It's

Cozy Food Friday

That means it's time to share a recipe from 

another great cozy mystery!

A CAJUN CHRISTMAS KILLING

Book 3 in Cajun Country Mysteries

by Ellen Byron

Maggie Crozat is back home in bayou country during the most magical time of the year. In Pelican, Louisiana, Christmastime is a season of giant bonfires on the levee, zydeco carols, and pots of gumbo. Except, this year, the Grinch has come to stay at the family-run Crozat Plantation B&B. When he floods travel websites with vicious reviews, Maggie thinks she’s identified him as rival businessman Donald Baxter. That is, until he’s found stabbed to death at Maggie’s workplace. And Maggie and her loved ones become top suspects.

The Crozats quickly establish alibis, but Maggie’s boyfriend, Detective Bo Durand, remains under suspicion. With Bo sidelined during the investigation, Maggie finds herself forced to work with an unlikely ally: longtime family enemy Rufus Durand. Her sleuthing uncovers more suspects than drummers drumming, and lands her in the crosshairs of the murderer.

The sleigh bells are jingling, and the clock is ticking for Maggie and Rufus, who must catch the killer or it will be the opposite of a Joyeux Noël in A Cajun Christmas Killing, the recipe-stuffed third installment of USA Today bestselling author Ellen Byron’s Cajun Country mysteries.

🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈

A big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to

author Ellen Byron!

Wish Ellen Happy Birthday in the comments section!)

🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈

MY REVIEW

Quite simply, a fun and entertaining mystery!

I’ve had the first two books of the Cajun Country Mysteries in my TBR since they both came out. I read so many books, that sometimes I overlook titles in my stacks. However, after reading book three in the series, A CAJUN CHRISTMAS KILLING, I will be moving up the others to read much sooner.

So fabulous were the descriptions from author Ellen Byron, I instantly became lost in Pelican, Louisiana. The people, the scenery, the excitement of Christmas in the air. Every word pulled me further in. I felt more like an observer than merely a reader. I feel like I can honestly say I have been to Louisiana.

The mystery element of A CAJUN CHRISTMAS KILLING was superb. Lost deep into the story, wanting to solve this whodunit, I barely came up for air. With each new chapter author Byron added another layer of intrigue, another outcome as to how this tale would end. I was completely surprised when I read the reveal.

This emotional cozy also had a happy turn of events. One that has me looking forward to a new book in the series, as well as going back and catching up on those I missed in order to fill in the back stories of these characters I instantly loved.

All of the above, and amazing recipes too, A CAJUN CHRISTMAS KILLING is a book you have to add to your bookshelves.

🍽🍽🍽🍽🍽🍽🍽

On To The Recipe!

SUGAR HIGH PIE

All food photos property of Ellen Byron.

Sometimes one recipe begets another. I was making the Pecan Coconut Pie Bars from the recipe in A CAJUN CHRISTMAS KILLING, my latest Cajun Country Mystery, when inspiration struck. What if I took a frozen pie crust, made the pecan pie base, and threw in a bunch of stuff along with the pecans? Thus Sugar High Pie was born.

The name comes from the fact that in addition to that basic pecan base, the ingredients for this dessert include dark chocolate, milk chocolate, coconut, and raisins. When you think about it, it’s like a candy bar inside a pie.

While you’re welcome to follow the recipe below and enjoy the ensuing deliciousness, feel free to experiment. Add a half-cup of chopped dates or dried cherries. Or both. Just make sure you share the recipe with all of us! 

~ Ellen Byron

Ingredients:

1 unbaked 8” or 9”frozen pie crust

6 T. light butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 whole egg

3 egg whites

½ cup light corn syrup

1 T. rum

½ cup pecan pieces

½ cup milk chocolate bits

½ cup dark chocolate bits

½ cup golden raisins

½ cup shredded coconut

½ tsp. salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cream brown sugar and butter until well blended. Beat in eggs one at a time. Stir in rum, salt, and corn syrup.

Add pecans, chocolate, golden raisins, and coconut one ingredient at a time. Stir to blend well.

Pour mixture into pie crust. Bake for 35-45 minutes until middle sets or a knife inserted in the pie comes out clean.

Serves 6-8

Oh. My. Yum!

Just think of all the different ingredients you could use. 

What would you add to this recipe to make it your own?

📕📖📘📖📙📖📗

Please keep reading to check out my 

installments of 

Book Beginnings on Fridays

and

The Friday 56

Both the BB and 56 are from

A CAJUN CHRISTMAS KILLING

Book Beginnings on Fridays is a meme hosted by Rose City Reader

Share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading

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 Book Beginnings

For Maggie Crozat, there was nowhere lovelier than Pelican, Louisiana, during the holidays. 

My 56%

"We'll make sure that doesn't happen. I'm heading back there now."

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.