brunch, the first thing I head for is the made-to-order omelet bar. I chose to make Grizzy’s Go-To Omelet recipe from the book. Perfect for breakfast, brunch or even a quick dinner. I also love the versatility of omelets: you can add whatever you have on hand or make individual omelets according to family members’ tastes. But the author’s combination of mushrooms, ham, and cheddar cheese are one of my favorites and I took the liberty of adding some avocado because, well, that’s what we do here in California 🙂 I truly enjoyed her method of cooking the mushrooms. They turned out perfectly flavored and tender. I’ll be pre-cooking mushrooms this way for a variety of dishes, such as pizza, burgers, pasta, etc. As I was working on this blog post, my granddaughter saw the photos of the omelet and decided she needed to learn how to make them right then and there… I foresee lots of omelets in our future when she spends the night! 

Amazon Synopsis

Boston Homicide Detective, Christie Watson, wants nothing less than to bury her head in the sand in her hometown, Sleepy Creek, Ohio. Placed on sabbatical for a little ‘over-enthusiasm,’ Chris has to stay out of trouble or risk losing her job for good, and Sleepy Creek, with its clapboard homes and peaceful milieu, seems just the place to do that. But returning to Sleepy Creek means facing the one cold case she’s never solved: her mother’s murder. The past becomes the least of her worries, however, when a man is murdered in her best friend’s back yard. Griselda, awesome human being all-round and owner of the local Burger Bar – serving scrumptious delights like the Mexican Fiesta Burger – is the prime suspect. To make matters worse, the handsome detective in charge of the case won’t quit asking questions or drop the icy professionalism whenever Chris counters with her own. Det. Watson can’t let this one slide – sabbatical or not, she won’t let her friend wind up behind bars for a crime she didn’t commit. Equipped with her cop skills, and that thirst for truth, she sets off to solve the murder before it’s too late.

 A special thanks to Rosie A. Point for offering an e-book copy of THE FIESTA BURGER MURDER for one lucky winner! Contest ends Saturday, August 26, 2017 at 11:59 pm PST. Please use the Rafflecopter box located below the recipe to enter. The winner will be announced on this page and on Cinnamon & Sugar’s Facebook page, as well as notified by email (so check your spam folder!)

Print

Grizzy's Go-To Omelet

Serves 1 but you can double up on the ingredients and make 2

Ingredients

• 2 large eggs
• Olive oil or coconut oil
• 2 ounces button mushrooms
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 cup water
• 2 slices ham (from your local deli)
• 1 slice cheddar cheese (or 1/4 cup grated cheddar cheese)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Crack the eggs into a mixing bowl and whisk until evenly mixed

2. Slice the button mushrooms up, place them in a small bowl, add the soy sauce, then add the cup of water.

3. Place the mushrooms in the microwave and cook for two minutes on high. Remove with care thereafter - the bowl will be hot!

4. Drain the mushrooms.

5. Slice up the ham into thin strips.

6. Heat up a non-stick skillet on the stove. Add in oil once hot.

7. Pour the eggs into the skillet. Use your spatula and draw the egg away from the sides of the pan. Allow the egg mixture to rush in and fill those gaps - tilt the pan to encourage if necessary.

8. As the egg starts to cook, place your cheese, ham, and mushrooms on the left half of the omelet.

9. Allow to cook until you're able to flip the right half of the omelet onto the left.

10. Wait for the cheese to melt, then remove from the heat and serve with salt and pepper to taste.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Pin to Pinterest:

If you receive my blog post via email you will need to visit my website to view the video.

 I was provided a copy of this book with the hopes I would review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.