Keri Isles is the first to admit she can’t cook, but she’s desperate for something to eat besides eggs and canned soup. She asks (okay, begs) her friend CoCo Anderson, the owner of a local café, for cooking lessons. Although CoCo would prefer Keri start with a non-cooking recipe, like a salad, she suggests a simple, hearty, soup recipe.
You’ll have to read the story to find out why it’s so important that Keri remember to:
SOAK THE BEANS!
Eleven Bean Frontier Soup
Serves 8
Ingredients
- 2 cups Mixed Beans (1 lb bag)
- 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 cup Onion, chopped
- 3 cloves Minced Garlic
- 1 tsp Chili Powder
- 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 1 tsp dried Parsley
- 1/2 tsp dried Thyme
- 1/4 tsp Cayenne
- 8 cups Water (or chicken broth if omitting ham hock)
- 1 Ham Hock
- 2 15-oz cans diced Tomatoes
- 4 cups sliced Kale (or Spinach)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Rinse the beans, then place in a bowl with enough water to cover by an inch. Soak overnight.
- The next day, drain the beans into a colander and rinse them well.
- In a soup pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, herbs and spices and sauté until onion is soft, about 5 minutes.
- Add the beans to the soup pot with 2 1/2 quarts of water and ham hock; bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat and simmer until beans are soft, 3-3 1/2 hours. Add water or broth if soup becomes too dry or thick. Adjust to taste with salt and pepper.
- Add tomatoes and kale. Simmer for 20 minutes.
Options!
Replace the ham hock and kale with 2 cups carrots and/or 2 cups butternut squash.
Add 4 strips of bacon, cut into ½ inch wide pieces. If using bacon, cook the bacon over medium low heat, stirring it occasionally until the fat has rendered and the bacon is crisp, about 8 minutes. (Be patient; low and slow is the name of the game here!) With a slotted spoon, remove the bacon to a plate and set aside, leaving the drippings in the pot. If using olive oil instead, simply warm the oil in the pot.
The Body in the Beaver Pond: A Keri Isles Event Planner Mystery
by Cathy Perkins
About The Body in the Beaver Pond
The Body in the Beaver Pond: A Keri Isles Event Planner Mystery
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Publisher: Red Mountain Publishing (May 15, 2021)
Number of Pages: 325
Digital ASIN : B08ZYWWSY4
Even an event planner doesn’t plan on murder . . .
Keri Isles desperately needs to sell the Christmas Tree farm her cheating, rotten ex convinced his buddy, the judge, to saddle her with in the divorce settlement. Stuck in the Cascade Mountains, she’s lost her Seattle-based job and local job prospects are as scarce as internet service. When she finds the arrogant professor in charge of the local archeology dig floating face down in her beaver pond, however, unloading the property becomes secondary to staying out of prison.
A savvy—and scheming—attorney may be able to keep her head above water, but the personal price of his retainer may be too high. It’s up to Keri to use her mad networking skills and deploy a team of archaeology students, a bad boy photographer, and assorted eccentric neighbors to find the killer and clear her name.
About Cathy Perkins
Cathy Perkins’s suspense writing lurks behind a financial day-job, where she learned firsthand the camouflage, hide-in-plain-sight skills employed by her villains. A member of Sisters in Crime and International Thriller Writers, she has coordinated conferences, contests and debut author programs, and is a contributing editor for The Big Thrill.
When not writing, she can be found doing battle with the beavers over the pond height or setting off on another travel adventure. Born and raised in South Carolina, she now lives in Washington with her husband, children, several dogs and the resident deer herd.
Author Links
Social Media
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/CathyPerkinsAuthor
Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/AuthorCathyPerkins
Twitter @cperkinswrites https://twitter.com/cperkinswrites
BookBub – follow me! https://www.bookbub.com/profile/cathy-perkins
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/cathyperkinswrites/
Goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5367341.Cathy_Perkins
Amazon Author Page http://www.amazon.com/Cathy-Perkins/e/B006K0IKUQ
Website https://cperkinswrites.com
Purchase Links
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Meow, there. It’s Harry aka Harold. For those who aren’t aware, despite my lady’s constant posting and messaging, my sister, Hermione, is running for America’s Favorite Pet. Now I don’t hold a grudge about why she was chosen to enter and not me. In fact, I support her all the way and encourage you to vote for her daily with a free vote and also buy PAWS votes that raise funds for animals. The PAWS votes count double today (Tuesday, March 15). They make your money go further to help Hermione and other pets.
 
 
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