< Back Cocoa-Bear Cake (AKA Dragon’s Milk Cake) July 30, 2019 Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 50-55 Minutes Serves: 12 Slices of Cake Tags: Vegetarian, Cakes & Pies & Icing About the Recipe 173 Battered: A Whipped and Sipped Mystery Alene had gone off to college and forgotten all about Neal Dunn, until a summer day after her third year at Northwestern, when they had bumped into each other at a Wrigleyville bar. Neal bought her a beer and invited her to a Cubs game. That had been her first stout, and she thought it was so yummy she bought a six-pack and shared it with Ruthie, who went on to invent a stout cake. They changed “beer” to “bear” so as not to alarm the customers, and it worked. Ingredients For the Cake 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 cup packed dark brown sugar ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder 2 tsp instant decaf or coffee powder 2 tsp baking soda ¼ tsp salt ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) 1 tsp pure vanilla extract 1 1/4 cup Dragon’s Milk (room temp) or any dark beer ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips For the Icing 1 can full fat coconut milk ½ cup cocoa powder ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips ¼ cup dark brown sugar 1 tsp pure vanilla extract 1 tsp instant decaf or coffee powder 1 tsp ground cinnamon Pinch of salt Preparation Preheat oven to 350 degrees Grease and sugar an 8” springform Combine dry ingredients in food processor Add wet ingredients except beer, pulse a few times Add beer and mix enough to blend well Pour batter into greased and sugared prepared pan. Bake 50-55 minutes until cake springs under pressure Cool before removing from springform pan Drizzle with icing (recipe below) While the cake is in the oven, mix the icing ingredients in a blender until it’s completely smooth Previous Next

< Back Dairy-free Chocolate Frosting September 3, 2019 Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cook Time: Varies Serves: 2 Cups of Spread Tags: Vegan, Gluten Free, Baking, Dips and Sauces, Cakes & Pies & Icing About the Recipe P.11 Battered: A Whipped and Sipped Mystery Alene cut through the alley, unlocked the back entrance and stepped into Whipped and Sipped’s kitchen. The comforting smell of yeast, the enticement of cinnamon and the complexity of chocolate all soothed Alene, who realized she’d been holding her shoulders and neck in awkward stiffness. Ruthie approached with a steaming cup of her favorite espresso topped with whipped almond milk, cocoa and cinnamon powder.” Ingredients 1 ¼ cup water 1 small baked sweet potato (with skin) ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (Higher quality powder will taste better!) 1 TBSP instant decaf or coffee powder or crystals 1 tsp cinnamon (optional – you can also just use 1/2 tsp) ½ cup pure maple syrup 1 tsp pure vanilla extract ¼ tsp salt Other options: replace ¼ cup of water with a liquor Replace ¼ cup of water with any kind of milk add a whole peeled orange add ¼ brown sugar for a sweeter frosting or sauce only 1/2 tsp of cinnamon replaced with extra 1/2 tsp of pure vanilla extract Preparation In a high-powered blender, use the ‘soup’ setting that heats up the ingredients. This heat is enough to temper the chocolate, which will turn shiny. It should be smooth enough to pour or spread. If you don’t have a soup setting, use your blender to mix everything until completely smooth, pour into a microwave-safe container, then zap in the microwave for one minute. Stir, zap another 30 seconds, and stir again until the sauce is a little steamy and silky looking. Add one of the options if you like it sweeter, or more liquid if you need it to be thinner right away. After a night in the refrigerator, it will be thick like a ganache. Zap it again if you need it to be easily spreadable after being in the fridge. Use it to frost a cake, or dip strawberries, or enjoy teaspoonfuls of it all week (if it lasts that long). Previous Next

< Back Chocolate Zucchini – Apple Cake June 25, 2019 Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 30-50 Minutes Serves: 6-8 Slices of Cake Tags: Muffins and Breads, Baking, Vegetarian, Breakfast, Cakes & Pies & Icing About the Recipe p.84 Battered: A Whipped and Sipped Mystery At least once a week, Kacey’s mother came over to the Whipped and Sipped Café. Isobel was another difficult woman in Alene’s orbit, and as soon as she arrived, she usually started lecturing the servers and the people sitting around her about the evils of coffee. She brought her own food in a container that she plucked from her purse. Alene would politely request that Isobel put away whatever she’d brought. “We sell raw pastries with cashew cream and chocolate pecan crusts and we have brownies made from different kinds of beans sweetened with date or coconut sugar, for goodness sake. We offer every kind of salad under the sun, Isobel. I’m sure you can find something to your liking on our menu.” “I’m sure you think your offerings are healthful,” Isobel would respond smugly, her chin jutting forward. “But I concentrate on a mostly raw, macrobiotic diet.” Alene would point out the sign on the door that politely explained their policy of not allowing patrons to bring food into the cafe. Wondering why someone with dyed-red hair, who wore mascara and leather sandals, was so concerned with being natural, she would invite Isobel to order from the raw, the vegan or the smoothie menu. Isobel would pack up what she’d brought, glowering, and grudgingly order a cup of herbal tea. Ingredients For the Cake: 1 ½ cups grated zucchini 1 small tart apple (like Gala or Honey-crisp), seeded and grated 3 eggs 1 cup packed dark brown sugar 1 ½ tsp vanilla 2 cups unbleached or gluten free flour 4 TBSP unsweetened cocoa powder 1 TBSP apple cider vinegar 1 tsp baking soda ½ tsp salt 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips For the Icing: 1 cup semi-sweet chips ½ cup almond, rice or coconut milk ½ cup brown sugar Optional additions: 1/2 tsp cinnamon or 1/2 tsp pure vanilla or almond extract. Preparation Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease and sugar two round 8” pans (a Bundt will need more time but looks nice). Throw everything into the food processor and blend until smooth. Add ¼ cup room temp water if batter is too thick. Pour into greased and sugared pan(s) of choice and bake about 30 -50 minutes until top springs back. COOL COMPLETELY before removing from pan and icing. Icing (optional): Zap 1 minute in microwave and stir until smooth. Slather between layers or thin it with water and drizzle over the top of the cake. Previous Next

All-time Favorite Mystery Authors Sort by Last Name Sort by First Name Sort by Most Recent Josephine Tey Daughter of Time, Brat Farrar, To Love and be Wise. The Man in the Queue, The Franchise Affair Read More Elizabeth George Author of The Inspector Lynley Mysteries Read More Louise Penny Author of The Armond Gamache Mysteries Read More Attica Lock Author of Black Water Rising Read More Barbara Cleverly Author of The Detective Joe Sandilands Mystery Series Read More Charles Finch Author of The Charles Lynch Mysteries Read More Sujata Massey Author of The Perveen Mistry and Rei Shamuro Mysteries Read More Lindsey Davis Author of The Marcus Didius Falco and Flavia Albia Mysteries Read More C.S. Harris Author of The Sebastian St. Syr Mystery Series Read More Laurie R King Author of The Mary Russell-Sherlock Holmes Mysteries Read More Deanna Raybourne Author of The Veronica Speedwell Mysteries and Lady Gray Mysteries Read More Ruth Rendell Author of The Chief Inspector Wexford Novels Read More Christopher Fowler Author of The Bryant and May Mysteries Read More Sherry Thomas Author of The Lady Sherlock Series Read More Catherine Louisa Pirkis Author of Disappeared From Her Home Read More Load More

< Back Chocolate Hamantaschen February 26, 2021 Prep Time: 1 Hour Cook Time: 15 Minutes Serves: 20 Servings Tags: Gluten Free, Vegan, Baking About the Recipe ​ Ingredients 1 ¼ cup quick or old-fashioned oats 1 ¼ cup almond flour (or gluten-free flour) 1 TBSP corn or potato starch 1 tsp baking soda ¼ tsp salt ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce (I use half a seeded apple) ¼ cup coconut or monkfruit or brown sugar ½ cup plant milk 1 tsp zest (from one medium orange) 2 TBSP coconut oil 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 tsp apple cider vinegar Chocolate Filling ¼ cup monkfruit, cane, or brown sugar (1/3 to 1/2 cup if you like sweeter chocolate!) ¼ cup coconut or canola oil ¼ cup plant milk ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1 tsp pure vanilla extract ¼ tsp sea salt ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips Preparation In a blender or processor pulse oats, flour, starch, baking soda, and salt into flour. Move to a large bowl. In the same blender or processor, pulse apple, sugar, plant milk, zest, oil, vanilla, and vinegar until blended. Pour wet mixture into dry mixture and stir until it comes together as a dough. Then, refrigerate the dough while you make the filling. Preheat oven to 375℉. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. In the same blender, pulse together sugar, oil, plant milk, cocoa powder, vanilla, and salt for about 40-60 seconds until it turns shiny. Transfer from blender to a small bowl and gently stir in the chocolate chips. Remove dough from refrigerator and divide in half. Roll to about ⅛ inch thick, adding flour if needed to make it less sticky. Cut circles with a drinking glass. Fill with 1 teaspoon of chocolate filling. Create a triangle by folding the left side over the filling into the center, then the right side over the filling, then then fold the bottom side over the filling. Pinch the corners to hold the shape. Place cookies on the prepared cookie sheets and brush with oil (if you want shinier cookies, otherwise this step is optional). Bake at 375℉ about 14-15 minutes until golden brown. Previous Next

Battered A Whipped and Sipped Mystery: Book 1 When Whipped and Sipped Café proprietor Alene Baron finds a dead body next door, she calls the police and dashes home — to make soup for her family. Alene is 38 and divorced, living in a Chicago high rise with her father and children. She wonders if the murderer is an ex-spouse, a neighbor, or one of her employees. Then someone batters two more people who are connected to the café. There’s another mystery, closer to Alene’s heart: Is the lead detective going to take her seriously? Read More Smothered A Whipped and Sipped Mystery: Book 2 When the owner of the business next door is found dead in his office, Alene Baron’s first feeling is relief. She’s been suspicious of the food supplements her neighbor has been selling, not to mention the smoothies he’s been hawking, which are much inferior to the ones Alene sells in her cafe. Plus, Stanley Huff never cleaned up his garbage in the alley they shared. As a sexual harasser and shady businessman, Stanley had enemies. One of Alene’s favorite employees is a suspect. And now that employee is missing. Read More Charred A Whipped and Sipped Mystery: Book 3 Even a worldwide pandemic can’t keep a woman like Alene Baron down... nor from finding herself in the middle of a murder investigation. While she has to get creative to keep the Whipped and Sipped Café going during the COVID lockdown, that is nothing compared to figuring out the real story about a dead body found in a burnt-out building in her neighborhood. Red herring might not be vegan, but it does seem to be the order of the day. Read More Books by G. P. Gottlieb Praise for Whipped and Sipped Praise for the Whipped and Sipped Mysteries Five Directions Press The action in Charred begins immediately. As if she doesn’t have enough to contend with, Alene agrees to drive Kofi and his girlfriend Kacey, both of whom are her neighbors as well as members of the Whipped and Sipped Café staff, to the site of a recent building fire before she even prepares her family’s breakfast. Read More Batya Medad To be honest, when I was a good three quarters finished with the book, I began to think that there were too many threads and wondered if G.P. Gottlieb would tie them all together. And then suddenly, rather miraculously the author very neatly crocheted them all into a wonderful conclusion. Read More Lisa's Writopia Once I started reading Charred: a Whipped and Sipped Mystery I found it difficult to put down. I became involved in the characters’ lives and what was going on with them. And I was trying to figure out the answers to some questions, questions that Alene also wanted the answers to, and she came close to losing her life while finding them out. Read More Teddy Rose Book Reviews ‘Charred: A Whipped and Sipped Mystery,’ by G.P. Gottlieb is a thrill ride from page one all the way to the amazing recipes that are shared at the end! I loved the mystery in this book, and watching how it all played out really gave me a satisfying reading experience. I loved the cast of characters in this one. From Alene, the funny, kind, feisty heroine, to Kofi, the tall, kind friend whose girlfriend Kacey wants nothing more than to protect him. Read More A Room of Books Charred by G. P. Gottlieb is frightful and fun. Aleene Baron is our main lady. She owns a cafe named "Whipped and Sipped." It's a small offshoot of the big city. When an awful crime takes place, Aleene, her staff and friends begin to ask questions. Kofi Lloyd is a friend and artist of Aleene's. He gives people a new way to look at the city through what he picks up on the street. He would not look at a paper plate in the same way as a passerby going to work or to a church. He makes of the city a Phoenix. Read More Bee Lindy of Book Pleasures.com Charred: A Whipped and Sipped Mystery by G.P. Gottlieb has everything that any good cozy mystery needs. It has a fun setting, a tough, but ultimately vulnerable heroine, and, of course, a mystery. This mystery takes the form of a dead body that gets found in the shell of a burned down building, but I'm getting ahead of myself. Let me start back at the beginning. Read More Suzie M (My Tangled Skeins) From what I can tell, this is the third book in G.P. Gottlieb's 'Whipped and Sipped,' series, and I am only mad that no one told me about these books sooner! This series is right up my alley, and if you love cozy mysteries with a little romance and baked goods, it will be right up your alley, too! Read More Lesley Storey, Storeybook Reviews I always enjoy going back to Chicago and the Whipped and Sipped Cafe. While not a vegan, I can appreciate all of the dishes that are created here by the talented pastry chef Ruth, who is also Alene’s best friend. Read More CHICAGO WRITER’S ASSOCIATION – Windy City Reviews Gottlieb weaves a world where neighbors in a Lakeview apartment building have grown up together and shared a lifetime of secrets. Read More Midwest Book Review of SMOTHERED: A Whipped & Sipped Mystery A delicious-sounding cafe sporting the name 'Whipped and Sipped' doesn't sound like its owner would be into solving a murder, but its neighboring gym owner is highly disliked in town, and his murder somehow comes as no surprise in Smothered: A Whipped and Sipped Mystery. Read More Midwest Book Review of BATTERED: A Whipped & Sipped Mystery Fans of mystery stories which pepper recipes and food references into the overall saga will appreciate the focus in Battered, Book One of the 'Whipped and Sipped Mysteries' series which features Alene Baron, owner of the vegetarian cafe Whipped and Sipped. Forced to turn amateur detective when her friend is murdered, Alene finds herself moving from being the owner of a trendy Chicago neighborhood establishment to being an uncertain sleuth who faces personal danger from her investigation. Read More Carstairs Considers Reviews by Mark Baker It’s always fun to find an author with her own twist on the genres I love. In this case, I’m talking specifically about Battered, the first Whipped and Sipped mystery from G. P. Gottlieb. It’s a culinary cozy, but the main character runs a shop that serves healthy treats. Read More

Dip and Sauce Recipes to Die For Dips and Sauces, Vegan, Vegetarian, Gluten Free Spinach & Green Pea Dip/Sauce Gorgeous color, bright flavor, and filled with nutrients! Read Recipe Dips and Sauces, Entrees, Vegetarian, Vegan Mashed Cauliflower and Acorn Squash I like to mash veggies from my Friday roasted veggie tray and try different combos. Read Recipe Dips and Sauces, Vegan, Gluten Free, Vegetarian Easy Hummus I make this version of hummus when I’m out of tahini. Read Recipe Dips and Sauces, Gluten Free, Vegetarian, Vegan Green Bean and Walnut Spread Alene was proud of the recipe that she invented. Read Recipe Dips and Sauces, Vegetarian, Gluten Free, Vegan Guacamole Salad In last week's grocery order I forgot tortilla chips and ate this with a spoon! Read Recipe Vegan, Dips and Sauces, Vegetarian Roasted Red Pepper Tahini Slathering his spinach pie with a bright roasted red pepper tahini, he talked about functional foods. Read Recipe Gluten Free, Vegetarian, Dips and Sauces, Vegan Edamame – Avocado Dip Alene pulled out her old blender and made an edamame/avocado dip followed by a kale and parsley... Read Recipe Dips and Sauces, Vegan, Vegetarian Zucchini Dip/Sauce It's so delicious! You can use fresh dill or fresh mint for this perfect dip! Read Recipe Vegan, Gluten Free, Baking, Dips and Sauces, Cakes & Pies & Icing Dairy-free Chocolate Frosting After a night in the refrigerator, it will be thick like a ganache. Read Recipe All Recipes Baking Breakfast Cakes, Pies, & Icing Cookies & Brownies Dips & Sauces Entrees Gluten-Free Muffins & Breads Soup Vegan Vegetarian Load More

< Back Attica Lock Author of Black Water Rising March 14, 2022 Attica Locke’s (b 1974) first novel, B lack Water Rising was nominated for an Edgar Award, an NAACP Image Award, as well as a L os Angeles Times Book Prize, and was short-listed for the Women’s Prize for Fiction. She came out with H eaven, My Home (September 2019) as the sequel to her Edgar Award-winning B luebird, Bluebird. Her third novel, P leasantville was the winner of the Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction and was also long-listed for the Bailey’s Prize for Women’s Fiction. T he Cutting Season was the winner of the Ernest Gaines Award for Literary Excellence. I love the steamy atmosphere, the Texas Rangers, and the southern experience. Locke covers moral issues, greedy developers, white supremacy. Solid writing with no artifice. A former fellow at the Sundance Institute’s Feature Filmmaker’s Lab , Locke works as a screenwriter as well. Most recently, she was a writer and producer on Netflix’s W hen They See Us a nd the also the upcoming Hulu adaptation of L ittle Fires Everywhere. A native of Houston, Texas, Attica lives in Los Angeles, California, with her husband and daughter. Previous Next

< Back Spinach & Green Pea Dip/Sauce March 23, 2023 Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 5 minutes Serves: 10-12 (but it'll last all week) Tags: Dips and Sauces, Vegan, Vegetarian, Gluten Free About the Recipe I always keep spinach and green peas in the freezer, and fresh lemons in the refrigerator, so this is a quick, healthy dip that we also pour over rice or pasta. I've also thinned it with olive oil and sprinkled on pepper to turn it into a salad dressing. Ingredients 2 cups (or a hefty handful) fresh or frozen spinach 1 cup frozen green peas 1 TBPS roasted pine nuts ½ tsp salt 1 TBSP (or a good squeeze) of lemon Preparation Blend together. Pour over rice/pasta/other grains or serve with vegetables as a dip. We love it. Previous Next

< Back Josephine Tey Daughter of Time, Brat Farrar, To Love and be Wise. The Man in the Queue, The Franchise Affair December 25, 2023 Josephine Tey (Daughter of Time, Brat Farrar, To Love and be Wise . The Man in the Queue, The Franchise Affair -least favorite) Her real name might have been Elizabeth MacKintosh and she might have been born on July 25, 1896, in Inverness, Scotland. According to Nicola Upson, who tried to write a biography of Tey, none of her life details (did she teach Physical training in England and Scotland? Did she return to take care of her father?) have been independently proven. And she wrote plays like “Richard of Bordeaux” under the name Gordon Daviot, according to actor John Gielgud, who claims that they were friends until she died in 1952. Talk about a mystery! I didn’t realize that I was reading a mystery when I picked up my first Josephine Tey, “Daughter of Time,” although it became clear that Alan Grant, who tells the story in first person, is a Scotland Yard detective who, while convalescing in bed, becomes interested in solving the actual fate of King Richard III. Then I read Brat Farrar, a small-town story about a British-born American who so closely resembles the soon-to-inherit heir of a British couple that died, he’s convinced to return to England to play the part of the heir’s younger brother, who years before had flung himself off a cliff and was washed out to sea. Do NOT read the Wikipedia description of the book because it will ruin the ending. Her mysteries don’t conform to the rules as they’ve come down to us, and Detective Grant isn’t always clever (like in The Franchise Affair, my least favorite of Tey’s books, in which a small-town lawyer figures out the mystery). It’s refreshing in that the characters and culture are necessary- the way people dress and speak, how they serve tea and how they behave in public all set the stage. Tey brilliantly tells small stories and shares daily, insignificant-sounding conversations that only come together at the very end. When I need a break from cozy heroines who bake and eat yummy things all day long while solving murders in their sweet little hometowns, Josephine Tey is a balm. Previous Next

< Back Easy Hummus November 5, 2020 Prep Time: 5 Minutes Cook Time: 0 Serves: 2 Cups of Hummus Tags: Dips and Sauces, Vegan, Gluten Free, Vegetarian About the Recipe I make this version of hummus when I’m out of tahini. Ingredients 1 15 oz can of chickpeas, drained (save ¼ cup liquid) and rinsed 1 TBSP fresh lemon juice from about ½ of a medium lemon 1 TBSP apple cider vinegar (it brightens just about everything) 1 TBSP toasted sesame oil 1 clove garlic or 1 tsp garlic powder ½ tsp kosher or sea salt 1 tsp dried basil ½ tsp each: cumin, all-spice, turmeric ¼ cup of the chickpea liquid, or water Optional: serve topped with a dab of olive oil and handful of pine nuts Preparation I make this version of hummus when I’m out of tahini. Mix everything in a food processor (using a high-tech blender turns it into baby food). Once you start mixing, slowly add in the chickpea liquid or water until it turns into a smooth, creamy dip. Add extra liquid as needed. Taste it. You might want more salt or lemon. Sometimes I had a handful of fresh parsley. If you prefer a more traditional hummus, just stick with the garbanzos, lemon, salt, sesame/oil. Add pepper if you like more oomph. You can also thin it out enough to use a salad dressing. No need to ever buy pre-made hummus again! Previous Next

< Back Tasha Alexander Author of The Lady Emily Historical Mystery Series January 30, 2020 Tasha Alexander studied English Literature and Medieval History at the University of Notre Dame. She wrote a novel, Elizabeth: The Golden Age, and the long-running Lady Emily Series. She is married to British novelist Andrew Grant and lives in Chicago and Wyoming. Lady Emily, who first appeared in Tasha Alexander’s 2005 novel, And Only to Deceive, is one of the characters I return to again and again. The author delves into British history with an eye for historical accuracy combined with the ability to create fully human characters who are capable of wit and subtlety. She’s also managed to combine dazzling historical fiction (fabulous descriptions of England through the centuries) with well-planned, gripping mysteries. Royalty is often involved, and Alexander conveys an urgency – the Crown is at risk unless the mystery is solved. I always get immersed in the rich details; servants are plentiful, clothing is magnificent, Emily travels into the underbelly of London to get to the bottom of a murder, and her dashing husband Colin reports directly to the queen or king. The inner workings of Britain are portrayed from the Victorian through Edwardian periods, with occasional visits to the distant past, as in Uneasy Lies the Crown, which includes a story line from 1415 that later ties in with the current day mystery. I admire the ease with which Lady Emily Hargreaves travels around the world — it makes me feel silly for complaining about long flights. But then again, we’d all be better prepared for a few weeks in Moscow if we engaged a retinue of servants to carry our trunks. These are delicious books (best enjoyed with a cup of tea that your trusted maid brings in with the afternoon mail). There are fourteen books in the Lady Emily series thus far, and I hope Tasha Alexander is not yet finished. Previous Next