Elaine L.
Orr writes three mystery series and what she calls reflective fiction. She
loves to eat more than cook. Learn more about her at website.
Mystery
Meals
Food weaves through the fabric of our lives, not simply
because we need it to live. We talk to each other as we eat. Sometimes we do
business, sometimes have fun. In the U.S. Thanksgiving is the holiday all of us
celebrate.
Each year when I publicize our upcoming family reunion, the
first picture I highlight is the table of goodies we shared the year before.
Worth driving a thousand miles to sample.
Writers use food to draw us in. Dame Agatha Christie, the
master of traditional mysteries, describes her characters' food a lot -- sometimes
using it to poison victims. Robert Parker's Spencer novels often make my mouth
water.
Especially over the last decade, a number of mystery authors
have sleuths working in or around businesses that serve coffee, baked goods, or
-- to combine the two -- breakfast in a B&B. In my Jolie Gentil novels,
Aunt Madge is known for the baked goods she serves at her B&B, though
sleuth Jolie is more like her author -- known more for what she burns than
bakes.
Thankfully, my friend and fellow author Leigh Michaels is a superb
cook and agreed to provide muffin recipes for Trouble on the Doorstep. I wouldn't want to embarrass Aunt Madge
with one of my attempts. I've made Leigh's yummy muffins several times.
For The Unexpected Resolution,
a recent
Jolie Gentil book, I decided to create an M&M cookie recipe, similar to
chocolate chips. How can anyone go wrong baking with M&Ms? Turns out I did
for the first batch, but a couple alterations yielded decent cookies.
One of my writing friends, Karen Musser Nortman, includes
recipes in her Frannie Shoemaker campground mysteries. She had such positive
reactions that she wrote Happy Camper Tips and Recipes. Karen is
a good example of putting hobbies to work in her books.
Recipe sharing is popular well beyond books -- just look at
Pinterest. Mysteries may not be the first place a cook looks to find a new meal
plan, but why not give them that option?
They may come back to look for more.
Terry’s
M&M Cookies
Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1-1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 – 1 cup M&Ms
1/2 tsp. cinnamon (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Cream butter and sugar together with large spoon or mixer.
Add egg and vanilla until blended.
Blend in dry ingredients.
Using a spoon, fold in M&Ms.
Using a large cookie scoop, drop dough 2-inches apart onto
cookie sheet.
Bake 12 minutes if using light-colored cookie sheet, 10-11
minutes if using dark-colored cookie sheet. Cookies should spring to the touch.
If a finger leaves a mark or indentation, bake another minute or two. Allow
cookies to set for a minute or two, then remove to cooling rack.
The
Unexpected Resolution
A Jolie
Gentil Mystery, Book 10
A midnight wedding, Army veterans who face repercussions of
two different wars, and a very startling wedding guest. Wedding days are
special, but they don't usually pack as big a surprise as Jolie and Scoobie's
New Year's Eve nuptials. Scoobie never knew much about his family -- and after
the way he grew up, who could blame him for liking it that way? A 9-1-1 call
during the wedding changes everything. Suddenly Jolie has to help Scoobie
figure out what he wants to know, and determine who seems to want someone in
his family dead. Knowing more about Scoobie's past could change their future
together. But a special wedding arrival may cause even more complications. Book
10 in the Jolie Gentil cozy mystery series brings together the close-knit group
of friends and zany Ocean Alley townspeople for a very special event. You don't
want to miss it!
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