Tuesday, October 6, 2020

GREAT ESCAPES MISTLETOE, MOUSSAKA AND MURDER

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~ GREAT ESCAPES BLOG TOUR STOP ~
--  'MISTLETOE, MOUSSAKA, AND MURDER'  --
AUTHOR TINA KASHIAN
~Post Includes:  Book Spotlight, Author Bio, 
Author Guest Post with Recipe & Giveaway~
 
                              

Mistletoe, Moussaka, and Murder (A Kebab Kitchen Mystery) by Tina Kashian

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About Mistletoe, Moussaka, and Murder (A Kebab Kitchen Mystery)

 

Mistletoe, Moussaka, and Murder (A Kebab Kitchen Mystery)  

Cozy Mystery 5th in Series  

Publisher: Kensington (September 29, 2020)  

Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages 

ISBN-10: 1496726073 ISBN-13: 978-1496726070 Digital ASIN: B082WR6DMT

 


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Not even her impending nuptials can keep Lucy Berberian, manager of her family-owned Kebab Kitchen, from the Jersey Shore’s annual Polar Bear Plunge. But her dive into the icy ocean is especially chilling when she finds a fellow swimmer doing the dead man’s float—for real . . .

Who would kill a man in cold blood during Ocean Crest, New Jersey’s most popular winter event? When Lucy learns the victim is Deacon Spooner, the reception hall owner who turned up his nose—and his price—at her wedding plans, she can’t help wondering who wouldn’t kill the pompous caterer . . .

Perhaps the culprit is the wedding cake baker whose career Deacon nearly destroyed? Or the angry bride whose reception he ruined? With her maid of honor, Katie, busily planning Lucy’s wedding without her, Lucy will have to get to the bottom of this cold-hearted business in time for Kebab Kitchen’s mouthwatering Christmas celebration—and before her hometown’s holiday spirit washes out to sea . . .

Recipes included!

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About Tina Kashian

                                            

Tina Kashian is an attorney and mechanical engineer whose love of reading for pleasure helped her get through years of academia. She is the author of the popular Kebab Kitchen Mediterranean cozy mystery series for Kensington Publishing. Tina spent her childhood summers at the Jersey shore building sandcastles, boogie boarding, and riding the boardwalk Ferris wheel. She also grew up in the restaurant business, as her Armenian parents owned a restaurant for thirty years. Tina still lives in New Jersey with her supportive husband and two daughters. Please visit her website at www.tinakashian.com to join her newsletter, receive delicious recipes, enter contests, and more! Author Links

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GUEST POST WITH RECIPE

By Tina Kashian

Thank you for inviting me to chat with your readers about my new release, “Mistletoe, Moussaka & Murder.” It’s the fifth book in my Kebab Kitchen Mediterranean mystery series.

I love to cook, but I wasn’t born a good cook. It’s a skill that I’ve practiced and grown to enjoy. I also love all different types of cuisine—Mediterranean, Italian, Chinese, and a good American cheeseburger. My mother, on the other hand, was a talented cook. She could taste a dish, then replicate it without a recipe. My parents owned a restaurant for thirty years and food was an important part of our family. I’d often come home from school to the delicious aromas of simmering grape leaves, stuffed peppers and tomatoes, and shish kebab.

But I am more like my heroine, Lucy Berberian, in my series.  Lucy is the only person in her family who can’t cook. Her mother, Angela, is a chef, and her father, Raffi, grew up knowing how to grill the perfect shish kebab. Since returning home to Ocean Crest at the Jersey shore and her parent’s Mediterranean restaurant, Kebab Kitchen, Lucy is determined to learn how to prepare a meal. She’s receiving cooking lessons from her mother. It’s hit or miss depending on the day…

As for me, I have fond memories of watching my mother in the kitchen. I’d stand by her side with a pen and paper in hand and scribble detailed notes. She never used a recipe. I’d ask, “How much of that?” She’d say a handful or a pinch. It drove me nuts! Our handfuls were not the same. Years later, my mother passed away. When I try to prepare her dishes, they never seem to come out just like hers. Maybe it’s the memory I’m holding onto more than the taste of the food.

But I am writing down my recipes for my two young girls. No more handfuls or pinches of anything. If my girls decide to make a dish, then I’d like them to have a recipe to follow.
One of my favorite soup recipes that I’ve saved for them is lentil soup with swiss chard. As a parent, it can be difficult to get my kids to eat certain vegetables, like swiss chard. Surprisingly, if it is incorporated into soup, they eat it and even like it.

What’s your favorite soup? Please share!

Here’s the recipe my family served at the restaurant:

Swiss Chard and Lentil Soup by Tina Kashian

 

This Mediterranean soup is super healthy and full of fiber. The swiss chard adds flavor without overpowering the dish.

Prep Time: 20 minutes 
Cook Time: 45 minutes to 1 hour

Ingredients:

½ lb dry Lentils

2 tbsp olive Oil

1 tbsp butter

1 small onion finely chopped

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 carrot chopped

1stalk celery chopped

3 cups swiss chard, washed, stemmed and chopped.

4 cups chicken broth

1 cup water

1 tsp salt or to taste

1 tbsp lemon or to taste

Put dry lentils in a bowl and check for small stones that can naturally occur.

In a soup pot, heat oil and butter. Add onion, garlic, celery, and carrots. Stir and sauté over medium heat for 15 minutes or until onions are transparent. Add chicken broth, water, and lentils. Simmer for ½ hour. Add swiss chard, salt, and lemon. Simmer for another fifteen minutes or until lentils and swiss chard are tender. Add hot water if you prefer thinner soup. Enjoy!

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Purchase Links:

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a Rafflecopter giveaway  

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TOUR PARTICIPANTS:

October 1 – I'm All About Books – SPOTLIGHT  
October 1 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW 
October 1 – The Cozy Pages – REVIEW  
October 2 – The Avid Reader – REVIEW, RECIPE  
October 2 – Heart & Scribbles – SPOTLIGHT  
October 2 – Christy's Cozy Corners – SPOTLIGHT  
October 3 – Elizabeth McKenna - Author – SPOTLIGHT
October 3 – fundinmental – RECIPE POST  
October 3 – MJB Reviewers – REVIEW  
October 4 – Baroness' Book Trove – REVIEW  
October 4 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT 
 October 4 – Lisa Ks Book Reviews – REVIEW 
 October 5 – Christa Reads and Writes – REVIEW 
 October 5 – Celticlady's Reviews – SPOTLIGHT October 5 – The Book's the Thing – REVIEW  
October 5 – FUONLYKNEW - SPOTLIGHT  
October 6 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf - AUTHOR INTERVIEW  
October 6 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW
October 7 – Ascroft, eh? – AUTHOR INTERVIEW 
October 7 – Reading, Writing & Stitch-Metic – RECIPE POST
October 7 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW  
October 8 – Brianne's Book Reviews – REVIEW  
October 8 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT 
October 8 – A Wytch's Book Review Blog – REVIEW, CHARACTER INTERVIEW  
October 9 – View from the Birdhouse – SPOTLIGHT  
October 9 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW 
October 9 – Author Elena Taylor's Blog – SPOTLIGHT  
October 10 – StoreyBook Reviews – REVIEW 
October 10 – I Read What You Write – SPOTLIGHT  
October 10 – eBook Addicts – SPOTLIGHT
 
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6 comments:

  1. This sounds like a wonderful book. I cant even imagine dunking and running into a dead body, much less one I knew. Have never done a cold plunge like this. My mom was like yours. She was a fantastic cook and cook anything. I would do like you and finally she would pull out an ingredient and I would be ready with measuring spoons. LOL The only thing that my sister and I could never master was her homemade bread. We came to the conclusion that it was moms special germs that made it soooo good. quilting dash lady at comcast dot net

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Lori! I often tried to replicate my mother's recipes and they never came out just like hers. But I've since made them my own. Thanks for stopping by!

      Delete
  2. Sounds like a great holiday read. Looking forward to reading the book.

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  3. Thank you for hosting me today for the release of "Mistletoe, Moussaka and Murder."

    ReplyDelete
  4. I grew up cooking. About the only thing I really need a recipe for is baking. Ingredient ratios are more important for good results. For new recipes, I will follow it and the next time I make it will usually be just a throw it together making adjustments and ratios as I go. Once you know what you want for an outcome it is easy to get.

    ReplyDelete

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