Karen’s Killer Fixin’s **AUTHOR SPECIAL**

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 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, LINDA RAE BLAIR, and her recipe for Fruit Scones!

BOOK PEEK ~ Hard Press’d

Here’s a taste of “Hard Press’d”, the first in the series of seven currently published novellas. Number eight is due to publish in the spring of 2012. Press has just been assigned a new partner, a young cop who just made detective. Press isn’t happy about “baby-sitting” a new partner but decides to make the best out of it by having a little fun at the “kid’s” expense. He had just caught himself nearly growling. Looking at his watch he silently cursed as he realized it would still be hours before the local Starbucks down on Laskin opened.

~~~

“Throw up on me or my crime scene, Evans, and you’ll ride your desk for the next week,” Press growled in his deep voice. “Lesson #2, Evans—never, ever throw up on my crime scene.”

“Yes, sir—I mean, no sir!”

“Make up your mind, Evans! See anything else? ”

Evans took a deep, cleansing breath. “Strange the way she’s laying there. The first shot should have knocked her off her feet. Usually there’s an odd position of the body—she looks like she just lay down to take a nap.”

“Yeah, or maybe somebody laid her down.”

Another notch for the kid.

“But the girl’s very probably not a pro, Evans—at least not a street pro—there’s real money here and lots of it. Could be a high-priced pro, but I don’t think so. The clothes are too pricey. Dress is silk.” He bent over and gave a slight lift to that dress’s skirt—which had never covered more than the top third of those long, slim legs. “Lingerie is French lace.” He carefully put the skirt back in place. “And those sandals were about fifteen-hundred dollars retail.”

“Whew!”

The awe in Evans’ voice and the look on his face told Press that the kid couldn’t imagine paying that kind of money for a pair of shoes—let alone shoes that were just straps with spikes for heels.

“I’ve got a sister with expensive taste,” Andrews explained.

“How can you tell that’s French lace, sir?” Trace asked. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen French lace.”

Press gave the kid a crooked smile and a wink. “Once you’ve seen it up close, kid, you never forget it.” He saw Evans taking one more look, as the kid tried to figure it out.

Novels by Linda Rae Blair are available at the following retailer websites: Barnes & Noble, Sony, iTunes, Kobo. Also available on Smashwords and Amazon. Links to these sites and others are available on the author’s website: http://lindaraeblairauthor.wordpress.com/

FMI: Linda Rae Blair Author of The Preston Andrews Mysteries Sample or purchase:http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/lrbauthor Web site & Blogs: http://lindaraeblairauthor.wordpress.com/

“Like” both “Linda Rae Blair, Author” and “The Preston Andrews Mysteries” on FaceBook! Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/author/lindaraeblair

I hope you enjoy today’s Killer Fixin’s.  Happy eating!

Karen

P.S.  We’re at 26 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.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Preston Andrews Mysteries
By Linda Rae Blair

The “hero” of my detective series, The Preston Andrews Mysteries, is a guy with so many good attributes besides those icy blue eyes and that thick black hair that tops off the 6’3” frame of his that I dare not try to list them all here or we’ll lose our interest in cooking altogether.

One thing that Press, as his friends call him, definitely gets from me is his love for Starbucks coffee. And, if you love your coffee, you’ve just got to love scones to go with them.

My absolute favorite recipe started out an entry in the “Flat Belly Diet Cookbook”. Of course, I couldn’t just leave it alone!   First, let me say that you don’t have to use cranberries (I use Craisins) for these wonderful scones. I’ve used dried or fresh blueberries, dried cherries, dried apricots and dried mixed fruit. So, here’s my version of:

FRUIT SCONES

Freeze and thaw for individual servings through the week!

Oven 400 degrees F  20-25 Minutes 9” round pie pan pre-treated with canola oil spray or non-stick spray.

Mix together all the dried ingredients:

2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt 1 tsp. orange or lemon zest (experiment using lemon w/blueberries, orange w/cherries for example)

Slowly add in:

1 ½ cup plain or vanilla yogurt
2 T. canola oil

Once the above are mixed thoroughly (batter will be rather thick and dry) add in:

1 cup walnuts or pecans (I love walnuts) and mix well.

Then stir in:

1 6-oz. pkg. of your favorite dried fruit (by adding these last and by hand, you will avoid tearing up the fruit pieces and have larger, yummier bits of fruit in your scones).

Place the batter in prepared baking dish. Spread level with a wooden spoon or spatula. Score the dough with a knife to make 8 equal slices.

If you like your scones a little sweeter, you can sprinkle a light topping of granulated sugar over the top of the dough just before baking.   Done when toothpick or knife test in center comes out clean.