Welcome Paty Jager

Hello,
Today I’m sharing a caramel frosting recipe with you. My main character in my Shandra Higheagle Mystery series loves caramel. And who doesn’t! My grandmother always made this frosting for her applesauce cakes.

Caramel Frosting
¾ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
½ cup milk
2 TBLSP butter
3 cups powdered sugar

In a medium saucepan, combine the brown sugar, milk, and butter. Cook over moderate heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil. Cook for 2 minutes, whisking constantly. Remove from the heat. Transfer to a large bowl; let stand for 1 hour or until the mixture cools to room temperature. With an electric mixer on medium, gradually add the powdered sugar, beating until the frosting is smooth and of spreading consistency. Use the frosting immediately. It sets up hard. Makes 1 ½ cups of frosting or enough to frost the top of a 13” x 9” x 2” cake.

The first book of my Shandra Higheagle Mystery series, Double Duplicity, is free.

Book one of the Shandra Higheagle Native American Mystery Series

Dreams…Visions…Murder

On the eve of the biggest art event at Huckleberry Mountain Resort, potter Shandra Higheagle finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation. She’s ruled out as a suspect, but now it’s up to her to prove the friend she witnessed fleeing the scene was just as innocent. With help from her recently deceased Nez Perce grandmother, Shandra becomes more confused than ever but just as determined to discover the truth. While Shandra is hesitant to trust her dreams, Detective Ryan Greer believes in them and believes in her.

Can the pair uncover enough clues for Ryan to make an arrest before one of them becomes the next victim?

You can check out all the Shandra Higheagle books here.

And find out more about me at the links below.
blog / website / Facebook / Paty's Posse / Goodreads / Twitter

Thank you Paty, I appreciate you dropping by and sharing with us. This recipe sounds great.

Stuffed Acorn Squash

Stuffed Acorn Squash

2 - Acorn Squash - Tops cut off, clean seeds out.
1/2 lb Ground sausage. (Beef, Bison, or Turkey.)
1 - Large clove garlic - minced.
1/4 Onion chopped.
1 Jalapeno chopped. (seeds optional)
1 Tomato chopped. (seeded)
1/4 cup shredded cheese.
Salt, pepper, and crushed chili and basil to taste.

Preheat over to 425 degrees.
Chop veggies and add oil to pain and simmer a few minutes. Add meat and brown. Place squash in a loaf pan, add an inch of water. Stuff squash and sprinkle with cheese. Bake for 40 minutes or until tender.
Serve with rice.
To spruce up the rice add garlic and onion.
Serve with rolls if desired.

Bison Sheppard's Pie

Bison Sheppard's Pie
1 lb bison - browned.
3-4 red potatoes - boiled and mashed.
1 carrot sliced thin
1 stalk celery sliced thin
1/4 cp Frozen peas
1 Jalapeno chopped (optional)
1/4 onion chopped
1/2 green bell pepper cut into big pieces
1 package of brown or white gravy mix
1/2 cp Jameson Whiskey (option - replace with beef broth if desired)
1/4 cp beef broth (as needed)
Add salt, pepper, basil, and oregano to taste.

In the video I say buffalo, but it is bison.

Pre heat oven to 420 degrees. Brown meat and then add all the vegetables. Cook until tender. Add the liquid and gravy mix stir and simmer. Mash the potatoes, add a little milk (I use Almond milk) and ranch dressing and butter. Put the meat in a 2 quart baking dish, spread the potatoes over the top and bake for 20 minutes.

Enjoy!

Cozy Crockpot Cajun Chicken and Bean Soup

Welcome, I'm preparing a cozy soup dish today. One of my winter favorites. However, it's very hot right now, 100 degree weather in Utah. I am missing my comfort food of winter.

Crockpot Cajun Chicken and bean soup
1/2 to 1 lb Chicken - Cubed - browned
2 cups Anasazi beans - soaked in water overnight
2 tsp. Cajun spice - using a pestle grind to a fine powder
1/2 onion chopped
1 to 2 Jalapeno chopped
3 med Tomatoes chopped
1 bunch Green onions chopped
1 stalk celery sliced
2 carrots sliced
2 cans Chicken Broth
2 cans water

Cut the chicken into cubes and brown. Place all the veggies, liquid and chicken into the crockpot and place in fridge overnight. Soak the beans overnight. In the morning drain and wash the beans and put them in the soup. Cook on low from 6 to 8 hours or high for 4 to 5 hours. Until the beans are tender.

Cajun spice
1/2 cup Chili powder
1/3 cup Kosher salt
1/4 cup Paprika
1 tsp. White pepper
1 Tbsp. Basil
1 Tbsp. Oregano
1 Tbsp. Black Pepper
1 Tbsp. Coriander
1 tbsp. Onion powder
1 Tsp. Cheyenne pepper
2 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp. Cumin
Mix in a mason jar and shake to mix. Use as needed.
Enjoy!

Guest author in the kitchen - Judy Baker AKA Anna Sugg

Quick and Easy Mexican Chicken
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast
cooking spray
1 glove garlic, minced
1/3 cup chopped onions
1 pinch salt
1 pinch ground black pepper
1 pinch ground cumin (I don't use this)
1 cup salsa
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C)
Heat a greased skillet to medium. Rub chicken pieces with garlic, salt, pepper and cumin to taste; place in hot skillet. Cook until brown on both sides and no longer pink, 10 to 15 minutes.

Transfer chicken to baking dish, top with salsa, onion, cheese, and bake in oven until cheese is bubbly and starts to brown, 20 minutes

Enjoy

Judy's latest book available is the third book of the Yellow Creek novels: Spirit Catcher
Unexplained visions. An old Cherokee Indian. A dog. And, human bones from the past.

Blurb:

When Charlotte Jane Matheson hangs the ancient Dream Catcher on the wall over her bed, she has weird dreams. Stirred by her dreams, she travels to the small community of Yellow Creek, Tennessee, determined to find out their meaning. While there, she meets an old Cherokee Indian, a dog that suddenly appears out of the dark woods, and a good-looking farmer-wannabe. Then, her dreams stop, but unexplained visions draw her into the past through a circle of light.

The phenomenal images of her mother, who’s been missing for over a decade, has to mean something when she’s led to a cave beyond the Cherokee burial grounds. Is the old Indian a true Cherokee, or a witch? Can he help her understand her visions and their meanings? How is a missing employee connected to her property in Yellow Creek? And, why is the mysterious, farmer-wannabe always in the right place to help when she’s in need? What does he want from her? What does it all mean?

Buy Links: Amazon
Kobo

You can find out more about Judy on her Web site.

Kitchen Guest Marie Higgins

Hello everyone! Thank you for dropping by. Today we have a guest, Author Marie Higgins, she will be giving us a recipe her characters have in one of her stories!

Greetings, food lovers! I’m going to share with you one of the food dishes in my Regency romance, The Sweetest Touch (book 2 in my series, Sons of Worthington). The recipe I’m sharing is:

CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS
Ingredients
1 ½ cups milk
1 cup frozen peas and carrots (I actually use the mixed veggies)
1 cup cooked, cut-up chicken
1 can (10 ¾ ounces) condensed creamy chicken soup
1 cup pancake mix
1/3 cup milk
Paprika, if desired.

Directions
Heat 1 ½ cups of milk, peas and carrots, chicken and soup in large pan. Stir frequently until boiling. Stir pancake mix and 1/3 cup milk together until doughy. Drop dough by spoonfuls into boiling chicken mixture. Sprinkle with Paprika. Turn heat to low. Cook uncovered for 10 minutes, then cover with lid and cook another ten minutes.

Here’s the blurb from my story, The Sweetest Kiss.

Louisa wakes from a deep heavy fog, surrounded by strangers and horrified to discover she's been the sole victim of a terrible buggy accident. Worse... she remembers nothing.

Trevor Worthington, Duke of Kenbridge, can’t trust women. Yet after nearly killing the amnesiac Louisa, he has little choice but to open his home to her. His heart softens to the straggly woman in beggars garb as he strives to help her regain her memory. As proof of Louisa's scars, both physical and those lurking beneath the surface, come to light, Trevor finds himself more and more drawn to the mysterious woman. However he is hesitant to enter another nightmarish entanglement like his first marriage.

Louisa is all too happy to accept employment in the Duke's household though it quickly becomes apparent she doesn't fit in at all! For starters she speaks French and has no skills to speak of. Bits and pieces of conflicting memories flash through her mind, lending more confusion to the puzzle of her life. Fortunately the duke proves ever patient with her myriad of mistakes and Louisa finds herself falling in love with the kind, brooding man. As their budding relationship progresses from improper to scandalous Louisa's memory begins to return. Dare she tell Trevor the horrible truths of her past? That she belongs to an evil man known only as Macgregor.

As the heartbreaking facts of Louisa's past are exposed and decade old questions come to light, will the truth keep these lovers from happiness? Will Trevor be able to give love another chance? Or will Louisa's sweet touch prove yet another forgotten memory...

Buy Links: Kindle
Paperback or Audio

Sunday Brunch!

Welcome! It's Sunday Brunch.

You may think breakfast is easy, and it is, but I hope I give you a few ideas of how to spruce up your everyday breakfast. I have put amounts for one to four people.

Meat - The easy part. For this brunch I used sausage links. Put them in the pan on low to slowly cook while doing the rest of the food.

Breakfast potatoes
1 tlbsp. Olive oil in the pan
1 - 4 potatoes cut in to cubes
2 cloves garlic chopped
1 - 2 Roasted chili chopped. substitute jalapeno's if you want.
1/8 cup chopped onions.
The following to taste:
Basil (fresh if possible)
Chili powder
Crushed chili's
Pepper
Salt
Stir potatoes enough to coat with the olive oil. Add all the other ingredients cook in a sauce pan on medium until done. Approx. 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Scrambled Eggs
2 to 8 eggs whipped with milk and seasoned to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.
2 cloves garlic chopped
Shallot chopped
Small leaf of kale chopped
In a frying pan add enough oil to coat the garlic, shallot, and kale and saute, once tender add eggs and scramble.
Serve with tortilla's or toast.
Enjoy. PS -- Last Summer I redid the cabinets and walls in the kitchen, this summer we are doing the tile on the counter and floor. You will see this in the background. It will look great when it's done.