Joy Allegro’s Honey Orange Glazed Chicken*

 

* This recipe is from another food mystery book.  The Coffeehouse Mystery series by Cleo Coyle.

Ingredients

2 pounds chicken breast ( can use thighs - leave the skin on)        

1 cup orange juice (freshly squeezed is best)

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup brown sugar ( used light brown)

1/4 cup honey

Cumin to taste

2 cloves garlic- peeled and minced

1/4 tsp kosher salt

Spray for the pan ( non stick)

Directions:

Combine orange juice,  apple cider vinegar,  brown sugar, honey,  cumin, and garlic in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 40 minutes or until sauce has reduced to about 1 cup. Remove the garlic.

Season the chicken breast with the salt  and let them reach room temperature, about 15 minutes.

Place chicken in a prepared dish ( sprayed with non stick). Cover with sauce and bake for 30 to 45 minutes or until chicken is done.

source*

Cake and Punishment Red Velvet Crunchies

 

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1/4 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup packed light or dark brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg, room temperature

1 tablespoon whole milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 tablespoon red food coloring, liquid or gel (might might need more, depending on how red you want your cookies)

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips plus 1/2 cup for after baking to stick on top for decorations

Directions:

****Wait to preheat the oven because the dough has to be chilled for one hour-oven temp will be set at 350 degrees****

Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.

Use a mixer to beat the butter on high speed until creamy. Beat in the brown sugar and granulated sugar until combined and creamy. Beat in the egg, milk, and vanilla extract. Once mixed, add the food coloring and beat until combined. 

Turn mixer off to add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix on low and slowly beat until a very soft dough is formed. Add more food coloring if you'd like the dough to be brighter red, which I do. I eyeball this. On low speed, beat in the chocolate chips. The dough will be sticky. 

Cover the dough tightly with plastic wrap and chill for at least one hour. It has to be chilled.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F).

Put parchment paper on two baking sheets and set aside so they are ready for you to place dough on once you've rolled it into balls.

Scoop up 2 tablespoons of dough and roll into a ball.

Place nine balls on each baking sheet. Bake each batch for 10 - 11 minutes. The cookies may only spread slightly because the center will be nice and moist. If you want to press down the warm cookie, you can, and it will make crinkles on top. 

Keep the cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. 

Recipe is from Cake and Punishment by Marymee Bell aka Tonya Kappes

A Southern Cake Baker Mystery series, #1. Cozy style mystery.

Sophia Cummings is temporarily back home in Rumford, Kentucky. She’s a pastry chef by profession and has agreed to make the wedding cake a high school friend. She has permission to use the kitchen at the Rumford Country Club where unfortunately, Chef Emile is discovered murdered. There is a new cast iron skillet near the body and Sophia knows that any southern chef would have only seasoned skillets. Sophia shares this knowledge with Sheriff Carter and the club manager and continues to follow clues helping to find who killed the peppery Chef.

Note: I haven't made cookies in ages. Price of butter and eggs plus the fact everyone has a carb phobia. This recipe has been sitting in my drafts and finally made it. It was the end of school year and I always make something for the school bus driver who picks up kids in our community. Putting up with those kids she needs more then cookies!

Goat Cheese Quesadilla

Ingredients:

1 tortilla

2 ounces goat cheese

½ sweet, crispy apple, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon honey

Directions:

Spread thin layer of goat cheese on half of a tortilla, top with apples slices, drizzle with one tablespoon of honey.

Fold tortilla in half

Place quesadilla in a buttered, heated skillet and cook on each side for 2 to 3 minutes, until tortilla is lightly browned.

This recipe is from a cozy mystery series. Korian Moss books are about Willa who owns a cheese shop Sonoma, California.

Recipe from Cooking The Books

Cheesy Cauliflower Soup*

 

Ingredients:

1 quart chicken stock

1 cup chopped onions

5 cups cauliflower florets

1 cup sliced carrots

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. white pepper

2 1/2 tablespoons flour

1 cup half and half

12 ounces cheddar cheese 

Directions:

Bring broth, onion, cauliflower, carrots to a boil in a large pot.

Add salt and pepper to the above and heat for 15 to 20 minutes.

Using a immersion blender blend the above till smooth

Whisk flour into the half and half.

Reduce heat

Pour the half and half mixture into the cauliflower mixture.

Add cheese stirring until combined.

Remove from stove and serve

The recipe is from Murder with Cucumber Sandwiches. The link also has another recipe for Pimento Spread.

Cute series so far. This was the third book in Daisy's Tea Garden Books.

Egg Drop Dead Soup*

 

This recipe is from EggDrop Dead *by Laura Childs.  It's part of the Cackleberry Club series. 

Ingredients:

2 cups chicken broth

1 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 tbsp. soy sauce

2 eggs, beaten

2 small green onions, chopped finely

Directions:

In a saucepan, bring chicken broth, ground ginger, and soy sauce to a simmer. Slowly stream in beaten eggs while stirring soup in one direction. Add chopped green onions.  Yields 4 servings.

Iris’s Lemon Tea Cakes*

 *This recipe is from Murder with Lemon Tea Cakes by Karen Rose Smith ( these look like cookies to me, I followed recipe to a T )

Ingredients

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

1 cup butter, softened

1½ cups granulated sugar (plus 2 tablespoons to garnish the baked cookies)

3 eggs

2 teaspoons lemon zest

½ teaspoon salt

2½ teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon lemon extract

3 cups flour

 

Directions:

Cream softened butter and granulated sugar until fluffy.

Add eggs and beat until smooth.

Add lemon zest and mix again.

Add salt, baking powder, and lemon extract, and mix well with mixer.

When you add the flour next, do it in ½-cup portions so batter is thoroughly mixed and smooth.

Drop rounded tablespoons of batter onto a well-greased cookie sheet. 

Make sure there is space around each cookie because they grow.

Bake at 375 degrees for 11–12 minutes until golden brown around the edges.

When you remove cookies from the oven, sprinkle with granulated sugar. Then quickly remove them from the pan and cool.

Made these to give out for Valentine's Day. The cookies on the right were rolled in plain sugar. I had valentine sprinkles so I rolled a bunch in them to make them look festive.

FYI- They were a HUGE hit at the gym!

Halia’s Pineapple–Red Pepper Jelly

 

Ingredients:

3½ cups chopped fresh pineapple

1¼ cups canned pineapple juice

½ red bell pepper, chopped

2½ cups sugar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Grated zest of 1 lemon

3 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons water

Pinch of salt and black pepper

Instructions

Using a few quick pulses, finely chop pineapple and red pepper in a food processor.

Add finely chopped pineapple, juice, red pepper, sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest to a large saucepan and bring to a low boil. Then reduce the heat and stir mixture over low heat for 30 to 40 minutes until a jam consistency is achieved.

Mix water and cornstarch and add to simmering mixture along with salt and black pepper while continuing to stir for 3 to 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and let cool for 45 minutes.

For a delicious biscuit spread, spoon cooled jelly over a square of softened cream cheese and serve.

This recipe is from Murder with Honey Ham Biscuits (A Mahalia Watkins Mystery) by A.L. Herbert.

I read the first three books last year. They are cute, fast reads.

Note: I did not can this. Added to jar and refrigerated.