It's

Cozy Food Flashback Friday

Today I'm featuring a Cozy Food Friday from

March 3, 2017,

with a great book and a wonderfully hot, and hearty dish for this cold weather.

Here we go!

It's

Cozy Food Friday

That means it's time to share a recipe from 

another great cozy mystery!

Today I'm featuring 

ROUX THE DAY

Book 2 in the Dinner Club Mysteries

by Linda Wiken

In the latest mystery from the author of Toasting Up Trouble, the Culinary Capers dinner club is back in business when a charity casino event makes a real killing…
 
Event planner Jennifer “J.J.” Tanner is planning a cruise ship casino night—and she’s really going overboard. She even arranged for radio DJ Connor Mac and TV personality Miranda Myers to help the good times roll. But the party comes to a screeching halt when Miranda is found dead on the main deck...
 
With a boatload of suspects, the police focus in on J.J., who, though recently linked with Connor, never knew he was once engaged—to Miranda. With Half Moon Bay’s gossip mill running full tilt, J.J. turns to her fellow dinner club members to help fish for clues and keep herself out of hot water...
 
INCLUDES DELICIOUS RECIPES

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MY REVIEW

A delicious second course in the Dinner Club Mysteries!

It was great to be back in Half Moon Bay with J.J. Tanner and friends from the Culinary Capers Dinner Club. And as much as I loved my first visit there when reading book one, TOASTING UP TROUBLE, this second installment, ROUX THE DAY, was even tastier!

I became a fan of author Linda Wiken when I read her Ashton Corners Book Club Mysteries under her pen name, Erika Chase (Read them if you haven’t!). I devoured every book in that series, and I’m am now having a glorious time feasting on the Dinner Club Mysteries.

ROUX THE DAY grabbed my attention from page one with the witty banter and fun demeanors author Wiken is so adapt at instilling in her characters. She not only brings them visually to life in my mind, she has made them people I actually want to be friends with.

I truly loved every bit of this book. Originally planning to read a few chapters before turning in for the night, I instead lost all track of time while absorbing every word of this first rate mystery. From the discovery of the victim, through the twists and turns of the investigation, Wiken had my brain firing on all cylinders, making sleep no longer an option. Even after the surprising reveal, and conclusion, I stayed awake replaying parts of the story in my head.

Linda Wiken is a superbly talented author, and she writes a cozy mystery that sets a standard for me when reading all other cozies. Her development of characters, situations, and the way she builds a truly artful mystery, make her one of the best writers in this genre today.

Be sure to check out the back of the book for yummy recipes, and an excerpt from book three, MARINATING IN MURDER!

You will rue the day if you don’t read ROUX THE DAY. New to the series? Grab a copy of TOASTING UP TROUBLE as well, and read them together!

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About Linda

Linda Wiken is a former mystery bookstore owner and a short story writer. The first in her new Dinner Club Mystery series, TOASTING UP TROUBLE, debuted in July, 201. The second book in the series, ROUX THE DAY, debuts March 7, 2017. In a parallel life writes the Ashton Corners Book Club Mysteries, as Erika Chase. She is a member of those dangerous dames, The Ladies' Killing Circle. She has been short-listed for an Agatha Award for Best First Novel, and an Arthur Ellis Award, Best Short Story, from Crime Writers of Canada. She admits to a passion for choral singing, chocolate and Siamese cats!

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Today's recipe is from book 1 in the Dinner Club Mysteries

TOASTING UP TROUBLE

A delicious new cozy mystery series featuring the Culinary Capers Dinner Club—who are fearless when it comes to cooking up new dishes and putting the lid on crime...

Event planner Jennifer “J.J.” Tanner has a full plate, but that’s the way she likes it. First, it’s her turn to choose the recipe for the next meeting of the Culinary Capers Dinner Club, a gathering of foodie friends who experiment with entrées for their creative and gastronomical pleasure. Second, she’s organizing an Italian princess party for the twenty-one-year-old daughter of a high-tech millionaire.

But one thing J.J. didn’t plan on is that the caterer for the event—hotshot chef Antonio Marcotti—would end up murdered the night of the party. Or that she’d end up being a prime suspect after having had a heated argument with the unscrupulous chef. Now it’s up to J.J.—with help from her fellow Club members and a handsome if mysterious private eye—to turn the tables on the real killer...

On to the recipe!

Spaghetti With Chicken, Broccoli, And Sweet Red Pepper

All food photos for the recipe are borrowed from Google Images.

Your dish will vary in appearance. (I am also showing different pastas you can use)

Ingredients

½ pound spaghetti

Himalayan salt—pinch

Regular olive oil

1 large broccoli crown, cut into tiny floret portions

1 sweet red pepper, sliced and diced

1 garlic clove, slivered

Mixed dried herbs (or fresh rosemary, basil, oregano)

Freshly ground pepper

Half package of frozen chicken strips

Tuscan herb-flavored virgin olive oil

Pecorino Romano cheese

Instructions

   Bring large pot of water to boil and add a pinch of sea salt and spaghetti. 

   Cook uncovered, as per instructions on package, usually 10-12 minutes.

   Heat skillet on stove and pour in enough regular olive oil to cover the bottom.    Add the broccoli bits, sliced red pepper, herbs (either dried or fresh), and garlic.

   Saute until broccoli look crisp. 

   Remove from pan, add more olive oil and the desired amount of chicken strips. 

   Cook until thoroughly heated (if frozen) or until cooked throughout (if fresh).    Add vegetable mixture and toss.

There are still plenty of cold nights to enjoy this one.

I bet it even makes a great cold dish!

As always, please leave a comment and 

let me know what you think!

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