Recipes To Die For: A Victoria Square Cookbook by Lorraine Bartlett

Recipes To Die For: A Victoria Square Cookbook

Polaris Press
A Companion Cookbook
By Katie Bonner
Manager – Artisan Alley
Victoria Square

We were introduced to Katie in Lorraine’s first book in the Victoria Square series A Crafty Killing.Artisans Alley is the cornerstone of Victoria Square. It is an old applesauce warehouse renovated into a collection of booths for artists and craft dealers to sell their wares. Katie’s original dream was to open a Bed & Breakfast but plans changed when her husband died in a car accident and he already owned part of the Alley. Shortly thereafter, his partner is killed and Katie found herself sole owner of Artisan’s Alley, which turns into a dangerous job until the killer is tracked down.

Since setting things in order at the alley Katie realized that it was her husband who was the real cook in the family. She has been sustaining herself on just sandwiches for far too long. Katie has now gone back to preparing the food she grew up with, the food her Aunt Lizzie taught her to make. As she becomes more than just an “adequate cook” she has generously decided to share her favorite recipes and those from some of her friends on Victoria Square with all of us in this wonderful cookbook.

Dollycas’s Thoughts
This is an excellent little cookbook. My husband and I both come from a long line of excellent cooks. My mom even owned a small home town cafe, as did her mom. My husband has always been the main chef in our house but even more so since my accident. I couldn’t wait to share this cookbook with him. He had it full of post-it markers in minutes! “This green bean recipe sounds like something by grandma used to make!” “This pie is perfect for Thanksgiving!” The comments went on and on. This book is already a family favorite.

Today there are so many fiction books that include recipes for food mentioned in the stories. Cozy mysteries are famous for this. The problem with that is that right after you finish the book you have to make sure you copy down any recipes you might like to try because you know when you are ready to bake it you won’t remember which book that recipe was in. If you are like me and share your books, if you don’t write the recipe down, it goes right out the door with the book. Thankfully a lot of authors put the recipes on their websites or you can go to Mystery Lovers Kitchen for some of the recipes found in the books.

I love this new idea of companion cookbooks and I hope the trend continues. Recipes To Die For: A Victoria Square Cookbook has found a permanent home in my kitchen with recipes like Sweet and Sour Green Beans, Pumpkin Chiffon Pie, Aunt Lizzie’s Cream Scones and drinks perfect for Halloween like the Black Widow or Corpse Reviver.  There are fun little anecdotes before each recipe.  This is truly a one-of-kind cookbook  that  should be in your kitchen as well.

The next book in the Victoria Square series The Walled Flower
comes out February 7, 2012, but is available to pre-order today.

To find out more about Lorraine visit her web page at http://lorrainebartlett.com/

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the author. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of this book. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”