It's

Cozy Food Friday

That means it's time to share a recipe from 

another great cozy mystery!

Today I'm featuring 

SCENE OF THE GRIND

Book 1 in the Killer Coffee Mysteries

by Tonya Kappes

After a bitter divorce, Roxanne Davis (her friends, though few call her Roxie) has moved back home to Honey Springs, Kentucky where she's opened the tourist lakefront town's first coffee house, The Bean Hive. 

With the excitement of the Bean Hive opening and rush of business, Roxie is moving on with her life until she finds that one of her best customers, Lilia Walters, was found dead after eating one of Roxie's best-selling doughnuts after Roxie's aunt Maxine gave Lilia as a peace offering.

Gossip in Honey Springs is as hot at the coffee served at the Bean Hive and Roxie has to uncover who is behind the murder not only to save her shop, her aunt, but her life.

About Tonya

For years, USA Today bestselling author Tonya Kappes has been publishing numerous mystery and romance titles with unprecedented success. She is famous not only for her hilarious plot lines and quirky characters, but her tremendous marketing efforts that have earned her thousands of followers and a devoted street team of fans.
Sign up for her newsletter on her website at Tonyakappes.com .
The word for the Scavenger Hunt: PUMPKIN

Visit Tonya:
Facebook at Author Tonya Kappes,
www.facebook.com/authortonyakappes

Kappes Krew Street Team
facebook.com/groups/208579765929709/

Webpage
tonyakappes.com

Goodreads
www.goodreads.com/author/show/4423580.Tonya_Kappes

Twitter 
twitter.com/tonyakappes11

Pinterest
www.pinterest.com/tonyakappes/

For weekly updates and contests, sign up for Tonya's newsletter Kappes Krew Weekly via her website or Facebook.

On to the recipe!

BREAKFAST CASSEROLE

Photo courtesy of Tonya Kappes

All other food photos courtesy of Google Images unless otherwise marked

Ingredients:

1 package (16 oz.) of bulk ground sausage. I like a little spice to mine so I get a mild or hot sausage.

1 onion (chopped or you can buy a bag of the frozen already chopped)

1 red pepper (chopped or you can buy a bag of the frozen already chopped)

3-4 cups frozen square hash browns

2 cups cheddar cheese

3/4 cups Bisquick (I use gluten free Bisquick because Eddy is gluten free and it's the same measurements)

2 cups of milk

6 eggs

Optional black pepper

Directions:

I preheat my oven to 400

Spray a 3 quart baking dish ( 13 x 9 inches) with cooking spray

Over medium heat, cook the chopped onion and red pepper along with the sausage until the sausage is cooked with no pink. 

Drain the meat. 

Add the meat mixture, frozen hash browns, and 1.5 cups of the cheese in the baking dish.

In a bowl, combine the milk, Bisquick, eggs, and pepper (optional). Pour over the sausage mix in the baking dish.

Bake for around 30-35 minutes. 

Sprinkle the rest of the cheese over top and bake another five minutes or until the cheese has melted. 

Photo courtesy of Tonya Kappes

I'm a big believer in letting the food stand for 5-10 minutes after taken out of the oven.

Enjoy!

Mmmmm...What a great way to start any day!

I'm not against eating breakfast for dinner either.😉

~*~*~

Please keep reading and check out my 

installments of 

Book Beginnings on Fridays

and

The Friday 56

Both are also from 

SCENE OF THE GRIND

 ~*~*~

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

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

My Book Beginnings

Drip, drip, drip. There is something about coffee that brings people together. And they don’t even have to like coffee. Is it the smell? Is the comforting sound of the drip? I don’t know. All I did know was that my new coffee shop in tourist lake town of Honey Springs, Kentucky, The Bean Hive, had been welcomed with opened arms. “I’m telling you something is wrong,” Bunny Bowowski waddled into The Bean Hive with the black pocketbook hung in the croak of her arm. “She didn’t answer her phone all night last night.” “You know, I was by there just around eight o’clock and I did notice the strangest thing.” Mae Belle Donovan stopped just inside of the door and put her hand on Bunny’s forearm. “You know those little plug in candles that are in each one of her windows?” “Do I?” Bunny rolled her eyes. “We downright got into a fight over them candles. I told her that it was not Christmas and she needed to take them things down. In fact, it was hotter than a firecracker and in July when I told her that. She said it was year round decoration.”

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 Friday 56 

“I wanted to thank you for the coffee. My men appreciate your kindness.” His features were familiar. His big brown eyes warm and matched the tender smile. “I’m glad to see the two of you have mended.” Aunt Maxi walked over to the door. “I’ll have these back to you in a couple of hours. See you later, Patrick.” Patrick? I took a deeper look at the man standing in front of me. Patrick Cane? I looked a little deeper. Patrick Cane.

I don't have this book in my grubby little hands yet,

so, a big thank you to author Tonya Kappes

for supplying the BB and 56.

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.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

No matter when, where, or how you celebrate and to those who don't . . .

Make this day a day of true thankfulness for who and what you have in your lives. 

Make it a day to spread kindness and love.

Our world needs healing. 

Let it begin with us.

Lisa Ks Book Reviews blog is proud to bring to you

THE COZY TIMES

This is a weekly online publication focused on connecting cozy mystery readers to favorite cozy characters by way of their town's newspapers. 

The Cozy Times will be available every Wednesday right here on Lisa Ks blog.

I think it's time to see what some of our authors are up to, don't you? The Cozy Times has sources everywhere, and here's what they found this week!

(All accounts listed below are fictional and just for fun)

Author News

Who was the mysterious snow bunny in the blue snowsuit and white earmuffs flying down the slopes in Snowflake, Vermont? None other than author Connie di Marco/Archer herself! After a day on the slopes, Ms. di Marco did some Christmas shopping in downtown Snowflake, before stopping into By The Spoonful, one of Snowflake's premier eateries, and warming up with a bowl of soup. According to owner Lucky Jamieson's grandfather, Jack, di Marco had a

bowl of the Cream Of Asparagus Soup, and several of their special Corn and Cheese Cakes. "She was a real nice lady," stated Jack. "She said the soup was the best she had ever had, and the service was top notch. She even got some of the cakes to go." 

Sources say Ms. di Marco would be leaving the east coast to head to San Francisco, CA where she has a book signing scheduled for her new Zodiac Mystery series. If you find yourself in town, hop a trolley and pay Connie a visit at the local bookstore! 

~*~*~*~*~

What was author Barbara Early doing in the little town of East Aurora, NY? According to our sources, she was buying toys. Lots and lots of toys! It seems Ms. Early spent hours in Well Played, a vintage toy shop in town. "She was just like a kid in a candy...well, toy store! She couldn't get enough of all the wonderful toys we carry," said manager of Well Played, Liz McCall. "Her eyes lit up with every new old toy she saw. I asked her why she was so interested in vintage toys, and she said she was writing a cozy mystery series based on them!" 

So taken was author Early with Ms. McCall's shop, she has made arrangements for her Vintage ToyShop Mysteries to be available for sale in Well Played, and will be having book signings with each new title! Make sure to be on the lookout for them! 

~*~*~*~*~

Christmas is coming, and you can see the hustle and bustle everywhere. This is certainly true for the folks in Sudbury Falls, WI. The town and stores are decorated in all their finery, and amazing smells filling the air! The crisp clean scent of snow, the earthy smell of pine, and mmm....food! Many townspeople and visitors alike are following that delicious smell of baked goods into Sweet Marissa's Patisserie. 

Kay Driscoll, a regular at Sweet Marissa's, said she was having a snack and tea while going over her Christmas shopping list when she had a pleasant surprise. "The place was packed, more than usual. Anyone who found an empty table was lucky. I was focused on my list when someone said, 'Excuse me'. I looked up and it was one of my favorite authors, Susan Bernhardt! She asked if she could share my table. Of course I said yes!" According to Ms. Bernhardt, she was in town to visit friends for a few days, before flying to Manhattan, NY to do research on the second book in her new Irina Curtius Cozy Mystery series. Word has it Susan left Sweet Marissa's with a box of pastries for her flight to Manhattan, and a promise to stop in on her next visit.  

~*~*~*~*~

Remember to keep your eyes peeled dear readers. You never know when one of your favorite authors may be visiting your hometown.

📕📖📗📖📘📖📙

I hope you enjoyed this special author spotlight issue of 

The Cozy Times.

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.

Christmas is coming!

So many things come to mind when thinking of Christmas, and they all bring a smile to my face. 

One of the things that brings the biggest smile?

COOKIES!!!

Dessert, parties, cookie exchanges . . . 

Cookies play a big part in the holidays.

Every Tuesday, now until Christmas, I'll be sharing some amazing cookie recipes from some of your favorite cozy authors and books!  

SUGAR COOKIE MURDER

by Joanne Fluke

The holidays are the icing on the cake for bakery owner Hannah Swensen. Surrounded by her loved ones, she has all the ingredients for a perfect Christmas--until murder is added to the mix.  .  .

When it comes to holidays, Minnesotans rise to the occasion--and the little town of Lake Eden is baking up a storm with Hannah leading the way. The annual Christmas Buffet is the final test of the recipes Hannah has collected for the Lake Eden Holiday Buffet Cookbook.

The recently divorced Martin Dubinski arrives at the buffet with his new Vegas showgirl wife--all wrapped up in glitter and fur. His ex-wife, however, seems as cool as chilled eggnog. And when Hannah's mother's antique Christmas cake knife disappears, its discovery in the décolletage of the new--and now late--Mrs. Dubinski puts the festivities on ice.

With everyone stranded at the community center by a blizzard, Hannah puts her investigative skills to the test, using the ingredients at hand: half the town of Lake Eden--and a killer. Now, as the snowdrifts get higher, it's up to Hannah to dig out all the clues--and make sure that this white Christmas doesn't bring any more deadly tidings.  .  .

Includes over fifty original recipes for you to try!

🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪

On to the recipe!

Heavenly Tea Cookies

All food images courtesy of Google Images

DO NOT preheat oven---

this dough must chill before baking. 

Ingredients

1 ½ cups melted butter (3 sticks, ¾ pound)

2 cups firmly packed brown sugar

2 beaten eggs (just whisk them up in a glass with a fork)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon vanilla (or other flavoring---in the story lemon extract was used)

1 ½ cups dried mixed fruit chopped with 2 Tablespoons flour (measure fruit after chopping)

3 cups flour

Melt the butter in a microwave-safe bowl on HIGH for 2 ½ minutes.

Add the brown sugar and mix it up.

Let it cool for several minutes. 

When the mixture is warm to the touch, but not hot, add the beaten eggs baking powder and vanilla. 

Chop the dried mixed fruit. This is easy with a food processor and steel blade. Just drop in the fruit (in the story, peaches, apples, pears, and apricots were     used) and sprinkle the 2 Tablespoons of lour on top. 

Pulse until the fruit is finely chopped, adding a bit more flour if it starts to  "gum" up. 

Measure out a cup and half of chopped fruit.

Add fruit to your mixing bowl and stir it in.

Then add the flour, one cup at a time, stirring after each addition. 

Place the dough in the refrigerator for 20 minutes to firm up. 

Then divide into 4 parts.

Using waxed paper, roll each part into a log approximately 2 inches in diameter. (If dough is too sticky, return it to the refrigerator and let it chill for another 10 minutes.)

Wrap logs in fresh sheets of waxed paper, stick them in a plastic bag, and store them in your refrigerator for at least 4 hours. (Overnight is fine too---Heavenly Tea Cookie dough will keep up to a week in your refrigerator.)

When you're ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F., with rack in the center position.

Take out a roll of dough, (just one---it's easier to work with when it's chilled) unwrap it, and roll it on the counter again if the bottom has flattened in the refrigerator

Cut quarter-inch thick slices with a sharp knife and place them on a greased cookie sheet, 12 to a standard-sized sheet. 

Return unused dough to the refrigerator. 

Bake the cookies at 375 degrees F. for 10 minutes or until nicely browned.

Cool one or two minutes on the sheet and then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. 

Yield: 6 to 7 dozen cookies. 

Note: These cookies are not very sweet---

if you prefer a sweeter cookie, dust the tops with powdered sugar before serving. 

Friends and or family may not want another fruitcake, but I bet they'd be trilled with these cookies! 

And how perfect would these be for a Christmas tea party?

Check back next Tuesday for another yummy cookie recipe! 

🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪

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.