Death of a Bacon Heiress does not mean the death of bacon! This fast paced cozy mystery contains several recipes starring bacon. My favorite is the Apple Bacon Egg Bake. Perfect combination of sweet and savory. That also describes this mystery, sweet characters but a savory murder or two.
A multimillion dollar bacon company, believable. An eccentric millionaire who owns a pot belly pig, believable. A Hollywood star that brings the drama, believable. The ability to put this book down, unbelievable. Great characters, tasty recipes, and several vignettes that make up Hayley’s food and spirits newspaper column.
Death of a Bacon Heiress by Lee Hollis
Cozy Mystery Novel by Lee Hollis with Recipes
Book Review
Murder Mystery Books🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪
Book Review Outline and Tone:
One of the best parts about this series is its modern viewpoints. Just because it is a cozy mystery which implies that it is not too graphic, doesn’t mean it is stuck in old closed minded viewpoints. The main character, Hayley, has a brother who is married to the male town sheriff. Guess who has problems with this gay couple? No one. No one in the story seems to treat them any differently than any other couple. And it’s about time! Just like the tv show, Schitt’s Creek, where Dan Levy created a world where being gay wasn’t an issue, Lee Hollis has created the town of Bar Harbor, Maine the same way.
Now back to the story in this novel. The main plot and 2 sub plots are tied together so closely they read as one plot. This makes for a great story that keeps me turning page after page. As usual, the Food and Spirits columns that are interjected add humor. These columns are how the recipes are intertwined with the story. All of the recipes for this book include bacon. I found the story line to be interesting and the author(s) did a wonderful job piquing my interest for what may happen in the next book.
The author:
This book was written by Lee Hollis. Well sort of… Lee Hollis is the pseudonym for the real authors, a brother and sister team, Rick Copp and Holly Simason. There is more information on Goodreads. Like their protagonist Hayley Powell, Copp and Simason are from Maine. Copp moved to Hollywood and wrote for The Golden Girls, Wings, Teen Titans and a long list of impressive television and movies. Simason is a columnist in Maine and writes a cooking column. Fortunately for us readers, they decided to combine their talents and write the Lee Hollis series, currently being published by Kensington House Publishing Corporation. The Hayley Powell series has a Facebook page. The authors are active on both Twitter and Instagram.
What is not to like?:
Every time I read a book from the series, this is the hardest part to blog about, because I enjoy it so much. Perhaps if I were to complain, it would be Hayley’s best friends seem a bit flat. They are busy and each have many issues, but they do seem a bit stereotypical for best friends.
The verdict:
Read it. It is so very enjoyable. In fact, if you haven’t read from this series before, go back to the beginning and start at book one.
Book Club Recommendation: 4.5/5 Books 📚📚📚📚
Disclaimer: In the name of full transparency, please be aware that this blog post contains affiliate links and any purchases made through such links will result in a small commission for me (at no extra cost for you).
Apple Bacon Egg Bake Casserole Recipe
Assemble the Ingredients
In a small bowl, beat the eggs.
These OXO Good Grip bowls are perfect because the bowl won’t spin while you whisk.
OXO Good Grips 3- Piece Plastic Mixing Bowl Set LInk
Dice a small apple. I used a Honeycrisp apple. It added a perfect touch of sweet to the dish.
Stir in the apple,
Add the hash browns,
Then add the milk,
the sour cream,
three tablespoons cheese,
one tablespoon crumbled bacon, salt and pepper.
Pour mixture into two 2-cup baking dishes or a small casserole dish sprayed with cooking spray. I had small ramekins and this recipe made enough to use 4 ramekins.
Top each with the rest of the cheese and bacon.
Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.
Easy to make recipe: 5/5 on the easy as pie scale 🥧🥧🥧🥧🥧
Apple Bacon Egg Bake Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 eggs
- 1 small apple diced (I used Honeycrisp)
- 1 cup hash browns thawed
- ⅓ cup milk
- ⅓ cup sour cream
- ⅓ cup shredded cheddar cheese (or your favorite cheese)
- 3 strips of bacon (I used the precooked/microwavable style, I also use 5-6 strips of bacon)
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- In a small bowl, beat the eggs.
- Stir in the apple, hash browns, milk, sour cream, three tablespoons cheese, one tablespoon crumbled bacon, salt and pepper.
- Pour mixture into two 2-cup baking dishes or a small casserole dish sprayed with cooking spray. I had 4 small ramekins, sprayed with cooking spray.
- Top each with the rest of the cheese and bacon.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
What would I do differently next time?
Now that I know the mix filled 4 of my ramekin dishes, I would whisk 4 eggs instead of 3. Other than that, it was a perfect recipe.
Will I make it again?: Absolutely Yes! 😋😋😋😋😋
Delicious Food 😋😋😋😋😋
Not all recipes in cozy mystery novels are desserts. Here are some other savory dishes that I absolutely love!
Many of the recipes I review are sweet desserts, here are a few savory dishes to try.
Grits with Cheese from When the Grits Hit the Fan by Maddie Day.
Hot Mama Frittata from Bedeviled Eggs by Laura Childs.
