The Diva Poaches a Bad Egg by Krista Davis, Reviewed

The Diva Poaches a Bad Egg — book number eighteen in Krista Davis’ Domestic Diva series—drops us right back into Sophie Winston’s world, and let me tell you, autumn’s got her juggling some serious drama! First off, her “frenemy” Natasha ropes her into hosting a brunch that is not only going to be filmed, but will be done so in Sophie’s house! Second, interior decorator, Mitzi Lawson, calls Sophie asking her to meet her at a century home that she and her business partner, Denise, are in the process of redecorating. Always curious Sophie agrees, arrives early, only to find the corpse of Denise sprawled across the kitchen floor.

Unsurprisingly, Sophie is coerced into investigating due to her knack for cracking mysteries — hoping that she doesn’t end up as the next victim — all the while whipping up brunch recipes, many of which are included in the back of the book as is Davis’s habit.

I’ve been hooked on this series for all eighteen books, enjoying watching Sophie and the other characters evolve. This book is another winner with its lively, twisty mystery, and characters that — quirks and all — pull you right in. Everything wraps up nice and tight by the end, leaving you plenty of time to try the drool-worthy recipes in the back of the book. As with all of the books in this series, I recommend it and look forward to the next.

Mark your calendars; The Diva Poaches a Bad Egg is scheduled for release on May 27^th. You can preorder your copy here.

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Disclaimer: I received an advanced digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

 

 

Blue Ghost

 

At the end of February I shared a review for the Krista Davis yet-to-be-published title, The Diva Goes Overboard that you can read here. Today I’m going to share with you a recipe from the previous book in the series, The Diva Delivers on a Promise. Davis includes recipes at the end of all of the books, many of which I have tried having read every book in the series of 17. This book had a cocktail recipe that I absolutely could not resist. More dessert than cocktail, this will be one libation you will never forget.

 

Blue Ghost
From The Diva Delivers on a Promise

One jigger (1.5 ounces) blue curaçao
One jigger coconut rum
One jigger crème de cacao
Vanilla ice cream

Pour the liqueurs into a mixer and add two scoops of ice cream. Blend and serving chilled martini glasses.

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The Diva Goes Overboard by Krista Davis, a Review

 

As I’ve gotten older I’ve largely moved away from cozy mystery series to those more hardboiled and gritty, perhaps because, with age, I’ve become a bit hardboiled and gritty myself. But there are exceptions to every rule and, for me, the delightful “Diva” series by Krista Davis is that exception. Her latest, The Diva Goes Overboard, scheduled for publication in May, is the seventeenth in the series, but no less delightful than any that precede.

In this book we find our heroine, Sophie Winston, in shock as she’s found that she has inherited the successful antiques shop that once belonged to bombastic antiques dealer Orson Chatsworth, the late fiancé of rival Natasha Smith’s mother, the free-spirited Wanda, poisoned during his and Wanda’s engagement party.

As is the case in all “Diva” books, food plays a major role with charcuterie boards of all types as well as butter boards taking center stage. Was one of these colorful and delicious boards the murder weapon? Leave it to Sophie to find out.

In addition to being a good mystery this series is beautifully atmospheric. The detailed and colorful descriptions of Old Town Alexandria make me feel as though I am there, right alongside Sophie, fellow sleuth and neighbor, Nina, as well as ex-husband Mars and the rest of the gang. As is the case with all of the books in this series, recipes for dishes mentioned throughout are included at the end, in this case, a baker’s dozen (13). Clearly, Davis has done it again with yet another well-crafted mystery in this popular series. 

 

Recommended.

Preorder your copy here.

Disclaimer: Many thanks to the publisher, Kensington Cozies, as well as NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for a review.

 As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

The Diva’s Creamy Macaroni and Cheese

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I am a fan of Krista Davis’s “Domestic Diva” books, and have read every one of them. I have pre-ordered the next (The Diva Serves Forbidden Fruit), due to release on the 25th this month). I recently completed the current volume (#13), The Diva Spices It Up. One of the things I love about this series, in addition to the characters, setting, and darned good mystery is that recipes are provided at the back of the book for a lot of the food mentioned throughout the story. In this volume, one of those recipes was for Creamy Macaroni and Cheese. As a fan of mac & cheese, yet never quite finding a recipe that suits me, I had to try this one.

I don’t know about the hard copy, but if you have The Kindle version of this book, please be aware that the included recipe is wrong. There is a mention of cream cheese in the instructions, but none mentioned in the list of ingredients; at no time is there a mention of when to combine the pasta with the sauce (or even combining the pasta with the sauce at all); and, for my taste, there was too much salt. That said, this is the best macaroni and cheese that I have ever eaten. It is flavorful, creamy but not too creamy, and the crunchy topping adds that certain something that takes it over the top. I am not a fan of elbow noodles so I never keep them on hand, always substituting with pipette. They’re much cuter for one thing, “pipette” is much more fun to say than “elbow noodles,” and they hold more of that delicious sauce.

Here is a cleaned up copy of Krista‘s recipe for Creamy Macaroni and Cheese. Follow it to the letter, and you will be in pasta heaven.
 

The Diva’s Creamy Macaroni and Cheese

Adapted from Krista Davis

8 oz. elbow macaroni*, cooked according to package
½ c. Panko
½ c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
4 T. unsalted butter
¼ c. flour
1 t. garlic powder
1 t. smoked paprika
¾  - 1 t. Kosher salt
1 T. prepared mustard
2 c. whole milk
4 oz. cream cheese, cubed, room temperature
4 oz. shredded cheddar (shred your own, I’m not just kidding around here)
4 oz. shredded Colby cheese (not pepper jack, Colby Jack, Colby, shred it yourself)

Preheat oven to 400° F. Spray an 8” x 8” baking dish** with nonstick spray (like Pam); set aside.

In a small mixing bowl, toss together Panko and Parmesan cheese; set aside.

After preparing the pasta, set aside to drain and make the sauce. In a large saucepan melt butter over medium high heat. Whisk in flour and cook until it turns amber in color and smells fragrantly nutty, 2-3 minutes. Continuing to whisk, gradually pour in milk. Add garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt, and mustard, and reduce heat to medium. Whisk occasionally until the mixture simmers at the edges and begin to thicken. Add cheeses, reduce heat to low, and stir with a wooden spoon until it has melted. Fold in drained pasta and turn into prepared dish.

Sprinkle Panko/Parmesan mixture over the top and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until edges are bubbly.

Generously serves 4 as a main dish; 6-8 as a side.

*I used pipette.

**You can also use a 1.5 quart casserole dish.