Pimento Cheese Recipe is A Dish to Die For (Review)

My fellow cozy mystery readers need to mark your calendars for Tuesday, August 9th. That’s when Lucy Burdette releases her latest edition of the Key West Food Critic Mysteries, A Dish to Die For, and it’s the best one yet. 

Actually, a better idea is to preorder your copy NOW!

In A Dish to Die For, magazine food critic Hayley Snow heads to a neighboring town with a friend to enjoy lunch on a beach away from the negativity she senses in post-Covid-pandemic Key West. However, her husband Nathan’s dog, Ziggy, digs up the body of GG Garcia, a rabble-rousing Key West developer. GG was best known for over-development of the fragile Keys, womanizing, and not following city rules. In other words, the man had enemies.

I’ve enjoyed all of Burdette’s Key West mysteries, but this one was my favorite by far. Her characters, especially Hayley, develop and mature with each edition. Hayley’s relationship with her husband feels authentic and not overly lovey-dovey the way books often portray marriage. And while trying to solve the murder, Hayley has to face a complicated but timely issue (I won’t say what since I don’t want to give anything away). This is handled in a genuine but also caring manner. 

What I also loved about this book was the clever way clues to solving the murder were found in something many home cooks have in their kitchens—those spiral-bound cookbooks produced by local non-profits. You know the ones I mean? They’re put together by church groups, a local children’s charity, or a family wanting to save cherished recipes. 

These cookbooks are full of recipes not from professional chefs or food writers but instead from home cooks. The dishes inside are hits at the family dinner table, holiday gatherings, or a neighborhood cookout. The simplicity of the recipes makes them perfect for home cooks. This is one of my favorites, from a Mennonite family who had a restaurant in their Missouri farmhouse. 

Photo courtesy of Lucy Burdette.

The spiral-bound cookbooks featured in A Dish to Die For are ones produced by the Woman’s Club of Key West, an actual organization in existence since 1915. The group meets in the Hellings House on busy Duval Street, which is available for private event rentals. The building is a setting in this book, and I suggest you visit the Woman’s Club website to see interior and exterior photos. 

Image from Key West Woman's Club Website

Burdette’s use of real Key West locations—and sometimes real people—is another thing I love about her work. I have a list of places to check out on my next Key West visit, all from the pages of her books. 

I also love that she includes recipes for dishes talked about in the story. There are several I want to try from this book, but the first I made was one for pimento cheese spread. I grew up eating it spread on celery and in sandwiches. This recipe is part of a three-layer finger sandwich that also includes a cucumber watercress filling and a curried egg salad filling.

I made some changes from the original pimento cheese recipe: I used yellow instead of white cheddar. And instead of sautéing the scallions in butter, I added them straight to the mixture for a more robust flavor. 

If you’ve only eaten pimento cheese found in the grocery store, you’re missing out! This recipe is the best I’ve had and is so easy to assemble. 

The pimento cheese and A Dish to Die For are big hits in my household. My mom is reading the book and keeps reminding me not to give anything away before she finishes. 

***Hey, thanks for reading! If you've enjoyed my posts or tried one of my recipes, you can support my writing efforts through Buy Me a Coffee...or tea...or flavored fizzy water. Your donation will be greatly appreciated, especially now as I deal with a chronic autoimmune disease that flared back up again. The button is located on the right-hand side of this page or you can follow the link here. If you can't donate, that's okay, too. Either way, thank you so much for reading my stuff!  

Tarragon Chicken Salad

Chicken salad is so simple to make, right? Then why don’t I make it more often, especially with a recipe this delicious?

 

(Post updated on 8/1/2022): This Tarragon Chicken Salad recipe is my favorite. When I lived in New Hampshire, I always ordered it at  In a Pinch Café and Bakery in Concord. The owner, Paula Stephen, shared the recipe with me when I wrote a profile of her restaurant for the local newspaper. About 15 years later, the salad is still a customer favorite.

What is best about this recipe is it can easily be adjusted to fit your tastes. I like to add a little diced purple onion if I have it on hand. To eat, I like the salad on a nice whole-grain roll with lettuce and, if I have them, bean sprouts. Feel free to use leftover chicken instead of the cooked chicken breasts in the recipe. The last time I made it, I used a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store.

Of course, my late husband, The Picky Eater, wanted nothing to do with this recipe. His chicken salad must be made with sweet pickles and Miracle Whip.

So I made two salads instead of just one.

Sigh…

***Hey, thanks for reading! If you've enjoyed my posts or tried one of my recipes, you can support my writing efforts through Buy Me a Coffee...or tea...or flavored fizzy water. Your donation will be greatly appreciated, especially now as I deal with a chronic autoimmune disease that flared back up again. The button is located on the right-hand side of this page or you can follow the link here. If you can't donate, that's okay, too. Either way, thank you so much for reading my stuff!  

Muffuletta Sandwich Recipe

  

I love a good sandwich in the summertime. Sure, salads are great too, but I find a sandwich to have much more staying power, especially if I’m busy doing yard work, sightseeing, or just playing in the sunshine. Plus, a sandwich is much easier to transport for a picnic at the park, beach, or backyard.

Photo from Central Grocery

Have you ever heard of a muffuletta sandwich? It is an iconic New Orleans favorite created at Central Grocery and Deli. A muffuletta is filled with Italian cold cuts and cheese. The difference-maker is the olive salad, which is somewhat like a tapenade but chunkier. It’s a combo of olives, garlic, herbs, olive oil, and vinegar and gives the sandwich a complex flavor beyond the typical Italian sub.  

For me, the key component of a good sandwich is the bread. The traditional muffuletta bread is round and topped with sesame seeds. I used a delicious slow-fermented olive oil ciabatta from my recent Wildgrain box order. It was perfect—soft on the inside, crusty on the outside, and just the right amount of sourdough tang. (FYI: I have a terrific deal to share with you from Wildgrain! See the below!) 

You will want to make the muffuletta olive salad a day or more ahead, so the flavors have a chance to mix and mingle. Otherwise, a muffuletta is a snap to put together. I think the sandwich is even better the next day, so feel free to make it the day before and store it in the fridge. 

Now, for the Wildgrain deal mentioned above. If you follow me on social media, you know I’ve enjoyed all the wonderful items I received in my first box. Wildgrain is the first membership box that delivers bake-from-frozen sourdough breads, fresh pastas, and artisan pastries to your home. Everything bakes within 25 minutes (no thawing!) and are made with clean ingredients.

My box contained three different sourdough loaves of bread (including the ciabatta I used for this Muffuletta recipe), sourdough rolls, croissants, and two kinds of pasta. 

Here’s the deal, and it’s a big one: Follow this link to order your first Wildgrain box and use the promo code SUNFLOWERLIFE, and you’ll get $30 off your first order! (And I’ll get a small commission as well.) Not only are the breads delicious, but I love having them delivered right to my door. Especially since the nearest artisanal bread bakery to my home is a 30-minute drive. Give them a try! 

Greek Salad Turkey Wrap

In much the same way my body and spirit crave comfort foods in colder weather (mac and cheese, pot roast, hearty soups), the longing turns to fresh veggies and fruits as the temperature rises. Maybe it’s the plethora of fresh produce at the farmers market and grocery store? Maybe it’s just the heat? For whatever the reason, my crisper drawers and hanging wire baskets are bursting with freshness.

This Greek Salad Turkey Wrap is a wonderful way to pack a lot of veggies into one meal. It's based on a sandwich I always order at a local coffee shop. It makes a great sandwich for a picnic, lunch at work, or a light summer supper. There are no exact measurements with this recipe since everything can be added to fit your personal tastes. Just be sure to not overload the wrap or you’ll have trouble rolling it all up. 

To be honest, I’m terrible at filling a wrap. I always put in too much.

Greek Salad Turkey Wrap

Makes one sandwich

1 wrap (I like spinach wraps.)

1 to 2 slices deli turkey

Mixed greens

Feta cheese

Red onion, thinly sliced

Sliced olives

Cucumber, thinly sliced

Tomato, thinly sliced

Radishes, thinly sliced

Greek salad dressing (I found this in the produce section of the grocery store.)

           

Lay the wrap on a flat surface. Layer on the remaining ingredients. Roll up the wrap, cut in half, and enjoy.

Picnic Tips with Apple and Brie Sandwiches

Perhaps the easiest way to make a meal into an event is by going on a picnic. The most basic lunch or dinner seems special when dining alfresco.

To be ready at a moments notice, keep a picnic kit packed with the essentials so you can grab and go. The kit can be a traditional basket, backpack, tote bag, cooler bag, or a cooler or suitcase-on-wheels. Just be sure to keep in mind your picnic location. You don’t want to find yourself wheeling a picnic kit over rocky terrain or carrying a heavy basket up a remote hillside.

The kit should contain the basics:

• A blanket, sheet, or tablecloth to sit on and a plastic tarp in case of dampness.
• Dinnerware, such as heavy-duty paper plates, napkins, and plastic utensils, which are available in many fun colors and designs. For the environmentally conscious, pack reusable plastic dinnerware and cloth napkins. Just tote everything back home to be washed.
• Serving utensils
• A sharp knife
• Cutting board
• Bottle opener
• Corkscrew
• Paper towels and hand wipes
• Garbage bag
• Insect repellent
• Sunscreen

When you’re ready, all you need to add is the food and you’re all set. For a picnic, the rule of thumb is to keep cold foods cold and hot foods hot. Start by picking food that taste just as good cold as hot. (One of the reasons fried chicken is a popular picnic staple.) Also, keep the menu simple. Nothing too

fussy.

One of my favorite picnic meals is this apple and brie sandwich. Just pack up the ingredients and assemble the sandwich on site. It is simple to make but gives a picnic an elegant flair. (Don’t worry about keeping the brie cold unless it will be a long time before you dine or it is an extremely hot day. Brie tastes better at room temperature.)

Apple and Brie Sandwich

Serves 2

4 slices good sturdy bread

2 tablespoon bottled mango chutney

1 apple, sliced

6 slices brie cheese

1 small bunch watercress (optional)

           

Spread mango chutney on each slice of bread and layer with apple, brie and watercress. Cut in half and serve.