My test kitchen has been incredible—all volunteers, all wonderful cooks, all sharing in the responsibility of making these recipes work. For Wedding Cake, specifically, I was blessed by the talents of Whit Larson, Lisa Swinton (Fallen Angel, Createspace, 2014), Danyelle Ferguson (Sweet Confections, Wonderstruck Books, 2014), Megan O’Niell, Laree Ipson, Annie Funk, and Sandra Sorenson. With each book I’ve requested more and more help with recipes, and I appreciate all the contributions toward this final volume. They provided several more which will be available in the cookbook.
In addition to my cooks, I had some recipe help from a few others. I fell in love with my sister-in-law’s homemade noodle recipe; thank you, Crystal Schofield, for allowing me to include it in the book. I borrowed the Rice Pudding recipe from The Lion House Cookbook as I have made the recipe for many years and never found one better. The triple chocolate cake is another recipe I have made for years, thanks to Joyce Elliott, and Lenny Barker gave me the recipe for lemon water and shared her father’s experience with it regarding kidney stones. Frikadeles with Ruskumsnuz was the favorite recipe of a past resident at one of my husband’s Assisted Living Facilities. I was able to find his daughter, Brenda Wedgwood, who gave me permission to use it in a book and helped me understand its history.
My writing group was priceless throughout this series, helping me keep Sadie true to her character: Nancy Campbell Allen (Isabelle Webb series, Covenant, 2009–2013), Becki Clayson, (Disengaged, coming in 2015), Jody Durfee (Hadley, Hadley Benson, Covenant, 2013), Ronda Hinrichsen (Betrayed, Covenant, 2014), and Jennifer Moore (Becoming Lady Lockwood, Covenant, 2014). Thank you, thank you, thank you, ladies, for being so good to me.
Gregg Luke (Deadly Undertakings, Covenant, 2012) once again helped me with some pharmaceutical brilliance. As he likes to say, it’s nice to have a drug dealer on speed dial. J
And finally, my family. They are my happy place, my softness and my joy. My older daughters have become women through the course of this series, and while I hope that my writing is a blessing to them, I know that it has also at times interfered with them establishing their own identities. I want them to know how much I love them, how I regret any negatives left behind for them to balance, and how much I appreciate that, despite those hard things, they have supported and encouraged me. My youngest daughter read her first Sadie book not long ago, and her excitement at knowing I wrote the story will forever be imprinted on my heart.
As for my son—my favorite boy in the whole wide world—I am very grateful to have him as a fan even if he hasn’t read a single word.
My biggest fan has always been my sweetheart, Lee. From the time we first met, he has always seen the very best in me and helped me learn and grow in ways that fifteen-year-old girl could never have imagined. I owe him everything and am without words to express how grateful I am for his friendship and his love.
There are many things about the universe and this life that I do not understand, many questions I am still looking to answer, but there are a few things I know. I know that we are all children of a loving God who wants us to be the best we can be. I know that hardships refine us and that nothing is as good or as bad as it seems in the moment we find ourselves within it. I know there is purpose in my writing beyond the stories that come of it, and that my novels have been a part of me becoming who I am.
I believe in life missions. I believe in the power of families. I believe in the joy that pursuing our talents brings to our lives. And I believe in finding a purpose in life worthy of the difficulties and struggles and heartache that grow us into the people God sent us here to become. I am forever in debt to my Father in Heaven and my Savior, who have laid a path before me that has brought so much joy and peace into my life. May any achievements I make reflect well on Them.
About the Author
Josi S. Kilpack began her first novel in 1998. Her seventh novel, Sheep’s Clothing, won the 2007 Whitney Award for Mystery/Suspense and was the Best of State Fiction Winner in 2012. Wedding Cake is Josi’s twenty-second novel and the twelfth book in the Sadie Hoffmiller Culinary Mystery Series. Josi currently lives in Willard, Utah, with her husband and children.
For more information about Josi, you can visit her website at www.josiskilpack.com, read her blog at www.josikilpack.blogspot.com, or contact her via e-mail at [email protected].
Author’s Warning
It’d be a crime to miss the rest of the series . . .
Available online and at a bookstore near you.
Available on audio.
ISBN 978-1-60641-050-9
$17.99
ISBN 978-1-60908-903-0
$18.99
by Josi S. Kilpack
www.shadowmountain.com • www.josiskilpack.com
ISBN 978-1-60641-121-6
$17.99
ISBN 978-1-60907-170-7
$18.99
ISBN 978-1-60641-232-9
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ISBN 978-1-60907-328-2
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ISBN 978-1-60641-813-0
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ISBN 978-1-60907-593-4
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ISBN 978-1-60641-941-0
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ISBN 978-1-60907-787-7
$18.99
ISBN 978-1-60908-745-6
$18.99
Don’t Miss
Sadie’s Little Black Recipe Book
A Culinary Mystery Cookbook
by Josi S. Kilpack
All the recipes from all of the books!
More than 120 recipes
ISBN 978-1-62972-020-3 • $15.99
Available in bookstores and online
Recipes
Rice Pudding
1½ cups milk
1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 tablespoon cornstarch
½ teaspoon salt
⅔ cup sugar
2 cups cooked rice
Dash of nutmeg
Dash of cinnamon
Dash of cloves
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ cup raisins (optional)
In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, combine milks and cook 10 minutes, stirring constantly until scalded. Be careful not to let milks boil. (You can also heat milks in a microwave-safe bowl for approximately 1½ minutes.)
Crack eggs into a small bowl and mix with a fork. Set aside.
In a 3-quart saucepan, whisk together cornstarch, salt, and sugar. Add hot milk mixture, whisking constantly until well blended. Reduce heat to medium and stir consistently until mixture thickens slightly. (It’s okay if it comes to a boil, but reduce heat if mixture becomes frothy and risks boiling over.)
Trade whisk for a wooden spoon and add rice. Bring to a full boil, stirring consistently. Remove from heat.
Pour approximately ½ cup of the hot mixture into the eggs, stirring rapidly to combine. Return egg mixture to hot milk and rice mixture and stir until mixture thickens. If the mixture doesn’t thicken within a minute or two, return to heat for another minute. Stir in spices and vanilla. Adjust spices to taste. Add raisins, if desired.
Pudding can be served warm or chilled. Store leftovers in the fridge.
Note: To plump raisins, either put them in a colander over a pan of boiling water or put them in a microwave-safe bowl, cover with water, and heat for 30 seconds; drain.
Note: This recipe works great with cold rice from the fridge.
Makes 6 servings.
Annie’s Savory Cheese Blintzes
1 cup flour
½ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup sour cream
1 cup cottage cheese
1 tablespoon sugar
4 eggs, well beaten
Heat griddle to medium-low (245 degrees F. on an electric griddle). In a large bowl, mix the first four ingredients together with a fork until combined. Add the remaining
ingredients; use the fork to mix well. Batter will be lumpy.
Drop ¼ cup batter on hot griddle, using the back of a spoon or ladle to spread it out like a lumpy crepe. Cook 4 to 5 minutes on one side—watch for top to dry out—flip, and cook 3 to 4 minutes on the other side until the center is cooked through.
Note: You can cook blintzes in a preheated waffle iron. Use ¼ cup batter per well-greased square. Re-grease waffle iron between each batch to keep batter from sticking. Cook 5 to 6 minutes before removing blintzes from waffle iron.
Makes 10 blintzes.
Serve with savory or sweet garnishes, including:
Parmesan cheese
Salsa
Fresh tomatoes
Fresh basil, chopped
Balsamic vinegar
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Salsa
Ranch dressing
Ham
Bacon
Syrup
Jam
Fresh fruit
Fruit pie filling
Whipping cream
Triple Chocolate Cake
1 chocolate cake mix, any kind
1 (3.4-ounce) package instant chocolate pudding
1 cup sour cream
¾ cup vegetable oil
¾ cup water
1 (12-ounce) bag semisweet chocolate chips
4 eggs
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Put all ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix for nine minutes. Pour into a very well-greased Bundt cake pan. Bake 1 hour. Let cool in pan for 1 hour before removing. Store in refrigerator.
Though this cake does not require frosting—it is very sweet and very rich—it can be dusted with powdered sugar or drizzled with ganache for presentation purposes.
Note: This recipe adapts well to two standard loaf pans or six mini-loaf pans.
Makes 12 to 18 servings, depending on pan used.
Sadie’s Yummy Cheesecake
Crust
1½ cups graham cracker crumbs
⅓ cup white sugar
⅓ cup brown sugar
½ cup butter, softened
Filling
4 (8-ounce) packages of cream cheese, room temperature
¾ cup whipping cream*, room temperature
1⅔ cups white sugar
1½ teaspoon vanilla
2 large eggs, room temperature
⅓ cup cornstarch
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Set out the ingredients for the filling to allow them to come to room temperature.
Grease the bottom of a 9- or 10-inch spring form pan and wrap the bottom of the pan in tinfoil, which will protect the crust from the water bath later on.
Crust: In a large bowl, mix graham cracker crumbs and sugars. Add butter. Mix to a consistency like thick Play-Doh.
Press the crust mixture evenly into bottom of pan only (traditionally cheesecake does not have crust on the sides).
Bake for five minutes, or until the crumb mixture looks shiny. DO NOT OVERCOOK! Remove from oven, let cool a few minutes, and gently re-press crust.
Set crust aside to cool while you make the filling.
Filling: In a large bowl, mix the cream cheese and whipping cream until smooth. Add remaining ingredients and mix until the batter is smooth and creamy. Pour filling over crust until about one inch from the top of the pan. The cake will rise when cooking. Place cake pan in a water bath. (Use a jelly roll pan filled with about a half-inch of water. This helps to cook the cake evenly.)
Cook 1 to 1½ hours. Cheesecake is done when the top is golden brown and firm in center.
Let cool for 30 minutes, then refrigerate at least 3 hours; the longer the better. Serve plain or with your favorite toppings (nuts, cherries, apples, etc.).
Serves 16.
*Can substitute ½ cup half-and-half for whipping cream.
Note: Do not be tempted by Neufchâtel, light, or fat-free varieties. Outcome cannot be guaranteed if anything other than original cream cheese is used.
Danyelle’s Sweet Basil Rub for Chicken
2 tablespoons salt
2 teaspoons sugar
½ teaspoon granulated garlic
½ teaspoon granulated onion
½ teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons basil
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 whole chicken, rinsed, heart and neck removed
Move oven rack to the bottom third of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees F.
In a small bowl, mix salt, sugar, garlic, onion, paprika, and lemon juice. Add pepper, basil, and olive oil. Mix until well blended. Rub all over the outside and inside of chicken. Place chicken in 9x13-inch pan, breast side up. Bake uncovered for approximately 12 minutes per pound. Check doneness by pricking thighs to see if juices run clear.
Note: To use this rub for turkey, double the spices and cook turkey according to baking instructions.
Note: The drippings make excellent gravy.
Basil Chicken Stock
After removing as much meat as desired, put the chicken carcass in a large stockpot. Add a couple ribs of celery, a carrot, and a small onion, if desired. Add water until chicken is covered. Add a teaspoon of garlic salt. Cover pan and boil overnight on low heat.
The next morning, remove pan from heat and allow to cool. Strain out bones and vegetables. Stock can either be refrigerated for use within seven days, frozen (in zip-top bags or Tupperware) for up to two months, or home-bottled in a pressure canner according to processing directions.
Lemon-Almond Shortbread
1½ cups butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar, plus a little extra for sprinkling
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon almond extract
Zest from ½ a lemon
¼ teaspoon sea salt
3½ cups all-purpose flour
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together. Add the vanilla, almond extract, and lemon zest. Mix well. Add salt, then gradually add flour while mixing on medium-low speed. The dough mixture will be dry but should stick together when pressed. (If it’s too dry, add a teaspoon of milk.) Continue to beat until ingredients are well combined. Form dough into a ball, flatten, and cover with plastic wrap. Chill for 20 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Remove chilled dough and roll out on a lightly floured surface until it’s ½-inch thick. You can either cut it into fingers, circles, or use shaped cookie cutters. (A pizza cutter makes cutting dough a breeze.)
Place cookies on an ungreased baking sheet, 1-inch apart. Sprinkle cookies with sugar, then bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the edges just begin to brown. Let the cookies cool on baking sheet for 5 to 10 minutes before moving to cooling rack.
Makes about 30 finger shortbread cookies.
Note: Letting cookies overbake gives them a crispy texture and nutty flavor.
Lemon Water
6 cups water
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon lemon extract
1 teaspoon citric acid*
1½ to 2 cups ice (depending on the size of your pitcher)
Mix the first four ingredients until sugar is dissolved, about a minute. Before serving, add ice and stir.
Makes 2 quarts.
*Citric acid can usually be found in the pharmacy section or canning section of your local supermarket. Specialty kitchen markets and online resources are your best bet if your local store doesn’t carry it.
Note: If you leave out the citric acid, reduce sugar to ½ cup. It won’t be as good, though. You’ve been warned.
Rice Krispies Treats with Brown Butter
½ cup unsalted butter
1 (10-ounce) bag mini-marshmallows*
¼ teaspoon coarse sea salt or kosher salt
6 cups Rice Krispies
In a large, non-dark bottomed pan, melt butter over medium to medium-high heat. (The hotter the pan, the faster it will
brown and possibly scorch, so watch carefully if you choose the higher heat.) Stir frequently. Butter will foam, turn clear, and start to brown.
Once butter has browned, remove from heat and add marshmallows. Stir until marshmallows have melted. Add salt, mix. Add cereal, mix. Spread mixture into a buttered 9x13 pan. Coat hands in butter or nonstick cooking spray and press the treats firmly into pan. Let cool before serving.
Makes approximately 20 squares, depending on how you cut them.
*Because you are using the residual heat to melt the marshmallows, you must use mini-marshmallows. Full-sized marshmallows take too long to melt and need continual heat, which might burn your butter.
Note: Can use a 7-ounce jar of marshmallow cream in place of the mini-marshmallows.
Sadie’s No-Fuss Sugar Cookies
1 cup butter, softened
¾ cup sugar
1 egg
2½ to 3 cups all-purpose flour
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a large bowl, beat butter for 30 seconds. Add sugar and beat until combined. Add egg and beat until combined. Stir in 2½ cups flour until combined. Add additional flour slowly, a little at a time until a smooth dough forms; it should be soft but not sticky. Too much flour will result in a crumbly dough.
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