KILLER GREEN TOMATOES by Lynn Cahoon is the second book in the Farm-to-Fork Mystery series and is a worthy addition to a delightful series. Protagonist Angie Turner owns the County Seat restaurant with her best friend, Felicia, in the small town of River Vista, Idaho. Angie’s life centers on preparing delicious food and treating her employees like family. In fact, there is a very strong theme of family that is woven into both the plot and the subplots of the book, from her employees, to her elderly neighbors, to her adorable pets. You can’t help but love her giant St. Bernard puppy, Dom! I also greatly enjoyed the descriptions of food and cooking and how it connects families and friends together. Ms. Cahoon also provides an emotional connection between Angie and her deceased grandmother by involving recipes passed down. I loved her idea of creating a cookbook from those handwritten, food stained treasured papers!
With characters you can love and relate to, the story also contains a well-written mystery. When Angie’s sous-chef’s cousin is accused of murder and then disappears, Estebe begs her to find him and clear his name. The author weaves in bits and pieces about the Basque culture and the festival organized by Estebe’s family. There were plenty of suspects and a strong plot that kept the pace flowing and the conclusion wrapped up the threads of the subplots nicely. I look forward to reading more books in this series!
Angie creates so many delicious farm-fresh recipes for her restaurant and works on perfecting her grandmother’s recipe for fried green tomatoes. Ms. Cahoon includes a recipe for Viola’s Fried Zucchini at the back of the book instead of fried green tomatoes because according to her, “We didn’t do Fried Green Tomatoes. Tomatoes were for canning to be used later for chilis, stews, and spaghetti sauces. Mom cooked a different summer treat, Fried Zucchini.” Deliciously crispy, these delectable rounds of fried squash are a great way to use up some of summer’s bounty!
Amazon Synopsis
The time seems ripe for success as Angie Turner opens her farm-to-table restaurant in her Idaho hometown-until her new tomato supplier is accused of murder and Angie has to pick the real killer…
To Angie, nothing tastes more like summer than her Nona’s fried green tomatoes. Eager to add the recipe to the menu at the County Seat, she’s found the perfect produce supplier-her sous chef Estebe’s cousin, Javier. Just one problem: ladies’ man Javier’s current hot tomato, Heather, has turned up dead, and he’s the prime suspect. Somehow, between managing her restaurant and navigating a romantic triangle between Estebe and Ian, the owner/manager of the farmer’s market, Angie needs to produce evidence to clear Javier-before this green tomato farmer gets fried . . .
A special thanks to Lynn Cahoon for providing a winner with an e-book copy of KILLER GREEN TOMATOES! Contest ends Monday, July 9, 2018 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!)
Note from author Lynn Cahoon: Mom cooked a different summer treat, Fried Zucchini. Breaded and battered, the crispy treat made my mouth water, and even now I don't have much luck getting the appetizer on the table before the slices are stolen from the paper towel where they sit waiting to be plated.
- 1 large zucchini*
- 3 eggs
- 1/4 cup water
- Seasoning to taste: whatever you like, such as garlic salt, pepper, Season-all
- Flour, seasoned as you wish
- Panko breading that's been seasoned. Optional but not needed.
- Vegetable oil
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Wash the zucchini then slice into fairly thin rounds.
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Beat the eggs with the water and season to taste and place in a flat bowl or container.
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Make a breading station with eggs in one container, the seasoned flour in another, and if using the panko breading in a third container.
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Heat oil in a cast iron skillet. (Mom used Crisco or lard, depending on what she had. I like the cleaner taste of vegetable oil.)
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Dip zucchini in flour, egg mixture, then flour again (or in panko breading if using).
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Place each slice carefully in the hot oil. You only need to cook these a few seconds on each side. The thinner the rounds, the faster the zucchini inside will cook. Get a nice brown crunch on the outside, take them out, and lay on a paper towel. Season with sea salt (my addition) while hot, and then serve.
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Repeat with the rest of the slices.
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Enjoy! Fair warning: This is not a diet food.
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*Zucchini are typically too small in the grocery store. Look for ones about 12-inches long and 3-inches around. But get them fresh, before the seeds harden.
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I was provided an advance copy with the hopes I would review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I have gardened extensively in the past, but this year we decided to take a break. But yes, we grow lots and lots of tomatoes. Yum!
I think we had the same mother! Canned tomatoes and fried zucchini!
Yes I have a garden and put up fruits and vegetables for the winter.
Nope I live downtown In a high rise apartment but do go to the farmers market downtown every Saturday to buy fresh vegetables and fruits when in season.
I have tried to grow herbs and a few things on our patio, but Texas summers are so hot, and I have a black thumb.
No, have never managed to grow anything.
We have a small garden with a few veggies. We planted a rhubarb plant this year and we’re hoping it survives all the heat and storms.
We have a small garden. I love the recipe for fried zucchini! Thank you for sharing it. I love fried green tomatoes but I haven’t had luck growing tomatoes up here in Alaska. Fried zucchini though…that will be a good substitute. I am looking forward to reading Killer Green Tomatoes. I love that title. Haha.
I have tried but I don’t seem to have the green thumb my grandmother had as I was growing up. But I did find I can grow scallions!
When I was a child and living with my parent’s we grew all types of produce and would also pick berries and other fruit at fellow farmers. Since I live in the city now there isn’t much room for a huge garden but try pot growing tomatoes. There is nothing better than going outside a picking a fresh tomato to add to your salad or just to eat on the side.
I’ve gardened many times over the years but mostly just flowers now.
This sounds like a great recipe even though we are not a big fan of zucchini in our family but we do love lots of other batter coated and fried vegetables. Mushrooms are one of our favorites and cooked any way. Have this book on my wish list. Thank you. We used to have a nice garden but now living in a townhouse community which doesn’t allow any planting of gardens. Sad for that. Miss our freshly picked produce so much!!
We try every single year. LOL. We have too many critters that enjoy the garden as much as we want to.
I can’t grow anything to save my life! BUT I do LOVE LOVE LOVE zucchini! I tend to pan fry it with a little olive oil and garlic salt but this sounds super yummy to shake things up a bit. Thanks for the recipe!
I don’t grow vegetables, but I do grow raspberries. It’s so nice to pick the berries fresh off the bush.
I have planted a garden the past four years. The first was just tomatoes, peppers and okra. Every year I add something new to try and if I like it and it grows good I will keep it in my garden, after 4 years I don’t have much of a yard to mow during garden season.
I am jealous Viola’s fried Zucchini is prettier than mine
Thank you for the review and the chance to win a copy of Killer Green Tomatoes.
I have gardened previously and had corn, lettuce, tomatoes, green and jalapeno peppers, basil, parsley and oregano. But this year, I have moved to a new location and have not started anything. This zucchini recipe looks wonderful and I can’t wait to try it. And Killer Green Tomatoes sounds great and lots of fun. Thank you for the chance.
I did when I was able to, I had tomato plants that were 7′ tall.
We used to have a garden. Thank you for a chance to win an e-book copy of Killer Green Tomatoes.
I used to garden a lot but I am unable to do much now.
I love growing zucchini and tomatoes. I make and freeze spaghetti sauce and love tomato sandwiches and zucchini cakes. The deer and tomato worms ? have been enjoying our plants as well.
Ah, zucchini. 1 inch long today, 1 foot long tomorrow!
I used to have 300 yrs roses, 200 minis, 50 tomato plants, 30 pepper plants, and lots of vegetables and fruit plants 20 years ago. Loved it.y
Yes, used to all the time but we love high in the mountains now so can’t grow them anymore. ?
Yes, I love to garden, although do a few less plants than I used to. Green beans, tomatoes (several varieties) and zucchini are a must!
I don’t grow my own veggies. I have friends & family who often give me some they’ve grown.
Our zucchini is starting to come on and I baked my first batch of zucchini bread this morning. I can’t wait to try the fried zucchini recipe!
I have grown veggies but now just grow herbs.
Thanks for the recipes!
We just moved to FL less than a year ago and my husband tried to grow some vegetables but didn’t have much luck. He didn’t even try to keep up with the grass and weeds. Now he is trying to grow pineapples. Flowers are doing good especially the roses. Much better than in MA. I love the palm trees in the yard, they aren’t very big so we don’t have to worry about them falling on the roof during any storms. We were here less than 3 weeks when Hurrican Irma struck.
I grew tomatos, peppers, and herbs in pots for years, but don’t any more. I discovered the amazing produce shops in our county, and decided to let them do the work. ??
I have had gardens in the past, but not this year! I love pepper plants to see all the colors of the variety of each. Thanks for the giveaway!
I don’t garden now but my parents did when I was growing up. My dad liked fried green tomatoes and zucchini and I used to make them for him.
I’ve always had a nice, bit garden when I owned a home. Now that I’m older I live in an apartment with a really nice covered balcony & I grow tomatoes, squash, peppers, watermelon, & cantaloupe on my balcony. I love fresh garden food.
I don’t garden but do love fresh fruits and vegs
I grow green beans, Swiss chard, spinach, cukes, eggplants, peppers and herbs. I never seem to have much luck with zucchinis
I love fried zucchini and fried green tomatoes. I eat a can of diced tomatoes every day–with either Miracle Whip, cottage cheese, tuna, mac and cheese, scrambled eggs, cucumbers or stewed–I mix it up one day to the next. I have never met a veggie I did not love! My son is finally starting to like zucchini–after all these years! He is 30, I am so proud!–zucchini and beets are the only two he would never eat, but that is okay since it left more for me. 😉
Congratulations on your books–I know there is so much work involved to make us all so happy! I am adding the series to my ‘must read’ list and am super excited to have a new author to read.
Thank you for the chance to win your book!!
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