I Love Fresh, Fresh, Fresh! - Guest Post, Giveaway, & Review

I Love Fresh, Fresh, Fresh!

By Avery Aames aka Daryl Wood Gerber

My character in the Cheese Shop Mysteries, cheese monger Charlotte Bessette, loves to experiment with food. As it turns out, so do I, so I didn’t have to work too hard to research that aspect of her.

When I first started the Cheese Shop Mysteries (The Long Quiche Goodbye came out in 2010), I had to do a lot of research to learn about cheese and the area I had chosen to write about, Holmes County. I was inspired to take a tour of Ohio, and I fell in love with the area—the colors and the rolling hills, the fields upon fields of corn, and the wonderful flavors of fresh foods. I stayed at a bed-and-breakfast called Acorns at the White Oak Inn, in Danfield, Ohio, at the lower tip of Holmes County. This place was out in the “middle of nowhere” (which they advertise) and to a city girl, they weren’t kidding. I was treated like family. The innkeeper, Yvonne, is a terrific chef and spoiled me rotten. Everything was fresh from the garden. Also, I took an Amish tour with a fabulous guide named LaVonne who runs Amish Tours of Ohio and works out of Berlin, Ohio. What an insight to a very different culture. We ate at a lovely place that served a beautiful fresh meal!

As I drove around the area, I saw pumpkins. Lots of pumpkins. It was the fall, after all. And I returned home to make an Ohio-inspired salad. I’ve made this salad many times since because it is so fun and fresh. It works in fall, winter, spring, or summer. Use whatever is fresh. But make sure there are pumpkin seeds and a delicious sharp Cheddar of your choosing. For this, I used an Irish Cheddar. Enjoy!

What are fresh from the garden morsels that delight you?

FALL SALAD WITH PUMPKIN SEEDS

(for two)

Ingredients:

1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds

2 Tbs. olive oil

1/2 tsp. salt

Directions:

Baste a 9” square baking pan with the oil.

Sprinkle in the seeds so they’re flat on the bottom.

Sprinkle with salt.

Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes; stir so they get coated with oil on all sides. Flatten them on the bottom and bake 10 minutes more until they’re a golden brown.

Remove and reserve.

Salad

Ingredients:

2 cups raw spinach

4 sticks baby corn

6 slices cucumber

1/4 zucchini, chopped thin

2 Tbs. Craisins

1 Tbs. olive oil

4 Tbs. pumpkin seeds

1 oz. cheddar, cubed or shredded

Directions:

Pile spinach on a plate, adorn with cucumber, corn, and Craisins.

Heat 1 Tbs. olive oil in sauté pan.  Drop in zucchini, sauté quickly until light brown.  Divide over two salads.

Drizzle with dressing (recipe to follow)

Top with pumpkin seeds and cheddar.

This is melt in your mouth good.

Dressing

Ingredients:

2 Tbs. olive oil

4 Tbs. balsamic vinegar

1/8 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. basil

1/8 tsp. ground pepper

Directions:

Stir together and shake well.  Divide between 2 salads.

Giveaway:

Avery aka Daryl is giving away 1 copy of winner’s choice of CHEESE SHOP MYSTERY, including FOR CHEDDAR OR WORSE. Leave a comment!

Bio:

Agatha Award-winning and nationally bestselling author DARYL WOOD GERBER writes the Cookbook Nook Mysteries, set in the fictional coastal town of Crystal Cove, California.  As Avery Aames, she also writes the Cheese Shop Mysteries, set in quaint Providence, Ohio. Fun tidbit: as an actress, Daryl appeared in “Murder, She Wrote”. She loves to cook and read and has a darling, frisky Goldendoodle named Sparky. Visit Daryl or Avery at www.darylwoodgerber.com. 

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Review

For Cheddar or Worse by Avery Aames
The Seventh Cheese Shop Mystery 

Charlotte is adjusting nicely to life as Charlotte Bessette Pace. The fact that she and her husband, Jordan, are staying at a local inn for the duration of the cheese convention (AKA Brain Trust) works as an ongoing honeymoon. While the cheese professionals are kept busy learning and sharing information at the Brain Trust, tourists and locals are filling the streets of Providence to celebrate the annual Cheese Festival. Things are not all cheesy goodness, however. a well known, and as it turns out NOT well loved, celebrity arrives unexpectedly and clashes begin to occur.

Aames explores the locked room mystery in For Cheddar or Worse, making the mystery even more challenging to solve. Not only do we have to figure out who killed Lara in her room, but how did the killer gain access as the door was locked from the inside and the windows sealed shut with paint! Adding to the puzzle are the many suspects, each of whom had ample reason to kill the victim. Heck, even I wanted to kill Lara after her scene in the dining room!

This seventh book in the Cheese Shop Mystery series continues to delight.  In For Cheddar or Worse we're given a complex mystery filled with interesting and fun filled facts about cheese. The lives of the main characters are changing and there's a sense of rebirth as things in Providence seem to come full circle.

Recipes included.   

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Don't forget! In addition to the Rafflecopter below there's another chance to win a Cheese Shop Mystery. Simply comment on this blog post answering Avery's question ( What are fresh from the garden morsels that delight you?) Make sure you leave your comment no later than 11:59 pm Monday, February 1, 2016 and include your e-mail address so that I may contact you, should you win. 

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Currently Reading...

I'm currently reading For Cheddar or Worse by Avery Aames. This book is the 7th book in the Cheese Shop Mystery series and will be released February 2nd.

Providence, Ohio is

Charlotte Bessette is enjoying life as the newly Charlotte Bessette Pace, but there's something making her jumpy. As part of the annual Cheese festival several cheese professionals, including Charlotte and Jordan, are meeting at a local dairy farm/inn for a conference to learn and share ideas. Events are also planned for Providence itself, organized, of course, by grandmere. This are not all cheesy goodness, however. A well known, and as it turns out NOT well loved, celebrity arrives unexpectedly and clashes begin to occur increasing Charlotte's sense of doom.

Currently Reading...

I'm currently reading As Gouda as Dead by Avery Aames. This book is the 6th book in the Cheese Shop Mystery series. It's almost wedding time for Charlotte and Jordan as the town begins its Lovers Trail Celebration, a weeklong festival honoring Valentine's Day. Charlotte's festivities are cut short when a cryptic phone call interrupts her bachlorette party. Worries end the party and the hunt begins for Tim, a favorite bartender and friend. The trail leads Deputy O'Shea and Charlotte to Jordan's bachelor party at his cheese farm where they finally find Tim, murdered, with the Sheriff and a houseful of people mere yards away. Shocked and distraught that his friend was killed on his property, Jordan suggests postponing the wedding, set to take place at the crime scene. With the wedding on hold Charlotte fears for her and Jordan's relationship. Determined that they will marry and get their happy ending she knows she must help to find the killer.

Stirring up an Interview, Recipe, Review, & Giveaway!

I'm delighted to have Daryl Wood Gerber with us today. Daryl, who also writes the Cheese Chop Mystery series under the name Avery Aames, pens the Cookbook Nook Mystery series. Stirring the Plot, the third, will be released September 30! In addition to our interview, Daryl shares a wonderful recipe. There's also a chance to win a copy of one of the Cookbook Nook books and a huge rafflecoptor prize!

Kathy: I love holiday themed books and am thrilled that Stirring the Plot is set around Halloween. Are you a big fan of All Hallow's Eve? Do you celebrate?

DWG: I love Halloween. When I lived in a flat neighborhood where lots of kids paraded in their costumes, I celebrated a lot. Tons of candy. Some scary sounds when the door opened. Lots of decorations. But we moved to a hilly area, and alas, I don’t do much any more. Maybe that’s why I decided to write about a Halloween theme in this book. So I could celebrate the entire time I was writing. I spent hours online (on Pinterest and elsewhere) looking at Halloween pictures for party and decorating ideas, food ideas, and recipes. It was delicious fun. 

Kathy: The Cookbook Nook has stocked up on Halloween-themed cookbooks and gadgets. Do you have a variety of Halloween cookbooks yourself?

DWG: I have a few. The Betty Crocker Halloween Cookbook is a great one for kid parties. As for gadgets, I also have pumpkin/ghost/witch cookie cutters. So much fun. For Mystery Lovers Kitchen, the blog on which I participate with other authors who love to cook up crime, we do Halloween Week each year. I’ve had a ball creating new recipes for that. Ghost cheese cupcakes. (The icing is made with goat cheese) Scary punch (with a frozen hand). So many more. In Stirring the Plot, I’ve included tasty recipes like caramel-marshmallow popcorn balls, some spicy homemade chocolate, and a witchy woman brew. 

Kathy: I love your covers, but this one for Stirring the Plot is extra special; warm, inviting, and mysterious all at once. Can you tell us about your covers and cover art? Did you give any suggestions as to what the covers should be like? Did you have any say in the matter at all? Do you know your cover artist?

DWG: I love my artist, Teresa Fasolino. She’s so wonderful!! She and I met in New York one year. She’s delightful and so talented. As for input, luckily for me, I get to give suggestions for my books’ artwork. I pluck pictures off the Internet to suggest the vibe that I want on the cover. I suggested that Tigger sports a witch hat. He wears one in the Black Cat parade in the book. Isn’t he adorable?

Kathy: I love that you include all sorts of recipes in your books. Which kind do you find easier to develop-sweet or savory?

DWG: I love both, so I don’t find it easier to do one or the other. I eat sweets when I’m writing. Usually about mid-morning, I have a need…with a cup of decaf coffee. Therefore, weekly I cook sweets. But savory is perfect for my husband, so I’m always trying to come up with something scrumptious for him. For the book, I focused on Halloween recipes. The only one in the book that isn’t specifically for Halloween is the French Silk Fudge cake. Um…divine!

Kathy: The Winsome Witches is the fundraising group working their magic in Stirring the Plot. Was this group based on a real one? How did you decide upon the name?

DWG: I read an article about a group of women in Los Gatos, California, who come together each year at Halloween to fundraise. They’re called the Witchy Women. They all wear witch hats. That’s about as much as I know about them, but the picture in the paper of the women gave me the idea to develop an entire story around a fundraising group. Of course, my group fundraises for literacy. So important! And just so no reader worries, these are not real witches. This is not a paranormal mystery. The Winsome Witches are simply women in Crystal Cove with a lot of verve and energy to do good deeds. Jenna’s Aunt Vera is a member.

Kathy: What fun events are going on at The Cookbook Nook or in Crystal Cove in Stirring the Plot?

DWG: In Crystal Cove, there will be a Black Cat parade, a pumpkin-carving contest, and the best window display award. The Winsome Witches are having a faire to kick off the week, and they end the week with their fundraising luncheon. At the shop, Jenna has hired a magician to entertain kids, and a local gardener will put on a display teaching customers how to make fun potions. So much to do and see for locals as well as tourists.

Kathy: Are you able to share any future plans for Jenna?

DWG: Jenna will be back in another story, Fudging the Books, which will come out in the fall of 2015. It occurs during the first week in February. Chocolate is always a great focus for the month of love, so expect plenty of yummy goodies. Yes, Rhett is still in Jenna’s life. You’ll learn more and more about their blossoming relationship as the series unfolds. In addition, it’s Pirate Week in Crystal Cove. [The town has a colorful pirate history.]  Aar, mateys, best be on your toes, for indeed, another murder will occur.

Kathy: Will you share any other upcoming books?

DWG: I write as Avery Aames, too. The next Cheese Shop Mystery, As Gouda as Dead, comes out in February 2015. What’s that story? When a beloved bar owner is discovered murdered on her fiancè’s farm, Charlotte Bessette is more determined than ever to contain the killer. For those who don’t know, Charlotte owns Fromagerie Bessette, or as the locals call it The Cheese Shop. She has been amateur sleuthing for five books. As Gouda as Dead is the sixth in the Agatha Award-winning series.

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From Daryl Wood Gerber:

Often, fans write me about either my Cookbook Nook mysteries or Cheese Shop mysteries. (For those who don’t know, I also write under the pseudonym Avery Aames). Sometimes the fans offer praise. Not always. LOL!! I listen and I respond (usually). 

But whenever a fan sends me a recipe—they know I put recipes in my culinary mysteries—I sit up and take notice. I sit even taller when an item is naturally gluten-free. That means it doesn’t have wheat flour (or white flour as many know it) in the mix. I am a celiac, not just gluten-intolerant, so it’s very important I stay away from gluten. I can bake with rice flour, sweet rice flour, even coconut flour and so much more, just not regular old flour. By the way, I love when my fans take care of me!

Anyway, Nancy Foust me this recipe in a Good Housekeeping Magazine, the April 2014 issue, and I had to try it. The name alone made me want to taste it. Boy, are these good! So crisp and yet chewy. And pretty, too. They’re perfect for a book club or family…or just you. Enjoy.

CHOCOLATE VOLCANO COOKIES

Gluten-free

Ingredients:

1# powdered sugar (3 cups)

3/4 c. unsweetened cocoa (used Penzey’s)

1/2 tsp. salt

4 large egg whites, slightly whipped

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 -1/2 c. dark chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.

In large bowl, whisk powdered sugar, cocoa and salt.  Whip the egg whites and vanilla to a gentle froth. Add egg whites mixture to the sugar-cocoa mixture. Whip with a spoon. Then fold in chocolate chips.  

Drop “dough” by rounded tablespoonfuls about a 1-2”  apart onto prepared cookie sheet.  They will “merge” into each other a bit, so beware. J

Bake 13-14 minutes. They’ll look set and crackly.  Don’t overbake. Let cool on cookie sheets 3 minutes; then, with spatula, transfer to cool completely.  Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Below is a tidbit about STIRRING THE PLOT, the next in my Cookbook Nook mysteries. It comes out September 30!  FYI, though I write a series, each book is a stand-alone and can be read first, even if you haven’t read the others in the series.

STIRRING THE PLOT

(3^rd in Cookbook Nook Mysteries)

Halloween in Crystal Cove, California, is a big deal, involving a spooky soiree where the Winsome Witches, a fund-raising group, gather to open up their purse strings and trade superstitions. But party magicians, fortune-tellers, and herbalists are only the beginning of this recipe for disaster. Jenna Hart has packed The Cookbook Nook chock-full of everything from ghostly texts to witchy potions in anticipation of the annual fund-raiser luncheon. But there’s one unexpected addition to the menu: murder. When the Head Priestess of the Winsome Witches is found dead, there’s plenty of blame to go around, and Jenna will have to use more than just sleight of hand to conjure up the truth…

[This is NOT a paranormal story. It is a traditional cozy mystery.]

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Review

Stirring the Plot by Daryl Wood Gerber

The Third Cookbook Nook Mystery

It's almost Halloween in Crystal Cove, California and the Winsome Witches are spearheading several fundraising events. From the Winsome Witches Faire to the haunted tour and Black Cat Parade, this book is filled with Halloween fun. However, the fun stops for the head priestess when she's found murdered. Was it her nasty daughter, a sister witch, an unhappy client, or someone else? Now Aunt Vera believes she's lost her powers, the sister witches (who don't actually practice witchcraft) are sniping at each other, and there's a feeling of dread around town. Has someone cast a spell on them? Between running her bookstore, learning to cook, and developing her relationship with Rhett, Jenna Hart is determined to help her aunt and if that means helping to solve yet another murder, so be it.
  

Daryl Wood Gerber creates a cozy autumnal read in this, her third Cookbook Nook mystery. Stirring the Plot gets readers in the Halloween spirit with vivid descriptions of Crystal Cove and its citizens as they prepare for the holiday. Cozy is an apt description of this book. Not only is the genre cozy, the entire book emits a cozy feeling. The warmth of the characters (even the prickly ones), the burgeoning romance, the adorable kitten, Tigger. Even though there is a murder, and suspense, the vibe is one of warmth and safety. You may be reading a murder mystery, but it's as if you're safe reading it snug in your own home with a blanket and a warn mug of cider.

 

While the release of Stirring the Plot helps to usher in Autumn, this book would be a pleasure to read at any time of year. Daryl Wood Gerber gives us a well crafted mystery filled with interesting characters I want to read even more about.

Recipes are included.

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Would you like to own your own copy of a Cookbook Nook mystery? In addition to the rafflecoptor contest, you also have a chance to win a print copy of one of the books simply by leaving a comment on this post answering the following question: Do you have any special Halloween cookbooks? Let us know in a comment no later than 11:59 pm Tuesday, September 30th (release day). Please also leave your e-mail address and which book you would like, should you win (Final Sentence, Inherit the Word, or Stirring the Plot). Good Luck!

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