WHAT COOKING?

Cheese Please!

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When it comes to cheese, I am in my happy place. I come by it naturally. When my mom was a little girl, instead of buying penny candy with the shiny nickel her grandfather gave her, she'd buy cheese. My older sister and I are the same way. Neither one of us hit the grocery store without bringing cheese home with us. So, this this cookbook was a no brainer for me!

Grating, Slicing, Baking and Sprinkling Wisconsin’s Best Cheeses. 

Wisconsin’s artisan cheese scene is steeped in tradition and bursting with innovations. Local cheesemakers attract visitors from all over the world. Cheese is a huge part of the state’s tourist draw and homegrown character. Everyone who calls Wisconsin home or visits for a day will love this book of the best recipes to cook with cheese. Stunning photos and 60 recipes from the 28 creameries featured will include comfort-food staples like pizza, mac ‘n cheese and grilled-cheese sandwiches, as well as wow-worthy dinner-party favorites such as mascarpone cheesecake, plus picnic-friendly salads and delicious breakfasts.

Noteworthy creameries covered include Carr Valley Cheese and Emmi Roth in Southwest Wisconsin; BelGioioso Cheese and Sartori in Northeast Wisconsin; Holland’s Family Cheese in Northwest Wisconsin; and Clock Shadow Creamery in Southeast Wisconsin.

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MY REVIEW

A cheese cookbook? Did someone have me in mind when they wrote this book? I mean . . . cheese!

I didn’t expect a schooling on the Wisconsin dairy trade when I started the WISONSIN CHEESE COOKBOOK, but I’m impressed with what I learned. Things like, there are “six hundred cheese varieties, types, and styles”. And that “three billion pounds of cheese are produced annually”. There is also information on the regions of Wisconsin, and the dairies that make what is easily on of my favorite foods.

The recipes included are from those regions and dairies. Recipes such as, Fried Potato Chips with Spicy Blue Cheese Sauce, Apple Pie with Sharp Cheddar Crust, Standard Wisconsin Poutine, Lemon Mascarpone Tarts, Pan-Fried Brussels Sprouts with Horseradish Havarti, Sweet & Spicy Sriracha Pizza, Three-Ingredient Cheese Biscuits, Roasted Cherry-Tomato Salad, Red Rock Ham Salad Canapes, Five-Minute Homemade Cheese Sauce. That handful of recipes is just from the first half of the book!

Lisa’s note: A lot of these recipes recommend using cheeses that come from the dairies and/or regions that produce them. I’m pretty sure you can replace them with brands of cheeses available in your area.

The WISCONSIN CHEESE COOKBOOK is a tasty treat that cheese fans just can’t beat. (Sorry for the cheesy rhyme. Okay, and the bad pun). Delicious recipes with some lovely photos (not as many photos as I would like) made me so hungry for cheese that my stomach was growling as I wrote this review!

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I hope you'll join 

author Debbie De Louise, 

Sneaky the Cat and me on 

February 8  12:00(noon) - 9:00pm EST

over on Facebook for

SNEAKY'S VALENTINE'S DAY PAW-TY!

Sneaky'sValentine'sPaw-ty

There will be games, prizes, and author chats! Speaking of authors, we have a great group of authors joining us!

Takeover author slots:

12 to 12:45 pm - Sneaky the Library Cat and Debbie

1 pm to 1:45 pm - Kimberley O'Malley

2 pm to 2:45 pm - Duffy Brown

3 pm to 3:45 pm - Lois Crockett

4 pm to 4:45 pm - Mollie Hunt

5 pm to 5:45 pm - Terrie Moran 

6 pm to 6:45 pm - Jenna St. James

7 pm to 7:45 pm - Ellen Byron

(due to a previous engagement, Ellen will only be with us until 7:30)

8 pm to 8:45 pm and close of paw-ty - Debbie and Sneaky

Head over to the event page and let us know you'll be joining in the fun!

Sneaky'sValentine'sPaw-ty  

We'll see you on February 8th!

Look at all of the wonderful

new releases out today!

Sarah Grayson and her feline ally, Elvis, get a chance to see if their sleuthing skills are up to scratch in the sixth installment of the New York Times bestselling Second Chance Cat Mysteries.

It's fall in North Harbor, Maine, where Sarah owns a charming secondhand shop and sells lovingly refurbished items of all kinds. The shop is always bustling--and not just because a quirky team of senior-citizen detectives works out of it and manages to get in even more trouble than Sarah's rough-and-tumble rescue cat, Elvis.
 
A cold case heats up when young Mallory Pearson appears at the shop. Mallory's father is in prison for negligence after her stepmother's mysterious death, but Mallory believes he is innocent and asks the in-house detectives to take on the case. With Sarah and Elvis lending a paw, the detectives decide to try to give Mallory's father a second chance of his own.

The island fishing village of Eastport, Maine, has plenty of salty local character. It also has a sweet side, thanks to Jacobia “Jake” Tiptree, her best friend Ellie, and their waterfront bake shop, The Chocolate Moose. But when island life is disrupted by the occasional killer, Jake and Ellie put their chocolate treats aside to make sure justice is served. 
 
This summer, Eastport’s favorite lovebirds, kindergarten teacher Sharon Sweetwater and Coast Guard Captain Andy Devine, are getting married. The gala reception is sure to be the fête of the season, especially with a wedding-cake-sized whoopie pie courtesy of The Chocolate Moose. For Jake and Ellie, the custom-ordered confection will finally reel in some much-needed profits. But the celebratory air, and sweet smell of success, are ruined by foul murder.
 
When Sharon’s bitter ex-boyfriend Toby is poisoned with an arsenic-laced milkshake, Andy is jailed as the prime suspect and the wedding is cancelled, whoopie pie and all. Then Sharon makes a shocking confession—one that sounds like a fishy attempt to get Andy off the hook. Now both the bride and groom are behind bars. And with the fate of The Chocolate Moose at stake, it’s up to Jake and Ellie to catch a poisonous predator before someone else sips their last dessert.
 
Includes a Recipe!

Kristan “Stan” Connor loves concocting tasty organic treats for dogs and cats—and she also loves her fiancé, pub owner Jake McGee. But she’s not so enthusiastic about finding a dead body at her own bachelorette party . . .
 
Stan and Jake’s wedding will soon take place on the town green in Frog Ledge, Connecticut, followed by a reception at their beloved Irish pub filled with friends, family, and their four favorite canine companions. Stan just has to endure the traditional girls’ night out first. Male strippers jumping out of gigantic cakes aren’t her preferred entertainment. But the hired hottie never gets around to taking it all off . . . because someone takes him out first with one of Stan’s kitchen knives. A heartbroken Stan recognizes the victim as one of the delivery men from the local farm—who must have been moonlighting for some extra cash. Now the guest list has turned into a suspect list—and Stan’s making a vow to find the killer . . .
 
Includes Gourmet Pet Food Recipes!

The first in a brand-new cozy series from Diane Kelly set in Nashville―where the real estate market is to die for.

WILL THIS KILLER DEAL LEAD TO A DEAD END? 

Meet Whitney Whitaker. A hopeless romantic when it comes to real estate, she knows what it takes to find―and flip―the home of one’s dreams. A fixer-upper is like catnip to Whitney: she can’t resist the challenge of turning an eyesore into a priceless work of art. So when one of her clients decides to liquidate a crumbling property, Whitney seizes the opportunity to purchase it for a song. But soon a curious incident of the cat in the night-time leads to a change in tune. . .

Sawdust is the name of Whitney’s cat―of course. Whitney’s passion for gut-renovation may be a mystery to him but one thing Sawdust knows for sure is this: Dead bodies don’t belong in flower beds. So why is there one in this new, albeit old, house? Now it’s up to Whitney, along with the help of hot-and-cold Nashville Police Detective Collin Flynn, to find the truth about what happened before the mortgage property forecloses and Whitney loses her investment. . .and maybe her own life.

When Abby McCree suddenly inherits her favorite relative’s property in small town Snowberry Creek, Washington, she soon realizes that the ramshackle home comes with strings attached—one of which is tied to a dead body!
After a rough divorce, Abby McCree only wants to stitch up her life and move on. But other loose ends appear after her elderly Aunt Sybil passes away, leaving Abby to tend to a rundown estate, complete with a slobbery Mastiff of questionable pedigree and a sexy tenant who growls more than the dog. As Abby gets drawn into a tight-knit quilting guild, she makes a twisted discovery—Aunt Sybil’s only known rival is buried in her backyard!

Despite what local detectives say, Abby refuses to accept that her beloved aunt had anything to do with the murder. While navigating a busy social calendar and rediscovering the art of quilting, she launches an investigation of her own to clear Aunt Sybil’s name and catch the true culprit. The incriminating clues roll in, yet Abby can’t help but wonder—can she survive her new responsibilities in Snowberry Creek and still manage to patch together a killer’s deadly pattern without becoming the next victim?

Post-retirement aches and pains can’t prevent sixty-five-year-old Lilly Jayne from keeping the most manicured garden in Goosebush, Massachusetts. But as a murder mystery blooms in the sleepy New England town, can a green thumb weed out a killer?
 
With hundreds flocking to her inaugural garden party, meticulous Lilly Jayne hasn’t left a single petal out of place. But the picture-perfect gathering turns unruly upon the arrival of Merilee Frank, Lily’s ex-husband’s catty third wife. Merilee lives for trouble, so no one is surprised after she drinks too much, shoves a guest into the koi pond, and gets escorted off the property. The real surprise comes days later—when Merilee is found dead in a pile of mulch . . .
 
Lilly wishes she could stick to pruning roses and forget about Merilee’s murder—until her best friend and ex become suspects in an overgrown homicide case. Now, aided by the Garden Squad, an unlikely group of amateur crime solvers with a knack for planting, Lilly knows she has limited time to identify the true culprit and restore order to Goosebush. Because if the murderer’s plot isn’t nipped in the bud, another victim could be pushing up daisies!

As always, please leave a comment and 

let me know what you think!

Follow my blog by submitting your email in 

upper right hand corner of this page. (on the side bar).

Reading from your phone? Scroll to the bottom of your page and click"View web version". Then follow the above directions.

DRAWN AND BUTTERED

Book 3 in the Lobster Shack Mysteries

by Shari Randall

Drawn and Buttered is the third book in a wonderfully satisfying cozy mystery series set at the Lazy Mermaid Lobster Shack in coastal New England.

The Lazy Mermaid’s business has slowed to a snail’s pace―until a monster lobster claws his way onto the scene…

With high season behind them, ballerina on-the-mend Allie Larkin and Aunt Gully are finally lying low. But then an unexpected guest arrives at the lobster shack: a crustacean so huge he’s dubbed Lobzilla around Mystic Bay and on social media. Soon, with everyone showing up for a peek in their tank, Allie and Aunt Gully have more on their plate than they can handle.

Meanwhile, another local establishment finds itself in hot water. In exclusive Rabb’s Point, a strange burglary breaches the elegant home of Royal Parrish. Allie takes it upon herself to help with the investigation but, before she can get to the bottom of the case, another alarm sounds: the Lazy Mermaid’s Lobzilla has gone missing and is on the loose! And bodies are beginning to pile up. . .

MY REVIEW

Author Shari Randall delights again in this third installment of her Lobster Shack Mysteries.

I just put down my copy of DRAWN AND BUTTERED with a contented sigh. Spending time at the Lazy Mermaid Lobster Shack is always a pleasure. This trip was no exception. With more than one mystery to solve, series lead Allie has her hands full, and for us readers, that means an exciting tale of mystery filled enjoyment.

DRAWN AND BUTTERED was a fast moving, well plotted story with as many red herrings as there are lobsters sold at the Lobster Shack. I truly had no idea who the bad guy/gal was until I read the reveal. The ending has me questioning if this may be the end of the series, or just another layer of depth as the series goes on.   

Whatever you do, get your claws on a copy DRAWN AND BUTTERED!

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The Lobster Shack Mysteries

Release date: February 26

Pre-order today!

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As always, please leave a comment and 

let me know what you think!

Follow my blog by submitting your email in 

upper right hand corner of this page

(on the side bar).

Reading from your phone? Scroll to the bottom of your page and click "View web version".

Then follow the above directions.

FEBRUARY IS FOR LOVE . . .

OF MYSTERY (and more) BOOKS!!!

Kathi Daley Books Share The Love Valentine's Day Book Giveaway

There will be giveaways from your favorite authors every single day during the month of February!

Check out this lineup!

Feb 1 – Kathi Daley
Feb 1 – Tamara Ferguson
Feb 1 – Valerie Burns

Feb 2 – Christina Freeburn
Feb 2 – Caroline Fardig

Feb 3 – Kathy Valenti
Feb 3 – Donna Walo Clancy

Feb 4 – Vickie Fee
Feb 4 – Debra Sennefelder

Feb 5 – Shawn Reilly Simmons
Feb 5 – Vicki Vass

Feb 6 – Cynthia Kuhn
Feb 6 – Ellen Byron

Feb 7 – Cindy Brown
Feb 7 – Shari Randall

Feb 7 – Kathi Daley
Feb 8 – Annette Riggle Dashogy
Feb 8 – J.C. Eaton

Feb 9 – Margaret Dumas
Feb 9 – Jenny Kales

Feb 10 – Holly Quinn
Feb 10 – Vikki Walton

Feb 11 – Amy Reade
Feb 11 – Debbie De Louise
Feb 11 - Susan Bernhardt

Feb 12 – Julie Seedorf
Feb 12 – Linda Reilly

Feb 13 – Susan M. Boyer
Feb 13 – Betty Hechtman

Feb 14 – Charmain Zimmerman Brackett
Feb 14 – Sherry Harris

Feb 15 – Catherine Bruns
Feb 15 – Julie Moffett

Feb 16 – Kathi Daley
Feb 16 – Cassidy Salem
Feb 16 – Janice J. Richardson

Feb 17 – Christa Nardy
Feb 17 – Liz Mugavero

Feb 18 – Anne Canadeo
Feb 18 – Larissa Reinhart

Feb 19 – Dianne Harmon
Feb 19 – K. A. Davis

Feb 20 – Kim Hornsby
Feb 20 – CeeCee James

Feb 21 – Maria Grazia Swan
Feb 21 – Tina Kashian

Feb 22 – Julie Mulhern
Feb 22 – Naomi Miller

Feb 23 – Connie Shelton
Feb 23 – Olivia Matthews

Feb 24 – Kathi Daley
Feb 24 – Katie Penryn
Feb 24 – Duffy Brown

Feb 25 – Tammy Grace
Feb 25 – Karen Shughart

Feb 26 – Celeste Burke
Feb 26 – Terrie Moran

Feb 27 – Jacki Delecki
Feb 27 – Tonya Kappes

Feb 28 – Lori Leger
Feb 28 - Kathi Daley

(Please note the above schedule is for when each giveaway will be posted. Unlike past giveaway events, there are no author takeovers. Please see event page for more information.) Kathi Daley Books Share The Love Valentine's Day Book Giveaway

Won't you join us in the fun?

Kathi Daley Books Share The Love Valentine's Day Book Giveaway

Head over to

Kathi Daley Books Share The Love Valentine's Day Book Giveaway

and click "Going" so we'll know you are ready to win some prizes!

Authors may be popping in and

out all month to say hi. So check back several times a day!

What are you waiting for? Get over to the event page and let me know you're as excited as I am!

Kathi Daley Books Share The Love Valentine's Day Book Giveaway

BOOK TOUR

I'm so excited to be a stop on the blog tour for

MURDER WEARS A LITTLE BLACK DRESS

Book 1 in the Resale Boutique Mysteries

by Debra Sennefelder

Manhattan fashionista Kelly Quinn thought she’d left her upstate New York town far behind . . . until the Seventh Avenue expat returns home to revamp her grandmother’s consignment shop into an upscale boutique—and unwittingly sets a trend for murder . . .

After her rising career as a Manhattan buyer is derailed, Kelly has mixed feelings about relocating back to Lucky Cove, in spite of her big plans for the soon-to-be-renamed Curated by Kelly Resale Boutique. What’s left of her luck starts running out when a customer puts on a black lace dress that triggers visions of someone being murdered. As if the haunted “Murder Dress” isn’t enough to kill business, the psychic’s doppelganger cousin has just been found bludgeoned to death.

Was Maxine LeMoyne the real target or was it a case of mistaken murder? With some creepy pre-Halloween bargain hunters walking the night and Kelly suddenly a person of interest, a second murder rocks the close-knit town. Now Kelly could be the one who ends up talking to dead people when she’s stalked by a killer determined to take her out in high style . . .

MY REVIEW

I was so excited when I heard author Debra Sennefelder had started a new series! Already in love with the first book in her Food Blogger Mysteries (can’t wait for the second), I knew I was in for a good read. I was wrong. It was a GREAT read!

Hooked from page one with an unhappy customer/consigner, and a do-we-have-to-have-this-talk-again moment between protagonist Kelly and her store employee, I was reminded of my twenty plus years in retail. I felt like I was standing in the store watching it all play out. That is until the next scene when the action hit the fan and MURDER WEARS A LITTLE BLACK DRESS went into high gear! Read in one setting, I was out of breath by the last sentence.

Fantastic storytelling, wonderfully written characters, and a first-class mystery with a reveal that left me totally surprised, there wasn’t a thing I didn’t enjoy about this book. Readers, clear a day on your schedule because you’re in for ten times more than what you bargained for.

 MURDER WEARS A LITTLE BLACK DRESS is officially one of my favorite books of 2019!

About the Author

Debra Sennefelder, the author of the Food Blogger Mystery series and the Resale Boutique Mystery series, is an avid reader who reads across a range of genres, but mystery fiction is her obsession. Her interest in people and relationships is channeled into her novels against a backdrop of crime and mystery. When she’s not reading, she enjoys cooking and baking and as a former food blogger, she is constantly taking photographs of her food. Yeah, she’s that person. Born and raised in New York City, she now lives and writes in Connecticut with her family. She’s worked in pre-hospital care, retail and publishing. Her writing companions are her adorable and slightly spoiled Shih-Tzus, Susie and Billy. She is a member of Sisters in Crime, International Thriller Writers, Women's Fiction Writers Association and Romance Writers of America. 

  Author Links: Website – Facebook – Goodreads 

Purchase Links:  Amazon    B&N    Kobo    Google Play   

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

January 21 – The Avid Reader – REVIEW

January 21 – Babs Book Bistro – SPOTLIGHT

January 22 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

January 22 – Devilishly Delicious Book Reviews – REVIEW

January 23 – My Reading Journey – REVIEW  

January 23 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

January 24 – The Book Decoder – REVIEW

January 24 – Ruff Drafts – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

January 25 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW  

January 25 – Readeropolis – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

January 26 – Mallory Heart’s Cozies – REVIEW

January 26 – Lisa Ks Book Reviews – REVIEW

January 27 – Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

January 27 – Carla Loves To Read – REVIEW

January 28 – StoreyBook Reviews – REVIEW

January 28 – A Wytch’s Book Review Blog – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

January 29 – Rosepoint Publishing – REVIEW

January 29 – I’m All About Books – SPOTLIGHT

January 30 – Island Confidential – SPOTLIGHT

January 31 – MJB Reviewers – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW

January 31 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW

February 1 – A Blue Million Books – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

February 1 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

February 2 – Socrates Book Reviews – REVIEW

February 3 – Laura`s Interests – REVIEW

February 3 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT

As always, please leave a comment and 

let me know what you think!

Follow my blog by submitting your email in 

upper right hand corner of this page. (on the side bar).

Reading from your phone? Scroll to the bottom of your page and click"View web version". Then follow the above directions.