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

THE KEY LIME CRIME

Book 10 in the Key West Food Critic Mysteries

by Lucy Burdette

National bestselling author Lucy Burdette's tenth Key West Food Critic mystery is piping hot with pie-enthusiasts and murder suspects.

When a fierce rivalry between key lime pie bakers leads to a pastry chef's murder, food critic Hayley Snow is fit to be pied.

During the week between Christmas and New Year's, the year-round population of Key West, Florida, faces a tsunami of tourists and snowbirds. It doesn't help that outrageously wealthy key lime pie aficionado David Sloan has persuaded the city to host his pie-baking contest. Every pie purveyor on the island is out to win the coveted Key Lime Key to the City and Key Zest food critic Hayley Snow is on the scene to report it.

Meanwhile, Hayley's home life is turning more tart than sweet. Hayley's new hubby, police detective Nathan Bransford, announces that her intimidating mother-in-law is bearing down on the island for a surprise visit. Hayley offers to escort Nathan's crusty mom on the iconic Conch Train Tour of the island's holiday lights, but it becomes a recipe for disaster when they find a corpse among the glittering palm trees and fantastic flamingos. The victim--Au Citron Vert's controversial new pastry chef--was a frontrunner in Sloan's contest.

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KNOCKOFF BABY'S SALAD 

WITH ITALIAN DRESSING

A LA CLEMENTE'S TROLLEY PIZZERIA

photo property of www.eatsimplefood.com

This dressing is based on a salad Hayley is mad for at her favorite pizza place in Key West, called Clemente's Pizzeria. She always orders Baby's salad to go with her pizza, and so do I. The secret to the salad is homemade Italian dressing.

Ingredients

For the salad:

Romaine lettuce (or mixed greens with arugula)

Tomatoes

Carrots, shredded

Red onions

Garbanzos, drained and rinsed

Blue Cheese

Avocado

Cucumbers

For the dressing:

1 teaspoon dried parsley

2 teaspoons dried minced onion

1 teaspoon dried basil

½ teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon garlic powder

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

½ teaspoon crushed red pepper or to taste, if you want a little zip

¼ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon honey or sugar

¼ cup white wine vinegar

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil

photo property of www.wellnessmama.com

Directions

   Chop and combine the salad ingredients to form a salad. 

   For the dressing, mix the spices, salt, and cheese with the honey or sugar, vinegar, and lemon juice in a glass jar and shake well. Add the olive oil and shake until well mixed. 

   Dress the salad and toss well.

Store any leftovers in the refrigerator.

photo property of www.hellyesitsvegan.com

I think this is a perfect summer meal when you don't want something hot. But, I think this would be equally wonderful as a side with your fall and winter meals.

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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

  

THE KEY LIME CRIME

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 

To whom does our island belong? I found myself wondering that as I sat on my scooter in the rain, late for my pricy-but-absolutely-necessary-for-a-person-who-eats-for-a-living personal trainer, attempting to cross a massive traffic jam on Eaton Street.

My 56

She laughed. "It's Christmas in Key West. All bets are off. . . ."

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