COOKING WITH CLORIS --GUEST AUTHOR LIZ LIPPERMAN

Food editor Cloris McWerther has invited Liz Lipperman, author of the Clueless Cook Mystery Series, to take her place today. Liz has a yummy recipe as well as a copy of LIVER LET DIE she’s offering one lucky commenter today. To learn more about Liz and her series, check out her website. http://www.lizlipperman.com/ -- AP

First off, thanks to Anastasia for inviting me here to share one of the recipes from my debut novel that releases today (SQUEE). Here’s a short summary of LIVER LET DIE, the first in the Clueless Cook Mystery Series from Berkley Prime Crime.

Jordan McAllister, a wannabe sports reporter who follows her boyfriend to Dallas, gets dumped, and ends up in a small Texas town where she lands a job writing personals. When an opportunity opens to fill in for the culinary reporter who's rehabbing a broken hip, she jumps on it, thinking it’s one step closer to writing that sports column she wants so badly. The problem is she was raised in West Texas, the only girl with three brothers who needed her outside every day to even up the sides for football games, and although she can throw a razor-sharp touchdown pass from 50 yards, she can’t cook her way out of a box of macaroni and cheese

           

Her first assignment is reviewing the new steakhouse in town where she inadvertently orders foie gras (fatty duck liver) that ends up untouched and shoved into a borrowed purse. Back home she discovers that she has ruined her friend’s beautiful handbag, but that's nothing compared to finding her waiter from the steakhouse murdered outside her door, along with her name and number in his pockets. Now she’s the prime suspect as well as the main course on the murder menu.

The concept for LLD was hatched when the editor read a straight mystery of mine that she loved but couldn’t use because she was looking for a cozy series – a “foodie” to be exact. Growing up number eight of nine children, I knew I couldn’t pull off a gourmet series, and the idea of a sports nut like me suddenly thrust into a position with her own food column seemed like the way to go. Personally, I am a great casserole cook, since that's what I ate growing up. So, when Anastasia asked me to post a recipe, I headed straight to the back of LLD where there are ten wonderful ones, mostly my own. Since my girl doesn’t cook, she uses her friends’ recipes for her column after they slap on a made-up foreign name to make them fancy. Here’s the first recipe that she publishes. Trust me when I tell you, you're gonna love it. The good news is that the low fat version tastes exactly like the real thing.

Budin de Papitas Fritas con Pollo (Rosie’s Potato Chip Chicken)

Yields 6 servings

Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, rinsed and cut up into bite-sized pieces

4 stalks celery, chopped

1 package (10 ounces) sliced almonds

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted (or for low fat version, use ¼  cup butter and ¾ cup low fat mayonnaise)

1 tablespoon dried onion flakes

1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

Nonstick cooking oil

10 ounces grated cheddar cheese (about 2½ cups)

1(7.5 ounce) bag of potato chips, crumbled (can use light chips)

Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large bowl mix the chicken, celery, almonds, butter, onion flakes, and pepper. Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with nonstick cooking oil and add the chicken mixture to the dish. Top with the cheese and then the chips. Bake uncovered 30-40 minutes, or until filling is bubbly and chips are golden brown.

Berkley is sending a copy of LIVER LET DIE to one lucky commenter today and I will add a signed tasseled bookmark with this recipe on the back.

Thanks for joining us today, Liz! The chicken recipe sounds yummy, whether in English or Spanish. What do you think, readers? Post a comment for a chance to win a copy of LIVER LET DIE. -- AP