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EDAM AND WEEP is the sixth book in the Grilled Cheese Mysteries by Linda Reilly. Protagonist Carly Hale has her hands full preparing for her upcoming nuptials, running her restaurant Carly’s Grilled Cheese Eatery, and surprise guests showing up to stay with her and her fiancé, Ari. Yet she’s found time to take part in and contribute to the local high school’s fundraiser alongside her mom, Rhonda, in a 1950s-themed diner bash. From the very beginning of this series, the author has done a marvelous job in creating sweet core characters that the reader can’t help but connect to and cheer on. This newest release continues in that vein. I was excited to get to know Carly’s mom better, and I adored the relationship the pair has with each other. They are caring and supportive of each other, and close friends. And let me tell you, Mama Rhonda is very protective of her daughter and stands up for Carly…setting the stage for the mystery. The strong descriptions let me visualize the characters and the setting, bringing the story to life. And how could a 50s-theme bash not be a blast, especially when one’s mother dresses in the spitting image of Lucille Ball of I Love Lucy fame?
When a fellow vendor at the fundraising event tries multiple times to bully Carly, Rhonda steps in to protect her daughter. Someone takes advantage of the altercation and later kills the bully, framing Rhonda. With numerous townspeople attending the event, there is a large pool of suspects who had issues with the bully. Carly, naturally, gets involved in trying to clear her mother’s name, except her mom seems to be hiding something. The mystery is solid with good pacing that kept me turning pages. There were a few twists that added to the intrigue, but it’s the characters and their kindness that keep me coming back to this charming series.
Running a grilled cheese eatery, Carly and her employees serve mouthwatering food. There are a couple of recipes at the back of the book to try out at home. I’m a big fan of bleu cheese and couldn’t wait to make Grant’s Bleu Cheese Tarts—little mini bite-sized appetizers. I wasn’t sure what to make of the combination of adding onion to the apple and cheese mixture, but it was delicious! I liked that the filling can be made ahead of time and, shortly before guests arrive, fill the mini phyllo cups (which are super convenient), and bake for less than 10 minutes. My granddaughter visited for a weekend, and we enjoyed these quick appetizers with a glass of wine while enjoying the sun out on the patio after a fun day browsing through a quaint bookshop!
Synopsis
When the local high school hosts a fundraiser, restaurant owner Carly Hale is happy to sign on and enlists her mother’s help selling her much-loved grilled cheese sandwiches at the school. But no good deed goes unpunished, and the vendor stationed next to them at the event turns out to be aggressively rude and bullies them both. Never one to be pushed, Carly’s mom gives the man a vicious tongue-lashing and assumes that’s the end of it—until later that day when the man is found dead, strangled with her scarf.
With her mom on the hook for murder, Carly has no choice but to find out who killed the man and why. It turns out the victim had always been bad news and had racked up a long list of enemies. One of those enemies may have been the menacing stranger Carly saw lurking on the edges of the fundraiser, but her intuition tells her the murdered man’s girlfriend may have been mixed up in it too. Certain one of them—or both—did the deadly deed, Carly realizes too late that all her sleuthing has landed her next on the killer’s hit list . . .
A special thanks to Linda Reilly for offering a print copy of EDAM AND WEEP to one lucky winner! Contest ends August 24, 2025 at 11:59 pm PST and is limited to U.S. residents only. 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!)
In keeping with the traditional wedding motif of "Something borrowed, something blue," Grant wanted to prepare an exceptional treat for Carly and Ari's pre-wedding party, and for the wedding reception. Using bleu cheese as the primary ingredient, he created these tantalizing delicious appetizers that got rave reviews from the guests. If the blend of apple and onion seem odd, don't worry--you'll find that it's a marriage made in culinary heaven.
Although Grant makes his own phyllo dough, he knows that it's a labor-intensive task that takes some practice. To save time, he suggests using the miniature phyllo shells available in the freezer section a your supermarket (a 1.9-ounce package yields 15 tart shells). If you're a talented baker, or adventurous enough to make your own phyllo dough, some great recipes can be found online.
Once you serve these gourmet treats, your guests will be clamoring for you to make them often!
- 2 teaspoons butter, preferably unsalted
- 1 large Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and finely chopped
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 cup of crumbled bleu cheese
- 4 tablespoons finely chopped roasted walnuts
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 package (1.9 ounces) of frozen miniature phyllo tart shells
- Dried basil
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F).
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Melt butter in a nonstick skillet over medium heat.
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Add apple and onion: cook and stir until tender (3 to 5 minutes) and remove from heat.
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Stir in bleu cheese, three tablespoons of the walnuts, and salt.
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Spoon a rounded tablespoon of the mixture into each phyllo shell, and place them on an ungreased baking sheet; bake for 5 minutes.
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Remove from oven and sprinkle with the remaining walnuts and a light touch of dried basil; bake another 2 to 3 minutes or until lightly browned.
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Serve warm out of the oven. After they're cooled, they can also be frozen in a freezer container, separating layers with wax paper.
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I was provided with an advance copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
