The Wrong Side of Memphis - Claire Applewhite, Author

CRANBERRY HOLIDAY SALAD

(A Claire Applewhite Speciality)

1 12 ounce package fresh cranberries

2 cups sugar

1 lb. seedless red grapes, halved

1 cup chopped pecans, toasted

1 cup whipping cream, whipped

Position knife blade in food processor bowl and add cranberries. Cover with top and process 20 seconds or until cranberries are coarsely chopped. Combine cranberries and sugar in a glass bowl, and cover and chill 8 hours or overnight.

Drain cranberries for two hours. Discard liquid. Combine cranberries, grapes and chopped pecans, and fold in whipped cream. Yield: 8 servings.

The first time I ate this fruit salad, it was so good, I asked the hostess for the recipe. She pointed to an energetic little blonde lady in the kitchen. "Mom made it, better ask her," she said. "I don't cook." Well, "Mom" told me that she just "threw it together." Hmm. The following year, I found this recipe in a cookbook published by Southern Living. It tasted just like "Mom's." So, every year, by popular request, I "throw it together." Now, you can too!...  Claire

The Wrong Side of Memphis - Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat; Think With Your Taste Buds; A Book and A Dish

 After ELVIN'S wife CHERIE left him and their home in Memphis, he decides to take a break and visit his longtime friend, DIMOND, "DI", in St. Louis. What he walked into wasn't really what he had expected.  There had been a murder in the Jewel Arms Apartments where Di lived, with more murders to come. When the bodies start stacking up, Elvin decides to stay, for Di's sake. When he becomes a "person of interest" in the murder of his ex-wife, he decides to find the killer. Alibis, lies and suspects lurk in every corner.

DI hung up the receiver (from talking to CHERIE) and glanced at the clock - 8:30 a.m.  She pulled out the nightstand drawer and fumbled for some note paper and a pen, but none was to be found.  Oh well, she thought. She'd remember to tell ELVIN that his ex-wife called. Sure, she would.  She laid her throbbing head on the mattress, and sheltered it with a pillow. The sound of buzzers and bells blared from the television next door, while EDITH MARS savored the morning game show.  Despite the noise, Di slipped into a drugged, foggy sleep, oblivious to the activity surrounding her. 

Upstairs, ROSE was busy with the endless routine of caregiving, while ANNIE SILVER nursed another hangover.  Once again, she was unable to report to work, a fact that she successfully concealed from her husband (BEN), who had spent the night on call at the hospital.  Alone, DENT scoured the personal ads, hoping and searching for the ideal companion.  MYLES LaMOUR was finally meeting with TASHA WEEKS at his office, though he had to admit, PARRY's case did not look promising.  It was to be a very short meeting.  Around 10:00 a.m., VALERIE Gains awoke to face a new day. She was dying for a cigarette.  She had just lit up, when she was startled by men's voices in the apartment next door. 

This book took so many twists that I had no idea who was doing the killings.  Good people ended up dying as well as some of the bad. I actually found myself wrong all the way to the last few pages.  This one kept me turning the pages. See if you can guess which of the above will survive and which will die.

Claire Applewhite is a St. Louis author and songwriter. Her novel, TENNESSEE PLATES ('Nam Noir series) was released in December 2012, and  her CD, "NIGHT RAIN" was released in November, 2013.

The Power of Food - Bonnie Raffel, Author

Crunchy Cookies

1/2 cup margarine, softened (trans fat-free)
1/2 cup Splenda
1/2 cup brown sugar (packed)
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

2 cups high fiber cereal, slightly crushed
1/2 cup dried cranberries, currants or raisins
1/2 cup coconut, shredded (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.  Mix on medium-high the margarine and sugars, until well combined.  Add the egg and vanilla.  Lower the speed and add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  Continue to mix until combined.  Stir in the cereal, coconut, and dried fruit with a wooden spoon.  Use a cookie scoop (I just used 2 spoons, 1 to scoop and one to scoop it off) place dough on cookie sheet.  Bake at for 10 - 15 minutes, or until starting to brown on edges.

Makes approximately 2 dozen cookies with 1 cookie per serving. 

Nutritional Facts per serving:  138 calories, 29 calories from fat, 3.4g total fat, 11.1 mg cholesterol, 149.9 mg sodium, 95.9 mg potassium, 27.1g carbohydrates, 3.2g fiber, 8.6g sugar, 1.8g protein.

Recipe Tips:  Diabetic Exchange 1 starch & 1 fat.  Cranberries are rich in antioxidants, and provide vitamins C, K, manganese, and fiber.  Whole wheat flour and high fiber cereal, provide B-vitamins and fiber.  Eggs provide protein and choline, which strengthens the nervous system and decreases inflammation.

The Power of Food - Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat; Think With Your Taste Buds; A Book and A Dish

Author Bonnie Raffel is a Registered Dietitian who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.  After being put on a series of costly medications she decided to learn everything she could regarding her condition and how it can be controlled without all the medicines. 

What she found is now in her book The Power of Food.  What I've found is not only a great cookbook  but I've also gained an education. I've learned how different foods help my body fight inflammation as well as what foods to avoid and how they can be harmful to my body.  And this works whether you are fighting MS or not.

The recipes, such as the one above, is just one of over 275 that can be found in her book.  I've tried the Crunchy Cookies and I as well as 4 of my food testers loved them.  They taste great and are healthy!   I've tried her Spicy Shrimp and her Crunchy Chicken Bake.  Both are great tasting and healthy.  You don't usually find taste good and healthy too in very many recipes. 

Something else that impressed me was her "Recipe Tips" where she breaks down the ingredients telling you how each benefits your health.  That's something I've never seen in other cookbooks.  I don't have MS but I do have pains from other conditions.  If I can eat as well as I have using this book you can bet I'll continue, especially if it will help my aches and pains.

Murder a la Christie - Marilyn Levinson, Author

Honeyed Walnuts
(A favorite of Lexie)

1 cup finely chopped walnuts
3 Tbsp. honey
pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine walnuts, honey and salt in a bowl.  Toss to coat, and spread in a single layer onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.  Bake, tossing occasionally, until toasted, about 15 minutes.  Let cool.

Murder a la Christie - Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat; Think With Your Taste Buds; A Book and A Dish

"Write that book if you dare, but you won't live to see it in print!"  I stared at the two older women - the usually subdued Gerda Stein, her face flushed with anger, and my dear friend Sylvia - but neither seemed aware that I'd entered the kitchen.  Sylvia shook her head in dismay.  "I've no wish to upset you, but your father's story is the keystone of my book.  He was a Nazi, Gerda, and responsible for killing thousands of innocent people."  "I know what my father was!"  Fury made Gerda's German accent more pronounced.  "But I told you about him in confidence.  Not so you'd write about it and expose him to the world!"

Sylvia and Gerda are members of the Golden Age of Mystery Book Club led by Professor Lexie Driscoll.  The group will be discussing the works of authors such as Agatha Christie.  Lexie's walks in on Sylvia and Gerda's heated discussion just before the club's first meeting.  Hopefully the two will tone down their anger enough to get through the discussion and even contribute a bit.  This isn't to be.  When Sylvia starts to complain of stomach pain, the meeting is brought to a halt.  Sylvia dies, and Lexie suspects she's been poisoned.  She finds herself following Christie's methods of solving the murder of not one but several of the club's members.  Could someone be living out Christie's book And Then There Were None?

I loved this Author's style of writing.  It was like reading an Agatha Christie book in the way it kept me guessing.  I would come up with a suspect that actually had a motive only to change my mind when I found one that had an even greater motive.  I kept remembering the Christie books I'd  read in the past, and the murderer seemed to always be the one person I didn't suspect.  This made it hard for me to put this book down until I found the guilty person.  This was truly a fun read.

River Bones - Mary Deal, Author

TROUT al'ORANGE

(With Prawns)
(One of Sara's favorite)

1 10-12 oz. Trout, per person

3-4 Orange slices, thin

2 Lemon slices, thin

1 Large shrimp or Jumbo Prawn, shelled

1 Sprig of Parsley

Orange juice

Lemon juice

Salt

Pepper

Butter

Clean & wash trout with head and bones remaining intact.

On a square of aluminum foil, large enough to wrap fish completely and loosely, place several spots of butter. Lay the trout on the butter slightly off center - so thickest part of fish (near spine) is in the center.  Sprinkle inside of fish with salt and pepper. Squeeze orange juice on inside of fish and close on its side. Dot top of fish with more butter.  Place prawn ON center of fish. Place orange and lemon slices over fish and prawn entire length. Place sprig of parsley on top of shrimp and slices. Squeeze more orange and lemon juice all over.  Close foil securely but loosely. Packet will balloon up when cooking.  Place under broiler 10 - 20 minutes depending on how many packets go in at the same time. Serve by gently sliding total contents from foil wrap onto plate.

         

Part of the fun of this meal is BONING of the fish before eating. Use a small sharp knife. Make a cut along the backbone on the top side. Either push the loose top fillet to the plate or flip it over onto the plate. Once exposed, you should be able to lift the tail and watch the backbone work loose all the way to the head, which will also lift apart from the remaining fillet.  If you have not handled the fish too harshly, when the backbone pulls free, all the other bones will still be connected and will come right out as well.

River Bones - Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat; Think With Your Taste Buds; A Book and A Dish

“The graves of two unidentified skeletons did not contain ID and personal belongings, as was the case with previous burial sites found. Cat bones buried in the graves were the tie-in with previous victims, all found with bones of a small animal. Cold case detectives identified one set of remains as that of Paula Rowe, a convenience store night clerk from Sacramento. She had been missing twelve years.

“Previous reports indicated the victims had been put into the ground with whatever they had on their person at the time. The killer dug the graves in remote areas near rivers and streams where the ground was soft and damp, promoting decay. A police profiler indicated the perpetrator probably lived within the crescent shaped area where graves were found across the Sacramento Valley.”

After great tragedy in her life, Sara Mason has returned to her homeland of the Sacramento River Delta after purchasing Talbot House, a decrepit old Victorian once owned by Esmerelda and Orson Talbot. This grand home was sold after Orson went panning for gold and never returned. After the sale of the old home Esmerelda opened River Hospice, which had been the dream of both she and Orson. It is at River Hospice that Sara meets Huxley Keane who frequently treks to Vietnam, searching not only for his MIA brother but Esmerelda’s daughter as well.

Sara loved the old house but with it came a few unexpected happenings. Someone had been trying to get into the house either before or after she moved in, or both. Someone tried to kill her and an old school friend. Then she is hit with word that the house is haunted, but this won't stop her from continuing with her dreams of making this mansion an even more beautiful place to behold. Since money is no problem, she can afford not only to complete this project but to also help her friends along the way. That is as long as she can stay alive, as a stalker leaves horrific evidence of what is planned for her.

In setting herself up as a decoy to help the Sherriff’s Department identify the psychopathic madman, Sara’s own involvement stirs her interest in helping Huxley search for his brother in Vietnam. As she and Huxley draw close, their relationship offers another chance to heal her life and to find love, but he is suddenly considered a suspect.

I had the hardest time putting this book down. Author Mary Deal throws you a clue here and there but the clues could lead you to several of the book's characters. Before I made it to the end, finding out who the psycho was, I had already convicted at least 4 others. I was surprised and yet not when she revealed who it really was. I can't wait to read another book in this series, which I understand is titled The Howling Cliffs. 

Fairy Tale Fusion - A. F. Stewart, Author

Fairy Tale Biscotti

6 Tbsp unsalted, room temperature butter

¼ cup sugar

1 tsp honey

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

2 tsp. grated lemon rind

2 ¼ cups flour

1 ½ tsp. baking powder

½ tsp salt

1 cup finely chopped nuts or dried fruit, or a fruit/nut mixture

Notes:

You can use salted butter instead of unsalted, but this makes the recipe’s saltiness hard to control. If you do use salted butter, you may wish to reduce the amount of additional salt slightly.

As the nut/fruit additive, I like to use either almonds, macadamia nuts, or dried cranberries. Chop the nuts very fine; it helps with the final cookie.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In large bowl, beat butter and sugar together with an electric mixer until pale and creamy.

Beat in eggs, honey, vanilla and lemon rind.

Add flour, baking powder and salt (best sifted together first). Blend to combine and stir in nuts/fruit.  Halve dough, and with slightly oiled hands, roll halves into two logs, roughly 2 inches by 12 inches. Place logs on baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes or until golden.

Remove from oven and place on rack to cool.  When cool, transfer to a cutting board and slice, at a 45 degree angle with a serrated knife, into ¾ inch segments. Use firm strokes to reduce crumbling. Put cookie slices back in oven for 10 minutes at 350 degrees, turning once. Cool and store in an airtight container.

Fairy Tale Fusion - Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat; Think With Your Taste Buds; A Book and A Dish

Have you ever wondered about what happened to all of our nursery rhyme characters?  All of the stories ended with "They lived happily ever after" but is that true.  Well, according to A. F. Stewart and the story land reporters, along with the story land police, that wasn't really the case.

Do you remember Alice who went to Wonderland?  Well, there was a grand wedding of the Mad Hatter and Alice last Sunday.  It was a stunning affair, utilizing a red and white wedding theme with a playing card motif.  The bride looked dazzling in a crystal encrusted white dress with cap sleeves, offset with a red embroidered sash.  Bridesmaids included the bride's sister, the Duchess, and the Cheshire Cat.  The best man was the White Rabbit.

Have you ever wondered what ever happened to The Three Little Pigs?  Well, according to reporters Spider Bramble and Aurora Gossamer with the Fairyland news, there appears to be a manhunt for the First Little Pig, in connection with a tragic domestic incident that left the other two Pig brothers butchered.  A late night dispute, over what seemed to have been long simmering family grievances, went terribly wrong, resulting in the stabbing death of two of the brother Pig.

And what ever happened to the Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe?  She went missing fourteen days ago, after apparently suffering a nervous breakdown.  This is the latest in a string of mishaps, including her arrest on drug charges and the removal of her children into foster care by Child Services.  The Fairyland Police tracked her down and evidently found her trying to make a size 12 Oxford loafer her new home.  She is now undergoing psychiatric observation and rehab.

To my surprise, and I'm sure yours too, there apparently wasn't a Happily Ever After for these beloved childhood characters.  Fairy Tale Fusion will take you back in memories as you find out what really happened to Red Riding Hood and the Wolf, Tom Piper, Sleeping Beauty  and even Beauty and the Beast. 

I've read other books written by A. F. Stewart and enjoyed them and this book was just as enjoyable.  Her version of these bedtime stories are not exactly great for children but they sure did give me a chuckle and I think it will you too.

The Memory Keeper - Larry K. & Lorna Collins, Authors

Candied Walnuts

1 cup walnuts
2 Tbsp. butter
1 - 2 Tbsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon (optional)

1.  Heat a heavy bottom pan to medium high heat.  (Lucy and Fiona would probably have used an iron skillet.)
2.  Place nuts and butter in the hot skillet.  When butter is melted and nuts are coated, sprinkle sugar (and cinnamon if desired) over nuts, stirring until caramelized.

3.  Pour out on cool surface (parchment paper today).  Separate nuts and cool.

Lucy and Fiona fill small fabric bags to sell, but they will keep longer in an airtight jar.

The Memory Keeper - Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat; Think With Your Taste Buds; A Book and A Dish

"What is he doing here?"  I heard as I worked in the padre's quarters shortly after Maria and I were married.  "Tomas helps me."  The padre's voice was firm.  "I can no longer walk the grounds and warehouses, and he is good at ciphering.  Among other tasks he totals the mission products for my reports to the governor."  "Well, I'm here now, and I will take care of the mission property.  Too many Indians are employed."  He took off his jacket and laid it over a chair.  Then he turned to me.  "You may be able to help me in other ways.  Show me to the guest quarters.  My family of twenty-two will arrive in a few days.  They will require adequate accommodations."

Tomas has just met the new majordomo that would be taking over the mission.  And take over is exactly what he did as well as just about run it into the ground.  All work that the Padre and the Indians done over the years storing up grains, wine and cattle will no longer be controlled by the Padre but by Santiago Arguello with the work being done by the Indians as he makes his own family comfortable.

In the 1800s Indians were not allowed to be taught reading and writing but Fray Barona saw something in Tomas that prompted him to teach the young boy in secret, allowing him to help with the record keeping at the mission.  Unknown to Tomas, this would later lead to a future unexpected by most Indians of that time. 

I'm from the South and the southern history tells of the slaves and eventually their freedom but we're taught very little about the Indians and the slavery they actually lived through.  Even more so, we hear very little about the Southwestern Indians that were in a fact, slaved by the Spaniards/Mexicans.  This book has become an eye opener for me.  I've found it quite interesting to read their trials as they go from the uneducated to educated.  As they go from what were called property owners but the slavery that went along with that ownership in the form of all proceeds going to the government.  And as they evolve in their freedom as they become citizens of the United States when California becomes a state. 

This has been a very enjoyable reading in history but it has also been a heart touching reading as I followed the family of Tomas' mother as she lives in her old native ways and his father as he tries to bring her into the newer ways of the mission.

Broken Promises - A Matt Davis Mystery - Joe Perrone, Jr., Author

Portuguese Kale Soup

One of my favorites is a version of Portuguese kale soup.  This is a hearty concoction that has as its base a standard 15-bean recipe found in a bag on your local grocer's shelf.  My wife and I first tasted Portuguese kale soup when we were visiting Provincetown on Cape Cod, Massachusetts about 25 years ago, and we've been in love with it ever since.  Here's what you'll need.

1 bag (16 oz.) of generic 15-bean soup mix (it contains a pound of beans and a flavor packet)
1 lb. fresh kale
1 large Vidalia onion
6 cloves garlic
1 lb. Chorizo sausage links or other spicy sausage
salt & pepper to taste (start with 1 tsp. each)
1 can (30 oz.) crushed tomatoes
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
3 stalks celery, chopped into 1/2" pieces
2 bay leaves
8 oz. cooked tubetti macaroni
1 large baking potato, peeled and diced
1/2 cup dry white wine (optional)

Directions:

Using a large soup pot, follow the directions on the package for making the 15 bean soup, using the olive oil to brown the Chorizo, onions, celery, and garlic (the recipe will call for a ham hock or other smoked meat, but substitute the Chorizo instead).  Add the potato, bay leaves, salt, pepper, wine and crushed tomatoes to the soup, bring to a boil.  Lower the flame and let the soup simmer for 30 minutes.  Wash the kale thoroughly at least 2 times.  Then, break apart into 1 or 2" pieces and add half to the soup *(retain the other half to serve with leftovers), letting it continue to simmer for 10 minutes.  Do not overcook, or the kale will lose its crispness.  Divide the macaroni evenly into 4 soup bowls, fill with the soup and add grated parmesan cheese to taste.  Serve with grill muenster cheese sandwiches or sourdough bread with a glass of hearty red wine, like sharaz or merlot. 

*Be sure to include all the cooked kale when you serve the soup (leftover soup can be frozen for use later with the remainder of the uncooked kale.  Simply bring the leftover soup to a boil, add the kale and cook for 10 minutes at a simmer).  Apetite!

Broken Promises:  A Matt Davis Mystery - Joe Perrone, Jr., Author

Broken Promises - Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat; Think With Your Taste Buds; A Book and A Dish

The man turns and starts toward her, but Maggie doesn't recognize him.  As he moves forward, he trips, and suddenly there is a flash of light and a loud crack like a tree being struck by lightning.  Maggie feels a dull thud, then a burning pain in the center of her chest; and in just seconds, nothing.  She never hears the words the man screams, his voice filled with anguish, "Oh, my God!  What have I done?"  The man shoves the still smoking pistol into his coat pocket and rushes toward her, stumbling over the pile of rubble, but it is too late.

Maggie McFarland was 86 years old.  She was dressed in a textured lavender cotton dress with pearl buttons down the front and a high collar trimmed in white lace.  The dress falls just above her satin-finish shoes with stacked heels and laces, all dyed in matching lavender.  The dress was tailored to her perfect figure seventy years ago for a very special occasion.  It's now 9:45 p.m. and she is expected at 11:00 p.m.  Her destination - The Artemis Hotel. 

Matt Davis is the chief of police of Roscoe, NY.  When a call comes in from Nellie, Maggie's granddaughter, saying that she is missing, it doesn't take Matt and his team long to find Maggie's 86 year old body at the Artemis, which was nothing but ruins and had been since its burning in 1944.  Who would murder a sweet elderly lady like Maggie?  The only thing Matt has to go on is a shell casing found in the rubble.

The name Broken Promises fits this book perfectly.  The promises, made years earlier, were broken by both Maggie and her Beloved.  Matt Davis' problem is that he will never solve the murder until he knows exactly what the promises were and who they were made to.  This was a book I read late into the night.  Author Joe Perrone took you into two stories, one of the past and one of the present, as he led you to the ending.  I will say that I was just a little surprised when I found out who actually killed Maggie.  I will also say that to me the ending was beautiful in a sad way.

I love this character - Matt Davis - and I want to read more about him as well as his wife.  Here is hoping that the stories will keep coming.