Italian Wedding Soup

So if you haven’t guessed, Italian Wedding is a type of soup. They used to serve it at Olive Garden, but don’t anymore, of which saddens me as it is one of my favorite soups. But all is not lost, I can make it myself.

So I found this recipe on Pinterest, but it is originally from McCormick.com

Ingredients:

• 1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil
• 8 oz of Sweet or Hot Italian Style Turkey Sausage, cut into 1/2 inch thick slices
• 1/2 Cup of Chopped Onion
• 1  32-oz Can of Reduced Sodium Chicken Broth
• 1  15-oz Can of Red Kidney Beans
• 1  14.5-oz Can of Diced, no salt, Tomatoes
• 1 Teaspoon of Oregano
• 1 Teaspoon of Savory
• 1 Teaspoon of Thyme
• 1  6-oz package of Baby Spinach Leaves
• 1/2 Cup of Uncooked Small Pasta

Directions:

1. Heat oil in pan on medium heat.
2. Add sausage and cook for three minuets.
3. Add onion and cook for three minutes, or until meat is browned and onion tender.
4. Pour meat and onion mixture into a pot.
5. Add chicken broth.
6. Drain and rinse red kidney beans, and then add to the pot.
7. Add tomatoes, oregano, savory, and thyme to the pot.
8. Stir mixture and bring to a boil.
9. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.
10. Stir in spinach and pasta.
11. Return to boil on medium heat. When boiling, return to simmering on low until pasta noodles are cooked.

Thoughts after cooking:

I loved it. It was soooooo good that we ate the whole entire pot.

For more soup recipes, go to Vegetable Soup

For more Italian food, go to Angel Hair Pasta with Chicken

For more Pinterest recipes, go to Cheesy Pesto Pull Apart Bread

For more recipes, go to Breakfast Puffin Muffins

The Italian Wife

The Italian Wife by Kate Furnivall

The year is 1922 and Isabella Berotti is a young, expectant mother living in Milan. She and her husband are visiting the outdoor markets when he is shot and killed. Isabella rushes over to help him, and is shot in the back, losing her baby and ability to walk.

Ten years later, Isabella has used all that frustration and grief to motivate her into walking, only suffering from a slight limp, and achieve her dream of becoming an architect. She is currently residing in Bellina, helping to achieve Mussolini’s dream of reclaiming the marshlands for Italy, and creating a modern state.

While life has been good, the day of the accident and death of her husband still haunts her. This anniversary she is spending her time reminiscing at a café, when a woman approaches her asking if she could watch her daughter Rosa. Before she can refuse, the woman whispers that “they” know who really killed Isabella’s husband and takes off. Intrigued as to what the woman may know, Isabella sits with Rosa, entertaining her. Everything is fine until Isabella sees the woman throw herself off a building Isabella created.

Now Isabella finds herself caught up in a web of political intrigue, as Rosa proves to be a powerful piece both the fascists and the rebels wish to use. She teams up with a photographer, Roberto Falco, to protect Rosa, remain out of prison, bring to light the dirty deals in government, and finally solve who murdered her husband.

Thoughts After Reading:

I absolutely loved this book.

I thought it was thrilling, interesting, and impossible to put down. The historical truths of Mussilini attempting to control and reshape the land, even going as far as building cities and farms in impossible places, was a fascinating backdrop and made me interested to learn even more.

The writing was extremely well done and the characters are multi-dimensional, lovable, and always exceeding my expectations as to what would happen next. In fact, I am not only looking forward to her next project, but planning on reading everything she has written prior to this novel.

I would give it five out of five stars.

For more stand alone mysteries, go to The Unsolvable Mystery: The Mystery of Edwin Drood

For more mysteries, go to The Silence of the Llamas

Vegetable Soup

So you have heard of my sister blog: janeaustenrunsmylife.wordpress.com, but I have another sister blog. This one is thecatwhowroteablog.wordpress.com. This blog covers all the books in The Cat Who… mystery series, making recipes mentioned in the book from The Cat Who Cookbook. This recipe is from there.

Now you may wonder, why didn’t I just repost the blog post, like I did for Pride & Prescience (Or a Truth Universally Acknowledged) ? Well thecatwhowroteablog does things a little differently than I do. They post every recipe they make from the particular book in one post, while I like to draw it out doing one at a time.

Thoughts Before Cooking:

I was looking for recipes to use that were low sodium and such for my nana who was visiting. This  recipe was perfect for the cool day and her dietary restrictions.

Ingredients:

• 2  14.5 Ounce Cans of Vegetable Broth
• 1/2 Cup of Chopped Onion
• 1/2 Cup of  Chopped Celery
• 1 Clove Garlic, Minced
• 1 Cup of Sliced Carrots
• 1 Cup of Diced Potatoes
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 1/4 Cup of Barley
• Salt & Pepper to Taste

Directions:

1. Place all the ingredients in a pot and simmer, covered, until vegetables are tender and are cooked.
2. Remove the bay leaf before serving.
3. Serves 4-6 people.

From thecatwhowroteablog.wordpress.com

Thoughts After Cooking:

While thecatwhowroteablog used lentils instead of barely, I went the way the recipe is actually written.

So my soup wasn’t as good as thecatwhowroteablog claimed this recipe was. I think that mostly had to do with the fact that my grandmother with health issues was joining us, and I had to use the low sodium bland vegetable broth.

It wasn’t horrible, but with regular broth it would have tasted a whole lot better.

For more soup recipes, go to Zucchini-Tomato Soup

For more low calorie recipes, go to Dark Choco Almond Butter Cookies

For more recipes, go to Cheesy Pesto Pull Apart Bread

The Silence of the Llamas

The Silence of the Llamas (Black Sheep Knitting Mystery #5) by Anne Canadeo

The Black Sheep Knitting group has headed out to the countryside, doing some good farm stand shopping.

The crew is on their way to visit friend’s of Dana’s. Her old college friend Ellie; married Ben Kruegar, sold her successful business, bought a property in Plum Harbor, and created a Llama farm.

Aw, how cute.

This weekend is Ellie ad Ben’s big grand opening of their farm, the Laughing Llama. While the event is fun, full of food and farm animals; somebody isn’t interested in it. In fact, the llamas are attacked by someone with a paint gun, severely injuring them.

It turns out that, that isn’t the only bad thing that has been happening. There have been a series of “pranks” as the couple calls them, ranging from missing items, the animals being released, etc.

It turns out that the idyllic countryside is not that idyllic after all. There is a development company that wants to buy up all the farms, and a group of people are trying to protect the lands. They believe that the Kruegars bought the land, only to turn it over to developers, but Ellie and Ben claim they are here long term.

Their hired hand Dot, is a great help, but not really close to them.

Then one night they find the dead body of the man who was most interested in stopping them from “selling”, Jason Ridley. Now the police are looking at Ben for the murder, and the Black Sheep Knitting group are on the case.

Thoughts After Reading:

So there are two mysteries in this novel. One is the sabotager, and the other is the murderer. This mystery was half good, with the murder being done excellent.

while the sabotage part wasn’t that good. I mean I figured it out immediately.

It wasn’t as bad as A Stitch Before Dying , but not as good as Till Death Do Us Purl or While My Pretty One Knits.

***Spoiler Alert***

So as soon as I read this on page 43:

“Oh, Ellie, what’s the difference? We know who it is. Justin Ridley. He’s the only one who could have done this. The only one who has any reason to harass us. Who believes he has a reason,’ he [Ben] corrected himself.”

I knew it was Ben.

I knew Ben was like the husband in Gaslight and Dangerous Crossing, just after the money and behind the scheme to sabotage so he could get it.

For more Black Sheep Knitting Mysteries, go to Till Death Do Us Purl

For more cases of sabotage, go to A Taste for Murder

For more mystery reviews, go to Just Because You’re Paranoid, Doesn’t Mean a Demon’s Not After You: Storm Front

 

Cheesy Pesto Pull Apart Bread

Thoughts Before Baking:

So I found this recipe on pinterest, but is originally from The Cooking Jar. It sounded fantastic, as I love pesto, cheese, and bread, so of course I thought I would give it a try.

Ingredients:

• 1 Loaf of French Bread
• 1/2 Cup of Butter, Melted
• 1/2 Cup of Pesto
• 1.5 Cups of a Mixed Cheese Blend (she called for a 5 Italian Cheese blend. I couldn’t find it so I went with the 4 Mexican Cheese Blend)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven at 375 degrees F.
2. Using a serrated knife, make 1-inch diagonal cuts across the bread, be sure to leave the bottom intact.
3. Repeat going the opposite direction.
4. Pour the melted butter between the cuts, evenly.
5. Use a spoon or knife to spread the pesto along the top of the bread.
6. Transfer to aluminum foil and stuff cuts with cheese.
7. Wrap bread in foil and cook for 15 mins.
8. Unwrap bread and cook for another 10 mins.
9. Serve.

Thoughts After Baking:

So no picture, sorry. We ate it before I had the chance to snap one.

It was good.

The only thing I would change would be putting the pesto inside the cuts and then the cheese. I didn’t like it on the tops only.

For more pinterest recipes, go to Pumpkin French Toast

For more appetizers, go to Gorgonzola Cream Cheese Log

For more recipes with pesto, go to Broccoli & Tortellini Salad with Pesto

For more recipes, go to Breakfast Puffin Muffins

Just Because You’re Paranoid, Doesn’t Mean a Demon’s Not After You: Storm Front

Storm Front (The Dresden Files #1) by Jim Butcher

So I was first introduced to this series by my friend. She was an avid reader, and you know how when you have something you like, you try to get all of your friends into it.

Anyways, we had gone on a road trip and were on our way back to our apartment, but were so tired. Halfway, we realized we wouldn’t make it unless we had something to boost us. She decided now was the perfect time to introduce me to the book series. We listened to 1/3-1/2 of the book, and by then it was too late. I was hooked and had to head to library to check out a copy to read now.

The Review:

So Harry Dresden is a wizard.

Yes, you heard correctly. He is a wizard in modern day Chicago, and has his own P.I. office, HARRY DRESDEN-WIZARD. Lost Items Found. Paranormal Investigations. Consulting. Advice. Reasonable Rates. NO Love Potions, Endless Purses, Parties, or Other Entertainment.

Things have been really slow for Harry these past few months. The last thing he’s done was investigate a country singer’s “haunted house”. It turned out to be nothing but the singer’s drug addiction, but when Harry told him that, he fired him and then hired some shyster who did an “exorcism”. It seems some people just don’t want the truth.

This day Harry was planning on going through a new box of books, as there was nothing else to do, when he gets a call.

A woman, Monica, is looking for her husband. He asks her to check with the police or a regular private investigator, but she refuses saying she needs a wizard’s help. They make an appointment, an hour later.

Immediately the phone rings again, and it’s Lt. Karrin Murphy from the Chicago Police Department (CPD). She’s the director of Special Investigations, set to investigate anything unusual.

Vampire attacks, troll marauding, and faery abductions of children, etc.

Murphy’s found some bodies and wants Harry there now. Harry tells her she has an appointment, but Murphy tells him he needs to come her NOW, and to not eat lunch. It’s ugly.

Uh-oh

Harry leaves  note and heads on his way.

Murphy is short and petite but tough as nails. She has to be in order to succeed as a female cop.

She and Harry get along but have their differences. Murphy is a modern women, while much of Harry’s morals, values, and manners are, in her view, dated. He likes to open doors for women, pick up the check, protect them; etc. Murphy also doesn’t like his look of a leather duster, she thinks is also dated. However, she believes what he says is the truth and not crazy, and is one of the few willing to look into his eyes and do a Soul Gaze.

A Soul Gaze is when you look into a wizard’s eyes directly, and when you do so you see a window into their soul. It doesn’t relay specific information (you can’t use it to interrogate someone), but it does give one a vague impression on whether they’re trustworthy or not, or if they’ve been psychically harmed, etc. A lot of people don’t like it, so not many dare meet his eyes.

They go into the suite, where they meet up with Detective Carmichael, Murphy’s partner, and the most unbelieving soul you will ever meet.

The two people had obviously met for sex, and they find them in the bed. The creepy part? Their chests have exploded, as if they had a bomb in their chest.

Harry feels like throwing up, but tries to stay strong. The only way to do something like this is to use magic to wreak harm, in violation of the First Law, established by the White Council, the people who police Wizards.

The only way to accomplish such a feat is through Thaumaturgy. Thaumaturgy is when you make something happen on a small scale, and give it enough energy to happen on a large scale; but to do something like that you would need something that connected to the victims like hair, fingernails, or blood.

To do this you need really strong emotions, revenge most likely. She or He choose the moment when the two would be having sex, as this extremely angered her or him, making the killer most likely a spouse or ex-lover.

It turns out the girl is Jennifer Stanton, a prostitute who at the Velvet Room for Bianca. Bianca is a Vampiress. Not good. And the man? Tommy Tomm, Gangster “Gentleman” Johnny Marcone. Ouch. Not good and a WIDE suspect pool.

Uh-oh

Murphy wants Harry to investigate how this could have happened, but Harry really doesn’t want to. You see Murphy doesn’t know everything about Harry. Harry has a dark past and the Doom of Damocles hanging over his head. If he is found guilty of violating one of the Seven Laws of Magic, the Doom would drop. If he started putting together a murder spell, that’s all that’s needed for those who dislike him to push for the Doom to start.

Murphy yells at him, and it makes him feel bad so he agrees. He just hopes that the Council will understand.

Harry runs back to the office for his appointment, when he is approached by two giant men who force him into the limo. In the back he sees a handsome, unassuming man, in casual clothes. Who are you? Johnny Marcone.

“Gentleman” Johnny Marcone is a blessing and a curse to the Chicago area. On one hand he deals in everything from drugs, to robbers, etc. On the other hand, with him in charge, everything is controlled. He runs his organization tiptop, and if anybody new comes on the scene, they get taken out.

Marcone wants Harry to not investigate the case. He’s willing to pay him for two weeks, $16800, to take a vacation. It intrigues Harry, but he is even more curious about why he doesn’t want Harry looking into the deaths.

He refuses.

Marcone stares Harry right in the face, never flinching, extremely scary. But Harry stays firm, and Marcone warns Harry not to upset him. He drops Harry off at his office, and Harry feels a bit grim about everything, but at least he’s on time for Monica.

Monica is very uneasy and unsure about being here. Her husband, Victor Sells, has been missing for three days, and she came to Harry because she thinks that he might be able to help as her husband was very into magic.

After careful waiting, Monica tells Harry a few clues. They have a lake house he could check out and she’s willing to pay the money. So they strike a deal and she heads on her way.

Harry checks his mail and discovers a dried out scorpion. Scorpions are very powerful symbols and could be dangerous. It creeps Harry out, but he thinks he’s overreacting and dumps it in his desk.

Harry decides to reward his good fortune of two jobs, and head down to McAnally’s Pub, an old fashioned restaurant. Mac is Harry’s best friend and seemingly the only one he can talk to. Today the hot news is the Third Eye drug ravaging the city. The Third Eye is a powerful drug that gives you temporary abilities, and is extremely addictive. People will do anything in order to get it. It is really hurting the city.

Susan Rodriguez comes into the pub to talk to Harry. She is a journalist for the Arcane, a tabloid, and is always trying to get something out of Harry. She is very sexy and uses her appeal to get things out of others. So far it hasn’t worked on Harry, his past has kept him from getting close to anyone, but it’s been a long time and a date with Susan sounds great.

That night Harry heads over to the lake house with ingredients. Time to do some spell casting.

Harry sets a trap to catch a faery so that he can question him. When Toot arrives he’s quite angry with Harry, but after some bargaining, Harry gets him calmed down.

Toot tells Harry that pizza arrived the other night and the humans were “sporting”. “Sporting” to fairies means sex. And a lot of it, there must have been an orgy or something.

Harry is thinking about what it all means, when his worst nightmare shows up. Morgan, a member of the White Council, who wants Harry dead. He tries to get at Harry, saying that he was the one who killed the two people. Sadly, Morgan won’t stop until he has proof that Harry killed them.

Harry is too keyed up after talking with Morgan, and heads down in his basement to work. There also lives his cat Mister, and Bob, an extremely old wizard trapped in a skull, the wizard computer. Harry needs Bob’s help to make an escape potion, but Bob won’t assist unless they do something fun, like make a love potion.

The next night Harry goes to see Bianca. To prepare himself, he wears a silver pentacle on a silver chain and a folded white cloth.

When he gets there, the guards remove some of Harry’s items, his cane and knife. But they stupidly let him pass with the cloth and pentacle.

Harry asks Biamca about Jennifer and she freaks out trying to kill him. Luckily he has that cloth, which contains a sunlight potion, releasing it on her. From there the beautiful woman is gone, and this ugly winged creature remains.

Harry also uses the pentacle to protect himself, leaving the two at a draw. Bianca doesn’t trust him and he doesn’t trust her. He is trying to find Jennifer’s killer, but Bianca thinks he is the real murderer.

Eventually, Harry convinces Bianca to sit and talk. Bianca liked Tommy Tomm, he treated the girls nice. He sent Jennifer that night, but has no idea who would want them dead. She sends him to go after Linda Randall, old friend of Jennifer.

Harry has to leave quickly, as he is bleeding and hungering Bianca. He calls Linda, but she won’t speak to him. So he goes to find her.

Linda works as a driver now, but in the past was a prostitute too, and she is very sexual in everything. Last time she spoke to Jennifer was on her birthday, she wanted to get with Tommy and her, but Linda had to work.

Harry decides that gleaning zero leads from there, it is best to look up the pizza place. He finds out that there was more than one person there, an orgy, and that there was another guy taking pictures.

That night Harry gets attacked by a man with a bat, later a man high on the Third Eye also threatens him, that his master will kill him. While Harry isn’t sure he is closer to the truth, it appears he is right on their tale.

Things get really heated, when in the middle of his date with Susan, a demon appears, and the two have to fight it off.

Will Harry solve the crime? Or will he be taken down; either by the White Council or this mysterious opponent. You have to read to find out.

Thoughts After Reading:

I LOVED THIS BOOK!!!!!!

It was extremely well written and I couldn’t put it down.

Check it our for yourself!

For more supernatural mysteries, go to The Barter

For more books featuring a private investigator, go to One for the Money

For more fantasy-mysteries, go to The Emperor’s Edge

Breakfast Puffin Muffins

Thoughts Before Baking:

So this book wasn’t all that good, read my review here, but contained quite a few recipes that I wanted to try out.

This one sounded tasty and a good thing to have in the morning so I thought I would try it out.

Ingredients:

• 1/3 Cup of Margarine or Butter, Soft
• 1/2 Cup Sugar
• 1 Egg Beaten
• 2 Cups of Flour
• 2 Teaspoons of Baking Powder
• 1/4 Teaspoon of Salt
• 2 Teaspoons of Pumpkin Pie Spices
• 3/4 Cup of Milk, Whole or 2%
• 1 Teaspoon of Cinnamon
• 1 Teaspoon of Nutmeg
• 2 oz of Raisins (optional)
• Liners
• Cinnamon Sugar (1 Tablespoon of Cinnamon and 1 Tablespoon of granulated sugar)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Blend margarine, sugar, and beaten egg together until the mixture is smooth.
3. In a separate bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, salt, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and nutmeg together.
4. Add the dry ingredients and the wet to the milk, alternating and mixing as you go.
5. If you’d like, now is the time to add the raisins to the batter.
6. Fill the muffin cups halfway, then dust the tops of each muffin with cinnamon sugar
7. Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of each muffin comes out clean.
8. Cool muffins before removing them from the pan.

Thoughts After Baking:

They were very good, they weren’t too sweet but very delicious. I’m thinking of altering the recipe a bit and trying to out in some apples or something. If I do I will post it, whether it works or fails.

For more muffins, go to the Best-Ever Blueberry Muffins

For more breakfast dishes, go to Hole in One

For more recipes, go to Virgin Appletini

Till Death Do Us Purl

Till Death Do Us Purl (A Black Sheep Knitting Mystery #4) by Anne Canadeo

So I know it’s been awhile since I reviewed a Black Sheep Knitting Mystery so let me refresh your memory.

The Black Sheep Knitting group consists of five members: Maggie, widow, ex-art teacher, and owner of the shop The Black Sheep Knitting Shop; Suzanne, real estate agent, mother of many, and a multi-tasking titan; Phoebe, Goth girl, college student, and part-time employee at the knitting shop; Dana, psychologist, mother of two, yoga and heath food enthusiast; and Lucy, recently divorced, dating the town vet, graphic designer.

So in the last book, the girls had traveled to a health spa were they helped solve the murder of a self-help guru. Lucy was having some issues with Dr. Matt, her boyfriend, thinking he was cheating on her, but it turned out that he was getting counsling with his soon-to-be-exwife.

Yeah, I didn’t like that either.

So in this book, it is now spring, even though the weather is still chilly. The girls have gathered for their weekly gab and knit, when Maggie throws a surprise on them. Her friend Nora Bailey, and her daughter Rebecca, need help. Rebecca is designing her own wedding dress, knitting it, but the date was changed to be sooner. She needs help making it and the bridesmaid shawls or else it won’t be completed in time.

They meet the two and really enjoy their company, especially Rebecca as she is friendly and easy to talk to. It turns out she will be marrying Jeremy, senior chemist at his family’s company, At-Las Technology. They met at the school Rebecca teaches at, when Jeremy came by to volunteer for the science club.

Aw, how sweet.

Whoa, Rebecca will be marrying into some serious money. But don’t be mistaken, she’s not some gold digger, she is a sweet and normal person.

So as the girls work on the wedding apparel, it has quickly turned everyone’s minds to Lucy and Dr. Matt. The big question, when is the date going to be set?

But Lucy doesn’t want to talk about it. She’s not closed off to the idea of getting married, but she has just gotten divorced, and Dr. Matt is still legally married.

I don’t think so.

Soon everyone is working on the wedding, or are they? Lucy has been procrastinating, with only an urgent message from Maggie making her get to work. She heads down there, and guess who else is in the shop? Edie Steiber, brassy, bold, and exposition queen. Edie has decided to gab about Jeremy and the rest of the Lassiter gang. She’s heard that the company has suffered since the Atkins and Lassiters (get it? At-Las?) have split. They need a new product or else they are kaput.

Monday night, Lucy is still behind and now horrified to learn that the next day she needs to be done. Her and Suzanne meet up and have a secret knitting party.

The next day, the two have found a way to get everything completed. They are trying everything out, dying the shawls that need to be, when Rebecca puts on her dress. As they are chexking the hemline, Jeremy comes right in.

He’s early to pick up his bride, and while everyone is upset at him breaking tradition. He doesn’t care, he’s a scientist after all.

The two are very sweet with each other. In fact, he wears a special scarf everyday that he had Rebecca make.

Aw, how sweet.

The whole group goes to the wedding that Saturday at the beautiful Lassiter mansion. The wedding proves to be doubly entertaining as Jeremy’s long-lost twin brother, black sheep, and prodigal son comes.

The wedding is beautiful and whileLucy is looking around the crowd, she notices Rebecca’s principal, and friend, Stewart with his wife and he is crying. Wow, some people get moved at weddings.

The next morning, Lucy heads to the Black Sheep to gab about the wedding when she finds everyone in tears. It turns out that Jeremy is DEAD!!!

The night of Jeremy and Rebecca’s honeymoon, Jeremy had to return to the lab for some reason. There was a fire, and everything was burned, including Jeremy. He was so badly destroyed, no one could recognize him.

Lucy and Maggie visit with Nora, as Rebecca is too upset to see anyone. Stewart has also been a good friend, stopping by to see her.

The memorial is in the same place they had the wedding, at the mansion. Lots of people come, so many that Maggie ends up having to sit away from the other Black Sheep Knitting girls. There she overhears Jeremy’s brother and sister gabbing about all the guests and people. She also meets the infamous Louis Atkins, a silver fox who is interested in Maggie.

But then two bombs are dropped on the group. The first, Lucy and Dr. Matt are moving in together. Does Dr. Matt think they have a future? May Lucy be heading down the aisle too?

The second bombshell, a man’s body was found in a motel this morning. It is Jeremy.

Yes, Jeremy didn’t die in the fire, but faked his death.

The police suspect Rebecca, thinking that she became mad that he was going to run off on her and killed.

The Black Sheep Knitters know that Rebecca would do no such thing. It is up to them to find the real killer.

Did Jeremy’s sister do it, angry that he would abandon the company when they need it most and leave her the captain of a sinking ship? Was it his father who needed the new glue formula to continue his wealthy lifestyle? Did Louis kill Jeremy to get his glue formula? Was his ex-girlfriend Erica so mad that he chose to marry another women, she decided it was better he was dead than with Rebecca? Or is Rebecca not as sweet as she seems but a stone cold killer?

Thoughts After Reading:

So this was the first book I read on the series and the one I think is the absolute best.

It is well written and the mystery is unbelievable.

The whole time I thought I had it figured out only to be utterly and completely wrong.

You really Agatha Christied me.

For more Black Sheep Knitting Mysteries, go to A Stitch Before Dying

For more book reviews, go to One for the Money

Best-Ever Blueberry Muffins

Happy New Year!

I hope you all have a blessed year!

So back in November I did a post reviewing Blueberry Muffin Murder. That Friday I was going to pair it with a blueberry muffin recipe, but unfortunately I couldn’t find it and instead reviewed a cookie recipe, Dinomite’s Fluffy Bites.

But now I have found it, and I thought it was the perfect thing for your New Year’s morning.

Thoughts Before Baking:

So in Blueberry Muffin Murder they give a recipe for blueberry muffins, but when I looked at the ingredients I didn’t like it. It seemed far too sweet and sugary.

Instead, here is a recipe for blueberry muffins that I absolutely love. This comes from the cookbook, Great American Recipes. 

Ingredients:

• 1.5 Cups of All Purpose Flour
• 1 Tbsp. Baking Powder
• 1/2 Tsp of Salt
• 1/4 Cup of Sugar
• 4 Tbsp (1 Stick) of Butter, melted and cooled
• 1 Large Egg, Beaten
• 3/4 Cup + 2 Tbsp of Milk
• 1 Cup of Blueberries
• Muffin Liners or Non-Stick Cooking Spray

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Line a muffin pan with muffin liners or use non-stick cooking spray.
3. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl.
4. Stir in the sugar.
5. In a separate bowl, whisk together the melted butter, egg, and milk.
6. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry and whisk until blended (mixture should be slightly lumpy.)
7. Add the blueberries to bowl and stir them in just enough to combine.
8. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups.
9. Bake for 18-24 minutes, or until golden.
10. Remove from pan and transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Thoughts After Baking:

I love them. I think they are the perfect blend, and not too sweet, but just right. It is the Best-Ever blueberry muffin recipe.

Sorry I don’t have a pic. We ate them all before I could capture them.

For more Breakfast recipes, go to A Hole in One

For more Holiday posts, go to Virgin Appletini

For more recipes, go to Gorgonzola Cream Cheese Log

In other news, let’s have a quick year review.

So last year I published 59 posts, starting with one a week and now up to two!

Out of those 59 posts, I’ve reviewed 29 mysteries. Which you should definitely check out.

The Black Sheep Knitting Mystery Series (3 books), Cat Caliban Mystery Series (1 book), A Donut Shop Mystery Series (3 books), The Emperor’s Edge Series (1 book), The Hannah Swenson Mystery Series (7 books), The Harry Bosch Mystery Series (1 book), A Hemlock Falls Mystery Series (2 books), Jane Jeffry Mystery Series (1 book), Lucy Stone Mystery Series (1 book), A Mr. & Mrs. Darcy Mystery Series (1 book), P.I. Cassie Cruise Mystery Series (1 book), Rosewood Series (1 book), and The Scandia Series (1 book)

And with independent mysteries: At the Corner of King Street, The Barter, The Dollhouse Murders, The Missing Mah Jong Player, and The Mystery of Edwin Drood

With cooking I reviewed 28 different recipes; from cookies, to pie, to cake, to pasta, to appetizers, to drinks, etc.

This blog was viewed 430 times last year.

The busiest day of the year was October 24th, when I posted on Regency Ginger Cookies

The top five posts this year were:

5) At the Corner of King Street  by Mary Ellen Taylor

4) Regency Ginger Cookies from Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke

3) The Dollhouse Murders by Betty Ren Wright

2) Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke

1) The Princess Plot by Kirsten Boie

So what will the next year hold? You’ll just have to follow me to find out!