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Tuesday, April 07, 2015

Review: The Cozy Cookbook


The Cozy Cookbook: More Than 100 Recipes from Today's Bestselling Mystery Authors
Author:  Various
Publisher:  Berkley Prime Crime, April 7, 2015
Format:  Trade Paperback, 372 pages
List Price:  $16.00
ISBN:  9780425277867
Review Copy:  Provided by the Publisher

MORE THAN 100 RECIPES FROM
AVERY AAMES/DARYL WOOD GERBER
ELLERY ADAMS
CONNIE ARCHER
LESLIE BUDEWITZ
LAURA CHILDS
CLEO COYLE
VICTORIA HAMILTON
B. B. HAYWOOD
JULIE HYZY
JENN McKINLAY
PAIGE SHELTON

Great meals don’t have to be a mystery—but they can come from a mystery. Selecting the most delicious recipes from some of the most popular names in crime solving, The Cozy Cookbook serves up mouth-watering appetizers, entrèes, and desserts that will leave your family or book club group asking, “Whodunit?”

In addition to recipes, choose a sleuth du jour from our menu of mystery series and get a taste of each of our authors’ bread and butter—page-turning puzzles and stay-up-all-night suspense in excerpts from their bestselling works.

Whether you like your meals sautéed, roasted, baked, or served cold like revenge, The Cozy Cookbook has something to satisfy every mystery fan.

This book contains previously published material.


Qwill Thoughts

I love cookbooks. I have over 3,000 (and my DH is a French chef from Paris). I also love cozy mysteries. So how could I resist the opportunity to review The Cozy Cookbook out today from Berkley Prime Crime? I couldn't. The Cozy Cookbook features snippets from novels by 11 cozy mystery authors and recipes! 

I've read many of the novels that are referenced in The Cozy Cookbook but it has introduced to a couple of new authors. I decided to make some of the recipes with the help of my daughter, Rebecca. We made Savory Herb Muffins from Muffin but Murder by Victoria Hamilton, the Easy Cream Scones from Shades of Earl Grey by Laura Childs and Delilah's Grilled Cheese with Bacon and Fig Jam from Days of Wine and Roquefort by Avery Aames.


Savory Herb Muffins

We used fresh herbs though you can use dry per the recipe. We also used Whole Wheat Pastry Flour though you can use All Purpose Flour as well. Note if you are going to use muffin tin paper liners spray them with oil. Or just back them in muffin tins sprayed with oil.

The fresh herbs gave these muffins a wonderful aroma. As with most things made with Whole Wheat flour they can tend to be a bit dry. I would recommend either a mix of Whole Wheat and All Purpose or just using All Purpose Flour for a slightly more moist muffin. Were they delicious? YES!

Photo by Rebecca Janin

I'll be serving these with holiday meals, especially Thanksgiving!


Easy Creme Scones

I lived in the British West Indies for 4 years and became known as the American who made amazing creme scones for tea. In fact the British Governor's wife (at that time) thought I made the best creme scones on the island (it's a small island!).

I found the texture of these scones to be fantastic and spot on! I did add a bit more flour than the recipe called for. Absolutely sprinkle these with sugar. It adds a wonderful dimension to the taste. I had them with Three Fruits Marmalade (from England) and they were out of this world. Use your favorite jam or jelly with these.

Photo by Rebecca Janin



I'll be serving these again!


Delilah's Grilled Cheese with Bacon and Fig Jam

When I read this recipe I did not think I was going to like a grilled cheese with either cream cheese or fig jam. I'm not a fan of warm or hot cream cheese. Boy was I wrong. This is a stunning sandwich. The taste profile is perfect. The bacon in opposition to the jam is sensational. The cream cheese blends beautifully with the Swiss cheese. The scallions added another note to the flavor medley and a dash of color that is wonderful. 

Photo by Rebecca Janin


We're having these for lunch again today.


The Cozy Cookbook is a lot of fun. It's a well put together cookbook with enticing novel snippets. I highly recommend it for cozy fans and cookbook fans.


Oh and we're making Jasmine Tea Truffles from The Jasmine Moon Murder by Laura Childs and Queen Elizabeth Cake from A Deadly Grind by Victoria Hamilton later today. You'll find pictures in my twitter feed!





The Giveaway

What:  One entrant will win a copy of The Cozy Cookbook from the publisher. US ONLY

How:  Log into and follow the directions in the Rafflecopter below.

Who and When:  The contest is open to all humans on the planet earth with a US mailing address. Contest ends at 11:59 PM US Eastern Time on April 18, 2015. Void where prohibited by law. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 years old or older to enter.

*Giveaway rules and duration are subject to change.*

a Rafflecopter giveaway

6 comments:

  1. Thanks for the review of the book and for posting pictures of the finished products you made - all three items look and sound delish! I too would not have thought of cream cheese for a grilled cheese sandwich but since I like the taste of cream cheese on it's own..why not...right? I'll have to look at your twitter feed tonight to check out today' pics....Thanks for giveaway!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Cookbooks are a passion.I love them as much as Mysteries. I can hardly wait to try some recipes!!!!!!_ Thanks for the Giveaway!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. This cookbook sounds like a veritable treasure which I would cherish. Your beautiful treats and the photos are delectable. Thanks for this wonderful feature and giveaway. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  4. I have read many of these authors ans enjoy a lot of their culinary mysteries. The recipes you tried look delicious, what nice pictures. Thanks for the chance chance to win a copy.
    JHolden955(at)gmailgmail(dot)com

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  5. This cookbook sounds fantastic -- I may just have to retire my battered Nancy Drew cookbook!

    Thanks for the amazing giveaway!
    elizabeth(at)bookattict(dot)com

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  6. This is giving me idea-- gathering friends together to discuss a mystery book and serving something by the author from this cookbook!

    ReplyDelete