Basket Case, page 9
My heart thumped in my chest. “The airport is closed? So Barbara isn’t going to make it in time for the council meeting?”
“It’s just you and me, babe. And Claudette.”
My stomach sank. Without a representative from the Shoreline Conservation Association to combat Katz’s offer for the property next to the inn, we could only sit and watch as Katz wooed the board of selectmen with visions of the fat bank accounts the island would enjoy when the Cranberry Island Premier Resort came into being.
I leaned my head against the wall. “We’re sunk.”
Download your copy of Murder on the Rocks now to find out what happens next!
Praise for the Gray Whale Inn mysteries…
"This book is an absolute gem." ― Suspense Magazine
"Deliciously clever plot. Juicy characters. Karen MacInerney has cooked up a winning recipe for murder. Don't miss this mystery!" ― New York Times Bestselling Author Maggie Sefton
"...a new cozy author worth investigating." ― Publishers Weekly
"Murder on the Rocks mixes a pinch of salt air, a hunky love interest, an island divided by environmental issues... and, of course, murder. Add Karen MacInerney to your list of favorite Maine mystery authors." ― Lea Wait, author of the Antique Print mystery series
"Sure to please cozy readers." ― Library Journal
"I look anxiously forward to the sequel... Karen MacInerney has a winning recipe for a great series." ― Julie Obermiller, Features Editor, Mysterical-E
MORE BOOKS BY KAREN MACINERNEY
To download a free book and receive members-only outtakes, giveaways, short stories, recipes, and updates, join Karen’s Reader’s Circle at www.karenmacinerney.com! You can also join her Facebook community; she often hosts giveaways and loves getting to know her readers there.
And don’t forget to follow her on BookBub to get newsflashes on new releases!
The Snug Harbor Mysteries
A Killer Ending
Inked Out
The Lies that Bind
Snug Harbor Cozy Mystery#4 (Coming 2023)
The Gray Whale Inn Mysteries
Murder on the Rocks
Dead and Berried
Murder Most Maine
Berried to the Hilt
Brush With Death
Death Runs Adrift
Whale of a Crime
Claws for Alarm
Scone Cold Dead
Anchored Inn
Gray Whale Inn Mystery #11 (Coming 2023)
Cookbook: The Gray Whale Inn Kitchen
Four Seasons of Mystery (A Gray Whale Inn Collection)
Blueberry Blues (A Gray Whale Inn Short Story)
Pumpkin Pied (A Gray Whale Inn Short Story)
Iced Inn (A Gray Whale Inn Short Story)
Lupine Lies (A Gray Whale Inn Short Story)
The Dewberry Farm Mysteries
Killer Jam
Fatal Frost
Deadly Brew
Mistletoe Murder
Dyeing Season
Wicked Harvest
Sweet Revenge
Peach Clobber
Dewberry Farm Mystery #9 (Coming 2023)
Slay Bells Ring: A Dewberry Farm Christmas Story
Cookbook: Lucy’s Farmhouse Kitchen
The Margie Peterson Mysteries
Mother’s Day Out
Mother Knows Best
Mother’s Little Helper
Wolves and the City
Howling at the Moon
On the Prowl
Leader of the Pack
RECIPES
LEMON SUNSHINE BUNDT CAKE
Ingredients
Bundt Cake
1 cup butter, softened to room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
2 Tbsp lemon zest
4 eggs, large
3/4 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
2 3/4 cup all purpose flour
3 Tbsp cornstarch
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
Lemon Icing
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2-3 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest
Instructions
Lemon Bundt Cake
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cream the butter until light and fluffy.
Add sugar and lemon zest to the butter, mixing until it is well combined.
Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
In a second bowl, whisk together salt, baking powder, flour and cornstarch. Set aside.
In a third bowl, mix together lemon juice, milk and vanilla extract.
Add the flour mixture and milk mixture to the butter mixture, alternating dry and wet ingredients and beginning and ending with the flour. Mix until everything is just combined.
Add in sour cream and mix until just combined.
Grease your Bundt cake pan well and pour the batter evenly into the pan.
Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Allow to cool for about 10-15 minutes, then remove the cake from the Bundt pan and allow it to finish cooling on a wire rack or plate.
Lemon Icing
Whisk powdered sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest together. Once combined, drizzle over the cooled cake. Allow the icing to set about 5 minutes before serving.
POTATO CHEESE SOUP
Ingredients
4 potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 small carrot, finely chopped
½ stalk celery, finely chopped
White part of 3 large leeks, minced
1 ½ cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon salt
2 ½ cups milk
3 tablespoons butter, melted
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons minced fresh or 1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese (plus more to garnish)
Chopped bacon to garnish (optional)
Instructions
In a large saucepan, bring potatoes, carrots, celery, leeks, chicken broth and salt to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until potatoes are just tender. Do not rinse: mash mixture slightly. Stir in milk.
In a small mixing bowl, blend butter, flour, parsley, and pepper; stir into potato mixture. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly.
Remove from heat: add cheese and stir until cheese is almost melted. Serve in individual bowls sprinkled with extra shredded cheese and chopped bacon.
MARGUČIAI (EGG DECORATING) INSTRUCTIONS
How to make Marguciai
In Lithuania, there are two methods for decorating eggs; you can decorate blown eggs, like Agnes does in BASKET CASE, or simply decorate hard-boiled eggs for Easter use. My grandmother, whose maiden name actually was Agnes Masaitis, was a first-generation American whose parents were born in Lithuania. Unfortunately, while I have fond memories of dyeing Easter eggs at her Pennsylvania home in my blue-checked pajamas and then eating coconut-covered Easter “lamb”, she never did teach me how to make Marguciai, perhaps because her own mother died when she was still young. So I researched the craft myself, in part to remember my sweet grandmother, who also had the BEST maple twists waiting for me when I visited, taught me how to use a wringer washer (which still scares the dickens out of me), and always made me root beer floats to drink after catching fireflies in mason jars.
Now, for how to decorate the eggs. The “scratch method” is based on producing designs on dyed eggs by scratching or carving the surface of the shell. This is a simple method, requiring very simple tools - any sharp, pointy tool can work, such as an Exacto knife or a paring knife. . Short, straight, and white scratch lines are the basic elements of design for this method, but the results can be absolutely stunning.
Wax patterning is second method commonly used by Lithuanians for decorating eggs. Beeswax is used, not paraffin: it can be melted in a tealight holder and kept hot and ready for use. The hot wax is then applied in patterns with a round-headed pin embedded in a pencil eraser. The basic elements for creating decorative designs with this method are dots and "tailed" dots. A dot is produced by dipping the tip of your pin into hot wax and setting it momentarily on the egg's surface, then lifting. A "tailed" dot results when the tool is moved on the egg's surface before lifting.
After creating the pattern, the egg is dyed in a solution that is cooler than the melting temperature of the wax. After dyeing, the wax is removed by heating the egg in an oven or rolling it on a hot towel. The removed wax reveals a white pattern. To create a multi-colored pattern, repeat cycles of wax application and dyeing.
The typical dyes sold in stores work just fine for these eggs, or you can use natural dyes from recipes available online. (Apparently Lithuanian tradition involves making them shiny by rubbing the eggs with pork fat and then polishing them with a cloth, but I’ve never tried it myself.) You can search for design examples to inspire you online, but below is a list of common colors and meanings.
Happy decorating!
Symbolism of Colors
Red (Raudona) - Beauty, love, passion, enthusiasm
Orange (Oranzinai)- Endurance, strength, power
Yellow (Geltona) - Spirituality, youth, light, purity, happiness, wisdom
Green (Zalia) - Youth, growing, renewal, freshness, hope
Blue (Melyna) - Endurance, strength, power
Purple (Purpurine) - Patience, power, royalty
Black (Juoda) - Eternity and death
White (Balta) - Purity, birth, virginity, and ignorance
Brown (Ruda) - Earth
Symbolism of Designs
Deer - Wealth/ Prosperity
Leaves & Flowers - Life/Growth
Circles - Protection and everlasting life, continuity, and completeness, as well as the sun.
Sun - The life-giving, all-embracing, all-renewing nature of God.
Stars & Roses - Purity, life, the giver of light, divine will of God, and God's love for humanity.
Wheat - Bountiful Harvest.
Plant Symbols - Stand for rebirth and nature
Leaves - Immortality, eternal or pure love, strength and persistence
Flowers - Beauty and Children
The 8- Point Star - Ancient symbol of Jesus Christ
Dots or Small Circles - Mary's Tears or the sun
Spirals - The mystery of life and death, as well as divinity and immortality
Cross - Jesus's Crucifixion
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Karen is the housework-impaired, award-winning author of multiple mystery series, and her victims number well into the double digits. She lives in Georgetown, Texas with her sassy family, Tristan, and Little Bit (a.k.a. Dog #1 and Dog #2).
Feel free to visit Karen's web site, where you can download a free book and sign up for her Readers’ Circle to receive subscriber-only short stories, deleted scenes, recipes and other bonus material. You can also find her on Facebook (she spends an inordinate amount of time there), where Karen loves getting to know her readers, answering questions, and offering quirky, behind-the-scenes looks at the writing process (and life in general). And please follow her on Bookbub to find out about new releases and sales!
P. S. Don’t forget to follow Karen on BookBub to get newsflashes on new releases!
www.karenmacinerney.com
karen@karenmacinerney.com
Karen MacInerney, Basket Case
