< Back Oven-Baked Sweet Potato-Black Bean Empanadas July 23, 2019 Prep Time: 45 Minutes Cook Time: 15 Minutes Serves: 24 Servings Tags: Entrees, Vegetarian, Vegan About the Recipe 125 Battered: A Whipped and Sipped Mystery That night, Brianne invited the sixth-floor neighbors for dinner, including Joan, who didn’t answer her phone or respond to Brianne’s text. Elderly neighbor, Gloriadine declined, explaining that the funeral had exhausted her for the day. Alene vowed to have Kacey join them instead of sitting alone in her room but she wasn’t sure how she was going to manage it. Brianne was planning to order in, but Ruthie dropped off a tray of frozen sweet potato-black bean empanadas with fresh garlic bread, a big salad, and a jar of her homemade, garlicky salad dressing. Alene decided to send Sierra to get Kacey, who wasn’t responding to texts. It was a chance, but Sierra could be very persuasive. Quinn and Noah were reading comic books on the couch in front of Brianne’s coffee table while Alene and her father joined Brianne at her round kitchen table. Sierra rushed back into the kitchen looking flushed. “Joan just screamed at me,” she said in a hushed tone. “It was unbelievably scary.” Brianne gulped and Cal covered his mouth in surprise. “What did she say?” Alene asked. How dare she scream at a child? Sierra reported the story as if it had been a big adventure. “She opened the door and said, ‘Get away from me, you little shit. I’ve had just about enough from all of you.” “Oh, my goodness,” said Cal, “kindness really doesn’t come naturally to that woman.” Brianne shook her head. “She’s in mourning. We should be patient with her – but who talks that way to a little girl?” “I’m nearly twelve-and-a-half. I’m not exactly a little girl,” said Sierra with a sigh. Ingredients 3 cups all-purpose or bread flour 2 tsp baking soda 1 tsp kosher salt 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil 2 TBSP apple cider vinegar ¾ cup ice cold water 1 cooked medium sweet potato 1 cup black beans (reserve some of the liquid from the can to moisten the filling) 1 red pepper (or poblano if you want heat) roast, remove seeds and membrane, chop 1 teaspoon cumin seeds (toss in heated pan until fragrant, or use powdered cumin) 1/3 cup chopped scallions 2 or more tablespoons chopped cilantro (use parsley if someone hates cilantro) ½ to 1 teaspoon chili powder (depending on how much heat you want) 1/2 teaspoon salt Preparation Use a food processor to pulse together flour, baking soda and salt Add in oil, cold water, and vinegar: pulse 2-4 times just to combine Remove from the food processor and form into a loose ball Wrap in plastic and place in refrigerator for at least one hour Mash the sweet potato with the rest of the ingredients (add more liquid from can if needed) Remove the dough from the fridge, divide and shape into 8 equal balls On a lightly floured surface, roll each ball of dough into an approximately 5” circle Spoon about 2-3 TBSP of the sweet potato mixture onto each circle Moisten edges of the dough with water and fold over the filling Seal edges with a fork on both sides Place on a large greased baking sheet (or parchment paper/silicone mat) Cut diagonal slits across each empanada and bake at 400° 15 minutes until golden Great for appetizers (Serve 2-3 per adult with salad, guacamole and salsa for dinner) Recipe also works with store-bought pie dough Previous Next

< Back Ruth Rendell Author of The Chief Inspector Wexford Novels April 29, 2021 1930-2015 Baroness Rendell of Babergh, CBE, was an English author of thrillers and psychological murder mysteries. She is best known for creating Chief Inspector Wexford, starting with From Doon to Death, 1964 and ending with the 20th Inspector Wexford novel, End in Tears, 2005. Her first novel as her Barbara Vine pseudonym was A Dark-Adapted Eye , 1985. Rendell was said to have worked out her plot idea and who will commit the crime before she started writing her detective novels. She told Michael Hanlon of the Toronto Star , “I write intending this Perpetrator X in mind. I write without letting my readers know that it’s X.” She said that when she got to the last chapter, she usually found that someone else was the killer. Books under her own name tended to be more plot-driven while her Barbara Vine books focused on the mind of those with pathological, sometimes obsessive, problems. But everything of hers that I’ve read has stayed with me (often as a nightmare) over the years. Previous Next

< Back Mashed Cauliflower and Acorn Squash December 10, 2020 Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cook Time: 45 Minutes Serves: 4 Servings Tags: Dips and Sauces, Entrees, Vegetarian, Vegan About the Recipe ​ Ingredients 1 small cauliflower 1 small acorn squash, seeded 1 small red onion ¼ cup olive oil 3 or 4 cloves garlic, or 2 tsp ground garlic 2 tsp basil 1 tsp kosher or sea salt ½ tsp pepper 2 cups water Preparation Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C . Cover a large baking pan with foil. Cut acorn squash into quarters (with skin), cauliflower, and onion into quarters and toss in a large bowl with the oil, garlic, basil, salt, and pepper. Spread out on the baking pan and roast for about 45 minutes uncovered until soft and slightly browned. Remove from the oven and let the vegetables cool. Then blend with water in a large food processor or blender until creamy and smooth. Add additional water to make this into a filling soup. Season to taste, sprinkle with dehydrated onion and chopped parsley. Sometimes I reserve some of the roasted onion and chop it up to garnish the top. Previous Next

< 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 Dover Sole with Roasted Butternut Squash and Capers February 18, 2020 Prep Time: 60 Minutes Cook Time: ​ Serves: 2-4 servings Tags: Entrees, Gluten Free About the Recipe ​ Ingredients 1 small butternut squash (or buy cut up squash) 1 medium onion 1 medium seeded apple 2 TBSP good olive oil (divided) 1 ½ cup water ½ tsp salt ¼ tsp pepper 1 lb. (approximately) fresh or frozen Dover Sole (or other flat white fillet) ½ lemon and its zest ½ tsp garlic powder 1 tsp dried basil 1 tsp dried dill 1 TBSP capers Preparation Preheat oven to 350-degrees Bake whole butternut squash on a sheet pan (spray olive oil if you use cut up cubes) 45 minutes If you do this step earlier, the squash will cool down and be easier to handle Cut onion and apple in chunks, sauté in 1 TBSP olive oil about 5-7 minutes until onion is soft Set pan aside – no need to clean yet Blend squash, onion, apple, water, salt and pepper in processor until smooth. Set aside Add second TBSP of olive oil and lemon zest to the same pan, turn heat to medium Add fish and shake garlic powder, basil, and dill lightly all over the fillets Turn fish over after about a minute (carefully – these are fragile fillets) Shake garlic, basil and dill over this side and sauté for an additional few minutes Turn off the heat, squeeze the lemon juice and toss the capers over the fish Serve with a green vegetable or bread Previous Next

< Back The Limits of the World Jennifer Acker April 18, 2019 Sunil Chandaria is struggling to write his PhD dissertation in philosophy at Harvard University. He feels his father’s disapproval because he didn’t become a doctor, and his mother’s disapproval that he doesn’t have a job or a wife. The Chandaria family lives in Columbus, Ohio. They are emigrants from Nairobi, Kenya, but they are Gujarati-speaking Jains whose grandparents left India for jobs in Africa at the end of the 19th century. Sunil’s father is now a successful doctor and his mother owns a giftshop that sells African-made art, clothing, and gifts. When Sunil’s cousin gets injured in a horrible car accident, the family returns to Nairobi, where Sunil surprises everyone by announcing that he and his Jewish-American girlfriend are married. Then he in turn is surprised to learn that his cousin is actually his brother. The Limits of the World (Delphinium Books, 2019) is a rich novel about how we navigate the bonds of family, culture and religion in a world made smaller by immigration and technology. Jennifer Acker is founder and Editor-in-Chief of The Common . Her short stories, translations, and essays have appeared in The Washington Post, Guernica, n+1, Ploughshares, Harper’s, The Millions , and Publishers Weekly , among other places. Acker has an MFA from the Bennington Writing Seminars, and teaches literature, creative writing, and editing at Amherst College. She was born and grew up in rural Maine and has lived in Kenya, Mexico, and Abu Dhabi. She now lives in western Massachusetts with her husband, Nishi Shah, and The Limits of the World is her first novel. Listen to Episode Buy Book Previous Next

< Back Green Bean and Walnut Spread September 10, 2020 Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 15 Minutes Serves: 4 cups of dip Tags: Dips and Sauces, Gluten Free, Vegetarian, Vegan About the Recipe A great way to sneak in your veggies. Ingredients 2 TBSP olive oil 1 large onion, sliced 2 cup roasted or raw unsalted walnuts 2 cups frozen or one 15 ounce can of green beans (or peas) 1 tsp salt ½ tsp pepper Optional: Toss a handful of fresh parsley into the processor to see specks of green Preparation In a large pan, sauté sliced onions in the oil until they’re soft, about 6-8 minutes. Add walnuts and beans or peas, stir for 2-3 minutes. Scoop into a food processor and blend everything together until the texture is uniform. Remove to a bowl and taste before serving (it might need more salt). Sprinkle with chopped parsley or basil. Serve with vegetables, pickles and crackers, or spread on a piece of fresh bread. If you’re out of peas and green beans, 6-8 large sliced mushrooms will also be delicious. Previous Next

< Back Fudgy Chocolate Butternut Squash Muffins June 18, 2019 Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 20 - 25 Minutes Serves: 12 Muffins Tags: Muffins and Breads, Gluten Free About the Recipe p.186 Battered: A Whipped and Sipped Mystery She 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. “I talked to Isobel, and she couldn’t get any information about Kacey,” said Alene. “That poor girl,” said Ruthie. “Let’s send her some healthy food as soon as we know where they took her. You’re not going to believe this, but Edith came in today.” Alene took a sip of her coffee and nodded, saying, “I texted her last night and told her to take whatever time she needed, but I see her through the kitchen door – looks like she’s back making smoothies.” “Yup,” said Ruthie, thrusting her hands into a large bowl and pulling out a ball of dough. Ingredients 1 cup smooth almond butter or peanut butter (room temperature) 2 eggs 3/4 cup pure maple syrup 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt 1 tsp baking soda 3/4 cup pureed butternut squash* ½ to 1 cup chocolate chips (more is more) *To prepare the squash, spread a 12 oz bag of fresh or frozen cubed squash onto a pan. Spray with olive oil and roast for about 25 minutes at 400 degrees. Cool. Measure out about ¾ of a cup and use the rest in a salad or some other dish. Or, if you’re feeling lazy, just use about 3/4 can of pumpkin instead (but not pumpkin pie filling). Preparation Preheat oven to 350 degrees Set 12 regular or 24 mini muffin liners in a muffin tray In processor, blend butternut squash until smooth Add almond/peanut butter with eggs, maple syrup and vanilla and blend together Add cocoa powder, salt and baking soda, pulse 3 – 4 times Add chocolate and pulse twice Spoon into the muffin cups and bake about 20 – 25 minutes Cool before serving, if you can wait that long Previous Next

< Back Cold Sesame Noodles November 19, 2020 Prep Time: 5-10 Minutes Cook Time: Varies Serves: 6-8 Servings Tags: Entrees, Vegetarian About the Recipe ​ Ingredients 1 14.5 oz. box/package any kind of pasta 1 nearly empty jar of Tahini (1 or 2 TBSPs) ¼ cup very hot water 1 TBSP toasted sesame oil 3 TBSP rice vinegar 3 or 4 TBSP soy or tamari sauce 2 TBSP maple syrup 1 tsp garlic powder 4 or 5 scallions, cut in small, diagonal pieces 1 TBSP or a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds ¼ tsp crushed red pepper (or regular black pepper) Optional: grated carrot, and/or grated zucchini, 1 small red or yellow pepper, cut into thin strips, a handful of chopped parsley or cilantro Preparation In a medium pot, boil water and cook pasta according to instructions. Add very hot/boiling water to a nearly empty jar of tahini. Cover and shake -scrape sides if needed. Add oil, vinegar, maple, garlic, and shake more. Pour into a large serving bowl and stir in the scallions and whatever chopped vegetables you have. Drain the pasta, add it to the sauce in the serving bowl, and toss to coat. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and pepper. Cover or refrigerate until ready to serve. Yum. Previous Next