Blueberry
Cake
(This is an easy cake to make with blueberries or apples)
(This is an easy cake to make with blueberries or apples)
1
stick butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup of flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla
dash of salt
1 pint of blueberries
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup of flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla
dash of salt
1 pint of blueberries
Preheat
oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients
except the blueberries. Spread dough in
a greased 9 x 9 pan. Top with
blueberries. Bake 40-50 minutes.
A
Murderer Among Us - Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat;
Think With Your Taste Buds; A Book and A Dish
"You're
Warren Mannes, and you've no business handling anyone's money."
Though
she hadn't raised her voice, people sitting at nearby tables sensed something
sensational was happening and paused in mid-conversation to gap and
listen. Lydia, usually so in control,
was enraged - too outraged - to watch her words. "You went to prison for stealing
millions of dollars from people who gave you their trust. Innocent people, whose lives you
destroyed. Not to mention that company
you took down!"
He
gripped her arm. "Stop it! You've confused me with someone
else."
She
jerked herself free. "Oh, no, I
haven't!"
"Lydia,
get a hold of yourself!" Peg hissed
grabbing her other arm. "You're
spouting nonsense."
"I
wish I were." Her baby sister's
face flashed in her mind, causing Lydia to winch in pain. Here stood Warren Mannes, decked out in
expensive clothes and a salon haircut, enjoying a lifestyle paid for with
stolen money, while Allison lay dead in her grave!
After
the passing of her husband, Lydia Krause moves to Twin Lakes, a five minute
drive from her daughter, Merry, and her family.
The gated over-55 community is the perfect place for her to live out her
retirement. She'll be near Merry and her
two granddaughters, yet close enough to the city to visit her younger daughter,
Abbie. But out of the blue pops Warren
Mannes AKA Marshall Weill. Six years
earlier Lydia attended his trial and heard victims testify that Mannes had
stolen their life savings. Lydia's also
convinced he sent her baby sister to her grave.
And here he is, acting as Financial Advisor to the Twin Lakes HOA.
After
exchanging angry words with Mannes' wife, Lydia heads to the bathroom to calm
down. She overhears the retching sounds
of someone being sick. Out of a stall
comes Barbara Taylor, a woman she met a week earlier. Lydia helps Barbara to her car, and ends up
driving her home and staying the night.
In the morning, Lydia returns home to find her beautiful Lexus has been
badly damaged. The hood is crumpled, a
headlight smashed, and the windshield has been cracked in several places. After calling 911, Lieutenant Detective
Solomn Molina shows up and informs Lydia that her car was involved in a serious
accident involving the death of a pedestrian.
This
turns out to be just the beginning of Lydia's problems. Now she's Suspect Number One for Claire
Mannes' murder. And where does Merry go
those many days Lydia babysits her daughters?
Abbie has a secret of her own that will take her far across the
Atlantic. Another Twin Lakes resident is
murdered, an attempt is made on Lydia's life, and all the while she's aware of
her growing feelings for Detective Molina.
Now
and then I find a writer who gives us, not the super macho main character, but
the more down-to-earth, common, everyday main character who you feel you can
actually relate to and who just might be your next door neighbor. This is what I've found in Marilyn Levinson's
style of writing. Her books are suspenseful but light-hearted
at the same time. I can pick up one of
her books and finish it in three or four days.
It only takes that long because I have things to do in between
reading. I can't wait to read more of
her work.