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Showing posts from 2017

#187 The Case of You Want to See the Trailer Before You Read the Book!

I understand. Get a feeling for A KILLER NECKLACE from this video. Read an excerpt here: getBook.at/B0161QKW2C . And if you want to buy the e-book, it happens to be on sale. Just in time for the holidays. Yes, A KILLER NECKLACE (in which I appear) is $1.99 (USD) on Amazon. Merry Christmas! ♥ Becki

#186 The Case of an Actor Reads "Dear Reader"

I am thrilled to introduce Dr. Joe Piazza , BPE, DC, of SYNERGY Chiropractic Naturopathic , and his dramatic interpretation of mystery short story "Dear Reader" by Cynthia St-Pierre (author of the novels and short stories in which I appear). "Dear Reader" was first published in Flash Bang Mysteries . Here's Joe's entertaining post and chilling audio podcast : "Dear Reader" ! ♥ Becki

#185 The Case of Gingerbread House

Gingerbread   It's a pity but this gingerbread is not for eating. It looks enticing, smells seasonal, and is strong and light for cave-in-proof house construction.   1/4 cup butter 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup light corn syrup 3 teaspoons ginger 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon salt 3+ cups flour 1 teaspoon vanilla 1/4 cup+ water    Preheat oven to 350ºF.   Cream the butter and sugar.   Beat in the corn syrup, ginger, cinnamon and salt.   Add the flour, vanilla and water gradually, alternating between them.   Knead the dough, adding more flour or water as needed. The dough should be stiff enough to roll out.   Roll to 1/8" thick on a floured surface.   I lay the top of my pieces (less floury) into the bottom of my gingerbread house moulds, press them in with my fingers, then lay my moulds on a baking sheet. If you don't have a gingerbread house mould, you can lay your shapes directly on a parchment-lined or lightly greas

#183 The Case of Camomile Tea

D o you wish you could drink in the peace and gentleness of this photo? This is soothing camomile and you can! My romance novelist friend Kathleen grows these tiny, cheerful, daisy-like flowers in her garden. Here's how to make tea from fresh flower heads: Heat water to boiling in a kettle. Pour hot tap water into a 2-cup teapot and top with the lid to heat the pot. When the outside of the teapot feels warm to the touch, empty the water then drop a tablespoon of camomile flower heads into the pot and fill the pot with boiling water. Steep for 3 min. Pour into teacups through a tea strainer. Serves 2. Plus it's easy to dry camomile flower heads for use over the non-growing season. Spread them on a cookie sheet and let them air dry out of the light for several days. They're ready to store in a mason jar when they are very crumbly between your fingers. Here's how to make tea from dried camomile: Heat water to boiling in a kettle. Pour hot

#182 The Case of Corn Cake Tacos

1 cup masa harina 1/2 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup hot water 1 ear fresh corn in kernels or about 1 cup 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 pack Yves Original Veggie Ground Round 1 envelope taco seasoning mix (Old El Paso is nice) 3/4 cup salsa 1 cup shredded iceberg lettuce 1 cup shredded Daiya Medium Cheddar Style Block   Preheat oven to 350ºF.   Stir together the masa harina and salt.   Gradually add the hot water, stirring until well combined.   Incorporate the corn kernels.   Cover and set aside for 10 min.   In the meantime, in an ovenproof pan, make the taco seasoning mix according to directions. Mix in the Veggie Ground Round, cover and heat in the oven.   Prepare 16 approximately 7-1/2" X 7-1/2" squares of parchment paper.   When the corn cake dough is ready, divide it in 8. With your hands, roll the dough into 8 balls. Flatten each ball to a 1/4" disk between two pieces of parchment paper.   Heat the oil to high in a non

#181 The Case of Minted Pea Soup

W elcome the colour and flavour of summer! 1/4 cup chopped onion 2 teaspoons olive oil 1 potato, chopped 4 cups water 2 rounded teaspoons (for 2 cups) vegetable bouillon powder 1 cup fresh or frozen peas 2 cups snow peas 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves salt pepper fresh chives (optional) Sauté the onion in the olive oil for 2 min. Add the potato, water and vegetable bouillon powder, and simmer covered for 15 min. or until the potato is tender. Add the peas and snow peas, and bring back to a boil. Stir in the mint leaves. Purée. Season to taste with salt and pepper. I serve my bowls of soup topped with chopped, fresh chives. Serves 4. ♥ Becki

#180 The Case of Celebrate #Canada150 with Imajin Books

T o celebrate Canada's 150th birthday, Imajin Books will be giving away 150 ebooks to Canadian residents and 150 ebooks to international residents. To enter, you only need to subscribe to Imajin Books Inner Circle (IBIC newsletter) http://www.imajinbooks.com/ibic . This event runs July 1-31. Winners will be selected from subscribers and will be able to choose their ebook prize. Hey, you could win one of the mysteries I'm in—A PURSE TO DIE FOR or A KILLER NECKLACE! :-) ♥ Becki PS Good luck!

#179 The Case of Happy Canada 150 Plus Imajin Books Summer Sizzles eBook Sale

H appy 150th birthday, Canada!   Booklover friends, click on the poster to see all the great #SummerReading books available for $2.99 or less, starting July 1st, Canada Day!   ♥ Becki

#178 The Case of Do You Crave Chocolate Vegetarian, Vegan or Raw?

" S hoot, wouldn't you know it," Cynthia said, "I left out a whole paragraph! There's no way I'm doing this over!" What my favourite author Cynthia left out of her podcast: Moreover, it’s possible to adopt a vegetarian, vegan and/or raw diet as seldom or frequently as you wish. Have you heard of the Meatless Monday movement, which encourages people to eat meat-free just one day a week? Links to a couple of the recipes she talks about: Chocolate Cupcakes Red Wine Butterycream Frosting ♥ Becki

#177 The Case of Red Wine Butterycream Frosting

1/2 cup red wine plus 1 more tablespoon, divided 1-1/2 tablespoons sugar 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon vegan baking sticks, softened 1-1/2 cups icing sugar sprinkles In a small saucepan over medium heat, cook the 1/2 cup red wine and sugar, stirring constantly, until the sugar is dissolved. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the syrup is reduced to about 1-1/2 tablespoons. Cool. Beat the vegan baking sticks and beat in the icing sugar gradually. Once the icing sugar is incorporated and you've got a thick frosting consistency, beat in the red wine reduction and the 1 tablespoon wine until the frosting is light and creamy. Frost your cupcakes. Decorate with sprinkles. This recipe makes enough Red Wine Butterycream Frosting for 12 cupcakes. ♥ Becki

#175 The Case of Chocolate Cupcakes

M y vegan cupcakes puff up in the oven due to the same chemical reaction as in kids' volcano science fair projects!   1-1/2 cups flour 1/3 cup cacao 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup coconut oil, measured in liquid form 1 tablespoon instant decaffeinated coffee granules 1/2 cup light coconut milk 1/2 cup water 1 teaspoon vanilla 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar vegan frosting sprinkles   Preheat oven to 375ºF.   Line a 12-cup muffin tin with baking cups.   In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cacao, baking soda, salt and sugar.   In another bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, instant coffee granules, coconut milk, water and vanilla.   Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until combined.   With a spatula, quickly stir in the vinegar until incorporated.   Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cups (about 1/3 cup per cupcake).   Bake until the tops spring back when lightl

#174 The Case of Saturday Morning Scramble

T his also works well with 1 cup e gg style liquid (I use Simply Eggless) instead of tofu and Scramble Seasoning. Scramble the egg style liquid at the same time as you sauté the roasted red peppers. 1 lb medium tofu, drained and s queezed 2-1/4 teaspoons Scramble Seasoning (see below) 4 tablespoons olive oil 4 mushrooms, sliced 1/4 cup roasted red peppers, chopped (or sun-dried tomatoes in oil, sliced) 2 small handfuls fresh spinach (or arugula) 1/4 cup vegan mozzarella, cubed salt pepper Crumble the tofu into a bowl and combine well with the Scramble Seasoning. Heat the olive oil in a large pan and sauté the mushrooms and the tofu. Add the roasted red peppers and continue to sauté. When the scramble is hot enough, toss in the spinach and the vegan mozzarella. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Plate when the spinach is mostly wilted and the cheese is soft.  Serves 2 but multiplies and divides well. Scramble Seasoning 1/2 cup nutritional yeast flakes 1 

#173 The Case of Gina's Family Tree

(Click on picture to enlarge.) A cheat sheet for A PURSE TO DIE FOR and A KILLER NECKLACE , the first two books in our Fashionation with Mystery series. ♥ Becki