“We’re having a brie and raspberry appetizer washed down with champagne, seared duck breast with wine sauce, rice pilaf, and a butter leaf lettuce salad. For dessert, there’s brownies with bacon bits.”
“Honey,” Al said, kissing her again, “it all sounds delicious. But in the future, ya’ probably better go back to hamburgers and real men food, huh?”
“Why is that?”
Al pulled two wine glasses from the cabinet, lifted the half-empty bottle of wine that was sitting on the counter next to the stove and poured them each a glass. He handed one to Cassie. “Spike an’ Red gonna’ turn their noses up at all this fancy stuff like we’re havin’ tonight. Either that, or they’ll be gettin’ all uppity and expectin’ it all the time.”
Cassie sipped her wine. “I can arrange hamburgers for the dogs, no problem. By the way, I spoke to DeeDee about the trip you mentioned. You know, the one to the Cayman Islands. She’s definitely interested She’s going to ask Jake about possible dates and let me know.”
“That’s good. It’ll be nice to spend some time with ‘em. Got plenty of room at my place in the Caribbean for all of us. Ima lookin’ forward to some downtime.”
“Really?” Cassie raised an eyebrow. “I’m not sure you understand the meaning of the word. I know I can’t wait to sample some of the local cuisine. Strictly off-duty, no reviews involved. I’ll leave it to DeeDee to pick up a few recipes while we’re there. She never switches off when it comes to food.”
Al gazed into Cassie’s eyes. “Sounds like a plan. No work on this trip. Just rest, relaxation, and plenty of sun and sailin’. Deal?”
“No murder investigations?”
“Definitely no murder investigations.”
Cassie’s face lit up. “Then, you have yourself a deal. I love you, Al De Duco.” She snuggled closer to him.
Al put his arms around her and wondered at the twists and turns that had brought him to this point in his life. “And I, you, Mrs. De Duco. Ain’t got no idea how I lucked out to find myself with such a wonderful wife and a joyful home. Ya’ make me the happiest I’ve ever been. Thank you, sweetheart.”
Spike rubbed against his ankles, and Red walked over to join them. Al chuckled. “Did I mention ‘bout hangin’ out with two of the best dogs in the world? It just keeps gettin’ better.”
RECIPES
THE ULTIMATE PATTY MELT FOR TWO
Ingredients:
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 cups yellow onion, cut in ¼” slices
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp. ketchup
1 tbsp. sweet relish
1/8 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
¼ cup mayonnaise
Dash of cayenne
8 oz. hamburger (85/15% fat)
2 tbsp. butter, melted
4 slices rye bread (corn, Jewish, dark, whatever you prefer)
4 slices American cheese
4 slices Swiss cheese
Directions:
In a medium sauté pan, heat the vegetable oil over medium-low heat. Add the onions, sugar, and apple cider vinegar. Cook the onion, stirring occasionally for 30 minutes, until the onions begin to look like jam.
While the onions are cooking, make the patty melt sauce. In a small bowl combine the mayonnaise, ketchup, relish, Worcestershire sauce, and cayenne. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
Divide the hamburger into two halves. Shape the burgers to fit the shape of the bread, sort of an oval or oblong shape. Cook them on the BBQ grill or in a frying pan for approximately 3 minutes each side, or to taste.
Assembly:
Assemble the first patty melt by spreading 1/4 of the melted butter on one side of the rye bread. Place the buttered side down on a cutting board and place 2 slices of American cheese on the unbuttered side (there may be some overlap.) Place 1 of the burgers on top of the cheese, followed by half the sauce, half the onions, and 2 slices of Swiss cheese. Top the patty melt with a slice of rye bread and spread 1/4 of the melted butter on it. Repeat process for second patty melt.
Place the patty melts in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Using the flat side of a spatula, press them down. Cook about 1 minute, and then carefully flip them over, cooking another minute or until golden brown. Remove, cut in half and serve. Enjoy!
NOTE: Grilled peaches go great with these.
GRILLED PEACHES ON THE BBQ
Ingredients:
2 peaches (Ripened and just barely soft. Usually 2-3 days after purchased.)
4 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tbs. olive oil
Directions:
Cut peaches in half, lengthwise. Remove the pit. Spoon out the red material and discard, leaving yellow flesh of peach with hollowed-out pocket. Do not remove skin. Mix brown sugar and cinnamon together in a small dish.
Brush a light coat of olive oil on the flesh side of peaches and place flesh side down on hot BBQ grill for 4 minutes. Using a large metal long handled kitchen spoon, gently turn the peaches over so the skin side is down. Cook 5 more minutes.
After peaches have been turned over, place 1 tablespoon of brown sugar mixture in the hollowed-out pocket of each peach half and continue cooking until mixture melts. Keep lid down on BBQ. Gently remove peaches with a large spoon, being very careful not to spill the melted mixture. Plate and enjoy!
NOTE: The melted mixture is very hot and will burn your mouth. Be careful!
SEARED DUCK BREAST W/CHERRY WINE SAUCE
Ingredients:
4 5-6 oz. skin on, duck breast halves (Available frozen at Whole Foods or
order online from Marysduck.com)
2 tbsp. butter, divided
1 large shallot, peeled and finely chopped
¼ cup chicken stock
15 red cherries, pits removed, halved
4 tbsp. red wine
1 tbsp. honey
1 tsp. balsamic vinegar
4 tbsp. brown sugar (If you prefer a sweeter sauce, use more.)
1 tsp. fresh rosemary, finely chopped
2 tbsp. cherry preserves
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Cornstarch (1/4 tsp. if needed)
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Sauce:
Start the sauce 20 minutes before you start cooking the duck. You can hold the sauce until the duck is cooked. In a small saucepan heat 1 tbsp. butter over medium heat and cook the chopped shallot until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute. Add chicken stock, cherries, red wine, honey, balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, rosemary, and cherry preserves. Bring to a gentle boil over medium high heat until the sauce is reduced by half and becomes glazed. Cut about half of the cherry halves in half with scissors. Add all of the cherries to the sauce. Stir often for 10 minutes, reducing heat as sauce thickens. If not thick enough, mix ¼ tsp. cornstarch with about 1 tbsp. water and slowly add mixture to sauce to thicken it. Remove from heat, add 2 tbsp. butter and swirl around until dissolved. Return to stovetop and turn heat to very low. Keep warm until ready to serve.
Duck:
Place duck breast halves between 2 sheets of plastic wrap. Pound lightly to even thickness (about ½ to ¾ inch). Discard plastic wrap. Using a sharp knife with a thin blade, score skin in ¾” wide diamond pattern (don’t cut into the flesh) by making 4 – 5 passes in each direction. The knife forms the diamond pattern. This can be done up to 8 hours before cooking. If doing ahead keep in refrigerator until 1 hour before cooking.
Melt 1 tbsp. butter in a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Lightly salt and pepper duck. Add duck, skin side down, to skillet and cook until skin is browned and crisp, about 5 minutes. Turn duck breasts over and reduce heat to medium. Cook until browned and to desired doneness, about 4 minutes longer for small breasts and 8 minutes for larger breasts for medium-rare. Remove from skillet, tent with foil, and let rest 5 minutes. (If you slice the duck too early, the juice will run out.
)
Thinly slice duck. Fan slices out on plates. Spoon sauce over the slices and serve. Enjoy!
JULIE’S CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
Ingredients:
½ cup rolled oats, regular or quick
2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. cinnamon
1 cup butter, room temperature
¾ cup brown sugar, firmly packed
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. lemon juice
2 eggs
3 cups semisweet chocolate chips
Parchment paper
Optional: 1 ½ cups chopped walnuts
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cover 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Place the rolled oats in a food processor or blender and process until finely ground. Combine oats, flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a mixing bowl.
In another bowl cream the butter, sugars, vanilla, and lemon juice together using an electric mixer. Add eggs and beat until fluffy. Stir the flour mixture into the egg mixture, blending well. Add the chocolate chips and nuts, if desired, and mix well. Make balls with about ¼ cup of dough for each cookie and place 2 ½ inches apart on the prepared cookie sheet. Bake until cookies are lightly browned, 16 – 18 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
ULTIMATE TOMATO SALAD
Ingredients:
10 leaves of lettuce
2 ripe tomatoes, chilled in refrigerator a few hours before serving
5 slices bacon, fried crisp and crumbled
2 tbsp. blue cheese
Blue cheese dressing (I like Bob’s Big Boy.)
Directions:
Divide the lettuce and place on two salad plates. Slice the tomatoes, discarding the ends. Arrange the tomatoes on the lettuce. Spoon desired amount of dressing on the tomatoes. Scatter bacon and blue cheese on top. Enjoy!
*****
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ABOUT DIANNE
I live in Huntington Beach, California, with my husband, Tom, a former California State Senator, and my boxer dog, Kelly. My passions are cooking, reading, and dogs, so whenever I have a little free time, I am either in the kitchen, playing with Kelly in the back yard, or curled up with the latest book I'm reading.
Her other books are available below:
Amazon: Blue Coyote Motel
Amazon: Coyote in Provence
Amazon: Cornered Coyote
Amazon: Coyote Series
Amazon: Kelly’s Koffee Shop
Amazon: Murder at Jade Cove
Amazon: White Cloud Retreat
Amazon: Marriage and Murder
Amazon: Murder in Cottage #6
Amazon: Murder in the Pearl District
Amazon: Murder and Brandy Boy
Amazon: Murder in Calico Gold
Amazon: The Death Card
Amazon: Murder at The Cooking School
Amazon: Murder & The Monkey Band
Amazon: Murder at The Bed & Breakfast
Amazon: Murder at The Secret Cave
Amazon: Murder in Cuba
Amazon: The Blue Butterfly
Amazon: Trouble at the Kennel
Amazon: Murdered by Words
Amazon: Murdered by Country Music
Amazon: Murder at the Big T Lodge
Amazon: Murdered in Argentina
Amazon: Murder on the East Coast
Amazon: Murder at the Clinic
Amazon: Murder at the Polo Club
Amazon: Alexis
Amazon: Trouble at the Animal Shelter
Amazon: Murder in Calistoga
Amazon: Murder on Bainbridge Island
Amazon: Murder & The Movie Star
Amazon: Murder in Whistler
Amazon: Murdered by Plastic Surgery
Amazon: Murder in Seattle
Amazon: Murder after Midnight
Amazon: Murder in San Francisco
Amazon: Murder at Le Bijou Bistro
Amazon: Murder at the Courthouse
Amazon: Murder at the Gallery
Amazon: Murder at the Waterfront
Amazon: Murder at the Gearhart
Amazon: Murdered by Superstition
Amazon: Red Zero 1
Amazon: Red Zero 2
Amazon: Red Zero 3
Amazon: The Professor’s Predicament
Amazon: Murder & Food Porn
Please feel free to follow me on these social media sites:
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Murder and Food Porn: A Northwest Cozy Mystery (Northwest Cozy Mystery Series Book 8) Page 13