Kim, Author at Cinnamon and Sugar

Hope’s Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies

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THE UNINVITED CORPSE, the first book in the brand new Food Blogger Mystery series by debut author Debra Sennefelder, was such a fun read for me as a fellow blogger! Protagonist Hope Early writes the blog, “Hope at Home”. I so enjoyed seeing her blogging process along with her ideas for creating recipes. Hope has some baggage that she’s brought back to the small Connecticut town and she’s learning to move past her perceived failures. But trying to settle in “back home” has its own problems and among them, her sister being accused of murdering the real estate agent she’s in competition with. It doesn’t help that Hope was the one to find the body and as she starts asking questions around town, finds that her sister had several reasons to kill the victim. Despite that, Hope is loyal and learns how important it is to take time to connect with her family and friends without having ulterior motives. There is also humor interjected via the character of Hope’s former reality show manager and his ideas he pitches to her for new reality shows. I’ve never been a fan of reality shows aside from Cupcake Wars and the cake challenges on the Food Network and Ms. Sennefelder brings to light what I’ve always envisioned them to really be: contrived contentious situations having nothing to do with reality.

Being the first book in a new series, the author introduces many characters all at once. I’ll admit I had a hard time following who was who at the beginning of the book but once the murder happens the story falls in place and the pace picks up. In addition to Hope’s sister being a viable suspect, Ms. Sennefelder weaves in several other suspects who wanted the abrasive real estate agent dead. The climatic ending brought good resolution to the mystery and wrapped up the subplots nicely.

One of the scenes in the book revolves around Hope creating a blog post for celebrating National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day. She develops five recipes for her blog post in the story (and they all sound amazing). Ms. Sennefelder shares two of those chocolate chip cookie recipes at the back of the book plus other delectable sounding treats. I chose to make Hope’s Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies because these generously-sized cookies are thick and soft with just a bit of chewiness thanks to the addition of a bit of bread flour. While I’ve never met a chocolate chip cookie that I didn’t like, these are perfection!

Amazon Synopsis

Leaving behind a failed career as a magazine editor and an embarrassing stint on a reality baking show, newly divorced lifestyle entrepreneur Hope Early thought things were finally on the upswing—until she comes face-to-face with a murderer . . .

Hope’s schedule is already jam packed with recipe testing and shameless plugs for her food blog as she rushes off to attend a spring garden tour in the charming town of Jefferson, Connecticut. Unfortunately, it isn’t the perfectly arranged potted plants that grab her attention—it’s the bloody body of reviled real estate agent Peaches McCoy . . .

One of the tour guests committed murder, and all eyes are on Hope’s older sister, Claire Dixon—who, at best, saw Peaches as a professional rival. And suspicions really heat up when another murder occurs the following night. Now, with two messy murders shaking Jefferson and all evidence pointing to Claire, Hope must set aside her burgeoning brand to prove her sister’s innocence. But the closer she gets to the truth, the closer she gets to a killer intent on making sure her life goes permanently out of style . . .

Thanks to Debra Sennefelder for providing a print arc copy of THE UNINVITED CORPSE for one lucky winner. Contest is limited to U.S. residents only and ends Sunday, April 1, 2018 at 11:59 pm PST. Please use the Rafflecopter box located below the recipe to enter. The winner will be announced on this page and on Cinnamon & Sugar’s Facebook page, as well as notified by email (so check your spam folder!)

Hope's Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies

Posted by Hope Early: I know it's wrong to have a favorite cookie. As a food blogger, I shouldn't play favorites with recipes but I can't help myself with these cookies. Loaded with chocolate chips, these buttery, thick, soft chocolate chip cookies are heavenly. You won't want to miss out on these. Seriously.

Ingredients

3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup bread flour
3/4 teapoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1-2/3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F) and line cookie sheet pans with silicone baking sheets. (Or line with parchment paper.)
Cream butter and sugar together in the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment, about 3 - 4 minutes. Scrape sides of bowl as needed. Reduce speed of mixer and then add in the egg and egg yolk, one at a time, beating well to incorporate into mixture.
Beat in vanilla.
Whisk together flours, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl. Slowly add flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until just combined. Be careful not to overmix.
Stir in chocolate chips.
Scoop dough by rounded tablespoon and drop onto prepared pan, 2-inches apart to allow room for spreading. Then drop another scoop (approximately 1-1/2 teaspoons) of dough onto top of each cookie. Press lightly together making sure to not flatten the cookie.
Bake for 9 - 12 minutes, rotating half-way through baking, or until cookies have spread out and the edges are golden, but the center of the cookie still looks soft and just slightly undercooked. Every oven is different, so I like to bake two cookies first to get the timing down correctly and then fill up the next cookie sheet.
Let cookies cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes. Then remove to a wire rack to cool completely. Cookies will store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Notes

Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

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Potato Sausage Soup with Egg Dumplings

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WHO MOVED MY GOAT CHEESE? by Lynn Cahoon is the first book in the brand new Farm-to-Fork Mystery series and one not to be missed! The premise is based on the farm-to-fork restaurant, The County Seat, that protagonist Angie Turner is opening with her best friend in rural Idaho. I enjoyed reading about the issues Angie faces in making sure her restaurant procures local produce and food and what it takes to open an eatery. I would love to tag along with her, visiting the farmers’ market and various farms! The theme of being an outsider after being away for many years and finding your place in the community is also a part of the story as Angie settles into her deceased grandmother’s farm house. She also has to find a way to win over the townspeople who express their opposition to her new restaurant, since many don’t want changes coming to their small village. Angie’s sidekicks, a St. Bernard puppy, a baby goat, and a hen, make for some entertaining and heartwarming reading. The reader is able to see Angie’s personality as she interacts with the animals in her care and made me want to know more about her.

When the goat dairy farmer, Old Man Moss, is found murdered shortly after Angie visits him to procure cheese for her restaurant, she feels a responsibility to find justice for him. I’ll have to admit I was saddened that the elderly, secretive man was the victim… he was a strong character that I thought would be a good sounding board for Angie in future books. Unfortunately it’s not always the mean person who gets killed in our cozy mysteries and the author has set the series up with many more memorable characters. The mystery itself was intriguing although the suspect pool wasn’t large. The suspenseful ending wrapped up the plot and subplots while setting the stage for the next book, which I’m eagerly waiting for!

Reading about all the dishes Angie creates for her restaurant will have you drooling! Ms. Cahoon shares her family recipe for Potato Sausage Soup with Egg Dumplings at the back of the book. I enjoyed that she shares insight into her family as she describes the recipe. Many thanks to Lynn for allowing me to share her recipe with you! The overwhelming description about this dish is that it is truly “comfort in a bowl”! Warming and filling, the chunky potatoes give support to rich sausage and cream while simple egg dumplings add texture and substance. I chose to make it with mild sausage and cut back on the red pepper flakes since my granddaughters were eating the soup as well. And for the one granddaughter who detests any kind of soup, she said it was like thin mashed potatoes with sausage and it was much better than she expected…as she ate every drop in her bowl. Trust me, that’s high praise from a thirteen-year-old, lol! I’ll definitely be making this again while the weather is still chilly.

A special thank you to Lynn Cahoon for providing one lucky winner an e-book copy of WHO MOVED MY GOAT CHEESE? Contest ends Wednesday, March 28, 2018 at 11:59 pm PST. Please use the Rafflecopter box located below the recipe to enter. The winner will be announced on this page and on Cinnamon & Sugar’s Facebook page, as well as notified by email (so check your spam folder!)

Potato Soup with Egg Dumplings

Ingredients

Soup

1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound fresh sausage (sweet Italian or spicy, your choice)
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or to taste)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 quart (4 cups) chicken stock
4 - 6 russet potatoes, peeled and chopped into small pieces (about 2-1/2 pounds)
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced, including the leaves
1 teaspoons salt
A few grinds of fresh pepper
Water as needed
1 cup heavy cream
whole milk, as needed

Egg Dumplings

1/2 cup flour
Dashes of salt, pepper, garlic salt and/or seasonal salt
1 egg

Instructions

Soup

Coat the bottom of a large, heavy stockpot with olive oil. Add the chopped onion and garlic and cook until lightly browned.
Add the fresh sausage to the pan and sprinkle with red pepper flakes. Cook until the meat is done but not overcooked and dry. Drain the sausage mixture in a colander, discarding all the fat. Set sausage mixture aside.
Pour 1 quart of chicken stock into the empty stockpot. Don't worry that there might be bits and pieces from the sausage mixture still in the pan.
Add the chopped russet potatoes and the celery into the pot. Add enough water to cover the potatoes and add salt and pepper.
Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes, checking the water level occasionally. You don't want this to dry out and burn so add water if needed. When potatoes are soft, mash up some of the potatoes. Not all of the pot. You can also do this by inserting an immersion blender, but it seems a bit fancy for this recipe.
Return the drained sausage mixture to the stockpot along with the heavy cream and enough milk to make the soup appear creamy. Bring to a very low simmer, stirring often.

Egg Dumplings

In a separate bowl mix the flour and seasoning together. Crack an egg and place in the middle of the flour mixture. Mix together in the bowl, then drop by spoonful into the soup. If there are leftover crumblings, add those as well as the flour/egg mixture will thicken your soup.
Put a lid on the soup and heat until the egg dumplings are cooked through before serving, 12 minutes. Don't lift the lid. Dumplings should float to the top of the soup.

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Tagliarini Pasta with Brown Butter, Sage, and Porcini Mushrooms

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DEATH AL FRESCO, the third book in the Sally Solari Mystery series by Leslie Karst, is a delightful addition to Sally’s story. I enjoy that each book (all can be read as a stand-alone) focuses on a sense: the first book is taste, the second is sound, and this third book is sight. Ms. Karst weaves in plein air painting* into Sally and her dog discovering the body of an elderly Italian fisherman which had washed up on the beach. When she realizes the man frequented her father’s Italian restaurant, Sally feels a personal connection to the death. I found the bits and pieces that are provided about the Italians settling in the Santa Cruz area in the early 1900’s very interesting and it piqued my curiosity. The descriptions of the sea side setting made me feel like I was on vacation at this popular tourist destination. Sally Solari is a likeable character. She is one busy woman though, running her own restaurant, Gauguin, and helping her father as his restaurant prepares for a huge banquet to welcome an Italian mayor who is coming for a visit. There is also a hint of romance to come and I, for one, am hoping things work out between Sally and her ex in future books. I’ve always enjoyed the way they work together in the previous books and this one is no exception.

With so much responsibility demanding her attention, Sally doesn’t have much extra time on her hands. But when people start blaming her father for the death of the fisherman and she finds incriminating evidence, she knows she needs to start asking questions to clear his name. The action starts off early in the story with a good build-up to a satisfying conclusion. There are plenty of suspects to keep the reader guessing and I found the reason for the murder quite unique. It wasn’t at all what I had anticipated which added a nice twist to the mystery.

With Sally working at two restaurants in this book, there are so many delicious dishes mentioned! It made me want to visit Santa Cruz and track down both Solari’s and Gauguin… if they really existed. Fortunately, Ms. Karst has included a few recipes at the back of the book. All sound exceptional and since the author graduated from culinary school, you can count on them being delicious. Ms. Karst has graciously allowed me to share her recipe for Tagliarini Pasta with Brown Butter, Sage, and Porcini Mushrooms. Butter, cheese, sage and mushrooms don’t seem like many ingredients, yet they combine to create an amazing delicious pasta dish! The earthiness of the mushrooms and sage are complemented by the richness of the butter and Parmesan. I found some gluten-free tagliatelle pasta and I’ll admit I was a bit worried there wouldn’t be any pasta left over for me to photograph… once I started eating, I really didn’t want to stop! I also couldn’t find porcini mushrooms. I’m going to keep my eyes open at my local farmers’ market and snatch them up and make this dish again. In the meantime, supermarket cremini mushrooms worked well.

*According to Artists Network “Plein air painting is about leaving the four walls of your studio behind and experiencing painting and drawing in the landscape. The practice goes back for centuries but was truly made into an art form by the French Impressionists.”

Amazon Synopsis

It’s early autumn in Santa Cruz and restaurateur Sally Solari decides an open-air painting class is the perfect way for her to learn more about Paul Gauguin, the inspiration for her the restaurant she has recently inherited. But the beauty of the Monterey Bay coastline is shattered when Sally’s dog Buster sniffs out a corpse tangled up in kelp.

The body is identified as Gino, a local fisherman and a regular at the Solaris’ until he disappeared after dining there a few nights before. Witnesses claim he left reeling drunk, but his waitress swears the old man only had two beers with his meal. And then the fingers begin to point at Sally’s dad for negligently allowing an inebriated customer to walk home alone at night.

From a long menu of suspects, including a cast of colorful characters who frequent the historic Santa Cruz fisherman’s wharf, Sally must serve up the tall order of clearing her father’s name in Death al Fresco, Leslie Karst’s third delectable Sally Solari mystery.

A special thank you to Crooked Lane Books for providing one lucky winner a hardcover copy of DEATH AL FRESCO! Contest ends Thursday, March 22, 2018 at 11:59 pm PST and is limited to U.S. residents only. Please use the Rafflecopter box located below the recipe to enter. The winner will be announced on this page and on Cinnamon & Sugar’s Facebook page, as well as notified by email (so check your spam folder!)

Tagliarini with Brown Butter, Sage, and Porcini Mushrooms

Tagliarini is an egg pasta from Northern Italy, similar to its wider and more famous cousin, tagliatelle (the name comes from the verb tagliare, to cut). These thin, flat ribbons are often served with butter and truffles, but Mario prefers the earthy notes supplied by porcini mushrooms and sage. If you can't find tagliarini, feel free to substitute tagliatelle or fettuccine.

Note that unlike many other pastas, tagliarini cooks extremely quickly - in three or four minutes for dried, one or two minutes for fresh.

Porcini means "little pigs" in Italian and is their name for the sumptuous mushrooms known as the "king bolete" in the U.S. and as cèpes in France. You can substitute dried porcini for this recipe (soak them in boiling water for twenty minutes before using), or use cremini- those small, brown button mushrooms - if you can't find porcini.

Ingredients

1/4 pound (1 stick) butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound porcini mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup sage leaves, coarsely chopped if large (plus extra for garnish)
1 pound tagliarini pasta
1 tablespoon salt
1 cup grated Parmesan or Pecorino cheese
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

Melt the butter in a thick-bottomed pan over low heat. Continue cooking, stirring frequently to prevent burning, until the foam subsides and the butter begins to turn brown - about 5 minutes. (Watch carefully, as it can burn quickly.)
Add the sage leaves and stir, and continue to cook another five minutes or so. Once the butter starts to release a nutty aroma and the sage becomes crisp, the sauce is done. Take the pan off the heat and set aside.
In a separate large frying pan, heat half the olive oil over medium heat and, when shimmering, add half the mushrooms. Spread them out in one layer and let sit without stirring until they turn a golden brown. Then stir and cook another minute or two, till cooked through. Remove with a slotted spoon to a bowl and repeat with the rest of the oil and mushrooms. Return the cooked mushrooms to the pan and set aside. (The brown butter/sage and the mushrooms can be prepared up to several hours in advance.)
Bring a large (at least 4 quart) pot of water to a boil.
Add the tagliarini and salt to the boiling water, and cook over high heat until al dente (still slightly firm in the center, 3 - 4 minutes if dried), stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. (If using dried fettuccine, it will take 10 - 12 minutes to cook.)
While the pasta is cooking, reheat the brown butter/sage and the mushrooms over medium heat.
Drain pasta and place into a large serving bowl (without rinsing). Add the brown butter/sage and toss, then add mushrooms and half the cheese and toss again. Add salt to taste.
Serve garnished with the rest of the grated cheese, a few fresh sage leaves, and freshly ground black pepper.

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Mabel’s Chocolate-Covered Cherry Bonbons

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PLAYING WITH BONBON FIRE, the second book in the Southern Chocolate Shop Mystery series by Dorothy St. James is a sweet addition to a yummy series! Protagonist Charity “Penn” has been in Camellia Beach for five months, learning to make the decadent chocolates her maternal grandmother was famous for. Except it’s not as easy as it appears and Penn is struggling to become the chocolatier her deceased grandmother wanted her to be. Penn has had an emotionally devoid life having been abandoned as a newborn by first her unwed mother (and the mystery of who her mother is, is a theme that runs through both book one and two) and then her young father. Raised by her wealthy paternal grandmother who wanted nothing to do with her, Penn has learned to protect herself with a prickly exterior and hasn’t ever made friends. However, being in Camellia Beach has softened her some and the townspeople are teaching her to open up and accept their friendship and help. But she obviously has lots of baggage and I’m glad to see that the author is allowing Penn to grow.

Penn is also getting involved in her town’s inaugural Summer Solstice Beach Music Festival. She has convinced her half-sister’s ex-boyfriend, Bixby, to headline the music show but trouble seems to have followed him in to town. When one of the town’s older band singers is found murdered, Penn is sure Bixby was the target. After all, he has a stalker that has followed him across country. With the success of the town’s festivities on the line and her determination to keep Bixby alive, Penn starts asking questions, trying to find out who killed the singer. As she digs deeper, a forty-year-old mystery comes to the forefront that might shed light on who her mother is. But so many of the older townspeople are closing ranks and hiding secrets that Penn feels like an outsider again. With time running out and her chocolate shop a target for vandals, can Penn find the truth? There were plenty of viable suspects and I enjoyed how the old mystery was woven into the current day mystery. I loved getting to know the characters surrounding Penn and the southern sayings they throw out. The sayings puzzle Penn and I have to admit me too, but there’s always someone willing to translate and clarify what was meant… that provided some laugh out loud moments. The finale was a surprise and the author pulls the various threads together and answers the questions Penn has, yet leaves a door open for more changes coming to Penn’s life. I’m anxious to find out what happens next and if Penn’s chocolatier ability will blossom.

While Penn may be struggling with the art of chocolate, there are several townspeople who were each taught a recipe by Penn’s grandmother and they in turn are trying to teach her. There are so many delectable chocolates and truffles mentioned… it will be difficult for a die-hard chocoholic to read through the book without having a few pieces of chocolate close by. Fortunately, Ms. St. James includes several recipes at the back of the book. Chocolate-Covered Cherry Bonbons are quintessential to any assorted candy box so I couldn’t wait to try these and share with family and friends. I found them even easier to make than I thought they would be after reading the recipe. And while I’ve never been a huge fan of this type of candy (I’m more of a dark chocolate with nuts and crunchy stuff type of gal and typically skip the chocolates with fruit) Mabel’s Chocolate-Covered Cherry Bonbons converted me! Maybe it’s the freshness of the fondant covered cherries that are enrobed with chocolate, or the fact that the fondant isn’t chemical laden but instead relies on sweet butter and corn syrup. Whatever the reason, I’m happy that this recipe is now a part of my repertoire of candies and I’ll be making them again and again for special occasions or to treat myself!

Amazon Synopsis

Chocoholic Charity Penn must smoke out the killer to stop her newly inherited beachside chocolate shop from going up in flames in Dorothy St. James’ decadent follow-up to Asking for Truffle.

Chocolate shop owner Charity Penn is finally settling into life in the quirky South Carolina seaside town of Camellia Beach cooking up chocolate treats. She’s even helped organize the town’s lively beach music festival which has brought rollicking crowds eager to dance the Carolina shag. That is, until one of the band’s lead singers is found dead beside a beach bonfire.

While also trying to balance the amorous attention of music star Bixby Lewis, in town for the festival, and her quest to perfect a new hot flavored bonbon, Charity dives into the investigation. Though it’s more spice than sugar when she discovers a threatening note, comes across decades of age-old secrets, and Bixby comes into the line of fire when a gas grill explodes on the deck of a beachfront house.

Now Charity must turn up the heat and catch the killer before her chance melts away in Playing With Bonbon Fire, the delightful second Southern Chocolate Shop mystery served up just right.

A special thank you to Dorothy St. James for providing one lucky winner a hardcover copy of PLAYING WITH BONBON FIRE! Contest ends Monday, March 19, 2018 at 11:59 pm PST and is limited to U.S. residents only. Please use the Rafflecopter box located below the recipe to enter. The winner will be announced on this page and on Cinnamon & Sugar’s Facebook page, as well as notified by email (so check your spam folder!)

Mabel's Chocolate-Covered Cherry Bonbons

Ingredients

3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 pinch salt
2 cups 10x powdered sugar
36 maraschino cherries
12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

Instructions

Combine butter, corn syrup, and salt. Add sugar and mix until smooth. This makes a fondant. Chill in refrigerator for 1/2 hour.
Drain cherries and let dry on paper towels.
Flatten a small amount of fondant in your hand and wrap around a cherry (completely cover the cherry or juice will leak out and make dipping difficult). Repeat with remaining fondant and cherries. Refrigerate fondant-covered cherries and let harden.
Melt chocolate in double boiler or microwave. (To melt in microwave: In microwave-safe bowl, heat chocolate in batches on 50% power for 2 minutes. If not melted, continue to heat for 30-second intervals. It won't look completely melted. Stir until smooth.)
Dip fondant-wrapped cherries into melted chocolate. Coat completely. (Gently reheat chocolate as necessary if it thickens too much while dipping.)
Set on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Place in refrigerator for at least 1 hour to set.
Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Makes about 36 bonbons.

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Sinfully Chocolate Tea Bread

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Congratulations and happy release day to Laura Childs! It’s always a pleasure visiting Charleston, South Carolina on the pages and catching up with Theodosia Browning and the crew at the Indigo Tea Shop! From the inviting cover of PLUM TEA CRAZY, the nineteenth book in the Tea Shop Mystery series by Laura Childs, to the very last page, this brand new release kept me entertained and reading late into the night. This latest installment finds Theodosia and her good friend and tea sommelier, Drayton Conneley, participating in the city’s Gaslights and Galleons Parade event. Sailing ships from around the world are converging on Charleston and the pair have a bird’s-eye view at one of the spectacular mansions situated on the route. When a gruesome tragedy happens during the event, Theodosia jumps in right away. She is a take charge type of gal and the action starts right off the bat. When it’s determined that it was a murder and not a horrible accident, Theodosia gets involved in solving the case after her host begs her to.

Her hunt takes her on searches for antique weapons, high society fashion shows, a Japanese art gallery, and a “Hair Ball” black-tie event benefiting homeless cats. Theodosia is one busy woman with all the special events going on all over the city along with hosting several events at the Indigo Tea Shop, including the Plum Blossom Tea event! I enjoyed the descriptions of the events and could envision the settings perfectly. Theodosia’s supportive friends are there to help her out from Drayton to Haley, the talented shop’s chef, and Haley’s young nephew, Jamie. The supporting characters are well thought out and add fun to the storyline. Theodosia’s relationship with Detective Pete Riley is progressing and I find it refreshing that he doesn’t demand that she stop snooping. He accepts her for who she is… although I wish he’d tell her to stop running down dark alleys late at night! The exciting, suspenseful reveal surprised me with how it played out but it wrapped up the plot and subplots nicely. I was greatly entertained by this newest installment in this series and look forward to the next one!

Ms. Childs provides several delectable tea time recipes at the back of the book along with Tea Time Tips and links for Tea Resources (which you’ll want to bookmark). She has graciously allowed me to share her recipe for Sinfully Chocolate Tea Bread. This super easy to mix up quick bread is a delightful treat and perfect with a pot of tea! I loved the crunch of the walnuts with the dark chocolate bread. The use of cake flour kept the crumb nice and light along with a judicious hand on the butter. Not only is this a yummy afternoon tea time snack, I decided that Sinfully Chocolate Tea Bread is delicious toasted and enjoyed at breakfast too.

Amazon Synopsis

While viewing the harbor’s Gaslights and Galleons Parade from the widow’s walk of Timothy Neville’s Charleston mansion, local banker Carson Lanier seemingly tumbles over a narrow railing, then plunges three stories to his death. But a tragic accident becomes something much more sinister when it’s discovered that the victim was first shot with a bolt from a crossbow.

At the request of the mansion owner, Theodosia investigates the tragedy and is soon neck deep in suspects. An almost ex-wife, a coworker, a real estate partner–all had motives for killing the luckless banker, but one resorted to murder to settle accounts.

A special thank you to Laura Childs for providing one lucky winner a hardcover copy of PLUM TEA CRAZY! Contest ends Monday, March 12, 2018 at 11:59 pm PST and is limited to U.S. residents only. Please use the Rafflecopter box located below the recipe to enter. The winner will be announced on this page and on Cinnamon & Sugar’s Facebook page, as well as notified by email (so check your spam folder!)

Sinfully Chocolate Tea Bread

Ingredients

1/4 cup butter
2/3 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
2 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup powdered cocoa, unsweetened
1 cup buttermilk
3/4 cup walnuts, chopped

Instructions

Cream together butter, sugar, and egg.
Sift the cake flour, baking soda, salt, and powdered cocoa.
Gently stir in the flour and cocoa mixture, the buttermilk, and walnuts.
When ingredients are well mixed, pour into a greased loaf pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour, or until silver knife comes out clean.
Yields one large loaf.

Optional Drizzle

If you wish to drizzle a glaze over the Chocolate Tea Bread, mix 1/2 cup powdered sugar with 1-1/2 to 2 teaspoons water until smooth. Drizzle and let set for 15 minutes before slicing.

Note

You may also bake the batter in mini loaf pans. Divide the batter between 3 mini pans and bake 35 - 40 minutes.
I think some mini chocolate chips would be yummy in this recipe too!

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Lucy’s White Almond Cookies

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It’s a pleasure to be hosting HUMMUS AND HOMICIDE by Tina Kashian with the Great Escapes Blog Tour! This first book in the brand new Kebob Kitchen Mystery series is a delightful insider’s view into a first generation American growing up in the household of immigrant parents and their Mediterranean restaurant in Ocean Crest, New Jersey. Lucy Berberian “escaped” from her upbringing after earning a law degree. While she loves her family she also felt the need to get away from their traditional views, especially on marriage, after her failed relationship with Azad Zakarian while in college. But after losing her job in Philadelphia, she ends up back in her family’s restaurant, put back to work the minute she returns. She’s never been able to tell her parents “no”. It doesn’t take long for Lucy to have a run-in with the new health inspector, who just so happens to be her high school nemesis. When the health inspector dies shortly after eating at the Kebab Kitchen, Lucy’s father begs her to clear their name and save the family business, because “family helps family”.

HUMMUS AND HOMICIDE is a story about coming home and discovering yourself. It’s a story about finding happiness where you least expect it. And a story about accepting your family for who they are and not for who you’d like them to be. I enjoyed learning about the different culture that Lucy grew up in and I loved all the mentions of Armenian and Mediterranean foods! Lucy and her family have good character development and made me want to spend time with them to get to know them better. Lucy’s best friend, Katie, is a worthy side-kick and provides great support. The mystery was well plotted and had a good pace. There were several people who had good reason to want the health inspector dead and the author explores the potential of each suspect. With an exciting finale, each of the threads of the plot and subplots are woven together leaving the reader well satisfied.

The author, Tina Kashian, actually grew up in her family’s Armenian restaurant. She shares several of her family’s recipes at the back of the book, all which sound fabulous. Of course being the cookie type of person I am, I was drawn to Lucy’s White Almond Cookies. These shortbread-style cookies only have 4 ingredients, plus whole almonds for garnishing and are a breeze to mix up. I was lucky enough to have been the recipient of fresh-roasted almonds from one of the staff at my granddaughter’s school (his family owns an almond orchard in Northern California!) and I loved the extra crunch they provided to the cookies. If you wanted to make these “all white”, blanched almonds would be nice too. Don’t miss out on trying these melt-in-your-mouth White Almond Cookies!

Amazon Synopsis

When Lucy Berberian quits her Philadelphia law firm and heads home to Ocean Crest, she knows what she’s getting—the scent of funnel cake, the sight of the wooden roller coaster, and the tastes of her family’s Mediterranean restaurant. But murder wasn’t on the menu . . .

Things are slow in the off-season in this Jersey Shore town, but Lucy doesn’t mind. She doesn’t even mind waitressing at the Kebab Kitchen. Her parents have put in a new hummus bar, with every flavor from lemon to roasted red pepper. It’s fun to see their calico cat again, and to catch up with her old BFF, who’s married to a cop now.

She could do without Heather Banks, though. The Gucci-toting ex-cheerleader is still as nasty as she was back in high school . . . and unfortunately, she’s just taken over as the local health inspector. Just minutes after eating at the Kebab Kitchen—where she’s tallied up a whole list of bogus violations—she falls down dead in the street. Word on the grapevine is it’s homicide, and Lucy’s the number one suspect.

A special thanks to Tina Kashian for providing one winner with a $10 Amazon Gift Card and a print copy of HUMMUS AND HOMICIDE. Contest ends Sunday, March 11, 2018 at 11:59 pm PST and is limited to U.S. residents only. Please use the Rafflecopter box located below the recipe to enter. The contest is administered by the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour and the winner will be announced on this page as well as notified by email (so check your spam folder!)

Lucy's White Almond Cookies

Ingredients

3/4 cup (6 ounces) unsalted clarified butter (ghee)
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1-1/4 cups sugar
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
Almonds

Instructions

Preheat oven to 275 degrees (F).
Combine butter, shortening, and sugar and mix.
Add flour and mix well.
Take two full teaspoons of dough and roll into a rope, then make a circle and pinch the seam together.
Lightly press an almond into the seam. Repeat with the remaining dough.
Arrange on cookie sheets and bake for 20 minutes until lightly golden on the bottom.
Transfer cookies from baking sheet to cooling racks to cool.