Thirsty Thursday and Hungry Hearts - Murder Most Fowl by Edith Maxwell

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Thirsty Thursday and Hungry Hearts is a weekly meme where I share tasty snippets from the book(s) I'm currently reading.

This week, I'm focusing on Murder Most Fowl by Edith Maxwell. I'm including two parts from a rather long scene: one focusing on drink, the other food.

The scene: It's St. Patrick's Day and Cam (the protagonist) and her friend Lucinda have just been served been served their Irish stew, fish and chips, and requisite green beers at the local pub. Paul Underwood, a suspect in the ongoing Wayne Laitenen murder investigation, has just joined their table.

"A double Irish whiskey neat, with water back." At the waitress's look of confusion, he groaned. "Just bring me a small glass of water when you bring the whiskey." 

When she'd gone, Cam remarked, "I don't know what a water back is, either." She took a bite of the stew and let a chunk of meat dissolve on her tongue as she saved the stew's rich flavors. 

"Adding a little water to whiskey opens up the flavor," Paul said. "I should stop saying it anyplace but at the bar itself. The server ought to know the term, but..." 

Cam swallowed. "So you weren't friends with Paul anymore? But I saw you driving away from his place Saturday afternoon." 

"Yes, I went to see him." Paul looked at the band. "We were trying to sort of work through a couple of things." 

"You mean the reason you stopped being friends?" Cam asked. 

"Yes," Paul said without meeting her eyes.

***

They ask more questions, and Paul gets upset and leaves. They continue on with their meal.

She pulled her attention to the most delicious beef stew she'd ever tasted. 

"Is that good?" Lucinda asked, popping another French fry into her mouth. 

"Very." Cam poked her spoon around in the bowl. "Beef, carrots, onions, potatoes, of course. But the flavor is what does it. I wonder what their secret is."

"I read a recipe that calls for a bottle of stout in it. Can you taste beer?" 

Cam rolled a spoonful around on her tongue. "That might be it. I'm going to try this at home. Make it for Pete whenever he solves this case." 

"You could do it all local, too." Lucinda waggled her eyebrows. 

"Absolutely, and then give the recipe to the shareholders next summer or fall, when I harvest carrots and potatoes. Good idea."

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Beef stew is probably in my top 5 of delicious comfort foods. I'm definitely going to try this recipe once the weather cools down, but until then, stop by tomorrow to check out a recipe for carrot muffins. They're cooling on the counter as I speak/type!

So everyone, what would you include in your top 5 comfort foods?

Thirsty Thursdays and Hungry Hearts #6 - The Crepes of Wrath by Sarah Fox

Hosted by Lexxie @ (un)Conventional Bookviews

Thirsty Thursdays & Hungry Hearts is a weekly meme where I share super tasty quotes from my weekly reads.

This week's selection is from The Crepes of Wrath by Sarah Fox. 

Marley McKinney is having a hell of a week. Soon after her cousin Jimmy, owner of The Flip Side Pancake House, is murdered, she arrives at the pancake house to get some work done and is interrupted by a late-night intruder. She escapes to a nearby friend's home and returns with the police. Her intruder was obviously looking for something, as the office is completely trashed when they check the premises.

She now has the tiresome and emotionally exhausting task of sorting through the office debris. But to get through this, she needs a good meal...

I perked up a bit after sipping strong tea while getting ready to open The Flip Side for its Sunday morning customers, but the tangled mystery occupying my mind didn’t release its grip on my thoughts. When the brunch crowd thinned out, I escaped to the office and resumed the task of cleaning up the mess of papers the intruder had left behind. 

Although I made good progress with sorting through the jumble and returning piles of documents to the filing cabinet, I still didn’t find any clues pointing to the reason for the search of the office. After more than an hour of working away in the back room, Leigh appeared at the open door, bearing a plate of asparagus mushroom crêpes. 

“Ivan sent these along with orders to eat up,” she said as she set the plate on the desk. “He thinks you look like you need some good fuel today.” 

“He said that?” I sank into the desk chair and the delicious aroma of the savory crêpes wafted up to meet my nose. 

“Actually, all he said was ‘make sure she eats them,’ but I’ve learned to read between his sparse lines over the years.” 

“Eating them won’t be a problem.” I’d already picked up the knife and fork Leigh had brought with the plate. “How are things out there? Do you need my help?” 

“Business is steady but not too busy at the moment. I can take care of it.” 

“Thanks, Leigh,” I said as she left the office. 

As she disappeared around the corner, I took my first bite of the asparagus mushroom crêpes and savored it before chewing and swallowing. Ivan really did have a gift. His dishes were never anything but scrumptious, and somehow he’d known exactly what I needed. By the time I’d cleaned the plate, I’d gained some much-needed energy. After delivering my plate and cutlery to the kitchen and thanking Ivan for the delicious meal, I donned my apron and joined Leigh out front.

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I love crepes. I love mushrooms. And asparagus is my favorite vegetable. I think I know what I'm making for lunch on Sunday...

Do you guys prefer sweet or savory crepes?

Thirsty Thursdays and Hungry Hearts #5 - Death at the Day Lily Cafe by Wendy Sand Eckel

Hosted by Lexxie @ (un)Conventional Bookviews

Thirsty Thursday & Hungry Hearts is a weekly meme where I share food and/or drink quotes that are too delicious or, well, "interesting" not to share.

This week's post is from Death at the Day Lily Cafe by Wendy Sand Eckel. The protagonist, Rosalie Hart, prides herself on serving delicious, organic, locally sourced food, and this book is full of delicious options.

Sunday's lunch special was based on a meal I'd prepared for one of our suspects last year while searching for Megan Johnston's killer: grilled cheese and a creamy tomato bisque soup with a small chopped salad on the side. But this was no ordinary grilled cheese. The bread was sliced over an inch thick and was based on Aunt Charlotte's recipe, full of whole grains and seeds. The melted aged cheddar was topped with lettuce, red onion, and fresh tomato, the bread slathered with pesto mayonnaise. 

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Can you guess what I'm having for lunch tomorrow? Good thing the Farmer's Market comes downtown on Thursdays! Expect a review and recipe from Death at the Day Lily Cafe sometime tomorrow ^^

Thirsty Thursday and Hungry Hearts #4 - Rum Luck by Ryan Aldred

                                                   Hosted @ (un)Conventional Bookviews

Food and books are the two greatest loves of my life, so it's only natural that I participate in Thirsty Thursday & Hungry Hearts every week. This is where I will post food and/or drink quotes from the book(s) I am currently reading.

This week's selection is from Rum Luck, the first book in the Bar on the Beach Mystery series by Ryan Aldred (review coming soon). In this scene, Ben's best friend, Miguel, just got back from a devastating hit-and-run, after poking his nose into the murder of the previous bar owner, Antonio.

With Miguel out of commission, he'd have to get behind the bar himself tonight. First things first, though. He grabbed one of the new bottles and a couple of glasses from the bar, took them over to Miguel, and poured a healthy measure into each glass. 

Miguel roused himself and picked up his tumbler of Patron. "Have I gone to heaven?" he said with an attempt at a smile. "Or have you? You always said we'd share a glass of tequila over your dead body." 

"I'm starting to regret my choice of words," Ben said.

And this scene technically doesn't have much in the way of food or drink in it, but it's such a good passage and it introduces us to Ben and the beginning of his troubles.

Ben Cooper had had his share of hangovers over the years, but this one deserved to be immortalized in poetry. Where lesser ones faded with time, this one was still returning on a winged tequila worm to take him to Hangover Valhalla. Unfortunately, his other senses were now coming into focus, including his sense of smell. His cell reeked of hot sweat, stale beer, and bitter disappointment.

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So what is your liquor of choice? And what was the worst hangover you've ever had? 

Thirsty Thursday and Hungry Hearts #3 - A Dark and Stormy Murder by Julia Buckley

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Food and books are the two greatest loves of my life, so it's natural that I would participate in Thirsty Thursday & Hungry Hearts. This is where I will post food and/or drink quotes from the books I'm currently reading.

This week's entry is from A Dark and Stormy Murder, the first book in Julia Buckley's A Writer's Apprentice Mystery series. This is not a culinary cozy, unlike her Undercover Dish Mysteries (first book reviewed here), but in the little bit I've read, there are some tasty food references.

This scene takes place over dinner, shortly after Lena discovers a dead body on her mentor's property:

At a grand oak table in Camilla Graham's dining room, we dined on fresh spinach salad with chunks of feta cheese, chopped walnuts, and an herb vinaigrette. After that came a delicious casserole that Camilla'a chef had left for us to bake and serve, filled with chicken, fresh vegetables, and a hint of sherry. Camilla looked tired, but she proved to be a gracious conversationalist. While I polished off the last of my salad (I found that I was famished after the day's events), she asked me about Allison - how we had met, how long we had been friends.

A light, simple entry, after the smorgasbord that often took place in last week's Bruno, Chief of Police. Thursday is the Daley Plaza Farmer's Market near my job; might have to hit it up for some spinach salad for dinner!

Thirsty Thursday and Hungry Hearts #2 - Bruno, Chief of Police

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Food and books are the two greatest loves of my life, so it's natural that I would participate in Thirsty Thursday & Hungry Hearts. This is where I will post food and/or drink quotes from the books I'm reading.

This week's excerpt is from Bruno, Chief of Police. This book is a love letter to the French countryside and its wonderful food, as well as a grisly murder mystery with political overtones. A very enjoyable read. There were so many good food scenes that I had a hard time choosing just one.

This quote is from the scene where Bruno and his tennis club discuss the murder of an old Arab war hero over their usual lunch ritual.

As always after their game, the group of men walked back to the clubhouse. The rain had eased. They showered and then brought in the ingredients of their ceremonial Friday lunch from their cars. Bruno provided eggs from his hens and herbs from his garden. In early Spring, he picked boutons de pissenlit, the tiny green buds of the dandelion, but now it was young garlic and flat-leaf parsley. He also had some of his own truffles, which he had stored in oil since the winter. Michel brought pate and rillettes, made from the pig they had gathered to slaughter in February, in happy defiance of the European Union regulations. Dougal supplied bread and cheese and the bottle of Scotch that they took as an aperitif after their first thirst-quenching beers from the tap at the clubhouse bar. Rollo brought steaks and Xavier the salad and a tarte aux pommes, and the Baron provided the wine, a St. Emilion '98 that was tasted and judged to be at its best. 

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Tell me that doesn't sound amazing. On Friday, I'll be posting a recipe based on this scene. Look forward to it ^_~ 

Thirsty Thursday, Hungry Hearts #1 - The Big Chili

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Food and books are the two greatest loves of my life; it's only natural that culinary cozies have a special place in my heart. Thirsty Thursday & Hungry Hearts is where I'll provide food or drink quotes from the books I'm reading.

Since my very first post was a book review of The Big Chili by Julia Buckley (see here), it's only natural that my first quote be from this pivotal scene (witnessed by the protagonist, Lilah Drake):

Alice took a big bite of chili. I hoped she hadn't let it get cold. "Pet's chili is delicious, as always – and I think you’ve added something new, haven’t you, Pet? Something sweet. It provides an interesting counterpoint to the flavor.” Pet shot a look at me and I shook my head. Nothing new in the chili. Alice took another bite and set the dish down. “Anyway, this officially starts our evening’s festivities; I hope that – oh my!” She swayed slightly before us, looking distressed. Her right hand flew to her forehead, her left to her abdomen. “I think that – something's wrong. With the chili.” 

Then she fell like a stone, and we heard her head hit the floor.

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Stay tuned, because tomorrow, I'll share the recipe for the delicious, (non)deadly version of Pet's chili...