Deep Green Envy by Joy Ann Ribar #recipe #cozymystery #giveaway #CountdowntoHalloweenblog #spotlight

Cozy Mystery
Setting – Wisconsin
3rd in Series
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Ten16 Press (September 21, 2021)
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 344 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1645382931
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1645382935
Digital Print length ‏ : ‎ 226 pages

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09CMX8S6W

Summer in Deep Lakes sprouts a homegrown murder on the O’Connor farm. Frankie Champagne’s hunt for clues lands her deep in sheep doo-doo, especially after rare stones surface in unexpected places. Crime-solving is no picnic for the baker/vintner as she hops from farm to field to bakery, trying to keep up with the tourist season and track a killer, too.

About Joy Ann Ribar

Joy Ann Ribar lives in central Wisconsin with her business partner-husband, John. She writes the Deep Lakes Mystery Series, starring baker/vinter and all-around spitfire, Frankie Champagne. Joy’s writing is inspired by Wisconsin’s four distinct seasons and local flavors, which she hopes to promote for all to enjoy.

Joy is a member of Sisters in Crime, Midwest Independent Booksellers, and Wisconsin Writers Association.  She enjoys researching viticulture at area wineries, birding, hiking, and chatting with readers.  Joy and her husband, John, someday plan to sell their house, buy an RV and travel around the U.S. spreading good cheer and hygge! Joy is a little proud to have two bestsellers with Orange Hat Publishing: Deep Dark Secrets (2019) and Deep Bitter Roots (2020), under the Ten16 Press imprint of Orange Hat.

Author Links 

• • Website: https://joyribar.com/
  • Purchase Links – Amazon – B&N 

 

Recipe from Joy Ann Ribar, author of Deep Green Envy

 

Not-Your-Average Cake Bites (Served at Joy’s Book Launch)

Strawberry Champagne Cake Bites (Yes, you can use a cake mix!)

1 Lemon Cake Mix (I like Duncan Hines best)

⅓ cup of light oil (I use the lightest olive oil I can find)

3 eggs

1 ½ cups of Prosecco or Champagne

Blend ingredients as directed on box. Bake in a 9x13 pan. Cool.

While the cake cools, make wine frosting:

2 cups powdered sugar

½ cup salted butter, softened, not melted

2 Tb Moscato, Prosecco or other white wine

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

2 spoonfuls of strawberry jam (you can add more to taste)

Blend butter and powdered sugar, then add wine and vanilla. Stir in jam last.

Crumble up the cooled cake. Add ½ to 1 cup of wine frosting and check consistency before adding more.  You should be able to form into balls without them falling apart. Do not feel bad if you want to add more strawberry jam to make the cake more jammy. 

Chill or freeze the balls. Bites should feel solid before dipping them.

Dip in melted white chocolate and sprinkle if desired. I experimented and white chocolate had the best flavor for these bites. 

 

When I planned the launch of my first book, I wanted to serve special treats.  Since my main character is a baker and her name is Frankie Champagne, I transformed a traditional recipe for cake bites into a swanky version using white wine. The partygoers were not disappointed to say the least!