The Run-Away Couple - Maggie Tideswell, Author

Beef Bourguignon(A Marcus Special)

Marinade:
5 cloves garlic, smashed
3 fresh bay leaves
2 carrots, peeled and halved
2 ribs celery, halved
1 large onion, peeled and quartered
One 750-ml bottle red wine, such as Burgundy
4 pounds beef chuck, cut into 1-inch chunks
Stew:
Extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
8 ounces slab bacon, cut into lardons
1 pound cremini or white button mushrooms, quartered
2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice
2 ribs celery, cut into 1/4-inch dice
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 large onion, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice
1/4 cup tomato paste
3 to 4 cups beef stock
3 fresh bay leaves
1 bundle fresh thyme
1 pound red bliss potatoes, quartered
1/2 bunch fresh chives, finely chopped, for garnish
Crusty bread, for serving

Directions

For the marinade: Combine the garlic, bay leaves, carrots, celery, onions and wine in a large bowl or container. Add the beef; cover and let sit in the refrigerator at least 4 hours or overnight. (This is a really important step: it makes a huge flavor difference.)

For the stew: Remove the beef from the marinade. Strain the veggies and bay leaves from the marinade and discard. Reserve 2 cups of the marinade.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Coat a large, wide pan or Dutch oven with olive oil and bring to medium-high heat. Sprinkle the beef with salt and toss with the flour; do not flour the beef until you're ready to brown it. Add the flour-coated beef to the hot pan, but be sure to not crowd the pan; you will need to work in four batches. Brown the meat well on all sides, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from the pan to a baking sheet.

After the first two batches, deglaze the pot with 1/2 cup of the reserved marinade, scraping up any browned bits. Drain the liquid into a small bowl. Add more olive oil to the pan to coat and cook the remaining two batches of meat. Add the meat to the baking sheet. Deglaze the pan with 1/2 cup marinade, scraping up any browned bits.

Add the bacon and cook until it gets brown and crispy, about 5 minutes. Toss in the mushrooms, carrots, celery, garlic and onions, and season with salt. Cook until the mixture starts to soften and becomes very aromatic, about 10 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the remaining 1 cup marinade and deglaze the pan, stirring up any browned bits, 1 minute. Add the beef. Stir to combine and cook until the wine has reduced by half, 1 to 2 minutes. Add enough of the beef stock to just cover the surface of the beef. Toss in the bay leaves and thyme bundle. Cover the pan, bring the liquid to a boil and put in the oven.

Cook the beef for 2 hours. During the last hour of cooking time, add the potatoes. Cover the pan with the lid and put the stew back in the oven to cook for an additional hour.

Remove the pot from the oven and skim off any excess grease from the surface of the stew. Garnish with the chives and serve with crusty bread to sop up all the sauce.

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

Lightning flashed through the tiny leaded windows, followed a few moments later by rumbling thunder.  That musty, earthy smell of old buildings hung in the air.  That must be what the inside of a grave smelled like.  Goosebumps covered Piper's arms.  There was no railing, leaving a pit around which the stairs curved.  Piper leaned against the stone wall until the wave of nausea eased.  It was eerily quiet.  Piper heard slow footsteps on the stairs below her.  Somebody real was in the stairwell with her.  Piper ran up the last few steps to her floor.  About to rush for her door, she staggered half a step back when it creaked open and a woman came out of her room.  The woman had a basket in one hand like a chambermaid but cleaning rooms at this time of night?  The woman wore a long black cloak, the hoody of which had been pulled up over her hair and face.  Who was she?  "Hello, can I help you?" Piper said.  The woman partially turned her head and peered at Piper past the hoody with a very clear blue eye.  When she heard something behind her, Piper spun around and screamed.

Piper's sister Eloise was getting married.  Piper was to serve as her maid-of-honor and until she reached the chapel of this ancient lodge she had no idea that the best man would be Marcus.  Both sisters had known him since childhood.  He spent as much time at their house as he did at his own.  He and Eloise were best friends but Piper had been his pawn.  He loved to play pranks on Piper making sure he got the best of her and many times even making her cry.  And now she had to put up with him at her own sisters wedding.  Without a doubt he had a prank to prank all pranks in mind to really make a fool out of Piper.  But this time she would be prepared.  There was no way he would ever get the best of her again.

After the wedding Piper started wondering about her sister's choice for the wedding.  What had she been thinking to have her wedding in a lodge that was so creepy.  She was ready to go to her room, gather her belongings and head for home.  She didn't want to spend another hour in this place nor with the best man Marcus.  Seems those plans just weren't going to happen any time soon.

This book takes you to a 'haunted' lodge where Piper's sister and soon to be husband will say their vows.  You'll learn the story of the 'haunts' and why they occur.  But... you'll never begin to guess the ending of this beautiful, erotic love story.  It sure ended with a surprise for me.  Now I'm looking forward to reading the next book in this series to see what surprises Author Maggie Tideswell has in store for her readers.

Terror in a Teapot - Morgan St. James & Phyllice Bradner, Authors

Flossie's Fabulous Noodle Kugel

8 oz. pkg. of Wide Egg Noodles

1/4 lb. Butter (melted) (margarine substitute optional)

1 cup Golden Raisins
3 Eggs (beaten) (4 eggs optional)

4 heaping Tbsp. Sour Cream

4 oz. Cream Cheese (softened and rolled into tiny balls)

1/2 cup Sugar (to taste) mix with a small amount of cinnamon for taste and color
1 cup Milk (a little more if you like it more moist)

Package Cornflake Crumbs (optional)

Mix all ingredients with cooked noodles that have been rinsed in cool water.  Put in 8 x 10 (or similar size) Pyrex pan that has been greased with a little butter or margarine.  Top with packaged cornflake crumbs (optional) and bake in preheated 350 degree oven for about an hour.  Cool and cut into squares for serving.  (You can double the recipe and freeze some, too.)

(Based on a recipe from the authors' mother, Rosetta.)

Terror in a Teapot - Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat; Think With Your Taste Buds; A Book and A Dish

Goldie Silver - Owns an antique shop in Juneau, Alaska
Godiva Olivia DuBois - Author of the famous relationship column Ask G.O.D.

Caesar - Famous TV chef - or is he?

Flossie Silver - Female magician.

Sterling Silver - Male magician.

Two Ladies from the Russian Orthodox Church - church ladies.

Father Innocent - Retiring Priest.

Rimsky - Father Innocent's helper.

Father Augustine - Priest that will take over for Father Innocent.

Two very ugly ladies - Very possibly not 'ladies.'

Boris & Igor Dumkovsky - two very mean Russians.

Now, just what can all of these people have in common?  Well, Goldie and Godiva are twin sisters.  Caesar is Godiva's boyfriend, Flossie is the mother of the twins and Sterling is their father's brother, known to them by the affectionate name of 'Unk.'  

But where is the connection between the 'family' members and the other characters?  It all has to do with The Seven Deadly Samovars, or Tea Pots if you live in America.  It seems the Tea Pots were shipped from Russia to Goldie's shop but were lost in transit.  The Church Ladies had ordered one through Goldie as a retirement gift for Father Innocent.  When they are finally discovered they seem to live up to their name 'Deadly.'  People start dying, Tea Pots start missing and the mystery starts spinning as the twins do a little detective work to track down the missing pots and find the killer or should I say killers.

This book, as all Morgan St. James and Phyllice Bradner books, gives you suspense, humor and a special surprising twist at the end.  I can't get enough of their writings and hope they come out with yet another Silver Sisters Mystery very soon.

The Belle and the Officer - B. J. Robinson, Author

Recipe for a Southern Barbeque

(B.J. Robinson's Special Recipe)

I’m from the South and my husband is from the North, so I was used to Southern barbeques. What he called barbeque was simply plain grilled to me, so we had to mess our differences. He grills his with no sauce, and I use Kraft honey barbeque sauce on mine. He enjoys steaks and burgers. I enjoy those, but I also enjoy hot dogs and chicken legs as well as boneless lemon-pepper chicken breasts, which he doesn’t like. I like to make homemade potato salad, but he doesn’t eat it. He opts for a baked potato. That’s okay. I have leftover potato salad, and the flavor goes through it, and it’s even better the next day.

In the South, we use barbeque sauce. I thought since this book was a book about the North and South, and the characters enjoyed barbecues and fish, I provide a southern barbeque. The northern one is easy. Just put it on the grill plain, at least my husband’s version.

Step 1: Grill the meat until lightly browned and sauce. Some put sauce on it while it is raw. I do. He waits. It works either way. I like mine not burnt, but dark and a little black won’t hurt me.

You can also barbeque fish or shrimp. Love them both.

Step 2: The Potato Salad:

Peel, wash, and clean about three pounds of potatoes or use a five-pound bag if you have someone else to help you eat the salad. Boil potatoes and three eggs. Peel eggs and chop. Dice pickles, olives, green onions, and use about one teaspoon mustard, if you like it. Leave out the onions if you don’t care for them. Some people do not use the mustard in the potato salad and use only mayo. I like both. If you like, you can use spicy mustard. I usually use the yellow.

Mix and include the mayo to taste. Season with salt, pepper, or seasonings you enjoy. Tip: If you refrigerate the potato salad and let it get cold, and you have used the green onions, you will find the flavor goes through it more. You will need to refrigerate it regardless to keep it from spoiling, but some people like to eat it while it’s fresh and hot. I enjoy mine cold.

To me, a barbeque is not one without potato salad. I have discovered I also enjoy the Amish potato salad and if I don’t have time to make my own, I will buy a container of it from Publix, but I still like my homemade the best.

The neat thing is you can make the potato salad to suit your tastes by putting in or leaving out what you please. If you’ve never tried a southern barbeque, you might find you like it. However, my husband still doesn’t eat potato salad and will put no sauce on his meat. He wants it just plain grilled. We used to enjoy this potato-salad recipe for family gatherings of any type. It goes well with many dishes besides barbecue. Fried chicken and potato salad is a given. It goes well with beef stew. For the Fourth of July, we always had barbeque and potato salad. Enjoy. 

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

Alice held the cold metal key in her palm.  She'd keep it on her until her beloved returned.  He didn't have to tell her to visit and remember him.  Memories fought each other in her mind.  Visions of them on picnics, at family barbecues, fishing in the great Mississippi River that ran behind their homes.  He didn't have to tell her to remember.  How could she ever forget?

Lonnie was the love of Alice's life but there was a war going on and he had decided to defend the South.  He promised her that it would be a short war and over in no time, then they could announce their engagement, be married and love forever in the home he had built for her.  'Oh please let that be true, she prayed.'

To pass the time and be of help Alice worked in the hospital that housed the southern boys who were wounded.  She became the light in the eyes of some of the patients giving them hope and encouraging them to hang on and get well so they can go home to their own families.  Then came a Union Colonel named Bert Russell with his own wounded and needing a place for them to be care for.

As Alice got to know Colonel Russell, she couldn't help but feel a slight tingle in her heart but how could that be when she loved Lonnie.  So when Lonnie shows up in the hospital in a Union uniform instead of a Rebel, Alice found her whole life about to change.

This is a beautiful love story as well as a story in history.  The feelings Lonnie had for Alice as well as the feelings Bert developed for her had me cheering both on and wanting more.  The outcome will leave you wanting more too.

The Vanishing Mind of Ruth Swerdloff - Fran Lewis, Author

Baked Parmesan Chicken
(Mom's Favorite)

2 tablespoons dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon thyme leaves, chopped

Kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 8 ounces each)

3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

3/4 cup panko or dried coarse baguette breadcrumbs

Cooking spray

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Mix the mustard, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt and the cayenne in a medium bowl. Add the chicken breasts and turn to coat completely; set aside.

In a medium shallow bowl, combine the parmesan and panko. Dredge the chicken pieces in the panko mixture, coating evenly and heavily, and pressing the coating into the meat.

Put the chicken on a rack set over a baking sheet, spray with a quick burst of cooking spray and put the sheet in the middle of the oven. Bake until the chicken is golden and cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes before cutting or serving.

The Vanishing Mind of Ruth Swerdloff - Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat; Think With Your Taste Buds; A Book and A Dish

How do you say goodbye when you are still here?  How do you say goodbye before your thoughts, desires, and wishes disappear from your mind?  What happens when all that's left of you is a human shell?  Everyone invites guests to their homes for dinner, or just to talk.  But, some guests overstay their welcome and others are just plain annoying.  Uninvited guests can be escorted out and asked to leave, hopefully never to return.  One uninvited guest mad its way into my mother's mind and refused to leave.

I've known people who have family members that have literally lost their minds.  Or better yet, lost everything stored within their minds.  They forget where they are, where they are going, who they are and who the strangers that keep showing up might be.  They forget to eat or can't remember if they did eat.  They forget the names of their favorite food and even their own children.  As the days go by they lose more and more of what took years to fill their minds.  Eventually that full mind is empty and hollow.  What causes this?  You've probably already answered that question with that terrible disease called Alzheimer.

I've personally never been exposed to Alzheimer but after reading The Vanishing Mind I feel that has changed.  The way the Author combined the experience as a caregivers/family member and the journals written by her mother when her mind was still there enough to write, you can't help but feel as if you're a part of the family or at least a close friend.  The insight I found through this book has me watching my own loved ones more closely with the possible chance that they may show some of these signs.  I'm also watching myself too.

Author Fran Lewis goes one step further in helping those who are faced with this dreadful disease.  She has included tips for the caregivers stressing on how to speak in a way that may be a little easier for them to understand; how to help them with simple things like eating, dressing and bathing;  how to find activities that they may understand and enjoy;  and she even gives you a list of agencies that can be beneficial in helping you with their care, understanding their problems and most important - how to deal with your own feelings.

This is a book that I recommend to everyone - young and old.  It might just be the book that will help you better cope with those you love who just might experience this heart breaking disease called Alzheimer.

Girl With Pencil, Drawing - Linda Maria Frank, Author

Irma’s Apple Cake
(An Annie Favorite)

4 to 5 apples, peeled and sliced
5 Tbsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. cinnamon
Combine and set aside.

In another bowl, hand mix the following:
3 Cups unsifted flour
2 1/3 Cups sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
4 eggs
1 Cup vegetable oil
2 tsp. vanilla
1/3 Cup Orange Juice
8 oz. can walnuts
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour a Bundt Pan.  Alternate batter and apples in pan, starting with batter.

Bake 1 1/2 hrs.

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

He busied himself rummaging through the kitchen drawers, two sets of panic-stricken eyes following his every move.  He found some emergency candles and went into the small dinette adjoining the kitchen.  He lit them, let the was drip onto some paper plates from the counter and affixed the candles to the plates.  There were six candles in all.  Was he into satanic rituals?  He came back into the kitchen and turned on all the gas jets at the range and the oven, leaving its door ajar.  He blow out the flames, letting the gas escape freely.  "Bye, bye, ladies."  He hurried out the back door locking it behind him.

When I was a young girl I loved reading the Nancy Drew mysteries and to this day I still enjoy the style and mysteries of the young 'detective' but you can only read them so many times before you know them by heart.  Well... Author Linda Maria Frank has brought my young memories back.  Annie Tillery is today's Nancy Drew!  In fact, she is great at getting herself into trouble but working it out in a fashion that would make Nancy proud.  In Girl With Pencil, Drawing Annie goes to art school and finds that her instructor/teacher is mixed up in a murder that Annie doesn't believe she committed.  Can she prove her innocence without getting both of them killed?  What do you think?

This the second book in the Annie Tillery Mystery Series.  I've read the first, loved it and couldn't see how it could get any better.   Well it does.  I'm now looking forward to reading the third book to see what Nancy, oh excuse me, Annie gets into and how she gets through it.

Dead Burn - Emily Stone Series - Jennifer Chase, Author

Anytime Protein Blast Smoothie
(Emily's Favorite Energy Drink)

Ingredients:

½ cup plain Greek yogurt

½ cup milk (or almond or soy milk)

¾ cup strawberries (or any preferred berry)

½ banana

2 handfuls spinach (or kale leaves)

1 Tbsp. peanut butter (or almond butter)

1 tsp. honey

 

Prep:

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Add more milk for a thinner smoothie, or less for a thicker smoothie. (Makes 1 serving)

 

Note: This is a great morning boost or a replacement meal. Use organic whenever possible.

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

The man pushed his hands deep into his coat pockets, nervously pressing the thumbs against the forefingers, each time with more force, staying in the moment, wanting to experience life dwindling from another person, but not just any person - a sinner.  The screaming had stopped... The burning building captured the man's soul and deep seeded emotions with the hypnotizing and inviting spirits.  It amazed him each time with a wondrous performance.  A sin repaid.  The arsonist patiently waited for a hidden message to exit from the fire to commend him on his sacrifices of righteousness, but it never did... The deeds piled up, and once he reached the appointed number, the words would push him to the next level...

Emily Stone has finished a energy straining rescue she knows there is no time for rest.  Apparently there is a serial killer that is targeting those who have escaped justice and those who helped them.  And his mode of revenge is death by fire.

With each death, the clues evade the police as well as Emily.  With each fire there is only one specific victim in the carefully executed fires.  Could this be a different kind of serial killer?  As the bodies increase the case gets colder and colder leading Emily and her team in directions that fail to find a connection.

This is my 4th Emily Stone Series book and I have to say that as one ends I tell myself that the next one simply couldn't be better, but I'm wrong - it is.  This series has me turning pages, biting my nails and sitting on the edge of my chair.  Author Jennifer Chase just gets better with every book.  I would love to see these books made into a series of movies!

Phantasms in the Infirmary - Ram and Julie Gulrajani, Authors

Spinach Pie

Wash the spinach after removing the thick white stalks.  Roll up the leaves and cut very fine, place in a bowl and add salt.  Pour sufficient boiling water to cover and then squeeze out the water.  Now take 3 bunches of spinach, 3 beaten eggs, two Tbsp. of grated cheese, salt, pepper, a little garlic and a little oil.  Line a deep Pyrex dish with a pie crust and fill with the spinach mixed with all the other ingredients.  Make two wells and drop 2 eggs very carefully.  Cover with more crust, brush over with milk and bake for 2 hrs.

Phantasms in the Infirmary - Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat; Think With Your Taste Buds; A Book and A Dish

Not so long ago I took a friend to the hospital for an endoscopy.  In the past this was done at one of the smaller facilities but my friend had changed doctors and he only did the procedure at the hospital.  As we boarded the elevator I noticed that the nurse pushed the button for us to go down, not up.  OK, there are a lot of floors that I've never been on in this hospital and with all the new construction we are probably just going to another above ground floor in the back.  As we stepped off the elevator and started walking down the hall I started feeling closed in.  I felt like I was walking into air that was really thick with something but I had no idea what.  I sat by my friend's bed as they prepared him for the procedure and since there was only a curtain between us and the next patient I could hear his conversation with one of the nurses.  He was telling her that he was born in this hospital 80 years ago.  She proceeded to tell him that we were in the oldest part of the hospital in the basement which at one time was actually the morgue.  I still didn't make the connection between my feelings and the location until I started reading Phantasms in the Infirmary.

Even though Authors Ram and Julie Gulrajani created a single hospital for the events to take place, they are still stories from several hospitals that have been passed on by hospital workers over the years.  Both Authors work in the medical field which brings them in contact with those who have experienced the events as well as those who have heard the stories.  Many of the hospitals have long histories of being everything from asylums, orphanages, workhouses, convents and monasteries in their past.  They also all have one thing in common - death.  Some even carried the ghosts of these deaths into the halls of the modern hospitals.

Is this what I was feeling while in the basement/old morgue of the hospital I was in?  After reading this book of ghosts from the past I'm pretty sure that was exactly what I felt.  Read Phantasms in the Infirmary for yourself and see if you agree.