#COOKING WITH CLORIS - MYSTERY AUTHOR JUDY ALTER'S NEW RELEASE AND THE MYSTERY OF KING RANCH CASSEROLE

Today we welcome back the prolific Judy Alter, author of the Kelly O’Connell Mysteries, the Blue Plate Café Mysteries, the Oak Grove Mysteries, and her latest series, the Irene in Chicago Culinary Mysteries. Judy has also published historical novels, young adult novels, nonfiction, and cookbooks. Learn more about her and her books at her website.   

King Ranch Chicken Casserole

King Ranch casserole is Texas food. Henny learned to fix it in her mom’s kitchen, and she serves it often to Patrick who loves it. Irene disparages it as Texas food, and she’s not alone. Some noted Texas cookbook authors have been scathing in their criticism of this dish. Texas food historian Mary Faulk Koock wrote, “I suppose it could be made palatable,” but caterer Tilford Collins, who serves some of the oldest families in South Texas, was more blunt. “Never, never, never.” In Texas Monthly, journalist Mimi Swartz described it as a study in beige and yellow and criticized it as bland despite the chile-laced Rotel tomatoes. Bland is a quality Texans generally despise in their food. And yet, most Texans consider this dish a staple.

 

Culinary authorities agree that is probably derives from the Mexican chilaquiles which combines tortilla chips, tomatoes, chicken, cheese, and chiles. Swartz suggests it may have been the inspiration of an anonymous King Ranch cook with a preference for chicken, even though he was at a beef ranch. I have been to the King Ranch in far South Texas, largest ranch in the US, even spent the night in their guest quarters. The food was outstanding, but there was no sign of the casserole. 

 

That anonymous cook probably shouldn’t be blamed because the ingredients of today’s casserole are from the fifties when canned soup casseroles hit the heyday of their popularity. Casseroles that could be made quickly and frozen for later use were a big part of freeing housewives from the kitchen in the fifties and sixties. For several years, the casserole stayed a Texas secret, but in the seventies, it began to creep across the country. You may already know it, but if not, here’s an authentic version.

 

There is some version of the recipe—and there are many—in every Junior League cookbook from Texas, and chef Dean Fearing guessed that it is served in almost every family kitchen in Texas. Generations of Texans swear by this dish. 

 

And when Henny finds herself representing Texas is a cookoff against Irene’s French recipes, what does she choose? King Ranch. Here’s her recipe:

 

King Ranch Chicken Casserole

Irene would never make this casserole—Texas food, you know—but if she did, she’d do it the old-fashioned way and boil an old hen. Henny believes in shortcuts, and she uses a rotisserie chicken. Henny is also a great advocate of canned soups in casseroles, something many “gourmands” frown on these days.

 

Ingredients:

3-4 cups chicken, diced or shredded

16 corn tortillas, torn into small pieces

2 medium onions, chopped

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can cream of chicken soup

1/2-1 can Rotel tomatoes, choose the flavor and heat you like; Henny likes lime/cilantro.

Grated cheddar

 

Layer, in a greased 9 x 13 casserole: tortillas, chicken, onion. Repeat layers. 

 

Pour the soups and tomatoes over the casserole How much tomato you use depends on how hot you want the dish. Cover with grated cheese and bake at 350° until cheese melts and is brown and casserole is bubbly.

 

Note: some people add green bell pepper. Henny despises bell pepper and does not use it.

 

Finding Florence

An Irene in Chicago Culinary Mystery, Book 3

 

Irene is back in town. And Henny’s life is a mess. 

 

Irene’s “voices” have told her that something is horribly amiss with a person dear to her.  When she arrives, she learns that a death notice for Florence Sherman, her sometime friend, has been published in the Sun-Times. Once Irene discovers her friend’s body is missing, the diva chef refuses to leave Chicago until she solves the mysterious disappearance. But, with Irene in Chicago, Henny’s successful “From My Mother’s Kitchen” TV cooking show and her precious time with Patrick, husband of her dreams, are seriously compromised by Irene’s insistence that finding Florence trumps any other concerns. 

 

There’s a nice bit of Chicago history and lots of food talk An appendix of recipes is attached.

 

 

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MYSTERY AUTHOR LYNN-STEVEN JOHANSON'S DETECTIVE JOE ERICKSON COOKS UP SOME RAGU TO KILL FOR

Today we’re joined by Detective Joe Erickson, the creation of author Lynn-Steven Johanson. Lynn is an award-winning playwright and novelist who holds an MFA degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He is retired from Western Illinois University and lives in Illinois with his wife and has three adult children. Learn more about him and his books at his website. 

Greetings. I’m Detective Joe Erickson, and I work with Chicago PD. You can read all about me in Lynn-Steven Johanson’s new novel, Havana Brown. At age thirty-nine, I decided it was time to get into good physical condition again. When hangovers started lasting two days, and I had to start loosening my belt another notch, I realized I needed to start taking better care of myself. And to do that, I not only needed to go to the gym and work out, but also needed to start eating right. So, I bought some cookbooks and taught myself to cook. And you know what?  I liked it. And I got good at it, too. 

 

I won’t go into details because you can read all about it in Havana Brown, along with how I apprehended a vile serial killer, met the love of my life, and how I drove myself into a nervous breakdown. Yeah, I did that to myself. Spoiler alert: Since Havana Brown is a prequel to Rose’s Thorn, some of you may know I’m feeling better but still on medical leave.

 

Since I love to cook, I’m going to treat you to one of my favorite recipes, one I call, “Ragu to Kill For.” Not literally, of course. But once you try it, you’ll understand the name. It takes some time to prepare, but let me tell you, it’s well worth it. And once you make it, you’ll make it again.

 

Ragu to Kill For

 

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

8 ounces of chorizo sausage

3 cups chopped onion

2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic

2 tablespoons of smoked paprika

2 pounds chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch chunks

1/2 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground pepper—about 1/8 tsp

3 cups dry white wine

4 cups canned diced tomatoes drained

2 cups chicken broth

1/4 cup chopped parsley

 

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat and add sausage. Cook, stirring occasionally, 5 to 10 minutes. Add onion and garlic. Cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft.

 

Sprinkle smoked paprika over the onion mixture; stir to coat. Cook for 1 minute. Add chicken, salt, and pepper; stir to coat. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes. Add wine and increase heat to high; cook until the wine is reduced by about a third, approximately 8 minutes.

 

Stir in tomatoes, broth, and parsley; reduce heat and simmer uncovered until the chicken is tender, and the sauce is beginning to thicken, 1 to 1 1/4 hours.

 

Serve it over your choice of pasta.

 

A few of my detective colleagues at Area 3 detective headquarters in Chicago like to give me a hard time about my culinary expertise. “What did you bring today, Joe?” or “When you going to start sharing it?” I’m used to it, and it doesn’t bother me. When I see one of my colleagues sitting at his desk munching on a ham sandwich, I’m tickling my taste buds with leftover Ragu to Kill For over mostaccioli or a salmon arugula salad. I know some of them are envious, but so far, no one has dared to steal my lunch!

 

Havana Brown

A Joe Erickson Mystery

 

In this prequel to Rose’s Thorn, Detective Joe Erickson discovers a clever and vile serial killer preying on women in Chicago. Only a few cat hairs provide a clue to the perpetrator of six mutilation murders. Joe’s razor-sharp intuition and unorthodox methods ultimately lead him on a trail fraught with twists, turns, and dead ends. But pushing himself day and night begins taking its toll, and his obsession with apprehending the killer could be his undoing.

 

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#COOKING WITH CLORIS--SPINACH QUICHE IN A PINCH

Thanks to the pandemic, I had to quarantine recently. Although I started out a well-stocked fridge, freezer, and pantry, towards the end of the quarantine period, I began running low on dinner options. But I did have a frozen pie crust, half a bag of frozen spinach, and some grated cheese left, along with a few eggs. The result was a rather tasty quiche. 

Spinach Quiche

Serves 4

 

9-inch  frozen pie crust

1 tablespoon butter

1/4 cup dehydrated minced onions

1 tsp. dehydrated minced garlic

1 tsp. Herbes de Provence

4 large eggs

1 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella, packed 

1/2 cup shredded taco cheese, packed

1 cup chopped frozen spinach, defrosted and wrung free of water, packed

 

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Thaw frozen pie crust about 10 minutes. Prick bottoms and sides about an inch apart with a fork. 

 

Place the pie pan on a cookie sheet. Bake on middle rack of oven until lightly golden, about 10 to 15 minutes. If crust puffs up while baking, make additional pricks to deflate. 

 

Set baked crust aside. Lower oven to 325 degrees F.

 

In a small skillet, heat the butter over medium to low heat. Briefly sauté the onions, garlic, and Herbes de Provence in the butter just until onion is translucent. Allow to cool.

 

In a stand mixer, whisk together eggs, milk, and salt.

 

Spread the sautéed onions and garlic over the bottom of the pie crust. Next, sprinkle the cheeses evenly over onions and garlic, then spread the spinach evenly over the cheese. Pour the egg and milk mixture over the spinach.

 

Bake 50-55 minutes at 325 degrees F until the quiche sets and top is lightly golden. Remove from oven and allow quiche to continue setting for 10 minutes before serving.

#COOKING WITH CLORIS--AUTHOR JUDY ALTER'S HAMBURGER STROGANOFF

We’re always happy to welcome back award-winning author Judy Alter. After a long career writing historical fiction about women of the nineteenth century American West for adults and young adults, Judy began writing contemporary cozy mysteries. She now has three series as well her current release, a standalone—which may eventually wind up being the first in a new series. Judy currently lives in a small cottage with a postage-stamp sized kitchen without a stove. So, she wrote a cookbook about it, Gourmet on a Hot Plate. Today Judy shares a recipe that plays a part in her latest book. Learn more about Judy and her books at her website. 

Let’s Hear it for American Food

 

When Henny James tries to add hamburger Stroganoff to the menu her chef/boss Irene Foxglove will cook on the TV show, Madame, a French-ish snob about cooking, is indignant that she would be asked to cook with ground meat, the stuff peasants eat. Stroganoff is traditionally made with beef tenderloin, which is expensive; if you want to cut corners, you can use a cheaper cut and simmer it a long time. Henny points out that hamburger is both quick and inexpensive, which will appeal to American cooks. Besides, it retains all the flavor of the original Russian dish.

 

But this incident in Saving Grace illustrates a larger theme in the cozy mystery—the return of American food to popularity in a nation that has wildly embraced everything from Japanese to Middle Eastern cuisine. In the Sixties and Seventies, James Beard, himself a French-trained chef, was the spokesman for the American menu, pointing out that it is, like the nation, a melting pot of international cuisines. But Beard died in 1985, and no one major took up that banner. International cuisines—please don’t call them ethnic, which is a bit derogatory—became the fashion. Today, that trend is reversing, thanks to some prominent TV chefs and such enduring publications such as Southern Living.

 

So what is American cuisine? It’s hard to define because it encompasses so many regional cuisines—southern, Cajun, southwestern, Pacific rim, etc.—and incorporates many cooking techniques, from Native American to European (yes, Madame, and French!). If there is one key to American food, it is variety. Among the most popular dishes are cheeseburgers and hot dogs, nachos and barbecue, po’ boy sandwiches and fried chicken, apple pie and s’mores. See a pattern here? They are all accessible dishes, easily duplicated by the home cook, and the ingredients are readily available in most grocery stores. No need to go on a desperate search for gochuchang (a red chili paste) or truffles (a French delicacy). Hamburger Stroganoff fits right in as an American dish.

 

Hamburger Stroganoff

Serves six; may be halved easily; makes good leftovers

2 lbs. ground sirloin

1/2 cup flour

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

4 Tbsp. butter, divided

1/2 cup finely diced onion

1/2 lb. mushrooms, sliced

2 cups beef stock

1 lb. egg noodles

1 cup sour cream

3 Tbsp. tomato paste

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

 

Brown ground meat in 2 Tbsp. butter. If necessary, brown in batches. Stir in flour, salt and pepper. Remove meat from skillet. Brown onion in remaining 2 Tbsp. When onion is translucent, add mushrooms and sauté until nicely wilted. Add beef stock and bring to slight boil, cooking until sauce thickens. Add meat to mixture and heat. 

 

Cook noodles and drain.

 

Mix sour cream, tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce. Stir a spoonful of hot beef mixture into the sour cream, and then stir the whole thing back into the meat. DO NOT LET IT BOIL. Mix thoroughly and stir to warm the sour cream. 

 

Serve immediately, either over noodles or separately. 

 

Saving Irene, A Culinary Mystery

Irene Foxglove wishes she were a French chef. Henrietta James, her assistant, knows she is nothing more than a small-time TV chef on a local Chicago channel. And yet when Irene is threatened, Henny tries desperately to save her, wishing always that “Madame” would tell her the truth--about her marriage, her spoiled daughter, her days in France, the man who threatens her. Henny’s best friend, the gay guy who lives next door, teases her, encourages her, and shares meals with her, even as she wishes for more. 

 

Murder, kidnapping, and some French gossip complicate this mystery, set in Chicago and redolent with the aroma of fine food.

 

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#COOKING WITH CLORIS--PANZANELLA SALAD

Panzanella, sometimes called panmolle, is a Tuscan chopped salad that includes stale bread soaked in olive oil and toasted. It's a perfect meal for a hot summer day. I’ve added mozzarella and salami for a traditional Italian antipasto twist. Buon appetito!

Panzanella

Serves 4 as a meal or 6-8 as an appetizer

Ingredients:

1 stale baguette, cut into bite-size cubes

1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup rice vinegar

2 tablespoons Swedish dill mustard

2 cups fresh broccoli florets

1 teaspoon salt

1 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half or quartered (depending on size)

1 cucumber, diced

1/4 lb. salami, diced

1 cup fresh perlini mozzarella

Preheat over to 375 degrees F. Toss bread cubes with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Place on cookie sheet. Back 15 minutes or until golden brown, turning once.

While bread cubes are baking, blanch broccoli. To blanch, bring pot of water to boil, add salt and florets. Boil for 1-1/2 minutes. While broccoli is boiling, fill bowl with water and ice cubes. Drain broccoli and place in ice water to stop cooking process and cool. Drain cooled broccoli and set aside.

Place vegetables, bread cubes, salami, and mozzarella in large bowl.

Whisk together remaining oil, vinegar, and mustard. Pour into bowl, and toss ingredients to coat. Let stand 30 minutes before serving.

#COOKING WITH CLORIS--CHEDDAR MEATLOAF

Cheddar Meatloaf

Yield: 6 servings

The calendar may say April, but you all know how fickle Mother Nature can be this time of year. One day it’s sunny and 70 degrees, the next day it’s cold and rainy and feeling more like November. On those days what’s better than meatloaf?

Ingredients:

1/4 cup Italian breadcrumbs

1 tsp. smoked paprika

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/8 cup dried minced onion

1/4 tsp. salt

1 lg. egg

1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

1-1/3 lbs. meatloaf mixture (equal parts ground beef, pork, and veal)

1/4 cup BBQ sauce

1 tsp. yellow mustard

1 tsp. soy sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small bowl whisk together all the dry ingredients.

Whisk the egg. In a large bowl combine the ground meat, the dry ingredients, the egg, and the grated cheddar, mixing by hand until all ingredients are evenly incorporated.

Shape the meat into a loaf approximately 7” x 4” in a casserole dish.

Combine the BBQ sauce, mustard, and soy sauce. Spread over meatloaf.

Bake for 50-55 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F. Remove the meatloaf from pan and allow to rest 5-10 minutes before serving.

#COOKING WITH CLORIS--EXTRA CREAMY MAC AND CHEESE

Extra Creamy Mac and Cheese

Mac and cheese is a staple at Anastasia’s house. What kid doesn’t like mac and cheese? Plus, it’s not only easy to make, it’s easy on the budget. And as we all know, thanks to Dead Louse of a Spouse, Anastasia needs to keep an eagle eye on her budget.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups dry pasta (elbow macaroni, shells, fusilli, penne, cavatelli, rotini, gemelli, etc.)

salt

3 T. butter

3 T. flour

2 cups whole milk

1 cup shredded havarti

1 cup shredded mozzarella

1/4 cup Italian bread crumbs

1 T. chopped parsley

Optional: 1 cup cooked and cubed chicken or ham, cooked and crumbled bacon, or cooked ground beef, chicken, or turkey.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 2-qut. casserole dish

Bring large pot of water to boil. Add sprinkling of salt and pasta. Cook pasta to al dente according to time on package.

While pasta is cooking, melt butter in a skillet or pot large enough to hold all ingredients after cooking. Add flour, whisking over medium heat 1-2 minutes until lightly browned.

Add milk and whisk to remove lumps. Cook over medium-high heat until sauce thickens and begins to bubble.

Whisk in cheese until smooth and melted.

When pasta has finished cooking, drain and add to sauce. Fold in optional meat.

Pour into casserole. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and parsley. Bake 20-25 minutes until mac and cheese is browned and bubbly.

#COOKING WITH CLORIS--BAKED PORK TENDERLOIN

Pork tenderloin is a great workweek main course because, unlike a pork roast, it doesn’t take very long to cook.

Baked Pork Tenderloin

Ingredients:

1 or 2 pork tenderloins (each tenderloin will feed 2 people)

1 tablespoon  olive oil

2-3 tablespoons orange juice

2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

1 teaspoons garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon salt

2 carrots per person, sliced (optional)

5 dried apricots per person (optional)

additional tablespoon olive oil (if adding carrots and apricots)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a large baking dish.

Pierce tenderloins all over with a fork. Rub oil onto all sides of the meat.

Whisk together Italian seasoning, garlic powder, cumin, salt, and smoked paprika. Spread seasoning mixture onto cutting board. Roll tenderloin in seasoning, coating the meat on all sides. Place in prepared baking dish. Drizzle orange juice over top of tenderloin.

Optional: Toss sliced carrots and dried apricots with a tablespoon of olive oil and arrange around the tenderloin.

Bake 25-35 minutes until outside is browned and crispy and center cooked through.

Spoon juices from the dish over the meat. Cover with foil and let rest 5-10 minutes before slicing into 1” pieces. Spoon remaining juices over the slices.

#COOKING WITH CLORIS--INSTANT POT PORK CHOPS AND CARROTS WITH APPLE GRAVY

What could be better on a cold winter night than some stick-to-your-ribs pork chops? This recipe pairs with carrots and a thick apple gravy and goes well with egg noodles, rice, or mashed potatoes. Best of all, from start to finish takes less than an hour thanks to the Instant Pot.

Instant Pot Pork Chops and Carrots with Apple Gravy

serves 4

Ingredients:

4 3/4" thick pork chops

sea salt

1 onion, thinly sliced

6 carrots, peeled and cut in half

4 cooking apples, cored and quartered

1 T olive oil

1/4 cup Plus 1 T water

4 T unsalted butter 

4 T brown sugar

1/4 tsp cinnamon

Pinch of salt

2 T flour

Turn on the Instant Pot to Sauté mode, normal heat. When the display reads "Hot" add the oil to the pot.

Season the pork chops with a sprinkling of sea salt on each side. Brown the pork chops, two at a time, on each side for about 4 minutes. Remove to a plate and set aside.

Add the onion and 1 T water. Cook the onion, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon and scraping the bottom of the pot to deglaze. When the onions are translucent and tender, add the butter and stir until melted.

Add the apples and 1/4 cup water. Stir well.

Add the pork chops and any juices on the plate back into the pot, setting them on top of the apples. Add the carrots on top of the pork chops.

Place the lid on the pot and set the steam release knob to the sealing position. Cancel the Sauté mode. Press Pressure Cook button and set the cook time for 10 minutes.

While the pork chops are cooking, mix together the brown sugar, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt.

When the cook cycle ends, let the pressure naturally release for 10 minutes, then  turn the steam release knob to manually release the remaining pressure.

When the pin in the lid drops, open the lid. Remove the pork chops and carrots to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.

Turn the Sauté mode back on. Add the brown sugar mixture to the apple mixture and stir.

Scoop out 1/2 cup of the hot liquid from the pot and place into a cup. Stir in the flour. Add the mixture to the apple gravy, stirring constantly. When the mixture thickens, turn off the pot. Pour apple gravy over pork chops and carrots before serving.

#COOKING WITH CLORIS--CHICKEN SALAD WITH APPLES AND CRANBERRIES

This chicken salad is great for either lunch or dinner on a hot day and perfect for using up leftover chicken.

Chicken Salad

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

12 oz. cooked skinless chicken breasts

1 rib celery

1 Granny Smith apple

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

3 T. mayonnaise

3 T. sour cream

1 T. mustard dill sauce

Dice chicken, celery, and apple and combine in bowl. Add cranberries and walnuts (if desired.)

Combine mayonnaise, sour cream, and mustard dill sauce. Fold into chicken mixture. Chill at least 1 hour before serving.

COOKBOOKS THAT BENEFIT HUNGRY CHILDREN

Thanksgiving is a week from today. As you plan your turkey and all the fixings, please keep in mind that there are children throughout the U.S. who often go to bed hungry. You can make a difference in their lives. When compiling your holiday gift list, consider these cookbooks for friends and relatives. A percentage of the profits from each sale is donated to NoKidHungry.org.

Who doesn’t love desserts? In Bake, Love, Write, an Amazon bestselling cookbook, 105 bestselling and award-winning authors present dessert recipes along with advice on love and writing:

What do most authors have in common, no matter what genre they write? They love desserts. Sweets sustain them through pending deadlines and take the sting out of crushing rejection letters and nasty reviews. They also often celebrate their successes—selling a book, winning a writing award, making a bestseller list, or receiving a fabulous review—with decadent indulgences. And when authors chat with each other, they often talk about their writing and their lives. Recipes. Writing. Relationships. In this cookbook 105 authors not only share their favorite recipes for fabulous cakes, pies, cookies, candy, and more, they also share the best advice they’ve ever received on love and writing.

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Need a gift for someone always pressed for time? We’d Rather Be Writing is chockfull of

quick and easy dinner recipes and tips for saving time:

Have you ever wished you could find more time to do the things you want to do, rather than just doing the things you have to do? Most authors juggle day jobs and family responsibilities along with their writing. Because they need to find time to write, they look for ways to save time in other aspects of their lives.

Cooking often takes up a huge chunk of time. In this book you'll find easy, nutritious recipes for meat, poultry, pasta, soup, stew, chili, and vegetarian meals. All of the recipes require a minimum of prep time, freeing you up to read, exercise, garden, craft, write, spend more time with family, or whatever. The authors who contributed to this book are a rather creative and resourceful bunch when it comes to carving out time from their busy lives. So in addition to timesaving recipes, within the pages of this book you'll find timesaving and organizational tips for other aspects of your life. And if you happen to be a writer, you'll also find a plethora of great ideas to help you organize your writing life.

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#COOKING WITH CLORIS--GUEST AUTHOR JUDY ALTER

Judy Alter is the author of the Blue Plate Café Mysteries, the Kelly O’Connell Mysteries, and the Oak Grove Mysteries. Her fiction and nonfiction about women of the American West has won numerous awards including a Lifetime Achievement Award from Western Writers of America.

Judy’s love of cooking led her to write a memoir/cookbook, Cooking My Way Through Life with Kids and Books, complete with family pictures and recipes.

Now retired, she was for years the director of a small academic press. She is the mother of four and the grandmother of seven and lives—and cooks—in a cottage in Fort Worth, Texas with her Bordoodle, Sophie. Learn more about Judy and her books at her website and blog. 

Following Mom in the Kitchen—or Gram in the Café

Like Kate, café owner at the center of The Blue Plate Mysteries, I learned to cook as a young child by following my mom in the kitchen. She let me make a mess of her kitchen because she knew that was how I’d learn. She let me follow recipes on my own, with the result I once added nine tsp. of baking soda to a cake. I had followed the recipe carefully but wasn’t smart enough to recognize an impossible typo. Mom taught me to entertain, to clean up the kitchen as I went (a sanity-saving lesson), and to love being in the kitchen, cooking, experimenting with tastes and textures.

Kate followed her beloved Gram in the café kitchen from her early years.  Gram cooked the down-home food just right for a café in a small East Texas town—chicken-fried steak, fried chicken, fried catfish, meatloaf, lots of grits, lots of greens, meringue pies. Kate learned early to fix those things. But she also learned the “tricks” of cooking—put chunks of peeled potato in a dish that’s too salty, add sugar not salt to water when you boil corn, add a bit of vinegar to boiling water for hard-boiled eggs, add a pinch of sugar to “finish” tomato-based dishes like spaghetti sauce, rinse a pan with cold water before putting food in it, always start boiling potatoes in cold water.

When Kate finished high school and headed for Dallas and the life of a legal assistant and single girl, she took her love of cooking with her. She moved from down-home to gourmet, growing her own herbs in a pot garden and achieving success with such complicated dishes as Coquille St. Jacques and Steak Diane. When Gram’s sudden death (or was it murder?) calls her back to the town of her childhood and to the café, Kate revives the basic dishes Gram taught her. She can make sticky buns, and meatloaf with the best of them. At her twin sister’s urging, she even teaches cooking classes to the local ladies—Beef Wellington, chicken piccata, chicken enchiladas, quail (all those hunters in town), and shepherd’s pie. But she doesn’t serve those things at the café—she sticks to the recipes she learned from Gram.

A typical special on the chalkboard at the Blue Plate Café may feature meatloaf, Reva’s asparagus, and Louella’s rice. (Note the family connection of many recipes—says something about the café).

Gram’s Meatloaf

1-1/2 lbs. ground chuck

1 medium onion, chopped

1/2 green pepper, chopped fine (Kate substitutes chopped celery)

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

18 saltine crackers, crushed

16 oz. tomato sauce

Mix well and put into loaf pan. Optional: top with an additional 8 oz. of tomato sauce.

Bake at 350° for one hour. Check and possibly cook for another 15 to 30 minutes.

Reva’s asparagus

2 cup asparagus (Gram used canned, but you may use one bunch of fresh, trimmed and lightly steamed.)

1 cup sour cream

1/4 cup mayonnaise

2 T. lemon juice

Buttered breadcrumbs

Arrange asparagus in a single layer in a small rectangular baking dish. Mix sour cream, mayonnaise, and lemon juice and pour over asparagus. Top with breadcrumbs and bake until topping is brown and dish is heated through.

Louella’s rice

1 cup Minute Rice

1 cup sour cream

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar

1 can cream of celery soup

4 oz. can chopped chilies

Mix and bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes.

All Blue Plate Café Mysteries include a selection of recipes.

Murder at the Blue Plate Café

Small towns are supposed to be idyllic and peaceful, but when Kate Chambers returns to her hometown of Wheeler, Texas, she soon learns it is not the comfortable place it was when she grew up. First there’s Gram’s sudden death, which leaves her suspicious, and then the death of her married sister’s lover. Kate runs Gram’s restaurant, the Blue Plate Café, but she must defend her sister against a murder charge, solve the murders to keep her business open, and figure out where the café’s profits are going. Even Kate begins to wonder about the twin sister she has a love-hate relationship with. Gram guides Kate through it all, though Kate’s never quite sure she’s hearing Gram—and sometimes Gram’s guidance is really off the wall.

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