Dying for Dinner: Peach Sangria and Masqueraded Chicken & Dumplings

Dying for Dinner

Congratulations! You survived the holiday season. This Thanksgiving, Aunt Grace shared her views on immigration, tax reform, and her opinion of Millennials (and what’s that trash they’re playing on the radio anyway?). Cousin Jim brought his new girlfriend to your house for Christmas, and they spent the entire dinner arguing on the front porch while your uncles finished off yet another bottle of booze. Hey, that’s family, right? But now that fiasco’s out of the way and you can finally get some much-deserved peace and quiet.

That’s where Killer Nashville comes in. Need to relax for a moment? Diane Kelly shares her recipe for a quick and simple sangria blend. Hungry and would rather do your taxes than be reduced to eating one more piece of ham or turkey? Cynthia Lott has a vegetarian “chicken” and dumplings recipe guaranteed to hit the spot.

Easy-Peasy Peach Sangria Recipe

By Diane Kelly

I fell in love with sangria after trying a fruity batch at a friend’s party. I decided to incorporate the drink into one of my books, and thus came Death, Taxes, and Peach Sangria, the fourth book in my Death and Taxes series. My heroine, IRS Special Agent Tara Holloway, treats herself to glass of the light, refreshing drink after a hard day’s work pursuing white-collar criminals funneling money to terrorists.

Ingredients:

1 bottle of your favorite white zinfandel wine

1 ½ cups peach schnapps

½ cup frozen pink lemonade concentrate

One peach, sliced

½ cup raspberries

1 small orange, sliced

1 ½ cups lemon-lime soda

Directions:

1. Place fruit in a pitcher. Add wine, schnapps, and lemonade concentrate. Stir well. Refrigerate at least one hour.
2. Add soda just before serving and stir again. Serve over ice, enjoy with friends, and forget your troubles!

Masqueraded “Chicken” & Dumplings

By Cynthia Lott

The recipe is something I pulled in bits and pieces from other places and made my own. I have been vegetarian for fifteen years and this recipe is a comfort food for those of us who don't eat chicken. The Irises is book 2 in my Southern Spectral Series.

For the Dumplings:

2 cups flour

1 Tbsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 stick margarine

3/4-cup soy milk

For the soup:

1/2 stick margarine

1/2-cup onion, chopped

1/2-cup celery, chopped

1/2-cup flour

1/4 tsp. celery salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

A dash of red pepper flakes or cayenne if you like it spicy

8 cups vegetable broth

2 medium carrots, diced

A package of fake chicken such as Morningstar, Gardein, Lightlife, or Beyond Meat Brands

1 bay leaf

Directions:

1. Combine the dumpling dry ingredients in a bowl, and mix the margarine with the dry mixture until it becomes crumbly. Add the soymilk and stir until moistened.
2. Knead the dough for thirty seconds on a floured surface. Roll to 1/8-inch thickness and cut into ½-inch squares. Set aside.
3. Sauté margarine, onion, celery in a large saucepan until soft.
4. Add the flour, salt, and pepper (and hot spices if you like) to make a thick paste. Slowly mix in the broth and bring to a boil.
5. Add the carrots, fake chicken and bay leaf.
6. Add the dumpling squares one at a time, stirring gently. Reduce heat. Simmer for around twenty minutes, stirring often.

Makes 6-8 servings.

A former Assistant Attorney General and tax advisor, Diane Kelly inadvertently worked with white-collar criminals. Lest she end up in jail, Diane decided self-employment was a good idea. Her fingers hit the keyboard and thus began her award-winning Death and Taxes romantic mystery series. A graduate of her hometown's Citizen Police Academy, Kelly also writes the hilarious K-9 cop Paw Enforcement series. Sign up for Diane’s newsletter at www.dianekelly.com. "Like" Diane on Facebook at www.facebook.com/dianekellybooks, and follow her on Twitter @dianekellybooks.

Cynthia Lott is a professional researcher/librarian and writer. She holds a BA in Creative Writing from Louisiana State University and an MLS from University of Wisconsin-Madison. The Feathers is her debut paranormal thriller in The Southern Spectral Series, published by RiverRun Select. The second book, The Irises, was published in June of 2015.

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