Sadie Hoffmiller Culinary Mystery Series by Josi Kilpack

Josi Kilpack has a delightful series for us to read! Don't the covers alone invite you to divulge in them? I think they're adorable. I've met Josi and she's a hoot in real life...so I imagine these books are too! The novels are about Sadie Hoffmiller and her love of the culinary arts and how she always seems to stubble upon mysteries she just has to solve.

So far, in the Sadie Hoffmiller Culinary Mystery Series, there is:

Lemon Tart,
English Trifle and
Devil's Food Cake.

The first two books are on shelves now. Click on the above titles to purchase and to read each books' synopsis. Devils Food Cake will be released February 10th or sooner.

Josi S. Kilpack is the author of several contemporary LDS novels for women, including Unsung Lullaby, Surrounded by Strangers, Tempest Tossed, Star Struck, To Have or To Hold, and Earning Eternity. She and her husband, Lee, are the parents of four children and live in Willard, Utah.

---------------------------------

To tickle your taste buds- here are Sadie Hoffmiller's recipes she discovered while sleuthing:

Mom’s Lemon Tart

Crust:
1 cup all- purpose flour
1/3 cup powdered sugar
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter (cut into smaller pieces)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a food processor or mixer, combine ingredients for crust. Pulse together until a dough starts to form in clumps. Press into tart pan, making sure to cover bottom and sides evenly. Pierce the bottom of the crust with a fork and place in freezer for 10 to 15 minutes. Place tart pan on a cookie sheet and bake until crust is a golden-brown color, approximately 12 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.

Filling:
5 oz. cream cheese
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 large lemons—DO NOT use concentrated lemon juice)
2 large eggs
Zest from one lemon (get zest from lemon before juicing)

Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Mix cream cheese with electric beaters until smooth. Add sugar. Mix until well blended. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each egg. Stop and scrape bowl halfway through. Add the lemon juice and zest and mix until smooth.

Pour filling into tart crust and bake on cookie sheet for 20 to 30 minutes or until filling is set. Let tart cool on wire cooling rack. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled. Use whipped cream as an optional topping. It can be piped on instars or served on top with each piece. For extra flavor in the whipped cream, add a teaspoon of lemon zest.

------------------------------------

Sadie’s American English Trifle

1 yellow or white cake mix (can use pre-made pound or angel food cake), cut into cubes
1 package Danish dessert , raspberry or strawberry (can use Jell-O)
1 packet Bird’s brand custard mix (can use a large box of vanilla pudding)
1–2 cups frozen strawberries, thawed (Shawn prefers raspberries)
2 bananas, sliced
1 cup whipping cream, whipped

A couple of hours before assembling the trifle, prepare the cake mix, the custard mix, and the Danish dessert according to the package directions and allow to cool properly.

In a trifle dish or glass bowl layer all ingredients in the following order — cake cubes, Danish dessert, custard, fruit, and bananas. A trifle dish will usually allow two layers; a glass casserole dish will only allow one. Top trifle with whipping cream and refrigerate until ready to serve. Don’t layer trifle more than six hours before eating or cake will get soggy and bananas may brown. Serves 8.

* If using Jell-O instead of Danish dessert, allow time for Jell-O to set up in refrigerator before serving, about 4 hours.
* Bre’s chocolate trifle: chocolate cake, chocolate pudding, and crushed Oreos instead of fruit. Yummy!

--------------------------------

Recipe coming soon: Devils Food Cake to die for!