July 2016 - Cinnamon and Sugar

Monarch Muffins

GONE WITH THE WOOL, by Betty Hechtman, is the fourth book in her Yarn Retreat Mystery series but the first one I’ve had the pleasure of reading. Since I began writing my blog I’ve mostly gravitated towards culinary cozies. Even though I don’t knit or crochet (I tried when I was in my early teens but didn’t have the patience to sit still), I was drawn to the cover art and title of GONE WITH THE WOOL. I was even more delighted when I found Betty includes a recipe along with her knitting and crochet patterns at the back of her book.

Synopsis

Casey Feldstein inherited a Cadbury by the Sea house and yarn retreat business after her aunt was killed in a hit and run accident. She moved from Chicago to claim her inheritance but her parents, both doctors, are unhappy with her underachieving life, as they see it. But Casey seems to be settling into Cadbury by the Sea and has organized another yarn retreat centered around the town’s Monarch Butterfly Celebration along with baking goodies for several of the town’s businesses. Things are going well until she has a run-in with three-time Butterfly Queen winner turned judge and town busybody, Rosalie Hardcastle.

Rosalie tells the town that Casey’s muffins made some of the star football players sick, resulting in the team losing their homecoming game. The town takes their football extremely serious and they stop buying Casey’s baked goods, putting her livelihood in jeopardy. Then Rosalie disqualifies Casey’s almost boyfriend’s younger sister, Chloe, from the Butterfly Queen competition. Not long after, Rosalie is found stabbed to death during the Blessing of the Butterflies service and fingers point towards Casey and Chloe. The Lieutenant in charge of the investigation is determined that one of them is guilty so Casey starts asking questions, looking for the real killer so she can clear their names. As she delves into the townspeople’s secrets she finds numerous others had reasons to want Rosalie dead and she must figure it out before the celebration ends or the murderer might just fly away.

My Review

GONE WITH THE WOOL has an underlying subplot involving the town’s founding family that has me intrigued and wanting to read from the beginning of the series. This fourth book is still easily read as a standalone and I had no problems getting to know the characters and how they related. The mystery flowed with plenty of suspects that kept me guessing (wrongly!) until the end. I enjoyed the bits and pieces about the Monarch butterflies wintering in Cadbury by the Sea, which never detracted from the pace. And even though I am not a knitter, the knitting scenes held charm and didn’t overwhelm the story. It was fun to know that Casey isn’t a knitter either…but she’s trying to learn. Fortunately, Casey has a good support system around her to help with both her knitting and her yarn retreats when she’s busy chasing down killers. The scenes with Casey’s ex-boyfriend and his overbearing parents provided humor and had me laughing out loud, which added to the enjoyment of the book. GONE WITH THE WOOL is a wonderful read and I look forward to catching up on the series and reading the next installment!

If you are a knitter and/or a crocheter, you’ll enjoy the projects included with the book. While Casey is a beginner at knitting she is an accomplished baker. Betty includes a Monarch Muffin recipe that Casey created to celebrate the Monarch Butterfly Festival. These moist pumpkin muffins are sweetened with brown sugar and flavored with cinnamon. Crunchy, rich walnuts add texture while optional pumpkin seeds sprinkled on top carry the pumpkin theme. Thank you, Betty, for allowing me to share these delicious breakfast treats!

A very special thank you to Betty Hechtman for providing an autographed copy of GONE WITH THE WOOL! (U.S. residents only.) Please use the Rafflecopter box located below the recipe to enter. Contest ends Friday, July 29, 2016 at 11:59 pm PST. Winners will be announced on this page and on Cinnamon & Sugar’s Facebook page, as well as notified by email (so check your spam folder!)

Monarch Muffins

Ingredients

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons aluminum-free double acting baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 egg
3/4 cups buttermilk
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
2/3 cup melted salted butter
1/4 cup spiced (or plain) pumpkin seeds (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees (F).

Line 12-cup muffin pan with paper baking cups.

Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon into a medium bowl. Add nuts and stir.

In another bowl, beat egg lightly with a fork then stir in buttermilk, pumpkin, brown sugar, and melted butter.

Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and add the wet ingredients all at once.

Stir just until moistened. Batter will be lumpy.

Spoon into prepared pan and sprinkle pumpkin seeds over each muffin (if using).

Bake for approximately 17 – 20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

Makes 12 muffins. (I got 18 regular-sized muffins out of the recipe.)

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Slow Cooker Macaroni and Cheese

I have been a longtime fan of New York Times bestselling author Linda Fairstein and have read the majority of the books in her Alexandra Cooper series. While not the typical cozy mysteries I usually review, KILLER LOOK combines just the right amount of realism with emotional connection to the protagonist, Alex Cooper, which makes me excited about the opportunity to share this book with you. Be sure to scroll down to the Rafflecopter box for a chance to win a hardcover copy of KILLER LOOK!

Synopsis

Alex Cooper is trying to recuperate from her harrowing ordeal after being held captive by crazed killers for several days. She’s taken leave from her job as a Sex Crimes Prosecutor in Manhattan and is seeking comfort from her beau, Homicide Detective Mike Chapman…and comfort from a bottle. Things take a turn for the worse when Mike is called back to work and Alex is left on her own to struggle with her waking nightmares.

Lily, a friend from high school, contacts Alex to beg her to have someone look into her fashion mogul father’s suicide. Lily is certain Wolf Savage was murdered. Due to the prominence of Wolf, Mike is assigned to the case. Isolated from her job and co-workers due to a rift she’s had with her boss, Alex is drawn to helping Mike with the case. She brings insight into the fashion industry along with the ability to get people to relax and talk around her. Her search takes her to the gritty side of high fashion, to corporate fraud, to voodoo and hexes. Can Alex overcome her own demons in order to find the truth for her friend? Or will her involvement in the case put her back into the crosshairs of a killer and shatter her fragile recovery?

My Review

I thoroughly enjoyed KILLER LOOK! It is a fast paced suspense with layers of subplots and even though it is the eighteenth book in the Alexandra Cooper series, it is easily read as a standalone. The author provides enough backstory without dragging down the plot. One of the things I enjoy about Linda Fairstein’s writing is that she effortlessly incorporates so many historical facts and interesting tidbits surrounding the area where the setting takes place. In KILLER LOOK the location centers on New York’s garment district. It is obvious that the author takes great pride in her city and it shows in the impressive research undertaken to weave those facts about the garment district and the fashion industry that developed in that area without detracting from the pace.

Alex comes across as a sympathetic protagonist and there is an emotional current that pulled me in as she struggled to overcome her traumatic event. There is a strong theme of comfort…the need to receive comfort and the need to give comfort. Alex displays both sides in this book making her character multi-faceted as she interacts with those she has a relationship with along with the victims she comes in contact with. Her strong sense of finding justice for victims is admirable. The mystery is well crafted with enough suspects to keep readers guessing until the reveal. And then there’s the surprise ending…. while not a cliffhanger it definitely has me waiting on pins and needles for the next release!

Alex Cooper is not a cook, so she doesn’t have any recipes to share. In past books, Alex loved to frequent the many fine restaurants of New York City and enjoy delightful meals but in KILLER LOOK she is feeling so traumatized from her ordeal that she has no appetite and scarcely thinks about food. Now in my family when tragedy hits (and thankfully we have never experienced anything like Alex survived!) we cook and we eat. Even when friends and neighbors dropped off dishes after the deaths of close family members, my sisters and I were still in the kitchen cooking. It’s our way to relax, to connect to each other, and the food we prepare connects to our emotions and memories.

When I think of the ultimate comfort food I immediately think of Macaroni and Cheese. I realize comfort food can’t cure heartache and trauma but in our family, it’s a step in the right direction. So I’m sharing my own recipe for Slow Cooker Macaroni and Cheese. It’s not fussy or fancy and doesn’t require much hands on time, but it is creamy, delicious, and comforting. You can view the recipe below the Rafflecopter box.

A special thank you to Penguin Random House for providing a hardcover copy of KILLER LOOK by Linda Fairstein! (U.S. Residents only.) Please use the Rafflecopter box to enter. Contest ends Friday, July 29, 2016 at 11:59 pm PST. Winners will be announced on this page and on Cinnamon & Sugar’s Facebook page, as well as notified by email (so check your spam folder!)

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Slow Cooker Macaroni and Cheese

Growing up in California, I always ate Macaroni & Cheese without a crumb topping. However, I realize it is a regional taste so I’ve included a topping recipe that is added after the dish is fully cooked in the slow cooker. No baking in the oven is required. Using Panko bread crumbs toasted in a skillet with butter produces a golden brown crunch that can be sprinkled on just before serving.

Ingredients

Macaroni and Cheese

16 ounces uncooked elbow macaroni
2 (10-3/4 ounce) cans condensed Cheddar cheese soup
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
2 cups whole milk
10 ounces sharp cheddar cheese
10 ounces Monterrey Jack cheese
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground white pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Salt to taste

Crunchy Crumb Topping – Optional

3/4 cup Panko bread crumbs
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 pinches salt

Instructions

Bring a large pot of water to boil and then add the macaroni. Stirring occasionally, cook the pasta for seven minutes, then drain.

While the pasta is cooking, add the soup, melted butter, milk, sour cream, dry mustard, white pepper, and cayenne pepper to the base of a slow cooker. Stir until smooth.

Mix in the grated cheese then stir in the cooked and drained pasta.

Cover and cook on low setting for 3 hours, stirring occasionally.

If the mixture appears too thick during cooking, add additional milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until desired consistency is reached.

Season to taste with salt and additional pepper and if desired, sprinkle the crumb topping on just before serving.

Crunchy Crumb Topping

Melt the butter in a medium-sized skillet over medium heat until it begins to foam.

Add 2 pinches of salt and the Panko bread crumbs to the butter.

Stirring constantly, toast the bread crumbs. Just as they begin to develop color, lower the heat to low.

Continue stirring and when they reach golden brown remove from the heat and use immediately.

If the Macaroni and Cheese is not ready to serve, immediately place the crumb topping on a cool plate to keep it from burning in the hot skillet.

If you’re looking for a healthy macaroni and cheese recipe, click on SNEAKY MAC & CHEESE and take a look at my recipe that uses an entire head of cauliflower in the sauce. It tastes so creamy no one will ever know it’s healthy for them! As my granddaughter explained to me, Sneaky Mac & Cheese is really good, the Slow Cooker Macaroni and Cheese is really, really good… so there you go, a culinary review from an eleven-year-old 🙂

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I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Crème Brûlée Cupcakes

I so enjoy finding debut authors writing culinary cozy mysteries! Such was the case of ON THE CHOPPING BLOCK, A Callie’s Kitchen Mystery Book by Jenny Kales. A good story, a determined protagonist, and a variety of yummy recipes!

Synopsis

Single mom Calliope Costas, better known as Callie, owns Callie’s Kitchen in Crystal Bay, Wisconsin. She serves up fresh Mediterranean inspired food and contends with her father, George, who is a typical over-protective Greek father. Callie has started dating again and she’s been invited over to Drew’s house for a home-cooked dinner to celebrate his winning the $10,000 grand prize for the Taste of Crystal Bay contest. A prize that Callie herself desperately wanted to win.

When Callie arrives at Drew’s spacious home she finds him dead, stabbed to death. New to the area, Detective Sands is in charge of the case and immediately tells Callie she’s a suspect since she stands to win the prize money now that Drew is dead. The police confiscate her knives, which are her livelihood, and as word spreads about her being a suspect, she loses all her customers making her worry she will have to close her business. Determined to find the real killer in order to clear her name and save her business Callie starts asking questions and snooping around some with the help of her elderly grandmother. But the answers trouble Callie as she discovers she really didn’t know the man she was dating and there were many people who could have wanted him dead. When Callie is attacked she knows she must be closing in on the identity of the killer. Can she figure it out before they try again and before the police put her in jail? Can she risk her daughter’s safety to find the answers or will she lose her freedom and her hard earned business?

My Review

ON THE CHOPPING BLOCK starts off with a bang and doesn’t let up for the entire book! It kept me turning pages to find out what happens next with twists and turns in the plot. Callie is a sympathetic protagonist, juggling her new business with raising her young daughter on her own and trying to keep her widowed father happy. Her grandmother, while not on scene that often, is a hoot and a source of comfort to Callie. The interaction between the characters seemed genuine and has set the stage for growth. And of course there’s the food…Jenny provides so many amazing food descriptions that I could almost smell and taste what she was making! She has included numerous recipes at the back of the book and they all sound incredibly delicious.

In the end I chose to make her Crème Brûlée Cupcakes. A moist vanilla cupcake is frosted with rich pastry cream and topped with granulated sugar then torched. The crunchy caramelized sugar adds a depth of flavor and textural appeal to the cupcake. Often, the cake part of cupcakes is a support for the starring frosting, but these are the other way around. The cupcakes on their own have a satisfying richness and flavor that the pastry cream compliments. Thank you, Jenny, for allowing me to share your recipe for Crème Brûlée Cupcakes!

A very special thank you to Jenny Kales for providing an e-book copy of ON THE CHOPPING BLOCK! Please use the Rafflecopter box located below the recipe to enter. Contest ends Thursday, July 21, 2016 at 11:59 pm PST. Winners will be announced on this page and on Cinnamon & Sugar’s Facebook page, as well as notified by email (so check your spam folder!)

Crème Brûlée Cupcakes

You will need a small kitchen blowtorch to make the caramelized frosting for these cupcakes, which is really a version of a rich pastry cream. You can use your broiler but the blowtorch is easier. Just be careful!

Ingredients

Cupcakes

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
3/4 cup (6 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Frosting

1 cup whole milk, slightly warmed in a saucepan
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 large egg yolks
1/4 cup (2 ounces) unsalted butter
1/4 cup granulated sugar, plus additional sugar for topping
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Instructions

Cupcakes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F).

Put paper liners in the muffin pan.

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.

In the bowl of a standing mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Add eggs, one at a time, mixing until well blended.

Add vanilla extract.

Alternate flour mixture and buttermilk in thirds, beginning and ending with the flour.

Bake 15 – 20 minutes, until pale golden on top. The cakes should spring back when you touch them with your fingers.

Frosting

In a large bowl, beat the egg with the sugar until creamy, and then add the flour.

Add warmed milk and whisk until smooth.

Pour into the saucepan you used to warm the milk and gradually whisk over low heat until the custard thickens. It should coat the back of a wooden spoon and reach at least 175 degrees (F).

Remove from the heat and stir in butter and vanilla.

Let the custard cool; you’ll want to put a piece of wax paper or parchment paper on top so it doesn’t form a skin.

Refrigerate until cold.

Spread the pastry cream on top of each cupcake and sprinkle generously with additional granulated sugar.

Use your kitchen blowtorch (or broiler) to caramelize the sugar until golden brown.

Serve immediately for a crunchy topping or chill and serve when cold.

Makes 12 cupcakes.

Tips

Make the frosting the day before you need it to give it a chance to fully chill and set up.

After frosting the cakes with the pastry cream, return the cupcakes to the refrigerator until thoroughly chilled before sprinkling on the granulated sugar and torching. Otherwise the frosting may melt too fast from the heat of the blowtorch.

My husband is terrified every time I pull my blowtorch out of the pantry so I keep a fire extinguisher right next to my workstation…just in case.

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Chocolate Molasses Crinkles

I have eagerly been waiting for the release of CAUGHT BREAD HANDED, the newest installment in the Bakeshop Mystery series by Ellie Alexander! The last book in her series introduced Juliet Montague Capshaw’s (aka Jules) estranged husband, Carlos, and I wanted to know more about him. If you are new to this series you might be wondering about Jules’ name. Yes, she was named after THAT famous Juliet because her parents were into Shakespeare and opened their bakeshop, Torte, in Ashland which is home to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. A great setting with a terrific story!

Synopsis

CAUGHT BREAD HANDED picks up with Carlos, a very talented chef, who is in Ashland for three more days before he has to leave for his cruise ship job. He desperately wants to make his marriage work and Jules feels like she might be ready to move beyond what she considered his betrayal. However, instead of spending as much time together as they’d like, Jule’s finds Mindy Nolan lying in a pool of blood. It doesn’t take long for the police to find out she was murdered and Jules is caught up in the investigation. She just can’t seem to keep herself from asking questions.

Mindy was a real estate developer and had recently taken over Alan Matterson’s jester-themed restaurant. She angered the other business owners by turning it into a garish fast food joint, going against the Shakespearean themed shops and buildings. Alan was also livid after losing his restaurant and blamed Mindy for it. Town gossip has it that there were numerous people Mindy crossed and it doesn’t help that her cook has a mysterious unsavory past. Can Jules learn to mind her own business or will her snooping put her in danger again? Will she find time to resolve her relationship with Carlos or will he sail off into the sunset without her?

My Review

CAUGHT BREAD HANDED was a very enjoyable read. It is much more character driven than preceding books and I truly loved having Carlos involved in the story. He adds a depth to Jules that seems to have been missing in the earlier books in this series (or else I’m just totally crushing on him 🙂 ) There has always been a very strong food theme in Ellie’s books, but her descriptions of preparing and eating are almost poetical with Carlos on the scene, which brings a much stronger connection. I have always held the belief that food and emotions are intricately connected and the author definitely captures that in this book. The mystery is satisfying with twists and turns to the plot and the subplots of Jules’ mother and the Professor’s relationship along with Jules and Carlos were woven into the mystery nicely without being distracting.

Ellie also provides several amazing recipes at the back of the her book. It was very difficult for me to choose which one to showcase with my review but in the end, Chocolate Molasses Crinkles won out. I’m a huge fan of ginger crinkles with all their warm spices. I never would have thought to add chocolate to spiced cookies but oh my, it’s a party in your mouth! The author adds very generous amounts of spices to a chewy cookie base and then loads up on chocolate chips. As soon as the Chocolate Molasses Crinkles come out of the oven, they are dipped in granulated sugar, giving them a festive, sparkling appearance with some added crunch. These will definitely be making an appearance in my annual Christmas goodie bags! Thank you, Ellie, for allowing me to share these incredibly yummy cookies!

A very special thank you to Ellie Alexander for providing an autographed copy of CAUGHT BREAD HANDED! (U.S. residents only.) Please use the Rafflecopter box located below the recipe to enter. Contest ends Monday, July 18, 2016 at 11:59 pm PST. Winners will be announced on this page and on Cinnamon & Sugar’s Facebook page, as well as notified by email (so check your spam folder!)

Chocolate Molasses Crinkles

Ingredients

3/4 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 12-ounce package chocolate chips
1/2 cup granulated sugar in extra bowl

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cream butter, sugar, and molasses together.

Beat in the egg.

Slowly incorporate dry ingredients and spices.

Once batter is firm, add chocolate chips and chill in the refrigerator for one hour.

Spoon batter into 1-inch balls and bake for 15 minutes.

Immediately roll in granulated sugar when cookies are hot from the oven.

Set on a wire rack to cool completely.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 5 days.

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Roasted Pears

I am very happy to be able to help celebrate Linda Wiken’s new release, TOASTING UP TROUBLE, in her brand new Dinner Club Mystery series! I first met Linda this past February during the Left Coast Crime conference in Phoenix and had a chance to talk about her new series. I loved the premise of her book and couldn’t wait to read it!

Synopsis

J.J. Tanner works for Make It Happen, an event planning company owned by her best friend, Skye Drake. Business is growing for them in Half Moon Bay, Vermont and J.J. is busy planning an Italian designer themed 21st birthday celebration. The catering company she contracted with quits a week before the party and talented Chef Marcotti agrees to step in due to the prestige of J.J.’s client. However, at the last minute the arrogant chef demands J.J. accept his extremely expensive signature dish even though the budget doesn’t allow for it. J.J. think she’s got a handle on the situation until she finds out that the sneaky chef served the dish anyway at the party and expects her to pay for it! Late, after the party, tempers fly and the chef threatens her during their vocal argument.

J.J. returns to the client’s home to supervise the cleanup and finds that the chef was murdered. The police question her and consider her a strong suspect since she was the last person to be seen with the chef. However, J.J. finds out that one of her friends, Evan, from her Culinary Capers Dinner Club is a suspect too. Chef Marcotti cheated Evan out of money and they had a huge public argument. Knowing that she and her friend are innocent, J.J. decides to ask questions and clear their names. It doesn’t take long before she finds out a lot of people in town had reasons to want the chef dead. Can she sift through the clues and find the killer or will she take the blame?

My Review

It’s always fun to start a brand new series with the very first book. Linda Wiken did not disappoint with her new culinary cozy. I loved how the murder mystery was intertwined with J.J.’s Culinary Capers Dinner Club. The links between her friend being a suspect to another member being a police officer to the other members wanting to help find clues (which, of course, did not please the police officer!) kept the story flowing. J.J. starts out being a tentative cook when she joins the Dinner club, but I enjoyed how she gained confidence as time goes on, turning her love for collecting cookbooks into actually cooking from them. And boy would I love to be able to browse through J.J.’s collection! I have my own “small” collection of cookbook and dessert decorating books but there’s something that draws me to beautiful food photos and I find I can’t resist buying just one more book. The author introduces and develops the characters setting the stage for both this mystery and subsequent books which slowed the beginning down just a bit. But once the murder takes place the pace of the book accelerates and kept me turning pages to find answers! There are plenty of suspects and red herrings that kept me guessing until the very end…and what a surprise ending it was!

Of course a Dinner Club themed book must have food and Linda provided plenty of it. From the descriptions of dishes prepared for the dinner club and the recipes included at the back of the book I was ready to eat. One of the recipes Linda shares is Roasted Pears, which I found perfect for serving as a light dessert on a hot summer night. Super fast to prepare with just the right amount of sweetness, the Roasted Pears can be topped with any fresh seasonal fruit, a splash of liqueur, and a creamy dollop of light Greek yogurt or ricotta cheese. I added some toasted nuts for additional texture and visual appeal. This is another one of those desserts that I didn’t share with anyone else. It was equally wonderful eaten while the pears were still warm and then again chilled, which makes it convenient to make ahead of time. Thank you, Linda, for allowing me to share your delectable dessert!

A very special thank you to Linda Wiken for providing an autographed copy of TOASTING UP TROUBLE! (U.S. and Canadian residents only.) Please use the Rafflecopter box located below the recipe to enter. Contest ends Thursday, July 14, 2016 at 11:59 pm PST. Winners will be announced on this page and on Cinnamon & Sugar’s Facebook page, as well as notified by email (so check your spam folder!)

Roasted Pears

One of the characters in the book, Beth, is always looking for light, healthy desserts to balance the delicious baked goods and pastries she sells in Cups ‘n Roses. Mix and match the ingredients according to seasonal produce. Enjoy!

Ingredients

Roasted Pears

3 ripe pears
1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
Zest from one large lime

Garnishments

1 cup Greek-style plain yogurt or smooth ricotta
Strawberries
Raspberries
Blueberries
Clementines
Seeds from one medium pomegranate
Toasted walnuts, pecans, or almonds
Limoncello or Chambord

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees (F).

Line baking pan with parchment paper.

Halve pears lengthwise, remove stems and cores.

Place pears on baking sheet, cut side up; drizzle with honey or maple syrup and sprinkle with lime zest.

Bake for 18 – 20 minutes, depending on size of pears, until softened.

When done, place portions on individual dessert plates, top with yogurt or ricotta, and sprinkle with desired add-ons.

Drizzle with Limoncello or Chambord to taste.

Tip

If you aren’t going to serve the pears right away, drizzle a bit of the lime juice over the cut surface to cut down on the browning.

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Nutty Buttery Mini Muffins

I am so very pleased to be a part of the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour and share FINAL FONDUE by Maya Corrigan! While this is the third book in her Five-Ingredient Mystery series, it is the first one I’ve had the chance to read. I found it easy to immerse myself in this newest release without knowing backstory which makes this a nice stand-alone read.

Synopsis

Val Deniston lives with her grandfather, Don Myer, aka The Codger Cook. While he would like to be a great cook he mostly takes Val’s recipes and whittles them down to five ingredients, sometimes with great results and sometimes…not so much. Val has convinced her granddad to rent out the spare bedrooms to some of the tourists coming to town for Bayport’s Tricentennial Festival. Jennifer Brown, a bride-to-be, rents four of the guestrooms for herself and three members of the bridal party. They plan on enjoying the festivities and look at wedding venues at the same time.

The festivities take an ugly turn when Val finds one of the bridesmaids strangled to death in her granddad’s back yard. Even more disconcerting is that the deceased resembles Val and she’s not sure if she was the intended victim. Her nemesis, Chef Henri La Farge, is in town and appears to be stalking her. But the bride also has her share of enemies and could have been the intended target. With the police not finding the answers and Granddad taking on-line private investigating classes and wanting to practice, Val determines to find the culprit before another body shows up.

My Review

I just adored The Codger Cook! He went through a rough patch after losing his wife but with Val living with him he’s found a new lease on life by writing a newspaper column, branding The Codger Cook, and expanding his snooping skills with an on-line class. His sometimes grumpy character brings humor and humanity to the story. Val also has some “baggage” from her past that the author weaves effortlessly into a subplot intertwining with the central mystery. It kept me turning pages and guessing until the final reveal (reminding me a bit of an Agatha Christie grand-finale) which came as a complete surprise. The quaint town setting with it’s Haunted Maze left you feeling like you’d actually visited the area, not just read about it while the supporting characters meshed together creating a memorable story. After reading FINAL FONDUE I realize I have some catch-up reading to do and look forward to the next book in this series!

Of course a series titled Five-Ingredient Mystery series wouldn’t be complete without recipes! There are several included at the back of the book and all sound equally delicious. Maya Corrigan has graciously allowed me to share her Nutty Buttery Mini Muffins recipe with you which uses only FIVE ingredients! I was a bit worried when I realized that the recipe does not use any leavening, thinking they’d turn out like hockey pucks….but the author definitely knows what she’s doing! These Nutty Buttery Mini Muffins bake up amazingly moist yet light and taste reminiscent of pecan pie with the generous amount of pecans and brown sugar added. These muffins are worthy of any breakfast or brunch table (dessert too!) and as an added bonus, mix up and bake super fast!

A special thank you to Maya Corrigan for providing an autographed copy of FINAL FONDUE and given away by the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour. Contest is open to U.S. Residents only. Please enter via the Rafflecopter located below the recipe.

Nutty Buttery Mini Muffins

Yield 18 – 24 muffins

Even if you don’t like breakfast muffins, you might like these. They’re sweet enough to serve for dessert. They don’t have a lot of calories if you limit yourself to one. Good luck with that!

Ingredients

3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed down
1/2 cup flour
1 cup chopped pecans
2/3 cup melted salted butter
2 beaten eggs

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F).

Grease and flour 18 – 24 mini muffin cups or line them with paper muffin liners. (The cups for small muffins vary in size and that’s why the number of muffins varies.)

Beat the melted butter and eggs together.

In a separate bowl, mix the sugar, flour, and pecans.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, pour the wet egg and butter mixture into the well. Stir just enough to combine everything.

Spoon the mixture into the muffin cups. The cups should be 2/3 full. If you have some unused cups in your muffin pan, put a teaspoon of water in the empty cups.

Bake for 20 – 25 minutes**. They’re done when a toothpick inserted into them comes out clean.

Cool them on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes.

** My muffins only took 15 minutes to bake. My muffin tin is very wide and shallow so it bakes faster than some.

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Drunken Raisin Scones

I’m very happy to be a part of the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour with READ TO DEATH by Terrie Farley Moran! While this is the third book in her Read Em and Eat Mystery series, it is the first one I’ve had the chance to read. It is easily read as a stand-alone and it didn’t take me long to get to know the characters and enjoy their adventure as they solve another crime!

Synopsis

Sassy Cabot owns Read ‘Em and Eat Cafe and Book Corner with her best friend, Bridgy Mayfield, in Fort Myers Beach, Florida. It’s nearing the end of “snow bird” season so the two women put together the last book club tour for the seniors, visiting Thomas Edison and Henry Ford’s winter estates. They hired talkative, know-it-all, although good-hearted Oscar Frieland as the van driver who ends up in an argument with one of the senior ladies in the group.

After the tour the ladies scatter to get ready for their book club meeting and Bridgy returns to the van to retrieve her sunglasses. She finds Oscar dead, stabbed to death with scissors. With the shock of finding the body, Bridgy is overheard saying things that could be construed as admission of guilt. With the police focusing on Bridgy instead of finding the real killer, Sassy knows she needs to start asking questions instead of staying out of the investigation as Lieutenant Frank Anthony (aka Lieutenant Judgmental) demands. When Bridgy and Sassy’s mothers show up, Sassy finds she has a lot to juggle. Can she keep her Cafe going, keep the mothers happy, and find the killer before they fly out of town? Or will her best friend and business partner spend the rest of her life in jail?

My Review

READ TO DEATH is a fun, lighthearted read that is character driven. The senior citizen group has some quirky characters, such as Bridgy’s Aunt Ophie. There is tension and mystery surrounding the fallout Aunt Ophie had with Bridgy’s mother and the subplot weaves nicely with the story Sassy’s mother, who calls herself Sage at the moment, has a free spirit keeping everyone on their toes and provides some humor. I also enjoyed the historical facts woven into this cozy mystery. I had no idea that both Edison and Ford wintered in Florida! I missed Oscar after he was murdered because he was a great tour guide providing all sorts of insight into the history of the area.

The author cleverly provides funny nicknames for so many things such as Sassy’s Heap-A-Jeep. She has also creatively named the food items sold in the cafe to correspond with books, such as Old Man and the Sea Chowder and My Secret Garden Salad. In addition to a cute culinary cozy, Terrie also includes a couple recipes with her book. The one that I was instantly drawn to, Drunken Raisin Scones, was provided to Terrie by Karen Owen, blogger at A Cup of Tea and a Cozy Mystery. They have graciously allowed me to share the recipe with you…and oh my, these are amazingly flavorful scones! Plump raisins are simmered in a whiskey and cinnamon sauce that infuses the flaky, tender pastry. Additional whiskey and cinnamon reduction is used in the glaze to add another layer of flavor that will have you asking for seconds! Thank you, Terrie and Karen, for allowing me to share such a scrumptious recipe!

A special thank you to Terrie Farley Moran for providing two giveaway copies of READ TO DEATH and given away by the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour. Please enter via the Rafflecopter located below the recipe.

Drunken Raisin Scones

Ingredients

Raisin Whiskey Reduction

1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup whiskey
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons sugar

Scones

2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup soft salted butter
1/3 cup milk
1 egg
Raisin reduction minus 2 tablespoons

Whiskey Glaze

1/4 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons reserved reduced whiskey mixture (liquid only)
2 tablespoons milk

Icing Drizzle – optional

2 tablespoons powdered sugar
3/4 teaspoon milk

Instructions

Raisin Whiskey Reduction

Place raisins, whiskey, water, cinnamon, and sugar in a small saucepan.

Stir and bring to a boil, then simmer until the liquid is reduced by half.

Remove from heat and set aside 2 tablespoons of the reduction liquid for the glaze.

Set aside the raisins and the remaining reduction liquid for the scones.

Scones

Preheat oven to 400 degrees (F).

Sift flour, sugar, and baking powder in a bowl.

Cut butter in small pieces and blend into the flour mixture until it resembles bread crumbs.

Whisk the egg and milk together then hand stir mixture into the flour mixture.

Add raisins and liquid reduction to scone batter and mix.

If dough is too wet, add a small amount of flour.

On a cutting board, shape dough into a mound.

Cut into eight triangles and place on a cookie sheet without pieces touching.

Bake until the edges are golden brown, approximately 15 – 17 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool slightly before glazing.

Whiskey Glaze

Place powdered sugar in a small bowl.

Stir in the reduction liquid and milk.

If glaze is too thick, thin to taste with a few drops of water.

Brush over warm scones.

Icing Drizzle – optional

Mix powdered sugar and milk together until smooth.

Drizzle in zigzag pattern over glazed scones.

Tip

If you’d rather not use whiskey, substitute apple juice.

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Topsy-Turvy Pineapple Torte

I have been a fan of the books written by Elizabeth Buzzelli (aka Elizabeth Lee) for some time. When she told me she was writing a new series and asked if I would be an early reader for A MOST CURIOUS MURDER: A Little Library Mystery, I jumped at the chance! Even though the book does not have recipes, Elizabeth created a special dessert, Topsy-Turvy Pineapple Torte, to celebrate the Alice in Wonderland theme of the book. The torte is a meringue-based cake, baked in a cast iron skillet which creates crispy edges. Brown sugar mixed with butter, crushed pineapple, and maraschino cherries provides an easy base to support the cake while baking. But when it’s turned upside down for serving, that’s when the magic happens. The sugar caramelizes with the pineapple, creating a rich contrast to the light cake. Even though my husband shouldn’t eat dairy, he couldn’t stop eating this delightful dessert and declared it was one of the best he’s ever had! Elizabeth has also included a yummy optional rum sauce to drizzle over the cake. While not necessary to use, it does add an additional level of decadence!

Synopsis

Jenny Westson has returned home to Bear Falls, Michigan after a bitter divorce and the loss of her job and friends. When she pulls up to her mother’s house in the early morning hour, she finds her mother’s Little Library broken into smithereens with the books destroyed. Sick at heart, her deceased father had built the Little Library as an anniversary gift just months before he was killed in a hit and run accident, Jenny tries to clean up the mess before her mother sees it.

She’s interrupted by her mom’s “little person” neighbor, Zoe Zola, who loves to quote Lewis Carroll. With her exhaustion and emotional heartache, Jenny doesn’t care for Zoe all that much, but despite her attitude, Zoe pitches in to clean up and help break the news to Jenny’s mom, Dora. When the police tell them it’s probably just a hit and run, Zoe points out all the evidence which indicated it was something much more malicious. She thinks it could be one of their neighbors, Adam Cane, who destroyed the Little Library since he hated it and her dog, Fida. When Fida disappears Zoe points the police in the direction of Adam again, but when he turns up dead in Zoe’s fairy garden, she’s suddenly suspected of murder.

Evidence is even more incriminating when Adam’s brother, Aaron, is found murdered with Zoe’s dog locked in his impoverished cabin. Jenny knows Zoe is innocent, despite her quirks, and decides she has to find the real killer before the small-town police railroad Zoe right into prison. With the madness of murders going on around her, Jenny must find the answers that they and the killer are looking for but time may be running out for another innocent victim.

My Review

I enjoy reading cozy mysteries for a variety of reasons: good character development, happy endings, and of course they are a source of wonderful entertainment. A MOST CURIOUS MURDER fits my criteria for what makes a book good, but then the author went a step further and made it great! This first book in her brand new series has a strong plot with plenty of twists, turns, and falls into the rabbit hole which kept me up late at night turning pages. But what made this book stand out in my mind is the intertwining of emotions in the subplots that pulled me in, made me relate, and made me think about the story and the characters long after I had finished the book. Ms. Buzzelli has a lyrical cadence to her writing which fit the theme of Lewis Carroll’s Alice In Wonderland and enhanced the settings so I felt like I was experiencing the book instead of just reading a story.

One of the quotes Zoe shares with Jenny that I thought was quite appropriate for my review is “….words and words and words – until the words sort themselves out and everything is clear, or it becomes completely unclear and it doesn’t matter anymore.” Elizabeth Kane Buzzelli’s words are perfectly clear and come together to make a delightful, thought provoking read. Well done!

A very special thank you to Elizabeth Kane Buzzelli for providing an autographed hardcover of A MOST CURIOUS MURDER! (U.S. residents only.) Please use the Rafflecopter box located below the recipe to enter. Contest ends Monday, July 11, 2016 at 11:59 pm PST. Winners will be announced on this page and on Cinnamon & Sugar’s Facebook page, as well as notified by email (so check your spam folder!)

Topsy-Turvy Pineapple Torte

Ingredients

Cake

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 twenty-ounce can crushed pineapple, drained and patted dry (reserve juice for rum glaze)
10 Maraschino cherries, halved

4 eggs, separated
1 cup cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Rum Sauce (optional)

1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup pineapple juice
1/4 cup dark rum
1/4 cup butter (optional)

Garnish

1/2 cup crushed walnuts
Whipped cream
Maraschino cherries

Instruction

Cake

Preheat oven to 325 degrees (F).

Warm a well-seasoned 9-inch cast iron skillet in the preheated oven for about 5 minutes. Don’t let it smoke.

Remove skillet from the oven and melt 1/2 cup butter in it, over low stovetop heat.

Remove from heat and sprinkle brown sugars evenly over the pan.

Sprinkle pineapple over the brown sugars, to cover bottom of the skillet.

Arrange halved cherries around pineapple.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat egg whites just until soft peaks form.

Gradually add the granulated sugar, beating well after each addition, then beat until medium-stiff peaks form.

In a small bowl, beat egg yolks at high speed until very thick and yellow, about 2 minutes.

Using a whisk, gently fold egg yolks and flour mixture into the egg whites until blended.

Fold in 1 tablespoon melted butter and vanilla.

Spread batter evenly over pineapple in skillet.

Bake until surface springs back when gently pressed with fingertip and a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, about 40 minutes.

Loosen the edges of the cake with table knife.

Cool the cake for 5 minutes before inverting onto serving plate.

Flip the skillet and leave a few minutes before removing. The cake will release easier this way.

Rum Glaze

Add all the ingredients to a saucepan and boil for 3 minutes.

While the sauce is hot, pour over cake and garnish with crushed walnuts, whipped cream, and Maraschino cherries.

Tips

Separate the eggs while they are cold then allow them to come to room temperature while you collect the remaining ingredients. Cold eggs separate easier while room temperature eggs will whip up fluffier.

Make sure there is not even a speck of yolk in the whites and your bowl and beaters are grease-free or the egg whites won’t whip up fluffy.

The difference between light and dark brown sugar is simply the amount of molasses each contains. Dark brown sugar has a more assertive flavor but they can both be used interchangeably.

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