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CLASS REUNIONS ARE MURDER, the first book in the brand new Poppy McAllister Mystery series by Libby Klein, is sure to be a mega-hit! From the beginning, I was drawn into the story and the life of the protagonist, Poppy McAllister. Like a favorite dessert, I wanted to gobble the book up all at once in one sitting but real life sometimes doesn’t allow that so I had to put it down frequently. However, those interludes allowed me to savor every delicious word and scene in the story, making my reading time all the more meaningful and enjoyable. Ms. Klein has created a compelling character in Poppy, who is struggling with grief caused by widowhood. Despite her loss, Poppy’s dialog and introspection is humorous and at times laugh-out-loud funny. Poppy starts out being an insecure pushover, bullied by her former mother-in-law and walked over by everyone else. Her journey back to her hometown to visit her Aunt Ginny and attend (unwillingly) her class reunion is the catalyst for Poppy’s transformation. Ms. Klein accurately captures the angst of the insecurities of high school, with the descriptions of interaction between students: the popular kids, the mean girls, the nerds, those trying to just get through without being noticed. Yet through it all, the author writes with a witty sense of humor that truly adds to the entertainment of this engaging read.
Of course amazing characters need a terrific plot and Ms. Klein delivers. The pace is steady and the murder mystery well thought out. Almost the entire student body attending the class reunion are suspects, Poppy included, when one of the mean girls from their class is murdered during the party. The author also weaves in another layer of mystery surrounding Poppy’s Aunt Ginny and why she’s being harassed by social services. It brings to light the tragic situations surrounding senior citizens and how often they are targeted for defrauding. As I read, I had to cheer for Aunt Ginny and her spunky, free spirit. She is a delightful sidekick for Poppy. The various threads of plot, suspects, and subplots are all nicely wrapped up in an exciting, suspenseful conclusion. I am counting down the days until the next installment in this terrific new series!
In the book Aunt Ginny sets Poppy up with a holistic doctor who convinces her to go gluten-free and try to give the Paleo diet a try. As difficult as it is for Poppy to adhere to the diet, she does find great relief from several physical discomforts when she eats within the guidelines. In researching the author for this post, I found that she suffers from an autoimmune disease and as such eats a gluten-free diet. I discovered several years ago that I must also follow a strict gluten-free diet so I was very happy to find that Ms. Klein provides several gluten-free recipes at the back of the book. They all look quite delicious but I was especially drawn to the Paleo Strawberry Vanilla Muffins. I don’t often make baked goods for myself, so it was a treat being able to eat something I made. The muffins are quite flavorful and the lemon zest adds a nice zing to the strawberries. The texture is nice and moist but I did notice that after a couple of days the leftover muffins turned crumbly… which isn’t unusual for gluten-free products. I’ve included a tip to combat that in the recipe below. The topping, oh my! I loved the nice crunch of toasted almonds and the coconut sugar added just enough sweetness. In the book Poppy also makes these muffins substituting blueberries for strawberries and I will certainly be giving that variation a try!
Amazon Synopsis
Newly widowed and stuck in a middle-aged funk, Poppy has been running on cookies, infomercials, and one-sided chats with her cat for months. There’s no way on earth she’s attending her twenty-five-year class reunion—especially after receiving a very bizarre letter from Barbie, the popular cheerleader who taunted her all through high school. At least, not until Poppy’s best friend practically drags her to the event . . .
Using the dreaded homecoming as an excuse to visit her eccentric Aunt Ginny, Poppy vows to leave Cape May with pride and Spanx intact. Too bad Barbie is still the queen of mean at the reunion. And worse, that her dead body is lying right in front of Poppy’s old locker. Singled out as the killer, it’s up to Poppy to confront her past and clear her name. But between protecting her aunt from disaster and tackling a gluten-free diet, can Poppy crack the case before she’s voted “Most Likely to Die” by the murderer?
A special thanks to Libby Klein for providing one winner with a print arc of CLASS REUNIONS ARE MURDER! Contest ends Wednesday, January 31, 2018 at 11:59 pm PST and is limited to U.S. residents only. Please use the Rafflecopter box located below the recipe 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!)
- 1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted
- 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 4 tablespoons honey
- 1 scraped vanilla bean (I used Tahitian) or 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract *
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 3 tablespoons full-fat, unsweetened coconut milk
- 2 eggs
- 1-3/4 cups almond flour
- 1 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup dried or fresh strawberries
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F).
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Line a muffin pan with 12 foil muffin liners or grease with coconut oil.
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In a small bowl, toss toasted almonds with coconut sugar. Set aside.
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In a large bowl, beat together the coconut oil, honey, lemon zest, vanilla bean paste or extract, and coconut milk. Beat in eggs. Add almond flour, salt, and baking powder and beat until combined. Scrape down the bowl as needed. Fold in the strawberries using a rubber spatula.
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Generously fill each muffin tin and sprinkle toasted almonds/sugar mixture on top of each muffin.
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Bake for 18 - 20 minutes until golden brown and toothpick comes out clean.
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* If you do use a vanilla bean, be sure to put the husk of the scraped vanilla bean in a bottle of vodka or rum and make your own vanilla extract.
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Rub some coconut oil into your measuring spoon before measuring the honey. It will keep the honey from sticking to your spoon.
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I found freeze-dried, unsweetened and unsulphered, strawberries at Trader Joe's. They worked amazingly well!
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If you're not going to consume the muffins within a day or two of baking them, allow them to completely cool, then tightly wrap individually in plastic wrap. Place wrapped muffins in a freezer-safe ziplock bag and freeze. Defrost muffins as you need them and then gently reheat in the microwave.
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I was provided an advance copy with the hopes I would review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I limit lactose, legumes, and other foods for health reasons. I should limit fructose, but I don’t see that happening.
I am not lactose intolerant as we thought. For years. Turns out it is the protein in dairy products that is the problem. That and salt and sugar mess me up. Very small doses I can get by. But it does not stop the baking and if really want. There are nice substitutes.
Della, the protein in dairy products is what my husband is allergic to as well. I’ve found I have to read alternate cheese labels very closely since it’s often added in to help with structure. Fortunately there are now many non-dairy substitutes that are available compared to 20 years ago!
I have none at all.
Thank you so much for making a great recipe using almond flour and coconut oil and coconut milk. I’m so excited to try them! I’ve been on the Auto Immune Protocol/Paleo for a year and it has been awesome! Thank you so much for making this recipe! I’ve pinned it and shared it for other members of my group to enjoy too! Can’t wait to read the book!
No I do not have any dietary limitations.
No limits for me
Nope!
I don’t, but my daughter has gone completely gluten free to aid in some stomach issues. I have dabbled in using various gluten free flours, but am now curious about using some of these coconut products too. The strawberry muffins looks delicious!
Thankfully, I don’t have any dietary limitations yet. I hope it stays that way! Thanks for the review and giveaway!
no dietary limitations…
I am, thankfully, fine. But a good friend is has celiac disease and cannot touch even a crumb of bread. It almost killed her.
I’m allergic to pineapple. It crops up in surprising places. Thanks so much for the chance to win.
I don’t, thank goodness, but my sister-in-law was diagnosed with an auto immune disorder which has her on a gluten/dairy free diet so we’re learning together and experimenting on fun things to make. Sometimes it sucks but I’m happy to adventure with her.
I have no dietary limitations
My daughter is allergic to the dairy proteins so no dairy for her. I am lactose intolerant but there are ways around that. The recipe looks great but where does one get coconut sugar???
I found coconut sugar at a market called Sprouts. Kind of like a health food store, but I’m seeing it now available in major grocery stores. Bob’s Red Mill now packages it as well. If you’re not trying to follow a strict paleo diet then regular sugar can be substituted.
My biggest limitation is that I need low potassium but I’m also diabetic so need to watch my carbs!
I only have to worry about it when I have my pet scan cancer testing. No carbs or sugar before it.
none.
I don’t have any dietary limitations. Thank you for the chance to win a print copy of Class Reunions Are Murder.
I don’t have any dietary restrictions, and boy, do those muffins sound great!
No dietary restrictions.
No dietary restrictions.
No I have no restrictions. I’m a Lifetime Weight Watchers member so I do try to limit what I eat of certain things
No dietary restrictions.
Just about 30 – 35 pounds overweight
😀 😀 😀
I am lactose intolerant and allergic to shellfish. I am also allergic to alcohol and chocolate. (kind of strange, I know)
I do not have any dietary restrictions but am trying to cut back on soda and sweets.
I can’t eat eggs. Which means no mayonnaise so I have to be careful when eating out.
I’m not on any dietary limitation. However, I need to try to new elbow diet. It’s where you put splints on your elbow joints and you can only eat what you can get to your mouth. After all, nothing else has seemed to help so this may be my next step in dieting. 🙂
No dietary restrictions at least not yet
I have no restrictions but I am trying to eat much healthier these days. These muffins sound delicious. Thank you for the chance.
No dietary restrictions—I should just eat less!
I am lactose sensitive so I have to be careful how much dairy I consume.
Paleo versus vegan used to confuse me. Good nutritional goals.
I have been eating low carb for 9 months and have lost 53 lbs so far
Congratulations, Tracy! I know all to well how difficult that is… awesome job!
Sugar seems to be high in many things, so I try to be aware of that.
Just the usual limitations – salt, fats
I don’t have any limitations yet, but I will as soon as the doctor catches up with me! I have GERD
My only dietary limitation is a slight lactose intolerance. It’s not enough to really bother me, though. I am going to try that recipe, and substituting blueberries for the strawberries sounds great! Thanks!
No I don’t and I esp. love sweets!
Luckily I don’t have any dietary limitations.
“Do you have any special dietary limitations?” Not anything doctor-prescribed, but I think I should not eat too much fatty food!
No dietary issues
No dietary restrictions here! Only one for me should be that I lose weight!
No dietary restrictions here!
No restrictions but I follow a low carb lifestyle. I have lost 70 lbs so far. I love the recipe posted here and just might try it,with a few changes to make it low-carb. I wish more books put in these types of recipes. Thanks.
Congratulations, Rosemary! That is quite an accomplishment and one you should be proud of!
Thanks for the recipe. I eat Paleo because I am allergic to gluten.
I am diabetic
No dietary restrictions other than being alert to portion sizes for me. I joined Weight Watchers nine months ago and have lost 64 pounds, reached my goal about 2 weeks ago. Chocolate and baked goods are my Achilles heel!
Congratulations, Cheryl! That is an awesome accomplishment!!!
Unfortunately, I am lactose intolerant, so I can’t even enjoy a bowl of ice cream ?
no restrictions for me, just trying to limit calories to lose weight.