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Sharing our love for authors, and the stories they are inspired to tell.

‘Cozy Food’ For Weekend Cooking

There is a personal and special message from the book’s editor, which comes with my post this time, so I would be grateful if you would take just a few moments to check it out, after delving into the book’s blurb and mouth watering recipes which come along with it. For those of you who have already viewed this email, I make no apologies for highlighting Nancy’s fundraising efforts on behalf of her husband and his fellow sufferers, just one more time, … but please enjoy the recipes along with everyone else … Thank you so much 🙂

COZY FOOD: 128 Cozy Mystery Writers Share Their Favorite Recipes

What happens when 128 cozy mystery writers get together to do a cookbook? You get more than 220 recipes that are as varied and interesting as an amateur sleuth’s day job.

Regional recipes come from every part of the United States and England — a couple find their way from Australia and Italy, too — and from diverse times. There are recipes from people looking to keep gluten out of their lives, eat vegetarian, or make a treat or two for their furry four-legged friends. And yes, there are recipes that appeal to the sweet tooth, lots of them, in fact.

There’s no mystery about what happens when cozy writers get together. They bring the wit, inventiveness, and adventure found in their books right along with their recipes.

The recipes are introduced by their authors and linked to the writer bios in the back of the book.
You can look up your favorite cozy writer and see which recipes are their favorites; they’ll tell you what the recipe means to them. Or you can enjoy a dish and then link to the recipe’s author’s biography and books.

Either way you enjoy the cookbook, you’re sure to find great new recipes to make and terrific new cozy authors to read.

A List Of Contributing Authors Can be Found Here:

SCHNITZ und KNEPP (Ham with Dried Apples and Dumplings)

From: Assaulted Pretzel by Laura Bradford (Page 178)

In Assaulted Pretzel (book 2 in the Amish Mysteries), Claire Weatherly has heard so much about the Amish dish, Schnitz und Knepp, that she can’t wait to try some at the annual Amish Food Festival in Heavenly, PA. Unfortunately, before she can try some, English toymaker, Rob Karble, is murdered right in the middle of the festival and Claire finds herself in full-blown sleuth-mode.

Here’s what she missed out on (at least until the end of the book) …

Ham with Dried Apples:

3 pounds smoked ham with bone

4 cups dried tart apples

3 tablespoons brown sugar

1 large onion, finely chopped

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Dumplings:

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 teaspoons baking powder

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 large egg, beaten

1/2 to 2/3 cup milk

In a large pot, cover ham with cold water. Bring to boil, reduce and simmer for 2 hours or until ham is tender. Meanwhile, put apples in bowl and cover with water. Soak for at least 2 hours. Remove ham from bone and cut into medium pieces. Return ham to pot. Add apples with most of apple liquid. Add brown sugar and onion. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

For dumplings, sift or or whisk together sifted flour, salt and baking powder. Cut in butter with two knives or pastry cutter. Stir in egg. Gradually add enough milk to make a moist, fairly stiff dough, gently stirring just enough to bring it together. Drop dough by tablespoons into simmering stew. Cover tightly and simmer for 12-15 minutes, or until dumplings are done. Serve immediately. This serves 6 to 8.

CASHEW CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

From: The Subbing Isn’t For Sissies Mysteries by Carolyn J. Rose (page 224)

These cookies are a favorite of substitute teacher Barbara Reed. After a hard day of subbing at Captain Meriwether High School in Reckless River, Washington, Barb munches on these while sipping a frothy drink with her dog Cheese Puff, the world’s most entitled mutt.

Cream:
1 stick (a quarter of a pound) of butter (the real stuff)
½ cup dark brown sugar
½ cup white sugar
1 egg
2 t. vanilla

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Mix in:
½ t. salt
½ t. baking soda
1 cup oatmeal (old fashioned, not quick-cooking)
1 cup flour (or a little more or less)
Add:
1 cup cashew pieces (salted or plain)
1 ½ cups dark chocolate chips
Set oven to 360 degrees and bake a test pan to determine whether to thicken the batter with more flour for plump cookies or thin it with a little water for lacy, crunchy cookies.
Makes about 50 cookies, depending on how large you like them.
Remove from cookie tin as soon as they’re done and cool on racks or paper towels. Store in the freezer for months—or until you eat them all.

MYSTERIOUS CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

From: The Regan McHenry Real Estate Mysteries by Nancy Lynn Jarvis (page 199)

Regan keeps this cookie dough in her freezer ready to bake at open houses to make them seem homey and to bake and take to friends and clients accused of murder. The cookies are made with an unusual mystery ingredient. Don’t worry, the chili oil doesn’t make the cookies hot, it just enhances the chocolate experience.

Cream together until light and fluffy:
1 cup butter
3/4 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar

Add:
2 eggs
1 1/2 t vanilla
1 t baking soda
1 t habanero chili oil (Regan uses Coeur D’Olives Habanero Oil)
1 t cinnamon
Mix well.

NANCY LYNN JARVIS – Editor

Photograph of Cozy Mystery author Nancy Lynn JarvisNancy has been a happily former Realtor for just over a year. Without a license to hold her back, she is free to share her opinions about all things real estate, especially in Regan McHenry Real Estate Mysteries.
 .
Nancy has enjoyed a checkered career past: she’s worked for the San Jose Mercury News, been a librarian, photo archivist, and been the business manager of Shakespeare/Santa Cruz.
.
Her work history reflects her philosophy: people should try something radically different every few years. Writing murder mysteries set in Santa Cruz is one of her newer adventures. Her most recent turn has been trying her hand as the editor of Cozy Food which has caused her to think that cozy writers are the nicest people out there.
 .
Check out Nancy’s books at her Goodreads Author Page, here
Like Nancy’s page at Facebook, here

…

I’ll allow Nancy to tell you the reason behind the intrigue, through the words of an email she sent me:

Hi Yvonne,

Like Tom Brokaw, my husband has multiple myeloma, a plasma cell cancer. He was diagnosed a little more than two years ago. If he’d developed this disease a decade ago, he’d likely be dead by now, instead he’s doing well. Fortunately great strides have been made and survival times keep getting pushed out because of research, new medicines, and new treatments.

The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation has been instrumental in fundraising dedicated to finding a cure for the disease. Supporters have answered their call to do creative fundraising. There’s a cat litter manufacturer who donates a portion of sales as part of a “Cats for Cancer” campaign. Ditto a Louisiana seafood producer who sells “Crayfish for Cancer.”

It seems this group loves alliteration and it occurred to me that as a mystery writer I could donate books for sale and dub them “Mysteries for Myeloma.” Five of my books are real estate mysteries set in Santa Cruz. My husband and I also edited a terrific cookbook called “Cozy Food: 128 Cozy Mystery Writers Share Their Favorite Recipes” which qualifies in the mystery category because all the recipes are from mystery writers.

This year’s Greater Bay Area MMRF event is a 5K Walk/Run which will be held in San Francisco at the Marina Green on March 22nd. I’ll be there selling books. All proceeds will be donated to MMRF. For people with e-readers or those who can’t make the event, profits from e-books purchased on Amazon that day will also be donated. “Mags and the AARP Gang,” another book I’ve written will also be included for those who prefer humor to mysteries or cookbooks.

E-books are a relatively low price — such a small donation to make — but if enough people buy one, not only will they get a book they may enjoy reading, but we will raise some real money…perhaps enough to keep my husband and many others around for those who love them.

I realize I should have started this sooner, but we were involved in a stem cell transplant and pretty busy.

Thank you so much. Nancy Lynn Jarvis

All of the books Nancy has mentioned, are available from her ..

Amazon.com page, here

Amazon.co.uk page, here

You can check out the USA Multiple Myeloma Research site here

You can check out the UK Multiple Myeloma Research site here

New Icon Image For Weekend Cooking December 2013oWeekend Cooking is hosted by Beth F, over at ‘Beth Fish Reads’.

It is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog’s home page.

When leaving your link, don’t forget to leave a comment for Beth F, we all like to receive comments and share your thoughts.

…

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Written by
Yvonne

I can’t remember a time, even as a child, when I haven’t been passionate about books and reading.
I began blogging, when I realised just how many other people out there shared my passion for the written word and I have been continually amazed at the wealth of books that are available and the amount of great new friends I have made, from literally 'The Four Corners Of The World'.

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Written by Yvonne