Has anyone read the "Coffeehouse Mysteries" by Cleo Coyle? The "author" is apparently a husband and wife team who also write the "Haunted Bookshop Mysteries" under the pen name of Alice Kimberly. In reviews I've read of both, they are termed "cozy." I'm not sure what that means.
I have not read them. But funny enough, when Rob was leaving for NJ, he took back the audio of "Dog On It" and the cover had on it ". . . no cosy mystery . . ."
ReplyDeleteSo I looked it up on Wikipedia . . . "Cozy mysteries are a subgenre of crime fiction in which sex and violence are downplayed or treated humourously. The term was first coined in the late 20th century when various writers produced work in an attempt to re-creating the Golden Age of Detective Fiction." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cozy_mystery
So a regular mystery has plenty of sex and violence with no sense of humor? Wondering here.
Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers were from the Golden Age. I'll read one of the Bookshop Mysteries and compare.
ReplyDeleteMy Awesome Scalloped Potatoes By Mistake!
ReplyDelete1 14 ½ oz can Chicken Broth
1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream
2 cloves of fresh garlic minced.
1 cup Fontina Mauri cheese shredded
1 cup Havarti cheese shredded (a mild buttery cheese)
¼ tsp (or more) to taste ground Nutmeg
4 large russet potatoes
Kosher Salt to taste
Coarse ground Pepper to taste
Simmer chicken broth, cream, garlic, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Peel and slice potatoes very thin. Add cheese to liquid mixture and stir often as it melts. Take off heat when a nice creamy sauce has formed. Layer potato slices in a casserole dish. Pour part of sauce mixture over potatoes. Make another layer and continue till all the potatoes and cheese sauce is gone. There should be quite a bit of the cheese sauce covering the potatoes when you are done layering. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for at least 1 ½ hours or until the potatoes are soft. I put a large cookie pan under the casserole dish on the lower rack beneath to catch any of the bubbling over. Actually, there was none. It came out perfect!
Let the potatoes set for at least 5 minutes before serving. This makes 8 – 10 servings, depending how piggish your guests are.
If you are a Moose and cannot get Fontina Mauri cheese up north, please substitute it with another soft white mild tasting cheese to your liking.
ReplyDeleteGood morning, Bee. Thanks for a forum. My definition of a cozy would be sex and violence off stage and/or behind closed doors.
ReplyDeleteShelley - never heard of fontina cheese but the casserole sounds yummy. Love your description of how many servings. I would be piggish! How was it by mistake?
Shelley: That sounds delish! I'm also wondering what the "by mistake" means.
ReplyDeleteBluecat: I like that definition. I'm going to read one of the books for one of the series mentioned. I'll report back on the blog.
The ‘by mistake’ was the cheese I selected. I had no idea what either of these tasted like. As it turns out they are very mellow and complement each other in this recipe. Also, I changed Sage to Nutmeg, because I don’t like sage. I used just enough for a very, very slight hint of nutmeg in the potatoes. Remember to bake this uncovered as they will be very juicy to begin with.
ReplyDeleteNow I am hungry and want to make more of these potatoes.