Karen’s Killer Fixin’s
**AUTHOR SPECIAL**
with ANN MYERS!

Welcome to my Friday bonus feature called Karen’s Killer Fixin’s **Author Special**!! Today, in lieu of one of my own recipes, I’m going to introduce you to a new author who will share one of her favorite recipes. Not only will you and I occasionally learn how to make something new and delicious, but we’ll get a chance to check out some wonderful authors. Introducing author, ANN MYERS, and her favorite recipe for SPICY SUMMER CORN SALAD.

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CINCO DE MAYHEM
A Santa Fe Café Mystery
By ANN MYERS

Blurb

Cinco de Mayo brings margaritas, guacamole—and murder—to the menu in the second Santa Fe Café Mystery.

Tres Amigas Café chef Rita Lafitte is whipping up green chile soufflés and chocolate flan cake to celebrate Cinco de Mayo and prepare for a romantic dinner date. If only her friend Linda, the daughter of Rita’s octogenarian boss Flori, could get into the festive spirit. Linda’s humble food cart, Tía Tamales, is under siege from Crepe Empire, the hottest stand in Santa Fe, and its owner, a pompous star chef named Napoleon.

Linda confronts Napoleon in a public argument that leaves her dying from embarrassment. However, it’s Napoleon who ends up dead. When Linda discovers his body, stabbed and pinned beneath her tamale cart, she becomes the number-one suspect. Determined to prove Linda’s innocence, Rita investigates. From Napoleon’s disgruntled former employees to a shady health inspector, the list of suspects grows longer than Flori’s strings of dried chiles. And when another corpse surfaces, Rita must scramble to catch an elusive killer with an appetite for murder…

CINCO DE MAYHEM
A Santa Fe Café Mystery
By ANN MYERS

EXCERPT

I don’t know who came up with the expression “no crying over spilt milk.” Does anyone really get that emotional about milk? A fallen soufflé, however, now that’s worthy of some weeping. I stared through the glass oven door, helpless as once-glorious pillows of cheesy, eggy deliciousness sank to the depths of their ceramic dish.

My friend Linda, the soufflé slayer, barely noticed. I couldn’t help feeling peeved. Linda had seen the dish in the oven. She’d even said, “Oh good, you have the oven on.” Right before she jammed in two overstuffed trays of tamales and slammed the door with enough force to bring down my soufflé and any others rising in the greater Santa Fe area. As if for good measure, she stomped her sensibly shoed foot on the Saltillo-tile floor of Tres Amigas Cafe.

“I hate that man! I hate him!” she said, timing each word to a clomp of her tan loafer.

Such uncharacteristic sentiments from Linda shocked me from my soufflé sulk.

They shocked Linda, too. She clamped her hands over her mouth before crossing herself and turning wide eyes to me. “Rita, forgive me. I should never say ‘hate’ about another human being, especially on a Sunday.” Her shoulders quivered, and her dark eyes welled with tears.

This was no time to fret about flattened French food. Taking Linda by the arm, I guided her to the main dining room, hoping the exuberant décor would cheer her up. How could it not? My elderly boss, friend, and occasional sleuthing partner, Flori—who was also Linda’s mother and an overenthusiastic holiday decorator—had outdone herself for Cinco de Mayo. Garlands of colorful tissue paper cut in intricate patterns crisscrossed the ceiling, interspersed with piñatas, including a sombrero-wearing burro, a rainbow-striped poodle, various ruffled chile peppers, and a turquoise Eiffel Tower. Mexican flags poked from the condiment holders, atop vibrant vinyl tablecloths printed with tropical birds and flowers. Most decorators would have stopped there, if not way before. Not my octogenarian friend. Flori had added a half-dozen mannequins dressed as a mariachi band, complete with instruments and embroidered jackets. I hadn’t asked Flori where, or why, she’d acquired the plastic people. I also couldn’t tell whether some were male, female, or extraterrestrial. What I did know was that the trumpet player’s vacant stare creeped me out.

I caught his unseeing eyes, the black orbs floating in pools of empty white space. Firming up my grip on Linda, I headed for a table by the window. Besides being far from the trumpet player, this spot had a lovely view of our outdoor dining patio, recently reopened for spring. Glancing out, I admired the metal tables with their fresh coat of glossy turquoise paint and the lilac hedge, sagging with blooms of deepest purple.

Linda sank into a chair. Her hair, straighter and darker brown than mine, was salted with silver and skimmed her shoulders in a blunt cut matched by thick bangs, The cut was new, and the bangs, according to Linda, were regretted. She scraped them from her forehead, staring down at the psychedelic tropical forest on the tablecloth.

“It’s Napoleon, isn’t it?” I asked, adding a hefty dash of sarcasm and eye rolling to the name. I mean, really, who changes their name to not only a singular moniker, but one so singularly pompous? Superstar singers, I supposed. Or supermodels or—

“Yes, Napoleon,” Linda said, confirming my guess with a weary sigh.

About Author Ann Myers… 

Ann Myers writes the Santa Fe Café Mysteries. The first book in the series, Bread of the Dead (2015), introduced café chef and reluctant amateur sleuth, Rita Lafitte. Rita and her friends stir up more trouble in Cinco de Mayhem (March 2016) and Feliz Navidead (October 2016). Ann lives with her husband and extra-large house cat in southern Colorado, where she enjoys cooking, crafts, and cozy mysteries. You can contact Ann on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/AnnMyers.writer/ or via www.annmyersbooks.com/

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Links to Ann’s Website, Books, & Social Media:

Amazon: http://amzn.to/29rmlk7

Barnes and Noble:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/readouts/cinco-de-mayhem-a-santa-fe-cafe-mystery/

And on the shelves or by order at independent bookstores like

Tattered Cover: http://tatteredcover.com

Garcia Street Books: http://garciastreetbooks.com/

My Shelf Books and Gifts: 
http://www.wellsborobookstore.com/

I hope you enjoy the recipe Ann is sharing with us today on Karen’s Killer Fixin’s. Happy eating!

Karen

P.S. We’re at 268 recipes and counting with this posting. Hope you find some recipes you like. If this is your first visit, please check out past blogs for more Killer Fixin’s. In the right hand column menu, you can even look up past recipes by type. i.e. Desserts, Breads, Beef, Chicken, Soups, Author Specials, etc.

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SPICY SUMMER CORN SALAD
[Serves 6]

Quick and easy and perfect for summer potlucks, this salad features the flavors of elote, Mexican grilled corn served up with mayonnaise, lime juice, grated cheese, and spices.

Ingredients

6 ears of corn, shucked, or about 4 c of frozen corn
¼ c mayonnaise
3 T lime juice, preferably freshly squeezed
3 T red or sweet onion, finely diced
1–2 T jalapeño, deseeded and minced
1 clove garlic, minced
½ t chile powder (mild or medium, preferably New Mexican)
¼ t cumin powder
¼ t salt (to taste)
1/3 c fresh cilantro, chopped
1/3 c Cotija cheese, crumbled (or substitute feta or other relatively dry, salty cheese)

Prepare the corn. If you have fresh corn on the cob and a grill, shuck the corn, brush it with olive oil, and place on a medium high grill. Turn about every 2 minutes as the corn turns golden brown and lightly charred. Let cool slightly and then cut the corn off the cob into a large bowl.

If you are using frozen corn or don’t want to grill, heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet. Add the corn kernels and cook over medium-high heat until golden.

To make the dressing, whisk together all the remaining ingredients except the cilantro and cheese. Mix the dressing into the corn. Then fold in the cilantro and top with the crumbled cheese. You can serve this dish as a side salad or as a dip with tortilla chips.

**SPECIAL GIVEAWAY**: Ann is giving away a mass-market paperback copy (U.S and CANADA Only) of CINCO DE MAYHEM or BREAD OF THE DEAD (winner’s choice) to one lucky reader who comments on her Karen’s Killer Fixin’s blog. Thank you, Ann, for sharing your stories and recipe with us.

Don’t miss the chance to read this book!