Murder by Cheesecake, a Golden Girls mystery, reviewed

I started off the new year by reading what is allegedly book one in a series featuring that delightful quartet of women of a certain age from the 80s sitcom, namely, the Golden Girls. The book is called Murder By Cheesecake and was written by Rachel  Ekstrom Courage. To be honest, when I requested this book from NetGalley, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. While The Golden Girls television show still holds up even today, I wasn’t quite so sure that would translate into book form. Surprisingly and happily, it does, and quite well.

The author has perfectly captured each one of the delightful ladies in fine fashion. In the doing, she also provides us with a solid mystery, making this book enjoyable reading from beginning to end. 

The story surrounds Rose’s niece, Nettie, and her upcoming nuptials to her outsider husband, Jason, who is far more interested in keeping to the St. Olaf traditions than is Nettie, all of which need to be done in proper St. Olaf fashion in order for her and her future husband to inherit the trust they deserve. They journey to Miami for the nuptials and Rose’s help in making sure that everything goes smoothly. Anyone who has watched this series can imagine that much comedy ensues in the process, while trying to rustle up herring, a donkey, a clown for the bridal shower…I’ll let your imagination run wild from there.

Meanwhile, Dorothy, who has found her ideal match online ends up becoming a suspect in his murder when he is found in the freezer face down in the cheesecake. It takes all of the girls much time and effort to make sure that not only the wedding comes off smoothly, and Nettie becomes hitched to her beloved Jason, but also to ensure that Dorothy is no longer a suspect in the murder of her one time date. 

In addition to a fun story and solid mystery, there’s even a recipe for cheesecake at the end. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. A bit of lighthearted mystery and revisit to Miami was just what I needed. Plan ahead! This is scheduled for publication on April 15. What an excellent Mother’s Day gift this would make.

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Many thanks to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced digital copy of this delightful book.

Ding Dong Cake

 

For whatever reason, I was thinking about the boxed lunches that I used to take to school when I was a little girl. Looking back, those were pretty good. This was in the day of lunchboxes and those half size thermoses that always contained a cup full of nice, hot, homemade soup. Sometimes the soup was accompanied by a roll, half a sandwich, or a fruit cup. Many times I would have dessert in the form of something that my mother had baked, or, when she was busy, a Hostess cupcake, or a Ding Dong.

 I was thinking about those Ding Dongs, with their waxy chocolate coating, and wondered if they could be homemade, only better. There are so many recipes online that you’re sure to find one to your liking. This is my version that has a deeper, darker, richer chocolate flavor, with a hint of espresso powder that takes it over the top. Try it and you’ll see what I mean. 

 

Ding Dong Cake

 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature

1 13.25-oz. box Triple Chocolate Fudge cake mix

Water, oil, and eggs needed for the cake mix (see pkg. directions)

1 1/3 c. dark chocolate chips

1 c. heavy cream

½ t. espresso powder

2 c. powdered sugar

¼ t. kosher salt

1 16-oz. jar Marshmallow Fluff

2 t. vanilla

 Preheat to 350° F. Spray a straight-sided 9” x 13” pan with Pam, and then line it with parchment paper allowing a 2” overhang on either side to facilitate easy removal from the pan.

 Prepare chocolate cake mix by mixing in the water, oil, and eggs as listed on the package directions. Pour the batter into the baking pan.

 Bake until it tests done, about 25 minutes. Place the pan on a wire rack and let cool completely, about 1 hour.

 When the cake is almost cool, place chocolate chips and heavy cream into a medium microwave-safe bowl. (I use Duralex) Microwave on HIGH in 15-second increments, whisking after each increment, until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is completely smooth, about 1 minute total. Stir in espresso powder.

In the work bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Turn off the mixer. Add powdered sugar and kosher salt, and beat on low until combined, 1 to 2 minutes. Beat in marshmallow fluff and vanilla until combined, about 2 minutes.

Turn out onto the cake and spread into an even layer. Refrigerate until the filling is set and no longer tacky when touched, about 30 minutes.

Give the chocolate ganache a good stir and spread evenly over the filling, smoothing it out with an offset spatula. Refrigerate until the chocolate is set, about 1 hour. Cut into 18 pieces.

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French Onion Potatoes

I had big plans to start the New Year, the least of which was to host a brunch for a dozen people. As it turned out, due to one thing or other, not to mention my aching knees, it didn’t happen. What did happen was my buying all of the food well in advance, so I had quite a feast for one come New Year’s Day. Because I was just cooking for myself, I decided to do a little experimentation, and that’s how I came up with this casserole. I won’t mention that it was partly due to the fact that I failed to buy corn flakes for the topping, or the correct kind of cheese for what I had planned originally. I will say, that this ended up being absolutely delicious. Yes, of course, I shared.

French Onion Potatoes

1 10.5-ounce can cream of mushroom soup

1 8-oz. container sour cream

6 T. butter, melted

1 T. dried minced onion

1 8-oz. pkg. shredded Monterrey Jack cheese

½ c. heavy cream

¼ t. kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Few gratings fresh nutmeg

1 32-oz. pkg. frozen shredded hash-brown potatoes, thawed

½ - 1 c. French fried onions

2 T. heavy cream

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Whisk together soup, sour cream, butter, onion, cheese, heavy cream, and black pepper (to taste). Fold in thawed hash browns, and turn into a 3-quart shallow baking dish. Drizzle 2 T. heavy cream over the top and sprinkle French fried onions over potato mixture to cover.  Bake for 45 minutes or until hot.

 Garnish with freshly chopped parsley. You don’t have to, but I find it festive.

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Open-Faced Ham Sandwich

 

I don't know where this recipe came from, but it goes way back, probably before some of you were born, as I first remember my mother making these for me in the seventies during my early high school days. We had split sessions, which meant I went to school from 6:00 in the morning until noon. This also meant that I'd be walking to the bus stop, in the dark, at around 5:30AM.  When I got home, exhausted and hungry, I could always look forward to mom having lunch ready for me. If she happened to be gone, that was no problem as she'd make up a bunch of these yummy sandwiches, wrap half of them in foil, place them into a large Ziploc freezer bag (yep, we had freezer bags back then), and pop them into the freezer.  If I wanted a hot sandwich all I had to do was unwrap one, remove the foil, place it into the toaster oven at 350ºF for about 15 minutes, and I'd have a tasty hot sandwich with no effort. I loved them then, and I still love them now.

 There's really nothing to putting them together.  You may just have everything you need on hand right now.  These make for a great winter lunch, a light supper with a cup of soup or small salad, or a welcome addition to your Super Bowl buffet.

 The filling keeps for up to a week in the fridge, so if you only want to make up a couple at a time as I did today, that's no problem either.

Separate two halves of an English muffin and place on a foil-lined tray.

 

Slide into the broiler and bake until cheese melts and tops are brown.

Spread a generous amount of cream cheese filling (recipe below) on each.  DO NOT SKIMP.  The filling is where most of the flavor comes from.

 

Top each with cooked, baked, or deli ham. (This is Virginia Baked Ham from the deli).

 

 

Top the ham with a thick tomato slice, and another dollop of the cream cheese filling.  Sprinkle with dried parsley, if desired.

 

 

 

ENJOY!

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Open-Face Ham Sandwiches

 1 8-oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened

½ c. butter, softened

½ c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 t. paprika

½ t. dried oregano

½ t. garlic powder

4 English muffins (I use Bay’s)

8 slices (¾ lb.) deli ham

8 slices tomato

 In a medium metal mixing bowl, beat together cream cheese and butter until smooth.  Stir in cheese, paprika, oregano, and garlic powder.  Spread two thirds of the mixture evenly over the eight muffin halves.  Top each with ham slice and tomato slice.  Spoon remaining cheese mixture onto the center of each tomato slice.  Place on baking sheet and broil until golden brown.

 Serves 8

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Hatch Pecan Pesto Baked Cod

 

The hatch pecan pesto that I made last week was so good that literally I could’ve eaten it with a spoon. Not only did I use it on pasta, but I also stirred a tablespoon into my cannellini bean dip (fantastic), and then decided to use it to top some cod before baking. It was a complete success. Be sure to save some Melissa’s Hatch Pecans to grind up and sprinkle on top of the fish before serving. I photographed the fish before I did that (because I couldn’t wait to dig in), but it’s a step you don’t want to miss. It makes a world of difference.Hatch Pecan Pesto Baked Cod

 4 cod fillets (around 6-8 ounces each)

3 T. butter

2T. freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 large garlic cloves, minced

½ t. sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Hatch Pecan Pesto

Additional lemon wedges, for serving

Finely chopped hatch pecans, for garnish

 Preheat oven to 350° F.

 While oven is preheating, place butter into a glass baking dish and pop into the oven to melt. When butter is melted, remove from oven and whisk in lemon juice, oil, garlic cloves, salt, and pepper.

 Dredge the cod in the butter mixture, and arrange in pan. Place about 2 tablespoons of hatch pecan pesto on each fillet. Cover and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the fish flakes easily with a fork. Remove to individual serving plates, sprinkle each with about a tablespoon of finally chopped hatch, pecans, and serve with lemon

 Store any unused pesto, covered, in the fridge for 3-4 days.

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Italian Grinder Bean Salad

 

My number two son and I decided to turn over a new leaf with the coming New Year and thought we would cut some carbs from our diet. It’s not an easy thing to do for carb lovers like the two of us, but together we managed to share enough recipes to make cutting carbs quite satisfying for us both. This recipe is one Andrew passed along to me, and it’s quite good, particularly when you get a hankering for an Italian grinder. Is it as good as those you get from the deli on that thick sliced bread? Of course it isn’t. But, for carb cutters, it’s an excellent replacement.Italian Grinder Bean Salad

Adapted from KaleforniaKravings

For the salad:

1 9-oz. pkg. Melissa’s peeled and steam chickpeas

1 15oz. can cannellini beans

4 oz. sliced salami, cut into thin strips

1 large red bell pepper, diced

½ c. sliced pepperoncinis, chopped

¼ c. red onion, thinly sliced

½ c. fresh basil, thinly sliced

6 oz. mozzarella pearls  

For the vinaigrette:

¼ c. olive oil

¼ c. red wine vinegar

1-2 garlic cloves, minced

1 t. dried oregano

¼ t. red pepper flakes

Salt, to taste

Cracked black pepper, to taste

To make the vinaigrette, whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes until emulsified. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Cover and keep it stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

 

 Place all salad ingredients into a large bowl. Pour as much vinaigrette as you like over the top, and toss until everything is well coated.  Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary.

Serve immediately or cover the salad let it chill for at least 30 minutes before serving.

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Polar Bear

Mint and chocolate is one of my favorite flavor combinations. When I spotted a recipe for a boozy coffee drink using both of those flavors I had to try it. The thing is, because math is not my strong suit, I ended up doubling the called for quantities when it came to the crème de cacao and peppermint schnapps, which ended up being a rather happy mistake, I can tell you. This is so good! If you’re looking for a way to stay warm this winter, this will do it.

Polar Bear

1½ oz. peppermint schnapps
1½ oz. white crème de cacao
4 oz. espresso
Whipped cream
Cocoa powder

While you’re brewing the espresso, pour your liquor into an Irish coffee glass. Get a festive one like I have, you can find them here. Once the coffee has brewed, pour it over the liquor, spritz on some cream, and dust with cocoa powder.

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