Drain tofu and seal in a plastic bag, then place the tofu in the freezer overnight. About 30 minutes before dinner, remove the tofu from the freezer and bring a pot of salted water to a boil. When the water is boiling, carefully submerge the tofu in the water and let it boil for 15 minutes. When done, carefully remove the tofu from the water with tongs and place on a plate or cutting board lined with paper towels. Lightly squeeze the block of tofu with paper towels to rid of excess water. Set aside to cool. (If you're marinating the tofu, do this about an hour before cooking to allow time for marinating.) Once the tofu has cooled, cut it into half-inch cubes.
* * *
Heat a large skillet over moderate heat and add a tablespoon of oil. Add the cubed tofu and sear for about five minutes on one side. After five minutes, or once the tofu has developed a golden crisp, carefully flip over and crisp up the other side and cook for another five minutes. When tofu is done, remove from heat, cover to keep warm, and set aside while you prepare the curry.
* * *
Curry
* * *
In a large saucepan bring 1/4 cup of water to a simmer over moderate heat. Add the minced onion, garlic, and fresh ginger. Stir to combine, and simmer for about 5 minutes or until the garlic is fragrant and the onions are translucent.
* * *
Add the sliced bell pepper and mushrooms, then add the red curry paste and stir until the vegetables are evenly coated.
* * *
Add the coconut milk, fish sauce, sambal oelek, lime juice, and lime zest. Stir until the curry paste has dissolved into the liquid and there are no clumps. Turn heat to low and let the curry simmer for 15 minutes.
* * *
Serve curry over rice. Top with crispy tofu and garnish with fresh Thai basil and sliced scallions.
Gray Whale Inn Breakfast Casserole
Ingredients:
1 pound mild ground pork sausage
1 pound hot ground pork sausage
1 (30-ounce) package frozen hash browns
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
6 large eggs
2 cups milk
Sliced avocado (optional)
Pico de gallo (optional)
Green onions (optional)
Sour cream (optional)
* * *
Instructions:
* * *
Preheat oven to 350°. Cook sausages in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring until sausage crumbles and is no longer pink. Drain well.
* * *
Prepare hash browns according to package directions, using 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper. Stir together hash browns, sausage, and cheese, and pour into a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish.
* * *
Whisk together eggs, milk, and remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Pour evenly over potato mixture and bake for 35 to 40 minutes.
* * *
If desired, top with sliced avocados, pico de gallo, and a dollop of sour cream and sprinkle with green onions.
Maple Walnut Coffee Cake
Ingredients:
* * *
Streusel:
* * *
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
* * *
Coffee Cake:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup whole milk
2 large eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon maple extract
8 ounces sour cream
* * *
Topping:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons maple syrup
* * *
Instructions:
* * *
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray the bottom of an 8-inch square pan with nonstick cooking spray.
* * *
Make the streusel:
* * *
In a small bowl, combine all of the streusel ingredients with a fork until crumbly.
* * *
Make the cake:
* * *
In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, brown sugar, and walnuts. In a small bowl, combine the maple syrup, oil, milk, eggs, and maple extract, then stir in the sour cream. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, then pour in the wet ingredients. Stir gently, until just combined.
* * *
Spoon half of the batter into the prepared pan, then sprinkle with half of the streusel. Spread the remaining batter over the streusel; sprinkle with the remaining streusel.
* * *
Bake for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 15-20 minutes.
* * *
Make the topping:
* * *
In a small bowl, combine the sugar and maple syrup until a thick, pourable icing forms. Drizzle over the warm cake.
* * *
Cut into squares and serve.
Sugar-topped Cranberry Muffins
Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 large eggs
2/3 cup orange juice
1/3 cup melted butter
1 cup cranberries, coarsely chopped
1 cup chopped walnuts
Turbinado sugar (for sprinkling)
* * *
Instructions:
* * *
Preheat oven to 375° and line 12 muffin cups. In a large bowl, combine flour, brown sugar and baking powder.
* * *
In a medium-size bowl, beat eggs, then add orange juice and melted butter. Stir egg mixture into dry ingredients just until moistened (batter will be lumpy).
* * *
Fold in cranberries and walnuts and spoon into lined muffin cups. Sprinkle tops with turbinado sugar. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown; remove muffins from pan to cool on a wire rack.
Fudgy Bundt Cake
INGREDIENTS:
* * *
Cake
1 cup brewed coffee
1 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup cocoa powder
2 cups sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
* * *
Icing
* * *
2/3 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
* * *
INSTRUCTIONS:
* * *
Cake
* * *
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
* * *
Add the coffee, butter, and cocoa to a small saucepan and heat, stirring, until the butter melts. Remove from the heat and whisk until smooth, then let the mixture cool for 10 minutes.
* * *
While the chocolate is cooling, place the sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and flour into a mixing bowl; whisk to combine.
* * *
When the chocolate mixture has cooled, add it to the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix until thoroughly combined, being sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl.
* * *
In a medium bowl, whisk together the vanilla, eggs, and sour cream or yogurt. Stir into the chocolate batter, mixing until thoroughly combined.
* * *
Thoroughly grease a 10- to 12-cup Bundt pan (preferably non-stick) and pour the batter into the prepared
pan. Bake the cake for 50 to 55 minutes, until a toothpick or skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. (If your pan has a dark interior, start checking at 40 minutes.)
* * *
Remove the cake from the oven, wait 5 minutes, and turn the pan over onto a cooling rack. Wait 5 more minutes, then lift the pan off the cake. Let the cake cool completely before icing.
* * *
Icing
* * *
Add the chocolate and cream to a microwave-safe bowl, or in a saucepan set over medium heat. Heat until the cream starts to bubble around the edges (watch carefully so it doesn’t burn).
* * *
Remove icing from heat stir until the chocolate melts and the mixture is smooth. Spoon the icing over the top of the cooled cake, letting it drip down the sides.
More Books by Karen MacInerney
To download a free book and receive members-only outtakes, giveaways, short stories, recipes, and updates, join Karen’s Reader’s Circle at www.karenmacinerney.com! You can also join her Facebook community; she often hosts giveaways and loves getting to know her readers there.
And don’t forget to follow her on BookBub to get newsflashes on new releases!
* * *
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
Scone Cold Dead
Anchored Inn
Cookbook: The Gray Whale Inn Kitchen
Four Seasons of Mystery (A Gray Whale Inn Collection)
Blueberry Blues (A Gray Whale Inn Short Story)
Pumpkin Pied (A Gray Whale Inn Short Story)
Iced Inn (A Gray Whale Inn Short Story)
Lupine Lies (A Gray Whale Inn Short Story)
* * *
The Snug Harbor Mysteries
A Killer Ending (June 2020)
Inked Out (Fall 2020)
* * *
The Dewberry Farm Mysteries
Killer Jam
Fatal Frost
Deadly Brew
Mistletoe Murder
Dyeing Season
Wicked Harvest
Sweet Revenge, Summer/Fall 2020
Cookbook: Lucy’s Farmhouse Kitchen
* * *
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
Acknowledgments
First, many thanks to my family, not just for putting up with me, but for continuing to come up with creative ways to kill people. (You should see the looks we get in restaurants.) And thank you to Andy Krell for the plot ideas (and U-Boat research)!
* * *
Special thanks to my mother, Carol Swartz, for her constant encouragement and careful reading of the manuscript. (Thanks to my father, Dave Swartz, too… I saw your comments in there.) What would I do without you???
* * *
Thanks (as always) to Bob Dombrowski for his incredible artwork. Kim Killion, as always, did an amazing job putting together the cover design, and Angelika Offenwanger’s sharp editorial eye helped keep me from embarrassing myself. Thank you also to Holly Duty for helping me with covers and much, much more.
* * *
And finally, thank you to ALL of the wonderful readers who make Gray Whale Inn possible, especially my fabulous Facebook community. You keep me going!
About the Author
Karen MacInerney is the USA Today bestselling author of multiple mystery series, and her victims number well into the double digits. She lives in Austin, Texas with her sassy family, Tristan, and Little Bit (a.k.a. Dog #1 and Dog #2).
* * *
Feel free to visit Karen's web site at www.karenmacinerney.com, where you can download a free book and sign up for her Readers’ Circle to receive subscriber-only short stories, deleted scenes, recipes and other bonus material. You can also find her on Facebook (she spends an inordinate amount of time there), where Karen loves getting to know her readers, answering questions, and offering quirky, behind-the-scenes looks at the writing process (and life in general).
* * *
P. S. Don’t forget to follow Karen on BookBub to get newsflashes on new releases!
www.karenmacinerney.com
[email protected]
Anchored Inn Page 18