Thursday, August 28, 2014

It's
Cozy Food Friday!

That means it's time to share a recipe from 
another great cozy mystery!

Today's recipe comes from
THE COZY CHICKS KITCHEN
A Killer Collection of Recipes by the 
Bestselling Authors of the Cozy Chicks Blog 
SECOND EDITION


This book contains recipes from cozy mystery favorites, 
Ellery Adams / J.B. Stanley
Deb Baker / Hannah Reed
Lorraine Bartlett / L.L. Bartlett/ Lorna Barrett
Kate Collins
Mary Kennedy
Mary Jane Maffini/Victoria Abbott
Maggie Sefton
and
Leann Sweeney

You can follow The Cozy Chicks blog here...

On to the recipe!

"When I wrote the scene in NEEDLED TO DEATH, the second in the Kelly Flynn Knitting Mysteries, where Kelly visits Curt and Ruth Stackhouse, I envisioned them enjoying one of my favorite pies--blueberry. So, I gave Ruth Stackhouse my "down home" pie recipe for an all-American favorite. Enjoy-- and don't forget the vanilla ice cream!"


RUTH'S BLUEBERRY PIE
by Maggie Sefton
Based on the 
Kelly Flynn Knitting Mysteries

BUTTER CRUST PASTRY
1 1/2 level cups all-purpose flour
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, cold
1 1/2 teaspoons salt (as desired)
4 or 5 tablespoons cold water

   Measure the flour into a mixing bowl and stir in the salt. Mix well. 
  
   Cut in cold butter with a pastry blender or two knives. The mixture should be course and crumbly.

   Gradually sprinkle in cold water, mixing well with a fork until all dry ingredients are moistened. 

   Form the pastry into a large ball.

   Lightly flour the rolling surface (pastry cloth, wax paper, or other) and rolling pin. 

   Roll dough into a circle wider than a glass pie plate, so there is at least a 1-2 inches of crust overhang. 

   Fit the crust into a pie plate, trim the over hang, and flute the crust as desired.

   This recipe allows for an ample amount of of pastry. Do not be concerned if the pastry tears when trying to remove from the rolling surface. Butter crust is light and delicate and tears easily, but is also easily repaired. Fit the crust into pie plate and "seam" together the torn pieces by dipping a finger into cold water and lightly brushing across the edges. The edges will disappear when baked, and that same delicate fragile quality of the pastry when handling is responsible for the melt-in-your-mouth flakiness of the butter crust. 


BLUEBERRY PIE FILLING
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
dash cinnamon
1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon rind
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
4 cups fresh blueberries
2-3 tablespoons butter

   Preheat over to 425 degrees.

   Prepare butter crust pastry (as described above).

   Mix the flour, sugar, cinnamon, and lemon rind in medium bowl.

   Sprinkle lemon juice over the blueberries and stir into mixture. 

   Pour into the pastry-lined pie pan. 

   Dot with butter and cover with lattice piecrust top.


   Lattice piecrust top: Place 6-8 strips across fruit filling. 

   Take the cross strip and weave it through other strips, starting in the center. Fold the strips back as needed.

   Continue weaving the lattice until desired result is obtained. 

   Trim edges of strips on lattice crust and fold lower overhanging pastry crust edge up and over. 

   Seal the edges and flute with a fork.



   Cover the edges with a 3-ince strip of baking foil to keep from burning (remove foil for the last 15 minutes of baking). 

   Bake until crust is lightly browned and the juices bubbling, approximately 35 to 45 minutes.

   Note: Oven temperatures very. Check pie after 30 minutes and continue accordingly. 

   Yield: 6-8 servings. 

Please note that all food photos are from Google Images. Your version may vary in appearance.

I've never made baked a pie.
But this may have to be my first attempt at one!

Want to appear on my blog?
Take photos making a recipe 
featured on my blog
 and email them to me at
 lisaksbookreview@aol.com 
I will post them on an upcoming 
 Cozy Food Friday!

You can find THE COZY CHICKS KITCHEN and other great books written by the wonderful authors at your local bookstore or online at

Welcome to our kitchen! The kitchen is the heart of the home. This sense of warmth and companionship is what The Cozy Chicks try to invoke in our novels. And now, our cookbook will allow you to enter the heart of our cozy mystery worlds—the stories of our characters, of their authors, told through food. For a short while, our heroines have taken a break from crime solving to don aprons and wield spatulas and wooden spoons. And they’d like nothing more than to spend some time with you. THE COZY CHICKS KITCHEN is chock full of mouthwatering gems. Everything is here: main dishes, desserts, salads, soups, drinks, and did I mention desserts? Don’t miss this fabulous collection. I’ve got both the ebook version and a hardcopy. Get yours today! --Julie Hyzy, New York Times bestselling author of the White House Chef and Manor House mysteries The Cozy Chicks Are Bestselling Authors: Ellery Adams / J.B. Stanley, Deb Baker / Hannah Reed, Lorna Barrett / Lorraine Bartlett, Kate Collins, Mary Kennedy, Mary Jane Maffini/Victoria Abbott,  Maggie Sefton, Leann Sweeney

Keep reading to check out my installments of 
Book Beginnings on Fridays
and
The Friday 56

Book Beginnings on Fridays is a meme hosted by Rose City Reader
Share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading

Keeping my Cozy Food Friday theme going with... 
YARN OVER MURDER by Maggie Sefton
Book 12 in the Kelly Flynn Knitting Mystery series
My Book Beginnings for this week


Saturday, June 9, 2012

Kelly Flynn steered her boyfriend Steve Townsend's truck down the main road running from Rocky Mountain National Park into Loveland, Colorado, just south of Fort Connor. Her friends Megan and Marty Harrington said they would meet her with a horse trailer in a shopping center along this street. Scanning a big box parking lot ahead, Kelly thought she spotted Megan and Marty waving at her from the parking lot. Alongside them, there was a large two-horse-sized trailer waiting to be hitched behind Steve's big red truck. 

Kelly had never hitched a trailer before, so she was glad Marty was there to help. Like Steve, Marty came from a ranching family and was familiar with hauling animals around. Kelly's sporty car didn't haul anything larger than groceries and potting soil. But today, Steve's truck was needed, as Kelly and her friends hurried to help their friend Jayleen Swinson rescue her alpaca herd from the wildfire that blazed in Bellevue Canyon, northwest of Fort Connor. Hopefully some of Jayleen's possessions could be tossed into the truck bed as well. But that depended on how fast the wildfire spread.

The Friday 56 is a meme hosted by Freda's Voice
Rules: *Grab a book, any book. *Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader (If you have to improvise, that's okay.) *Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it) that grab you. *Post it.

Continuing with YARN OVER MURDER theme
My Friday 56

Summer colors burst from every corner. Raspberry reds, blueberry blues, mint greens, lemon yellows. 

It’s early summer in Fort Connor, Colorado, and a herd of alpacas requires rescuing from a raging wildfire. Kelly Flynn and the House of Lambspun knitters may be able to save the helpless animals, but not the unexpected victim of a cold-blooded murder… 

Kelly and her knitting pals were checking out the wares at the annual Wool Market—one of the largest outdoor fiber and animal fairs in Colorado—when news spread about the wildfires raging across the canyon ranches. With temperatures scorching, Kelly receives word that the alpacas of her good friend, Jayleen, are in danger. Working fast, Kelly and her pals hightail the herd to the nearby pasture of one of Jayleen’s friends—rancher Andrea Holt. But their rescue mission is interrupted by a screaming match during which Connie, a longtime employee of House of Lambspun, snaps and accuses Andrea of stealing her husband.

Days later, Andrea is found dead at her ranch—and suspicion immediately falls on Connie. Now Kelly and her friends must untangle this yarn before Connie ends up dangling by a thread…

THE WOLFE WIDOW is book 3 in the 
Book Collector Mysteries.
Release date September 2, 2014 

You can pre-order this title at
or your local bookstore.
NOTE: I am not in an affiliate program with any online company.
I do not receive payment in anyway for my suggestions to you or 
if you make your purchases from a company I mention. 

Follow Meggie Sefton 
by clicking below

As always, please leave a comment and 
let me know what you think!
Also, become a Follower of my blog by 
clicking on the link in the 
upper right hand corner of this page.












32 comments:

  1. As if my mouth wasn't already drooling from the pie recipe, that Friday 56 sounds delicious. But it was easy to picture the colors as a result.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's definitely delicious, Mark. Give it a try.
      After all, you're a Baker. Couldn't resist that.

      Delete
    2. Mark, I couldn't resist that 56. It will make so many people think different things.

      Delete
  2. This blueberry pie looks fantastic! And I love the idea of the lattice work crust. It's been a long time since I attempted a home-made crust (I use the Pillsbury ones you find in the refrigerator case at the grocery store) but I will have to try this. Thanks so much for posting and for featuring Maggie's wonderful books.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Trust me, Mary, you can make this crust. Put wax paper on the counter and sprinkle that with flour before you start rolling out the crust. And just as I said in the recipe, it's supposed to have tears and and such. They are easily "seamed" into the crust with a fingertip of cold water. And that easily torn quality is what insures the deliciate flakiness and melt-in-your-mouth experience. :)

      Delete
    2. Mary, thanks for coming by! I've never made homemade crust. As a matter of fact, I've never baked a pie. I use to make my Mommom mini coconut cream pie, but everything was pre-made and/or right out of a can. ;-) Time for me to step up to the plate...ummm....over and bake a real pie!

      Delete
  3. This sounds great! But I might not do very well with the homemade crust. I might have to cheat and buy the crust. Lol!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dawn----See my comments above to Mary. You CAN do this, girl! :) People doubt themselves, but you can do it. Remember....it's supposed to tear.

      Delete
  4. Great recipe from Maggie! And the pictures are wonderful. Yum!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Don't you just love warm blueberry pie with vanilla ice cream melting on top? Or even without ice cream it's delicious. :)

      Delete
  5. I am now very hungry! Love blueberry pie...and cozy mysteries. Thanks for sharing...and here's mine: “THE HOME PLACE”

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Laurel-Rain----Do you like it without vanilla (or other) ice cream or without?

      Delete
    2. Thanks for stopping by. Heading over to your blog in a bit.

      Delete
  6. I want this for breakfast. Yummm. So delish. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, yes. Blueberry pie for breakfast. Definitely. :) This morning I had some summer yellow squash casserole for breakfast. I didn't make it. I bought it at the fabulous local Hall's Supermarket near Colonial Beach, VA. Yes, I'm down at the river house one block from Potomac---just a few miles down the road from Colonial Beach. Both of which are about 45 miles due east of the lovely historic city of Fredericksburg, south of the frenzied NoVa/DC/Md "Metroplex."

      Delete
    2. Duffy, thanks for stopping by! Pie for breakfast is a wonderful idea. Pastry, fruit....perfect.

      Delete
  7. I made a pie crust once. It was so thick and hard, a steak knife couldn't cut it. That was 30 years ago. This recipe actually makes me want to take another stab at it. Stab. Get it? Mystery writer? Do I need another cup of coffee?

    Sorry I was out of town for my recipe last week, Lisa. Love your blog!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kate----You can definitely make this recipe. And if you think it needs a tiny bit more water when mixing, go ahead. Just make sure your hands are floured while working with the pastry. Sprinkle a little flour on the ball of dough and on the wax paper on the counter. And the rolling pin, of course. And remember, it's supposed to tear. That means it's going to be flaky. :) You can do it.

      Delete
    2. Hi Kate, thanks for coming by. LOL Stab...mystery writer...LOL

      Thank you, Kate. I have a lot of fun here!

      Delete
  8. Hey, Lisa---Thanks so much for featuring YARN OVER MURDER today. i love your blog. In fact, I thought I'd send you some copies of POISONED POLITICS, the 2nd in the Molly Malone political suspense mysteries. You can offer them for prizes or giveaways. The 3rd and final one in the Molly Malone trilogy---BLOODY POLITICS---will be out in November. I'll have more to say closer to that date. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Maggie! It was my pleasure to feature you and the Cozy Chicks today.

      Maggie, that would be wonderful! My readers would love that. Do you still have my address?

      Delete
  9. Yum! I love blueberry anything, especially pie...especially with ice cream on top!
    I love books with animals in them, and this sound like a fun read!
    Here's My Book Beginning/Friday 56

    ReplyDelete
  10. Oh my goodness....this looks so yummy.

    I want it NOW!! :)

    I needed a crust recipe. Thanks for that.

    The book sounds good too. Love cozies...love the cover too.

    ENJOY your weekend.

    Elizabeth
    Silver's Reviews
    My Book Beginnings

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Happy you got the crust recipe you've been needing, Elizabeth! Let me know how it turns out!

      Delete
  11. I know that our comments should be about the Book Beginnings and Friday 56, but every Friday I come to visit your blog, I am mesmerized by the deliciousness you share! Ha ha! Gosh, I wish I had a piece of that yummy pie to go along with my cup of coffee right now :( I really do enjoy your book shares; have a wonderful weekend!

    Sparrow's BB & Friday 56

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Claudia, I want you to comment about whatever you see on my blog. My Friday page isn't just about the BB and 56, it's about everything I post on it! :-)

      Thank you for you kinds words! I have a lot of fun doing my blog! You'll find more yummieness every Friday here! It's Cozy Food Friday after all!

      You have a happy and safe weekend too!

      Delete
  12. Yummy pie. My mouth is watering. I sometimes try the recipes from the cozies I read. It's fun.
    Thanks for sharing a new author. I'm addicted to cozy mysteries and can't resist their colorful covers and quirky titles.
    Here is my 56 from I'm With You - http://fuonlyknew.com/2014/08/29/the-friday-56-34-im-with-you-by-taylor-dean/

    ReplyDelete
  13. The pie looks yummy and the cozy looks fun!

    Happy weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  14. The blueberry pie looks so good. The book looks good too :)

    ReplyDelete
  15. This looks like a fun series! I haven't come across it you but I'll be adding it to my wishlist. The pie looks pretty yummy too!

    ReplyDelete