Guest Peggy Ehrhart #Giveaway #Recipe Apple Muffins with Cinnamon Butter

Peg Cochran: I am thrilled to welcome Peggy Ehrhart as our guest today on Mystery Lovers Kitchen.  The first book in her new series, The Quilt Whisperer Investigates, will be out in September and I can't wait to get my copy of what sounds like a charming cozy read! 

 Please give her a warm welcome.

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  In September The Quilt Whisperer Investigates, featuring museum curator and quilter, Caroline Platte, will launch my new cozy mystery series. The series takes place in the charming (invented) town of Banburyport, Massachusetts, where the locals gather every morning at Farrow Square Coffee for gossip, cappuccino, and treats from the bakery case. Among the treats described and eaten in The Quilt Whisperer Investigates are Apple Muffins with Cinnamon Butter.

 

 

 

 

Apple Muffins with Cinnamon Butter

 

Makes 12 muffins.

Ingredients

For the muffins:

2 cups flour

1 tbsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

3 tbsp. brown sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 egg

1 cup milk

4 tbsp. butter

1 Granny Smith apple

For the cinnamon butter:

4 oz. butter, softened

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

Insert paper liners into the cups of your muffin tin. Heat the oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients together. 

 

In a small bowl, whisk the egg and milk together. 

   

Melt the butter

   

Core, peel, and chop the apple.

 

Add the egg and milk mixture to the dry ingredients and stir together until just combined. Stir in the melted butter and then the diced apple.

 

Transfer the batter to your muffin tin, filling each cup about two-thirds full. A large spoon and a rubber spatula make it easier to control the amount that goes into each cup.

   

Bake the muffins for 20 to 25 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center of one comes out clean.

   

To make the cinnamon butter, blend butter, sugar, and cinnamon until smooth. A rubber spatula can be helpful.

   

Serve muffins warm with cinnamon butter for spreading.

Peggy Ehrhart is a former English professor with a doctorate in Medieval Literature.  

Her Maxx Maxwell mysteries, Sweet Man Is Gone (2008) and Got No Friend Anyhow (2011), were published by Five Star/Gale/Cengage and feature a blues-singer sleuth.

More recently, Peggy has written the Knit & Nibble mysteries for Kensington Books. Book #12, Last Wool and Testament, was released in May, 2025; An Eggy Way to Die appeared in Kensington’s 2026 Easter novella anthology, Easter Egg Murder. In September Peggy will be launching a new cozy series with The Quilt Whisperer Investigates, also from Kensington. 

Peggy herself is an avid crafter, dating from her childhood as a member of the 4-H Club in rural Southern California. She now lives in Leonia, New Jersey.

Visit Peggy at www.PeggyEhrhart.com

   

“Solid character development, a well-crafted plot with history and art pointing the way, and a heartwarming side-story make this a satisfying and enjoyable read.”—FirstClue

“The kickoff to a new series perfect for readers who love crafts and history.”--Kirkus

 GIVEAWAY!

Because The Quilt Whisperer Investigates won’t be out until September, I’m giving away a copy of Book #12 from my Knit & Nibble series, featuring Pamela Paterson, founder and mainstay of the Arborville, New Jersey, knitting club, nicknamed Knit and Nibble.

   

Craft cozies are very popular now. What crafts do you most enjoy featured in craft cozy series? Are there any crafts that you feel are under-represented?  

Leave your comment to be entered to win! 

 

 

 

Simple, Classic Lemonade #recipe from Molly MacRae

 

Back in the 80s, when my children were small, we came up with a recipe for lemonade and wrote it down in a little spiral notebook my mom gave us. The notebook’s cover has a picture of a hungry goat’s face. Inside, the goat is taking a bite out of each page. The page with the recipe has seen better days, not because of goats, but because we’ve had the notebook open to that page for the forty years we’ve been making that lemonade (and keeping track of the notebook). It’s lemonade so delicious that even a goat might like a frosty glass.

 

Simple, Classic Lemonade

Serves 8 to 10

You’ll find a free, downloadable, printable pdf of the recipe below the directions. 

Ingredients

1 cup sugar (white or brown)

1 1/2 cups lemon juice (fresh or bottled)

6 1/2 cups water

Ice (optional)

Directions

Put the sugar and Lemon juice in a glass or plastic pitcher or bottle. Stir or shake until the sugar dissolves. Add the water and stir or shake again. Chill or sever immediately over ice. 

 

🍋 click here for a free, downloadable, printable pdf of this recipe🍋

 

 

Out now!

All Shell Breaks Loose

Book 3 in the Haunted Shell Shop Mysteries!

 

On North Carolina’s Ocracoke Island, Maureen Nash sells exquisite seashells to locals and tourists—with Bonny the shop cat and the ghost of a Welsh pirate for company. And when needed, she steps in to help the police solve a murder . . .

Dr. Irving Allred is boasting around town that he’s about to get his hands on an authentic haunted sword. But minutes after Maureen hears the story, a woman walks into the Moon Shell, sword in hand. She found it while walking her bulldog on the beach—and its blade is stained with what looks like blood. Looks like it’s time to call the sheriff’s department.

Allred is furious that his prize is now in police custody—and even more agitated that an unknown buyer was trying to outbid him. He’s convinced the sword will lead him straight to the ghosts he’s been hunting. He’s not the only one on the Outer Banks who’s been searching for spirits, though. An odd visitor also showed up at Maureen’s shop claiming the ability to sense them . . . though somehow she didn’t seem to notice Maureen’s spectral friend hanging about.

When a man who’d been camping nearby is found cut down along the shore, Maureen starts providing some unofficial assistance to Captain Rob Tate by digging into the island’s maritime history. But it’s not the only mystery she’s facing—because the shop’s resident ghost is seeing ghosts himself . . .

Happy reading! 

 

The Boston Globe says Molly MacRae writes “murder with a dose of drollery.” She’s the author of the award-winning, national bestselling Haunted Yarn Shop Mysteries, the Haunted Shell Shop Mysteries, and the Highland Bookshop Mysteries. As Margaret Welch, she writes books for Annie’s Fiction. Her short stories have appeared in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine and she’s a winner of the Sherwood Anderson Award for Short Fiction. Visit Molly on Facebook and Pinterest and connect with her on Instagram or Bluesky.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1918 Potatoes Sauté @MaddieDayAuthor #Birthday #Giveaway

MADDIE DAY here, with a yummy side dish for your next birthday meal. Who doesn't love fried potatoes?

I've mentioned here before that my paternal grandmother was born on July 4th, 1900. Dorothy -- Dot -- Henderson was a close part of my life growing up.

As a child, it was fun to remember that, after Independence Day, Mama Dot was the same age as the year. As an adult, it was a treat to discover Dot's diary from the trip her family took driving two cars from Indianapolis to Berkley, California in 1918. As the eldest, Dot drove one of the automobiles, and the diary includes the menu for her 18th birthday dinner at a Salt Lake City hotel on Independence Day.

Knowing what a strong person my grandmother was inspired me to create a historical character a bit like her, the lady PI in the Dot and Amelia Mysteries.

I thought I'd bring you one of the items on her birthday menu. I had my whole family here for the 4th weekend. 

I cooked so much, I kind of ran out of steam for making anything complicated, so I selected Potatoes Sauté to fix.

 

Potatoes Sauté

From Dorothy Henderson's 18th birthday dinner, July 4, 1918, at the Hotel Utah Roof Garden restaurant.

Ingredients

3 medium red potatoes, scrubbed and thickly sliced

2 tablespoons butter

1 sprig rosemary chopped

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions

Steam potatoes (2026 version) in microwave steamer or (1918 version) on stove until nearly tender.

Heat butter in cast iron skillet. 

Saute potatoes, turning, until toasty and crisped. Sprinkle on rosemary. Add salt and pepper to taste. 

Enjoy with steak and mushrooms, stuffed tomatoes, corn muffins, or anything else you please. And happy birthday to Dot, the USA, and anyone else who shares the day!

Readers: What's your favorite hot side dish? I'll send one commenter a signed copy of A Case for the Ladies!

🥔🧈🎂

A Poisonous Pour is out and available wherever books are sold!

Next up is Murder at the Toy Soldier, Cozy Capers Book Group #8, which releases in late August.

My most recent releases are Murder at Cape Costumers,

Scone Cold Dead, #13 in the Country Store Mysteries,

and A Case for the Ladies.

Check out all my writing.

We hope you'll visit Maddie and her Agatha Award-winning alter ego Edith Maxwell on our web site, sign up for our monthly newsletter, visit us on social media, and check our all our books and short stories.

Maddie Day (aka Edith Maxwell) is a talented amateur chef and holds a PhD in Linguistics from Indiana University. An Agatha Award-winning and bestselling author, she is a member of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America and also writes award-winning short crime fiction. She lives with her beau and sweet cat Martin north of Boston, where she’s currently working on her next mystery when she isn’t cooking up something delectable in the kitchen.

Grilled Pork Chops #recipe @vmburns

 VMBURNS: It's hot outside, so I have fired up the grill. This time, I grilled pork chops. They were delicious. IN fact, I've made them twice more since the first time. You'll notice that I only made 2 pork chops, not 4. I also like the sweet grilled taste and used a tad more than the 1/4 cup brown sugar listed in the ingredient list. Sadly, the brown sugar doesn't appear in the ingredient picture, but trust me. It's there. If you don't like the sweetness, then you can reduce the brown sugar. I also LOVE using grill mats, They allow your grill to stay clean, but you still get the lovely grill marks on your food. I didn't have grill mats, so I sprayed my grill with Pam. NOTE: Do that before you fire the grill up to avoid flames. Don't ask how I know this. 

GRILLED PORK CHOPS

INGREDIENTS

• 4 Pork chops, bone in
• 1/4 Cup Brown sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Smoked Paprika
• 1 1/2 Teaspoon Kosher salt
• 2 Teaspoons Ground Black pepper
• 2 Teaspoons Ground Mustard
• 1 Teaspoon Onion powder
• 1 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil

INSTRUCTIONS

• Let pork shops get to room temperature for 30 minutes before grilling.
• Preheat your grill with cover closed to approximately 400 degrees or Medium-high heat for ten minutes.
• Pat pork chops dry with paper towel and coat with vegetable oil
• Mix all of the dry ingredients in a Zip loc bag. Place the pork chops in the bag and coat with the dry rub.
  
  
  
• Place the pork chops on the hot grill. Leave undisturbed for 6 minutes, until they release from the grates with minimal effort. Rotate a quarter turn and continue grilling for 2-3 more minutes to create the cross hatch marks.
  
  
  
• Flip the pork chops and sear the second side for 2-3 minutes.
  
  
  
• Check the internal temperature of the pork chops with a thermometer. When the temperature reaches 140 degrees, remove from the grill.
• Let the pork chops rest for five minutes before serving.
  
  
  

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• READERS: When it comes to barbecue, do you like sweet heat? Fiery heat? Or No heat? Let me know in the comments below. 

MURDER AT FIRST SLICE (ARC)

As Maddy’s wedding day approaches, friends and family descend on the little town of New Bison, Michigan, to celebrate—so much so that Maddy wonders if there might be another happily-ever-after in store for her widowed father and innkeeper Mrs. Law. Unfortunately, she also has to deal with an unhappy couple: feuding cousins Hannah and Dorothy, who haven’t spoken in decades. Maddy can only hope the spectacular wedding cake crafted by her head baker doesn’t wind up as ammunition in a food fight.

But she doesn’t have to wait long for a wedding disaster to strike. When the imperious Dorothy crashes the rehearsal dinner—with several uninvited guests in tow—and starts battering everyone with constant complaints, the drama reaches reality-show levels. And the next day, Dorothy is dead . . . with Hannah standing over the body, bloody rolling pin in hand.

Nobody in town believes Miss Hannah could commit murder. But a detective newly relocated from New York doesn’t know the sweet, memory-challenged Hannah the way the locals do—and the evidence seems open-and-shut as an oven. Now, with her sous-sleuths the Baker Street Irregulars, the bride-to-be is busy digging into Dorothy’s past to catch a killer before she cuts the cake . . .

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