“I think I have competition,” Libby laughed. “She’s never that happy to see me.”
“No worries, Libby Marshall…you’ll always be my leading lady,” Jack said, picking up where they’d been interrupted, mid-kiss.
The End
Mariposa Beach Café Recipes
Mimi’s Cranberry-Orange Scones*
Ingredients:
2 cups (10 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
½ cup granulated sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
2 tablespoons Turbinado sugar (sugar in the raw)
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon table salt
1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, very cold
Orange zest from 1 medium sized orange
½ tablespoon fresh squeezed orange juice
Heavy cream up to 1 cup
1 egg (for egg wash)
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
Handful of dried cranberries
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and place a rack in the middle. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or use a silicone baking mat.
In a large bowl combine the flour, sugars, baking powder, and salts. Whisk for about 10 seconds.
Set aside.
Cut the butter into small pieces, then cut the pieces into the flour mixture using your fingers, a fork, or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment on low speed. Add orange zest. Once the flour and butter clump together when pinched slowly, add the ½ tablespoon of the orange juice and then begin to slowly add the cream a little at a time while turning the dough. Stop when the dough easily forms a ball - you may not need to use all of the cream.
The dough should feel light and barely moist. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and add a small handful of dried cranberries to the dough as you are kneading the dough and shape into a square that’s about ¾ inch thick.
Cut the square from corner to corner twice to make triangles.
Mix the egg and vanilla together in a small bowl. Brush each scone with the wash.
Place the scones on the prepared baking sheet and sprinkle the top with granulated sugar.
Bake for about 15 minutes or until lightly browned on the sides and golden across the top. Cool for 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
*Sweet Emotions Desserts
Mariposa Café Chicken Andouille Gumbo
Make a dark brown roux with ½ cup flour and ½ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
Add:
1 red bell pepper, cut in 1 inch chunks
1 green bell pepper, cut in 1 inch chunks
1 carrot, cut in ¼ inch slices
2 stems celery, cut in ¼ inch slices
3 large garlic cloves, minced
Cook over medium heat until vegetables soften. Stir often.
Add:
1 pound frozen cut okra
1-15 ounce can diced tomatoes
1 quart chicken stock
1-1/2 pound mixed white and dark chicken cut into 1 inch chunks
1/4 pound Andouille sausage, sliced
1 tablespoon Creole seasoning
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon salt
Bring to a boil, then simmer for 60 minutes
Serve over ½ white and ½ wild rice.
A Note from the Author
Thank you for reading Murder in Mariposa Beach, my first book in the Mariposa Café Mystery Series. I hope you enjoyed reading about Libby and the fun and quirky characters in Mariposa Beach, Florida as much as I have enjoyed creating them.
When I went back to college in my fifties, I decided to follow my passion instead of what I “should” do. So, I got a degree in creative writing instead of continuing down the healthcare administration and informatics path. My senior thesis included writing three interconnected short stories. Thus, Libby, David, Mimi and the other residents of Mariposa Beach were created. After successfully defending my thesis and graduating, I wanted their stories to continue. Murder in Mariposa Beach is the result.
If you enjoyed the book, please consider writing a review on Amazon or Goodreads, even if it’s just a sentence or two. Word-of-mouth is the best way for authors to grow readership and for other readers to find my books. Your reviews are important and are so appreciated. If you give the recipes a try, let me know how you like them, too. They are both delicious.
You can connect with me on Facebook at Teresa Michael.
Happy Reading. I’m busy working on Libby’s next adventure, one that will rock her world and change her life forever!
Teresa Michael
November 2018
Acknowledgements
Thank you to the Sarasota Ex Libris book club, members past and present, for their continued support, encouragement and feedback. I love you all.
Thank you to my beta readers – Janet Fridh, Ann Godbold, Kathy McGarry, Pam Menard, Randy Salisbury, Sheila Smith, Judy Timmons, Rosemary Timoney, Trish Wharton, and Larry Michael. I appreciate your feedback and support along this journey.
Thank you to Rhys Bowen, Cajsa Baldini, and the ladies of the Minerva Muses. I will never forget the week in Tuscany. Thanks for the words of encouragement to help me work out the kinks in this story and finish it. We need a reunion!
Thanks to the Inkylinks Writer’s group for the excellent suggestions, editing and accepting me into the fold.
Thank you to Tonia Thompson from Sweet Emotions Desserts for Mimi’s delicious cranberry-orange scones. Thank you to Larry Michael for Mimi’s soup du jour – chicken gumbo.
Thank you to my editor, DD Scott from Let Love Glow Author Services, for getting me started and helping me along on this publishing journey.
Thank you to my children, who inspire me every day --- those that I birthed (Becky, Tina, and Jeremy) and those that I married (Eric, Heidi, and Sean).
Thank you to my husband, Larry Michael, for his support, first draft editing, honest feedback, and love.
About the Author
Teresa Michael’s professional career is in health information management and technology and she is currently the Director of Health Information Management at a large health care system in Florida. She returned to college in her fifties, and instead of following the healthcare informatics path, she followed her passion and earned a degree in Creative Writing from Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, FL.
Teresa has always loved a good mystery and has turned her love of writing and mystery stories into her first mystery novel. She likes to read and belongs to a book club whose members have pushed her out of her comfort zone into enjoying all genres, though a good mystery is still her first choice.
She loves to travel and has visited forty-nine states having spent nine years on the road working for a healthcare software vendor. She also spent many years as the Team Manager of the U.S. Archery team for the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia and the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia as well as other international tournaments all over the world.
She lives in Sarasota, Florida with her husband and two cats, Lily and Lido. She enjoys visiting her children and grandchildren and loves spending time with her family creating new memories. She’s busy working on the next Mariposa Café mystery and planning her next trip, hopefully to that fiftieth state.
Photo Credit: Rebecca Turgeon Photography
Books by Teresa Michael
Mariposa Café Mysteries
Murder in Mariposa Beach
Deception in Mariposa Beach --- Coming Soon!
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