Friday, June 24, 2016


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
Book 1 in the Kay Driscoll Mysteries
MURDER BY FIREWORKS
by
Susan Bernhardt


Kay Driscoll's son's wedding reception for two hundred guests is in her backyard. As if that wasn't enough, a precocious and troubled twelve-year-old is foisted on her two days before the wedding. When the happy day arrives, one of the guests disrupts the event and is asked to leave: a womanizing member of Kay's book club. 

A few days later, after a Fourth of July fireworks show, he is found dead on the beach. Kay and her ever-present friends, Elizabeth and Deirdre, investigate the death, which at first is declared a suicide. They believe this is a cover-up and go about to prove their theory, an arduous task because the potential suspects are many, and few (if any) will regret the victim's death.

**********
From author Susan Bernhardt

People who love to eat are always the best people. ~ Julia Child

Besides the mystery, the murders, and the unique characters, food has always played an important role in the Kay Driscoll novels.

In the first mystery The Ginseng Conspiracy, Kay and her new friends, the free-spirited herbalist Deirdre and the untamed modern woman Elizabeth, discuss new clues over tea and pastries at Sweet Marissa's Patisserie, their crime-fighting headquarters.

In the second mystery, Murder Under the Tree Kay's first Christmas in Sudbury Falls is an unforgettable one, with equal amounts of celebration and danger. 'Tis the season to be sleuthing. During one of the four holiday parties in this mystery with delectable food, a murder occurs.

In the third mystery, a summer mystery, Murder by Fireworks Wedding bells are in the air, and so is murder.

Kay Driscoll's son's wedding reception for two hundred guests is in her backyard. As if that wasn't enough, a precocious and troubled twelve-year-old is foisted on her two days before the wedding. When the happy day arrives, one of the guests disrupts the event and is asked to leave: a womanizing member of Kay's book club.

A few days later, after a Fourth of July fireworks show, he is found dead on the beach. Kay and her ever-present friends, Elizabeth and Deirdre, investigate the death, which at first is declared a suicide. They believe this is a cover-up and go about to prove their theory, an arduous task because the potential suspects are many, and few (if any) will regret the victim's death.

. . . . . . .

A variety of hors d'oeuvres are served at the weddings. Below is a recipe of one of these hors d'oeuvres in  the mystery Murder by Fireworks.

On to the recipe!

Lemon-Seared Scallops on Wonton Crisps


~ For Four

Ingredients

2 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil, or other flavorless vegetable oil
8 scallops, cleaned and trimmed (The small Bay scallops don't work well for this recipe)
2 scallion (green onion), thinly sliced or slivered
8 wonton wrappers
vegetable oil for shallow-frying


Directions

First make the crispy wontons:

With a 2-inch to 2 1/2-inch round cookie cutter, cut each wonton into rounds. Discard trimmings. Heat 1/3-inch of vegetable oil in a pan over high heat. Fry wontons in two batches until golden and crisp. Remove from pan and drain on absorbent paper. Set aside.

When ready to serve ~ Sprinkle a little green onion on each crisp wonton then proceed with searing the scallops:

Sprinkle the scallops with salt and cracked pepper. Over high heat, heat butter and olive oil in a frying pan, add scallops, turn after 30 seconds and add lemon zest. Allow to cook on second side for another 30 seconds.

Place one scallop on each prepared wonton; spoon a little of the pan juices over each scallop, garnish with finely grated lemon zest.

The delicate crunch of the wonton contrasts perfectly with the mild, tender scallop. The scallion and lemon zest provide the a delightful flavor spike.


I am so hungry for scallops now! 
How about you?

~*~*~

About the author


Susan Bernhardt writes the Kay Driscoll series. Like Kay Driscoll, in her cozy mysteries, Susan is a retired public health nurse who volunteers at her local free clinic. An avid reader of mysteries, she is a member of Sisters in Crime. Susan's town in northern Wisconsin is the inspiration for the quaint setting of her novels. When not writing, Susan loves to travel, bicycle, kayak, and create culinary magic in her kitchen. She works in stained-glass, daydreams in her organic garden, stays up late reading mysteries, and eats lots of chocolate.

~*~*~


~*~*~

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 from 
THE GINSENG CONSPIRACY
Book 1 in the Kay Driscoll Mysteries


On her way to attend a Halloween Ball, Kay Driscoll, a newcomer to town, witnesses the murder of a local professor. When the official coroner's report rules the cause of death to be accidental and the community accepts the judgement, Kay decides to uncover the truth for herself. Through her personal investigations, Kay exposes a complex conspiracy, woven deep within the thriving local ginseng industry, that involves some of the more prominent figures and families of Sudbury Falls. 

With her new friends, the free-spirited herbalist Deirdre and the untamed modern woman Elizabeth, Kay discusses new clues over tea and pastries at Sweet Marissa's Patisserie, their crime-fighting headquarters. As Kay gets closer to the heart of the conspiracy, additional murders happen in quick succession. Before long, Kay learns that the villains are gunning for her, too. Phil, her musically talented but preoccupied husband, determined to keep her safe, withholds from her the one thing she needs most: the truth.


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

Thursday, October 27

The days that led up to the murder were like any other. 

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 (%)

The hospital was eerily quiet at night. The halls darker, the air colder, the clock on the wall by the nurses' station moved slower and ticked louder. 

Book One

Book Two                                         Book Three

Check out my past Cozy Food Friday 
with Susan Bernhardt!



As always, please leave a comment and 
let me know what you think!

Follow my blog by 
clicking on the link in the 
upper right hand corner of this page.

46 comments:

  1. Thanks, Lisa. I could eat those right now! Happy Friday, to you.

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    1. Hey Pat! Yummy right? You, me...one day...seafood feast! :-)

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    2. I absolutely love scallops! Thanks Patricia T for visiting. Have a great weekend!

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  2. Replies
    1. Hi Lisa! Thank you for checking it out. This is a great series, and MURDER BY FIREWORKS, while the third book in the series, can be read as a standalone. (Hope you and the family are doing good today. Love you all.)

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    2. Book Beginnings is a great feature here. Lisa, have a great weekend and thanks for checking out the post.

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  3. Thank you, Lisa for having me on your wonderful Cozy Food Friday blog. I've always enjoyed reading your delicious posts about food featured in cozy mysteries. It's an honor being here.

    Thank you also for highlighting the Kay Driscoll Mystery summer read, MURDER BY FIREWORKS. :)

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    1. Hey Susan. I always love having you on the blog! Folks will really love your books, and this is the perfect time of year to read MURDER BY FIREWORKS!

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  4. Thanks, Lisa and Susan for such a delicious post. Your blog is great,Lisa and your books are fantastic, Susan. It's a match made in heaven.

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    1. Thank you, Mary. You're so kind. I'm happy that you enjoyed the Kay Driscoll Mystery series! :)

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    2. Hi Mary! Thank you so much! I enjoyed your blog today as well. https://mjbreviewers.wordpress.com/

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  5. Awesome books....and the food, as always, is tempting. Thanks for sharing...and for visiting my blog.

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    1. Thank you, Laurel-Rain Snow for visiting and your kind comment.

      These scallops are fabulous!

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    2. Thanks for visiting, Laurel-Rain! You know I love my Cozy Food Fridays!

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  6. These sound like fun mysteries. My book this week is Seconds to Live by Melinda Leigh - a romantic suspense title. Happy reading!

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    1. Hey there, Kathy. This is a very fun mystery series. Thanks for stopping by!

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  7. Thank you, Kathy. The Kay Driscoll Mysteries are fun and they were fun to write! Happy reading!

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  8. So many great looking books here I don't even know where to start! The soft scallop with the crispy wonton sounds amazing! The Ginseng Conspiracy just landed on my TBR. It sounds fabulous!

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    1. Katherine, the scallops on the crispy wontons are amazing and easy to make. :) Thank you for your great comments. Happy Reading!

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    2. Hi Katherine! I am so hungry for scallops now. And you'll be happy adding Susan Bernhardt's books to your TBR.

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  9. I can smell those scallops! One of my fav foods! And all of those cozies are calling my name. LOL

    My Friday 56 from Ink and Bone

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    1. Laura, I would be tempted to make those scallops today, but my son is visiting and I have the hors d'oeuvres and main meals all planned out. Thank you for your great comments.

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    2. Hey there, Laura. LOL I could smell them too! Cozies are my favorites and you can't go wrong with Susan's.

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  10. Thanks for sharing about the book and the recipe, both look great! :-)

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    1. Thank you, Breana for visiting today and your great comments. I hope you'll get a chance to try the Kay Driscoll Mysteries. :)

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  11. This sounds like a delightful series, especially since each one involves food. LOVE the recipe you included.
    My Friday post features THE LITTLE FRENCH GUESTHOUSE.

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    1. Hi Sandra. Thanks for stopping by. I visited you blog earlier today. THE LITTLE FRENCH GUESTHOUSE sounds delightful.

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    2. Thanks, Sandra for your great comments. Food is involved in all of the novels, but the unique characters, exciting plots, and thrilling mysteries are the real "meat" of the stories.

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  12. Love the cover of The Ginseng Conspiracy and the scallop recipe. Good food and good books make a great combination.

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    1. Thanks, Catherine. Good food and good books sure do make a good combination! :) Can't get any better than that!

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  13. I love scallops-- they look delicious. The Book looks good, too. Happy Reading!

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    1. Thanks, Heather for your kind comments. The books have great reviews. Have a great weekend!

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  14. Oh yes, hospitals can be very unnerving at night. Love the set up for that 56. Happy weekend!

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    1. Thanks, Alicia for visiting. The hospital scene was a fun one to write. Have a great weekend also!

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  15. I want to read those books and the recipe looks delicious. Have a great weekend!

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    1. I hope you enjoy the stories should you read the Kay Driscoll Mysteries. Have a great weekend also, Yvonne. Thanks for visiting.

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  16. The scallops look delish but for some reason I just don't like scallops - have tried them twice - maybe third times the charm? Anyway loved the beginning and could not agree more with the 56 - hospitals always seem so much worse at night! Thanks for visiting my Friday meme earlier

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    1. My husband doesn't like scallops either. I love them. We've been to friends for dinner when I know he is forcing down the scallops, when I could easily eat his as well as mine. Lol. The Kay Driscoll Mysteries are exciting. Readers need to give them a try. :)

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  17. Wow. You have such an interesting set of books and recipe. I love scallops but they are so expensive I don't often buy them. Did you enjoy them? I like the synopsis of the Murder by Fireworks. It sounds like a good choice for July reading.

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    1. Thank you, Anne for your great comments. I absolutely love scallops. I make them various ways.

      I hope you'll give Murder by Fireworks a try. The book takes place during June and July and also can be read as a standalone. A number of people have read it first then gone back to Books 1 and 2. :)

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  18. Scallops look delicious. Both books look good. Happy reading i hope you have a great weekend.

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    1. Thanks you Stacey for visiting. It's almost lunch time and talking about scallops is really making me hungry. :) Have a wonderful summer. Happy Reading!

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  19. Looks like a great series! Happy weekend!

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    1. Hello fredamans. Thank you for visiting. I hope you'll give the series a try. :) Have a great Sunday!

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