It's

Cozy Food Friday

That means it's time to share a recipe from 

another great cozy mystery!

Today I'm featuring 

NIGHTSHADE FOR WARNING

Book 2 in the Enchanted Garden Mysteries

by Bailey Cattrell

Elliana Allbright’s custom-made perfume shop and the Enchanted Garden behind it are garnering all sorts of attention, but a dead body could bury her in bad publicity. . . .
 Ellie’s business and personal life have been flourishing in her hometown of Poppyville, California, since she opened Scents & Nonsense. She uses her very special skills to craft perfumes that almost magically ease heartache, inspire change, and bring joy—and her customers love to relax in the beautiful garden behind her shop with her corgi, Dash, and her cat, Nabokov. She even lives right next to the garden, in a compact “tiny house”—and she’s excited to hear that a journalist is going to write a feature about her home and garden for a national magazine.
 
But then the journalist is found dead, and suspicion falls on the last person to see him—who just happens to be Ellie’s brother’s girlfriend. So before everything goes to seed, Ellie must rely on her powers—observational and otherwise—to pick out the real killer from an ever-expanding bouquet of culprits. . . .

MY REVIEW

This second installment in the Enchanted Garden Mysteries will fill your senses with mystery.

NIGHTSHADE FOR WARNING was a nice follow up from book one, DAISIES FOR INNCOCENCE. It had the same style of writing fans have come to expect from author Bailey Cattrell aka Bailey Cates. Though I will admit, I didn’t enjoy it as much as the first book. I didn’t dislike it, it just didn’t pull me in as quickly as book one. With that being said . . .

I really enjoy the cast of characters in this series. They are unique, and fun to read. And I could lose myself in Ellie’s Enchanted Garden. It seems truly delightful. I also love how author Cattrell has Ellie living in a tiny house on her property. Tiny houses are so in right now (not something for me though). With Ellie’s character, and her fairy like garden, her tiny house is a perfect fit.

NIGHTSHADE FOR WARNING was a well plotted mystery. It was one that raised many questions. While I figured out a few answers, Bailey Cattrell stumped me on that many more. As the reveal was getting closer, I was more and more sure of who the killer was. And HA! I was . . . wrong. L

The author includes a cookie recipe, and a foot polishing recipe, both of which I’m eager to try.

If you enjoyed DAISIES FOR INNOCENCE, you’ll want to read NIGHTSHADE FOR WARNING.

On to the recipe!

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ASTRID'S LAVENDER SHORTBREAD COOKIES

All food photos are borrowed, with thanks, 

from Google Images and it's contributors.

Your cookies may very in appearance.

Sweet but not too sweet, these cookies are pretty and delicate enough for a shower or wedding. They also pair well with a sharp cheddar for a snack or dessert course. Dried lavender buds can be found in many tea shops and are readily available online. If you use fresh from your garden, throw in an extra tablespoon. Other options for savory flowers from sage or thyme, or tiny pansies. You can substitute another ¼ cup of all-purpose flour for the ground nut flower but the texture won't be quite as nice and crumbly. 

Makes 24 cookies

Ingredients

2 cups flour

¼ cup almond, walnut, or coconut flour

¼ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon dried lavender buds OR 2 tablespoons fresh

1 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)

½ cup sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

   Combine flours, lavender buds, and salt in a food processor, pulsing a few times to combine. Don't over mix.

   Add butter, sugar and vanilla and process until ball forms. 

   Transfer dough to a 14-by-20-inch sheet of parchment paper that has been lightly floured. 

    The dough will be a bit sticky. Form it into a log about eighteen inches long and two inches in diameter. 

   Roll the parchment to encase the log and refrigerate for 2 hours or more. 

   At this stage, you can also wrap it in plastic and freeze it for up to a month. 

   Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and line a baking sheet with more parchment paper.

   Slice shortbread roll into ¼-inch slices and place them on the baking sheet about an inch apart.

   Bake for 20 minutes or until golden around the edges.

   Cool thoroughly on a wire wrack and store in an airtight container for up to a week. 

Can you imagine the smell of these beautiful cookies? Mmm.

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Please keep reading and check out my 

installments of 

Book Beginnings on Fridays

and

The Friday 56

Both the BB and 56 are also from

NIGHTSHADE FOR WARNING

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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

The honeyed, floral scent of sun-drenched zinnias curled into the air from the half-barrel planters in front of the Poppyville Libray. It was subtle, likely unnoticed by most passersby, but tantalized my senses with possibility.

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%

A tiny, desperate sound escaped my throat, and his gazed sharpened. 

As always, please leave a comment and 

let me know what you think!

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