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THE GARDEN CLUB MURDER by Amy Patricia Meade, is the second book in the Tish Tarragon mystery series. The senior citizens preparing for their annual garden club competition and luncheon are a varied lot and not exactly who I would expect to toil in the sun and soil to create beautiful works of nature. There’s the cosmetic queen, the wealthy yet abusive businessman, the grief-stricken mother and wife, the confirmed bachelor, and the live life to the fullest woman. There is plenty of strife between the contestants, each vying to capture the coveted award from businessman Sloan Shackleford. It wasn’t much of a surprise when Sloan is found murdered in his prize-winning garden. Ms. Reade does an admirable job portraying and developing the characters, especially the protagonist, caterer Tish Tarragon, who is also owner of Cookin’ the Books Café. While she doesn’t want to investigate, the senior citizens like to gossip with her and as a result, gets involved. I like that Tish is quick to turn the information imparted to her, over to Sherriff Reade.
Assisting Tish with both the “non-investigation” and catering, is her adorable sidekick Jules (Julian) Jefferson Davis, the Channel 10 weatherman. They have a close friendship and a snappy repartee. This adds to a gentle humor that lightens the murder mystery. While I thought the pace started out slow, once the murder took place, the author’s writing tightened and the story captured my attention. There were subplot mysteries that added to the overall appeal and ramped up the emotional level. The twist at the reveal left me speechless, since I didn’t see it coming yet it added another layer of satisfaction to an entertaining read.
While this culinary mystery doesn’t contain recipes, Tish Tarragon cooks up some amazing dishes for her restaurant, her friends, and for her catering gig, that left my mouth watering. One of the treats she makes is Lemon Lavender Cake…an utterly delicious and elegant combination of flavors! While this is baked in a loaf pan, it could easily be baked in mini bundt pans for a pretty presentation. So delicious, this “cake” is a yummy treat for breakfast, tea time, or dessert.
Amazon Synopsis
Literary caterer Letitia ‘Tish’ Tarragon is preparing her English Secret Garden-themed luncheon for Coleton Creek’s annual garden club awards, but when she is taken on a tour of some of the top contenders with the garden club’s president, Jim Ainsley, Tish is surprised at how seriously the residents take the awards – and how desperate they are to win. Wealthy, retired businessman Sloane Shackleford has won the coveted best garden category five years in a row, but he and his Bichon Frise, Biscuit, are universally despised. When Sloane’s bludgeoned body is discovered in his pristine garden, Tish soon learns that he was disliked for reasons that go beyond his green fingers. Have the hotly contested awards brought out a competitive and murderous streak in one of the residents?
A special thanks to Amy Patricia Meade for providing one winner with a print copy of THE GARDEN CLUB MURDER. Contest ends Wednesday, August 21, 2019 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!)
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1-3/4 cup (220g) cake flour
- 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda/bicarbonate of soda
- 1 cup (200g) sugar (I use golden caster sugar here in the UK, but white works fine)
- 2 lemons, zested
- 1/2 cup (100 ml) plain yogurt
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice (the approx. amount from the zested lemons)
- 3 large eggs
- 3/4 teaspoons dried lavender
- 1/2 cup (50g) powdered/icing sugar
- 3 teaspoons lemon juice
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Preheat oven to 350F/180C. Grease a standard 9”x5” loaf pan.
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Melt the butter in a pot over low heat (or in the microwave) and set aside. It needs to reach room temperature before use.
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In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and baking soda and set aside.
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In another bowl, grate the zest of the lemons and combine it with the sugar. Stir well in order to rub the essential oils of the zest into the sugar. The sugar should be slightly damp. Set aside.
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Crush the dried lavender using a rolling pin or a mortar and pestle, if you have one, and add it to the sugar mix. Stir until the damp sugar is fragrant.
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Add the yogurt into the sugar mixture and mix it on medium-slow speed.
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With the mixer still on, add the lemon juice and the eggs, one at a time.
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Stop the mixer and add the flour mixture. Mix until just combined.
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Whisk in the melted butter until you have a smooth batter.
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Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and bake for approx. 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes then invert onto serving platter.
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For the glaze:
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Stir icing sugar and lemon juice until well blended and pour onto the warm cake.
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Garnish with sprigs of lavender, candied violets, or edible flowers.
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I was provided an advance copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I don’t attend garden club events. And sadly, my gardening skills are non existent. Congratulations on the new release!
I don’t attend a garden club event since I live in a downtown highrise and there is no place to have a garden I do enjoy what the city plants every year all over the downtown area. Congrats.
I used to be in a garden club that I enjoyed. I have enthusiasm, but unfortunately, I really don’t have a green thumb. I just bought some dried lavender spice to use in lavender lemonade, so I’m excited to see this recipe for Lemon Lavender Cake — I can’t wait to make it!
I do not attend garden club events and neither do I garden, I’m not a very good gardener, as I do not have enough time to devote to it and I realize you must weed and sometimes water the garden.
I plant my own flower and vegetable gardens. It’s a hobby of mine. I have attended a few garden club events with friends. It’s nice to see professionally done gardens. Thanks for the chance!
I plant my own garden and this have an abundance of tomatoes.
I enjoy beautiful gardens, but haven’t belonged to a club. Thanks for the opportunity.
I don’t belong to any garden club but I do have a garden in my backyard.
We plant a garden every year- tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini & peppers. I also have several flower beds
Sounds very good, I have a small patio I have some plants on it we have tomato and sage and rosemary we live on the 2nd floor.
Penney
I belong to a Master Garderners Association in Alabama. Its a fun thing to do we go around town and spruce up city park and city hall with flowers. I love anything lemony.
I’d love to try this recipe and pair it with lavender lemonade. I don’t grow lavender so where can I buy dried lavender that is safe to cook with?
That cake sounds scrumptious! And so does the book. As or garden club events – I don’t know that there’s anything like that around where I live and even if there was… Not my thing. Though I do have indoor plants!
I don’t attend gardening events and no longer garden.
I garden a little but I seem to have inherited my mother’s black thumb. Right now I’m trying again to grow a pineapple plant, just for fun. We don’t have a garden club around here though it would be nice to be able to compare tips.
I try some container gardening with mixed results.
I have a black thumb so no garden or gardening events for me, though I think it would be fun. Congrats on the new release, I’m looking forward to reading it.
I don’t belong to a garden club but my yard is one big garden. Gardening is my therapy and is where I can regroup my thoughts and find peace. I love the cover of this book and would love to be lucky enough to have my name chosen. The recipe looks interesting since I love lemon anything. Thanks for providing an insight into The Garden Club Murder.
I don’t attend garden club events and my daughter in law wanted to do the gardening this year. I have a black thumb.
we put out a garden every year
I planted a small garden this year but it didn’t do very well. 🙁
I never attended a garden club event. I use to have a garden. Thank you for a chance to win a hardcover copy of The Garden Club Murder.
I love gardening and belong to two garden clubs and attend gardening seminars, programs and events. Cake sounds wonderful and want to make it but was wondering if the 250 degrees was the correct baking temperature…
Eek! Thanks for pointing out my typo… I’ve corrected it now.
I don’t attend garden club events and I’m an amateur gardener.
Used to garden but now we live at 10’000 feet in the Colorado Rockies so I can’t anymore. But I do grow flowers in pots!
Thanks for the chance to win!
My FIL plants a garden for the family. We’ve been tending it lately because he’s been ill.
No to both questions.
In the past, we have had both vegetable and flower gardens. Since we moved two years ago, we haven’t been able to establish a garden area or plant big because of doing some much wanted traveling. You have to be home to water, maintain and pick a garden for it to flourish. Being gone 2-3 weeks at a time isn’t great for gardening. However, we just had a rock border laid for a 8X16′ smaller bed for veggies and two flower gardens in preparation for next year. We will work on amending the soil and getting the dirt ready for planting next year. We can’t wait!
We have always lived in a small town and not had the chance to attend garden clubs. Here though they do have an iris club which we have attended and we now have iris’ in the yard as well.
Can’t wait for the opportunity to read “THE GARDEN CLUB MURDER” by Amy Patricia Meade. Great cover! The recipe for Lemon Lavender Cake sound wonderful and intriguing. I’ve never baked with lavender before and may just have to have a first by baking this one.
I’ve never belonged to a gardening club, I live out in the country and have my own garden.
no to both
I plant my own garden!
We’ve got lovely flower gardens—whoever planned it all did a great job, so that something is always blooming. Last year we had a great vegetable garden, but the weather was so weird this spring that we couldn’t plant, couldn’t plant, finally could but lost the sweet spot. Hopefully next year.
I inherited my mom’s miraculous abilities in the garden – meaning if anything survives it’s a miracle! I plant flowers in pots on the porch and can usually keep them alive until the first hard frost. Nothing survives inside as my 3 cats enjoy eating them. I don’t attend garden events but I love beautiful gardens.
I don’t attend any Garden Club meetings…they would kick me out as soon as I looked at a flower and it died. LOL…no green thumb here.
I plant a Little garden with tomatoes and flowers. The cake sounds delicious. My lavender always dies.?thank you for the chance.
I have a little garden. But my lavender always dies. Your cake sounds delicious delicious. Thank you for the chance
No garden club, but I love to plant a vegetable garden. There is nothing like fresh tomatoes from the garden.
No garden club parties and I can’t grow anything!
No garden club, but I plant my own garden.
We have flowers all around our house. I love summer.
Thank you for this wonderful recipe. I have both a vegetable garden and a butterfly garden.
sure love this page
No I don’t attend garden club events, I try to plant a garden here but so far the weeds are winning. I don’t have the time to put in the effort that it needs unfortunately. 🙂
I haven’t attended a garden club, I can’t grow anything. I kill cactus.
I am not a gardener. I haven’t been successful at trying to grow most plants. Only a couple have survived. I love reading books about gardening though!
Have never belonged to a garden club. But have had my own garden for a number of years.
I don’t belong to a garden club, but when I was living in Indiana I had a garden where we grew cucumbers & tomatoes and we had some beautiful flowers that we planted. Congrats on this amazing new release. Thanks for this awesome giveaway.
We plant our own garden. I have never had lavender in food! That would be interesting!
We have our own garden. I have never had lavender in food. I bet it would be interesting!
This book (& recipe) sound amazing! We have a large garden we plant every year for our family of 10… being that 8 of us are Vegan or Vegetarian, it is a must! My husband & I enjoy garden shows- we find the most magical things!
Cheers-
Kelly Braun
I just have a tomato plant and catnip in my garden.
Lavender lemonade is great, so I bet this cake is too !