Showing posts with label dog characters. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dog characters. Show all posts

Monday, June 27, 2011

Old Loves Die Hard - Lauren Carr, Author


Cincinnati Three-Way Chili

As the owner of the Spencer Inn, the mountaintop five-star resort in Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, Mac Faraday can indulge in the finest of food and wine cooked for him by his world re-known chef. But when he is home relaxing before the fire at Spencer Point, he loves nothing better than to sit down to a plate full of Cincinnati Three-Way Chili, the way his adoptive mother used to make when he was growing up in Georgetown.
To make this a real comfort meal, serve with a tossed salad, Texas Garlic Toast, and beer in a frosted mug.

Ingredients:
Chili Ingredients:
3 tablespoons butter or olive oil
1 large onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound chopped beef
1 1/3 cups canned tomatoes, with juice
1 green pepper, minced
1 cup water
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin seed, crushed
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon celery seed
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1/8 teaspoon basil
1 small bay leaf
1 pound Spaghetti Noodles
Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
16 ounce Can Kidney Beans
Chopped Onions

Directions:
Heat the butter or olive oil in a dutch oven. Add the onions and garlic. Saute until golden brown. Add the meat and brown. Add the remaining chili ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, uncovered until desired thickness, approximately 90 minutes to 2 hours. Simmering also blends the seasoning to bring out the flavor. Mac prefers to have his chili be “slightly runny”. Gnarly likes his chili thick. When the chili is about done, prepare the spaghetti noodles according to package directions.

To Assemble the Dish:
Layer Spaghetti Noodles. Top the spaghetti with chili. Sprinkle chili with Shredded Cheddar Cheese.
For Cincinnati Four-Way:
Spaghetti, chili, chopped onions, cheese.
For Cincinnati Five-Way: (Gnarly’s Favorite: after which he has to sleep in the guest room)
Spaghetti, chili, kidney beans, chopped onions, cheese.


Old Loves Die Hard – Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat

“We did have a good marriage,” she choked out. “If I hadn’t made that one mistake—” Clasping her arms around his neck she tried to kiss him.
 
While diving backwards to dodge her lips, he released her hold on his neck. “You threw me out of my own home.” He folded her hands in her lap. 
 
“You were always such a gentle man.” Each word came out slowly and deliberately in her effort to appear in control. 
 
“Funny,” Mac said, “that’s not what your lawyer told the judge.” 
 
“Stephen told him to say that.” Her tears fell anew. “If he hadn’t seduced me – he made me all these promises and told me how you didn’t treat me right and how I deserved so much better than our little house in the suburbs with its little lawn and…He said that I deserved so much more and that he could give it all to me because I deserved more…” She tried to make her smile as becoming as possible in her condition. “What about us?” 
 
“There’s no us, Christine.” 
 
“You can’t abandon me like this Mac,” she cried. “I’ve lost everything. I’ve got nothing. When Stephen left…” She broke into heavy sobs. “Oh, Mac…” She collapsed into his lap.

Mac Faraday is Christine’s ex-husband. She left him for greener pastures that have now turned brown due to no more money on her part. Stephen Maguire promised Christine the stars but when her money ran out, so did Stephen. 

The divorce virtually put Mac on the streets. Christine was awarded their home and everything that went with it. But, to Mac’s surprise, he inherited his birth mother’s estate and everything that went with it. In other words, Mac went from being dirt poor with nothing but a policeman’s salary to becoming filthy rich and retired. Now, Christine wants another chance. 

When Christine appeared at Mac’s door, she had had more than enough to drink and he knew he couldn’t just put her out on the streets in her condition so he decides to put her up in the penthouse of the five-star hotel that was part of his inheritance. His plan was to deal with her the next morning after she sobered up. What he didn’t expect was to find not just Christine, but also Stephen–dead in his own private quarters of the hotel.

Old Loves Die Hard was a jewel to read. Mac is the perfect ex-policeman turned wealthy character.  Archie, the computer whiz that lives in the guest house, is taking on a more personal role in this Faraday Mystery. But my favorite character has to be Gnarly the Kleptomaniac dog.  Gnarly was actually a member of the military that was given a dishonorable discharge for reasons unknown to Mac. 

Old Loves Die Hard has everything…murder, suspense, politics, action and humor. As the plot of the story takes you back into the past, I feel the ending will come as much a surprise to you as it did to me. Author Lauren Carr, hooked me with It's Murder My Son so I'm asking her to "Please keep this series going!"

2011
239 pages
ISBN#

 
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