Book Review: IN A JAM by Cindy Dorminy

One of the wonderful and unexpected happenings that resulted from signing with Red Adept Publishing for my culinary mystery series was the introduction to some fabulous new authors so I could fill up my Kindle even more. I will NEVER live long enough to read all the books this baby can hold. But enough about that.

Cindy Dorminy is one such RAP author I encountered. With a title like IN A JAM, how could a foodie-mystery guy like me not pick it up? Well, it’s not a mystery. But that’s okay. What’s not okay is not including the recipe for this fabulous, award-winning strawberry jam that Andie has to figure out. C’mon, Cindy! Give!

But I’m getting ahead of myself. The story premise is one we’ve seen before: the protagonist can only inherit fabulous wealth if certain conditions are met. If not met, xxx inherits, in this case, the small church in small-town Georgia.

But this is not a trite retelling of a trope. Andie is, ahem, shall we say a flawed character. The opening lines of the book hooked me immediately:

“Some might consider waking up in the drunk tank rock bottom. I call it Thursday.”

Andie has all sorts of issues that need sorting, but she is content enough with her life and acquaintances. Her only real friends appear to be the cops who pick her up on Wednesdays and deposit her in the drunk tank and who bring her Dunkin’ Donuts’ dark roast coffee with a double shot of caramel. They like her and worry about her, especially Officer Tinsley, who sees in Andie what she can’t see in herself.

Yes, Andie is content enough until an attorney shows up with the news that her grandmother (whom she hadn’t seen in 20 years or so) died leaving her a coffee shop and her lottery winnings—her considerable lottery winnings.

All Andie has to do is stay sober for six weeks while running the coffee shop, attend church several times a week, fit in with the community, and enter the local fair’s jam contest. Easy peasy, Andie thinks. Breeze into town, put in her time, collect the money, sell the coffee shop, then breeze out of town.

Uh, not so much. That pesky jam recipe, for example, that she just can’t figure out with the clock ticking down to the contest. And “fitting in” is challenging when most of the town wants her to fail so the money goes to the church, the rightful beneficiary, in many minds.

Andie learns a great deal about herself during her six week “sentence” in Smithville, Georgia, and she comes to realize that that was her grandmother’s plan all along. To help and hinder Andie in the plan is a delightful ensemble cast of quirky, supportive, gossipy, toxic, and thoroughly engaging characters. Oh, and the handsome town police officer, directed by Officer Tinsley to monitor Andie, is just the gravy on the biscuit.

Confronting obstacle after obstacle, Andie builds her character pretty much from the ground up. She goes from an anchorless party girl to a caring and thoughtful young woman deserving of the respect she garners.

Cindy Dorminy, I hope there is a sequel and that we learn more about Andie and her renewed life. Oh, and the sequel better have that strawberry jam recipe with the secret ingredient!

Culinary Mystery Writers to Read

It is no surprise that I enjoy reading mysteries. I love puzzles of all sorts. Well-conceived and written mysteries allow me to think along as both true clues and red herrings are strewn in my path. It’s such fun to get a two-fer book: an engaging story with its requisite sub-plots and a puzzle to solve along with the sleuth.

When you add recipes, à la culinary mysteries, I am the most thrilled. Now it’s a three-fer: engaging story with its requisite sub-plots, a puzzle to solve along with the sleuth, and a cookbook! I can never have too many recipes, even though I almost never follow them as written. Weird, huh?

My first culinary mystery author was one that got many of us started on the sub-genre: Diane Mott Davidson. Loved reading about Goldy Bear Schulz and her horrible-then-wonderful life and how she kept tripping over bodies in her small town. My eyes (and brain) flew open.

I was writing other fiction and why it never occurred to me to put my cooking interest into a mystery is beyond me. Let’s just say that “Ah Ha!” experience re-focused my writing.

I tend to read more cozy mysteries these days. I have lost patience with the traditional mystery in which “the great reveal” comes at the end, and in which it is often hard to think along with the sleuth. I’ve read a bunch of traditional mysteries over the years and still read some on occasion, but my interest has shifted. There is something so fun about cozies. They don’t take themselves over seriously. Sure, they want to write well and tell a good tale, but cozies are about entertainment.

Part of my interest is because I’m also a word guy. I love the punny titles that are characteristic of many culinary mysteries. What’s not to love about Assault and Pepper (Budewitz), The Long Quiche Goodbye (Aames), Dying for a Taste (Karst), Scene of the Climb (Dyer-Seeley), and One Foot in the Grape (O’Neil)?

Left Coast Crime panels have introduced me to some new culinary mystery writers, and being on panels with these women (yes, all women) has been fun, enlightening, and engaging. They are smart, funny, and they love food and adult beverages, too! Here are some you may not know, but I urge you to read them if you haven’t.

Avery Aames/Daryl Wood Gerber

Sometimes, when you have more than one series, you write under pen names. This author has three series! Avery writes the Cheese Shop Mysteries. You learn about cheeses and get some recipes, too. Daryl writes the Cookbook Nook Mysteries, the soon-to-be-published French Bistro Mysteries with recipes. She also has written a number of stand-alone suspense books.

Catherine Bruns

Catherine writes the Cookies and Chance Mysteries. Book one gives the recipe for the fortune cookies that connect to the Chance part of her series. There are some weird fortunes that are pertinent to the recipient, advancing character development.

Additionally, Catherine writes the Aloha Lagoon Mysteries (culinary) and the Cindy York Real Estate Mysteries (non-culinary.

Leslie Budewitz

Leslie writes the Spice Shop Mysteries (Seattle setting) and the Food Lovers’ Village Mysteries (Montana setting) with delicious recipes! She uses her books to teach us some very interesting stuff! For example, not only do we learn about herbs and spices, but her descriptions of how to use herbs and spices in food sound luscious! Delicious recipes included. She’s a past prez for Sisters in Crime, so you know she knows her way around a mystery!

Kate Dyer-Seeley/Ellie Alexander

Another multi-series author hails from the Northwest. As Kate, she writes writes the “Pacific Northwest Mystery” series and the new “Rose City Mystery” series. As Ellie she writes the “Bakeshop Mystery” series also set in the Northwest. Both series include amazing recipes you’ll enjoy along with the mystery that keeps you guessing.

Leslie Karst

Leslie’s background as an attorney served as the basis for her protag’s previous career also. Then Leslie went to culinary school. Her “Sally Solari Mysteries” are set in Santa Cruz, California. Leaving law to return to the family Italian restaurant business is more of an escape than a life-long dream. Then she inherits a restaurant. Leslie’s recipes are delicious and elegant. Very sophisticated food here.

Kathy Krevat/Kathy Aarons

Here’s another author with more ideas than one series can hold. As Kathy Krevat she writes the “Gourmet Cat” series. Kathy Aarons pens the “Chocolate Covered Mysteries.”  Both have delicious delectations for you to make, too. Kathy Aarons worked with a professional chocolatier to make sure her chocolate candies were perfect.

Nadine Nettmann

Nadine writes the Sommelier Mystery series. She is a certified sommelier and uses that knowledge to teach us about wines while twisting our minds around her engaging mysteries. No recipes, unfortunately, but lots of wine-food pairings are mentioned throughout. Her wine-speak (descriptions of wines) set my tongue a-quiver.

Carlene O’Neil

Carlene’s “Cypress Cove Mysteries” are set along the Northern California coast in wine country. Cypress Cove is a town very like, I mean, very like, Carmel. Her MC comes home to run the family winery she inherited. With an extensive background in alcohol (Carlene is accredited by the Wine and Spirits Education Trust), she teaches us about wine production while spinning a tale for us to unravel.

The culinary mystery field is ripe with authors and their tales of mystery and food beyond these few I’ve highlighted. If you haven’t already bitten into a culinary mystery, take a nibble of these.

Left Coast Crime, 2018

I am headed to the annual Left Coast Crime conference in Reno next week. What does that entail? Part of it is prepping enough food for DH so he is nourished while I’m gone. I know, I know. Don’t go there. This is what I do, okay?

Another part is picking my clothes. You gotta look good at these things, right? I mean, there are famous people there I will interact with. So I went shopping, which I am not wild about. And I ordered stuff online, which I do like to do. And I’ve laid out clothes possibilities in the guest room so I can select the best of the best.

A third conference-prep thing is reading books by authors on my panel. Four panelists and a moderator will share perspectives on writing culinary mysteries. Our title is “Days of Wine and Roses: Culinary Mysteries.” I want to have read at least one book by each woman so I can let them know what I thought. And there are some really great recipes in the novels. I love collecting new recipes!

I went through the program and circled sessions I am interested in attending. The night before, I will select the final ones (where I have more than one highlighted) to attend. I expect, as always, to learn bunches of new stuff. The worst thing is that there’s a session I really want to attend but can’t. It conflicts with my panel. Bummer! In cases like that, I make sure to connect with the panelists to find out what I can about their presentation.

I am also doing some reading about a side trip I am taking prior to the opening of the conference. We’ll be visiting the Donner Party site and museum. I want to bone up on the event (even though I know a good bit already) just so the info from the tour guide has slots to slide into.

Oh, and did I mention I’m on a panel? Yeah, that. In my spare time, I think I should give a bit of thought to what will happen in that hour, don’t you think?

Book Review: The Inspector and Mrs. Jeffries

The “Mrs. Jeffries” books may be one of the longest-ever cozy mystery series. If there is a longer one, I am unfamiliar with it. I was introduced to these books by a fellow Red Adept Publishing author earlier this year. If you’re someone who gets into series books, start with book one and work your way through. That’s what I’m doing. The most recent book is Mrs. Jeffries and the Three Wise Women (October, 2017).

Delightful. Inspector Witherspoon, a kindly employer of an assortment of quirky household help, is a Victorian-era police detective at Scotland Yard who is an example of the Peter Principle in action. Inspector Witherspoon is not a very good detective. Not at all. But with the help of his housekeeper, Mrs. Jeffries, and her sleuthing, he is made to look like a good detective. His superior, Inspector Nivens, is thoroughly mystified as to how this bumbling detective manages to solve so many crimes, having no idea of the shadow investigations that go on unbeknownst to Witherspoon or Nivens.

The Inspector and Mrs. Jeffries, published in 1993, is the first in the 36-book series by author Emily Brightwell. Each short cozy features the clever Mrs. Jeffries, widowed wife of a police officer, nudging the Inspector toward the clues she has assembled with the help of the household staff she directed. The ensemble cast of cook, footman, maid, and driver aid her in searching out information she can assemble into a coherent theory for each crime.

The crimes in the books I’ve read are tight little mysteries that allow you to think along with Mrs. Jeffries as she puzzles out each murder, modeling her thinking and her deductive methods. The characters are engaging tropes who each fill a slot. The books remind me a bit of the “Miss Fisher” mysteries and her ensemble cast of amateurs who manage to solve crimes before the police can.

I also enjoy the peek into Victoria society, sensibilities, and scenery. Historical mysteries put together two of my favorite things.

If you’re a cozy fan, take a look at the “Mrs. Jeffries” Victorian mystery series. I predict you will find them fun and a bit different from others you might be reading.

Worldly Wednesday: Lo Mein and Coconut Shrimp

Welcome to my annual recipe crush. Each February I choose a theme, and provide one or two recipes each day for the whole month. This year the theme is Weekly Menu Planning. What are the categories, you ask? We have Sunday Special, Meatless Monday, Taco Tuesday, Worldly Wednesday, Thrifty Thursday, Fishy Friday, and Celebrate Saturday.

Here we are. End of the month. End of the daily recipes for another year. I really hope you found this month an interesting journey. Making life easier—for myself and others--is a goal of mine. And systematizing meal planning is one way I made my life easier. I make calendars for meals so I know what to buy and what I’ll be cooking. I hope you will have an easier, less stressed cooking life, too.

Being Worldly Wednesday is a great way to end the month since I have readers from around the world. I hope you enjoy this last offering. This year. Next year will be a whole new category for February recipes.

I hope you will stop in again, even if it’s not February, to see what’s going on here. The normal posts are about mysteries, recipes, or recipes in mysteries. You just never know!

And if you come back regularly, you’ll find out when Pastabilties is released from Red Adept Publishing this fall as well as the other books in the series. On to the last recipe for February’s Month-of-Recipes.

Half of our current household loves foods of the Pacific Rim. Half does not. The “does not” half will eat Asian foods if served, but the “does not” half never requests them. Too bad! I served this lo mein with shrimp since I knew “does not” wanted more to eat than the noodles. You could make this a Meatless Monday meal without the shrimp.

 

You’ll also note in the picture below that I roasted EVO coated Brussel sprouts that baked alongside the shrimp. Same time! Easy way to cut down on the pans needed for dinner.

Did you ever wonder about the difference between chow mein and lo mein? In chow mein, the noodles are fried first and the sauce added. In lo mein the boiled noodles are tossed with a sauce and done. Lo mein is the easier, quicker dish, right? Also, a more healthful option.

One thing about cooking with rice noodles for this dish is how easy it is compared to cooking wheat-based pasta. After the water comes to a boil, you add the noodles, and take the pot off the heat and let it sit for 8 minutes or so. Drain and use immediately or they get too soft and gushy.

Lo Mein (serves 6-8)

1 pound rice noodles

¾ cup soy sauce

3 cloves garlic, minced

4 teaspoons fresh ginger (raw or Gourmet Garden in produce aisle)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large onion, rough chopped

3 celery stalks, thinly sliced

½ head cabbage, rough chopped

In a small dish, mix soy sauce, garlic, and ginger. Set aside.

Cut up onion, celery, and cabbage as the water comes to a boil for the rice noodles.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add celery and cook for three minutes, stirring so it doesn’t brown.

Add onion and cabbage to the skillet and stir to mix up vegetables.

Put rice noodles into boiling water. Cook according to package directions by removing boiling pot from the heat.

Stir veggies in skillet and cook for another five minutes until onion is tender and cabbage is wilted.

Drain noodles and dump into skillet on top of veggies. Pour sauce over the top and toss to coat veggies and noodles. Serve immediately.

Coconut Shrimp (serves 6) 

1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/c cup cornstarch

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups flaked sweet coconut

3 egg whites, whipped to foamy

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray.

Rinse and dry shrimp.

Mix cornstarch and salt in a shallow dish for coating the shrimp. Put coconut in a separate shallow dish.

Beat egg whites until foamy and put in a shallow dish between the cornstarch and the coconut.

Dredge shrimp in the cornstarch and shake off excess. Dip into the egg white and roll in the coconut. Place shrimp on baking pan. Repeat with all the shrimp.

Bake for 15-20 minutes. Check for doneness and toasting of coconut. Serve alone or with your favorite dipping sauce. One good sauce is orange marmalade, horseradish, and Dijon mustard combined to your taste. More marmalade if you want it sweeter; more horseradish for more bite.

NOTE: I cheated this time. I always keep frozen appetizer-style foods in the freezer in case someone drops by, and I need to serve something with drinks. One of those is breaded shrimp. I used a box of the breaded shrimp and dipped them into whipped egg whites and coconut before baking. Not as good as my recipe above, but very fast to do.

DH’s Rating: 4 Tongues Up

DH: “You know I don’t particularly like Asian food. This is tasty, it’s just not my favorite. And it was too salty.” Me: “So should I make it again? Use low-sodium soy sauce?” DH: “Mmmm. Maybe.” Me: “What did you like best about it?” DH: “The shrimp.”  Sigh.

Taco Tuesday: Mojito Carnitas Fajitas + Two-Bite Pie

Welcome to my annual recipe crush. Each February I choose a theme, and provide one or two recipes each day for the whole month. This year the theme is Weekly Menu Planning. What are the categories, you ask? We have Sunday Special, Meatless Monday, Taco Tuesday, Worldly Wednesday, Thrifty Thursday, Fishy Friday, and Celebrate Saturday.

Remember earlier this month when I said that I have a loose definition of taco? Yeah, well, this is an example of that. We love fajitas since they are quick and tasty and different from having traditional tacos on Tuesdays. So if you’re a purist, you can move this recipe, on your planner, to Worldly Wednesday or Thrifty Thursday.

This is also one of my very quick-to-make meals. You could even do all the prep in the morning (another good recipe benefiting from mise en place) and let it sit waiting for you. The meat will be even better sitting with its spice blend all day.

I make this two ways. Sometimes I use a raw, boneless pork chop cut into strips before seasoning. Other times, I use a leftover already-grilled pork chop cut into strips. I add a bit of olive oil to the spice blend and rub it into the meat to add flavor. Either way is good, but the already-cooked pork chop is an even faster meal.

Mojito Carnitas Fajitas (serves 2-3)

1 large pork chop

Motjito Lime spice blend (McCormick Grill Mates)

one large bell pepper (I use a third of three different colors for eye appeal)

large onion cut into strips

Olive oil

Flour tortillas

Toss the veggies with olive oil and a generous sprinkling of Mojito Lime spice blend. Put into a zipper bag and let sit for at least a half hour.

In a separate zipper bag, coat the strips of pork chop the same way.

Heat a grill pan to medium high heat and brush with olive oil. Put veggies on and turn once. Grill until al dente. Remove to a bowl while you cook the meat.

Before serving, return veggies to the grill and toss with the meat to cook all together.

Serve on flour tortillas immediately.

I’ve mentioned before how much DH likes sweet stuff. These two-bite pies (I call them pie-lettes) are a family favorite. If you just want a bit of pie, not a whole slice, these are perfect. There’s no real recipe, just ingredients you assemble.

Two-Bite Pie-lettes (makes about 30)

2 pie crusts

1 can cherry pie filling (or apple or other flavor).

There will be leftover fruit in the can to put on ice cream.

NOTE: I use my Pampered Chef “Cut and Seal” cutter which cuts the circles of dough and then  crimps the edges when I fold over the dough. If you don’t have this tool, fold over the dough and seal the dough with a fork.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Put a Silpat sheet on a large baking pan.

Cut about 30 circles of dough from pie crusts, re-rolling to use up all the dough.

Put 2 cherries and little dab of the cherry filling on a pie circle. Fold over, crimp, and put on baking sheet. I like to put a little of the cherry filling on top to identify the flavor. For apple, I dust the pie-lettes with cinnamon sugar.

Bake for about 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Cool down on a cookie rack to allow air to circulate.

DH’s Rating: 5 Tongues Up

He loves his Mexican food. This dish, with the low meat and high veggie ratio appeal to his health consciousness. Plus it tastes yummy.

Meatless Monday: One-Pot Spaghetti

Welcome to my annual recipe crush. Each February I choose a theme, and provide one or two recipes each day for the whole month. This year the theme is Weekly Menu Planning. What are the categories, you ask? We have Sunday Special, Meatless Monday, Taco Tuesday, Worldly Wednesday, Thrifty Thursday, Fishy Friday, and Celebrate Saturday.

Today’s recipe doesn’t have the flavors of marinara sauce cooked for hours, but the fact that you can put it together and sit down to eat in minutes has a lot to recommend it. It’s very tasty, just not Grandma’s “gravy”.

This is by far the quickest and easiest of any of my pasta dishes. When things are too busy to think, I can put this one together and sit for a few minutes to gather myself. With a prep time of five minutes and about 15 minutes on the stove, this is a fast dinner.

There are versions of this all over the Internet, so you may already be familiar with it, but here’s how I cook it. I enjoy a dish of this for lunch later in the week. I could eat pasta anytime! And, this recipe is a good one to use up a lot of that basil in my herb garden.

One-Pot Spaghetti (serves 6-8)

1 pound spaghetti (or penne or other pasta)

1 large onion, rough diced

2 cans diced tomatoes with herbs

3 cups basil leaves

5 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced

salt and pepper to taste

4½ cups water

1 cup shredded Asiago cheese (you can use Parmesan) + more for the table

In a large stockpot or Dutch oven, combine all ingredients except cheese.

Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 10 minutes until pasta is al dente. Stir occasionally to push down spaghetti and distribute ingredients.

Stir in cheese and let sit for a few minutes. The sauce will thicken up as it sits, so serve when it is the right consistency for you. Serve as is or with extra cheese

NOTE: If it’s not Meatless Monday, say it’s Italian-inspired Worldly Wednesday, I cut up a kielbasa into bite-sized chunks and throw it in the pot with the other ingredients.

DH’s Rating: 4 Tongues Up

“I like your regular spaghetti sauce better. This is good, but I like the other one. Is that okay to say?” Yes, it is. When I have time, I do make a realllly good marinara sauce!