#COOKING WITH CLORIS--FULL NOOSE NACHOS FROM MYSTERY AUTHOR JUDY PENZ SHELUK

Judy Penz Sheluk is the Amazon international bestselling author of the Glass Dolphin Mysteries and the Marketville Mysteries. Her short stories appear in several collections. Learn more about her and her books at her website. 

The Hanged Man’s Noose is the name of a local pub in Lount’s Landing, the setting for my Glass Dolphin Mystery series (The Hanged Man’s Noose; A Hole in One). Lount’s Landing is named after Samuel Lount, a real life Canadian politician who was hanged for treason in the eighteenth century. The pub’s owner, Betsy Ehrlich, is a local history buff.

Along with their signature drink, the Treasontini, The Hanged Man’s Noose is known for their Full Noose Nachos, which according to the series’ main character Arabella Carpenter, are “to die for.” Definitely not diet food!

You can also find a printable PDF copy of this recipe, as well as the Treasontini, on my website’s Food & Drink page. 

The Hanged Man’s Noose is available in trade paperback at all the usual suspects and in eBook format on Kindle, Kobo, Nook, Apple Books, and GooglePlay.

Full Noose Nachos

Note: You’ll notice there are no amounts given for each ingredient. That’s because you decide how much or how little to use of each, depending on your taste and the number of people you plan to serve.

For a special holiday version, substitute red and green tortilla chips.

Ingredients

Blue and yellow corn tortilla chips

Black beans

Finely chopped tomato

Scallions/green onion

Jalapeno peppers

Green olives

Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheese blend, shredded

Guacamole

Sour cream

Salsa

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Place a layer of tortilla chips on an oven safe pan or cookie sheet. Top tortilla chips with a sprinkling of each of the main ingredients, building layers of chips and ingredients as you would with lasagna, topping with the remaining cheese.

Heat until cheese is melted. Remove from oven, place on plate, and top with guacamole and sour cream. Serve with salsa.

The Hanged Man’s Noose

A Glass Dolphin Mystery, Book 1

Freelance writer Emily Garland is cash-strapped, newly single, and tired of reporting on the same old condo stats. When she’s offered a lucrative assignment in the village of Lount’s Landing, she decides to take a chance. All she has to do is relocate and uncover the real story behind a proposed redevelopment plan. What could possibly go wrong?

Plenty, as it turns out. Not everyone is happy with real estate mogul Garrett Stonehaven’s plans to convert an old schoolhouse into a mega-box store. At the top of the list is Arabella Carpenter, the outspoken owner of The Glass Dolphin antiques shop, who will do just about anything to preserve the integrity of the town’s historic Main Street. 

But Arabella is not alone in her opposition. Before long, a vocal dissenter dies. A few days later, another body is discovered. Though both deaths are ruled accidental, Emily’s suspicions are aroused. 

Putting her interview skills to the ultimate test, Emily teams up with Arabella to discover the truth behind Stonehaven’s latest scheme—before the murderer strikes again.

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#COOKING WITH CLORIS--GUEST AUTHOR LYNETTE SOFRAS AND MINI CHEESE & SPINACH TRIANGLES

A former teacher, Lynette Sofras gave up her career in education a few years ago in order to focus on her writing and thus fulfil her childhood dream. She writes contemporary women's fiction, usually involving romance, and often with suspense or a supernatural twist. Lynette currently lives in an early Victorian cottage (the inspiration for Cocktails and Lies) in a picturesque Surrey village. Learn more about Lynette and her books at her website. 

In my latest story, Cocktails and Lies, Hannah comes across some old letters to her grandmother written before World War II. She later discovers that her grandmother harboured a life-long fascination with the 1920s and 30s—the art deco period, collecting objects d’art and wearing fashions adapted from that era well into the forties and fifties. Hannah imagines her at elegant parties sipping cocktails, laughing and carefree. It was, after all, according to Noël Coward, The Age of Cocktails and Laughter.

These delicious little cheese savories would go down well at any cocktail party and are easy and fun to make.

Mini Cheese and Spinach Triangles

This recipe makes between 30 and 40, depending on the size. Quantities and varieties of cheese can be altered to suit availability or your own tastes. The spinach is also optional.

Ingredients:

8 oz. (220 grams) package of ready-made phyllo (filo) dough

8-10 oz. (250-300 grams) carton cottage cheese

approx. 1 lb. (400 grams) feta cheese, crumbled

1 T. grated Parmesan

2 T. grated strong cheddar

4 oz. (100 grams) frozen leaf spinach, defrosted and squeezed to remove as much liquid as possible and finely chopped

3 eggs

1/4 cup cream with 1 tablespoon sifted flour added and well mixed

Grated black pepper

Combine all the cheeses, add the cream and flour mixture and combine well. Sprinkle in the leaf spinach and a good grating of black pepper. Add one beaten egg and mix again.

Cut the sheets of filo pastry into long, equal strips (width approx. 8 cm), brushing each with beaten egg. Place a spoonful of filling on the shorter end and fold over diagonally to form a triangle. Fold the triangle over straight and then diagonally once again. Continue folding over and over, keeping the triangular shape with the filling completely enclosed. Trim or tuck any excess neatly over the finished triangle. The egg wash will help it stick to itself.

Place pies on baking sheets, brush with egg and bake for approximately 10 minutes or until golden in colour, in a moderate oven (325-350°F, 175°C)

Cocktails and Lies

When Hannah’s house is burgled, she gains as much as she loses: she meets Jan, her reserved Dutch neighbour and successful antiques dealer, and Callum, the detective in charge of the case, then finds some hidden letters to her dead grandmother that take her on an emotional journey of discovery.

As Hannah juggles the attentions of the two men now firmly in her life, she works to uncover the secrets of the past, only to find these encroach on the present in unexpected ways.

And then there are the two men in her life, both vying for her attention, both hiding things from her and each other. What does Callum really know about Jan? What is Jan hiding from everyone? And what did her grandmother—whose house it once was—hide from the world?

As if Hannah doesn’t have enough mysteries to solve, her best friend Rachel enlists her help in solving her marital crisis, while her pleasure-seeking mother seems intent on finding her a husband.

With so many skeletons rattling the door of Hannah’s house, can she unravel these mysterious threads and reveal the truth, changing her life forever?

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paperback 

ebook 

Fun fact: The song mentioned in the story is ‘Poor Little Rich Girl’ written by Noël Coward and Philip Braham. It was recorded by several famous artists over the years, but the version recorded by Suede in 1998 is a personal favourite. You can see on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8s7WFwVlKE.

#COOKING WITH CLORIS--GUILT-FREE SPINACH DIP #RECIPE

Are you planning a SuperBowl party or have you been invited to one and need to bring a dish? Why not try this guilt-free spinach dip? It takes just as yummy as the original but with far fewer calories and fat.

Guilt-free Spinach Dip

Makes 2 cups

Ingredients:

1 10-oz. package of frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

1/2 cup lowfat sour cream

1/2 plain lowfat yogurt

1/4 cup chopped green onions

1-1/2 teaspoons lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon dried dill

Combine all ingredients. Cover and chill at least 2 hours. Serve in a hollowed-out round loaf of pumpernickel with pumpernickel bread cubes and crudités.

COOKING WITH CLORIS--GUEST AUTHOR JENNA RUTLAND AND TACO DIP

Jenna Rutland’s days are spent working as a medical transcriptionist, but her nights are filled writing contemporary romance—stories of love, laughter and happily ever after.

Learn more about Jenna at to her website.--AP  

In my latest release, Just for the Summer, Dani Sullivan has several reasons for visiting Lake Bliss. The one I’ll focus on today is her need to spend the summer completing a cookbook she’s writing. The townspeople take it upon themselves to not only offer her their unusual recipes for possible inclusion in the book, but they have plenty of ideas for book titles. And sometimes, their ideas are a bit…creative!

I think we can all agree that food has become much more than simply fuel for our bodies. How many of us only eat for that reason? Certainly not me!

After growing up in a family of incredible cooks, it's no surprise that I found my love of the kitchen. And while I haven't always been successful with my meals (my family would love to tell you the story of my green chicken, or the hamburger and rice dish that even the garbage disposal wouldn't eat), I always have fun while cooking.

So what's the draw of food? I think food helps people connect with each other; it brings us together. Whether it's a grandmother baking cookies with her grandchildren, a husband and wife discussing their workday while preparing dinner, or a man gazing at his date across the table, food has a way of bonding us with each other.

From a good home-cooked meal to an elaborate feast, people use food as entertainment. Big, open kitchens are popular where people can cook with friends gathered around. It's not only about the meal but the atmosphere. Opening your home and your kitchen is an expression of love, not only for cooking but for the people you invite.

I've noticed an increase in the last few years of food coming into play in fiction. I like reading about a couple on their first date, enjoying their dinner and each other, or a man cooking for a woman that he'd like to get to know better. And what reader doesn't love to find a new recipe in the back of a book?

So whether you're reading a good book while stirring a pot on the stove or you're thinking about how much you loved the characters in the book you just finished reading, there's no better combination than food and fiction!

The recipe I’ve included in my post here has been in my family for as long as I can remember. Nobody even knows where it came from or who first made it. But it’s delicious—and a bit unique—and I’ve never shared it before, so please enjoy!

Taco Dip

Ingredients:

2 pkgs 8 oz. cream cheese

1 carton of small curd cottage cheese

Bunch of green onions, chopped

Head of iceberg lettuce, chopped

Large tomato or several smaller tomatoes, chopped

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Bottle of salsa

Taco chips

Combine cream cheese and cottage cheese in a bowl using a hand mixture until well blended. Transfer mixture to serving platter and spread evenly. Top with green onions, lettuce, tomatoes, cheddar cheese and salsa. Serve with taco chips. This recipe is versatile. Ingredients can be added/subtracted based on your tastes. Enjoy!

Just for the Summer

His temptation. Her secret. Their summer.

Dani Sullivan has come to Lake Bliss to write her latest cookbook and take a breather. After the year she’s had, she deserves a summer retreat to reevaluate priorities and make peace with past decisions. But from the moment single dad and sheriff Matt Reagan shows up, she has a hard time convincing herself that a life away from Lake Bliss could beat the life she might have here.

Recently divorced Matt is ready for a new relationship, but he doesn’t want short-term—his son needs permanence, and so does Matt’s heart. Unfortunately, it’s the smart-mouthed and sinfully sexy Ms. Sullivan who catches his eye. But when Matt learns Dani’s secrets, will he still want her to stay? Or will her chance for love last just for the summer?

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COOKING WITH CLORIS - ROASTED GRAPES APPETIZER

Have you ever thought of cooking grapes? The next time you have company, serve this delicious appetizer.

Roasted Grapes

Ingredients:

red seedless grapes

olive oil

parchment paper

thinly sliced French bread

goat cheese

chopped nuts (your choice of almonds, walnuts, or pistachios)

Allow goat cheese to come to room temperature.

Pluck the grapes from the stem. Toss in olive oil, then spread on parchment lined jelly roll pan or baking sheet with sides. Sprinkle with salt. Roast in 450 degree oven 15 minutes.

Spread goat cheese on bread slices. Spoon roasted grapes and the pan juices on each slice.

Tips for Buying Sweet Grapes: Always buy grapes with bright green stems and a a white frosted coating to the fruit.