Claws for Alarm
Page 17
* * *
I had just finished a Kate Baray mystery and was about to drift off on the back porch when I heard my name. I looked up to see John walking up from the dock, looking every bit the L.L. Bean model in his jeans, with a green Henley shirt that matched his eyes.
"How's the patient?" he asked as I raised a hand to shield my eyes from the sun.
"Taking it easy, as ordered," I said.
"That's a refreshing change of pace," he said, kissing the top of my head lightly. "It's been an exciting day on the island," he said, settling into the chair next to mine.
"Tell me," I said.
"Well, Charlene is on cloud nine since Alex surprised her by inviting her to be his companion on a two-week cruise in Alaska," he said.
"What? And she's going?"
"He apologized for his bad behavior, and she's willing to give him a second chance."
"I'm still not sure what I think of Alex, but at least maybe she won't move to Portland," I said. "Any word on Murray and the pier?"
"I talked with my mom about that just a little while ago," he said. "She and Murray are patching things up, and he's promised to let the project go."
"What happened?"
"Turns out Mr. Suave was romancing at least one other lady at the same time," he said. "My mother was leaving the grocery store in Northeast Harbor yesterday when she spotted him canoodling with one of the summer people at the bakery down the street."
"She was seeing two people, too," I pointed out.
"Actually, she wasn't," John said. "She'd told Murray they were taking a break before she started seeing the yacht guy."
"Did she? I'm glad she was honest about it."
"She called it off with him when he was being mulish about the pier. She just didn't want to rub her new beau in his face."
"That was kind of her," I said. "I'm glad she's getting things squared away." I stretched, enjoying the feel of the northern sun on my arms and legs. The parts that weren't bandaged anyway. I wondered how big a scar I'd have, then decided not to worry about it; I was lucky just to have a scar, after all. Things could have been a lot worse. "So we've got Claudette safe on the island again, Rainy's recovering, Charlene's planning on staying, and the pier project is on hold. Now the only thing we need to do is get Gwen and Adam's wedding taken care of."
"Adam told me they set a date," he said. "They're getting hitched in October, caterer or no caterer." He grinned at me. "How are you at baking wedding cakes?"
"I guess we'll find out," I said as he reached over and grabbed my hand. We were about to kiss when the sound of voices floated to us.
"Yoga retreat," John said. "Bad timing."
"We can always head inside," I said.
"I think that's an offer I can't refuse," he said with a smile that made my insides turn over, and I followed him inside, closing the door behind me.
* * *
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* * *
The Dewberry Farm Mysteries
Killer Jam
Fatal Frost
Deadly Brew
Mistletoe Murder
Dyeing Season (Summer 2018)
* * *
The Gray Whale Inn Mysteries
Murder on the Rocks
Dead and Berried
Murder Most Maine
Berried to the Hilt
Brush With Death
Death Runs Adrift
Whale of a Crime
Claws for Alarm
Cookbook: The Gray Whale Inn Kitchen
Blueberry Blues (A Gray Whale Inn Short Story)
Pumpkin Pied (A Gray Whale Inn Short Story)
* * *
The Margie Peterson Mysteries
Mother’s Day Out
Mother Knows Best
Mother’s Little Helper
* * *
Tales of an Urban Werewolf
Howling at the Moon
On the Prowl
Leader of the Pack
Recipes
Natalie’s Sort-of-Guiltless (okay, Gluten-Free, Anyway) Flourless Chocolate Cake
Ingredients:
* * *
½ cup water
¼ tsp. salt
¾ cup white sugar
18 (1-oz.) squares bittersweet chocolate
1 cup unsalted butter
6 eggs
Directions:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees and grease one 10-inch round cake pan; set aside. Put a kettle on to boil (you'll need water to create the water bath in which you'll bake the cake). In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the water, salt, and sugar. Stir until completely dissolved and set aside.
* * *
Melt the bittersweet chocolate in the microwave or a double boiler and pour it into the bowl of an electric mixer. Cut the butter into pieces and beat it into the chocolate, one piece at a time. Beat in the hot sugar water. Slowly beat in the eggs, one at a time.
* * *
Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Place the cake pan in a pan that's a few inches larger than the cake pan and fill the larger pan with boiling water to halfway up the sides of the cake pan. Bake cake in the water bath at 300 degrees for 45 minutes (the center will still look wet).
* * *
Chill cake in the pan overnight. To unmold, dip the bottom of the cake pan in hot water for 10 seconds and invert onto a serving plate.
Velvety Lobster Bisque
Ingredients:
2 tbs. minced shallots
2 tbs. chopped green onions
3 garlic cloves, crushed
¼ cup white wine
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp. Tabasco sauce
1 tsp. dried thyme
6 tbs. dry sherry
1 tsp. paprika
1 cup lobster broth or 1 cup hot water and 1 tsp. lobster base (better than bouillon)
4 oz. tomato paste
2 bay leaves
2 cups heavy whipping cream
4 tbs. butter
½ lb. lobster meat, cut into small chunks
Directions:
* * *
In a sauté pan, heat a little oil over med-high heat and sauté shallots, onions, and garlic for one minute, until fragrant. Deglaze the pan with the white wine. Add the Worcestershire, Tabasco, and thyme and sauté for another minute. Deglaze the pan with the sherry, then add the paprika, hot water, and lobster base. Combine well, then stir in tomato paste and add the bay leaves. Simmer for 10 minutes. Whisk in heavy cream and the butter and bring to a boil, then add the lobster and simmer until cooked through.
* * *
Serve with crusty garlic bread. Serves 2–3
Gray Whale Inn Morning Glory Muffins
Ingredients:
1¼ cups packed brown sugar
3 eggs
½ cup melted butter
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups white whole wheat flour
2½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
2½ tsp. cinnamon
2 cups shredded carrots
½ cup raisins
1 cup chopped apples
Optional: Turbinado sugar, for topping
Directions:
* * *
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line muffin tin with paper liners or spray with cooking spray. In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, eggs, oil, butter, and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon, stirring with a fork until well mixed. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir just until combined. (Do not overmix.) Fold in carrots, raisins, and apples and divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle with Turbinado
sugar. Bake for 20 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center of muffin comes out clean. Makes one dozen muffins.
Avocados Stuffed with Crab Salad
Ingredients:
* * *
1 lb. cooked crabmeat
½ red onion, finely chopped
½ red bell pepper, finely diced
½ green bell pepper, finely diced
½ cucumber, finely diced
4 radishes, finely diced
Juice of 2 limes
2 tbs. olive oil
2 tbs. finely chopped cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste
4–5 ripe but firm avocados
½ lime
Lettuce or salad greens, cilantro leaves, chopped green onions or chives, radishes (to garnish)
* * *
Directions:
* * *
Crab salad
Mix the cooked crabmeat with diced onions, diced bell peppers, diced cucumbers, diced radish, lime juice, olive oil, chopped cilantro, and salt/pepper. (This can be prepared in advance and kept refrigerated until just ready to assemble the avocados.)
Avocados
Cut the avocados in half, remove the pits, and peel. Sprinkle each avocado half with a little lime juice to prevent the avocados from browning too quickly.
* * *
Fill the centers of the avocados halves with the crab salad. Serve the crab-stuffed avocados over lettuce leaves and garnished with chopped chives or green onions and radishes.
Eli’s Lemon Cookies
Ingredients:
* * *
1 cup butter, softened
1½ cups sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 tbs. lemon zest
1 tsp. vanilla
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. baking powder
2 cups flour
Lemon Glaze:
1½ cups powdered sugar
1 tbs. lemon juice
1 tbs. lemon zest
1 tbs. milk
¼ tsp. vanilla
* * *
Directions:
* * *
Cookies
* * *
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together, then add egg and beat well. Add lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla, and mix until well blended. Add salt, baking powder, and flour, and mix until well incorporated. Roll cookies into 1-inch balls and place on greased cookie sheet, spacing cookie dough balls about 2 inches apart. Bake at 350 degrees for 8–10 minutes or until lightly golden on the edges of cookies.
* * *
Glaze
* * *
Combine glaze ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk until smooth glaze is formed. Drizzle over cookies while still slightly warm. Cool completely before eating.
Bonus Recipe: Natalie’s (and my) Favorite Popovers
Tips:
1) Bake on the bottom rack of your oven (with room above for them to expand).
2) Use popover pans.
3) Don't open the oven until the baking time is over.
Ingredients:
* * *
4 eggs
2 cups milk (I use 1 percent)
2 cups flour
½ tsp. salt
1/6 tsp. baking soda
Note: I’ve read you should make the batter a day ahead of time, refrigerate it, and then let it return to room temperature, but I skipped the day-before thing. I did, however, let it warm up to room temperature.
Directions:
Preheat oven to 450. Break eggs into mixing bowl and whip; add milk and blend. Add remaining ingredients and mix until almost smooth; don't overbeat. Fill greased popover pans, muffin tins, or custard cups ¾ full.
* * *
Bake for 14 minutes at 450, then reduce heat to 350 and bake 15 minutes more. (Don't open oven until baking is complete!) They'll be crispy brown on the outside and moist on the inside at this point; remove them from the pans and serve with butter and strawberry preserves. (Jordan Pond House uses Stonewall brand: I looked in the gift shop.)
Bonus Recipe: Blueberry French Toast
Ingredients:
French Toast
12 slices day-old white bread, crusts removed
2 pkgs. (8-oz. each) cream cheese
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
12 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups 2 percent milk
⅓ cup maple syrup or honey
Blueberry Sauce
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
2 tbs. cornstarch
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
1 tbs. butter
Directions:
Bread Pudding
* * *
Cut bread into 1-inch cubes and place half in a greased 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Cut cream cheese into 1-inch cubes; place over bread. Top with blueberries and remaining bread cubes.
* * *
Whisk the eggs, milk, and syrup in a large bowl and pour over bread mixture. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Remove baking dish from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 25–30 minutes longer or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
* * *
Blueberry Sauce
* * *
Combine the sugar, water, and cornstarch in a small saucepan and stir until smooth. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then cook and stir until thickened, approximately 3 minutes. Stir in blueberries and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until berries burst, 8–10 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in butter. Serve over French toast.
* * *
Yield: 8 servings (1¾ cups sauce)
Killer Jam: Chapter One
Please enjoy a peek at the first book in the Dewberry Farm mysteries, featuring Natalie’s college roommate Lucy Resnick!
* * *
I’ve always heard it’s no use crying over spilled milk. But after three days of attempting to milk Blossom the cow (formerly Heifer #82), only to have her deliver a well-timed kick that deposited the entire contents of my bucket on the stall floor, it was hard not to feel a few tears of frustration forming in the corners of my eyes.
Stifling a sigh, I surveyed the giant puddle on the floor of the milking stall and reached for the hose. I’d tried surrounding the bucket with blocks, holding it in place with my feet—even tying the handle to the side of the stall with a length of twine. But for the sixth straight time, I had just squeezed the last drops from the teats when Blossom swung her right rear hoof in a kind of bovine hook kick, walloping the top of the bucket and sending gallons of the creamy white fluid spilling across both the concrete floor and my boots. I reprimanded her, but she simply tossed her head and grabbed another mouthful of the feed I affectionately called “cow chow.”
She looked so unassuming. So velvety-nosed and kind, with big, long-lashed eyes. At least she had on the day I’d selected her from the line of cows for sale at the Double-Bar Ranch. Despite all the reading I’d done on selecting a heifer, when she pressed her soft nose up against my cheek, I knew she belonged at Dewberry Farm. Thankfully, the rancher I’d purchased her from had seemed more than happy to let her go, extolling her good nature and excellent production.
He’d somehow failed to mention her phobia of filled buckets.
Now, as I watched the tawny heifer gamboling into the pasture beside my farmhouse, kicking her heels up in what I imagined was a cow’s version of the middle finger, I took a deep breath and tried to be philosophical about the whole thing. She still had those big brown eyes, and it made me happy to think of her in my pasture rather than the cramped conditions at Double-Bar Ranch. And she’d only kicked the milk bucket, not me.
Despite the farm’s growing pains, as I turned toward the farmhouse, I couldn’t help but smile. After fifteen years of life in Houston, I now lived in a century-old yellow farmhouse—the one I’d dreamed of owning my whole life—with ten acres of rollin
g pasture and field, a peach orchard, a patch of dewberries, and a quaint, bustling town just up the road. The mayor had even installed a Wi-Fi transmitter on the water tower, which meant I could someday put up a website for the farm. So what if Blossom was more trouble than I’d expected, I told myself. I’d only been a dairy farmer for seventy-two hours; how could I expect to know everything?
In fact, it had only been six months since my college roommate, Natalie Barnes, had convinced me to buy the farm that had once belonged to my grandparents. Natalie had cashed in her chips a few years back and bought an inn in Maine, and I’d never seen her happier. With my friend’s encouragement, I’d gone after the dream of reliving those childhood summers, which I’d spent fishing in the creek and learning to put up jam at my grandmother’s elbow.
It had been a long time since those magical days in Grandma Vogel’s steamy, deliciously scented kitchen. I’d spent several years as a reporter for the Houston Chronicle, fantasizing about a simpler life as I wrote about big-city crime and corruption. As an antidote to the heartache I’d seen in my job, I’d grown tomatoes in a sunny patch of the backyard, made batches of soap on the kitchen stove, and even kept a couple of chickens until the neighbors complained.