COOKING WITH CLORIS - GUEST TERRI L. AUSTIN

Today we have mystery author Terri L. Austin subbing for Cloris. Terri is the author of the Rose Strickland Mysteries. Diners, Dives and Dead Ends was the first book in the series and has been followed by Last Diner Standing.  Read more about Terri and her books and her website and the Little Read Hens group blog. -- AP

Thanks so much for having me on Killer Crafts & Crafty Killers today. Since I write a mystery series set in a diner that serves only breakfast, people ask me about my specialty breakfast dish. The truth is I’m more at home eating in a diner than cooking breakfast. My husband is the omelet maker around here and for good reason.

My main character isn’t much of a cook, either. She’s a waitress and reluctant sleuth. In her second outing, Last Diner Standing, Rose Strickland is having a blue Christmas. Her friend is arrested for attempted murder, her sexy bad guy crush is marked by a hit man, and her boss is locked in an epic smack-down with a rival diner. Determined to save those she loves, Rose embarks on an investigation more tangled than a box of last year's tree lights. With her eclectic gang at the ready, Rose stumbles across dead bodies, ex-cons, jilted lovers, and a gaggle of strippers as she searches for the truth. What she finds will leave her entrenched in a battle for freedom she might not survive. Buy link 

While you won’t find recipes in my novels, this is an Apple Butter recipe I make all the time. I use the microwave, and it couldn’t be easier. I don’t can it, so it’s not sealed. I simply store it in an airtight container and it’s good for a week to ten days. If it lasts that long—which it rarely does in my house.

I’ve adapted this recipe from Gifts of Great Taste published by Leisure Arts, 1989. Enjoy.

Microwave Apple Butter

Ingredients:

6 medium cooking apples, peeled, cored, and chopped fine

½ c. apple cider or juice

2 c. firmly packed brown sugar

1 ½ t. cinnamon

¼ t. nutmeg (use ½ t. if you’re a nutmeg nut)

1/8 t. ground cloves

Place apples and cider in micro-proof bowl. Cover with plastic wrap. Microwave on high about 10 minutes. (This recipe is an old one and calls for 15 minutes cooking time. But microwaves are more powerful now, so I’d do about ten minutes and see if apples are tender.) Carefully remove plastic wrap—watch out for the steam!—and stir in remaining ingredients. 

Cook 5 minutes more. (Cook this time without the plastic wrap, but you might want to cover it with a damp paper towel to prevent splatter.) Remove from microwave and test for tenderness. Apples should be extremely soft. 

Let the apples cool before placing in a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Store in airtight container and refrigerate.

Thanks for joining us today, Terri. The apple butter recipe sounds yummy! -- AP 

BOOK CLUB FRIDAY - GUEST AUTHOR TERRI L. AUSTIN

Our guest today is Terri L. Austin, the debut author of Diners, Dives and Dead Ends, A Rose Strickland Mystery. To learn more about Terri and her books, visit her website. -- AP

I love a good hero. Or in the case of my new mystery, Diners Dives and Dead Ends, a good heroine.  Rose is brave in the face of adversity. She’s loyal and kind. All good fictional hero/heroines should be brave, likeable, but flawed and human at the same time.

But I have to admit, I love a good villain just as much. A good villain lets our heroine shine.  Gives her something to work against, makes her sharper, stronger. Brings her game up a notch.

Not the mustache-twirling villain or the obvious psycho. Where’s the fun in that? I want a villain dressed up like a kind, elderly neighbor. Who’s secretly blackmailing her fellow choir member. Or the businessman who drives his kids to soccer practice. But has another, secret family one town over.    

But what’s better than a good villain? A sexy one. A villain who’s so bad, he’s good. And looks good when he’s doing wrong. One who rides the edge between being lost to the dark side or being almost redeemable. And that’s the kind of villain I like to write about. Is he all evil?  Or is there just enough good left to make him turn from his wicked ways? And that’s what makes the sexy villain so intriguing. Even when he’s doing something morally wrong, we can’t help ourselves. We’re attracted to his bad boy persona, we want him to be redeemable, to change his ways. And we admire the heroine that makes it happen. Will he give up his illegal ways for her? Or is she only fooling herself by thinking there’s something decent in him? 

So what do you think? What makes a great villain? And do you like a sexy bad guy as much as I do?

Thanks for joining us today, Terri. Well, readers? How do you like your villains served up? -- AP