Click on book to visit Amazon

A FLAIR FOR GOBLINS by Deborah Garner is the sixth book in the Sadie Kramer Flair Mysteries. With lighthearted spooky vibes and tales of ghosts haunting a local San Francisco mansion, this newest addition fits the bill for a fun Halloween cozy mystery read! I love that the protagonist, Sadie Kramer, is a woman of a “certain age”. Mature, a no-nonsense attitude, and a flair for fashion, Sadie and her adorable Yorkie sidekick, Coco, take center stage no matter the situation. The author weaves in a disgraced paranormal investigator, disgruntled family members of the victim, and a stressful Halloween ball to organize, all set against the backdrop of San Francisco. I greatly enjoyed that Sadie’s detective beau from New Orleans shows up unexpectedly to assist in her quest for solving another murder. He adds a sweet dimension to the storyline. Despite being a quick read, Ms. Garner does an admirable job of developing the characters and creating plenty of suspects to keep the reader guessing as Sadie snoops. The reveal itself came quite quickly and felt rushed but, all in all, the threads of the story wrapped up together in a spooktacular conclusion.

Sadie loves to eat and she greatly enjoys sampling some of the treats the caterer prepares for the Halloween Ball. I’m honored to have my recipe for Butterfinger Krispie Bars included at the back of the book after Sadie “approved” of them. A delicious riff on Rice Krispie Treats, Butterfinger Krispie Bars combines the flavors of the iconic candy bar: chocolate, butterscotch, and peanut butter. Plus it’s a scrumptious way to use up some of the Butterfinger candy from trick-or-treating. This recipe makes a large batch so you can tempt and treat all your ghosts, ghouls, and goblins!

Amazon Synopsis

When Sadie Kramer agrees to help decorate for San Francisco’s high-society Halloween shindig, she expects to find whimsical ghosts, skeletons, and jack-o-lanterns when she shows up at the Wainwright Mansion, not a body. Especially not the body of the woman in charge of the charity event.

With two detectives, a paranormal investigator turned television star, and a cauldron full of Wainwright Foundation staff and family members cackling around her, Sadie and her sidekick Yorkie are determined to find out who the killer is. Will an old superstition help lead to the truth? Or will this simply become one more tale in the mansion’s haunted history?

A special thanks to Deborah Garner for providing one lucky winner with their choice of print or an ebook copy of A FLAIR FOR GOBLINS. Print is limited to U.S. residents. Contest ends Wednesday, October 21, 2020 at 11:59 pm PST. Please use the Rafflecopter box located below 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

Butterfinger Krispie Bars

A delicious way to use up Halloween candy

Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1-1/2 cups peanut butter (creamy or crunchy)
• 6 cups (12 ounce box) Rice Krispies
• 1 12 ounce bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 12 ounce bag butterscotch chips
• 3 Butterfinger candy bars, crushed

Instructions

1. Line a jelly roll pan (12" x 18") with foil and spritz with non-stick cooking spray. Arrange the Rice Krispies over the bottom of the pan.

2. In a medium saucepan, stir together over low heat, sugar, corn syrup, and peanut butter.

3. Once the mixture has melted and is smooth, pour over the Rice Krispies. Stir until all the cereal is coated and pat flat onto the pan.

4. Place the chocolate chips and butterscotch chips together in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat in 30 second increments, stirring after each cycle, until melted. Spread over the Rice Krispies mixture.

5. Before the chocolate/butterscotch spread sets, sprinkle with the Butterfinger crumbles.

6. Cut into bars while still warm, leaving them in the pan. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes until firm and chocolate/butterscotch spread has set before serving.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Pin to Pinterest:

Click on book to visit Amazon

HOLLYBERRY HOMICIDE, the fifth book in A Berry Basket Mystery series by Sharon Farrow, has all the trappings that make a holiday cozy mystery enjoyable! From the delightful Christmas cover, to the protagonist, Marlee Jacob, (named after famed Jacob Marley of A Christmas Carol), to Marlee’s obsession with decorating both her shop and home, and to the town’s Hollyberry Festival, the reader is immersed in a flurry of holiday activities. The author’s descriptive voice shines through and brings the characters and setting to life on the pages without slowing down the plot. Ms. Farrow’s use of a local stage production, A Christmas Carol, to highlight the death of the 95-year-old man playing Jacob Marley, adds to the entertainment. Everyone is sure he died of natural causes but Marlee is convinced foul play was involved. With a colorful and humorous cast of characters surrounding Marlee (including Minnie, her African Gray parrot) I couldn’t help but be enthralled with the story and enjoyed several laugh out loud moments.

The murder mystery itself was well-plotted and had a good pace. I enjoyed that Marlee’s friends are supportive of her snooping and help out as they can. As I turned the pages, layers of suspicion and secrets were revealed but I still couldn’t hone in on the killer. The author expertly weaves in twists that left me shocked and the clues she includes had me fixating on one character then another. But in the thrilling conclusion, they all piece together into one cohesive ending that made me yearn for more!

As owner of The Berry Basket, Marlee serves an assortment of mouthwatering berry-themed goodies. While holly berries are poisonous, Ms. Farrow includes several holiday-themed recipes at the back of the book that not only are safe to eat, but sound scrumptious as well. I couldn’t wait to try her recipe for No-Bake Hollyberry Cluster Cookies since they epitomize hollyberries and Christmas! Similar to rice krispie treats, except using cornflakes, these cookies are sure to please the kids. Plus the brightly-colored green dyed cornflake cookies with red hot candies will make any holiday cookie platter stand out as you share Christmas cheer!

Amazon Synopsis

A cold wind is blowing off Lake Michigan, and murder is scaring the dickens out of everyone . . .

Considering her name, Marlee Jacob is an obvious choice for the role of Jacob Marley in Oriole Point’s production of A Christmas Carol. It’s just sad that the role has opened up because of the death of the elderly actor who’d originally been cast.
 
But Marlee, the proprietor of The Berry Basket, will do her best to keep spirits high—that is, until clues start mounting that there’s danger behind the scenes. There are accidents on set, the tree in the village square topples over, and worst of all, a body is found with a sprig of holly draped over it. If Marlee can’t wrap up the case, she may not have a berry merry Christmas . . .

A special thanks to Sharon Farrow for providing one lucky winner with a print copy of HOLLYBERRY HOMICIDE! Giveaway is limited to U.S. residents. Contest ends Sunday, October 18, 2020 at 11:59 pm PST. Please use the Rafflecopter box located below 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

No-Bake Hollyberry Cluster Cookies

After Theo points out the lack of holly pastries in the shop, Marlee searches on Pinterest for a recipe that incorporates a holly theme. This easy, no-bake recipe seemed perfect. Variations of this recipe call for shaping the batter into wreaths. Since the leaves and berries of holly are poisonous, real holly is not included. What you will find included is a lot of flavor.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter or margarine
• 30 large marshmallows
• 1/4 teaspoon green food coloring
• 4-1/2 cups cornflakes cereal
• 1/3 cup mini red cinnamon candies, such as Red Hots

Instructions

1. Heat butter in a large saucepan or pot until melted. Add marshmallows.

2. Stir until all the marshmallows are melted. Mix in the green food coloring.

3. Stir in the cornflakes cereal, until all the pieces are coated.

4. Drop by spoonfuls onto wax paper. Press 3 cinnamon candies into each cornflake cluster.

5. Let cool until set.

Notes

Makes approximately 24 cookies.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Pin to Pinterest:

I was provided with an advance copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Click on book to visit Amazon

CANDY SLAIN MURDER, the eighth book in the Country Store Mystery series by Maddie Day, finds South Lick, Indiana in the midst of holiday cheer. While not overdone to distract from the mystery, the author still conveys the sights, sounds, and tastes the season has to offer. The protagonist, Robbie Jordan, is keeping busy at her restaurant and B & B, Pans’ N Pancakes, and spending time with her boyfriend, Abe, and his teenaged son. I enjoyed seeing their relationship develop in this newest book since Abe hasn’t been featured much in past installments. I also like how Robbie juggles her more than full-time job, her relationships, and trying to solve a murder without shirking her responsibilities. It makes the characters feel more authentic. The reader also learns a lot more about Danna, Robbie’s employee, along with Danna’s mother, the town’s mayor. Interwoven into the mystery is the appearance of Danna’s half-brother, someone she had no idea existed. I have always admired Ms. Day interjecting social issues into her stories, and this book is no exception. Adoption, single parenting, racism, and intolerance are addressed and woven into the fabric of the plot without slowing down the pace. I appreciate her ability to balance entertainment with social conscience.

When a woman’s body is discovered after being missing for a decade and when a new murder occurs, Robbie gets involved asking questions and listening to the folk who visit her café. Are the two murders related, even though there are ten years between the deaths? I enjoy Robbie’s methodical mind and musings over the evidence as it unfolds. It helps the reader link the clues together, and while I had a very strong suspicion (and was correct), I was intrigued to find out why. The well-plotted mystery and the engaging characters kept my attention until the very last page!

Running a popular breakfast and lunch café, Robbie is always cooking up mouthwatering dishes. As with previous books in the series, Ms. Day provides several recipes at the back of the book which all sound fantastic! I love making cookies and couldn’t resist trying the recipe for Gingerbread People. Ms. Day suggests using candy for decorating or your favorite icing, so I opted to garnish the cookies with piped royal icing for holiday cheer. These were easy to mix up and I appreciated that they require only 30 minutes of refrigeration before rolling out, so there’s not a long wait. Plus, unlike other recipes I’ve tried, this recipe makes a manageable amount… just enough for a family to indulge or enough to share with a few friends and not the entire neighborhood. The dough wasn’t overly sticky which made the cutouts manageable. Once they were baked, the sweet, spiced cookies remained soft instead of overly crunchy, which my taste testers really enjoyed. While gingerbread cookies are associated with Christmas, these yummy cookies are delicious anytime you desire a satisfying spiced cookie!

Amazon Synopsis

Christmas cheer has sent the griddle into overdrive at Robbie Jordan’s popular country store and café. And this year, there’s a new seasonal special to feast on: murder!

As December sweeps through South Lick, Indiana, Robbie’s life seems merry and bright like the string lights glistening around town. But strange happenings signal a bumpy ride into the holidays. First a man raises eyebrows at Pans ‘N Pancakes when he claiming to be the long-lost half-brother of Robbie’s assistant. Then a fire destroys the home of a controversial anesthesiologist, exposing skeletal remains in his attic. Helplessly intrigued, all Robbie wants for Christmas is to stop her winter wonderland from becoming a real nightmare. With a decades-old mystery taking shape, can she run as fast as she can in pursuit of a killer who’s harder to crack than a stale gingerbread man?

A special thanks to Maddie Day for providing one lucky winner with a print copy of CANDY SLAIN MURDER! Giveaway is limited to U.S. residents. Contest ends Wednesday, October 7, 2020 at 11:59 pm PST. Please use the Rafflecopter box located below 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

Gingerbread People

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 3-1/2 cups unbleached white flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup water
• Chocolate chips or icing

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F). Cover two large baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Cream the butter and sugar. Beat in the molasses.

3. Combine the dry ingredients. Add them to the butter mixture in three parts, alternating with a total of 1/4 cup water.

4. Form dough into a disk, wrap with plastic, and chill for at least half an hour.

5. Flour a surface and roll out to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut with gingerbread man and woman cutters and place 1/2 inch apart on baking sheet. Add chocolate chips for eyes, mouths, and buttons before baking, or leave plain to decorate later.

6. Bake for 8 minutes or until edges start to brown.

7. Cool on a wire rack. Add additional decorations if desired using your favorite icing recipe.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Pin to Pinterest:

I was provided with an advance copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Click on book to visit Amazon

THE CORPSE WHO KNEW TOO MUCH, the fourth book in the Food Blogger Mysteries by Debra Sennefelder, is another yummy addition to a delectable series! I’m always fascinated with protagonist Hope Early, a food blogger. Not only does she immerse herself in creating delicious recipes and then styling and photographing mouthwatering images, but she’s also busy renovating her farmhouse, does freelance writing, and is set to teach a blogging class at the local library. Her energy seems boundless and it trickles into the story creating a page-turning read. Ms. Sennefelder is a former food blogger and her attention to the details of what it takes to run a success blog lends authenticity to the storyline. She includes factoids, such as there are over 30 million blogs online (I had NO idea!) along with a few tips on what it takes to set up a blog. Being a blogger myself, I was intrigued.

The mystery centers on a 20-year-old cold case involving the missing mother of Hope’s friend. Her friend, now a young woman running a true-crime podcast, is back in town with plans to investigate her mother’s disappearance herself and asks for Hope’s help. But when her friend is killed, Hope realizes she has to uncover the truth.  I admire the talent it takes to weave in an old, unsolved crime with a current day crime and Ms. Sennefelder rises to the task admirably. The clues for both murders were expertly planted without giving too much away. There is also a higher level of emotional involvement in this book based on the young mother’s disappearance that had me wanting to turn pages faster and faster until the last word was read. As the reveal unfolded, the clues that I’d missed clicked into place for a satisfying conclusion!

With Hope creating so many delectable recipes for her blog it should come as no surprise that several recipes are included at the back of the book… and they all sound amazing! I couldn’t wait to try the recipe for Double Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies. These hearty cookies are loaded with chocolate galore along with a substantial amount of oatmeal and walnuts. This recipe makes a HUGE batch of cookies. With the limitations on friends gathering together and the inability to visit family, I halved the recipe and still had plenty to freeze some for future treats. One of my taste testers mentioned that these cookies are delicious but also seemed healthy, which in my mind means they’re perfect for breakfast!

Amazon Synopsis

Food blogger Hope Early takes on a cold case that’s heating up fast . . .

Building on her recipe for success with her food blog, Hope at Home, Hope is teaching her first blogging class at the local library in Jefferson, Connecticut. She’s also learning about podcasts, including a true-crime one called Search for the Missing, hosted by Hope’s childhood friend, Devon Markham. Twenty years ago on Valentine’s Day, right here in Jefferson, Devon’s mom disappeared and was never found. Finally Devon has returned to solve the mystery of what happened to her mother—and she asks Hope to help.

The next day Hope discovers Devon’s apartment has been ransacked. Her laptop with the research on her mother’s cold case is missing, and Devon is nowhere to be found. When her friend’s body is later discovered in a car wreck, Hope is convinced it’s no accident. Clearly, Devon was too close to the truth, and the cold-blooded killer is still at large in Jefferson. Now it’s up to Hope to find the guilty party—before the food blogger herself becomes the next subject of another true-crime podcast . . .

A special thanks to Debra Sennefelder for providing one lucky winner with a print copy of THE CORPSE WHO KNEW TOO MUCH! Giveaway is limited to U.S. residents. Contest ends Sunday, October 4, 2020 at 11:59 pm PST. Please use the Rafflecopter box located below 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

Double Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

Posted by Hope Early: There are times when I want all the cookies. I want the chocolate chip cookie, I want the oatmeal cookie, I want the chocolate walnut cookie. But eating three cookies-okay, I'd probably eat way more than just one of each-would be a little much and require me to up my daily running miles. So, what's a cookie lover to do? Well, if she's a food blogger, she figures out a way to have her cookies and eat them too. I give you my amazing Double Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies. There's a lot in this cookie, and be forewarned: I advise using a heavy-duty stand mixer because there's a lot of dough. You'll get a lot of cookies, depending on how big you make your cookie mounds when you're shaping the dough. I typically freeze half the dough unless I'm baking these cookies for an event.

Ingredients

• 2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs, beaten
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 5 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 24 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips, or chopped
• 8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips, or chopped
• 3 cups roughly chopped walnuts

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees (F).

2. In stand mixer bowl, beat together butter and sugar until light in color and texture, about 3 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until combined.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

4. Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix together, careful not to overbeat.

5. Add oats to mixture and combine.

6. Then add in chocolate chips and nuts to mixture.

7. Form dough into golf-ball-size mounds. Place two inches apart on silicone (or parchment paper) lined baking sheets. Bake for 6 to 9 minutes, until tops are just golden and cookies are still soft.

8. Cool on wire baking racks.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Pin to Pinterest:

I was provided with an advance copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.