Tina Kashian, author of the cozy mystery, On the Lamb, in guest author today. Although I reviewed it on Monday, here’s the blurb for the book. And, don’t forget to check below the recipe for a giveaway!
Lucy Berberian is busy preparing her family’s Mediterranean restaurant for Easter on the Jersey Shore—but a batch of sweets is to die for . . .
Bikers are thundering into the seaside town of Ocean Crest for the annual Bikers on the Beach gathering that raises funds for injured veterans. It’s a big boost for the Kebab Kitchen, as well as for local businesses like Melanie Haven’s candy shop. But Melanie is about to find herself in a sticky situation.
When Melanie and Lucy attend a beach bonfire, a local landlord is found dead after apparently choking on a piece of salt water taffy. Melanie, who was known to have a contentious relationship with the victim, is quickly skewered as the prime suspect. But Lucy is determined to prove her friend’s innocence before the real killer coasts free . . .
*****
Thank you, Tina, for taking time to write a post today.
Thank you for inviting me to chat with your readers about my new release, “On the Lamb.” It’s the
fourth book in my Kebab Kitchen Mediterranean mystery series.
I grew up in a family-owned restaurant in New Jersey, and my Kebab Kitchen Mystery Series is set in a Mediterranean restaurant at the Jersey shore. In “On the Lamb,” Lucy Berberian is a recovering lawyer who returns to Ocean Crest, NJ and her family’s restaurant, Kebab Kitchen. Managing a restaurant is hard work and when Lucy is invited to a beach bonfire with friends, she’s excited for a night out.
But things take a turn for the worse when a disliked, local landlord shows up on the beach and gets in a screaming match with one of Lucy’s friends, Melanie Haven, owner of Haven Candies on the boardwalk. And when that same landlord is found dead on the beach after apparently choking on a piece of Melanie’s salt water taffy, Melanie is in a sticky mess of trouble. It’s up to Lucy to investigate and help her candy maker friend before salt water taffy disappears from the boardwalk forever.
Many scenes in the series take place on the Jersey shore boardwalk. I vacationed at the Jersey Shore as a kid and we continue to visit with my two girls every summer. Which made me wonder about the history of salt water taffy.
This type of candy is a favorite on the Jersey shore boardwalk and originated in Atlantic City. Salt water taffy doesn’t include any salt water, but is made from lots of sugar, butter, corn syrup, and flavoring. It’s cooked, cooled, and then pulled and stretched to make the candy softer. During a storm in 1883, the name, salt water taffy, was coined after David Bradley’s candy shop was flooded with ocean water and all the taffy was soaked in seawater. Bradley told a customer that all he had was “salt water taffy,” and the name stuck.
When we visit the Jersey shore boardwalk every summer, we watch the taffy stretching machine in the window of the boardwalk candy stores. The two original candy stores, Fralinger’s and James’ candy shops, are still in business, and we buy salt water taffy and fudge from each every summer.
I’m sharing a Mediterranean recipe for lamb kebabs from my own family’s restaurant below (the lamb is featured in “On the Lamb” as well!)
Angela’s Lamb Kebabs with Tomato Sauce
2 pounds leg of lamb or
beef tenderloin, boned, with fat removed, and cut into 1-inch cubes
beef tenderloin, boned, with fat removed, and cut into 1-inch cubes
2½ tablespoons tomato
paste
paste
3 tablespoons
extra-virgin olive oil
extra-virgin olive oil
¼ teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon cayenne
pepper to taste
pepper to taste
2½ tablespoons lemon
juice or red wine vinegar
juice or red wine vinegar
1 onion sliced
Tomato Sauce
4 tablespoons butter
1 diced onion
2 beefsteak tomatoes,
seeded and diced
seeded and diced
¼ teaspoon paprika
Salt and pepper to taste
Place meat in bowl. Add
tomato paste, oil, paprika, cayenne, lemon or vinegar, and onion. Mix well.
Cover and refrigerate overnight.
tomato paste, oil, paprika, cayenne, lemon or vinegar, and onion. Mix well.
Cover and refrigerate overnight.
To prepare the tomato
sauce, heat butter in a skillet. Sauté onions till lightly golden. Add
tomatoes. Cook for 10–15 minutes. Add paprika, salt and pepper.
sauce, heat butter in a skillet. Sauté onions till lightly golden. Add
tomatoes. Cook for 10–15 minutes. Add paprika, salt and pepper.
Thread meat onto
skewers. Grill the skewers over a charcoal fire. Turn the skewers until the
meat is cooked on all sides. Pour warm tomato sauce onto a platter and place cooked
kebabs on top. Enjoy!
skewers. Grill the skewers over a charcoal fire. Turn the skewers until the
meat is cooked on all sides. Pour warm tomato sauce onto a platter and place cooked
kebabs on top. Enjoy!
For a chance to win a signed, print copy the first book in the series, HUMMUS AND HOMICIDE, please share. What is your favorite candy? (U.S. Residents only to win).
Buy Links:
Amazon: https://amzn.to/2PP9nEd
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/32xK10y
Google Books: http://bit.ly/33Gbkao
iBooks: https://apple.co/2palpgI
Kobo: http://bit.ly/32BTjIG
Author Bio:
Tina Kashian, previously published as Tina Gabrielle, is a bestselling author, an attorney, and a mechanical engineer whose love of reading for pleasure helped her get through years of academia. Tina spent her childhood summers at the Jersey shore building sandcastles, boogie boarding, and riding the boardwalk Ferris wheel. She also grew up in the restaurant business, as her Armenian parents owned a restaurant for thirty years. Tina’s books have been Barnes & Noble top picks, and the first book in her Kebab Kitchen Mediterranean mystery series, Hummus and Homicide, spent six weeks on the B&N bestseller list. Please visit her website at www.tinakashian.com to join her newsletter, receive delicious recipes, enter contests, and more!
We used to go to the Jersey shore and get saltwater taffy when I was a kid. I haven’t had it in years. These days I prefer dark chocolate truffles.
My favorite candy is anything with dark chocolate from See's Candies–especially dark buttercreams.
I have a terrible weakness for coffee candies of all kinds.
Oh, See's Candies, Margie! I love See's.
I also have a fondness for dark chocolate, too, Sandy and Margie!
Caramel! nani_geplcs(at)yahoo(dot)com
It's hard to choose but I think licorice.
As far as candy that we make, my favorite is fudge. We have pretty much perfected the recipe my dad used to make and we often add things like beer to experiment. Hello to Tina and congrats on the new release! Thanks!
JHolden955(at)gmail(dot)com
Congratulations Sheryl Sens! You have won a signed print copy of HUMMUS AND HOMICIDE. Please email me with your snail mail address at tina@tinakashian.com to claim your prize. Thank you!
Congratulations, Sheryl!
Congrats to Sheryl!