It's

Cozy Food Friday 

That means it's time to share a recipe from 

another great cozy mystery!

Today I'm featuring a recipe from

MURDER AT PEACOCK MANSION

Book 3 in the Blue Plate Café Mysteries

by

JUDY ALTER

Arson, a bad beating, and a recluse who claims someone is trying to kill her all collide in this third Blue Plate Café Mystery with Kate Chambers. Torn between trying to save David Clinkscales, her old boss and new lover, and curiosity about Edith Aldridge’s story of an attempt on her life, Kate has to remind herself she has a café to run. She nurses a morose David, whose spirit has been hurt as badly as his body, and tries to placate Mrs. Aldridge, who was once accused of murdering her husband but acquitted. One by one, Mrs. Aldridge’s stepchildren enter the picture. Is it coincidence that David is Edith Aldridge’s lawyer? Or that she seems to rely heavily on the private investigator David hires? First the peacocks die…and then the people. Everyone is in danger, and no one knows who to suspect.

MY REVIEW

A well written mystery that pulled me in.

MURDER AT PEACOCK MANSION is my first book by author Judy Alter, but certainly won’t be my last.

I immediately liked Ms. Alter’s style of writing. As I mentioned above, her story pulled me in and I found myself so focused on the book, day had turned to night before I even looked up from the book.

Author Alter has created wonderfully layered characters, and placed them in a town I could easily envision. From chapter one until the last page, there was mystery and action in abundance in this fantastic story. With my mind racing and my heart pounding, I read the last sentence and wished there was more.

I’ll be going back and reading the first two books in the Blue Plate Café Mysteries, and I urge you to check this series out for yourself.

And, you’ll want to take a look at the back of the book for some yummy recipes.

On to the recipe! 

CHEESEBURGER SOUP

This one is hearty and always popular with the

 café customers during winter months. 

Ingredients

2 carrots, grated

1 onion, chopped 

2 stalks celery, chopped 

8 cups diced potatoes, partially boiled 

1 box chicken broth, low sodium 

¼ cup flour 

½ - 1 lb. hamburger meat

½ cup milk 

¼ cup sour cream 

½ lb. Velveeta 

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions 

Brown the meat and drain. 

Melt ¼ cup butter in large pot and sauté onion, and celery until clear. 

Add cooked hamburger meat, potatoes, carrots and broth.

Simmer until potatoes are fully tender. 

Separately, melt ¼ cup butter and add flour; stir until thick. 

Add soup to thicken. 

Add cheese, cut in chunks, and milk to the main pot. 

Stir  until cheese melts. 

Simmer as long as you want.

Just before serving, remove from heat and add sour cream.

You can play with the amount of cheese and meat to make a heartier soup if you want.

All photos courtesy of Google Images. 

Your dish may vary in appearance.

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 

MURDER AT PEACOCK MANSION

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...

I was stewing in my own juices that April evening, as I sliced tomatoes and green onions and diced avocado for a salad. David said he was coming in for dinner and I'd fixed a tourtiè, a French-Canadian meat pie I'd been longing to try. It came out of the oven smelling heavenly, and I optimistically poured wine and tossed a salad. Surely David would be along any minute. 

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...

"Hospital! That's just it. I have found out, in a roundabout way that my lawyer has been badly beaten. I'm afraid he's dead."

I held the phone away from my ear and stared at it, as though I'd imagined that last statement. Distantly, I could hear her calling, "Miss Chambers? Kate?" 

As always, please leave a comment and 

let me know what you think!

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