Kim, Author at Cinnamon and Sugar

Zoe’s Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

Between Halloween and Thanksgiving I begin browsing through cookie recipes, both new ones I’ve clipped and saved this year and old ones that have long been favorites. I then try to narrow down seven or eight recipes that will make the Christmas goodie bag cut and start baking. With my oldest granddaughter, Jaidyn, living with Rett Syndrome, there are so many incredible people giving their time, love and talent to provide her with care. Homemade cookies are one of the ways we say thank you to each and every person. Naturally as I read books, magazines and “research” on Pinterest (okay, I’ll admit it…I find Pinterest very addicting and time consuming, so “research” sounds much better!) I’m always on the lookout for new cookies to try. I was very excited when I came across Zoe’s Pumpkin Snickerdoodles in the cozy mystery THE TROUBLE WITH TURKEYS by Kathi Daley. My youngest granddaughter and Jaidyn’s sister, Emory, also voted that these needed to be made. She also volunteered to be my video baker and sous chef (video tutorial at the bottom). So thank you, Em, for baking these for all our friends and family! We loved Zoe’s Pumpkin Snickerdoodles which have a cake-like texture and the warm fall spices compliment the pumpkin perfectly.

THE TROUBLE WITH TURKEYS is the second book in Kathi’s Zoe Donovan Mystery series. Two weeks before Thanksgiving, Zoe Donovan is depressed and hiding out in her alpine home after losing her job at Animal Control. Not only is she feeling sorry for herself but she’s also feeling guilty for getting her assistant, Jeremy, fired as well since he can’t afford to not have a job. Jeremy, however, doesn’t hold it against her and calls to offer her a temporary job helping him take care of turkeys. Not just a few turkeys but hundreds of heritage turkeys that are destined for Thanksgiving tables. She’d rather not, given the ultimate fate of the fowl, but takes the job anyway since Jeremy needs her help.

At the farm they find out that the owner, Charles Tisdale, has died which is why temporary help is required. His family, waiting to see how the estate will be divided amongst themselves, are sure his death was from natural causes or maybe even an accident. But Zoe isn’t so sure and starts poking around, looking for answers. She finds that there are several people who had reasons to want Charles dead and when his long-time mistress is found murdered on the farm, Zoe starts looking for answers in earnest before someone else becomes a victim. On top of hunting for a killer, Zoe and Jeremy have their hands full taking care of tipsy turkeys and trying to figure out why the number of turkeys are fluctuating.

Zoe’s long-ago antagonist from grade school, Zak, who is now a friend, gets involved in the hunt to find the murderer. As a result of spending time together and Zak being willing to help out however he can, Zoe finds that maybe there could be more than just friendship developing between them. This is the first book I’ve read by Kathi Daley and I was excited to see that she has many additional books in the series. I will be reading more to find out what happens to Zoe, Zak and Jeremy!

And for fans of Kathi Daley’s books, there is a brand new Zoe Donovan Mystery releasing December 1, 2015 titled SANTA SLEUTH, the 18th book in the series. I see I have quite a bit of reading to do to catch up on Zoe!

As a bonus for my readers I am offering a Kindle copy of THE TROUBLE WITH TURKEYS or SANTA SLEUTH (available 12/1/15) by Kathi Daley. Please comment below for which book you’d like to win to be entered. Contest ends Thursday, November 12, 2015 at 11:59 pm PST. 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!) and will have 5 days to respond or another winner will be chosen.

Thank you to Kathi Daley for allowing me to share Zoe’s delicious Pumpkin Snickerdoodles with you!

Zoe’s Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

Makes approximately 50 cookies

Ingredients

Cookies

1 cup butter at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar

3/4 cup canned pumpkin
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3-3/4 cups (16 ounces) flour (lightly spoon and level the flour when measuring)
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (or 1 teaspoon if you’re like Emory and LOVE cinnamon!)
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

For the coating

1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
Dash of allspice

Instructions

Cookies

Whip together butter and sugars until creamy.

Add pumpkin, egg, and vanilla. Mix well.

In a separate bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg together.

Add to the pumpkin mixture and mix well.

Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Coating

In a separate bowl, mix the sugar and spices together.

Roll chilled dough into one-inch balls. Roll in coating.

Place cookies on an ungreased (or parchment lined) cookie sheet and bake at 400 degrees or until lightly browned (around 12 minutes.)

Cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

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Slow-Cooker Turkey Breast

The beginning of November is the signal that family holiday gatherings are right around the corner. Growing up, turkey always had the spotlight for our Thanksgiving table while at Christmas turkey shared the table with holiday ham. My mother would get up at the crack of dawn to stuff the turkey and get it into the oven so it would be done in time for an late lunch. We had lots of extended family close by so our huge turkey was shared and all families pitched in with side dishes and desserts. My mom and aunts all took turns hosting the gathering and roasting the turkey so that it didn’t become burdensome.

Now days, most families are spread out all over the place so roasting a huge turkey for just a few of us seems like way more work and food than we could possible want or need. Plus, the turkey breast is the favored part of the poultry and I’m always left wondering what to do with the drumsticks and thighs. I was happy to discover that half turkey breasts are now readily available at several stores in my area and become prevalent in mid-October through the end of December.

Still, I hated to heat up my oven to roast the breast on top of worrying that the meat would dry out before it was fully cooked. Enter the slow-cooker and my problems were solved! In addition to freeing up my oven for cooking side dishes and desserts, the half breasts cook relatively quick in the slow cooker: 1-1/2 to 2 hours! A bonus is that the braising liquid makes the most delicious gravy that is gluten-free so I can enjoy it as well. Succulent, moist turkey breast served with creamy mashed potatoes and drizzled with flavorful gravy… I’ll be making this dish again and again instead of saving it for a special holidays!

Slow-Cooker Turkey Breast

I cooked 2 half turkey breasts which was plenty for 6 of us for dinner with enough leftovers to satisfy turkey sandwich and turkey noodle soup cravings.

Ingredients

1 or 2 (3-1/2 to 4 pound) bone-in half turkey breasts*
1 medium onion
1 large carrot
1 stalk of celery
6 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 cups + 4 tablespoons low-sodium chicken broth, divided
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 bay leaves
4 tablespoons cornstarch
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Remove skin from the turkey breast and pat skin dry. Cut it into 4 or 5 pieces. I like my kitchen shears for this.

If you do not have a saute / brown feature on your slow-cooker, use a skillet set over medium heat and following the direction I have written for the slow-cooker browning feature.

Heat the slow-cooker to 350 degrees on the browning feature and place turkey skin (skin side down) into the base.

Cook until the skin is browned, turning over once, about 8 to 10 minutes.

While the skin is browning, coarsely chop the onion, carrot, and celery.

Add the vegetables to the turkey skin and cook an additional 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. If they begin browning too much, reduce heat.

Add the garlic, 2 cups of chicken broth and the white wine to the vegetable mixture and stir.

Once it begins to simmer turn the slow-cooker to low on the slow-cooker cycle. (If you’re using a skillet, transfer the mixture to the base of your slow-cooker.)

Season the turkey breast with salt and pepper.

Add dried thyme and bay leaves then nestle the turkey into the broth mixture, rib side down.

Cover and cook the turkey on low for 1-1/2 to 2 hours. The turkey will be done when it registers 160 degrees on an instant read thermometer. I suggest checking for doneness beginning at 1-1/2 hours.

Remove turkey to a platter and cover with aluminum foil.

Strain the broth and vegetable mixture through a fine-mesh strainer.

Discard solids and allow the fat to separate from the broth. Discard most of the fat and return the broth to your slow-cooker insert (if it has a saute feature) or to a medium-sized saucepan.

Mix the 4 tablespoons of cornstarch with 4 tablespoons chicken broth. Set aside.

Heat the broth to a simmer then slowly whisk in the cornstarch mixture.

Bring back to a simmer and cook 1 minute, until thickened, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Remove the rib bones from the turkey breast and carve the meat.

Serve with mashed potatoes and gravy.

*If your slow cooker is large enough, you can cook 2 half turkey breasts at the same time. No need to increase the gravy ingredient amounts.

Thanksgiving is a time of being thankful and remembering special people…. I chose to use my maternal grandmother’s hand crocheted tablecloth she gifted me 30+ years ago along with my paternal grandmother’s antique, depression glass plates and platter that she passed down to me.

Cranberry Banana Bread with Streusel Topping

BERRIED SECRETS by Peg Cochran is the first book in the all new Cranberry Cove Mystery series. I love starting a brand new series and this one didn’t disappoint! Monica Albertson lost her fiancé and her cafe so decides to make a new start by moving to Cranberry Cove, Michigan, to help out her half-brother, Jeff. Recently returned from the war in Afghanistan, Jeff is coping with being disabled and trying to run his cranberry farm. Monica arrives and finds that the farm is in dire financial straits and her brother doesn’t know why. In the early morning hours of the first day of the cranberry harvest, Monica bumps into the murdered body of Sam Culbert while wading in the frigid bog. Sam was the town’s mayor and owned a great deal of the town. He was also the manager of Jeff’s cranberry farm while he served overseas. When it comes out that Sam was skimming the profits from the farm, the police immediately suspect that Jeff is the murderer.

Monica is certain that her brother is innocent and sets out to prove it…which means she has to find the real killer even though she has no experience in those kinds of things. After all, she’s only a baker. Unfortunately, the more questions she asks the more people she finds who had reasons to want the unpopular Sam Culbert dead. One of her suspects is the local bookstore owner, Greg Harper, who has asked her out on a date. She’s not sure she’s ready to move on after the death of her fiance, especially with someone who may be a killer…but she still finds Greg interesting… When Jeff’s mother (Monica’s step-mom) roars into town things get even more out of control. Gina is an entertaining, overpowering character and wants to help her step-daughter solve the murder. Monica knows time is running out when another body is found and she must stop the killer even if it means letting her step-mom get involved.

In addition to a cleverly crafted cozy mystery, the author gives a lot of insight into the growing and harvesting of cranberries. I loved her descriptions of both the cranberry growing region in Michigan in addition to the quaint Cranberry Cove town and its characters. Peg also provides several yummy cranberry recipes at the back of the book…and I definitely want to try them all!

In the end I chose her Cranberry Banana Bread with Streusel Topping to showcase. Quick bread has long been a favorite of mine. You can put pull it together in minutes, pop it into the oven and within an hour have a moist, tender loaf that’s perfect for breakfast, snack or nibbling on anytime! The cranberries compliment the banana bread perfectly, providing a nice tart addition to the sweetness. Crunchy walnuts round out the bread, while cinnamon-y streusel adds a burst of flavor. Of course if you’re like my husband, you can opt to leave the walnuts out 🙂

Thank you to Peg Cochran for allowing me to share her very delicious Cranberry Banana Bread recipe with you!

As a bonus for my readers I am offering a copy of BERRIED SECRETS by Peg Cochran. Please comment below for a chance to win. Contest ends Thursday, November 5, 2015 at 11:59 pm PST. 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!) and will have 5 days to respond or another winner will be chosen. Open to U.S. residents only.

Cranberry Banana Bread with Streusel Topping

Ingredients

Bread

3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3 mashed, ripe bananas
1-1/2 cups chopped, dried cranberries
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped walnuts

Streusel Topping

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions

Bread

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat the sugar, butter and eggs until light and fluffy.

Stir in the mashed bananas and cranberries.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Stir the flour mixture into the banana and cranberry mixture until smooth.

Stir in the chopped walnuts.

Pour batter into a large, greased loaf pan or four small ones. (I used a 9″ x 5″ loaf pan.)

Streusel Topping

Combine flour, sugar, butter and cinnamon in a food processor and pulse until mixture is crumbly. Alternatively, use hands to crumble mixture.

Spread streusel topping evenly over top of bread batter.

Bake approximately 1 hour for the large loaf (mine took 1 hour 5 minutes) and approximately 45 – 50 minutes for the smaller loaf pans. To check for doneness, a wooden skewer inserted into center of the bread should come out with just a few crumbs attached, but not gooey.

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Spooky Spider Krispie Treats

Halloween brings so many opportunities for fun events that call for fun treats for the kids. My rice krispie treat pumpkins are both cute and a tiny bit spooky with the marshmallow webs and the chocolate spiders with red eyes… little ones won’t be too afraid to eat it and older kids won’t think it’s too babyish. And with some assistance, it’s not too difficult for the kids to help create their own spooktacular treat!

Happy Halloween!

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Spooky Spider Krispie Treats

Ingredients

Pumpkin Krispie Treats

6 cups puffed rice cereal (such as Rice-Krispies)
3 tablespoons butter or vegan margarine
10 ounces marshmallows
Orange gel food coloring

Non-stick cooking spray

Stems

10 – 12 Tootsie Roll Midgees

Spiders

1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
10 – 12 brown M & M candies
20 – 24 red nonpareils (tiny red candies)

Webs

1 cup mini-marshmallows

Instructions

Pumpkin Krispie Treats

Measure out 6 cups of rice cereal and set aside.

Place marshmallows and butter in a very large microwave-proof bowl.

Heat the marshmallow mixture for 2 minutes on high in the microwave. Stir mixture.

Heat an additional 1 minute then remove from microwave.

Add a generous amount of orange gel (about 1 – 2 teaspoons) to the melted marshmallows and vigorously stir to incorporate.

Add more food coloring until desired shade is reached. You will want the orange to be a bit darker than you want your pumpkins since the rice cereal will lighten it up.

Add the rice cereal and stir until thoroughly coated with the marshmallow mixture.

Spray your extremely clean hands with the non-stick cooking spray and form krispie treat mixture into pumpkin shapes, using approximately 3/4 cup cereal mixture for each pumpkin.

Set the pumpkins aside.

Stems

Use 1 Tootsie Roll Midgee for each pumpkin. Roll the Midgee into desired long round shapes, keeping the bottom larger than the top.

Put the large end onto the top of the pumpkin and press to adhere. Repeat with remaining Tootsie Rolls and pumpkins.

Spiders

Melt the semi-sweet chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl for 45 seconds on high heat. Stir.

If needed, return chocolate to microwave and heat in additional 10 second increments, stirring each time until chocolate is completely smooth.

Place melted chocolate into a plastic, disposable pastry bag or a heavy-duty ziplock bag. Snip a small hole into the pastry bag or a corner of the ziplock bag.

Squeeze a small amount of melted chocolate into a very small circle (the size of a large pencil eraser) and then pipe 8 legs attached to the circle.

Attach the M & M to the center.

Using a toothpick, place a tiny amount of melted chocolate onto 2 spots on the top edge of the M & M and attach a red nonpareil onto each spot for the eyes.

Repeat with the remaining M & Ms.

Place the candy spiders in the refrigerator to set while you make the webs.

Set the remaining melted chocolate aside since you will need to use it to attach the spiders to the pumpkins.

Webs

Place 1 cup mini-marshmallows into a microwave-proof bowl.

Heat in the microwave on high for 15 seconds. Remove and stir.

Working with 1 pumpkin at a time, dip your very clean thumb and forefinger into the melted marshmallows and pull a small amount out.

Stretch your fingers apart to create strands of “web” marshmallows and drape over the pumpkin.

Repeat until you have as many webs as desired.

If the melted marshmallows begin cooling too much and don’t create webs, reheat in the microwave 5 – 7 seconds. Stir and begin web making again.

Once you have as many webs covering your pumpkin as you wish, remove spiders from refrigerator.

Reheat the remaining melted chocolate in the microwave for 10 seconds (keep chocolate in the pastry bag or ziplock bag).

Remove and “massage” the chocolate to distribute heat and soften. If it’s still very stiff, reheat in 5 – 7 second intervals until pliable.

Squeeze a small amount of the re-melted chocolate on the back side of a spider and attach as desired to the web covered pumpkin.

Repeat with remaining spiders and pumpkins.

Allow pumpkins to set for an hour or so before serving.

Jewel Bay Critter Crunch – Best Caramel Corn Ever!

Halloween brings a huge variety of treats but unfortunately, for me, the majority of them are not gluten-free. When I came across the recipe for Jewel Bay Critter Crunch in BUTTER OFF DEAD by Leslie Budewitz I was very happy…a sweet treat that’s not only gluten-free but super easy to make. In fact, her addition of chocolate made it the best caramel corn I’ve had! Of course with the spooky holiday right around the corner I added a twist to make Jewel Bay Critter Crunch more festive (see video and tips). Either way, this treat will become one of my go-to recipes for years to come!

In addition to providing delicious recipes, Leslie Budewitz writes a very intriguing cozy mystery. Erin Murphy runs the Merc, her family’s century old grocery store recently turned gourmet food store in Jewel Bay, Montana. The town relies heavily on tourists to make a living and usually Erin is busy organizing a festival to bring them in. This time, however, she’s only the “go-fer” for her brother’s ex-girlfriend, Christine Vandeberg, who is organizing the First Annual Food Lovers’ Film Festival. They plan on showing food-themed movies and serving food that celebrates the chosen movies.

Just days before the festival is to begin, Christine is found murdered in her home. Suspicions quickly land on her ex-boyfriend, Nick, who happens to be Erin’s brother. He won’t tell anyone his whereabouts during the time she was shot, which only increases the belief that he is guilty. Erin knows that even though Nick is hiding something, he is innocent of murder and sets about to clear his name. However, she soon finds out that there are quite a few people who might be capable of going to extreme levels to keep their secrets from being exposed and she must find the culprit before they strike again. In addition to the turmoil her family experiences from the possible murder charges facing Nick, Erin is plunged back into piecing together new clues on how her father died while she was still in high school with the hopes of finding comfort in finally finding out the truth about the terrible tragedy. And all the while Erin must fill Christine’s position and keep the Food Lovers’ Film Festival on track to open.

I enjoyed revisiting Jewel Bay and it’s townspeople in this latest release in the Food Lovers’ Village series. The author gives us greater insight into Erin and her family’s dynamics and allows them to grow and experience life in a realistic manner. Besides the relationships, Leslie provides lots of twists and turns to the plot and kept me guessing the entire book. I will be cooking up another batch of Jewel Bay Critter Crunch and waiting with great anticipation for the next installment in this series!

A special thank you to Leslie for allowing me to share her oh so yummy caramel corn recipe with you!

As a bonus for my readers I am offering a copy of BUTTER OFF DEAD by Leslie Budewitz. Please comment below for a chance to win. Contest ends Thursday, October 29nd at 11:59 pm PST. 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!) and will have 5 days to respond or another winner will be chosen. Open to U.S. residents only.

Jewel Bay Critter Crunch

Ingredients

8 cups plain, popped popcorn (if you’re using an air popper, this is about 1 cup of raw kernels.)
1/2 cup raw, unsalted peanuts
1/2 cup raw, unsalted almonds
6 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons light (clear) corn syrup
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Spray or grease a baking sheet.

Pluck all the old maids (the unpopped kernels) and skins from popcorn and pour popcorn into a bowl.

Add nuts and stir to mix.

To make caramel, combine butter, corn syrup, and brown sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat.

Cook and stir until mixture boils.

Continue cooking at a low boil for 4 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and baking soda.

Pour caramel mixture over popcorn and stir to coat.

Spread onto greased cookie sheet and bake for 10 – 15 minutes (10 for chewy, 15 for crunchy).

Remove from oven and add the chocolate chips.

Stir slightly, until the chocolate begins to melt.

Cool and eat.

Makes about 8 cups.

Tips

I used pre-popped bagged popcorn such as SkinnyPop. It made this yummy treat come together very quickly.
I lined my baking sheet with heavy-duty aluminum foil and topped with a piece of parchment paper for easy clean up.
For festive looking Halloween Jewel Bay Critter Crunch treats, substitute 1/2 cup of the chocolate chips for white chocolate chips colored orange (be sure to use an OIL based food coloring so the chocolate won’t clump!) or use orange-colored candy melts. Melt the semi-sweet chocolate chips (30 seconds in the microwave, stir, then heat in 10 second intervals until fully melted) and drizzle over cooled caramel corn. Melt the orange-colored white chocolate or candy melts and drizzle. Allow the chocolate to cool and set before eating…if you can wait that long!

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Frankenstein Pudding Cups

Holidays seem like the perfect time to get kids into the kitchen and let them learn to enjoy the creating process of cooking. I assume most kids are like my granddaughter, Emmy, where sweets are at the top of her list of things to make. After Em and her friend, Tess, made the Mummy Dogs for dinner I let them create Frankenstein Pudding Cups to finish off their Halloween meal. I loved that this dessert is no-cook and the girls could make this with minimal supervision from me. Even though the ingredients and prep are super simple the resulting dessert is quite spooktacular!

Scroll to the end to see a video of the process. Thank you to my granddaughter, Emmy, for re-doing this dessert a second time since our first video attempt didn’t work…those pesky technical difficulties!

Frankenstein Pudding Cups

One small box (3.4 oz) of instant pudding will make 3 pudding cups, assuming you monitor how much pudding your kids add. My assistants preferred to “over-fill” the cups so we only got 2-1/2 servings out of the batch.

Supplies

Small, clear plastic cups (we used the 9 ounce size)
Black Sharpies

Ingredients

1 small box (3.4 oz) instant vanilla pudding
2 cups milk (1%, 2% or whole)
Green food coloring (we used Ameri-Color Leaf Green and Forest Green)
10 Oreo cookies

Instructions

Using a Sharpie pen draw Frankenstein’s face on the OUTSIDE of 3 clear plastic cups. Make sure the eyes/eyebrows only go to halfway up the cup. Set aside.

Whisk the milk and instant pudding together for about one minute, then add green food coloring until desired shade is reached. (We used 3 drops Leaf Green and 2 drops Forest Green.)

Whisk pudding an additional minute then pour into the decorated cups until it reaches just above the eyes/eyebrows.

Crush the Oreos. We placed them in heavy-duty ziplock bags and used cans of pumpkin to crush them. Or use a meat mallet as Em did the second time around.

Top the pudding with the crushed Oreos.

Refrigerate until ready to serve.

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