Libby Klein I've just returned from a Mystery Writer's Conference in New Orleans where I did as many tours as I could squeeze into two pre-conference days. My favorite tour was a guided food tour of the city by a local chef. Even though I couldn't eat everything on the tour, I still found a new favorite. The Muffuletta. It's pretty close to being an Italian hoagie with olive and vegetable

LESLIE BUDEWITZ: Who doesn’t love a hearty pasta made in one pot? This recipe is perfect for a weeknight dinner. It’s flexible, too – choose hot, mild, or unseasoned sausage, and hot or sweet peppers, as you prefer. The anise-y taste of fennel is a terrific compliment to the sausage and peppers. The method of cooking the chunk of sausage in one piece, rather than broken and stirred

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 VMBURNS: In September, I attended the world mystery conference, Bouchercon 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. New Orleans is known for good food and I was not disappointed. I also found good cocktails. I had my first hurricane. It was delicious. So, of course I had to try to recreate the drink. I had most of the ingredients on hand, but passion fruit juice isn't in my normal routine. According

MADDIE DAY: After the worst of the warm weather abated earlier this month, I had a hankering for fresh bread, and it was finally cool enough to contemplate baking. I wasn't really up for my usual whole wheat yeasted kneaded recipe, and my sourdough starter is dead, so I hunted down a slow-rise, no-knead artisanal bread recipe. It turned out to be easy to make. When the result was as pretty

  Earlier this month, Ang Pompano shared his recipe for grilled melon. It looks amazing! It also made me realize that we hadn’t grilled bananas even once this summer. We probably wouldn’t fire up the grill just for bananas, but if we have the fire going, anyway, then the bananas take very little time to prepare and only add about five minutes to the total grilling. This recipe is a

 LUCY BURDETTE: I saw a recipe for this cherry dessert made by food writer Adam Roberts a month or two ago. He borrowed the recipe from Lydia Bastianich, and I decided I must try it since the cherries have been so good this summer. Mine did not turn out so perfectly cute, and for that I have two theories. As you can see in the photo, the crust unfolded as it baked. Why? Number one, I might

This is a non-recipe recipe. Nothing I love more than tomatoes in season, preferably bought direct from the farmer who grew them.  Right now, here in Southern Ontario we’re overwhelmed with the bounty.  Although, due to the summer’s drought some home gardeners are reporting low yield. This is one of my favourite ways of using small, fresh tomatoes in a pasta sauce. It isn’t really a

 I didn't always like curry.  The first time I tasted it I thought it was horrible.  Somewhere along the line, I changed my mind and now I adore curries.  This recipe looks as if it has a lot of ingredients but it's quite easy and quick to make.  I imagine you could sub boneless chicken thighs for the breasts if you would prefer that.  Sadly, I didn't have any

Widowed folklorist and storyteller Maureen Nash travels to Ocracoke Island in North Carolina to investigate a series of cryptic letters only to find herself tangled in a murder mystery involving the d...

 Zucchini is versatile and so is this recipe. You can make it as muffins, as one big loaf, or as two smaller loaves (adjusting the baking time accordingly). You can add nuts, substitute butter for all or some of the vegetable oil, leave out the cinnamon, or add other spices—cardamom comes to mind. It took a long time to bake but the day was cool and the smells coming from the oven were

 ANG POMPANO: One of the earliest lessons I learned was, "Don't play with your food." But when I heard about grilling watermelon, I had to give it a shot. I had no recipe, no clue how it was supposed to be done—as a habitual griller, that just made it more tempting. I'd been waiting all summer to try, yet every time we brought one home, my family devoured it before I could get near the

MADDIE DAY here, with a delicious cake to sweeten your end of summer.Local peaches have been abundant this year, and I happened to have a container of ricotta cheese in my fridge. I hunted around for a recipe and adapted this one I found online.Peach Ricotta CakeRecipe adapted from Seasons & SuppersIngredients2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and levelled1/2 teaspoon baking powderPinch salt3

Rather than appeal to the better angels of our nature, he appeals to the worst of our demons

Libby Klein I told you in my last post for Food and Wine Magazine's best chocolate cake that I made that amazing chocolate frosting three times. Here's one of the times. I made a classic buttery vanilla cake with chocolate frosting old school style for one of the grandkids who visited me. Yes, I am willing to bribe them with treats to get them to visit. Spread the word.Nothing fancy here.

LUCY BURDETTE: this is my favorite time of the year for produce – the big tomatoes, peppers, okra, peaches, cantaloupe, cucumbers! And do not let me forget corn on the cob.Once again, lots of critters have ravaged John’s garden, but they don’t seem to care much for tomatoes. So we have a bumper crop! What to do? Time to make a tomato pie. In the past, I’ve made this one with a cornmeal crust,

I love noodles of all sorts and am always looking for more ways to use them.  My daughter went to an Asian supermarket and bought me these frozen udon noodles. Far better than the dried variety!  Here’s a nice quick way to use them with some pork and lots of delicious bok choy. Udon Noodles with Pork Ingredients: 2 tsp soy sauce + ¼ cup soy sauce 2 tsp white wine vinegar 2 tsp

 VMBURNS: I inherited my hatred of grocery shopping from my mom. Every Saturday, I remember hearing, "I hate going to the grocery store." During the pandemic I discovered the freedom of grocery delivery services. There are positives and negatives to having someone else pick your produce, but I'm willing to endure the scrawny cucumbers to avoid a trip to the grocery store. However, due to an

 Congratulations to our own... MADDIE DAYOn the release of the 7thCozy Capers Book Group Mystery, Murder at Cape Costumers!Just in time for Halloween, a new costume shop has opened on Main Street in Westham, Massachusetts. Cape Costumers is a cut above the usual seasonal pop-up stores with their flimsy mass-produced outfits and cheap plastic masks, mostly due to co-owner Shelly, a

From Molly MacRae, acclaimed author of the Highland Bookshop Mysteries, the first in a charming new series set on a beautiful barrier island off the coast of North Carolina and featuring a widowed fol...