Thinking Ahead to Christmas food.

 RHYS BOWEN: Apart from buying gifts this is the season when our thoughts turn to food. In my earlier days I participated in cookie swaps. All those hours making cookie dough, cutting into shapes, rolling it, frosting it etc etc. I made Stollen, whcih I adore but nobody else does. It seemed we were overflowing with sugar/butter and everything else bad for us. Now I find there is less interest in sweet things. We always have a Christmas brunch with eggs, bacon, sausage etc, then at four o'clock we have tea (of course, we're British) with lots o cookies, cakes etc but I find not that many are eaten.  Then in the evening we have the big Christmas dinner with turkey and ham and all the trimmings, followed always by apple crumble and Christmas pudding (just for John and me). 

As we have fifteen people descending on us I always try to plan ahead, to make hearty soups and easy dinners that I can free before hand. This is complicated by the fact that I have three gluten free family members, one lactose intolerant and one who doesn't eat meat. I have planned to make a big cocoanut fish soup, a paella one night, but need other ideas. All the pasta dishes I make for a crowd could be made with gluten free pasta, I suppose. But I like the idea of hearty soups. Last year I made a chicken soup with aromatics and chicken breast and then finished it with lemon and spinach. It was quite yummy.

The one thing I always have to make (tradition) is small mince pies and sausage rolls. These are very simple... short crust pastry cut and put into muffic pans, mincemeat inside, brushed with egg white and sugar and then baked. For the sausage rolls I've recently switched to puff pastry and Jimmy Dean's sage sausage meat, the closest I can get to English sausage. 

So any suggestions for easy meals to feed up to fifteen people will be most welcome!

It's a Grandmother!

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: Congratulate me, everyone, I’m a grandmother! Little Paulie* arrived last week, a full ten days before his due date, throwing us all into confusion. He must get this from my daughter-in-law’s side of the family, because I guarantee you no one on the Hugo-Vidal camp has ever arrived that early to anything.

*He looks just like Paul Sorvino in Goodfellas

 Right now, my grandmotherly duties are keeping the new parent’s two dogs, which, if you’re keeping score at home, makes for four dogs and two cats, one of which is my younger daughter’s $15,000 guy. It feels as if my house had been invaded by needy toddlers, which, I suppose, is a good preview of the future.

 

Like this, but bald, no cigar, and in a onesie

I’m excited about this new stage in my life, in part because my own grandmothers played such an important role in my life. I was lucky to have three: Grandmother Spencer, a loving fluffy bisquit of a Southern woman, Grandma Fleming, who magically always had fresh-baked cookies when I stopped at her house on my way home from high school, and Grandma Greuling, a no-nonsense Adirondacker who let me help in her antique shop and told me stories about my family going back to the 1600s. 

 

None of my grandmothers took me on vacations or showered me with expensive gifts. They let me be with them while they sewed, gardened, baked, refinished furniture. They loved me for who I was and listened to me no matter what. What a gift for any child!

 

Reds, what do you remember about your own grandmothers?

 

HALLIE EPHRON: I remember my grandmother was very old and wrinkly and spoke very little English and with a thick accent. She always had a coin or two in her pocket for me. 

 

She lived in an apartment nearby and came to our house once a week and cooked. She made the world’s best thin, crisp cinnamon cookies which I’ve never been able to duplicate. I got to cut them out and brush them with butter and sprinkle on cinnamon.

She also made the world’s best chopped liver. Don’t groan, it’s delicious. She’d start by rendering chicken fat from chicken skin (I stood by the stove hoping to grab off some of the crispy bits). And end by chopping  sauteed livers and onions that had been cooked in the chicken fat, seasoning with plenty of salt and pepper, and chopping in a massive wooden bowl which I still have, it’s bottom cross-hatched with cut marks.

I never got a chance to ask her what life had been like in Russia, how she and others in her family managed to flee, what it was like to go through Ellis Island….

If you have a living grandparent, ASK while you can still get answers!

 

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN:  My father’s mother was elegant and gorgeous, beautiful with icy white hair and the best clothes, and a wonderful cook who made lemon pancakes in the shape of our initials and dusted with powdered sugar. She made amazing chicken soup, and kreplach, and matzo ball soup, and a wine cake that no one could ever duplicate–and she had written out  recipe cards with NO quantities, so no one could possibly  make her dishes again. She gave me a typewriter, when I was about 9, which was so life changing. (It came in a little suitcase.)

I did ask her about leaving Russia, and she started talking about what a lovely village her family had lived in and what lovely soldiers came to town, and I soon realized she was about to tell me her own fairy tale, and I’d never know the real story. I did ask her to write it down--she typed it on my typewriter! And it is still somewhere.

My mother's mother was very..quirky. Ethereal, and fragile. From another time, it really felt. I have no memory of her ever saying a word to me. 

 

When my parents were divorced, I also had my step-father’s mother. She once said to me, when I was 10, maybe: “I love you as much as I would love a real grandchild.”

 

 

 

LUCY BURDETTE: My mother’s mother was Lucille Burdette–she was a painter, very kind and gentle. Sadly, she died when I was about seven so I don’t have lots of memories. 

 

My father’s mother was little and fierce–we still tell stories about how she bossed my grandfather around. My mother was afraid of her, and my uncle didn’t have too much good to say either. Even so, I admired her sturdy toughness and John fears I’ve inherited too much of her:). 

 

I feel like grandmothers of today seem much younger and more active. Congratulations Julia!

 

RHYS BOWEN:  Congratulations from me too, Julia. You’ll love this stage of life.

 

My mother’s mother raised me while my mother worked (female teachers were required during the war), then came to live with us when my grandfather died, so she was always a huge part of my life. She was tiny and gentle. I don’t ever remember her raising her voice. She showed endless patience and kindness to me, which was great because my mother was always overworked and stressed and had no time for me. She lived to 91 and ate like a sparrow. 

 

I didn’t know my father’s mother as well. We went to visit her frequently but it was always a formal visit, not playing with her as with my other grandmother. But she was a wonderful cook. I remember her sausage pie with her homemade red cabbage pickles. Still drooling! And when she died, when I had just got engaged, she left me her wedding ring, which I had melted into my own ring.

 

I am blessed to have been part of my grandchildren’s lives since the day they were born. When they were little II had to make up fantastic stories for them. Also  chased them over climbing equipment, Such happy memories.

 

DEBORAH CROMBIE: I only knew one grandmother, Lillian, known as Nanny, my mother’s mother. A widowed school teacher (I knew neither of my grandfathers) she came to live with us when I was born. We shared a room until I was about six, when my parents built an addition on to the house for her so that she could have her own space. She was the gentlest person I’ve ever known, although she must have been really tough to have raised four kids mostly on her own during the Depression. She was unfailingly kind and encouraging to me and a good buffer between me and my mother, who was a much more demanding personality. She taught me to read and to be interested in the world and we had many adventures together. She died at 86 and I still miss her.

 

 

JULIA: How about you, dear readers? What are your memories of a grandmother - or grandfather? 

 

The Best of Summer Recipes from Celia Wakefield

  Hilary Flanagan, Gillian B, and Kathy Boone Reel are the winners of MURDER AT CAPE COSTUMERS! Please send Edith (edith@edithmaxwell.com) with your snail mail address to claim your book!

 

 

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: Our dear Celia Wakefield is taking a well deserved rest, so I thought I'd share some of her best summer recipes, for you to revisit or to discover for the first time. Why Friday instead of her usual Sunday? Because it's the start of Labor Day weekend, and chances are good you'll either be entertaining or taking a dish to someone else's dinner/ cookout/ pot luck. 

All of Celia's recipes elicit ooos and aaahs and look like you worked for hours in a hot kitchen (but you won't!) And i can personally vouch for how very good everything tastes.

And if you're not part of a crowd? We've got you covered - you can relax, kick your feet up, and enjoy the last lazy days of summer with a Pimms Cup.

 

First up, a simple summer meal of marinated shrimp, green salad and a deconstructed strawberry shortcake, featuring shortbread cookies, strawberries, and - yum! - Grand Marnier. 

 

Not feeling like shellfish? Need a dish that will travel well? Not to worry, you'll be happy with the alliterative Fresh Pea Pesto for Pasta and a Fourth of July mess for pudding (or call it Red-White and Blue dessert.)  

 

If you're overloaded with gorgeous fresh tomatoes, first of all, congratulations, and secondly, the cool and easy Tomato Tonnato is made for you.  

 

Since the tonnato doesn't come pre-loaded with a dessert, why not try some British Summer Pudding, bursting with fruits and berries.  

 

And as promised, the perfect Pimms. If you make one, please raise you glass and toast the founder of all this summery goodness, our own Celia!   

Millionaire Pie and Apple Mint Chutney, or, Celia and Julia's Easter Treats

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: This remembrance and recipe by our own Celia Wakefield starts in the past - Thursday, April 4th, when most of our state was without power. I got mine back by Saturday, but poor Celia went for six days without exterior power (she and Victor sensibly have a wired-in generator) and a full week without internet! Which has nothing to do with the substance of today's post, other than to show she's a trooper.

 

 

 

This may be THE bright spot of Thursday, April 4, writing to you, my dear JRW community, as we are being blanketed with snow and the power lines, internet etc have all surrendered. My bright spot is that I still have a working generator and my computer is fired up. 

 

First my thanks to Julia’s graciousness in inviting me. Any comments? Please address them to Julia, ha, ha. But we are snowbound, power denied and WiFi too. Oh we so rely on our link in the ether to the world. But for those of you writers with no power, I hope you are writing as the authors of old with pen/pencil and paper to give you that nostalgic view point.

I had big plans for what I could bring to Julia’s Easter luncheon, which would also give me a great recipe for the Sunday blog. But alas the rhubarb was covered by feet of snow etc. so that will have to wait until another time. However, Julia decided to make her favorite dessert. 

 

As many of you may know, Julia and Ross gave great parties. This was confirmed by a dear friend at Ross’s funeral who spoke eloquently saying that Ross and Julia would be counted on to be late for most things but never for a party. Aren’t those words to live? Though I was injected with the punctuality vaccine when born, and I do wonder sometimes, was punctuality a gift? Or a curse? 

However back to the Hugo-Vidal party train. This year Julia was hosting her annual Easter Luncheon which had been on a part-time hiatus over the past several years. She was kind enough to invite us and as I have access to locally raised lamb, I brought the lamb. There was a ham, scalloped potatoes, southern style sweet potatoes but without marshmallows in them, plus more asparagus than I have seen outside the supermarket and a HUGE salad made by another guest. I am sorry I didn’t take photos. 

I made apple and mint chutney to accompany the roast lamb, which I had covered with a fresh breadcrumb, garlic, herb and butter paste. I spread this mix over the large lamb leg, weighing five and a half pounds, and roasted it on 325F to an interior reading of 145 degrees in the thickest part. 

 

But the piece de resistance was Julia’s dessert. She made her southern grandmother’s recipe for Millionaire's Pie. She actually made it here in my kitchen and for once I was videographer which was fun. Julia’s grandmother would sing old Baptist hymns while mixing and Julia treated us to a few lines which she may or mayn’t share. I hope she does. (ed. note: she does.)

Now I was very interested in the Millionaire’s Pie as this is a truly American dessert and I can’t think of anything like it when I grew up. But there was one ingredient that was very popular in my family - condensed milk. Yes that small can or tin, if I’m talking, full of a creamy sugary sticky confection just asking, begging in fact, for you to grab a spoon and tuck in. At least that’s what I believed as a child  monitoring my mothers strange addiction to condensed milk. 

 

 

 

My mother was enamored, or perhaps in undying love with condensed milk. Sugar was rationed in the U.K. during the Second World War and for several years after. Coupons for sugar were guarded jealously and spent with careful consideration. So my mum and her best friend, my godmother, Auntie Winifred, would hoard their coupons and when they had enough to splurge, would buy a tin of condensed milk and sit with a spoon each taking turn and turn about until satiated. 

 

My mum's favorite afternoon snack throughout her life, was to keep a tin of condensed milk in the fridge handy for a small snack, think Winnie the Pooh size. Woe beware any of us who helped ourselves too liberally from her tin. I think that Julia’s pie would have been most popular with my mum. In fact, I wonder whether she ever tasted it when she visited the United States in the thirties. Her hostess, a close friend of my grandmother, was southern and I know they spent time in the South. I am sure she would have loved the pie as did all of us.

 

Now I can’t hand over for Julia to add the millionaires recipe without adding my recipe for easy Apple and Mint Chutney which is at the end of Julia’s delicious dessert. 

JULIA: Surprise! It's me with a recipe! As with all my faves, this is fast, easy and made with pantry (and freezer) basics. My grandmother Spencer used to make this pie when I was a kid, and it's replete with '60s no-bake goodness. You'll notice all the ingredients are straight from the Space Age kitchen; all convenience, very little nature. I think this may be the first time in her life Celia's had Cool Whip. 

 

Whether you call it Million Dollar Pie, Millionaire Pie or Millionaire's Pie, this classic southern icebox dessert will take you back to Sunday dinner at Maw Maw and Paw Paw's house - with the bonus that it still stays cool while Paw Paw goes on and on with the blessing.

INGREDIENTS

1 graham cracker crust, store-bought or homemade. Celia and I made ours, but you probably already have a recipe for this three-ingredient crust, so I'm not adding it here. If you make your own, chill for 15 minutes before adding the pie filling.

1 15.5oz can crushed pineapple, VERY well drained. If you're not a Baptist,         use the juice for a Pina Colada later.

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 cup sweet flaked coconut

1 cup Maraschino cherries, chopped, plus some for garnish

1/2 cup chopped pecans

5 T lemon juice - very important to help firm the pie up 

1 1/2 cup Cool Whip - this is half the usual size container

optional - 1 T cherry juice, if you want a more pink pie

 

 

INSTRUCTIONS

 

In a large bowl, combine well the drained pineapple (as dry as you can get it,) the condensed milk, the coconut, chopped cherries and chopped pecans. Add the lemon juice (Maw Maw used the little plastic lemon for hers) and, if you prefer the color, the cherry juice. Gently fold in the Cool Whip.

Pile it in the graham cracker crust and slide it into the fridge for at least an hour. It can be made up to a day ahead. Garnish with halved pecans, and/or Maraschino cherries, or, it the pastor's coming to dinner, pipe on whipped cream and sprinkle with toasted coconut.

CELIA: Apple and Mint Chutney

Chutney is usually thought of as an accompaniment to Indian foods. But in the UK it was also a way to preserve damaged or bruised fruit which was not good enough for jam or for the table. It was eaten with cold meats or in sandwiches. I love a cheese and chutney sandwich on good bread. My Constance Spry Book says “The prescription is fruit or vegetables, sugar, vinegar and flavoring ingredients . . .”, Spry also recommends using a wooden spoon to stir.  So your chutney might have garlic or ginger, and mustard seed, chilies are another favorite. The seasoning is your choice and this recipe is my choice.

Recipe makes approximately 4 Cups 

3-4# Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and chopped 

2 large onions (I like sweet onions), peeled and chopped small

4 Cups good vinegar (I used apple cider and Braggs mixed)

1# approx brown sugar 

1Tbsp ginger

1tsp cloves

Use other spices such as nutmeg or even cardamom if preferred

1/4 Cup chopped fresh mint

• Choose a large heavy pan (not cast iron as that may react with the vinegar). I used a stainless Dutch oven with a heavy base which helps the long slow cook process. No lid needed, it’s all about the slow evaporation of the fruits and veggies
• Add the chopped onions with 2 cups of the vinegar, stir intermittently, and cook over a low heat.
• Once the vinegar is heated, add the apples with the spices (not the mint) and an additional 1 cup vinegar if needed. Cook on low, stirring often so that nothing sticks on the bottom. 
• Measure the 3/4 of the sugar into a bowl and pour 1 cup vinegar over to help melting.
• After the sugar has cooked in, taste to see if it is sweet enough. 
• Once the apples are softened add the sugar, stirring well to mix all ingredients and keeping the heat low.
• It will cook for another 2 to 3 hours to reach a consistency of jam or good yogurt. Look for the liquid to be almost completely steamed away. 
• But if you’re planning to keep the chutney for a period. (For example to give as holiday gifts). Leave the mixture with a little liquid as it does dry out over time and become more solid. 
• Also follow good practices for bottling and keep it refrigerated once opened. 

This was so easy to make I am wondering why I haven’t done it more recently. I hope you enjoy it with some delicious cold meat or in a good veggie sandwich. Or my all time fav cheese and chutney sandwiches which is very popular pub fare and forms the basis for a ploughmans lunch.

Better late than never but sometimes a string of unfortunate events gets in our way. Which is to say is it really eight weeks since Julia’s last turn at the Blog? I’m happy to announce that Joan Emerson won the copy of Ruth Reichl’s Save Me the Plums. Joan please would you email me your mailing address to wakefieldpro at gmail and I will be happy to send the book flying off to you and my apologies.

Turkey with a side of...?

JENN McKINLAY: This time last year, I was in Ireland (research!) and it was fascinating because as they were taking down the Halloween/Samhain decorations, they were popping up the Christmas ones. I know retail stores are now doing Halloween-Christmas mashup displays that start in July  (good grief!) but this was private residences and whatnot. Of course, I realized after a beat, that they don’t have Thanksgiving in Ireland so of course they can roll right into Christmas. It made me actually appreciate Turkey day as the stop gap it is.

For some inexplicable reason, I volunteered to host Thanksgiving dinner this year. Hub is cooking so that technically leaves me with cleaning and baking duty, which is not a hardship but given that the Hub’s definition of cooking is meat – just meat – well, I suspect I’m going to have to produce some side dishes.

So, I implore you, Reds, what are your favorite Thanksgiving sides? I need the next three weeks to practice if we’re really doing this, which apparently, we are. 

HALLIE EPHRON: My favorite side from growing up was a sweet potato and apple casserole. Sadly I have never been able to reproduce it so I post a plea, just in case any of our readers have a recipe! It was layers of sweet potato and apple slices, layered with something like brown sugar and butter. There must have been some liquid …I’d have guessed apple juice. Or water. But I’ve failed miserably trying to make it, figuring out what the proportions are to make the potatoes and apples absorb the liquid and congeal into a delicious sweet gluey hunk. Anyone??

JENN: This sounds amazing!

RHYS BOWEN:  we are having a big celebration for John’s birthday at the same time as Thanksgiving, renting a huge house in Paradise Valley and thus I’ll be cooking for 16 (actually I’ll be overseeing. I’ll have help) Among those 16 are gluten, lactose, vegan challenges!

We always have to have the green bean casserole for my son in law but my son Dominic has promised to make it with real beans, mushrooms and coconut milk so that our lactose intolerants can eat it. Clare will make gluten free stuffing. The stuffing is my favorite dish. Lots of onion and sausage and herbs in the non vegan one!

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: I also have a lactose-intolerant guest, and very frequently either vegetarians or vegans as well, Rhys. A standard for the vegetarians has been a couple of quiches: fairly quick and easy to make, and everyone likes them. One year I made a vegan version (using egg substitute and fake cheese from Trader Joe’s) that was a smash with the meat eaters as well!

As for sides, Jenn, I like ones that can be made a day or more ahead. Coleslaw would be great, considering your warmer temperatures, and maple baked beans (very New England) can cook and be reheated in the crockpot. If I’m not prepping them ahead of time, they need to be quick and easy - mashed potatoes, canned cranberries with some spices and mandarin oranges stirred in, good store-bought buns. 

We’ll be skipping it this Thanksgiving, as I’ll have TWO sober kids there (my son is four months and counting!) but in the old days when we used to host a crowd, I liked to make a punch instead of offering cocktails when guests arrive. Everyone can help themselves, and you can also do it as a non-alcoholic base with a bottle of rum/tequila/gin on the side.

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: One, mashed potatoes. You can make them in advance, and put them in the fridge. To reconstitute,  put in a baking dish, dot with butter, cover and heat at 350 for 30 mins. DELICIOUS. Add chives or bacon bits.

Same with mashed sweet potatoes. WIth just salt  and pepper and butter, I don’t gussy them up with sugary stuff.

Green beans. Cook in advance until almost done, blanch, wrap in paper towels, refrigerate. Day of, throw more butter in a frying pan, saute quickly, add slivered almonds and s & p, go.

Stuffing. SO EASY. Follow the instructions on the Pepperidge Farm stuffing package. I usually saute onions and celery first, then do the rest. DELICIOUS. You can also make in advance, put in a baking dish, and reheat with the potatoes.

Oh, cranberries. Buy a package of Ocean Spray. Follow the directions. Add zested orange rind. You can make this in advance, too, and it’s much better.

THE GRAVY IS THE HARDEST PART. We’ll talk.

Backtime the turkey, but it can rest an hour. 

BE SURE TO TAKE THE GIBLETS AND STUFF OUT OF THE TURKEY.

Get fresh parsley for garnishing everything.

Oh. Make sure your turkey pan fits in the oven WITH the turkey. Seriously. 

DEBORAH CROMBIE: My absolutely favorite side is my own homemade cranberry relish, so I will make this even if I'm not cooking anything else. Next up is my daughter's roasted Brussel sprouts. I don't cook Brussels, because Rick doesn't like them, so they are a real treat for me. Kayti roasts them with lots of olive oil and flaky sea salt until they are starting to get crispy and caramelized, then once out of the oven, drizzles them with a little balsamic vinegar. So yummy, and good for vegetarians, too.

We make dressing, not stuffing, so cornbread is an essential, although I usually use half cornbread (homemade!) and half a good country wheat. Lots of celery and onions sauteed in butter (it's Thanksgiving!), then mixed with the dried cubed breads and loads of sage, moistened with chicken stock. Can be baked ahead and frozen. Easy to sub olive oil and veg stock to make vegetarian/vegan. 

We also really like haricots vert, the way described above. I actually don't care anything about the turkey–it's all about the sides for me.

HANK: What’s the difference between dressing and stuffing? Whether it’s cooked IN the turkey?

LUCY BURDETTE: I don’t know the answer Hank, but I suspect it’s regional. We call ours stuffing, even though it’s no longer stuffed into the turkey. Mine sounds a lot like Debs’, sometimes with the addition of sausage, but always cornbread. Once I made it with oysters–it was good but weird. Here’s the link to my recipe: https://www.mysteryloverskitchen.com/2013/11/thanksgiving-cornbread-and-sausage.html

I love the sound of Kaytie’s brussel sprouts, but prefer the can of cranberry jelly to anything homemade. Oh, and here’s one more recipe for decadent corn spoonbread: https://www.mysteryloverskitchen.com/2019/01/donna-kleins-corn-spoon-bread-revised.html

The cranberry debate is a blog post for another day as I am firmly on Team Canned Jelly with Lucy.

Okay, Readers, your turn. What's your favorite side dish? And are you a canned cranberry jelly or homemade cranberry relish person?

Take the Honey and Run by Jennie Marts

Jenn McKinlay: Today's guest knows her beesiness. Sorry, couldn't resist! But seriously, with the hum of bumble bees in the summer air, what better time to have a visit from a mystery series that has gone to the bee keepers? Here's Jennie to tell us more about it!

Jennie Marts: Thanks so much to the Jungle Red Writers for inviting me to spend a day on their blog. I’m really thrilled to be here! I’m Jennie Marts, and I write small town stories with humor and heart. My books range from cozy mystery to romantic comedies to western romance. 

BUY NOW

My new book, TAKE THE HONEY AND RUN, is the first in a fun new Bee Keeping Cozy Mystery series. And after having over thirty books published, I’m so excited that this will be my first hardback. Yay! 

TAKE THE HONEY AND RUN is the story of Bailey Briggs, a single mom mystery author, who returns home to her small mountain town of Humble Hills, Colorado. She and her twelve-year-old daughter, Daisy, arrive to hear her grandmother, Granny Bee, threatening to kill the town mayor. The next morning, Bailey discovers the mayor’s dead body, and Granny Bee’s Honey I’m Home Hot Spiced Honey turns out to bee the murder weapon. Now Granny’s got herself into a sticky situation, and Bailey has to use her fictional detective skills to solve a real murder and keep her grandmother from ending up bee-hind bars. 

Oh, and did I mention that upon arriving in town, she runs into Sawyer Dunn, the love of her life, whom she hasn’t seen in thirteen years, not since he got shipped off to his uncle’s farm in Montana the night they stole a tractor and accidentally drove it into a pond? And did I also mention that Sawyer now happens to be the town sheriff?

I had so much fun writing this book! My husband is a certified beekeeper, and he has always told such fascinating stories about the life and habits of bees, that I knew I had to incorporate them into a story somehow. Granny Bee is the beekeeper in this book, and her book club, affectionately known as The Hive, consists of her two spinster sisters (who live in an old purple Victorian called Lavender Manor), Rosa Delgado, and town librarian, Dottie Duffield. 

Bailey and her sidekick bestie, Evie Delgado Espinoza (Rosa’s granddaughter), have been described as a mashup of Lucy & Ethel and Thelma & Louise trying to solve a murder. 

Granny Bee loves to bake and is always offering up honey-inspired dishes, so I knew I had to add recipes to this book. When I told my mom, who is a fabulous cook, this, she insisted we spend the day in the kitchen testing out all the recipes and finding the best ones for the book. 

What a day we had! Mom came over around ten that morning, and I finally finished cleaning everything up around midnight. Whew! There were different variations of several of the recipes, and we wanted to make sure we picked the best ones, so our plan was to bake all day and create several recipes then have the family over for dinner to be our guinea pigs…um…I mean, our taste testers. 

I think we made sixteen recipes in all. We tried two variations of whipped ricotta cheese drizzled in honey, and the citrus flavor won over the cinnamon. We made honey banana bread and honey pound cake. We tried three versions of honey butter. We made honey lemonade and two versions of the specialty danish from Evie and Rosa’s bakery, Cream-Cheese Quesitos. We made a honey cake with marshmallow frosting and crispy honey cookies. And of course, we had to find our favorite of three versions of the murder weapon, Granny Bee’s Honey I’m Home Hot Spiced Honey. 

I love this picture of my mom in her apron! And I love it even more because you can see my golden retriever, Cooper, who is the inspiration for the golden retriever in the book, peeking out from behind my mom, keeping a watchful eye on things and hoping a cookie falls on the floor. 

I will admit, we had a few duds…nobody liked the honey lemonade, except for the characters in the book, of course. They loved it. 

But overall, we made some delicious creations, and I think our favorite was the cream-cheese quesitos drizzled in honey. Sooo good! They were almost to die for! …But maybe not to kill for! 

I’d love for you to check out all the recipes and find out who used the hot spiced honey to murder the mayor in Take the Honey and Run. Humble Hills and Honeybuzz Mountain Ranch are full of fun and quirky characters, and I hope you love them as much as I do. 

Do you have any favorite recipes that you use honey in? I’d love to hear about them! I’m always on the lookout for new inspiration for the next book in the series, Kill Or Bee Killed, coming out next spring. Tell me about your favorite use for honey in the comments.

Thanks for hosting me today! I so enjoy the blog and was thrilled to be part of it today! 

You can find TAKE THE HONEY AND RUN here: 

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/719088/take-the-honey-and-run-by-jennie-marts/ 

Author Bio: 

Jennie Marts is the USA TODAY Best-selling author of award-winning books filled with love, laughter, and always a happily ever after. Readers call her books “laugh out loud” funny and the “perfect mix of romance, humor, and steam.” Fic Central claimed one of her books was “the most fun I’ve had reading in years.”

She is living her own happily ever after in the mountains of Colorado with her husband, two dogs, and a parakeet who loves to tweet to the oldies. She’s addicted to Diet Coke, adores Cheetos, and believes you can’t have too many books, shoes, or friends.

Her books range from western romance to cozy mysteries, but they all have the charm and appeal of quirky small-town life. She loves genre-mashups like adding romance to her Page Turners cozy mysteries and creating the hockey-playing cowboys in the Cowboys of Creedence. The same small-town community comes to life with more animal antics in her latest Creedence Horse Rescue series. And her sassy heroines and hunky heroes carry over in her heartwarming, feel good romances from Hallmark Publishing. Her newest cozy mystery, Take the Honey and Run: A Bee Keeping Mystery, debuts this July. 

Jennie loves to hear from readers. Follow her on Facebook at Jennie Marts Books, Twitter at @JennieMarts, and at @jenniemartswriter on Instagram. Visit her at www.jenniemarts.com and sign up for her newsletter to keep up with the latest news and releases.

Baking Gluten Free Goodies with Celia Wakefield

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: It's another delicious pair of recipes from our own Celia Wakefield. She's experimented with cooking for the vegan crowd; today, please enjoy these delicious gluten free baked goods, perfect for everyone avoiding wheat (and having tasted them both, perfect for the rest of us as well!

 

 

 

Yay, it’s my JRW Saturday (because tomorrow is supposed to be Mothers Day OFF). I am  sending my most heartfelt best wishes to all the moms/ mums/grands who keep the world in line and running smoothly - HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!

Julia, who has the largest heart evah, has invited not only me to join the fun but also my daughter, Olivia, not to be confused with the Maine Millennial and Youngest (my almost granddaughter). We are an intermingled family. To set our stage; Metropolitan Opera HD Saturday and the opera in question, Der Rosenkavalier, a Strauss marathon. Due to my leg hobble (much improved) I had decided to rest up and sent Victor and Julia off for an opera date. My day of R&R was enhanced by Olivia who had come to visit and check that we were behaving as she wished her parents so to do and that’s when the next Julia JRW Sunday bake came up.

I had never heard of celiac disease before we moved to Maine twenty three years ago. But within a few months I had met two families who were struggling to find baked food without gluten that was edible. A lot of spelt flour was in use but that too has traces of gluten. Then about ten years ago Olivia was tested and found she had celiac too. At least I knew what that was and what was involved. Things were improving in the market for the gluten intolerant. 

 

 

 

At first my pantry was stocked with several different flours to mix and match dependent on the GF recipe. I have always been a fan of arrowroot for thickening so leaving flour out of gravy and sauces was not a problem. Though I do think that potato flour works better. In the meantime the mills and large baking companies were working on delicious recipes using the ‘new’ flour which they were selling. 

 

Olivia having made some shifts with her work schedule now had a little time to get back into her kitchen and practice gluten free baking. Our scene was set, here we were on a cold March Saturday, and Olivia was baking for me. In fact for us because Julia was joining us for dinner post opera while the ‘boys’ spent the afternoon with Olivia and me [Ed note: Kingsley and Rocky, my Shih Tzus] getting very spoilt with lots of carrot treats. 

 

Olivia baked her famous GF biscuits for dinner. I say famous because the first time she baked them for us the family was here and as she brought the two dozen or so biscuits from the oven, she remarked that we would need to be quick or G’son #1, might vanish them. And she was right. Victor and I hardly got a bite each! And for dessert she baked these delicious chocolate chip cookies from the website: Gluten-free on a Shoestring.

However Olivia does have a hack for the recipe so I am using her quantities for success here. However I have also added the original recipe website where you can follow the Directions as well as reading Nicole’s comments on GF baking and she has a lot of experience:

Olivia suggests these recipe modifications:

• 3 eggs (versus two)

• 1/2 tsp of baking soda 

• 2 tablespoons of milk 

• 2 tablespoons of vanilla (versus one)

 

Once placed on parchment lined cookie sheets, chill dough in the freezer for 5-10 minutes and then bake (freezing keeps the GF dough from spreading when they cook). 

Here is the Gluten free on a Shoestring recipe:

• Preheat oven 350 degrees

• 2 ¼ cups (315 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend 

• 1 teaspoon xanthan gum optional, check the  flour blend

• ½ teaspoon kosher salt

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar

• ¾ cup (164 g) packed light brown sugar

• 8 tablespoons (112 g) unsalted butter at cool room temperature

• 2 eggs at room temperature, beaten

• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

• 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips plus more as desired, up to 16 ounces total

These cookies are very drop in guest as well as portion control friendly. Bake the amount needed and freeze the rest of the dough in cookie shape. Olivia found  cooking the whole batch was a bit too much, since G’son #2, who keeps to a strict eating plan as he is into sports, would complain that if the cookies were there he would eat them. Olivia started only baking what was needed for a meal. But the added benefit was that when a friend unexpectedly dropped by with her two grade schoolers, Olivia could pull out the frozen cookies and encourage the kids to play baker which was a great success.The dough bakes up quickly (particularly in a countertop oven)

 

 

 

 

I made Olivia’s GF biscuit recipe, from Gluten free on a Shoestring, using King Arthur GF flour with xanthan gum in the mix. Having read Nicole’s baking recommendations a couple of times I wanted to be extra careful as there is nothing worse than a flat biscuit. I was very pleased with the result. So here are my hacks:

Nicole stresses chilling ingredients which work better when baking GF. I planned ahead and put my bowl, measured flour etc in the fridge for an advanced cool down. I also used a scale for accuracy rather than the American cup measure system. I grated a frozen stick of butter and returned it into the fridge too. I preheated the oven before I began the mixing part. I washed my hands in cold water to cool them and did do some of the mixing by hand as I found the butter was clumping. I also had to add more buttermilk as the dough wasn’t coming together as needed. I found the dough stayed cold to my touch so formed the biscuits by hand as I didn’t have an ice cream scoop large enough. Working quickly helped keep the dough cool and then straight into the oven worked. My biscuits baked in 15 minutes.

 

 

Olivia’s Gluten Free biscuit recipe from Gluten free on a shoestring:

• 1 ¾ cups (245 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend (I used Better Batter)

• ¾ teaspoon xanthan gum omit if your blend already contains it

• ¼ cup (36 g) cornstarch (or try potato starch or arrowroot)

• 1 tablespoon baking powder

• ¼ teaspoon baking soda

• ½ teaspoon kosher salt

• 2 teaspoons (8 g) granulated sugar

• 8 tablespoons (112 g) unsalted butter cut into a 1/4-inch dice or grated and chilled

• 1 cup (8 fluid ounces) buttermilk chilled

• 1 tablespoon (14 g) unsalted butter melted

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees

Ingredient mix technique is on the website and in the videos.