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STRANGLED EGGS AND HAM, the sixth book in the Country Store Mystery series by Maddie Day, brings the reader back to America’s heartland, Indiana. She effectively captures the setting, bringing the location and characters to life, both the good and the bad. The colloquialisms and Midwest accents the characters use sound authentic, and I felt the need to turn on my own air conditioning as they dealt with August heat and humidity. Protagonist Robbie Jordan is a very capable heroine. As owner of the Country Store Pans ‘N Pancakes restaurant and B & B, she has her hands full with hungry customers and overnight guests. But her life becomes even more hectic when a guest is murdered after he agrees to help Robbie’s elderly Aunt Adele stage a protest against a resort development.
I adored the character of Aunt Adele and her protest is quite a hoot. She’s feisty and willing to get involved to right a wrong. At the same time, she’s a caring person helping those in need. It’s obvious that her niece, Robbie, has the same admirable qualities that are displayed throughout the tale. Despite her commitment to working hard and making her business a success, Jordan knows she needs to step in and help find the killer, especially after her aunt is threatened. There were plenty of clues sprinkled throughout the story, while the clash between the residents over the pros and cons of the planned resort brought an emotional component to the story. With a suspenseful reveal, the threads of the mystery were woven together into one satisfying conclusion.
Robbie and her Pans ‘N Pancakes crew, whip up some delectable dishes for the customers. So many mouthwatering dishes are mentioned and fortunately for the reader, Ms. Day provides a variety of recipes at the back of the book. I was drawn to the Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins because, well… chocolate! And they were yummy! Here’s a clip from the author, Maddie Day:
Robbie Jordan makes these easy muffins as a breakfast special. She finds baking while the restaurant is closed, or prepping for the day before, is a good time to think about the mystery at hand. Here’s a clip from the book as she starts to make the muffins:
I headed into the restaurant. Busying my hands with cooking often allowed new ideas to bubble up into my consciousness. When my cat perked up and trotted after me, I said. “Yes, Birdy, you can come, too.” I hauled butter, eggs, and milk out from the walk-in, grabbed a couple of big bags of mini chocolate chips, and fired up the wide oven. I mixed the dry ingredients—flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar—then broke the eggs into a well in the middle and used a fork to stir them in, thinking as I worked.
Amazon Synopsis
Robbie Jordan’s rustic country store is growing in popularity. But when a dead body appears, it turns out that Robbie’s home-style cooking attracts hungry customers—and murder!
While Robbie scrambles through breakfast orders for her expanding clientele at Pans ‘N Pancakes, tempers run as high as the sticky August heat in South Lick, Indiana. Real-estate developer Fiona Closs plans to build a towering luxury resort at one of the most scenic hilltops in Brown County, and not everyone can see the sunny side of the imposing proposition—including Robbie’s furious Aunt Adele, who doesn’t waste a minute concocting protests and road blockades. When tensions boil over and a vocal protester is silenced forever at the resort site, Robbie ditches the griddle to catch the killer. But if slashed tires are any indication, she’ll need to crack this case before her own aunt gets served something deadly next . . .
A special thanks to Maddie Day for providing one winner with a print copy of STRANGLED EGGS AND HAM. Contest ends Sunday, June 30, 2019 at 11:59 pm PST and limited to U.S. 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!)
Robbie Jordan makes these easy muffins as a breakfast special. She finds baking while the restaurant is closed, or prepping for the day before, is a good time to think about the mystery at hand. Here's a clip from the book as she starts to make the muffins:
I headed into the restaurant. Busying my hands with cooking often allowed new ideas to bubble up into my consciousness. When my cat perked up and trotted after me, I said. “Yes, Birdy, you can come, too.” I hauled butter, eggs, and milk out from the walk-in, grabbed a couple of big bags of mini chocolate chips, and fired up the wide oven. I mixed the dry ingredients—flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar—then broke the eggs into a well in the middle and used a fork to stir them in, thinking as I worked.
- 1 cup unbleached white flour
- 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup dark cocoa
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup milk
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
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Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a standard muffin tin or line with cupcake papers.
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Combine the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.
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Make a well and break the eggs into it.
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Stir them with a fork to slightly mix. Add oil, milk, vanilla, and chocolate chips, and mix in with a fork until barely combined.
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Fill muffin tin and bake for twenty minutes or until lightly browned on top. Let cool for ten minutes in the tin before removing.
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I was provided an advance copy via Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Scrambled or hard boiled top my list! Can’t wait to read it!
Love scrambled eggs and omelets. I grew up in the south eating ketchup on my scrambled eggs. As an adult, I learned there are endless ways to eat them in omelets too.
LOVE Maddie Day’s books and can’t wait for the opportunity to read “STRANGLED EGGS AND HAM”. Thank you for the opportunity to win a copy. <3
Love muffins and love chocolate so nothing could beat putting them together. The recipe for Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins makes my mouth water just reading it. Definitely going in my recipe file and trying it very soon.
Oh what a wonderful recipe. Thanks for sharing. This looks like a fabulous series. Will have to check them out. I love eggs, especially if they are over easy or baked with veggies.
EGGS ARE MY LIFE!!WILL EAT THEM FIXED ANY WAY,EAT THEM ANY TIME OF DAY!!REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THIS BOOK & CHECKING OUT RECIPES!!
I love a good omelet with bacon and cheese. This recipe sounds great!
Eggs, eggs, eggs…every way possible. I really love a great scrambled egg….all buttery & good.
Love scrambled eggs and omelets, boiled eggs.
I love the cover on the book..
I like my eggs over easy.
Properly poached eggs where the yolk is still somewhat liquid.
Scrambled or poached is how I like my eggs. Thanks for recipe and chance to win.
poached
I like eggs cooked just about any way—an omelet is one of my favorites because I can add so many different things to them.
love my eggs over-easy, scrambled and boiled. thanks for the great sounding recipe
I like mine scramble
The recipe sounds great and so does the book!
Oh, and I like my eggs pretty much any way—omelettes are a favorite way.
I like my eggs deviled, on french toast, scrambled and fried. Thank you for a chance to win a print copy of Strangled Eggs And Ham.
I don’t like eggs and I never eat eggs.
I love scrambled eggs or a ham and cheddar omelet
Scrambled, I can’t stand runny eggs and this is the only way I’m safe, LOL.
Scrambled!
If fried, it needs to be fried hard with the yolk completely cooked (a waitress once told me fried hard what it’s called for no wet guts in it lol), or I like scrambled.
I make omelets with veggies, greens, peppers and whatever else is handy, and cheese . . . and ham or bacon. Mmmm
Right now, I want one of those muffins. <3
Fried with yolk to dip bread into. Yum also omelets.
No eggs for me as i’m a vegan and truth be told i don’t miss them at all.
I want my eggs fried — over hard — break those yolks and cook them thru. I once ordered them this way and the server wrote down scrambled.
I do like hard boiled eggs. And I like deviled eggs. I will eat scrambled. And of course, I like eggs in an omelet — with ham & cheese, bell peppers, onion, tomatoes, sausage, jalapenos, etc.
I like my eggs scrambled, nice and fluffly. I will have an occasional omelet with ham and cheese but they are usually too big for me. Thank you so much for this chance!!
I’m a huge poached eggs fan, and when we go out to breakfast to one particular restaurant, I usually get Eggs Benedict with a sausage patty instead of Canadian bacon. At home I have an easy blender Hollandaise sauce recipe that I make for my favorite breakfast if I so desire. I also enjoy eggs over easy but since I’ve been unable to stand and do much cooking my husband makes the eggs and all he can do successfully is scrambled! I like mine nice and moist and almost like an omelet and he’s getting better at preparing that now.?
Congratulations on the release and I’m really hoping to win a copy to read while trying to recover from a very traumatic car accident 8 days ago.
I wish I could make these muffins as those would satisfy my craving for chocolate cake I do believe!
Thank you .
Cynthia
I love eggs pretty much any way they’re cooked. Scrambled is my favorite.
I love eggs. Fried eggs or bacon and cheese omelets are my favorite. I also like scrambled eggs, hardboiled eggs in salads, and deviled eggs.
I love my eggs over medium, scrambled, poached and hard boiled. Congratulations on the new release.
I love my eggs scrambled with cheese
Scrambled, poached, coddled, over easy, or hard boiled… it doesn’t matter to me. I love eggs!
Love eggs. Anyway they can be fixed. For breakfast I will sometimes whip an egg and add to a mashed banana for a banana pancake for breakfast. But, mainly, everyday I whip an egg, add a little bit of bell pepper for color, & a bit of garlic or onion. Maybe a bit of meat. And cook in my one egg skillet. They puff up so nice.
I like mine scrambled with some cheese in them. YUMMY. I am going to try this recipe soon….looks so good!
you can never go wrong with chocolate . ??
Sunny side up with toast to dunk in the yolk.
My eggs need to be scrambled. I really love the title of your book. Thank you for the giveaway.
I like my eggs either scrambled with shredded ham and cheese added or I steam cook them with my yolks runny and then I smash them into my hashbrowns.
I like my eggs over easy or soft boiled
Scrambled or sunny side up. Sounds like a great book!
Love the chocolate chip recipe & I like my egg scrambled. Thanks for your generosity.
Scrambled or over easy , Haven’t read Cinnamon& Sugar Series but am going to real soon looks like a books I would enjoy a lot
I like scrambled eggs, hard boiled eggs, and fried eggs with the yolk runny. While not my favorite food.
I like omelettes with lots of fillings.