It's

Cozy Food Friday!

That means it's time to share a recipe from 

another great cozy mystery!

This week's recipe is from

A CATERED NEW YEAR'S EVE

by Isis Crawford

Sisters Bernie and Libby Simmons are reunited with a distant relative who wants them to cater a New Year’s Eve event—and help find a guilty party . . .
 
It’s been years since Bernie and Libby’s parents became estranged from Ada Sinclair’s side of the family—though the reasons for the rift are lost to history. The sisters, however, are intrigued when Ada makes contact. She tells them about the long-ago deaths of her father and his business partner, which happened within hours of each other—and were both ruled accidental.
 
Ada thinks otherwise—and has a plan. On New Year’s Eve, she’ll gather a group of guests and read from a diary she’s found in her mother’s attic that she thinks will expose the culprit. The Simmons sisters agree to provide refreshments for the bash, and when the night arrives, Ada’s ready to count down to a confession. But as midnight approaches, a guest drops dead. It looks like the menu tonight includes champagne and cyanide . . .
 
In the tumult, the diary disappears. When Ada is arrested for murder, she’ll have to hope that Bernie and Libby can provide a resolution before the clock runs out.
 
Includes Original Recipes for You to Try!

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Lentil Soup

photo property of www.food52.com

It is traditional on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day to serve something like lentil soup or Hoppin' John (made with black-eyed peas) to ensure a prosperous new year. This recipe for lentil soup comes from renowned children's book author Bruce Coville. It's delicious and worth making any time of year. ~ Isis Crawford

Ingredients

1 very large onion (or two medium ones), chopped

¼ cups olive oil or more if needed

2 large carrots, diced

2 large stalks celery, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 (14.5-ounce) can crushed tomatoes

2 cups uncooked lentils

8 cups water (or 1 quart water and 1 quart low-salt chicken broth)

½ cup spinach, rinsed and thinly sliced

2 tablespoons vinegar or more to taste

Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Kielbasa, ½ standard ring. Optional, although the soup is more popular with      

   than without. If using, peel, slice and cu those sliced into smaller pieces.

photo property of  www.cookingclassy.com

Directions

   1.  In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, and celery and stir until onion is tender. Stir in garlic, bay leaf, oregano, and basil. Cook for 2 minutes.

   2.  Stir in lentils and add water and tomatoes and kielbasa. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for at least 1 hour. When ready to serve stir in spinach and cook until it wilts. Add vinegar and season to taste with salt and pepper and more vinegar if desired. 

photo property of  www.thespruceeats.com

For those of you having a real winter (still waiting for snow here 😔), this sounds like to perfect soup for a cozy night.

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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 CATERED NEW YEAR'S EVE

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

Sean stirred another sugar cube into his coffee as he thought about what he should say. Or not say. Not that it would matter.

My 56

"I know. Why did Linda say that they are?" Libby asked . . .

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