by Meg Muldoon
The Meg Muldoon Collection
The Christmas River Cozy Mystery Series
Murder in Christmas River (Book 1)
Mayhem in Christmas River (Book 2)
Madness in Christmas River (Book 3)
Malice in Christmas River (Book 4)
Mischief in Christmas River (Book 5)
Manic in Christmas River (Book 6)
Magic in Christmas River (Book 7)
Menace in Christmas River (Book 8)
Missing in Christmas River (Book 9)
Roasted in Christmas River (Novella)
The Cozy Matchmaker Mystery Series
Burned in Broken Hearts Junction (Book 1)
Busted in Broken Hearts Junction (Book 2)
The Dog Town USA Cozy Mystery Series
Mutts & Murder (Book 1)
Bulldogs & Bullets (Book 2)
The Holly Hopewell Cozy Mystery Series
The Silence of the Elves (Book 1)
Coming Soon
Corgis & Conspiracy: A Dog Town USA Cozy Mystery (Book 3)
Meltdown in Christmas River: A Christmas Cozy Mystery (Book 10)
About the Authors
Jools Sinclair is the author of the bestselling Forty-Four series. She is a teacher, seeker, and believer in magic. Like the main character of her Forty-Four series, Jools has a house in Bend, Oregon. She is currently on the road, where in addition to working on the next installment in the Witches of Broomfield Bay Mysteries, she is writing The Girl on the Ghost Train: An Abby Craig Paranormal Mystery and See the Beauty, a non-fiction guide to appreciating the amazing things in life.
Meg Muldoon is the author of over a dozen cozy mysteries, including the Amazon bestselling Christmas River Cozy Mysteries. A former small town news reporter, Meg has always had a special place in her heart for lost dogs, homeless cats, and feisty old locals. She enjoys bourbon bread pudding, red cowboy boots, and craft glue guns.
Originally from Central Oregon, Meg currently lives in Santa Fe with a cattle dog named Huckleberry. And like Jools, Meg also believes in magic.
Some of Ginger’s Best Recipes
Nigel’s Must-Have Ginger Lemon Bars
1 ½ sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
½ cup minced crystalized ginger
¾ teaspoon ground ginger
1 ½ cups plus 3 tablespoons flour
3 large eggs
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
½ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
Preparation:
1. Pre-Bake Crust. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat butter, add 1/3 cup sifted powdered sugar, and beat until light and fluffy. Beat in half a teaspoon of the lemon zest, the ground ginger, the crystallized ginger, and a pinch of salt. Add 1 ½ cups of flour in batches, a little at a time. Continue to beat the crust batter until well combined.
2. Spread crust batter evenly over bottom of a 13x9-inch baking dish. Bake 12-15 minutes, or until lightly browned around the edges.
3. While the crust is baking, whisk eggs, lemon juice, granulated sugar, the remaining lemon zest, 3 tbsp. of flour, and baking powder in medium bowl until well blended.
4. Pour lemon batter over pre-baked crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until top is golden. If you want, sift a little additional powdered sugar over the top. Let lemon bars cool in the pan on a rack and cut into 36 pieces
Magic Marionberry Scones
Marionberries (or any type of blackberry), a bag. (If using fresh berries, use a couple pints.)
2 cups flour
¼ cup sugar, plus 1 tablespoon for the topping
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into ½ inch pieces
2 eggs
½ cup half & half
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees
2. Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, salt
3. Cut in the butter, until the mixture looks like meal
4. Mix in the Marionberries
5. In a separate bowl, combine eggs, half & half, and vanilla extract
6. Stir into the flour mixture just until evenly moistened
7. Turn the dough out onto lightly-floured surface, gently form into a ball
8. Pat the ball into a circle about ½ inch thick
9. Form into 8 wedges
10. Place wedges 1 inch apart on baking pan lined with parchment paper
11. Brush with a little half & half and sprinkle with sugar
12. Bake until golden brown, 12-15 minutes
Ginger Chocolate Brownies
(Inspired by Martha Stewart)
½ cup unsalted butter, plus more for baking dish
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate
1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 all-purpose flour
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 large eggs
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon peeled, grated fresh ginger
½ tsp. ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon coarse salt
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees
2. Butter 8-inch square baking pan, or line with parchment paper with 2 inch overhang on two sides. Butter the lining
3. Melt butter and chocolate together in medium saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until smooth
4. Remove from heat, and stir in remaining ingredients
5. Pour batter into prepared dish, spread evenly with spatula
6. Bake until a cake tester inserted into center comes out with moist crumbs, about 30-35 minutes
7. Let cool in pan on wire rack for 15 minutes, then lift out (if using parchment overhang) or use spatula
8. Cut into 2 inch squares
Aunt Viv’s Famous Smoked Salmon Chowder
½ pound red potatoes
½ pound sliced bacon, cut crosswise into ¼-inch strips
1 cup fresh or frozen corn (optional)
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic (3 cloves)
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 cups whole milk
2/3 cup heavy cream
1 salmon fillet (preferably wild), skin discarded and fish cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Chopped chives for garnish
1. Cut potatoes into ½ -inch cubes, then cook in a heavy saucepan of boiling salted water until just tender, about 8-10 minutes. Drain in colander and set aside.
2. Cook bacon over moderate heat in 5-quart heavy pot, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 8 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat from pot, then cook scallions, corn, garlic, thyme bay leaf, and red pepper flakes in the fat in pot over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until scallions are tender, about 5 minutes.
3. Add milk and cream and bring just to a boil. Reduce heat to moderately low, then add potatoes, salmon, bacon, salt and pepper and cook, gently stirring occasionally, until salmon is just cooked through and begins to break up as you stir, 5-8 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Discard bay leaf before serving.
4. Add crusty bread and white wine and enjoy!
Ginger’s Garden Tomato Tart
(Inspired by David Lebovitz)
Tart Filling
Dijon or whole-grain mustard
2-3 large ripe tomatoes
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 generous tablespoons chopped fresh herbs, such as thyme, chives, chervil, or tarragon
8 ounces fresh or slightly aged goat cheese, sliced into rounds
1 ½ tablespo
ons flavorful honey
Tart Dough
1 ½ cups of flour
4 ½ ounces unsalted butter, chilled, cut into cubes
½ teaspoon salt
1 large egg
2-3 tablespoons cold water
1. Make the dough by mixing the flour and salt in a bowl. Add the butter and use your hands, or a pastry blender, to break in the butter until the mixture has a crumbly, cornmeal-like texture.
2. Mix the egg with 2 tablespoons of the water. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the beaten egg mixture, stirring the mixture until the dough holds together. If it’s not coming together easily, add the additional tablespoon of ice water.
3. Gather the dough into a ball and roll the dough on a lightly floured surface, adding additional flour only as necessary to keep the dough from sticking to the counter.
4. Once the dough is large enough so that it will cover the bottom of the pan and go up the sides, roll the dough around the rolling pin then unroll it over the tart pan. “Dock” the bottom of the pastry firmly with your fingertips a few times, pressing in to make indentations. If making a freestyle tart, simple transfer the dough to a prepared baking sheet. No need to make indentations with your fingers.
5. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
6. Spread an even layer of mustard over the bottom of the tart dough and let it sit a few minutes to dry out.
7. Slice the tomatoes and arrange them over the mustard in a single, even layer. Drizzle the olive oil over the top.
8. Sprinkle with some chopped fresh herbs, then arrange the slices of goat cheese on top. Add some more fresh herbs, then drizzle with honey. (If baking a free-form tart, gather the edges when you’re done to envelope the filling.)
9. Bake the tart for 30 minutes or so, until the dough is cooked, the tomatoes are tender, and the cheese on top is nicely browned. Depending on the heat of your oven, if the cheese doesn’t brown as much as you’d like it, you might want to pass it under the broiler until it’s just right. Also, it’s a good idea to check the tart midway through baking and turn down the oven a bit if the top is getting too dark, before the crust and tomatoes appear to be cooked.
Enjoy with a nice glass of Willamette Valley white wine.
Look for Ginger Snaps: A Witches of Broomfield Bay Mystery (Book 2) in Fall 2017!
