I got a late start promoting Cozy Food Friday yesterday due to Internet issues.

Author Maria Grazia Swan has agreed to stay and play another day!

So, it's Cozy Food Saturday! 🙂

It's

Cozy Food Friday

and a

*****!!!GIVEAWAY!!!*****

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 Bakers Girls Cozy Mysteries

COOKS, CROOKS, AND A CORPSE

by

Maria Grazia Swan

Can't resist lighthearted comedy dressed with a little mystery that never takes you down a dark road? Good, because that’s what you get when you put two hot Italian imports together. Meet the hot pink Fiat 500 and its owner, real estate agent Monica Baker. Now stir in a dead body, a caterer about to lose her license, a real estate office coming off the rails, a goofy Great Dane, and a lively heroine who can’t help falling for the brooding bad boy. This is the world of Monica Baker: a high-speed mystery with a serving of mischief and a side of laughs.

About Maria

National Bestselling author Grazia Swan was born in Italy, but this rolling stone has definitely gathered no moss. She lived in Belgium, France, Germany, in beautiful Orange County, California where she raised her family, and is currently at home in Phoenix, Arizona--but stay tuned for weekly updates of Where in the World is Maria Grazia Swan?

As a young girl, her vivid imagination predestined her to be a writer. She won her first literary award at the age of fourteen while living in Belgium. As a young woman Maria returned to Italy to design for--ooh-la-la--haute couture. Once in the U.S. and after years of concentrating on family, she tackled real estate. These days her time is devoted to her deepest passions: writing and helping people find happiness. 

Maria loves travel, opera, good books, hiking, and intelligent movies (if she can find one, that is). When asked about her idea of a perfect evening, she favors stimulating conversation, Northern Italian food and perfectly chilled Prosecco--but then, who doesn't? 

Maria has written short stories for anthologies, articles for high profile magazines and numerous blogs tackling love and life. 

"I love to hear from my readers. mgsweb1@gmail.com thank you"

Website: www.mariagraziaswan.com
Contact Maria: mgsweb1@gmail.com
-or- touch base with her on Facebook  

facebook.com/MariaGraziaSwan

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*****!!!GIVEAWAY!!!*****

1 - $10.00 Amazon Gift Card - USA

or

1 - eBook copy of COOK, CROOKS AND A CORPSE -Worldwide  

Use the Rafflecopter form at the end of this post to enter.

📕📖📗📚📘📖📙

On to the recipe!

Brenda’s Pasta Primavera

Food photo are courtesy of Google Images. your dish will vary in appearance.

Serves 4

This version works for vegetarians. 

If you are following a gluten-free diet, substitute gluten-free pasta for regular pasta. You can use your favorite brand. My choice is Barilla.

Ingredients

12 ounces of pasta. Brenda’s uses Barilla thin spaghetti

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

Salt and pepper to taste

½ pound of broccoli, trim thick stems

½ pound of cauliflower

2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup of heavy cream 

   Cook pasta according to directions.
   While waiting for water to boil chop broccoli and cauliflower into bite size pieces.
   Once the pasta is in the pot, melt butter in large skillet over low heat, but don’t let it brown. Set aside.

   Two minutes before removing the pasta from the boiling pot add the chopped broccoli and cauliflower to the boiling water/pasta.
   Drain well pasta and veggies, transfer to the skillet with melted butter, toss well. Add heavy cream and cheese, toss some more and serve. 

(4 servings)

Buon appetito

Monica’s 1 pot-15 minutes version….if you dare

Serves 2

8 ounces of pasta, (half a package) Barilla thin spaghetti 

   cooks in 5-6 minutes al dente

Salt and pepper as needed.

2 tablespoons of unsalted butter

2 tablespoon of olive oil

¼ cup of grated Parmesan cheese

1-10 ounces package of frozen vegetables. Monica likes the Oriental Stir-fry plain, but any frozen vegetables would do.

   Cook pasta according to directions.

   While pasta is cooking, open frozen vegetables, discard wrapping and put vegetables in colander. Let hot water from kitchen faucet run over frozen vegetables. That way they will thaw but remain crisp.

   When pasta is done, turn off faucet and pour pasta over vegetables in colander.      Drain well.

   Quickly return the pot in which the pasta was cooked to the same burner, add butter. Allow it to melt over a low burner but do not allow it to brown.

Pour pasta and vegetables on top of melted butter, add olive oil and toss well.

Serve with grated cheese to taste. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Admit it. 

You're stomach is growling, isn't it?

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Please keep reading and check out my 

installments of 

Book Beginnings on Fridays

and

The Friday 56

Both are from 

COOKS, CROOKS AND A CORPSE

hyperurl.co/CooksCrooksNook

hyperurl.co/CooksCrooksCorpse (Kindle)

hyperurl.co/CooksCrooksKobo

hyperurl.co/CooksCrooksItunes

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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 parked my Fiat 500 inside the open gate and headed up the long driveway of the Dumont residence.

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 

"Swell, can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to meeting him," 

she said sarcastically. 

GOOD LUCK!

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