This year’s Mystery podcast, Murder As Plain As Vanilla, is set in a real place – The Hedges Inn in East Hampton, NY. Our excellent narrator, the lovely Lorraine Brooks, explained how the Hedges Inn was named after one of the Hamptons’ founding families who settled there in 1644.
Two hundred years later, the restored family home became a boarding house. Word quickly spread nationwide about Mrs. Hedges’s delicious New England cooking. Her outstanding reputation turned her home into a place where the elite liked to meet and eat.
When Mr. Divabetic’s arch-nemesis baking sensation Renata Whisk calls, offering a chance to participate in the Visions of Vanilla baking competition, he can’t refuse. After all, it’s an invitation to compete against culinary giants Best-Selling Cookbook Author Lily Frost, Green Thumb Gourment, Hazel Honeywell, and the Cannoli Countess and, most importantly, a chance to pay back his debt owed to his mother.
But before Max’s hands touch flour, he discovers the dead body of the Vanilla King of Madagascar lying in a bed of roses. As luck has it, Max is the last person to see the Vanilla King alive. Rumors start swirling about Max’s past involvement in legendary TV Chef Sweet Sally Buttercup’s untimely demise. To prove his innocence, he enlists his team, USA Today’s best-selling author Tonya Kappes, health educator MaryAnn Nicolay MEd, NDTR, and his mother, Mama Rose Marie.
But when another baker’s dead body is found near Max’s station, even his mother tastes a recipe for disaster. Could he be ladling out something lethal?
Now, armed with only Renata Whisk’s Puffed Pastry recipe, a rolling pin, and his team’s expertise in solving murders and dispersing diabetes health information, Max has no choice but to solve the mystery or at least die trying. To win the Visions Of Vanilla grand prize, it will be a fight to the death.
Co-Starring Lorraine Brooks, Catherine Schuller, Dave Jones, Seveda Williams, and Amparo Peterkin. Script Editor Wendy Radford. Producer, Leisa Chester Weir. Music from the Broadway Cast albums of Anything Goes courtesy of SONY Music.
A lot of us living with diabetes who are cutting back on high-carb foods like starches, desserts and processed snacks still have a sweet tooth.
Keep in mind, SPLENDA® contains maltodextrin and dextrose, two carbs that supply about 3 calories and 1 gram of carbs in each packet ( 6 ) even though it’s calorie-free. SPLENDA® can be substituted for sugar in a 1:1 ratio for most recipes.Happy baking!
Combine flour, SPLENDA® Granulated and rice flour. Beat butter until smooth and creamy. Gradually add flour mixture, beating until smooth. Press evenly into a greased 8’ square baking pan.
Bake at 325°F (160°C) for about 35 minutes or until lightly browned at the edges and firm to touch. Cool on rack. Cut into small squares. Store in the refrigerator.
“A light, cozy mystery read with a cat-loving and cafe-owning amateur female sleuth, in a small English village setting with quirky characters. Written in British English. No cliffhanger, swearing, gore or graphic scenes! Contains mild peril.“
Plot Summary: When Julia’s gran, Dot, wins an all-inclusive spa trip to Scotland, Julia finds it difficult to refuse the offer of a relaxing week away from her café. Along with her sister, Sue, they pack up her tiny vintage car and drive all the way from Peridale to Seirbigh Castle, ready to be pampered. The last thing Julia expected was to be caught up in another murder investigation, but when the cruel owner of the family-run spa, Henry McLaughlin, is shot dead, she can’t resist ditching the facemasks and massages in favour of cracking the case.
Julia quickly befriends the young cook and talented-baker, Blair, and acquires a job in the kitchen so she can observe the strange family in the wake of the murder. Henry’s wife and children are acting suspicious, and with an incompetent young Detective Inspector on the case, Julia makes it her mission to discover the secrets held within the ancient walls before Seirbigh Castle claims another victim.
The Annual Gingerbread Man Cookie Jamboree benefiting the Central
Park Zoo is in full swing. Dozens of revelers are even dressed up like
Gingerbread Men watching the seals and sea lions feeding nearby.
Everyone’s declining Max’s kale hot cocoa. Admittedly the smell isn’t that appealing. Hopefully, our judges, who are approaching, will have a different opinion.
Oh, my! What I thought was an over sized collar around Natasha’s neck is an actual python. Let’s hope Max is too busy pouring cocoa to notice the anaconda. Too late! ‘Diamonds’ hissed at Max and he jumped clear across the table
He just knocked over the ‘Queen of Cream’, Sweet Sally Buttercup as she was sipping his kale hot cocoa. Brave woman. Oh wait, she’s grabbing her throat – she’s convulsing on the ground. Sounds like she is moaning, ‘Diamonds’, Diamonds’. This is terrible. Oh, no! The blonde celebrity chef has stopped breathing.
Ambulance Wow! That was quick! The EMTs are lifting Sweet Sally Buttercup’s lifeless body onto a gurney, covering her with a sheet and rolling her to the waiting ambulance. But even this tragic event can’t prevent the Gingerbread Man Cookie Jamboree competition fromcontinuing.
Tonya: Max, isn’t it ironic for a celebrity chef to drop dead
at a cooking competition? I’ve got a hunch Sweet Sally’s death was meant
to be humiliating. Take off that silly spotted apron. You owe it to her,
as one of her devoted fans, to solve this murder!
Max: No-no-no! I don’t have time to get mixed up in
another one of your crazy investigations. I’ve got to focus on winning.
Tonya: The other competitors are the least of your
worries. If you don’t stop tampering with the evidence. People are already
blaming her death on your kale hot cocoa
Max: That slimy snake bit her! I’m as innocent — as my mother!
Natasha: There she is! Officer arrest that woman with the leopard
purse. She killed my sister!
Sally’s twin sister, Natasha ‘Knock-Out’ Buchanan rushes forward with several police officers. She waves a stack of letters in Mama Rose Marie’s face.
Natasha: See for yourselves, Officer! Here’s the proof! She’s a cold blooded killer!
Mama Rose Marie: Me? Oh dear.
A quick scan of the letters in Natasha’s hand confirms they contain deranged descriptions of what will happen to the star of Chew TV’s show, Triple Buttercream, Sweet Sally Buttercup, if she doesn’t comply with the demands to send money.
Natasha: You can drop the ‘sweet old lady’ act. Officers, she sent
these letters to my sister. Her signature is right here at the bottom.
Mama Rose Marie: Oh dear, that is my signature.
Natasha: Lock her up!
Max: Officers, Officers this is a terrible mistake! She’s not a
killer! She’s my Mama!
Natasha: Save your tears for the courtroom. She’s going to prison!
The police take Mama Rose Marie off in their squad car. I can’t help to wonder ‘is this true’? Is our sweet Mama Rose Marie a modern-day Ma Barker? Could she pen dozens of vengeful threats in such gory detail? They seem to be the work of a sick, twisted, demented Wacko.
Max: I wrote those letters. But they’re funding requests, not
death threats. Honest. I signed my mom’s name at the bottom, hoping Sweet Sally
couldn’t say ‘no’ to a sweet little old lady. I have to confess to the police
before my mother’s mug shot ends up in the Post Office.
Tonya: I’ve got a better idea, Max. Let’s just solve Sweet Sally’s
murder. Now, what ingredients did you put in that lethally laced cocoa?
Max: My kale hot cocoa is NOT deadly. I drank several
cups and I’m fine.
Tonya: After you added in the Almond Milk? I read somewhere that
almonds are poisonous.
Max: There’s only one thing poisonous around
here. Natasha’s pet viper!
Patricia: Max, pythons aren’t venomous but wild almonds contain
cyanide.
Tonya: Ah ha! That’s it!
MaryAnn: No, no, no you can’t buy poisonous almonds in the United
States. And domesticated sweet almonds used to make Almond Milk don’t contain
cyanide. It had to be something else!
Tonya: Whoever did it, had to be very accurate with the dosage.
The amount of poison you need for one particular person might not be enough for
someone else.
Max: And where did you get that little tidbit, Tonya?
Tonya: Research – my newest book – “Motorhomes, Maps and
Murders”.
Patricia: Of course! The same principle applies for managing blood
sugars. I tell my patients all the time: what works for one person may not work
for someone else. Everyone’s different.
MaryAnn: The best way is to know how different foods will affect
you is to check your blood sugars before you eat and then again two hours after
you eat
Tonya: Whoever killed Sweet Sally Buttercup had to be
knowledgeable in both math and science.
MaryAnn: Or have a culinary background.
Max: Using that logic, everyone here competing is a
suspect — including my mother!
Tonya: In my book, “Scene of the Grind”, Roxy Bloom faced your
same situation, Max. The only way she could clear the name of her beloved Aunt
was to prove who did do it! Now, who else was close enough to tamper with the
cocoa?
MaryAnn: The other two judges were standing next to Sweet
Sally.
Patricia: Maybe Max is right – Natasha’s snake is at
fault. Sweet Sally was moaning ‘Diamonds’ as she was gasping for air.
Max: And I wouldn’t be surprised if Renata
Whisk was involved.
Agnes: Max! Max! Come quick! She’s disappeared!
Max: Who? Renata?
Agnes: No, ‘Diamonds’ is on the loose!
Enjoy Divabetic’s 6th Annual Mystery podcast, Gingerbread Men Prefer Blondes features Mama Rose Marie, Best-Selling Author Tonya Kappes, the Charlie’s Angels of Outreach (Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE and MaryAnn Nicolay BA, DTR), The Happy Diabetic Chef Robert Lewis, Seveda Williams, Coach The Cure’s Trisha Artman, Jillian Walsh, Wendy Radford, Dave Jones, Lorraine Brooks and Max Szadek.
Throughout this podcast we will be featuring music from the original Broadway cast recording of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes courtesy of SONY MUSIC.
At the midway point of the mystery, ‘A Frying Shame,’ by author Linda Reilly the story began to lose it’s taste faster than deep fried food after it gets cold.
“The town of Wrensdale is abuzz with excitement when Steeltop Foods sponsors a cooking contest to promote its new product, the Flavor Dial. With a $25,000 prize at stake, all the contestants are on edge, including Talia Marby, owner of Fry Me A Sliver. She hopes her mini deep-fried apple pies will win her the money to pay off the renovations on her restaurant. But when Norma Ferguson wins with her flaky-top chicken stew, the tensions dial up even more.
After Norma is found dead at her cooking station, the police suspect a losing contestant got a little too hot under the collar. Now it’s crunch time as Talia works to catch the killer and clear her name before another cook gets burned. Includes delicious recipes!”
Several lines in this cozy mystery such as, “You should have kept your nose out of things and stayed in the kitchen, like a proper woman supposed is to” are prime examples of why I wanted to put this book in a deep fryer. But as an avid reader who also happens to be a diabetes advocate that’s about all I’m going to put into the fryer because the more fried food you eat, the more likely you are to suffer from Type 2 diabetes and heart disease, reveals new research.
I know a lot of people read cozy mysteries featuring recipes for ‘escape’ but I still don’t want to encourage Reilly’s readers to make their exit in an ambulance.
A U.S.-based study team compared people who ate fried food less than once a week with those who gobbled things like fries, fried chicken, or other deep-fried snacks four to six times a week and foound their risk for Type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease jump 39% and 23%, respectively. The risks rose even more for people who ate fried food on a daily basis
The good new is that foods fried in trans-fat-free oils—now offered at many restaurants since FDA cracked down on trans fats—may not present the same health hazards. Cooking at home with fresh oils might also limit your exposure to unhealthy compounds.
Still love the fryer?
Okay, deep fried ‘taters might be tempting, but carrot fries taste just as good. Roast your carrots and top them with some fresh Parmesan and basil for a sweet and savory treat that packs only 83 calories per serving. Want more options? Try these seven other French fry recipes you’ll love. Photo and recipe: Alexa Schirm / Life by Daily Burn
I’d like to add that the ending oft the ‘Frying Shame’ makes finishing the book worth it. The killer gets just what he or she deserves. I loved it.
I picked this book up at the New York Public library because I’ve started working on a new Mister Divabetic Mystery podcast. My goal is to write a compelling cozy mystery packed with diabetes self-care advice from qualified diabetes educators. I also like to include delicious healthy recipes from several of my favorite chefs such as Chef Robert ‘The Happy Diabetic’ Lewis, Holly Clegg and Stacey ‘The Diabetic Pastry Chef’ Harris to name a few.
LISTEN NOW: Mister Divabetic Mystery podcast: ‘Suspect Boulevard’, The happy healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic hopes to inspire you to become a Diabetes Detective will this third installment of Diabetes Mystery Theater podcast. Throughout the podcast we will spotlight the wonderful music by the National Philaharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Charles Gerhardt courtesy of SONY MUSIC.
‘Caught Bread Handed: A Bakeshop Mystery’by author Ellie Alexander is what I like to call a ‘one day’ book because you’re able to read it in one day or more accurately a lazy afternoon. It’s quick and fun.
Welcome to Torte—a friendly, small-town family bake shop where the oven is heating up as high as the body count…
Jules Capshaw is still chewing over her husband Carlos’s return to Ashland, Oregon. Could there be too many cooks in the kitchen? Whatever is stirring between those two will have to wait. Despite the Oregon Shakespeare Festival being dark for the winter, the bakeshop is bustling, the dough is rolling, and there’s no rest for the weary…especially when murder is thrown into the mix. READ MORE
My only complaint is that the the nuisances of baking outweigh the mystery behind the murder in this story. Chapter after chapter, I kept wondering when the main character, Juliet ‘Jules’ Capshaw, was going to take off her apron and get down to the business of investigating. However, you will find yourself falling love with Ashland, Oregon and the crazy characters that inhabit it.
The author also does a great job of giving you a slice of ‘cake without the frosting’ when it comes to describing the daily grind of owning and operating a bakery/restaurant. The rhapsody of creating a new recipe is liberally sprinkled over the nonstop, never ending cycle of early mornings, financial worries and physical exhaustion. I don’t think there’s enough coffee for me to put on a chef’s hat! Now, that I’m eating ‘gluten free’ I appreciated her gluten free baking tip too.
The gay character, Lance hooked me. He’s smart, witty, sarcastic busybody; a bit like Paul Lynne. And right before you think he’s going to be a total stereotype of a ‘theater queen’ the author reveals another, truthful side to the character by hinting at his issues with intimacy.
I read this book for inspiration. Currently I’m working on rewrites for this year’s ‘Mister Divabetic Mystery: Gypsies, Tramps & Peas’as well as researching and outlining my next ‘Mister Divabetic Mystery: One Murder Tutu Many’podcast script. The purpose of our annual diabetes mystery podcasts is to educate you about diabetes self-care in an entertaining way. I also want to encourage you to become a diabetes detective and investigate the reasons behind why you may be experiencing unexpected high’s and low’s with your healthcare team.
‘Mister Divabetic Mystery: Gypsies, Tramps & Peas’ takes place at the Mermaid Parade in Coney Island, New York. The happy healthcare host’s first foray into healthy catering gets off to a soggy start when the guest of honor is found swimming with the fishes! Tune in to Diabetes Late Nite for all the action and laughs sprinkled with diabetes information in September.
My ‘Mister Divabetic Mystery: One Murder Tutu Many’ is set in the word of ballet. My character, Mr. Divabetic’s gluten-free cheesecake gives his team of amateur sleuths goosebumps when it’s found covering the face of a dead body. I’ve been busy consulting with Author and diabetes advocate, Zippora Karz, Janis Roszler MSFT, RD, CDE, LD/N, Cookbook author, Holly Clegg, Dr. Beverly S. Adler PHd, CDE and Stacey ‘The Diabetic Pastry Chef’ Harris on the various themes and recipes related to the story.
Wondering what life’s like for a ballerina living with type 1 diabetes?
Check out the ‘The Sugarless Plum’ by Zippora Karz. For dancer Zippora Karz, a rising young star with the famed New York City Ballet, being diagnosed with diabetes could easily have ended all her dreams. She was just twenty-one when she was plucked from the corps de ballet to dance solo roles like the Sugarplum Fairy in The Nutcracker. It was near the end of a grueling season when she became exhausted, dizzy, and excessively thirsty. READ MORE
Four years ago I met USA Today Best-Selling Author Tonya Kappes at BookCon in New York, NYC. Our chance meeting has lead me to researching, writing and producing a yearly diabetes mystery podcast with my Diabetes Late Nite cast for our Divabetic community. Tonya’s been a great support throughout my painful and joyful writing process.
One day soon I hope to turn one or more of my scripts featuring diabetes self-care tips and information and healthy recipes into a book (!) or not. In the meantime I’m going to keep on reading and writing!
By the way, my Mister Divabetic Mysteries (Pink Panther, Phantom of the Okra, Suspect Boulevard and Gypsies, Tramps & Peas) are available for free at blogtalkradio, i-Tunes and divabetic.org
Can’t wait until September? Check out May’s Diabetes Late Nite podcast featuring the music of Della Reese on Tuesday, May 9, 2017, 6 PM, EST. It’s not an mystery podcast but it’s filled with great advice on how to overcome the sudden shock of being diagnosed with diabetes, and advice on navigating your local farmers market and the best ways to go gray.
In 2000, Della was officially diagnosed with diabetes after collapsing on the set of the hit TV show “Touched By An Angel”. Since then, she’s battled with her health to fight against wheelchair confinement. Her rep claims she’s still able to walk and refuses to be confined. At this point, let’s just hope she continues to fight like we know she can! Guests include Diabetes Diabetes Alert Dog Trainer and Author from Chilbrook Kennels, Debby Kay, Central Farm Markets Co-Founder, Debra Moser, Master Hairstylist Karline Ricketts, the Charlie’s Angels of Outreach, Poet Lorraine Brooks and Mama Rose Marie
