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Hello fellow bloggers. Another week has passed and they all seem to blend together. I see where I actually posted two of the same Books From The Backlog posts. I guess that shows where my head is. Still trying to get back in the groove and my blogging ahead has run out. This week I did minimal blogging and reading. I hope I can shake myself out of this funk soon. How about you? Did you have a good week? Did you watch the Presidential debate. LOL I received my ballot and have already sent it back. I have voted. Have you?
Hope you have a good week and I’ll be seeing you soon.
Mistletoe, Moussaka, and Murder (A Kebab Kitchen Mystery)
by Tina Kashian
About Mistletoe, Moussaka, and Murder (A Kebab Kitchen Mystery)
Mistletoe, Moussaka, and Murder (A Kebab Kitchen Mystery) Cozy Mystery 5th in Series Publisher: Kensington (September 29, 2020) Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages ISBN-10: 1496726073 ISBN-13: 978-1496726070 Digital ASIN: B082WR6DMT
Not even her impending nuptials can keep Lucy Berberian, manager of her family-owned Kebab Kitchen, from the Jersey Shore’s annual Polar Bear Plunge. But her dive into the icy ocean is especially chilling when she finds a fellow swimmer doing the dead man’s float—for real . . .
Who would kill a man in cold blood during Ocean Crest, New Jersey’s most popular winter event? When Lucy learns the victim is Deacon Spooner, the reception hall owner who turned up his nose—and his price—at her wedding plans, she can’t help wondering who wouldn’t kill the pompous caterer . . .
Perhaps the culprit is the wedding cake baker whose career Deacon nearly destroyed? Or the angry bride whose reception he ruined? With her maid of honor, Katie, busily planning Lucy’s wedding without her, Lucy will have to get to the bottom of this cold-hearted business in time for Kebab Kitchen’s mouthwatering Christmas celebration—and before her hometown’s holiday spirit washes out to sea . . .
Recipes included!
GUEST POST WITH
RECIPE FOR THE AVID READER
Thank you for
inviting me to chat with your readers about my new release, “Mistletoe,
Moussaka & Murder.” It’s the fifth book in my Kebab Kitchen mystery series.
Holiday time at
the Jersey Shore is special. Snow on the beach is a sight to see!
In my series, Lucy
Berberian manages her family’s Mediterranean restaurant, Kebab Kitchen. Working
at a Mediterranean restaurant during the Christmas and holiday season means
serving mouthwatering holiday dishes of shish kebab, hummus, and moussaka as
well as delectable desserts like baklava.
When Lucy
Berberian signs up for this year’s Polar Bear Plunge at her Jersey Shore town
to fundraise for the local senior center, she realizes she may have been a bit
too brave. Lucy runs into the freezing Atlantic Ocean, then hightails it back
to the shore. Just when she thinks the worst is over, a chilly scream alerts
everyone to a body lying at the surf. Can Lucy solve the case before Christmas
in Ocean Crest is ruined?
As for the food in
the series, my Armenian parents owned a restaurant for thirty years, and I grew
up in the business. So, what is moussaka? Moussaka to the Greeks is like
lasagna to the Italians. I’m happy to share my own family’s recipe (the
moussaka is featured in my new release as well!)
Have you ever
tried moussaka? What’s your favorite Mediterranean dish?
Lucy’s Moussaka
This Mediterranean dish is a favorite and often
served at holidays and family dinners.
Prep
Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 large finely chopped onion
2 pounds ground beef
4 tablespoons tomato paste
½ cup red wine
½ cup chopped parsley
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 large eggplants
¼ cup vegetable oil
¼ pound butter
6 tablespoons flour
1 quart full-fat milk
4 beaten eggs
teaspoon grated nutmeg
2 cups ricotta cheese
1½ cup fine breadcrumbs
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
For
the ground beef:
Heat
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil in a skillet and cook the onions until they turn
transparent. Add the ground meat and cook until fully cooked. Transfer the meat
to a large strainer set over a bowl and drain off any excess fat. Return meat
to the pan and heat. Add the tomato paste, wine, parsley, and cinnamon. Season
with salt and pepper to taste. Stir and simmer over low heat until all the
liquid has been absorbed. Remove from heat and set aside.
For
the eggplant:
Cut
unpeeled eggplants into ½-inch-thick slices. Lightly salt the slices and let
them sit for five minutes. Heat ¼ cup vegetable oil in a separate skillet.
Working in batches, fry the eggplant slices until they are golden brown on both
sides. Set eggplant slices aside on sheet pan lined with paper towels to absorb
the oil. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
For
the béchamel sauce:
In
a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and cook, whisking
constantly, until the mixture is smooth. In a separate saucepan, bring the milk
to a boil and add it gradually to the butter-flour mixture. Whisk constantly.
When the mixture is thickened and smooth, remove it from the heat. In a bowl,
whisk together beaten eggs, nutmeg, and ricotta cheese. Add it to the béchamel
sauce and whisk until smooth.
Putting
it all together:
Spray
an 11-x-16 pan with nonstick cooking spray. Sprinkle lightly with breadcrumbs.
Layer half the eggplant in pan, then add half of the meat sauce. Sprinkle with
breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese. Add the rest of the eggplant and then the meat
sauce. Pour the béchamel sauce on top. Bake for 45 minutes or until the top is
browned and bubbly. Allow it to cool for twenty minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Here’s a dish from my favorite Mediterranean restaurant.
Tina Kashian is an attorney and mechanical engineer
whose love of reading for pleasure helped her get through years of
academia. She is the author of the popular Kebab Kitchen Mediterranean
cozy mystery series for Kensington Publishing. Tina spent her childhood
summers at the Jersey shore building sandcastles, boogie boarding, and
riding the boardwalk Ferris wheel. She also grew up in the restaurant
business, as her Armenian parents owned a restaurant for thirty years.
Tina still lives in New Jersey with her supportive husband and two
daughters. Please visit her website at www.tinakashian.com to join her
newsletter, receive delicious recipes, enter contests, and more!
Book Title: Up from Adams Street (a memoir) by Larry Crane Category: Adult Non-Fiction (18 +), 229 pages Genre: Memoir Publisher: Maine Authors Publishing Release date: July 2019 Content Rating: PG-13. Mild mature content. No bad language.
Book Description:
Larry Crane brings the sensibility of the post-World War II generation
and a family of modest means to his fresh new novelesque memoir, Up From
Adams Street. Born at home, surrounded by a neighborhood of immigrant
families that burst out of the confines of Chicago to buy a lot carved
out of the corn fields astride the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy rail
line. As the confessed family favorite, he had a lot of expectations
heaped on his shoulders, along with a sense that he was destined to
fulfill that destiny. He realizes that participating in sports is a
potential entrée into worlds that seem beyond his little world. Plus, he
loves the games. He plays baseball, football and basketball. He caddies
at golf courses. As he grows physically, he senses the need to expand
mentally and philosophically too. A scholarship helps, then a surprise
appointment to West Point follows. At the military academy, he bends to
discipline, survives mandatory boxing, battles mighty Notre Dame in
basketball, pitches against the legendary Yankees, conquers Mechanics of
Fluids, and Calculus, discovers F. Scott Fitzgerald, befriends Red
Reeder, falls in and out of love, turns 23, and becomes a man.
Larry Crane spent the 1960s in a military setting, first at school
at West Point, and as a lieutenant in Germany. He was an advisor to a
Vietnamese ranger battalion in the Central Highlands. He took on a
civilian career in brokerage and banking, retiring early to concentrate
on writing, producing several full length plays most notable of which is
Baghdad on the Wabash. Published fiction includes a thriller,A Bridge
to Treachery, a mystery novel Missing Girls: In Truth Is Justice, and an
anthology of short plays and stories, Baghdad on the Wabash and Other
Plays and Stories. He lives with his wife Jan in splendid isolation on
Southport Island, Maine.
Books from the Backlog is a fun way to feature some of those
neglected books sitting on your bookshelf unread. If you are anything
like me, you might be surprised by some of the unread books hiding in
your stacks.
When Peter Fisher sets out for school one morning, he has no idea that trouble is stirring in his hometown. With the unexpected arrival of his new Candonite friends from Maple Town, Peter and Lina have extra help saving their beloved town and loved ones from the clutches of the one villain they had hoped they would never see again. Humorous and thought provoking, this unforgettably entertaining story teaches a valuable lesson about standing up and facing one’s fears.
I added this to Goodreads on 10.12.12 but picked it up on Amazon on 12.22.12. I have read some of her work and loved it, so this was a no brainer. If the kiddos need some reading material, I think they will enjoy Crystal Marcos’ Bellyache series.
Books from the Backlog is a fun way to feature some of those
neglected books sitting on your bookshelf unread. If you are anything
like me, you might be surprised by some of the unread books hiding in
your stacks.
When Peter Fisher sets out for school one morning, he has no idea that trouble is stirring in his hometown. With the unexpected arrival of his new Candonite friends from Maple Town, Peter and Lina have extra help saving their beloved town and loved ones from the clutches of the one villain they had hoped they would never see again. Humorous and thought provoking, this unforgettably entertaining story teaches a valuable lesson about standing up and facing one’s fears.
This is not the first book Crystal Marcos’ that I have gotten my hands on and I do enjoy her writing. She writes more than children’s books. I have also read Novus, her science fiction novel and loved it. Guess that shows and author doesn’t need to be locked into one genre. Have you ever been disappointed when an author switched or added other genres to their repertoire?
Beware. These are not your nice and gentle, pretty merpeople, but HE stands out from the rest, at least in Alex’s eyes.
She doesn’t know…
He’s forbidden to tell…
Could the old legends be true?
Is there one special woman, waiting for him to find her?
Could she be human?
It’s hard to come up with new and unusual moments in a familiar tale, but Alice Renaud succeeded. I was quickly drawn in by the world and characters. Some hot romance is in order and, even though it was heavy, it was also sweet and innocent. I loved this wonderful adventure in Alice Renaud’s fantasy world. An easy read and it left me wanting more. Just proves, predictable can be very enjoyable.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of A Merman’s Choice by Alice Renaud.
4 Stars
For centuries the shape-shifting mermen of
the Morvann Islands have lived incognito among humans. But one of them, Yann,
has developed some bad habits. Like rescuing humans, even when doing so risks
revealing his true nature. When he fishes Alex out of the sea, he doesn’t
expect her to reappear eight months later, and turn his life upside down by
asking him to be her guide.
Alex is determined to fulfill a promise to her
dying grandmother, by gathering pictures and stories of the Morvanns. But she
soon discovers that, on these remote Welsh islands, legends have a habit of
becoming true!
Over the course of a few days, Yann and Alex grow
close. But some mermen hate humans. Their hostility, and Yann’s secret,
threaten to tear the couple apart just as they are discovering that they are
soul mates. Can Yann overcome the obstacles in his path and make the right
choice?
I immediately began reading Music for a Merman by Alice Renaud, after finishing Book I, A Merman’s Choice. I was so enchanted with the world Alice created, I had to know what comes next. I love that, without looking at the blurbs, I anticipated it would be Rob Regan’s story to be told next and I am really looking forward to it.
Rob Regan is a rookie cop….and a merman. A warrior of the Regan Clan.
A woman, lying the in the middle of the road, right in front of a digger that is part of a development that many in St-Sulien opposed. I love how Alice Renaud incorporated our current social media and click happy culture. These touches of realism add those elements that make a book special to me.
Oh yeah. I am buckling my seatbelt for a bumpy ride, when I visualized Charlie’s seductive smile. I think Rob will have his hands full and I anticipate some laughs along with some lovin’.
I love that Alice Renaud created characters that are opposite of the characters in Book I, A Merman’s Choice. It keeps the stories fresh and exciting. I do love a spunky, flirtatious, snarky girl having fun with the shy, naive, hunkalicious cop.
Even though I know where we’re going, Alice Renaud throws in a surprise or two along the way to a happy ever after.
Who’s next? We have done two of the three clans, so I foresee someone from the Dooran Clan being spotlighted next.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Music for a Merman by Alice Renaud.
4 Stars
“Rob Regor knew that humans were trouble.
All the shape-shifting mermen of the Morvann Islands knew it. And human women
were double trouble, especially when they were lying on the road in front of a
digger.”
Rob has a mission. Go to the mainland. Work as a
policeman. Find out as much as possible about the mainland humans. Report back
to his father, the head of the Regor Clan. It should be easy.
Until he has to arrest Charlie. Rob can’t fight his
attraction to the sexy eco-warrior, and it puts him on one hell of a collision
course with his family and his Clan. Will he break the rules – or break her
heart, and his?
Unfortunately, I got behind. Hurricane Sally came through with a vengeance and we were without power for five days. I WILL get to this ASAP, because I do LOVE my merpeople.
Caltha the fierce shape shifting
mermaid has no time for romance… but Jonty the warlock has a few tricks up his
sleeve!
Caltha Dooran is the
toughest, fiercest shape-shifting mermaid in the western seas. She has three
Clans to rule, and no time for romance. But when a warlock, Jonty, turns up and
asks her to come with him to London to capture a water monster, she can’t say
no. In London, away from her duties, her attraction for Jonty grows… and they
soon fall under each other’s spell. But will his past and her responsibilities
pull them apart, or can they find the only true magic, the one that binds two
souls together?
Alice lives in London, UK, with her husband and son. By day she’s a compliance manager for a pharmaceutical company. By night she writes fantasy romance about shape shifting mermen, water monsters and time-travelling witches. Her first book, “A Merman’s Choice,” was published in January 2019 by Black Velvet Seductions. It is the first book in a fantasy romance trilogy inspired by the landscapes and legends of Brittany and Wales. The second book, “Music for a Merman,” is out now and the third, “Mermaids Marry in Green,” will be released on 1 November. Alice has also written a short story, “The Sweetest Magic of All,” included in the BVS “Mystic Desire” anthology, out now. Alice loves reading and writing stories, and sharing them with anyone who’s interested!
I got the idea and the motivation to start doing Tackling The TBR from All The Book Blog Names Are Taken. It has helped me to keep track of my reading shelf as far as current events and I also started doing a post for Books From The Backlog, from Carole’s Random Life in Books, to tidy up my shelves. I feel better about my out of control TBR and have even knocked off a couple of those old ones that had been hanging around for years. COME ON….JOIN IN.
I have missed sharing my TBR post, so this is three weeks worth.
Happy Monday everyone and welcome back to Music Monday! Let’s share some songs we’ve been enjoying lately! If you would like to play, and I really hope you do, please see the rules and link up below HERE
Good Morning…In the last weeks, Mr Wonderful was on vacation, then Hurricane Sally dropped in for a prolonged visit, so he was off another week. It was a good thing, because we were without power for five days and there was a ton of clean up. Thanks goodness the damage was only outside and an insurance adjuster will be around today to assess the damage. I will be sharing a Hurricane Sally post as soon as I can get my act together. I hope everyone on the Gulf Coast made it out unscathed.
Sometimes I wonder if the end is near…Covid, fires, hurricanes, tornadoes, protests, uncontrolled police force…I fear, here in the US, it is going to get much worse, before it gets better, considering the nasty political climate and the upcoming election.
Oh, to be an ostrich, burying my head in the sand…or wherever I can find a place to hide.
That being said, I hope you had the best week possible and wish you another good week.
