Paty Jager is an award-winning author of thirty-two novels, six novellas, and numerous anthologies of murder mystery, western romance, and action adventure. All her work has Western or Native American elements in them. Learn more about Paty and her books at her website.
Boo!
Did I scare you?
Probably not, but you would have scared me. Yes, I jump at
loud noises and someone touching me when I don’t know they are there. My sons
loved to wait in a recess in our hallway and jump out and scare me when I’d
have an armload of laundry or anything that might fly in the air as I screamed.
Which would make you think, given I am such a scaredy-cat, that
I would hate Halloween. I actually loved the holiday as a child. I’d think
about my costume for weeks because it was the only time my mother let me play
with makeup, wear earrings, and dress in clothing that I wouldn’t normally get
to wear. And I loved the candy. I was a chubby child. I adored my sweets, and
Halloween was a night where we were given candy, popcorn balls, candied
apples…yes, that dates me. I went trick or treating before you couldn’t hand
out handmade goodies. It was before there were worries of razor blades in
popcorn balls and drugs in cookies.
When my kids were in grade school, the PTA put on a
Halloween or Harvest festival with games and treats. At the time my husband had
a walking floor semi-trailer. Which meant the floor of the trailer would move. We
would set up a haunted house in the trailer and send the kids through. It was
tricky standing up and being scared at the same time. I was the witch at the
door. I didn’t need to be surprised by the people I knew were in there.
As the kids grew older, we had parties at our house. We’d
have spiced cider, caramel corn, and cookies. Here is a recipe that is a hit
with my family. I make it all year long because we have one granddaughter with
dietary restrictions. She can have these if made with
real vanilla.
Best Blondies
Ingredients:
8 tablespoons butter
1-1/2 cups
light-brown sugar
1-1/2 cups flour
1-1/2 teaspoons
baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1-1/2 teaspoon
vanilla
Heat oven to 325°.
Melt butter in a large saucepan over low heat. Stir in the sugar until smooth.
Removed from heat and let cool. Butter a 9-inch square baking pan. Combine the
flour, baking powder and salt. Beat in the eggs one at a time into the sugar
mixture. Beat in the vanilla. Stir in the flour mixture gradually. Pour into
the prepared pan and bake until blondies come away from the sides of the pan.
50- 60 minutes. Cool completely before cutting. Makes 16 squares.
Haunting
Corpse
A runaway bride, murder, and arson has Shandra Higheagle
sleuthing again. Sorting through the debris of her best friend’s childhood,
Shandra believes she must solve the murder before her friend becomes the next
victim.
Stumbling upon a dead body, Detective Ryan Greer is
determined to bring the killer to justice before Shandra becomes too entangled
in her friend’s dysfunctional past. He hopes he’s not too late. Her deceased
grandmother has already visited her dreams, putting Shandra in the middle of
his investigation and danger.
A yummy blondie and a yummy mystery -- all we need is a cup of hot tea and we're set for the day.
ReplyDeleteHi Patricia, Thanks for stopping in and I'll join you for that tea! I'm drinking green tea with honey lemon ginseng as I type this. I hope you enjoy Haunting Corpse. It had my mind in knots as I wrote it trying to keep the reader guessing.
ReplyDeletePatricia and I think alike -- a delicious treat and a great read! Thanks for the recipe.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by Angela! I'm glad you liked the dessert and my book.
ReplyDelete