Whether you want to make Adult Frozen Sugared Grapes, or grapes you can serve to anyone, they are a perfect treat as the weather gets steamy. Hannah’s story line wraps up her time with Ross and moves our baker friend in a new direction. You will gobble up the grapes as you ride Hannah’s tragic betrayal.
Book #24 will not disappoint you. Author Joanne Fluke has wrapped up one story line and hooked you into what may be Hannah’s most intriguing mystery at the very end of the novel. You may want to peek at the last page, but don’t do it! Let the resolution surprise you.
Chocolate Cream Pie Murder by Joanne Fluke
Adult Frozen Sugared Grapes
from a cozy mystery novel:
Chocolate Cream Pie Murder
by Joanne Fluke
Outline and Tone:
This is book #24, book #23 turned out to be a prequel and now we are back in the original timeline. Which is a good thing because book #22 ended in a cliffhanger! Confused? Don’t be. I’ll get you caught up without spoilers.
Book #22 ended with a loved one gone missing. Book #23 was a prequel to the entire Hannah Swenson series, it tells the story of how Hannah came to open her bakery, The Cookie Jar. And finally, book #24 picks up where #22 left off.
We find out what happened to the Ross. How dare someone hurt our red headed old-fashioned, baker of all things delicious, protagonist Hannah Swensen. This strong, independent woman does not let anyone keep her down for long. She even tells her entire church what Ross did to her and offers to return all of the wedding presents.
She seems ready to move on with the next chapter in her life (pun intended), then Ross comes back to Lake Eden. This is a murder mystery and strangely enough the murder doesn’t happen until 75% of the way through the book. This is probably because the murder mystery is not that difficult to solve. It is great to see Hannah’s friends and family support her through all of the heartbreak and betrayal. She will need the love and support in the next book because this book ends in a cliffhanger that is even bigger than the one in book #22. Joanne Fluke has done a wonderful job hooking her readers back into this story that has been going on for more than 19 years of real life time (I’m not sure how much time has passed in Hannah’s world).
The Best Quote:
“The first part of our conversation was friendly, almost like he was a regular bank customer. But then he turned ugly… [he] said that if I didn’t release the money to Hannah, there would be some very nasty consequences.”
Point of View:
The novel is told in third person with Hannah as the main point of view.
The author: Joanne Fluke
Joanne Fluke published her first Hannah Swenson novel, Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder, in 2001. Since then she has been a New York Times bestselling author several times. Some of her books have been made into movies on the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Channel. Murder, She Baked: A Chocolate Chip Cookie Mystery can be found online with Hallmark Movies. Joanne Fluke is active on Facebook and Twitter. She does many interviews with her local news station and posts them on her Youtube channel.
What is not to like?:
Since the novel before this one was an exception to the expected in this series, and there wasn’t a murder until so late in the book, I kept wondering if Fluke had changed the story structure for good. I am glad to say that with the exception of a new structure of using cliffhangers, the rest of the story reflected previous books.
The verdict:
I thought I was excited to read and find out how the cliffhanger ended from book #22, I’m even more excited about the cliffhanger from this book. Read this book when you have time to read the next book right after.
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).
Adult Frozen Sugared Grapes
Assemble the Ingredients
Choose a bunch of green seedless grapes that has grapes that are plump and fresh. You can make this recipe with 2 bunches of green seedless grapes or 1 bunch of green and 1 bunch of red seedless grapes, or 2 bunches of red seedless grapes.
Prepare your freezing pans by making sure the pan size you choose has sides that will keep the grapes from rolling off and that it will fit in your freezer.
Remove the grapes from their stems and wash them under cold, running water. (This is easier to do if you use a colander or a large strainer.)
Pat the grapes dry with paper towels.
Fill a large, shallow bowl with 1 cup of Prosecco or champagne and 1 cup of tequila or vodka. Mix them together with a whisk.
OXO Good Grips 3- Piece Plastic Mixing Bowl Set LInk
Easy to read measure marks on inside of cup. Dishwasher safe.
Leave the liquor mixture and the grapes on the kitchen counter at room temperature.
Hannah’s 1st Note: You can make several batches of both kinds of grapes with this recipe, as many as you need for your party. Just save the marinating liquid for the next batch.
It will work for up to 4 batches without losing its oomph. And yes, oomph is a culinary term!
Hannah’s 2nd Note: If you have too many grapes in your bowl and the liquor mixture doesn’t cover them, simply add additional amounts of each liquid to completely cover the grapes.
Hannah’s 3rd Note: I used champagne and vodka when I made these grapes for Stephanie Bascomb and Mother.
Let the grapes marinate in the liquor mixture for 1 hour. (Longer is okay but don’t let the liquor evaporate.)
Once the grapes have marinated in the liquor mixture for at least 1 hour, fill a shallow bowl with white (granulated) sugar and roll the grapes in the bowl, one by one.
Hannah’s 4th Note: If you’re making several batches of grapes, you may need to add more white granulated sugar to your bowl.
If the sugar gets sticky and doesn’t adhere to the grapes any longer or sticks to them in clumps, just dump out the sugar, rinse and thoroughly dry the bowl, and put in fresh sugar.
As you roll the grapes in the white sugar, place them on the pan you’ve chosen with a small space separating them from touching each other.
Once the pan is full of sugared grapes, place it in your freezer in a nice flat space and let the grapes freeze overnight.
In the morning, get out a freezer bag, pluck the frozen grapes off the freezing sheet, and place them in the bag.
Seal the bag, place it back in the freezer, and proceed marinating and freezing more grapes if you’ve chosen to make more than 2 bunches.
Serve these grapes frozen. They’re very refreshing on a hot, summer day and a great addition to a barbecue or a pool party.
Hannah’s 5th Note: Be careful with these grapes! They taste delicious, but if you’ve marinated them for a long time, they can pack a real wallop!
Adult Frozen Sugared Grapes
Ingredients
- 1 bunch green seedless grapes
- 1 bunch red seedless grapes
- 1 cup Prosecco or champagne
- 1 cup tequila or vodka
- ½ cup white (granulated) sugar (variable you may need to add additional sugar)
Instructions
- Prepare your freezing pans by making sure the pan size you choose has sides that will keep the grapes from rolling off and that it will fit in your freezer.
- Remove the grapes from their stems and wash them under cold, running water. (This is easier to do if you use a colander or a large strainer.)
- Pat the grapes dry with paper towels.
- Fill a large, shallow bowl with 1 cup of Prosecco or champagne and 1 cup of tequila or vodka. Mix them together with a whisk.
- If you have too many grapes in your bowl and the liquor mixture doesn't cover them, simply add additional amounts of each liquid to completely cover the grapes.
- Leave the liquor mixture and the grapes on the kitchen counter at room temperature.
- Let the grapes marinate in the liquor mixture for 1 hour. (Longer is okay but don't let the liquor evaporate.)
- Once the grapes have marinated in the liquor mixture for at least 1 hour, fill a shallow bowl with white (granulated) sugar and roll the grapes in the bowl, one by one.
- As you roll the grapes in the white sugar, place them on the pan you've chosen with a small space separating them from touching each other.
- Once the pan is full of sugared grapes, place it in your freezer in a nice flat space and let the grapes freeze overnight.
- In the morning, get out a freezer bag, pluck the frozen grapes off the freezing sheet, and place them in the bag. Seal the bag, place it back in the freezer, and proceed marinating and freezing more grapes if you've chosen to make more than 2 bunches.
- Serve these grapes frozen. They're very refreshing on a hot, summer day and a great addition to a barbecue or a pool party.
What would I do differently next time?
I am happy to report that this is one of those perfect recipes. I would not change a thing!
Here are some more fabulous drink recipes!
Blueberry Lemonade Cocktail from Death of a Lobster Lover by Lee Hollis.
Sparkling Pear Champagne Cocktail from Death of a Cookbook Author by Lee Hollis
