Vanishing Act in Vegas - Morgan St. James, Phyllice Bradner, Authors
2:30 PM Posted by MAC
Lamb Chops with Sweet Rice
(This is one of those “take a
handful of this and a pinch of that” recipes handed down from my mother. I’ve
tried to translate it into real quantities, but feel free to take creative
license. It has been one of my favorites for years... Morgan St. James Phyllice Bradner)
4 to 6 Shoulder Lamb Chops
2 cups of instant brown rice
1-1/2 cups of water (after trying
this recipe, you might want to adjust the amount of water to make the rice
firmer or fluffier)
1/2 cup of golden raisins
1/2 medium onion, chopped
Sprinkling of cinnamon
Salt and pepper to taste
Mix the uncooked instant rice,
raisins, chopped onion, water and cinnamon and place in the bottom of an oblong
pyrex baking pan - size depends upon how many chops you use. You can also add
sliced mushrooms and/or pine nuts as an option. Salt and pepper the chops to
taste and arrange on top of the rice mixture. Cover the pan with tinfoil and
bake at 350° for approximately 45 minutes. Time might vary due to the
oven. The chops will be baked through, the rice will be fluffy and the flavor
from the lamb seeps into the rice. There is a slight Mediterranean flavor to
this dish.
Vanishing Act in Vegas (A Silver Sisters Crime Caper) – Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of A Book and A Dish, Think With Your Taste Buds and Stir, Laugh, Repeat.
Poor Torch. He finally lands a great contract as a
special effects director in Las Vegas, bought a condo with a view of
the strip and his grandmother and great uncle are planning on paying him
a visit to help him ‘settle in.’ He loves them both but he also knows
them very well. Both are retired magicians and trouble seems to be what
they conjure up the most.
“Well, Mom, the last of my stuff is loaded. I just
wanted to say goodbye before I take off.” She kissed him on the cheek,
sensing her son couldn’t wait to hotfoot-it out the door and begin his
life as a swinging bachelor. Sterling turned the sound back on, but
Flossie grabbed the remote and turned it off again. She looked at her
grandson and smiled sweetly. “So, tottelah, your Uncle Sterling
and I will be there in two, maybe three days. You know your uncle is
afraid to fly so we’ll just tune up the Caddy tomorrow and be on our
way.” “Whaa-“ Torch stared at her blankly. “Torch, honey, you’ll need
help getting things in order, and no one does that better than your
Uncle Sterling and me. I’ll set up your closets and kitchen and cook
some good Jewish meals for your freezer and Uncle Sterling can putter
around and help you hang pictures and do little odd
jobs.” Torch looked to his mother in desperation. Flossie jumped up
and tweaked him on the cheek. “Look, Sterling, he’s so happy we’re
coming, he’s speechless. Good thing you bought a three bedroom. I
guess we’ll stay for three or four days. Who knows, maybe longer if we
get lucky. Magic acts are big in Vegas again.”
Torch’s mother Godiva Silver DuBois and his mother’s twin sister Goldie Silver decide
to take a trip to Vegas too. Godiva is a famous advice to the lovelorn columnist who’s
column is called Ask G.O.D.’ She is also the millionaire widow of Max
DuBois which gives her the time and money to do whatever she wants at
any given time. Goldie is an over-the-hill hippi antique dealer from
Juneau, Alaska and Godiva can easily afford to treat Goldie to the trip to Vegas.
Godiva loves to write her column but her favorite
hobby is dabbling into the mysteries of crime with her twin sister. So,
when Goldie flew to Vegas from her home in Alaska the two twins put
their heads together to solve the murder of Mara the Magnificent. What
the twins also discover is that Mara isn’t just a magician, she is also
Torch’s girlfriend and she has a secret that blows them all away!
I fell in love with the Silver Sisters after reading A Corpse in the Soup.
Their antics as well as those of their mother Flossie and their Uncle
Sterling will keep you laughing along as you try to solve the murder
that they always seem to step into. Vanishing Act in Vegas
was one that really lost me as an amateur reader detective. Every time
I thought I knew who had done what to who and why, I found myself
scratching my head to come up with another solution because my original
was all wrong. I couldn’t help but wish I knew these people. They were
so much fun to be around even when they found themselves in trouble.
Review Stir, Laugh, Repeat at Amazon.com
Labels: A Book and A Dish, Book Reviews, humor, Martha A Cheves, Morgan St. James, Mystery, Phyllice Bradner, Silver Sisters Crime, Stir Laugh Repeat, Vanishing Act in Vegas, women sleuths
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(Martha A. Cheves)
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While reading Genesis Beach I found myself not wanting to put it down. Each page had a piece of evidence that would help me solve the mystery before Logan. I really thought I had pin-pointed the murderer. Boy was I in for a shock."
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(Martha A. Cheves)
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(Martha A. Cheves)
"This has been a really enjoyable book.
I recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good mystery. Beth, don't change your way of writing! I've really enjoyed reading Basket Case and will be reading more of Beth's books."
(Martha A. Cheves)
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(Martha A. Cheves)
"Bertha Speaks Out is a very enjoyable book to read. Bertha finds herself in positions that will make you laugh and cry. You will feel her pain but also feel her pride when she stands up for what is right. It’s a must read for children as well as adults.
"
(Martha A. Cheves)
"Read Thicker than Water and ask yourself these questions. Did the wife make the right choice? Was her decision worth 15 years of her family’s life? Would you have made the same decision?
I highly recommend Thicker than Water. As I said, it was a joy to read."
(Martha A. Cheves)
"As I read I kept asking myself “Who would put out a hit on David and why?” “Who are The Chosen Few and what do they have to do with David?” “Will Max get to David before it’s too late?” You will have to read The Chosen Few yourself to find the answers to these questions."
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"This book has taught me that life is like a chain. Everyone we meet becomes a link in our chain. Some links may be weak, but the strong ones keep the chain from breaking. And as memories and secrets are shared with those strong links, they become even stronger."
(Martha A. Cheves)
I'm from Georgia, moved to North Carolina by way of Florida. I've been in Charlotte for 14 years and love it. The recipes in my book Stir, Laugh, Repeat are all tested by "Food Testers" of which I now have 24. They try a dish and rate it from 1-10 with only those scoring at least an 8 making the book. My website is a holding place for my 2nd book Stir, Laugh, Repeat... Again. Please visit my site to find new recipes and tips. All recipes are easy, using common ingredients and according to my testers, great!
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