Didn’t I tell you I was going to be at my Aunt Ivy’s for a barbeque dinner at which I ate purely protein ... < Back Best Chocolate Cake/Muffins GF. V. September 10, 2019 Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cook Time: 30-40 Minutes Serves: 12 Slices of Cake Tags: Muffins and Breads, Baking, Vegan, Gluten Free, Cakes & Pies & Icing About the Recipe p.184 Battered: A Whipped and Sipped Mystery He handed Alene one of his little blue towels and she looked at him closely. Both Dennis and Gary had trained with him. He was strong enough to murder someone with his bare hands. “Where were you last night, by the way?” He smiled. “I thought we’d resolved this, Alene. Are you asking because of your prodigious investigative skills, or has someone hired you as a private eye? Does this mean you suspect me – again?” He rolled his head, as if in agony, and then pointed to the calendar above his desk near the door. “My mother’s birthday is celebrated every year on that very date, the twenty-second of June. Didn’t I tell you I was going to be at my Aunt Ivy’s for a barbeque dinner at which I ate purely protein with no extraneous carbohydrates and merely a sniff of the watermelon and the chocolate cake?” Alene realized she’d been holding herself tightly. She plopped down on the mat and smiled up at Michael. “Sorry.” “But thanks for your thoroughness in checking up on me, Sherlock,” he added. Ingredients 1 15.5 ounce can of chickpeas, drained 4 eggs 1 tsp pure vanilla extract ½ tsp chocolate extract (optional, but worthwhile) 3/4 cup sugar ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1 tsp baking powder ½ tsp cinnamon (up to 1 tsp if you love cinnamon) 1 TBSP instant decaf coffee or espresso 1 1/3 cups or 9 oz bag of semisweet chocolate chips Preparation Preheat the oven to 350. Spray a 9-inch round cake pan or a muffin tray Process beans, eggs, and extracts until smooth. Process in sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and coffee powder Pour in chocolate chips and process about 30 seconds. Pour batter into prepared cake pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes in the preheated oven (15-18 for muffins), or until a knife inserted into the center of cake comes out clean. Cool in the pan before inverting onto a serving plate. Dust with confectioners’ sugar, or whip up a rich chocolate frosting Previous Next

She blended a white gazpacho and served it with homemade rolls for lunch, then let the kids lie in her bed watching... < Back Alene’s White Gazpacho July 17, 2019 Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cook Time: 10 Minutes Serves: Makes about 4 large, 6 small servings Tags: Soup, Vegetarian, Gluten Free, Entrees, Vegan About the Recipe p.46 Battered: A Whipped and Sipped Mystery Once when Kacey was still a kid and Alene was babysitting during one of her weekend visits, Kacey mentioned in that offhand way teenagers have that Gary and Joan had separate bedrooms. She was trying to explain why there was so much laundry and probably didn’t realize what she was telling Alene. Poor Gary — Joan was his third wife, but apparently third was not the charm. After all, she’d had an affair with the husband of at least one neighbor. Instead of responding to Alene’s text, Kacey appeared in the kitchen moments later and said, “I can’t spend that much time in the sun, but I can go to the airport with you.” “Perfect,” said Alene. “Meet me here at two.” Both of Brianne’s children had gone to college in Washington D.C. and had taken jobs there. Brianne was always blue in the weeks leading up to the anniversary of the day her husband had died, so she’d gone that week to visit her children. Just before Brianne’s trip, Alene had accompanied her to the police station to ask yet again about accidental bicycle collisions in Chicago that might finally provide a connection to the one that killed her husband. Eight years had passed, but Brianne wouldn’t stop trying. Alene took the kids to do errands and to the zoo, where she bought them popcorn, as promised. There was a lot of griping about heat and fatigue on the mile-long walk home. She blended a white gazpacho and served it with homemade rolls for lunch, then let the kids lie in her bed watching a movie while Cal enjoyed yet another Cubs game in the living room. Ingredients 3 cloves garlic 1 sweet onion (small to medium, cut in quarters) 1 peeled cucumber (medium to large) 1 peeled zucchini (small to medium) White part of a fennel bulb (optional, adds licorice taste) 1 cup green grapes and/or 1 small peeled, seeded apple ½ tsp lemon zest ¼ to ½ cup skinless almonds 1 slice of bread (optional but it adds gravitas) 2 or 3 stalks celery (less if you are not celery lovers – blend in or use a stalk to stir) 2 cups water, unsweetened almond milk or coconut water 1 tsp salt ½ tsp white pepper 1 tsp cider vinegar Preparation Sauté garlic and onion Add to blender with other ingredients and zap until smooth. Season to taste Pour into a glass or a bowl and serve Previous Next

This is a versatile recipe – no pecans in the house? Use only pistachios. < Back Pecan-Pistachio Chicken Breasts July 9, 2019 Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cook Time: 30 Minutes Serves: 4 Servings Tags: Entrees, Gluten Free About the Recipe Serve with a wedge of lemon and a generous glop of hummus alongside a chopped salad, mashed sweet potato, a green vegetable, or anything your family likes! These schnitzels are great to eat the next day (if you have leftovers) cold right out of the refrigerator or zapped in the microwave. Or cut them into slices and arrange on a bed of quinoa or a mixed green salad I make lots of different variations of schnitzel, which is usually meat that has been pounded, breaded, and fried in oil. My versions sometimes use breadcrumbs (especially when one of our guests has nut allergies) but I always bake the chicken breasts. By adding a little olive oil to the egg and mustard, you’ll get a crunchy outer crust and soft, tasty chicken. This is a versatile recipe – no pecans in the house? Use only pistachios. Out of cumin? Use curry powder or coriander. The reason I don’t add extra salt is that there is salt in the mustard, and usually I buy the salted shelled pistachios (which are delicious). Enjoy! Ingredients ½ cup shelled pistachios ½ cup shelled pecans ½ cup almond flour or 1 piece of any kind of bread 1 tsp each: dried basil, garlic powder, cumin and turmeric 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded about 1 inch thick 2 TBSP Dijon or other grainy mustard 1 egg 1 TBSP olive oil Olive oil spray Preparation • Dry the chicken breasts with a paper towel • In a medium bowl, stir 1 egg with mustard and olive oil • Add the chicken and turn it until it’s coated all over (Marinate for a few hours or continue) • Measure ½ cup almond flour or pulse in a food processor until fine • Add pecans and pistachios to the processor and pulse 4-5 times • Pour into a shallow bowl and toss with the herbs • One at a time, press both sides of each chicken breast into the nut/herb mixture until each breast is completely covered in the mustard sauce • Place coated chicken breasts on a sprayed cooking sheet • Bake about 25 – 30 minutes until the schnitzels are nicely browned and the smell makes you want to faint with hunger • Let the schnitzels cool down for 10 minutes or cut off a little piece to taste and pretend that you’re checking to see if it’s really done. Previous Next

The recipe is going to be in my second book, SMOTHERED: A Whipped and Sipped Mystery < Back Apple Banana Chocolate Cake (gluten free) November 4, 2019 Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cook Time: 35 Minutes Serves: 6-8 Slices of Cake Tags: Baking, Gluten Free, Cakes & Pies & Icing About the Recipe If you happen to have someone who doesn’t enjoy the taste of banana, this cake cleverly masks it with chocolate, decaf coffee crystals, vanilla, and cinnamon. With only 1/2 cup of brown sugar, it is still as sweet and soft as cakes with far more processed sugar. The sweetness comes from both the apple and the banana, and there is also no extra fat, aside from what’s in the chocolate chips. The flax and chia seed give the cake additional protein and other nutritional delights in addition to holding it together when I make this into a vegan cake (or let’s be honest, when I don’t have enough eggs for both making breakfast and baking). The recipe is going to be in my second book, SMOTHERED: A Whipped and Sipped Mystery Ingredients 1 small-medium Gala or Honeycrisp apple, seeded 1/3 cup water 2 eggs (leave out if you prefer vegan cake – it’ll be fudgier and more dense) 1 TBSP instant decaf coffee powder or crystals 1 TBSP apple cider vinegar ½ cup brown sugar ¼ cup unsweetened baking cocoa 1 ½ cup gluten free (or all-purpose flour) 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp ground flax seed (optional) 1 tsp chia seed (optional) 1 tsp pure vanilla extract ¼ tsp salt ¾ cup chocolate chips Preparation Cut banana and apple into pieces and blend In processor with water and eggs, until smooth Add all other ingredients except chocolate chips and blend smooth Add the chips and pulse just twice or three times until they’re incorporated Pour into a greased and sugared bread pan Bake for about 35 minutes at 350 degrees Cool before removing from pan and serving Previous Next

Healthy enough for breakfast! < Back Chocolate Zucchini-Pear Cake GF November 12, 2019 Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 35 Minutes Serves: 6-8 Slices of Cake Tags: Vegetarian, Baking, Breakfast, Muffins and Breads, Cakes & Pies & Icing About the Recipe I’ve been experimenting with different combinations of fruits and vegetables in cakes. Most zucchini cake recipes include a full cup of oil, but pear sauce works as a substitute for half of the oil. The pear also adds enough sugar to be able to cut down the usual cup of sugar to 1/2 cup. Of course, the addition of chocolate chips more than makes up for that missing half cup of sugar. I served this cake at my mother-in-law-s 96th birthday, and everyone thought it was moist and delicious, except for a 4-year-old great niece who didn’t like the glaze (added to make it look more festive, but a little too sophisticated with its mocha flavor). SMOTHERED: A Whipped and Sipped Mystery Ingredients 1 juicy pear (seeded, with skin) 1/3 cup water ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (optional but delicious) ½ cup brown sugar ½ cup canola or olive oil 1 TBSP apple cider vinegar 2 eggs 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp vanilla ½ tsp salt ¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips Preparation Blend zucchini, pear and water in a processor until smooth Add everything else except chocolate chips, blend Add chocolate chips and pulse a few times Pour into a greased and sugared loaf or 9” baking pan Bake about 35 minutes in a preheated 350-degree oven Cool before turning onto a serving plate Sprinkle w/confectioners sugar or serve as is – healthy enough for breakfast! Previous Next

A perfect meal for a date night in! < 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

Who doesn't love freshly baked chocolate chip cookies? < Back Peanut or Almond-Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies July 2, 2019 Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cook Time: 12 Minutes Serves: 24 Servings Tags: Gluten Free, Vegan, Cookies and Brownies About the Recipe p.156 Battered: A Whipped and Sipped Mystery “Everyone approached the gigantic tray and chose a cookie or two. After much study, the children took two or three each and scattered to the back bedrooms. Everyone munched while LaTonya continued taking pictures. Tinley was first to comment. “I love this chocolate-chocolate chip cookie,” she said. “Mine is coffee-flavored,” said Bill, making a face. “I hate coffee.” Tinley smacked him on his shoulder. “Does everyone need to know what you don’t like?” Alene wanted to hug her. Lydia said she loved her cinnamon cookie and wondered if it was gluten-free but nobody responded. She nibbled a few bites before passing it to Theo, who said, “Crunchiest cookie I’ve ever tasted.” Cal and Mitzi wanted to taste more flavors, so they shared plates. Neal blurted across the table, “This one is kind of buttery almond. Did you use real butter, Ruthie? I thought you were vegetarian.” Ruthie smiled while Alene imagined an imaginary bubble above her head that said, “Of course there’s no butter, you dingbat. Vegans don’t use animal products.” What Ruthie actually said, in the same voice she used to speak to her eight-year-old son was, “I’m vegan, and we don’t use animal products in anything, Neal. Which cookie did you like best?” Neal muttered, “They’re both good, I guess.” Ingredients 1 cup Almond or Peanut Butter (smooth or chunky) ½ to 1 cup packed dark brown sugar (optional, really) 1 egg (or a flax egg, or whip up half the liquid from a can of chickpeas) 1/2 tsp vanilla 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp salt 1/2 package semisweet vegan chocolate chips Preparation Line two baking pans with silicone baking mats or parchment paper Preheat oven to 350 degrees Stir first six ingredients together with a spoon Stir in chocolate chips Place unformed globs of batter about 2″ apart on greased baking pan Bake about 12 minutes until they are slightly browned and puffy Cool on pan and then transfer to a rack They store well and are great cold from the fridge Previous Next

Judith Flanders: Sam Clair Mysteries < Back Judith Flanders Author of The Sam Clair Mysteries September 12, 2019 “Oh, just kill me now.” I didn’t shriek that out loud, just clenched my teeth more tightly. It was eight thirty and already the day couldn’t get much worse. I’m always at my desk by eight, not because I’m so wonderful, although I am, but because it’s the only time of day when no one asks me anything, when I can get on with some work, instead of solving other people’s problems.” From Murder of Magpies, page 1 Samantha Clair is an overworked London book editor whose gossipy fashion industry friend has written a racy manuscript. After the friend goes missing, it becomes clear that somebody wants to stop the manuscript from being published. Sam, with the help of her Goth assistant, her wealthy, well-connected mother, and her cute boyfriend, Scotland Yard detective Jake Field, is on the case. In another book in the series, Sam and Jake attend a neighbor’s theater production expecting lots of drama and death. They’re not at all shocked when the second act opens with a body hanging from the rafters, until they realize that it is an actual person, who has been murdered. And that person is the play’s director, who, it turns out, was not at all well-liked. The Sam Clair mysteries are filled with snappy dialogue, Sam is not shy about sharing her thoughts, her mother is a hoot, and it was entertaining to be swept along into the apparently exciting life of an editor. I imagine the author sitting at her desk all those years, thinking about ways to kill people off, maybe even authors whose work she was currently editing. Previous Next

Victoria Thompson: Gaslight Mystery Series < Back Victoria Thompson Author of The Gaslight Mystery Series June 6, 2019 Even though I like reading lesser known authors and mystery series, I couldn’t help spending a few bitter Chicago winter evenings this year devouring several in the Gaslight Mystery Series by Victoria Thompson. Winner of the Career Achievement Award for Mystery from RT Book Reviews in 2011, Thompson currently teaches in the master’s degree program for writing popular fiction at Seton Hill University, where she earned her Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree. Victoria is a founding member and past president of Novelists, Inc., a national organization of published writers of popular fiction. She is also co-founder and past president of PENNWRITERS, a statewide writer’s organization in Pennsylvania. Victoria has served on the board of directors of Romance Writers of America (RWA) and was co-founder and the first President of New Jersey Romance Writers. She is also a member of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime. Victoria lives in a suburb of Chicago with her husband and a very spoiled little dog. I wonder if our children went to the same high school. Chicago is pretty spread out though, with many suburbs. Hint: the one we lived in had a mall. I emailed her because she said: Please send me an email at victoria@victoriathompson.com to let me know what you think of the books and to get on my mailing list so I can send you a reminder each time a new book comes out. Because of the large volume of email I receive, I may not be able to personally reply to each one, but I do read them. You may also visit me on Facebook at Victoria.Thompson.Author and Twitter @gaslightvt. I’ll keep you posted on upcoming releases and appearances. Haven’t heard back yet , but I’ll keep you posted. I’m apparently not the only one who is charmed by Frank Malloy, an NYC detective sergeant until he married wealthy, wise, midwife and champion of women’s health, Sarah Brandt. How fun to wander the streets of late 19th century New York City from Battery Park to Washington Heights, watching as Malloy hops on curbs to avoid horse-drawn carriages or those new-fangled automobiles in a city struggling with corruption and ineptitude. And although he has no need to work, he still finds himself ferreting out con men, thieves and murderers. All in good fun and well done! Previous Next

1896-1952 < 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

Elizabeth George: Inspector Lynley Mysteries < Back Elizabeth George Author of The Inspector Lynley Mysteries July 20, 2023 The length of each Elizabeth Inspector Lynley novel might be daunting to some, but as someone who used to expressly buy only the thickest books (always wanted to get my money’s worth), I’ve set aside entire weekends to delve into many of her well-plotted, twisty and fascinating novels. I started reading Elizabeth George long before I began keeping a record, but every now and then I dive into another novel, and just completed The Punishment She Deserves (2021). I love that this American woman delves into the language and customs of another country, describing various locations in Great Britain with what strikes me as passion. I’m drawn in by finely described interactions between characters, and the slowly simmering arguments and feelings of various characters, each with their own motivations and struggles. I come away knowing them better than most of the people I meet – why they went into their professions, what their upbringings were like, how they fight with their spouses or ex-spouses, how they view themselves. George has been translated into a bunch of languages and has been both nominated and recipient of many mystery awards, plus she still teaches writing (I’m interested in her Hedgebrook Women’s Writers’ Retreat on Whidbey Island, where she lives). In addition to the 21 (as of 2022) Inspector Lynley novels, she also has a young adult series set there, in Washington state. I’m also interested in her newish book, a masterclass in the form of a guide for writing. I'll probably continue to pick up occasional Elizabeth George novels, and hope to one day go through the entire televised series. Meanwhile, she's one of the great authors who has been missing from this list (yes, I know I've neglected to mention many of them - promise I'll get to it at some point). Elizabeth George definitely belongs here - Previous Next

Discover the all-time favorite mystery authors that keep readers on the edge of their seats. Explore G. P. Gottlieb's list of favorite mystery authors now! All-time Favorite Mystery Authors Sort by Last Name Sort by First Name Sort by Most Recent Andrea Camilleri Author of The Inspector Montalbano Mysteries Read More Attica Locke Author of Black Water Rising Read More Barbara Cleverly Author of The Detective Joe Sandilands Mystery Series Read More Barbara Louise Mertz AKA Elizabeth Peters Read More C.S. Harris Author of The Sebastian St. Syr Mystery Series Read More Catherine Louisa Pirkis Author of Disappeared From Her Home Read More Charles Finch Author of The Charles Lynch Mysteries Read More Christopher Fowler Author of The Bryant and May Mysteries Read More Deanna Raybourne Author of The Veronica Speedwell Mysteries and Lady Gray Mysteries Read More Elizabeth George Author of The Inspector Lynley Mysteries Read More Elsa Hart Author of The Li Du Mysteries Read More Frank Tallis Author of The Max Liebermann Mysteries Read More Georgette Heyer Author of various mystery novels Read More Jacqueline Winspear Author of The Maisie Dobbs Mysteries Read More Jennifer Ashley Author of The Kat Holloway Mysteries Read More Load More