In a series full of sweet recipes, Joanne Fluke has included this fabulous appetizer, a Three Cheese Bacon Ball. Easy to assemble and impressive to serve this is a delicious dish that I’m certain brings Mike to Hannah’s door every time she makes it.
This is book #27 in the series. Hannah’s character has been through it all and somehow author Joanne Fluke has continued to make the stories interesting. This time the surprising death of a Lake Eden native at the beginning, sets the tone for a murder mystery that hits too close to home. This storyline is an unexpected twist to the series.
Triple Chocolate Cheesecake Murder by Joanne Fluke
Three Cheese Bacon Ball from a cozy mystery: Triple Chocolate Cheesecake Murder by Joanne Fluke
Book Outline and Tone:
Hannah Swensen stories are full of loveable characters that show up book after book, but in this edition, Joanne Fluke makes a shocking change to the cast of characters. Hannah is busy prepping for Easter both for her store, The Cookie Jar, and a family meal.
Hannah is still living with Norman following the shocking tragedy that involved Ross. I can’t help but wonder if this living scenario is a foreshadow of things to come for Hannah and Norman. As a fan of the series, I am team Norman. With only three more published books in this series, I can only hope this love triangle will finally get resolved.
Hannah’s sister Andrea, who is known for her calm demeanor, has a public altercation with Mayor Bascomb. Mayor Bascomb’s anger at Bill for arresting Mayor Bascomb’s nephew brings out the mama bear in Andrea. She has not only a verbal altercation with the mayor, but she slaps him as well. Later that night Mayor Bascomb is found dead and now Andrea is a suspect.
Hannah balances her Easter holiday baking duties with intensive investigation. The reader knows that Andrea could never kill anyone, but Hannah is logically concerned for her sister and does a deep dive into all of Mayor Bascomb’s past.
The Best Quote:
Hannah picked up the story. “He shouted at her. Terry and I could hear him even though the door to his office was shut. Andrea was amazon, really she was. She kept her temper for a lot longer than I would have if someone had accused me of being stupid… When the mayor shouted that he’d listened to Andrea’s pathetic sniveling for long enough and she was a stupid as her husband, my sister..lost it.” Andrea nodded. “I . . . I was furious. I was so furious, I . . . I slapped him!’
Point of View:
The story is told in third person limited, the audience knows what Hannah is thinking but not what other characters are thinking.
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. She is a popular guest on her local television station and she always uploads her interview to her Youtube Channel. She even has many interviews organized by the book. 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 https://www.hallmarkmoviesandmysteries.com/. Joanne Fluke will interact with fans on her Twitter and her Facebook accounts.
What is not to like?:
There is far more development of the murder storyline than there is in Hannah’s personal life and at this point, I want to see Hannah happy and have a resolution to her love life.
The verdict:
There were many things in this book that surprised me. From who was killed and who is under suspicion. Read it and bake some recipes.
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).
Three Cheese Bacon Ball
Assemble the Ingredients
Hannah’s 1st Note: If you can’t find finely shredded cheese, you can do it yourself with the food processor or with a box grater.
Measure out the 2 and 1/2 cups of crumbled bacon and put it in a shallow bowl.
I used scissors to “chop” the fresh bacon into small pieces.
Unwrap the cream cheese and put it in a microwave-safe mixing bowl.
Microwave the cream cheese on HIGH for 1 minute.
OXO Good Grips 3- Piece Plastic Mixing Bowl Set LInk
Let the bowl cool for 1 minute in the microwave.
Take the bowl out of the microwave and set it on the kitchen counter.
The cream cheese should be very soft and easy to mix.
Measure out the blue cheese crumbles. If there are big pieces of blue cheese, use your impeccably clean fingers to break them into smaller pieces.
Mix the blue cheese crumbles into the bowl with the cream cheese. Continue to mix until the two cheeses are thoroughly combined.
Hannah’s 2nd Note: If the shredded white cheddar cheese is not finely shredded, use a knife to chop the shreds into smaller pieces.
Mix the finely shredded white cheddar cheese into the bowl with the 2-cheese mixture. Stir until everything is thoroughly combined.
If you are shredding by hand, use the thin side of the grater.
Sprinkle in the teaspoon of brown sugar and mix it in well.
Mix one cup of the finely chopped bacon bits into the bowl with the 3-cheese mixture. Stir until everything is well combined.
Add the hot sauce, and stir it in thoroughly.
With your impeccably clean hands, shape the cheese mixture into a ball and place it on a piece of wax paper.
Roll the cheese ball in the rest of the crumbled bacon to coat the outside of the ball.
Move the ball back to the sheet of wax paper and press it down slightly to flatten the ball on the bottom. This will enable it to sit nicely in the middle of a cheese plate, surrounded by an array of assorted crackers.
I **Molly** decided to use plastic wrap. I put some bacon in the center of the wrap.
Scooped the cheese ball on top of the bacon and sprinkled the rest of the bacon crumble on top.
Then I was able to close up the plastic wrap and shape the ball without getting my hands dirty!
Move the cheese ball to the freezer for at least 30 minutes to firm it up. You can also move it to the refrigerator for 3 hours.
Once your cheese ball has firmed up, wrap it in plastic wrap and keep it in the refrigerator until 15 minutes before you plan to serve it.
Yield: One 3-cheese ball that will serve as an appetizer for 4 to 6 guests. It is excellent with red wine, white wine, or champagne.
Hannah’s 3rd Note: I served this cheese ball at Mother’s dinner party. Everyone asked for the recipe, even Andrea! Even though Andrea doesn’t like to cook or bake, I think she’ll actually make this recipe because it doesn’t call for an oven or a stovetop.
Three Cheese Bacon Ball
Ingredients
- 2½ cups crumbled bacon
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- ¾ cup blue cheese
- 8 oz finely shredded sharp white cheddar cheese
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- 3 drops hot sauce
Instructions
- Measure out the 2 and 1/2 cups of crumbled bacon and put it in a shallow bowl.
- Unwrap the cream cheese and put it in a microwave-safe mixing bowl.Microwave the cream cheese on HIGH for 1 minute.
- Let the bowl cool for 1 minute in the microwave.
- Take the bowl out of the microwave and set it on the kitchen counter.
- Measure out the blue cheese crumbles. If there are big pieces of blue cheese, use your impeccably clean fingers to break them into smaller pieces.
- Mix the blue cheese crumbles into the bowl with the cream cheese. Continue to mix until the two cheeses are thoroughly combined.
- Mix the finely shredded white cheddar cheese into the bowl with the 2-cheese mixture. Stir until everything is thoroughly combined.
- Sprinkle in the teaspoon of brown sugar and mix it in well.
- Mix one cup of the finely chopped bacon bits into the bowl with the 3-cheese mixture. Stir until everything is well combined.
- Add the hot sauce, and stir it in thoroughly.
- With your impeccably clean hands, shape the cheese mixture into a ball and place it on a piece of wax paper.
- Roll the cheese ball in the rest of the crumbled bacon to coat the outside of the ball.
- Move the ball back to the sheet of wax paper and press it down slightly to flatten the ball on the bottom. This will enable it to sit nicely in the middle of a cheese plate, surrounded by an array of assorted crackers.
- Move the cheese ball to the freezer for at least 30 minutes to firm it up. You can also move it to the refrigerator for 3 hours.
- Once your cheese ball has firmed up, wrap it in plastic wrap and keep it in the refrigerator until 15 minutes before you plan to serve it.
- Yield: One 3-cheese ball that will serve as an appetizer for 4 to 6 guests. It is excellent with red wine, white wine, or champagne
What would I do differently next time?
I love blue cheese, but I thought it was a bit too strong in this cheese ball. Next time I will add just 1/2 cup of blue cheese.
Here are some of Joanne Fluke’s sweet recipes!
Minnesota Peach Cobbler from Peach Cobbler Murder by Joanne Fluke
Peanut Butter and Jam Cookies from Cherry Cheesecake Murder by Joanne Fluke
Rocky Road Bars from Carrot Cake Murder by Joanne Fluke
Chocolate Mint Cookies from Chocolate Cream Pie Murder by Joanne Fluke
