It's

Cozy Food Friday!

That means it's time to share a recipe from 

another great cozy mystery!

Today I'm featuring two recipes from

THE COZY CHICKS KITCHEN 

both from

Mary Kennedy

based on her 

Dream Club Mystery series.

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 Maggie Sefton Leann Sweeney

MY REVIEW

I love cookbooks and I love cozy mysteries, so getting a copy of THE COZY CHICKS KITCHEN with recipes from my favorite cozy authors was a must.

I’ve had it for a year now (This second edition came out in 2014 and I was a bad reader and forgot to leave a review then!), and not only have I enjoyed many of the recipes, I have actually read it through several times.

This book has a bit of everything covered…Starters, soups, salads and veggies, main dishes, pies, cakes, and other sweets treats, and other assorted dishes. All of them are so simple to make, which is great. And more importantly, the ones I have tried so far are delicious.

No doubt many, if not all of your favorite cozy mystery authors have recipes on these pages. Ellery Adams / J. B. Stanley, Deb Baker / Hannah Reed, Lorraine Bartlett / L. L. Bartlett / Lorna Barrett, Kate Collins, Mary Kennedy, Mary Jane Maffini, Maggie Sefton, and Leann Sweeney. They all make up The Cozy Chicks. And a new chick since this book is Duffy Brown! So hopefully that means a third edition or even better, THE COZY CHICKS KITCHEN II. Hey, I girl can live in hope!

If you haven’t purchased this cookbook because you figure you already have all the recipes in the cozy mystery books by these authors, think again. There are some recipes that you can only find in this book!

I could go on and on singing the praises of THE COZY CHICKS KITCHEN, but I think the best way for you to find out how great it is, is for you to order a copy for yourself. Honest, you will not regret it! 

The national bestselling author of Nightmares Can Be Murder once again gathers together the members of the Dream Club in Savannah, Georgia, where the book tour of a famous chef becomes a recipe for disaster… 

Behind her down-home folksy persona, celebrity chef Sonia Scott is a real Dixie diva who’s made plenty of enemies in her climb to the top of the culinary world. One of them is the newest member of the Dream Club, Etta Mae Beasley, who claims Sonia stole her family’s recipes and used them in her latest cookbook.

After Sonia’s suspicious death from anaphylactic shock at a book signing held at Taylor and Ali’s retro candy store, Etta’s revelation sows seeds of doubt in Taylor Blake’s mind. Now the Dream Club needs to put their heads together to determine if one of their own decided to give the chef her just desserts…

MY REVIEW

Reading DREAM A LITTLE SCREAM was a dream come true! It was such a long year waiting for this book. And when I finally got it in my hands, I wasted no time opening it and settling down to enjoy. It was wonderful to be back in author Mary Kennedy’s world of dreams, murder, and retro candy. She brought back that same thrilling sensation I remember having when reading NIGHTMARES CAN BE MURDER.

I’ve adored the whole concept of a dream club from the moment I heard about it with the first book. It’s not only interesting, but such an original idea for a cozy mystery. I love the scenes when the group gathers. The members, including protagonist Taylor and her sister Ali, are all so diverse. That makes for some very intriguing interactions. And I’m envious of the goodies the group members get to enjoy during their meeting. All made by Ali and sold in the retro candy store she owns with Taylor. Their store reminds me of one I’ve visited in a small town in Pennsylvania. The only difference is, Oldies But Goodies, the shop in the book, also sells drinks and fresh made yummys as well. Another great idea of the author’s to mix the two types of stores together.

I found myself absorbed in this book from the very first page.  With the action starting off early in the story, all I could do was hold on and enjoy the ride. And enjoy I did! With twists and turns and oh-my-goodness moments, all leading up to a fantastic ending. Ms. Kennedy has penned a winning installment to what I hope will be a long running series.  

You’re going to want to add DREAM A LITTLE SCREAM to your to-be-read list. You’ll be so very happy that you did. I know I’ll be doing a lot of daydreaming while I wait for book three!

And make sure to check out the back of the book for the included Dream Symbol Guide!

Available now for pre-order

Release date: 

Tuesday, August 4!

Ready for your recipes? 

Me too!

Recipe #1

ARTICHOKE DIP

Sometimes Ali and Taylor Blake like to serve crackers and hot artichoke dip in THE DREAM CLUB MYSTERIES. This is so and you probably have the ingredients on hand. ~ Mary Kennedy

Ingredients

1 14-ounce jar of artichokes, drained and chopped

1 cup mayonnaise 

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions 

Preheat the oven to 375°. 

Mix all the ingredients together and place in a greased 9 x 13-inch baking dish.

Bake 15 - 20 minutes, or until bubbly and golden brown. 

Serve with crackers, bagel chips, or toast points. 

Yield: 6 - 8 servings. 

Yummy! 

This would be a great dip to keep on hand.

Recipe #2

PIMENTO CHEESE SPREAD

What could be more southern than home-made pimento cheese spread? Pimento cheese sandwiches are one of the most popular items on the menu in Oldies but Goodies , the candy shop/café in the DREAM CLUB MYSTERIES.  Ali and Taylor Blake like this simple recipe because it's fullproof and it makes 4 cups of cheese spread. ~ Mary Kennedy 

Ingredients 

2  7-ounce jars pimentos, drained

30 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated

1 cup mayonnaise

Directions

Process the pimentos in a blender or food processor until smooth. 

Using an electric mixer, beat the cheese and pimentos. 

Beat in mayonnaise and chill. 

Southerners would serve this on white sandwich bread, and some folks like grilled pimento cheese sandwiches. 

They're delicious either way.

Yield: 10 sandwiches

I've never tried pimento cheese. 

Have you?

If you try any of these recipes 

I'd love to hear about it!

Please keep reading and check out my 

installments of 

Book Beginnings on Fridays

and

The Friday 56

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My Book Beginnings and Friday 56

 for this week are also from 

are also from 

DREAM A LITTLE SCREAM

by Mary Kennedy

Book Beginnings on Fridays is a meme hosted by Rose City Reader

Share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading

My Book Beginnings pick up where I left off on my BB from July 17.

It was a hot summer evening in Savannah and Ali had jacked up the AC before the members of the Dream Club arrived for their weekly meeting. Sybil looked flushed in one of her typical caftans and was gulping down vast quantities of sweet tea served in mason jars. Persia Walker appeared thoughtful, fingering her chunky handmade necklace from Nepal. 

My sister Ali, as always, looked cool, blond, and slender in white skinny jeans and a pale yellow beaded top. As the proprietor of Oldies But Goodies, a Savannah candy shop, she dresses casually but always looks put together. The Dream Club meets weekly in her apartment above the shop, and she serves sweet tea, coffee, and a delicious array of pastries. She calls the Dream Club members her "beta testers", and she adds the most popular items to the café menu downstairs. 

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.

My Friday 56 is actually from page 57 this week...

I remembered the frantic scrambling as we all searched for the EpiPen. Olivia had tossed the contents of Sonia's purse on the floor in a panic. Then she'd turned her own tote upside down. There wasn't a trace of the pen.....

As always, please leave a comment and 

let me know what you think!

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