I’ve enjoyed other books in Daryl’s Cookbook Nook Mystery series and am happy to be visiting her characters and Crystal Cove again. I’ve also read a book from her Cheese Shop Mystery series written as Avery Ames. Another fun series.
Check out my review.
Enjoy the short guest post and delicious recipe Daryl is sharing with us.
And don’t forget to enter the awesome giveaways!
Grilling the Subject (A Cookbook Nook Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
5th in Series
Berkley (August 2, 2016)
Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
ISBN-13: 978-0425279410
E-Book ASIN: B017SCQLSW
My Review
I’ve read one other book in the Cookbook Nook series, Fudging The Books, and really enjoyed it. Good to be back with these characters again along with meeting some new ones.
One of those characters is Sylvia Gump, local business owner and town bully. You know the type, puts on airs, looks down her nose at you, her needs come first. Well, it should come as no surprise that, when fireman report to a brush fire, the dead body they discover is Sylvia’s. And, since Jenna’s father has been in several very public arguments with her, he’s in line as suspect #1.
So many suspects. It seems like when Jenna clears someone from her list, something else pops up and they’re back on it. Not an easy one to solve, which keeps Jenna hopping and those pages turning.
And there’s a humdinger of a surprise too. I kind of suspected it a time or two, but then I got caught up in the mystery again, and forgot about it, so I was eventually caught unaware.
Last time I visited Crystal Cove it was Pirate Week. This time it’s the Wild West Extravaganza. Living on the Gulf Coast, we have lots of fairs and summer events and it always feels like my home town when somethings cooking at Crystal Cove.
Lots to entertain in this next book in the series. I’ll be following to see what happens next in this delightful community.
And there’s some yummy recipes to try too. I always enjoy checking them out.
4 Stars
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Synopsis
Things heat up for bookstore owner Jenna Hart in the latest Cookbook Nook mystery from the Agatha Award-winning author of Fudging the Books.
As the Wild West Extravaganza rides into Crystal Cove, California, Cookbook Nook store owner Jenna Hart is ready to indulge her appetite for grilled and barbecued treats and maybe even try the Texas skip. But when the body of one of her father’s neighbors is found the next morning smoldering in a bonfire, the rodeo revelry is extinguished.
Sylvia Gump had acquired plenty of enemies with her practice of illegally encroaching on her neighbors’ properties—including Jenna’s dad, who was off fishing by himself and has no alibi for the murder. Now it’s up to Cary Hart’s dutiful daughter to clear his name before the real killer turns up the heat and rakes someone else over the coals…
INCLUDES RECIPES
And here’s one of those yummy recipes!
Okay, here’s a little health lesson for today. Don’t moan! This will be quick and painless. Promise. LOL
There are good foods and super foods; good fats and bad fats. I’ve been reading up on this. Why? It turns out my body is producing cholesterol. I’m eating right and I’m fairly thin. I exercise, and I don’t smoke. But darn it, I have to take medicine to keep my cholesterol low.
Do you know your HDL and LDL and triglycerides numbers? You should. Ask your doctor.
Anyway, let’s get to some technical stuff:
To lower cholesterol eat:
Oats, red wine, salmon, nuts, green tea, beans (or legumes, especially kidney beans and black beans), dark chocolate, garlic, olive oil. (Yes, you read that right. Red wine and dark chocolate!) Blueberries are good for you, too!
What are some good fats?
Monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) help reduce visceral fat, the type of fat that promotes cardiovascular health. An avocado fits into this category. Yay for me! I love avocados.
And now that the lecture is done, fix this yummy recipe, grab some low-salt tortilla chips, pick up a good book, and dive in!
PS You all know I love cookbooks. I write about them in the Cookbook Nook Mysteries. I found this recipe in Food & Wine Best of the Best 2012: the Best Recipes from the 25 Best Cookbooks of the Year–inspired by a version from Truly Mexican by Santibañez, Goode & Wiseman. I tweaked it and tell you how I did so at the end.
AVOCADO AND BLUE CHEESE GUACAMOLE
Ingredients:
(Serves 4)
1 avocado, large
2 tablespoons chopped white onion
2 jalapeño chiles, diced fine
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon Meyer lemon juice
3 ounces Point Reyes Blue cheese, crumbled
Mash avocado. Chop the onion and mince the chiles. Add to the avocado. Add the salt, the lemon juice, and half of the crumbled blue cheese. [This is one of the richest blue cheeses I’ve ever tasted. Yum!] Whip together.
Set in a serving bowl. Top with more blue cheese.
*The recipe from Truly Mexican included ¼ cup chopped smoked almonds. They used lime juice instead of Meyer lemon juice. And they added cilantro. They used a total of 3 tablespoons of the cheese. I doubled that.
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About This Author
DARYL WOOD GERBER
Author Links
Mystery Lover’s Kitchen / Killer Characters
Goodreads: Daryl Wood Gerber / Avery Ames
Purchase Links
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There are two giveaways today!
Today Daryl is giving away one copy of your choice of a print copy 0f any of her books. Leave a comment and tell her what your favorite snack food is.
Then enter the rafflecopter below for more prizes!
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Follow the tour for more fun posts and reviews and delicious recipes!
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July 27 – Lisa Ks Book Reviews – Review, Interview, Recipe
July 28 – fuonlyknew – Review, Recipe
July 29 – Brooke Blogs – Review, Recipe
July 29 – Cozy Up With Kathy – Review, Recipe
July 30 – Booklady’s Booknotes – Review, Recipe
August 1 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – Review, Recipe
August 2 – A Holland Reads – Review, Recipe
August 3 – Back Porchervations – Review, Recipe
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I really like homemade guacamole. Soon I will have tomatoes from the garden to add! Another snack we like is popcorn! Thanks!
Holden, great! I adore popcorn – it doesn’t like me much, but I try to ignore that. LOL ~ Daryl
You know I love a good cozy and I really need to give this one a try..you know start from the beginning. 😉
Stormi, I’m so glad you stopped in! Enjoy! ~ Daryl
Hi Daryl, I’d love to try that recipe but finding kosher blue cheese here in Brooklyn is very difficult. I can get almost any other type of cheese BUT that one. I’ll try though.
NA, I would imagine kosher blue cheese is hard to find. Have you tried Murray’s? They might know a source. ~ Daryl
Thanks Daryl I’ll check them out.
My favorite snack food is a baguette spread with butter and sliced tomatoes. Thanks for this lovely giveaway.
Anne, that sounds yummy and easy! Love easy. ~ Daryl
Avocado and Blue cheese guacamole sounds amazing! I’m a big hummus fan but lately I’ve gotten obsessed with white cheddar popcorn. I have every book so far in this series but so far I haven’t read any of them. It sounds terrific though and I can’t wait!
Katherine, white cheddar popcorn is SO good! I do hope you’ll read the books in the series. I’ve had a great time writing them. ~ Daryl
My favorite is baguettes (scooped out) with crab, celery, Swiss cheese, and mayo and heated! Good the next day cold!!
Oh, yum. Linda, I make a similar open-faced sandwich with shrimp. Love it. ~ Daryl
I like to snack on veggies. I especially like cucumbers and grape tomatoes.
Carol, veggie snacks are so good for you. Whenever I have the family over, I put out veggies and that’s what I snack on, too. And cheese. ~ Daryl
Oh no…not the green stuff.
sherry @ fundinmental
Oh yeah! Yummy!!! LOL