Blueberry Muffin Murder (Hannah Swensen Mysteries)
- ISBN13: 9780758218582
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Preparations are underway for Lake Eden, Minnesota’s annual Winter Carnival – and Hannah Swensen is set to bake up a storm at her popular shop, The Cookie Jar. Too bad the honour of creating the official Winter Carnival cake went to famous lifestyle maven Connie Mac – a half-baked idea, in Hannah’s opinion. She suspects Connie Mac is a lot like the confections she whips up on her cable TV cooking show – sweet, light, and scrumptious-looking, but likely to leave a bitter taste in your mouth.Hanna
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Fisher Price Fun with Food Baking Set Crisco Egg Muffin cupcake cake | US $36.86 End Date: Thursday May-24-2012 16:35:58 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $36.86 Buy it now | Add to watch list |
Baked Treats – Muffins
Article by Loren Yadeski
Muffins are among the many baked treats widely available today. Baked treats are usually eaten in the morning for breakfast or even as snacks. They are best when freshly baked and they always go good together with milk, coffee or tea. Aside from a usual part of breakfast meals or snacks, baked treats specifically muffins can also be given as gifts to your friends or family during any occasions.
Muffins, as mentioned are baked and are usually small. Muffins are similar to the shape of a cupcake or sometimes even small cakes. The difference is that, muffins do not have frostings or icings that are usually found in cakes and that they are not too sweet as that of cupcakes. There are different types of muffins and the difference usually lies on the different ingredients added apart from the main ones to further enhance the flavor.
However, there are generally two types of muffins; English and corn muffins. English muffins are usually baked in flat-discs and have a diameter of 8 centimeters. This type of muffin can either be split into two which are butter and toast or it can be filled with other kinds of food like a sandwich. The other type, corn muffins are similar to cornbread but with a shape of a muffin. The main ingredient of corn muffin is cornmeals. They are also sweeter than the English muffins.
In baking muffins, a special type of pan and paper is used – a muffin pan and a muffin paper cup respectively. A muffin paper cup can either be made from metal, foil or as the name suggests – paper. These paper cups have pressed edges and are responsible for the round shape of the muffin. Muffin paper cups are placed on the pan to ensure that the baked muffins can be easily removed.
Today, several recipes have been made that produce more flavors for muffins. The most popular ones include muffins with chocolate chip, coconut, raisins, apple and carrots, banana, lemon and cranberry or a combination of two or more ingredients. There are many other ingredients that you can include in muffins and whatever ingredients that you wish to add will definitely enhance the muffin’s flavor and make it an enjoyable treat for the recipients of this gift.
As mentioned, muffins can be given as gifts to special people in your life. You can buy in your nearest bakeshops or cafes if you have no time, knowledge or experience to bake them yourself. You can also order online and be hassle-free during gift-giving occasions. Knowing the favorites of the people you care for will definitely make their day extra-special. If however you do not know their personal favorites, sending muffins that you love for them to try will be a suitable replacement.
When giving muffin gifts, you should also very much consider the packaging and the period that the muffins are best eaten. There are also different types of packaging available that you can even personalize them. Just make sure to include notes of ‘best before dates’ to avoid spoiling the muffin experience.
About the Author
Loren Yadeski, author of this article is also interested in sweets and recommends you to please check out gift basket if you liked reading this information.
48ct orange damask muffin baking cups cupcake liners--- 2"*1.25"
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Cute Series,
I enjoy the premise of this series. However, there are just some things about it that prevent me from giving it more stars, and unfortunately none of these things have been resolved in this installment.
When a murder takes place in town, it seems everyone seeks out the local cookie shop owner to make sure she’ll be investigating. The police forbid her to get involved, yet turn around and give her confidential information, which she then proceeds to tell to others. She questions suspects as if she’s an official and they immediately spill their guts to her. She even refers to the case as “her murder investigation.”
I also find it annoying that everyone in town seems to whine and snivel at her feet. Her sister can’t make a move without getting Hannah’s approval and reassurance that she’s doing a good job. She orders people around, all the way up to the mayor, and they just do whatever she says. People break the law and totally ignore the police in order to assist Hannah with whatever she needs. It just seems there’s got to be a more believable way for an amateur sleuth to work on a case in a novel than by blatantly breaking the law and doing things she shouldn’t be able to do since she’s not an official.
I also can’t stand the writing style when it comes to dialogue. Conversations between the characters comes off as stilted and unnatural. And enough already with the constant use of characters’ names in every sentence (“Hi Hannah.” “Hi Norman.” “How are you Hannah?” “I’m fine Norman, how are you?” “Good, Hannah.”) — I’m quite capable of keeping track of who’s talking to who without being reminded of it in every sentence of the conversation.
Finally, there’s really no need for so many subplots to be going on at once, especially when they’re obvious. I knew what the relationship between Alex and Janie was as soon as it was questioned. The same holds true for Paul. The ghost plot did nothing for the story. And I’m still trying to figure out how Hannah could draw the conclusion that her sister was pregnant just because she had a bigger breakfast than usual, especially when she states that she was away at college during Andrea’s first pregnancy.
The author really does have a nice idea with this series, but she needs to work on these things for me to be able to give the books any higher of a rating.
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|Wonderful Addition to this Cozy Series,
Hoping to boost their winter economy, Lake Eden Minnesota is holding it’s first annual Winter Carnival. Hannah Swensen is delighted about the extra revenue this will bring to her cookie shop. The town is thrilled to have Connie MacIntyre, celebrated TV chef and cookbook author, designing and baking their Winter Carnival cake. But when Connie Mac arrives, she quickly makes enemies with her overbearing personality. Hannah reluctantly agrees to let Connie use her shop to bake the cake, but arrives the next morning to find the cake burned and Connie face down in a tin of Hannah’s Blue Blueberry Muffins. With her shop closed off as a crime scene and a very good friend, Connie Mac’s personal assistant Janie, the prime suspect, Hannah starts investigating the murder. But can she provide the cookies for the carnival, solve the murder, and find Janie?
This is the third Hannah Swensen mystery, and the series has only gotten stronger. Hannah and her sister Andrea make a great detective team. All the supporting characters are back and used well in the plot. They’re really starting to feel like good friends. I especially enjoyed watching the love triangle with dentist Norman and police detective Mike heat up. The mystery itself was very enjoyable. I had a hard time figuring out where this one was going, but the solution made perfect sense. And the climax kept me glued to the book trying to figure out how Hannah would escape with her life. There are 7 more delicious sounding recipes included. Someday I’m going to make them.
My only complaint with the book was that it ended too soon. If you’re already a fan of the series, you’ll love this book. If you have yet to meet Hannah, start with the first, Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder, and enjoy this delightful culinary themed mystery series.
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|Muffin murder madness,
Imagine opening a book and finding yourself in a snow covered, chilly town of Lake Eden where the cookies are freshly baked, winter carnivals supply all the hot chocolate needed to melt of the winter chill and a detective who bakes those cookies is on the run to solve the next cozy murder mystery. Not only is this mystery actually very interesting and complex but it develops our relationship with it’s inhabitants, the neighbors and family members, coworkers and tourists all add a fun touch as we get familiar with their habits and manners. I recommend reading this series starting with the first book because they only get better and better – knowing all the facts only enriches the entire storyline. Andrea has a big part in this book and I find her endearing, Norman and Mike are battling it out for Hannah’s feelings and things are starting to pick up in the romance department and the new characters add a whole other layer to the all ready charming town.
Hannah and her sister Andrea have new trouble on their busy minds. When the famous television host to the best watched cooking show decides to make an appearance at the Winter Carnival, everyone is thrilled and enamored with the idea of meeting Connie Mac, the star of the show. She arrives and makes herself known all right, by pushing everyone’s buttons and making their lives miserable. From ridiculous demands to her sugar coated viper spiked requests to change everything into her way, she ends up meeting her own doom. Found in Hannah’s bakery munching on blueberry muffins she meets the maker and turns the Cookie Jar into an investigation site, closing Hannah out. Desperate to save her shop and still make the cookies for the carnival, she decides to snoop on her own and find out who killed Connie Mac. The funny part is that everyone who is usually mellow and calm has deep resentment to Connie and finding out the only guilty person who actually committed the crime was quite the formidable task that required a lot of work and sugar to keep up Hannah’s energy. In the end the mystery is solved and the reader is left hungrier for more of these fun books.
This book was wonderful and Hannah was wittier than ever, I always felt the connection to the story and as a bonus it was full of great cookie recipes and cooking tips. I am all ready planning on making some of them, and I have tried her recipes in the past, they work perfectly. The mystery was always the most important part and the story never fizzled, it reached the ending with flying colors.
Fun, enjoyable and breezy read, highly recommended for fans of cozy books.
- Kasia S.
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