Blog Tour ~ Masher of Ceremonies by Victoria Hamilton ~ Recipe || Giveaway
Hello!
Welcome welcome all to a new Blog Tour and by a new (for me at least) tour organiser, Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours! Say hello to my tour stop for Masher of Ceremonies by Victoria Hamilton! I just loved the sound of this one and I am so happy I can promote the book with my readers, I know I got several who just love a good cozy mystery.
For today I got something really fun, I received a recipe! And I can tell you already it is a delicious one. Next to that I got information on the book/author~
Ready? Let’s get started!
A fundraiser for the local historical society nearly goes bust when someone fills the coffers with blackmail and murder . . .
The annual Tea With the Queen fundraiser always makes for a festive weekend in Queensville, drawing visitors from far and wide and giving local shops a welcome boost. This year, vintage kitchenware collector Jaymie Müller is running the event, and she’s got her hands full organizing old and new volunteers along with a surly catering crew. Then her master of ceremonies tells her he’s being blackmailed but can’t go to the police, and before Jaymie can sort that out she stumbles over a dead body at the tea.
Despite the demands of keeping the event up and running, Jaymie can’t help puzzling over the murder. There’s no concrete evidence linking the cretin behind the blackmail scheme to the dead body, so she begins questioning everyone connected to the blackmail, hoping to expose the killer. And just as she discovers a web of relationships that leads her to the culprit, she realizes that the Tea With the Queen may have been a royal pain, but outwitting a blackmailer and catching a killer may be the death of her . . .
Buy here:Amazon
About the author:
Victoria Hamilton is the pseudonym of nationally bestselling romance author Donna Lea Simpson. Victoria is the bestselling author of three mystery series, the Lady Anne Addison Mysteries, the Vintage Kitchen Mysteries, and the Merry Muffin Mysteries. She also writes a Regency-set historical mystery series, starting with A Gentlewoman’s Guide to Murder.
Recipe
Caramel Apple Salad
By: Victoria Hamilton
I’ve been trying to eat better lately, but for someone who likes food and cooking, it’s not always easy. A conversation with myself goes like this:
Self: You should eat more fruit.
My other, brattier self: How about a big, fat raspberry?
Self: How about you grow up?
Bratty Self: Is jam fruit?
Self: No, jam can’t be considered fruit. Too much sugar.
Bratty Self: But fruit is booooring!
Self: What’s boring about a lovely juicy apple or a pear? Or a handful of grapes?
Bratty Self: Hmm… a couple of apples, a pear, a cup of grapes. Maybe some dried cranberries and pecans. Oooh, time for a fruit salad, but not a boring old fruit-only fruit salad, a super deluxe kick ass fruit salad. And I will call it…
Caramel Apple Salad
Makes: 4 – 6 Generous servings.
Ingredients
2 Honey Crisp or Royal Gala apples (or whatever kind you like best!)
1 pear, whatever type you prefer
1 – 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup seedless grapes (I used a mix of green and Sable Black seedless grapes.)
¼ cup dried cranberries (or raisins, or omit)
¼ cup chopped pecans (or walnuts, or omit)
½ cup fat free Greek yogurt
2 – 3 Tablespoons caramel topping, to taste
Cinnamon to taste, if you like.
Method:
1 – Blend the Greek yogurt and caramel topping together until smooth. Add cinnamon, if you’re using it. Set aside.
2 – Wash the fruit. Dice the apples and pears. The size of the dice is a personal thing; coarsely, but not big chunks.
3 – Sprinkle the apples and pears with lemon juice and toss, so they won’t brown.
4 – If you have very large green grapes like I did, you may want to slice them in half.
5 – Chop the nuts coarsely.
6 – Combine the fruits, nuts and dried cranberries or raisins, then coat well with the sauce.
And… done. It’s that easy. I just love the caramel apple flavor of this salad, but for a sweetening ingredient you could substitute honey, maple syrup, or even a fruit syrup. A blackberry syrup would be lovely! This will keep in the fridge a day or two, but I doubt it will last that long!
