Resale Boutique Mysteries, Sunday Snippet

Sunday Snippet 1/16

Just before she turned to leave something caught her eye and the hair on the back of her neck prickled.

MURDER WEARS A LITTLE BLACK DRESS

☑️ First-in-series
☑️ Fashionista turned consignment shop owner.
☑️ A psychic with a vision of murder
☑️ Furry feline

“I enjoyed everything about the story. It was well-written, and the author threw in twists and turns that kept me guessing.” ~ Devilishly Delicious Book Reviews

**Blurb***

She’s opened a stylish new consignment shop—and the clothes are to die for . . .

Manhattan fashionista Kelly Quinn thought she’d left her Long Island town far behind . . . until the Seventh Avenue expat returns home to revamp her grandmother’s consignment shop into an upscale boutique—and unwittingly sets a trend for murder . . .

After her rising career as a Manhattan buyer is derailed, Kelly has mixed feelings about relocating back to Lucky Cove, in spite of her big plans for the soon-to-be-renamed Curated by Kelly Resale Boutique. What’s left of her luck starts running out when a customer puts on a black lace dress that triggers visions of someone being murdered. As if the haunted “Murder Dress” isn’t enough to kill business, the psychic’s doppelganger cousin has just been found bludgeoned to death.

Was Maxine LeMoyne the real target or was it a case of mistaken murder? With some creepy pre-Halloween bargain hunters walking the night and Kelly suddenly a person of interest, a second murder rocks the close-knit town. Now Kelly could be the one who ends up talking to dead people when she’s stalked by a killer determined to take her out in high style . . .

Cookbook of the Month, Kitchen Snapshots, Writer In The Kitchen

Cookbook of the Month – Homemade with Love

Welcome to a new feature here on my blog, Cookbook of the Month. I’ve been wanting to add this for over a year because I love, love, love cookbooks but you know…life happens combines with publishing deadlines collides with book promo and things get pushed to the side. Well, for 2022 I’m committed to changing that. Yes, I still have deadlines, yes life is still throwing things my way (seriously, it’s like a dodge ball game on steroids), and yes I’ll have book promo to do but I really want to do something that I enjoy and love. Okay, that list is a little long because so many things got pushed to the side last year and they year before. So, as not to overwhelm me, I’m taking on new commitments slowly and I’m starting with Cookbook of the Month.

I’ll be sharing with you one cookbook each month along with my thoughts on it and some photos of the food I cooked from it. Now, some of the cookbooks will be from my library and may not be easily available for purchase, while others will be brand new. Psst…one just arrived yesterday! Can’t wait to dive into it. I hope that these monthly posts will entertain you and inspire you to try something new in the kitchen. But mostly, I hope these posts will give you and me a few minutes each month to sit and chat about food.

To begin Cookbook of the Month, I’m sharing with you today one of my favorite cookbooks.

I discovered the blog, In Jennie’s Kitchen, when I was starting my own food blogging journey. I truly enjoyed her blog and then when her cookbook was published, I immediately ordered it. Jennifer Perillo has given us a very special book filled with recipes that will make you want to stay in your kitchen for days and stories that will tug at your heartstrings and then have you smiling from ear to ear.

By Jennifer Perillo
Hardcover: 240 pages
Publisher: Running Press (March 26, 2013)

Ms. Perillo writes in the introduction for her French Onion Cheese Buns (BTW, yum!), “People often ask how I create new recipes. I wake up thinking about food and it stays on my mind all day long as I pass shops and farmer’s markets. New ideas always seem to be infiltrating my subconscious.” I hope new ideas keep popping into her head because her recipes are delicious.

This cookbook is everything I hoped it would be. The writing style is friendly, warm and clear, making the book a straight forward and easy read. The photography on matte paper is beautiful and inspiring. The recipes are a great combination of basic to more complex dishes and the ingredients are easily found in my local grocery store. Ms. Perillo managed to combine attainable recipes with inspirational recipes so the home cook is always successful and challenged.

There is a warmth to this book that I haven’t experienced with any other cookbook. Perhaps it’s because I’ve been reading her blog for years and I’d come to admire Ms. Perillo’s strength and talent as a cook. Through her blog she had shared a personal tragedy and journaled her life with such grace and perseverance without losing focus of her passion for food and cooking. In her book she shares glimpses into her life and the stories behind the recipes. In the intro for Drop Biscuit Chicken Pot Pie Ms. Perillo shares how the recipe came to together, how special it was and it will leave you teary-eyed and realizing just how important food and the simple act of cooking is to all of us.

Her stories will have you smiling, laughing and maybe reaching for the tissue but I’m certain that by the time you close this cookbook you will have a very long list of recipes to try. A nice feature of the book is how the recipes are coded for easy reference.

Enough with the words, lets get to the food.

Roasted tomatoes. This recipe spoke to me. Warning – these roasted tomatoes are highly addictive and they barely lasted while I cooked the pasta I served them with. If you manage somehow not to eat all of the tomatoes, you can toss them with pasta and grate some fresh Parmesan cheese. Simple, quick and perfect for a weeknight meal.

Looking for a recipe to wow your guests? Onion rolls is a recipe to try then.

Lets take a look at the making of this recipe.

Cook the onions.

Prepare the dough and add onions.

Roll, slice and form in pan to bake. It doesn’t look like much, but trust me. They taste delicious.

Hot out of the oven. Heavenly.

I wish I had more photos to share with you but we ate before I could snap pictures. Sorry. My bad. I promise to do better next month. I hoped you enjoyed this look into Homemade With Love by Jennifer Perillo.

Happy Cooking!

Debra

Resale Boutique Mysteries, Sunday Snippet

Sunday Snippet 1/9

“You’re selling haunted clothes,” a third woman chimed in with not so much a question but statement and started the crowd buzzing with speculation.

MURDER WEARS A LITTLE BLACK DRESS

☑️ First-in-series
☑️ Fashionista turned consignment shop owner.
☑️ A psychic with a vision of murder
☑️ Furry feline

“Fast-paced and fun, this flirty series starter combines elements of several of my favorite genres.” ~Laura’s Interests

***Blurb***

She’s opened a stylish new consignment shop—and the clothes are to die for . . .

Manhattan fashionista Kelly Quinn thought she’d left her Long Island town far behind . . . until the Seventh Avenue expat returns home to revamp her grandmother’s consignment shop into an upscale boutique—and unwittingly sets a trend for murder . . .

After her rising career as a Manhattan buyer is derailed, Kelly has mixed feelings about relocating back to Lucky Cove, in spite of her big plans for the soon-to-be-renamed Curated by Kelly Resale Boutique. What’s left of her luck starts running out when a customer puts on a black lace dress that triggers visions of someone being murdered. As if the haunted “Murder Dress” isn’t enough to kill business, the psychic’s doppelganger cousin has just been found bludgeoned to death.

Was Maxine LeMoyne the real target or was it a case of mistaken murder? With some creepy pre-Halloween bargain hunters walking the night and Kelly suddenly a person of interest, a second murder rocks the close-knit town. Now Kelly could be the one who ends up talking to dead people when she’s stalked by a killer determined to take her out in high style . . .

Uncategorized

Today’s goal…

Today’s goal is to finish summarizing all the scenes in the next Resale Boutique novel. I started at 7:10, taking a break for breakfast and two loads of laundry.

While I started working, Connie focused on her goal – sleeping. 😃 What a life!

New Book Releases, Resale Boutique Mysteries

BEAUTY AND THE DECEASED

It’s release day for the newest Resale Boutique Mystery novel. BEAUTY AND THE DECEASED and it’s also my tenth published book!

In this book, Kelly Quinn gets drawn into a murder investigation that’s personal. A long-awaited reunion with her cousin turns deadly when Kelly finds Becky’s body on the beach. Kelly soon discovers the dark, ugly side of the beauty industry as she investigates her cousin’s murder. Kelly also has to deal with a family secret that is about to explode, threatening her newly rebuilt relationships, an attraction to a very handsome police detective and a gigantic dog that doesn’t understand personal boundaries.

I have a favor to ask, after you read the book, please consider leaving a review of it at your preferred retailer’s website or on Goodreads or BookBub? Not sure how to write a review? Well, I have a post and a PDF that can help right here for you. Thank you!!!!

To get your copy of BEAUTY AND THE DECEASED click here.