Hayley can add a new skill to her resume, cooking show judge. She gets volun-told to be a judge on the new Topped Chef contest which is recording in Key West. The only problem is, shortly after taping begins, one judge is found dead in a gruesome manner. Now Hayley has to decide if it is safe to continue to serve as a judge in the cooking show.
This is book #3 of the Key West Food Critic series. Hayley Snow is a new food critic and is finding her balance between writing honest reviews and not offending the food community in this small but bustling town.
Cozy Mystery Novel with Recipes Book Review
Murder Mystery Books🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪
Book Review Outline and Tone:
Hayley’s job as a food critic in Key West, just got better when she was asked to be a judge on a cooking show, Topped Chef. This was the first season of the show and while the producers are working out some mishaps, one misstep they can’t correct is the death of one of the judges. Before long there appears to be an attempt on another judge. Hayley has to decide if she feels safe enough to continue working on the cooking show. This brings up the best quote of the novel, “Four little judges, judging for TV. One swinging from the mast, and then there were three. Three little judges, tasting wine and roux. One couldn’t swim, and then there were two….” (Burdette 101). What a fantastic allusion to the “Ten Little Soldiers” poem in Agatha Christies’ novel And Then There Were None.
Key West’s unique spirit continues to run through this novel with characters who live the pirate life, the entertainer life, and the homeless life. Fortunately for the reader, Hayley is friendly to them all. Another thing that makes this novel so enjoyable is Hayley’s pursuit of a love life. She has great boundaries and doesn’t do anything foolish like chasing a man. She is a strong independent woman that readers can admire.
The author:
Like so many cozy mystery authors, Lucy Burdette is a pen name for Roberta Isleib; she is a clinical psychologist and author of three book series. She has written 12 books in the Key West Food Critic series and book 13 is due to be released in 2023. She is also the author of a Golf Mystery Series and the Advice Column Mysteries. Many of her books have been on the short lists for awards and The Key Lime Crime won a bronze medal in the Florida Book Awards. She is active on many social platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. She also has an active Pinterest account. On Goodreads, she does a great job answering questions. Be sure to reach out to her on some platform to let her know you enjoyed her book.
What is not to like?:
Hayley seems to be able to get anywhere she needs on her scooter. I wonder how realistic that is for Key West or if it is just one of those things a reader needs to accept for the plot to make sense.
The verdict:
This is only the third book in the series and I am already hooked. I am so excited that there are currently 13 books in this series. More Key West to love and more fantastic recipes to make!
Book Club Books Recommendation: Two thumbs up!
Read It! 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).
Lime Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Lime Frosting
Assemble the Ingredients
Easy dessert to make: 4/5 on the Easy as Pie scale 🥧🥧🥧🥧
To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350°F.
Line a cupcake or muffin pan with paper liners OR as I prefer, use These silicone liners are dishwasher safe and of course, reusable.
Reusable, oven and dishwasher safe comes in many colors.
Sift the first four ingredients together in a medium bowl. I love OXO products. The are easy to read their sizes, even without my glasses on!
In another large bowl, beat the butter with a mixer until smooth. I find this part of the recipe is best done with a stand mixer.
Add sugar and beat well. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.
Beat in the lime juice and lime peel.
Add dry ingredients and buttermilk alternately to the butter/sugar/egg mixture in three stages.
Divide the batter between twelve cupcake liners.
The the large scoop is ideal for neatly filling the cupcake liners.
This set has small, medium, and large scoops. Perfect for even cookies or filling cupcake liners.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. (Mine took 22 minutes-check with a toothpick to see if they are done. And don’t overcook or they will come out dry!)
Cool for ten minutes and then remove from the pan and cool completely.
Assemble the Ingredients for the Frosting
Beat all the ingredients together until soft.
For this part of the recipe, I recommend using a non slip bowl like and an electric mixer. The bowls won’t spin while using the mixer, so you have a free hand for scraping the sides. When whipped, mix in more lime peel.
Then frost the cupcakes-this is a very generous helping of rich icing. If you like less frosting, you can reduce the amount of cream cheese and butter, or freeze the excess for another use. Refrigerate the frosted cupcakes if not serving immediately, but then serve at room temperature.
Kitchen Baking Tip
*Note about squeezing limes or lemons: Did you know that the jaw is one of the strongest parts of the body? If you are willing to taste the tartness of the lime and lemon skins, the most effective way to squeeze juice out of a fruit is to cut it in half and chomp down-juice will release into a bowl.
Easy Dessert 🍰🍰🍰🍰🍰
Dessert Recipe 📖📖📖📖📖
Lime Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Lime Frosting from: Topped Cheff
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- 1 stick butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 2½ Tbsp fresh lime juice (2 or 3 limes, depending on size)
- 1 Tbsp finely grated lime peel
- ¾ cup buttermilk
Cream Cheese Lime Frosting
- 1 8oz package cream cheese, softened
- 1 stick butter, softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 Tbsp finely grated lime peel (zest of about 2 limes, depending on size)
- ⅓ tsp vanilla
Instructions
- To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Line a cupcake or muffin pan with paper liners. Or use silicone baking cups
- Sift the first four ingredients together in a medium bowl.
- In another large bowl, beat the butter with a mixer until smooth.
- Add sugar and beat well.
- Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.
- Beat in the lime juice and lime peel.
- *Note about squeezing limes or lemons: Did you know that the jaw is one of the strongest parts of the body? If you are willing to taste the tartness of the lime and lemon skins, the most effective way to squeeze juice out of a fruit is to cut it in half and chomp down-juice will release into a bowl.
- Add dry ingredients and buttermilk alternately to the butter/sugar/egg mixture in three stages.
- Divide the batter between twelve cupcake liners.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. (Mine took 22 minutes-check with a toothpick to see if they are done. And don't overcook or they will come out dry!)
- Cool for ten minutes and then remove from the pan and cool completely.
Frosting
- Beat all the ingredients together until soft.
- Then frost the cupcakes-this is a very generous helping of rich icing. If you like less frosting, you can reduce the amount of cream cheese and butter, or freeze the excess for another use. Refrigerate the frosted cupcakes if not serving immediately, but then serve at room temperature.
What would I do differently next time?
I love lime flavoring. I think the cupcakes could have benefitted from even more lime peel for a stronger lime taste.
Will I make it again?: Absolutely Yes! 😋😋😋😋😋
I love cupcakes! Try these delicious cupcakes from Fairy Tale Cupcake Bakery Series.
Salted Caramel Cupcakes from Sugar and Iced by Jenn McKinlay
Pistachio Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Fig Frosting from Going Going Ganache by Jenn McKinlay
Raspberry Lemon Cupcakes from Sprinkle with Murder by Jenn McKinlay
French Toast Cupcakes from Red Velvet Revenge by Jenn McKinlay
Orange Dreamsicle Cupcakes from Buttercream Bump Off by Jenn McKinlay
Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes from Pumpkin Spice Peril by Jenn McKinlay
