Eat Like An Author: Stacy Wilder

When most people get bored, they eat. When I get bored, I brainstorm new series and features for the blog, and THEN eat. A few years ago, as I was brainstorming and contemplating what I wanted to eat, I thought how cool it would be to have a mini-foodie series where authors share the things they like to eat. Photos and recipes and all. And so I asked them, and amazingly they responded, and I dubbed it EAT LIKE AN AUTHOR. 

Today, Stacy Wilder shares with us some insight, and recipes, from her recently released murder mystery novel Charleston Conundrum.

When I’m writing, I’m typically sipping on a cup of hot tea or indulging in a glass of shiraz depending upon the time of day. My husband and I both enjoy a good glass of shiraz. Our favorite is Molly Dooker, The Boxer. My favorite hot tea is English Breakfast served with milk and honey.

When I was writing the cozy mystery, Charleston Conundrum, I hadn’t envisioned including recipes. As the story evolved, I thought how fun to give readers recipes that they could potentially serve at a book club meeting. Charleston Conundrum contains four different recipes, main dish, salad, a sandwich recipe, and dessert.

 

Liz Adams is the private investigator and the main character in the book. Here is the recipe for her King Ranch Chicken which she served to the romantic interest in the book, Brad. The dish was also served at the book launch party for Charleston Conundrum:

Liz’s King Ranch Chicken

Ingredients:

1 can cream of mushroom soup                                8 oz. (2 cups) cheddar cheese

1 can cream of chicken soup                                     1 package corn tortillas

1 can Rotel tomatoes                                                 1 white onion diced

1 cup chicken stock                                                   1 green bell pepper diced

rotisserie chicken                                                       1 Tsp ancho chili powder

9x12 baking dish                                                        ½ tsp garlic salt

Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Place corn tortillas in a bowl and cover with chicken stock. Soak until soft.

Shred chicken. Fine dice onion and bell pepper. Combine soup and cheese in a separate bowl. Use half of the tortillas to cover the bottom of the baking dish. Layer half of the chicken on top followed by half of the onion and green pepper. Season. Follow with half of the cheese/soup mixture. Repeat. Pour can of Rotel on top.

Bake for thirty minutes.

 

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The Conundrum Cocktail (tastes like a tropical Cosmo) debuted at the launch party and will be featured in the next book in the series, Carmel Conundrum. Typically ideas for the series either pop up in the middle of the night or bubble up as I’m journaling in the mornings. The scene to introduce the drink in Carmel Conundrum came to me in the middle of the night a few days after the event.

Ingredients:

1 ounce orange vodka

.75 ounces vodka

.75 ounces St. Germaine

.25 ounces Malibu rum

.25 ounces lemon juice

.25 ounces lavender syrup (add more to taste)

Splash of grenadine

Pour ingredients into a martini shaker. Mix, add ice. Shake multiple times. Strain and pour in a martini glass. Garnish with a lemon wedge.

One of the characters in Charleston Conundrum, Lou, the murder victim’s business partner and a suspect, has the odd habit of breaking into random songs. Included in the book is a playlist of songs that are mentioned in the story. The playlist is also available on Spotify under Charleston Conundrum.

All of the recipes and the playlist can also be found on my website, www.storystacy.com.

Everything you need for a book club party – Food, Drink, Music! Enjoy.

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Stacy writes mysteries, children’s stories, short stories, and poetry. Her debut novel is the first in the Conundrum mystery series. Her mission is to deliver a delightful story to readers of all ages while benefiting a larger community. She donates a portion of the proceeds from the sales of her books to causes that support wildlife conservation, and the homeless, both people and pets.

As well as writing, Stacy is passionate about her faith, family, Labradors, the causes that she supports, the beach, art, and reading books.

She and her husband live in Houston, Texas with a totally spoiled Labrador retriever, Eve.

You can find Stacy’s website at www.storystacy.com

About Charleston Conundrum: 

Liz Adams never imagined when she moved to Charleston with her truth sniffing Labrador retriever, Duke, that she would use her skills as a private investigator to avoid winding up on Death Row.  Liz’s life is upended when her best friend, Peg, is murdered and she becomes a suspect. Liz’s gun was the murder weapon. Tensions flare between Liz and the cops as she rises to the top of their suspect list. 

At the request of Peg’s father, Liz agrees to take on the investigation. Riding a roller coaster of emotions, Liz uncovers many secrets Peg kept from her despite their being best friends. The suspects include a cast of characters: the ex-husband, the boyfriend, a coworker, several neighbors, and family members.  

Charleston Conundrum takes the reader from Charleston, South Carolina, to Paris and back in the emotional unraveling of Peg’s life and death to a killer ending.