Click on book to visit Amazon

WEDDING BEAR BLUES is the fourth book in the shamelessly adorable Teddy Bear Mysteries by Meg Macy. This newest addition features Valentine’s Day as the backdrop for protagonist Sasha Silverman and her family-owned Silver Bear Shop and Factory. Love should be in the air with chocolates, roses, and teddy bears galore but instead a bridezilla and the worst best man ever take all the joy out of the holiday. I truly enjoy Sasha and her family. They work well together and I love how her mom has gotten involved in local politics and is running for mayor. Rounding out their core family are two sets of aunts and uncles. The extended family gives greater insight into the characters of the Silverman family, which is all good. The auxiliary characters, however, don’t have many qualities to make them likeable, including the ring bearer dog and the bratty flower girl. Still, the interaction between these characters ramps up the tension as the scene careens toward the murder.

When the bride’s sister is accused of the murder, Sasha and her sister are pulled into proving her innocence. The author does an admirable job of setting up reasons why so many people could have killed the worst best man ever. I was convinced multiple times that I’d figured it out only to change my mind a few pages later. Along with the main murder plot, there are subplots interwoven to add to the storyline. Why does their teddy bear shop competitor want to buy a neighboring house? Is he trying to sabotage their business? The author also includes a heartwarming thread for raising both awareness and funds for pediatric brain cancer which I applaud. On the other hand there is a small subplot involving creepster men who use teddy bears for nefarious reasons involving kids. While there is nothing graphic and nothing happens on page, it left me with an icky feeling. Despite that one small item, as the story concludes and the reveal comes to light, Ms. Macy pulls all the threads together into a cohesive plot that left me satisfactorily surprised.

While there aren’t any recipes in the book, there are multiple mentions of yummy food that Sasha enjoys from her favorite coffee shop and bakery, Fresh Grounds. I was instantly drooling over her description of decadent chocolate-drizzled raspberry scones and decided I need to create a recipe! Infused with lemon oil and lemon peel, plus frozen raspberries (for both convenience and to keep the raspberries intact while mixing) the rich, flaky scone is drizzled on top with dark chocolate. The combination of raspberries and chocolate is pure heaven while calling to mind the flavors and color of Valentine’s Day.

Amazon Synopsis

When a heartless killer ruins a Valentine’s Day wedding, teddy bear shop manager Sasha Silverman vows to solve the crime . . .

At the Silver Bear Shop and Factory, Sasha will be selling plenty of bride and groom teddy bears come springtime. But this Valentine’s Day weekend, she’d take any of those silent, stuffed couples over the real thing. Sasha and her sister Maddie are bridesmaids at Cissy Davidson’s upcoming wedding in Silver Hollow. Cissy is fuming over the worst choice of best man—the jerk who broke her sister Debbie’s heart—and the groom-to-be won’t budge in his decision. At the rehearsal dinner you could cut the tension with a wedding cake knife.

That is, until best man Dylan is found dead, impaled with an ice pick. Although jilted Debbie is the most likely suspect—the blood on her dress doesn’t help her case—the bride begs Sasha to prove her sister’s innocence. If anyone’s going to walk down the aisle, Sasha will first need to find the cold-hearted killer who iced Dylan . . .

A special thanks to Meg Macy for providing a winner with a print copy of WEDDING BEAR BLUES.  Contest ends Monday, January 4, 2021 at 11:59 pm PST and is limited to U.S. residents. 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

Raspberry Scones with Dark Chocolate Drizzle

Ingredients

• 1 cup frozen raspberries
• 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 cups (15 ounces) all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into small pieces and chilled

For the drizzle:

• 1/3 cup dark chocolate, coarsely chopped

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees (F).

2. Place the frozen raspberries in a bowl and sprinkle the confectioners' sugar over. Stir until the berries are coated then place the bowl in the freezer until needed.

3. Whisk together the milk, egg, and vanilla extract. Set aside.

4. Place the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt and half the chilled butter into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse about 15 times until the butter is incorporated. Sprinkle the remaining chilled butter over the top of the flour mixture and pulse about 10 times until butter is small pea-sized pieces.

5. Place the flour mixture in a large mixing bowl and stir in the frozen berries. Pour the milk mixture in and gently stir until dough forms. There can be some dry bits of flour remaining.

6. Place the dough on a well-floured surface and bring together into a ball, kneading a couple of times if necessary. Pat the ball into a 9-inch circle and cut into 8 wedges.

7. Transfer the scone wedges to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes, until tops are golden.

8. Remove from oven and allow to cool on a wire rack.

For the drizzle:

1. Place the dark chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat on 70% power for 30 seconds. Stir well and heat in 10 second intervals at 70% power, stirring well after each cycle, until chocolate is melted.

2. Place the melted chocolate into a piping bag, or a ziplock plastic bag, and snip the corner off. Drizzle over the scones and serve.

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

WINE TASTINGS ARE MURDER, the fifth book in the Poppy McAllister Mystery series by Libby Klein, is my new favorite out of them all! That said, I’ll get my one and only criticism out of the way upfront… I hate love triangles and feel like the protagonist, Poppy McAllister, has dragged out her choice 3 books too long. However, the author has used her wicked sense of humor, in the form of supporting characters, to poke fun at and address the love triangle which made it more palatable. And (I’m jumping ahead here) there is a resolution with a jaw-dropping twist. If you’re like me in this regard, hang in there because the ride is well worth it!

Ms. Klein’s knack for hitting the one-liner zingers with impeccable timing had me laughing out loud more times than I could count. While Poppy may be the “serious” character in the bunch, her inner thoughts, along with dialog, is laced with hilarity. And then there are the supporting characters, Poppy’s Aunt Ginny being the chief ringleader. Her zany antics, as she leads her band of biddies in their quest for mischief and mayhem, kept me entertained every step of the way. Thrown in for more laughs are a young Eastern European narcoleptic housemaid, a houseful of wine tasting tourists, and a battle between the resident cat, Figeraro, and the naughty visiting teacup Pomeranian, Tammy Faye Baker.

Of course being a cozy mystery book there is a murder. One of the guests at Poppy’s B & B drops dead during a wine tasting event. The author’s attention to detail in setting up the murder and suspects is top notch and the clues and red herrings she plants are cleverly plotted. With plenty of suspects to keep a motivated reader guessing (I was more than happy to sit back and enjoy the story as it unfolded instead of trying to puzzle it out) the final reveal showcased another wickedly clever twist that takes the award for the most creative I’ve ever read!

Running a B & B along with dividing her time between providing gluten-free bakery items for a coffeehouse and desserts for a restaurant, Poppy spends a lot of time in the kitchen. All the mentions of food will leave the reader craving goodies and the author shares some of those recipes at the back of the book. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to bake her recipe for Gluten-Free Lemon Curd Muffins since lemon is my youngest granddaughter’s favorite flavor. I appreciated that the recipe calls for “gluten-free” flour instead of a bunch of different flours, which made the recipe much easier. While not specified, I used a cup-for-cup gluten-free substitute (such as King Arthur Flour or Bob’s Red Mill blend) so there’s no need to mess with xanthan gum. I also appreciated the recipe calls for pre-made, jarred lemon curd. With these conveniences, it didn’t take long to mix up and start baking. Super moist and oh so flavorful thanks to the generous amounts of lemon zest, lemon juice, and lemon curd, these are a delicious treat for breakfast and snack time, or serve with a dollop of ice cream for dessert!

Amazon Synopsis

It’s vintage Poppy McAllister when the gluten-free baker and B&B owner tries to solve a murder at a Cape May winery . . .

When Poppy and Aunt Ginny agreed to host a Wine and Cheese Happy Hour for a tour group at their Butterfly House Bed and Breakfast on the Jersey Shore, they never anticipated such a sour bunch. Grumpy guest Vince Baker should be in a better mood—he’s filthy rich and on his honeymoon with his much younger wife Sunny, who seems to dote on him almost as much as her high-spirited teacup Pomeranian, Tammy Faye Baker.

But the honeymoon is over when Vince drops dead the next day touring the Laughing Gull Winery. Turns out he’s been poisoned, and it seems like everybody on the tour is hiding something. Now Poppy has to put her gluten-free baking on the back burner and bottle up her feelings for the two men in her life while she charges after a bitter killer with a lethal case of sour grapes . . .

A special thanks to Libby Klein for providing two lucky winners with a print copy of WINE TASTINGS ARE MURDER. Contest limited to U.S. residents and ends Sunday, December 13, 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

Gluten-Free Lemon Curd Muffins

Ingredients

• 2-1/2 cups gluten-free flour (such as gf cup-for-cup / or you may use all-purpose flour)
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon pink salt
• 3/4 cup sugar
• Zest of 2 large lemons
• 1/4 cup juice from the 2 lemons you zested
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 jar lemon curd

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees (F) and grease a 12-cup muffin tin or line with cupcake papers.

2. Place the gluten-free flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl and whisk until combined.

3. Add sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, sour cream, butter, eggs, and vanilla to a mixing bowl and beat until well combined, 2 - 3 minutes.

4. Add the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl and mix on low just until combined. Be sure to not over-mix your batter, or you'll have rubbery muffins. The batter will be slightly stiff.

5. Fill each muffin cup halfway with the batter. Make a little well in the center with the spoon. Add 1 tablespoon of lemon curd into each muffin hole in the well you made. Top with the remaining batter to cover the lemon curd. Smooth out the tops if you want rounded muffins out of the oven. Mine didn't change shape at all as they baked.

6. Bake 15 - 20 minutes until lightly golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean.

7. Leave to cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes. I brushed the top of the warm muffins with a pastry brush dipped in the remaining lemon curd, but that's optional.

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

NACHO AVERAGE MURDER, the seventh book in the Country Store Mystery series by Maddie Day, is a delightful visit to Santa Barbara, California! I was especially thrilled when I found out that the protagonist, Robbie Jordan, was making a trip from her Indiana residence back to her hometown. I grew up in the area and it was obvious that Ms. Day researched it thoroughly. She accurately captures the sights, sounds, flavors, and smells of the location, from the beaches to the mission grounds, to the restaurants and Latin-inspired food, to the quaint shops and the historical culture. I enjoyed how she infuses her story with our Southern California Latino heritage via the dishes Robbie ate and the Spanish phrases we use frequently, no matter our ethnic background. It added to the authenticity of the locale.

Robbie’s visit is instigated by her tenth high school class reunion, where the mean girls are still the mean girls. I liked that Robbie feels like she’s moved beyond the self-doubt they inflicted on her in high school and how she reaches out to try to connect. It shows an insight into Robbie and the growth of her character over the years. While in town, she finds some disturbing information that perhaps her mother’s untimely death might have really been a murder connected to her involvement with local environmental activism. It becomes even more suspicious when her mother’s friend dies in the same manner.

Ms. Day weaves an intriguing mystery that involves a possible cold case and questionable environmental agriculture practices. Robbie treads carefully as she begins to ask questions to find out what really happened to her mother and friend since her usual posse of friends and law enforcement isn’t there to back her up. I did feel that Robbie took a few too many chances walking in deserted areas on her own but the author’s tongue-in-cheek acknowledgement of her foolhardiness brought some humor to the scenes. As the story develops it becomes clear that people are hiding secrets and as a result, there are lots of suspects to keep the reader guessing. Plenty of clues are sprinkled throughout and I fell for the misdirection thrown in several times. But as the reveal unfolds it all begins to tie together into a cohesive, entertaining read!

While Robbie may not be doing the cooking in this newest installment, she does partake of some amazing meals while in Santa Barbara. Always on the lookout for new recipes to add to her menu at Pans ‘N Pancakes in Indiana, she makes notes of the dishes and takes pictures. Ms. Day shares those recipes with a Southern California flair, at the back of the book. It’s not unusual to have orange trees dotting the backyards in most neighborhoods, so I was drawn to the recipe for Orange Scones. These flaky pastries are easy to mix up and the sweet, orange glaze boosts the wow factor. Scrumptious on their own, a smear of orange marmalade would make them even more delectable!

Amazon Synopsis

Robbie Jordan is temporarily leaving Pans ’N Pancakes, her country store in South Lick, Indiana, to visit Santa Barbara, California—where wildfire smoke tinges the air, but a more immediate danger may lie in wait . . .
 
While looking forward to her high school reunion back in California, Robbie’s anticipation is complicated by memories of her mother’s untimely death. At first, she has fun hanging out with her old classmates and reuniting with the local flavors—avocados, citrus, fish, and spicy Cali-Mex dishes. But then she gets wind of rumors that her mother, an environmental activist, may not have died of natural causes. With the help of friends, Robbie starts clearing the smoke surrounding the mystery—but what she finds could make it hard to get back to Indiana alive . . .

A special thanks to Maddie Day for providing one lucky winner with a print copy of NACHO AVERAGE MURDER! Giveaway is limited to U.S. residents. Contest ends Wednesday, July 1, 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

Orange Scones

Ingredients

Scones

• 1/3 cup sugar
• Zest of one large orange
• 2 cups unbleached flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, frozen
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 egg

For the glaze

• 1-1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice (from the orange you just zested)

Instructions

Scones

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees (F) and set oven rack to the middle position. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

2. In a medium-sized bowl, gently toss flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

3. In a separate small bowl, whisk sour cream and egg until completely smooth. Set aside.

4. In a large bowl, stir sugar and orange zest together until sugar is moistened and zest is evenly distributed. Pour in flour mixture and toss to combine.

5. Grate frozen butter into mixture using a medium grater. Using your hands, work in the butter until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Gently stir in sour cream mixture until just about combined. Do not overwork the dough.

6. Very gently press the dough against the sides of the bowl a few times and form a ball. The dough will be sticky at first but will come together as you form it.

7. Place dough on a lightly floured surface and gently pat into an 8-inch circle about 3/4-inch thick. Use a very sharp knife to cut into eight triangles (like a pizza). transfer triangles onto prepared baking sheet, leaving about 1 inch between.

8. Bake scones for 15 - 17 minutes or until the tops begin to turn golden. Don't take them out too early or they will be too soft. Allow them to cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.

For the glaze

1. While the scones bake, prepare the glaze. Melt butter in a glass dish in the microwave for 30 seconds. Whisk in the powdered sugar, vanilla, and orange juice until smooth.

2. Once completely cooled, drizzle the glaze on the scone tops and sides with a spoon.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Pin to Pinterest:

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

Click on book to visit Amazon

THE GRIM READER, the fourteenth book in the Bibliophile Mystery series by Kate Carlisle, brings the reader back to the delightful setting of Dharma, a quaint wine country town situated in Sonoma County in Northern California. A long-time fan, I’ve greatly enjoyed previous books that has protagonist, Brooklyn, and her new husband, Derek, surrounded by their family and close friends. THE GRIM READER brings them all back together for the first annual Book Festival in Dharma. The close-knit relationships Brooklyn and Derek’s family have together is heartwarming. I love how they’re supportive of each other with nary a jealous or snide remark to be seen within the in-laws. In fact, Brooklyn and Derek’s mothers have become best friends and together they are a force to be reckoned with. I greatly enjoyed seeing Brooklyn’s mom, Becky, take center stage in this story, which helps give the reader glimpses of why Brooklyn is who she’s become in adulthood. One of the greatest strengths in this series is the character development Ms. Carlisle brings throughout the arc of the books and builds on that development with each passing page.

While Brooklyn and Derek’s families may be kindhearted, caring individuals (and most of the community is as well!) a greedy predator is gobbling up local vineyards and using the harvests to produce inferior boxed wine. He goes out of his way to harass and threaten the Book Festival committee, particularly, Becky. Early on in the book I thought I knew which way the mystery would go but Ms. Carlisle throws in several twists to keep the reader on their toes. I love how she intertwines a rare mishandled first edition copy of Little Women into the mystery along with scenes showcasing Brooklyn’s bookbinding and restoration skills. With plenty of suspicious suspects to keep the reader guessing, the plot unfolds at a nice pace until the dramatic reveal. The author does a great job of wrapping up all the threads in the story into an entertaining conclusion that left me wishing the next book in the series was ready for me to read!

Brooklyn and Derek share many meals with their family and close friends during their visit to Dharma, especially breakfast. I was delighted to see the Ms. Carlisle provides several mouthwatering breakfast recipes at the back of the book, all which sound fabulous! I was drawn to the recipe for Streusel-topped Pumpkin Scones (I’ve been on a pumpkin kick for a while now!) and am so glad I decided to try it. My granddaughter isn’t a fan of scones but she gave these two thumbs up and went back for seconds. The sweet streusel complements the cinnamon in the scone without being overly crumbly, while the mild pumpkin brings color and good texture to the treat. She liked that these were moist and sweet enough on their own without having to drench them in additional butter and jam making them perfect for a grab-and-go breakfast or snack.

Amazon Synopsis

Brooklyn and her new hunky husband, Derek, are excited to be guests at Dharma’s first annual Book Festival. The entire town is involved and Brooklyn’s mom Rebecca is taking charge. In addition to all of her other event related duties, she’s got Brooklyn doing rare book appraisals and is also staging Little Women, the musical to delight the festival goers. If that wasn’t enough, she and Meg—Derek’s mom—will have a booth where they read palms and tarot cards.

Brooklyn couldn’t be prouder of her mom’s do-it-all attitude so when a greedy local businessman who seems intent on destroying Dharma starts harassing Rebecca, Brooklyn is ready to take him down. Rebecca is able to hold her own with the nasty jerk until one of her fellow festival committee members is brutally murdered and the money for the festival seems to have vanished into thin air.
Things get even more personal when one of Brooklyn’s nearest and dearest is nearly run down in cold blood. Brooklyn and Derek go into attack mode and the pressure is on to catch a spineless killer before they find themselves skipping the festival for a funeral.

A special thanks to Kate Carlisle for providing one lucky winner with a print advance copy of THE GRIM READER! Giveaway is limited to U.S. residents. Contest ends Sunday, June 14, 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

Streusel-Topped Maple-Pumpkin Scones

Ingredients

Maple Sugar

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup

Streusel Topping

• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 tablespoons maple-sugar, packed
• 1 tablespoon butter

Scones

• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 2-1/4 cups flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 cup maple-sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup cold butter
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon cream, divided
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

Maple Sugar

1. Stir together maple and sugar with a fork until well combined. Set aside.

Streusel Topping

1. Whisk the flour and sugar until well combined. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter. Set aside.

Scones

1. Place pumpkin in a sieve over a bowl so the pumpkin will drain. If possible, do this the night before and put the sieve and bowl in the fridge because cold ingredients make for flaky scones.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and put in the fridge.
3. Sift together the flour through nutmeg. Whisk in the sugar. Cut the butter into ¼-inch chunks. Add to the dry ingredients and cut in with a pastry blender or two butter knives until the mixture has a crumb-like texture.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, pumpkin, ¼ cup of cream and vanilla. Fold into the dry ingredients just until it pulls together into a ball. If necessary, add cream one teaspoon at a time. Don’t overwork.
5. Place the ball on the parchment-lined baking sheet and pat down into a 10-inch circle. Slice into 8 wedges and pull apart so each scone is separate. Brush with cream. Top with streusel. Bake until scones are brown on bottom and streusel is golden on top, about 20-25 minutes.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Pin to Pinterest:

If you receive my blog post via email you will need to visit my website to view the video.

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