When I was in Phoenix this past February for Left Coast Crime I sat in on a panel titled, “Serving Up Murder: Culinary Mysteries”. Sharon Arthur Moore was one of the authors that participated in the panel and I had a chance to meet her afterwards. While I had not read any of Sharon’s books, her discussion and her attire, dressed in a vintage apron, were so cute I was intrigued by her publications. She was kind enough to gift me her book, MISSION IMPASTABLE. While I didn’t have a chance to read it during the conference, I did browse through it and was impressed…it’s like getting a mini-cookbook with a fun story!
Alli Wesson lives in Phoenix, Arizona and is opening Dinner is Served, a personal chef business with her best friend, Gina Smithson. Gina is a hospital dietitian and calls her boss Dragon Lady behind her back. Dragon Lady has been axing personnel left and right so when Gina is called to her office, she fears the worst. Instead, Dragon Lady wants to hire Gina and Alli as personal chefs for her family. After a stressful first day on the job (a faulty electrical switch ruined their crock-pot meal, unbeknowst to them, requiring them to come back and prepare a meal for the starving Dragon Lady) they receive a second call from Dragon Lady. Her priceless jade dragon is missing and they are the only ones who could have taken it.
The police take them in for questioning but with no real evidence Alli and Gina are released. But then Dragon Lady is found murdered. Alli and Gina are suddenly murder suspects. They know there are several disgruntled employees and ex-employees, including Dragon Lady’s personal assistant, who would have motives to kill the victim. But the police seem fixated on them, especially Gina, which begins tearing the friends apart. Can they find the killer and the thief to clear their name or will their family, business, and freedom become another casualty?
MISSION IMPASTABLE is a cute, quick cozy mystery with interesting, quirky characters. There are some surprising twists to the plot that I didn’t see coming. The one thing that caught me off-guard and I wasn’t sure what to make of it early on, is the run-on dialog by Gina’s mother, Maria. However, once Alli and Gina address it, I realized that it’s just Maria’s style of talking…and I have personally met people like that. It added to the quirkiness of Maria’s character instead of detracting from it. According to Sharon, “Maria is actually modeled after my own mother who often got “flusterated” and had to take “ibuffeferin”. She just didn’t hear the sounds in words very well and it showed in her speech. Plus she was a talker! LOL!”
Alli was abandoned and on her own since the age of fourteen, after a tragic childhood. There’s a mystery surrounding her story and piques my interest. I hope that the author gives more insight into Alli’s past in following books. Maria took Alli in and allowed her to live in a casita on her property. Alli ended up bonding with Maria over cooking, which became a life passion and it deeply shows in Sharon’s writing. Food is a central theme in this culinary cozy and the author provides many delicious sounding recipes. It really was hard to choose which one to showcase here…I wanted to try them all! In the end I chose Three-Cheese Stuffed Shells with Alli’s Marinara Sauce. The marinara sauce combines easy pantry and produce staples but with its long simmer a superbly flavored sauce is created. Three types of cheeses combine for such a rich filling that even meat-lovers won’t miss the lack of meat in this dish. I loved that despite the time it took to simmer the marinara sauce (which can be made the day before and refrigerated until needed) this was an easy, delicious meal to make. It reheats nicely for leftovers too! Thank you, Sharon, for allowing me to share your Three-Cheese Stuffed Shells recipe!
A special thank you to Sharon Arthur Moore for providing a print copy of MISSION IMPASTABLE to one winner! Please use the Rafflecopter box located below the recipe to enter. Contest ends Monday, June 6, 2016 at 11:59 pm PST and is limited to U.S. residents only. Winners will be announced on this page and on Cinnamon & Sugar’s Facebook page, as well as notified by email (so check your spam folder!)
Three-Cheese Stuffed Shells & Alli’s Marinara Sauce
Serves 6
Alli learned how to make the sauce from Maria, but the combination of cheeses in the shells is her own invention.
Ingredients
Marinara Sauce
2 tablespoons best-quality olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
5 cloves garlic, crushed
2 cans diced tomatoes (or use 12 Roma tomatoes, mashed)
1 can tomato paste
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
2 teaspoons dried basil (or more to taste)
1/2 cup red wine
1/2 cup pasta water
Salt & Pepper to taste
Stuffed Shells
16 ounces large pasta shells
1 quart ricotta cheese (some people use cottage cheese, but it is different)
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1 cup shredded Asiago cheese plus more to sprinkle on top
1 egg
1 tablespoon dried basil
Instructions
Marinara Sauce
Saute onions in olive oil over medium heat in a pan.
When just turning translucent, add garlic and cook about 1 minute.
Add tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, and basil. Stir together.
Add wine and pasta water.
Cover and simmer for about 2 hours. Even better made the day before.
Stuffed Shells
Cook pasta shells to al dente in boiling salted water as directed.
Drain, reserving a half-cup of pasta water for the sauce.
Mix together the ricotta, mozzarella, and Asiago cheeses.
Add the egg and basil and blend well.
In a large baking dish sprayed with non-stick cooking spray, ladle enough marinara sauce to just cover the bottom.
Fill shells to heaping with cheese mixture. Place cheese-side up in the baking dish.
Spoon the remaining marinara over the top. Sprinkle on more Asiago cheese.
Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees (F) for about 25 – 30 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.
Garnish with fresh basil if desired.
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I was provided a copy of the book in exchange for a fair and honest opinion. All thoughts and views are my own.
I’m not sure what main dish I’d like a personal chef to fix for me but I would definitely want them to fix Chocolate Soufflés with Crème Anglaise for dessert!
I would have the chef make Beef Wellington.
My Son makes a fabulous Lasagne and i love a good chicken carbonara
Thanks so much, Kim, for this wonderful review. I gotta say, the three-cheese shells have been a family favorite for years. Tonight I’m making lasagna roll-ups (also in Mission Impastable). Your blog is one of my favorites!
You are so kind, Sharon, thank you! I have to say that I had a very difficult time choosing which recipe to use for my post…they all look incredibly delicious!
Anything Italian, hot or cold, soup to dessert. . The stuffed shells sounds so good.
Oh, goodness…that’s a hard one. Probably a good seafood dish with shrimp!
Oh…a personal chef? Do they do dishes too? I’d love to have something spicy with shrimp or crab. Maybe a spicy shrimp Alfredo or crab stuffed pasta shells.
These look yummy!!!
I would have them make a great chow mein dish also love won ton soup so either of those. Actually hubby would love it if we had one as he is the main cook as i am disabled so he cooks when he gets home. He would love a good meatballs and mashed that would be as he has been craving that. I might have my good friend come out to my house and make them for me and I will serve on Fathers Day .
Anything pasta, especially lobster. Have really been enjoying your blog combining food & mystery reviews!
If I could have a personal chef, I would ask them to make a delicious roast beef.
My son is a chef in Iowa City. Of he became my pesonal chef I’d eat anything he makes me! He made a blue cheese ice cream with poached in wine apples & pears and homemade carmel sauce. He had this on a nest of shredded wheat. It was amazing!
If I had a personal chef, I would have him/her make Beef Wellington for me.
Beef Bourguignon. Thanks for a chance to win.
Lobster Mac and cheese for me, or a lobster roll, or lobster stew, or pretty much anything lobster-y because I never make that for myself.
If I had a personal chef, I’d have him cook some of my mother’s recipes. Since she died a few years ago, I haven’t had good home cooking because I can’t cook like she could. Thanks.
I would ask for Beef Wellington—I’ve always wanted to try it.
This is the dish anyone could make for me. Stuffed shells is a favorite.
If I had a personal chef I would have them make my husband’s favorite dish, veal scallopini or my favorite dish penne putenesca. Both of these dishes are usually what we get when we go out to eat on our anniversary.
If I was lucky enough to have a personal chef, I would have them fix me a steakhouse rib eye steak dinner, with chocolate mousse for dessert.
If I could afford a personal chef, I would have them make filet on the bone with garlic mashed potatoes and asparagus grilled in olive oil for dinner. As for dessert, I’d like whoopie pies (even though I’m allergic to chocolate.) It’s worth the hives to have those. LOL! Now I’m super hungry!!!
Prime Rib dinner – yum!
Don’t everyone faint now!! I have a personal chef. My husband. He has been the cook for 33 years and that is how long it’s been since I’ve had to cook anything. I love his fried yellow perch and sugar peas. We don’t eat many potatoes. Usually just a meat ot fish and lots of fresh vegetables. He is an awesome cook. And believe me I know how lucky I am. !!!??
I would like surf and turf, twice baked potatoes, fresh roasted vegetables and a decadent dessert.
Thanks for the giveaway and the recipe.
My thing is a really good ‘tossed’ salad with Blue Cheese Dressing. A salad with at least 5 types of greens. all vegetables edible raw. Book does look good. So does that recipe. Will have to give it a try. Thanks for that.
I would like a really good salmon dish and a rich chocolate dessert.
Love Italian food especially stuffed shells
Congratulations, Jess on winning Mission Impastable. Please let me know what you think of the other recipes! Happy cooking and mystery-solving!
If I had a personal chef I would have him or her make me some meatloaf, banana pudding pie, corn on the cob and mash potatotes.
If I had a personal chef I’d like to have fried perch, coleslaw, rye bread and coffee, with coconut creme pie!! Yum!!
If I had a personal chef, I’d ask him/her to make me very healthy foods since I can’t seem to make them on my own! Thanks for the review, recipe and chance to win..
I’d have them make me a chicken pot pie and a Dutch apple pie. I like pie!
If I had a personal chef, I would love a very tender melt in the mouth prime rib with lobster tails, roasted brussel sprouts, little red potatoes and for dessert, Cherry cheese cake! Yummmmmmm
I am Italian so of course I love this!
I would want a personal chef to make me sirloin strip steak with sauteed onions and mushrooms, mushroom ravioli and steamed broccoli, with a cookies & creme cheesecake for dessert.
I’d probably have them make spaghetti and meat sauce but not the spicy kind that my son makes me. I like the kind that I used to make when my son was young. Now that he does the cooking, everything has to be spicy. Not my to my liking.
lkish77123 at gmail dot com
My own chef?
I’d start with their favorite dish.
By the way, Your videos are really prettily done. And you plate the dishes so nicely. You have a good eye for presentation.
Thank you so much! Sometimes it takes A LOT of time and shots and dishes to get it just right 🙂
a personal chef?!?!?!? I would love to learn how to make Italian foods from scratch!
I feel like I already have a personal chef since my hubby does all the cooking. So to give him a break, I would ask my personal chef to make me and my hubby an authentic Italian dinner with spaghetti and homemade meatballs. The sauce must be from scratch and also have garlic bread and a fresh salad with ustisn dressing to compliment the meal.