Murder, Mayhem and Mexico - Brian L. Porter, Author

Lamb Chops Provencale

4-6 medium potatos
2 Tbl. olive oil
2 med. onions, sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
8 lamb chops (about 3.5 oz. each)
4 sprigs fresh rosemary, stripped from the stem
1/2 lb. Italian or cherry tomatoes, roughly chopped
3/4 cup chicken stock
1 can (19 oz.) cannellini beans
Celery salt and pepper to taste
3-4 Tbl. milk.

Peel and dice potatoes. Place in a saucepan of water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover pan and cook gently for 15-20 minutes or until tender. Heat oil in a large frying pan. Add onions and garlic and fry over fairly high heat until the onions are softened and well browned. Transfer to a plate and set aside. Add chops to the pan and fry over moderately high heat for 2- minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Return half of the onion/garlic to the lamb in the pan. Add tomatoes, chicken stock and rosemary. Increase heat to high. Drain cannellini beans and add them to the pan with the celery salt and black pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 8-10 minutes. While this is cooking drain the potatoes, mash them with the milk and stir in the remaining fried onion.garlic mixture. Season them with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with lamb chops and stew poured over the top.




Murder, Mayhem and Mexico - Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat

This book is made up of 3 individual stories. All three are short reads and other than the setting, which is Mexico, all three are completely different.

The 1st story is about the passing of Father Rodrigo and the secrets that died with him.

The 2nd is about Angelina and her escape from a kidnapper.

And the 3rd, which was my favorite, is about Nuna and her mysterious power to heal.

This was truly a great collection of short stories.

Just North of Luck - Susan Whitfield, Author

Pepper's Pastry-Wrapped Sausage
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Ingredients:

2 egg yolks plus 1 tsp. water
1 tsp. water
1 1/2 rings of sausage (you choose mild, hot, etc.), cut into 3" pieces
2 sheets prepared puff pastry
flour

On a ligthly floured surface, roll pastry sheets into 12 by 12 square. Cut the sheets into 8 equal squares. Brush each with water and wrap a sausage in pastry. Press all edges to seal. Place seam-side down on baking pan. Brush sides and top with egg wash and bake until golden brown, about 25 mintues. Serve with assorted mustards. Pastries may be cut into appetizer size.

These were served at my book launch and I stuffed myself!


Just North of Luck - Review by Martha A. Cheves Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat

There are two authors that I've followed by reading all of their sequel novels. One is Patricia Cornwell's Dr. Scarpetta and the other is James Patterson's Alex Cross. I now have another favorite to follow and that is Susan Whitfield's SBI Agent Logan Hunter. In fact, she may now be my #1 choice in sequels due to Whitfield's style of writing. Whitfield adds a twist to murder mysteries making the story more believable. That added twist is humor which makes the stories more realistic.

In Just North of Luck Logan Hunter is assigned to the mountains of North Carolina in search of "Moon Shiners." That assignment is soon put on the back burner when school employees start turning up murdered or have mysterious accidental deaths. Logan is teamed up with Detective Chase Railey to find the killer. You'll follow Logan as she tramples through kudzu, goes to her first Testicle Festival, rents a room from a woman who runs around at night in the nude and connects with a wolf. You will also follow her as she gets her man, or should I say men.

I've read Genesis Beach where Logan was first introduced and loved it. Just North of Luck, which is the 2nd book in the series, was even better. I can't wait to read the 3rd book Hell Swamp.

The Devil's Crescent - Ann B. Keller, Author

DUNDEE TEA BARS Ann Keller
(Scottish)

Makes 25 bars
Oven - 325 degrees
Bake - 25-30 minutes

½ C Margarine ) Mix
½ Sugar )
2 Large Eggs ) Add
1 tsp. Vanilla )
1-½ C Flour
1 tsp. Baking powder
½ tsp. Nutmeg
¼ C Chopped Maraschino cherries
½ C Raisins (check for stems)

Prepare 9” square pan with shortening, waxed paper, shortening. When all mixed, pour mixture into prepared pan and bake at 325 degrees for 25-30 minutes. When baked, cool 5 minutes and flip over onto towel. Peel off waxed paper. Turn right side up to cool, then ice with thin powdered sugar glaze.

This recipe is very old and has been passed down in my family from mother to daughter in the Clan MacKnight for generations. Traditionally, these bar cookies were served at Christmas and Easter, although their wonderful flavor is delightful any time of year.

The Devil's Crescent - Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat

When you take a beautiful, strong willed, lady named Maggie, add a handsome, strong minded Spaniard who is also a bounty hunter, named Diego, throw in a land baron named Morgan, who will do whatever it takes to get his hands on Maggie’s ranch, including forcing her to marry him, what do you have? If your name is Ann Keller you have the makings for a wonderful story.

Follow Maggie through the heart breaks of having her cattle killed, her home burned and being kidnapped. See how Diego comes to her rescue with his own proposal for solving her situation. Find out why the Indians are on the war path and who supplied them with faulty guns. And as the story unfolds, meet Alena who has been under contract since childhood to marry Diego.

Will Diego go against his father and not bring his and Alena’s families together through marriage? Will Morgan finally make Maggie see that marrying him is the best thing for her? Will the people of Hollow Gap pull together and defend themselves from the Indian up-rise or will they fall apart. Find the answers to these questions and more when you read this book of taming the West through love.

Fresh Frozen - Author Darden North, MD

SHRIMP AND ANDOUILLE SAUSAGE DIP
(Recipe by Darden North, MD)

2 cups cooked frozen salad shrimp
1 cup andouille sausage
1/2 cup chopped green onions
2 cups sour cream blended with 1 tsp. cornstarch
8 ounces cream cheese
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
2 tsp. Tony's Cajun Seasoning
2 cups shredded Hot Pepper Jack Cheese

Cut sausage and then brown. Mix all ingredients and pour into heated chaffing dish. Serve with Fritoes Chips or Fritoes Scoops. Double for the Grove when football win expected. Hotty Toddy!


Fresh Frozen - Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat

A Very Suprising Ending!

Fresh Frozen was a very interesting book. Not only did it go into the
field of medical technology, but it also included a spy and a murder. In
Fresh Frozen, Dr. Van Deman owns an Infertility Center in Mississippi.
Tinker Murtagh is the spy I mentioned, but who would need to spy on an
Infertility Center and who hired him? Police Officer Sarbeck and his
wife are desperate to have a family; can Dr. Van Deman help them? And
then there are the wealthy mystery women. Why would 2 women who have
everything need Dr. Van Deman's help? What is the good doctor really
doing within the center besides making money? And who will die?

The intrigue continued as I turned each page and watched the characters all come together forming the story of Fresh Frozen. I was so involved in this book that I couldn't wait to see what would happen next. Fresh Frozen is different from most books I've read. In most books, no matter what the genre, the characters are introduced and "join" each other early in the book. Not in this case. Each character is been introduced with little connection to the others. As you go along, you read the stories that make up the characters, you get to know them and their problems and all of this comes before the real connections are made. It's like a jigsaw puzzle without a picture. You know all of the pieces fit and can't wait to see what the end result will be. I found Fresh Frozen to be very different as well as quite refreshing to read.

And the ending... I would NEVER have guessed the turn of events that
make up the last 20 pages of Fresh Frozen. The hiring of the spy will
surprise you and the murder will surprise you even more. So if you love
a good mystery, this book is definitely for your.

Fresh Frozen is a great book that I highly recommend!

Silent Scream - Yvonne Mason, Author

English Pea Salad
1-Box small elbow macaroni
1- can english peas
1- onion
sweet pickle relish to taste
black pepper
mayonsaise


Cook Macaroni and drain, chop onion, add to macaroni, add relish lots of it, add lots of black pepper and the mayonaise to glue it all together.

This receipe has been a favorite at Christmas and Thanksgiving at my mother's house ever since we were small. it was handed down from my mother's mother, my Mema - The holidays were not complete without it. I have handed it down to my daughter in law and my daughters.

This receipe is very simple and one can also add cubes of cheese if one wishes to give it a different taste.

Silent Scream - Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat

I don't normally read True Crime. I like fiction because I know it's unreal. When I decided to read Silent Scream I didn't expect to like it and thought I might read a few pages and lay it down. That didn't happen. I couldn't put it down. As I read I felt as if I was a witness watching this evil man do the things he did to these young women. As I read through the trial I felt like one of those ready to convict him. As I listened to the comments by his wife, I could feel her pain and confusion. And as I finished the book, I wanted to read more. Yvonne Mason wrote this book as if she herself was a part of all of the happenings in this man's life. This is a must read book. It really opens your eyes to the evil that lurks in the real world.”

Breaking My Silence - Jane McCormick with Patti Wicklund, Author

Party Shrimp Dip

1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 can (6 oz.) tiny, cooked shrimp, drained
3/4 tsp. Creole seasoning

With a mixer blend cream cheese and mayonnaise. Stir in shrimp and seasonings mixing well
Chill and serve with chips


Breaking My Silence - Review by Martha A. Cheves

When I was a teenager I remember a girl who everyone called a prostitute. Of course my parents would never allowed me to go anywhere near her because of her reputation. But I always had questions in my mind about her and other girls like her. I've never really understood what would make someone even think about going into this "profession." What in their childhood made them capable of selling themselves to pleasure men? Did they grow up with a low opinion of themselves? Were they abused as a child? Were they looking for something to fill an empty void in their lives? As they grew into adults why did they continue? Was it the money? Did they enjoy what they were doing? How did they get started? Were they forced into this line of "work?" And how do they ever quit? Do they wait until they are too old and no longer attractive to men?

All of these questions have been answered for me through my reading of Breaking My Silence. Jane McCormick takes you through her childhood, her start in the business and even into her life with some of her "Johns" from her "little black book." She tells of her abuse as a child, as an adult and finally her escape. After reading Breaking My Silence I saw Jane as a strong person who was determined to do whatever was needed to get her children back into her life and to do whatever it took to make her life as complete as possible without the prostitution. This was one of the most informative books I've ever read about a subject that is normally kept behind closed doors.

Genesis Beach - Susan Whitfield, Author