Showing posts with label Connie Shelton. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Connie Shelton. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 1, 2017

Diamonds Aren't Forever - Connie Shelton

This book will be released 8/14/2017.  You can pre-order at all major online retailers for just $.99 but on 8/21/2017 the price will go up to $4.99 so get your order in now!

Coca Cola Cake
(A Pen special)

2 c. sugar
2 c. flour
1-1/2 c. small marshmallows
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. oil
3 T. cocoa
1 c. Coke
1 t. baking soda
1/2 c. buttermilk
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 (325 for glass pan). Grease a 9 x 13 baking pan. Sift together the flour and sugar in a large bowl, add marshmallows. Stir together and set aside. In a saucepan, mix together the butter, oil, Coke, and cocoa. Bring to a boil, then add to the dry mix and blend well. Dissolve the baking soda in the buttermilk and quickly add it to batter. Add eggs and vanilla, mix well. Bake 45-50 minutes. Test for done-ness with a toothpick.

While the cake bakes, make the frosting:
1/2 c. butter
3 T. cocoa
6 T. Coke
2 c. powdered sugar
1 t. vanilla
1 c. chopped pecans

In saucepan, combine butter, cocoa and Coke. Bring to a boil, then pour over powdered sugar in a bowl and blend well. Add vanilla and pecans.

Remove cake from oven when done and pour frosting over it immediately. Let the frosting soak into the cake. Cool completely before cutting.

Diamonds Aren't Forever - Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of: Stir, Laugh, Repeat; Think With Your Taste Buds; and A Book and A Dish

The whole story spilled out.  The necklace going on loan to the Philpont Museum for a show on the royal jewels of Europe, the robbery six months ago where three armed men took the night guards by surprise and were able to bypass the museum's supposedly state-of-the-art security system.  The police working the case for the few months but leads petered out quickly.  Penelope's desperate hope that the private investigator might have better luck, not being constrained by the complexities of a bureaucracy.  Dick Stone's call yesterday that he had located her piece and would deliver it today.

Penelope Fitzpatrick put all of her faith in Dick Stone.  He has found the necklace that her grandfather had made many years before for the last tsar of Russia.  He has now returned it to Pen who decided the best place for this million dollar necklace was in her safety deposit box at the bank.  That was the day that she thought this nightmare would end only to find that it had just begun.

Author Connie Shelton held my attention as 72 year old Pen is joined by 3 other ladies that became the 'Heist Ladies.'  Their travels to find the man known as Dick Stone, which is only one of his many names, takes them to the Cayman Islands where 'Mr. Stone' posing under another alias is working his next mark.  They follow him to Zurich where he is to meet with a shady jeweler.  And on to Nice where one of the largest jewelry exhibits was to be held.  It was also the location where plans for one of the largest jewelry heists were being made.

As I read Diamonds Aren't Forever I pictured this little 72 year old lady and her 3 companions in my mind.  I admired her spiff and determination.  This was a book that was entertaining, humorous at times, and very enjoyable.



Saturday, May 20, 2017

Deadly Gamble - Connie Shelton, Author



Pedro's Green Chile Sauce (for chicken enchiladas)

1 T. shortening or vegetable oil
1/2 c. chopped onion
1 c. chopped green chile 
1 c. chicken broth
1/4 t. garlic powder
2 T. flour
1/2 t. salt (if chicken broth is salty, start with less and taste before adding the full amount)

Heat shortening in saucepan, saute onions until glossy. Add green chile, garlic powder and chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Stir the flour into a small amount of cold water in a cup and blend until smooth, then gradually stir the flour mixture into the boiling chile sauce. It will thicken pretty quickly. Taste, and add more salt if desired.

(For an added touch, I usually add about 1/2 cup diced tomato. You can also add a little chopped leftover beef or pork.)

Simmer 15 to 20 minutes so the flavors will blend well and serve over enchiladas, burritos or any Mexican dish that needs a sauce.

Pedro's Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas (Charlie's favorite!)

1 recipe green chile sauce, above
8 corn tortillas
1/4 c. vegetable oil
2 chicken breast halves, cooked and shredded
1/4 c. finely diced onion
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
lettuce and tomato, chopped, for garnish
sour cream (optional)

Make the sauce and keep it warm. Heat oil in a skillet, then quickly dip each tortilla in the hot oil for a few seconds, turning once with tongs, then placing on paper towels. You want the tortilla to be soft, not crispy. Place 2-3 tablespoons shredded chicken and a sprinkling of diced onion along the center of each tortilla and roll it up. Place the rolled tortillas in a baking dish, top with the sauce and cheddar cheese. Bake at 350 degrees about 15 minutes or just until cheese is melted. [Alternately, place two rolled tortillas on each dinner plate, top with sauce and cheese, and microwave 30-45 seconds to melt the cheese.]

Garnish with a dollop of sour cream and chopped lettuce and tomato. Typically, in New Mexico these would be served with refried beans and Spanish rice on the side.
Makes four servings, two enchiladas each.

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

Working on a case for Stacy North would have probably been the last item ever on my agenda.  Stacy had been my best friend and roommate in college.  My best friend, right up until the day she eloped with my finance, Brad North.  Although I came to realize later that it was all for the best, such situations do tend to put a damper on friendships.  So when she came to my office asking for my help in recovering a 'stolen/lost' Rolex watch Brad had given her for Valentines day just two weeks earlier, my first thoughts were no way.  But there was a desperation in her eyes that pulled me back from throwing her out.

Charlie Parker and her brother Ron  are partners in RJP Investigations.  Charlie normally acts as the accountant while Ron does the dirty work but he was out of town at the moment and Stacy was desperate.  She had to recover the watch before the next night so Brad wouldn't find out it was missing.  As Charlie started to pull the details out of a tight mouthed Stacy, she found that the person who took the watch was a bit more than a thief.  Apparently he was also a lover.  But after finding out that the watch had been pawned at a local Pawn shop, Charlie was able to retrieve it and return it to Stacy.  End of story.  End of case.   Well, it would have been the end had it not been for a murder that takes Charlie and Stacy deeper into an investigation that will end with Stacy being the main suspect.

I turned page after page looking for hints as to who the murderer really was.  I knew who I hoped it would be.  I knew who it wouldn't be.  I knew who I thought it would be.  Turns out that I was wrong all the way around and was in for a total surprise at the end.  This book really took me on a thrilling mystery.  I loved it and can't wait to read book 2 'Vacations Can Be Murder.'

Sunday, February 19, 2017

Holidays Can Be Murder - Connie Shelton, Author



Connie Shelton's Green Chile Stew

1 to 1-1/2 lbs pork tenderloin, cut in 1/2” cubes
2 cans stewed tomatoes, crushed
1 small can mild whole green chiles (4 to 5 chile pods), cut into stew-sized chunks
Hot green chile to your taste (1-2 T. diced is usually good)
1 medium onion, cut into stew-sized chunks
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
8-10 c. beef bouillon
Salt and black pepper to taste
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes

Place all ingredients except the potatoes into a large stew pot. Bring to a boil, then cover, reduce heat and simmer 2-3 hours. About 30-45 minutes before you plan to serve, peel and cut the potatoes and add them to the stew. Serve with corn bread, warm flour tortillas or other favorite bread. 
    For a somewhat different taste, I’ve made this with either pinto beans or hominy in place of the potatoes. The meat can, alternately, be beef or wild game.

Holidays Can Be Murder - Review by Martha A Cheves, Author of:  Stir, Laugh, Repeat; Think With Your Taste Buds; and A Book and A Dish

"Hold it right there, ma'am," a sharp voice commanded.  A rough hand gripped my shoulder and spun me around.  "Charlie?"

"Kent?  What's going on here?"


He dropped his hand and stood firmly blocking y way.  "This is a crime scene.  Neighbors of yours, I gather?"

Uh, yeah.  I live right here,"  I said, indicating our house with a vague wave.  "What kind of crime?"  I knew it was a stupid question the minute it slipped out.  Kent Taylor only worked one kind of case - homicide.

Charlie Parker lives in a quiet neighborhood in Albuquerque.  She has lived there since childhood and now enjoys the home that was once her parents' with her husband Drake and their dog Rusty.  When Drake informed her that his mother would be coming for the Christmas holidays her red flags went up.  She had only briefly met Catherine and had no idea as to how they would get along.  Entertaining her would be just one more thing to add to her holiday activities.  Then came the call from her newest neighbor Judy, asking for help with the list of decoration required by the community every year.  Coming from Chicago she wasn't even sure what luminarias were.  Yet another addition to the do-do-list.  And on top of this, she still had to keep up with the private investigation agency she and her brother Ron owned.

Christmas came and went but the day after brought the celebrations to a stop when a neighbor was found murdered.  The police have their suspect but Charlie knows deep down that they are wrong and it's her job to prove it.  And prove it she does.

This book is a quick, easy read that takes you on a few curvy roads along the way.  It kept me turning pages while giving me very little clues as to who the murderer would turn out to be.  It also has me wanting read more of this author's work.

 
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