WHAT'S COOKING?

I almost didn't choose the following cookbook for review today because it was published in 2010 and I found it with the bargain books at Barnes & Noble.

But I just had to share it!   

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QUICK FIXES

{WITH MIXES}

Fast Cooking with Bagged, Bottles, & Frozen Ingredients

From the editors of

Southern Living

In this title, over 150 recipes call for stirring a few simple ingredients into pre-packaged fresh, bagged, or bottled ingredients - or quick mixes and other convenience products - to make homestyle recipes without starting from scratch. The speed scratch philosophy delivers each recipe with a combination of flavour, quality and convenience. Now, the busy cook can get fresh and delicious home-cooked dinners on the table with 15 minutes or less prep time. There is a photo of every recipe that makes meal planning even easier. Quick recipes, such as Sante Fe Chicken and Dressing, Easy Texas Cilli, and So-Easy Cherry Fudge Cake, leave plenty of time for being with family. This title is designed to be used every day. "Quick Fixes" organizes quick and yummy "Southern Living" recipes into main dishes, side dishes, snacks, breads and desserts. Tip boxes called 'Speed Scratch Secrets' with every recipe, as well as blurbs throughout, divulge hundreds of hints, tips, and secrets from "Southern Living" test kitchens to help busy cooks prepare delicious dinners in record time - after work or anytime.

MY REVIEW

Spending a day at Barnes & Noble, I often fill my basket, take it to a table, where I have a cold root beer, and leisurely peruse my finds.

Out of all the books I had in my basket QUICK FIXES really appealed to me. I saw so many fabulous dishes. It occurred to me to jot some of them down, or snap photos with my phone. But the further I got into the book the more recipes I found that I knew I just had to try! So the book came home with me. Not only have I read the entire book, I’ve gone back over each page several times, and each time I do, I get more excited to try out some of these quick and easy recipes.

There isn’t one page in QUICK FIXES that isn’t covered with vibrant colors. Be it the photos, or recipes, and instructions, this wonderful cookbook is a visual feast! Southern Living really outdid themselves with this 320 page delight.

You’ll find easy everyday recipes like . . . Black Bean Salsa, Spicy Party Meatballs, Baked Potato Fries, Buttermilk Baked Chicken, Beef Vegetable Soup, Grilled Reubens, Bow Tie Pasta Sauce, Sweet Potato Pie, and Raisin – Oatmeal Cookies, to more refined dishes such as . . .  Tomato-Rosemary Tart, Spinach-Ravioli Lasagna, Grilled Steak with Pineapple Salsa, S0 – Quick Seafood Chowder, Roasted Broccoli with Orange – Chipotle Butter, Ginger Streusel – Topped Cheesecake, and Bayou Brownies.

There is no way you can go wrong with QUICK FIX {WITH MIXES}!

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As I said above, I found this cookbook in the bargain section of Barnes & Noble. Originally $19.95 for the large paperback edition that I have, the price was marked down to $6.98! When my sister and I checked out, QUICK FIXES rang up for . . . $1.57!!!

Trust me, it's worth searching every bargain section in the bookstores to get this one for yourself. There are also many sites where you can purchase it used, like eBay, Half.com, and Amazon.

As always, please leave a comment and 

let me know what you think!

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Today I'm joining Berkley in celebrating the 

upcoming September 5 paperback release of

HOOK, LINE, AND MURDER

Book 47 in the Murder, She Wrote Mysteries

by Jessica FLetcher, 

Ed Bain & Renée Paley-Bain

with a Review!

PAPERBACK EDITION

The USA Today bestselling Murder, She Wrote mystery series continues as Jessica Fletcher takes a relaxing getaway that turns into a reel deadly situation...
 
Jessica enters a fly-fishing competition at a nearby lake. Joining her is the sheriff’s wife, Maureen Metzger, who surprises Jess with her enthusiasm for the sport. Their guide, however, is a surprise to both....
 
Brian Kinney is an ex-con. Jailed as an accomplice to convicted killer Darryl Jepson, Brian was later exonerated, but not before spending seven years behind bars. He seems like a decent enough fellow. Just someone trying to rebuild his life as a family man and fishing guide. 
 
Yet when Jepson breaks out of prison vowing revenge, and the lawyer for both men is found murdered, Cabot Cove becomes the focus of the nation as local, state, and federal authorities descend on Jessica’s hometown. And to add to the tension, Maureen has gone missing. Is she lost or is she a hostage? Jess soon finds herself caught in a net full of lies, deceit, and ulterior motives. In order to save her friend, she’ll need to find some answers by hook or by crook…

MY REVIEW

My review is from the 2016 hardcover edition.

Another classic MURDER, SHE WROTE novel.

It amazes me that forty-six books into this series, authors Donald Bain and Renée Paley-Bain (and of course Jessica Fletcher) can still come up with fresh ideas. However, book after book they bring another exciting story from Cabot Cove, or wherever Mrs. Fletcher is off to.

I didn’t set out to read this series, as I wasn’t really a fan of the show (See past reviews concerning my unnatural fear of Angela Landsbury). But I remember my Mom tuning in every week, and from the other room, I listened to Jessica get into one murder investigation after the other. When I read a MURDER, SHE WROTE book, I can hear the familiar characters voices as I read. I can smell the coast off Cabot Cove, and all the riches the water has to offer. These books take me back to listening as my parents watched the show. You know what? I’m really enjoying them! (And I’m mostly no longer afraid of Angela Landsbury!)

In MSW: HOOK, LINE AND SINKER, Jessica Fletcher has entered a fly-fishing competition. Sounds safe enough, right? Come on now, we know better than that. What starts out as fun and relaxation turns into murder and possible kidnapping!

Bain and Paley-Bain have written another exciting Fletcher mystery, using their skillful writing to deliver a captivating story, with an unexpected and satisfying conclusion.

About the authors

Donald Bain

Donald Bain is the author or ghost/​author of more than 120 books, many of them bestsellers. They encompass both fiction and non-fiction, and include such categories as murder mysteries, westerns, comedies, investigative journalism, food, business, psychology and historical dramatizations.

Don's wife, Renée Paley-Bain, also a writer, collaborated with him on the “Murder, She Wrote” series until her passing in 2016. They have two grown daughters (Laurie, a fine writer and editor; and Pamela, the professor in the family) and four grandsons.

www.donaldbain.com

Now available for pre-order

Release date:

September 5!

As always, please leave a comment and 

let me know what you think!

Want to follow my blog? 

Click on the link in the 

upper right hand corner of this page!

Today I'm joining Berkley in celebrating 

the upcoming September 19 release of

WHISPERS OF WARNING

Book 2 in the Change of Fortune Mysteries

by Jessica Estevao

with a 

Spotlight and Giveaway!

Ruby Proulx’s new life in Orchard Beach, Maine, faces some sinister complications in the next Change of Fortune Mystery by Jessica Estevao…
Free from the clutches of her con artist father, Ruby Proulx is starting to settle in at the Belden, her aunt Honoria’s seaside hotel. She loves finally being rooted in one place and also feels a sense of purpose as she helps Honoria keep her business afloat by acting as a psychic medium for the hotel’s metaphysically inclined guests.
 
When one of the guests, renowned Spiritualist and outspoken suffragist Sophronia Foster Eldridge, checks into the hotel for a monthlong stay, Ruby finds her sense of purpose expands outside the confines of home and family. Sophronia takes Ruby under her wing and mentors her in the mediumistic abilities, encouraging her to fight for women’s rights. 
 
But not everyone is as happy with Sophronia’s appearance in Old Orchard. When a dangerous act of sabotage is carried out and a body is found floating in the pool of a local bathhouse, Ruby takes it upon herself to find answers— and in the process learns that her new friend has been hiding some deadly secrets of her own…

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

One lucky reader will win a print copy of

WHISPERS OF WARNING 

Enter using the Rafflecopter form at the end of this post.

USA only

This giveaway was made possible by Berkley.

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WHISPERS OF WARNINGS

is the second tale of fearless clairvoyant Ruby Proulx, the sequel to series debut Whispers Beyond the Veil. Estevao’s historical mysteries are perfect for fans of Deanna Raybourn and Anna Lee Huber. 

Ruby Proulx, Estevao’s approachable yet gutsy protagonist, has taken up residence at her aunt’s seaside hotel, where she acts as a medium. Ruby is starting anew after years on the run with her scam artist father; she has begun to develop her unusual powers alongside the other supernatural guests and staff at the Hotel Belden.

When renowned women’s suffragist Sophronia Foster Eldridge arrives at the Belden for an extended stay, Ruby is caught up in the fervor that she brings to town. But not everyone is so inclined to support the woman’s right to vote – Old Orchard becomes a town divided, and soon, Sophronia is found floating in a saltwater pool. Ruby must step into her own powerful role – as both a bright, strong-willed young woman and a supernatural – to find the killer and carry on Sophronia’s legacy.

About Jessica

Jessica Estevao writes the Change of Fortune Mysteries.The first in the series, Whispers Beyond the Veil, released in September 2016. She loves the beach, mysterious happenings and all things good-naturedly paranormal. While she lives for most of the year in New Hampshire with her dark and mysterious husband and exuberant children, she spends summers on the coast of Maine where she keeps an eye out for sea monsters and mermaids.

As Jessie Crockett she’s the author of the nationally bestselling Sugar Grove Mysteries and the Daphne du Maurier Award winner, Live Free or Die.

She loves the beach, mysterious happenings, and all things good-naturedly paranormal. While she lives for most of the year in New Hampshire, with her dark and mysterious husband and exuberant children, she delights in spending her summers on the coast of Maine where she keeps an eye out for sea monsters and mermaids.

Now available for pre-order

Release date:

September 19!

GOOD LUCK!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

As always, please leave a comment and 

let me know what you think!

Want to follow my blog? 

Click on the link in the 

upper right hand corner of this page!

Welcome to week 11 of the

THREE AMIGOS SUMMER READING CLUB

with Bloggers Mary Brown, Karen M. Owen, and yours truly!

Every Monday from now through August 28,

Mary, Karen, and I

will recommend some of our favorite cozy mystery titles in eleven (11) different categories!

Today our theme is 

Island Cozies! 

We're recommending 3 books with this theme that really stand out to each of us.

My pick for favorite cozy with a

Island Cozies! 

ALL FUDGED UP

#1 in the Read Em and Eat Mysteries

by Nancy Coco

Welcome to the Historic McMurphy Hotel and Fudge Shop--where life is sweet, revenge is sweeter, and murder is here to to stay. . .

You Can't Fudge An Alibi

Allie McMurphy is up to her neck in renovations at the grand old hotel that's been in her family for generations. With its quaint Victorian charm--and world-famous fudge shop--the place is one of Mackinac Island's most beloved landmarks. 

Sure, every family has a skeleton or two in the closet. But Allie didn't expect to find an actual corpse inside hers, especially one Joe Jessup, who had a long-running feud with her dear departed grandfather. Which makes Allie the number-one suspect. 

Can she sniff out the culprit before another victim checks in?

Yes, this week's pick is islands. But no one said they had to be tropical. 😊

My ideal island has always be Mackinac Island. The first time I watched the movie Somewhere In Time, I was in love. However, I have learned more about this beautiful island from reading a few cozy mystery series. One such series is the Candy-Coated Mysteries by Nancy Coco, with the first in the series being, ALL FUDGED UP.

ALL FUDGED UP introduces readers to Allie McMurphy, a cast of wonderful characters, and beautiful Mackinac Island where you can only get around by riding bikes, or by horse. There are no cars on the island. And of course, FUDGE! Seriously, who needs the tropics when you can be surrounded by all flavors of fudge?

With a fabulous location, yummy food, and amazingly entertaining, wonderfully written mystery, ALL FUDGED UP and the entire Candy-Coated series is just what you want when you're craving the perfect cozy mystery!

Satisfy your mystery tooth and get a copy of ALL FUDGE UP today! And make sure to check out the entire series!

BOOK ONE                               BOOK TWO

             BOOK THREE               BOOK FOUR - eBook Exclusive

BOOK FIVE

  BOOK SIX - Releases Aug 29               BOOK SEVEN - eBook Exclusive

                                                                   - Releases Oct 31

My Amigos Mary and Karen have also picked their Island cozies. 

Please head over to their blogs and check them out!

Mary Brown's blog

MJBReviewers

and

Karen Owen's blog

A Cup Of Tea And A Cozy Mystery

That's it for the

THREE AMIGOS SUMMER READING CLUB!

Thank you for being with us these last 11 weeks. What? 

You don't want us to go? 

But summer is almost over. 

Aren't you bored with just the three of us? 

I mean, what would we talk about?

Oh, okay. We don't want to disappoint you.

How about this . . .

Thank you, Karen Owen 

for the announcement below.

We are going to be starting a two part series called Five Amigos Fall-O-ween Fun!  

Starting Monday September 4th we will be sharing our favorite Fall Cozy Mystery Picks and then in October we kick things up a notch!

In October we will share our most favorite Halloween themed, ghost stories, witchy cozy mysteries and so much more!

The Five Amigos will be made up of four blogs.....

Mary of mjbreviewers.wordpress.com

Sheryl from Booth Talks Books

The Two Canadian Karens!  Karen from A Cup of Tea and A Cozy Mystery.com  on the West Coast of Canada and the other Karen who hails from the Province of Ontario, (a bout 3,000 miles to the East of  The West Coast), together we will offer you two different selections on one blog www.acupofteaandacozymystery.com 

And me, Lisa K!

We are all look forward to sharing our Fall and Halloween Cozy Mystery picks. 

And let's face it, we're all looking forward to sweater and jean weather again as much as we are looking forward to the changing fall colors, the pumpkin spice everything craze, and getting to share our favorite books and authors with all of you.

Make sure to check back next Monday for suggestions on a new cozy mystery theme!

Keep all of our great titles in mind for

Buy A Friend A Book Day 

on 

August 29!

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.