Join Christy’s email list to get this story free! A notorious gang puts a bounty on Detective Cady Matthews’s head after she takes down their leader, leaving her no choice but to hide until she can testify at trial. But her temporary home across the country on a remote North Carolina island isn’t as peaceful as she initially thinks. Living under the new identity of Cassidy Livingston, she struggles to keep her investigative skills tucked away, especially after a body washes ashore. When local police bungle the murder investigation, she can’t resist stepping in. But Cassidy is supposed to be keeping a low profile. One wrong move could lead to both her discovery and her demise. Can she bring justice to the island . . . or will the hidden currents surrounding her pull her under for good? Hidden Currents is the first book in the six-book Lantern Beach Mystery series. Each book contains a standalone mystery, but there are overarching mysteries within the entire series. Get it now for
Captain's Log, Stardate 06.13.2008
So, remember I talked about old cookbooks from Goodwill? Well, I got another one, this one by some Italian brothers I’ve never heard of, but the cookbook was titled Pasta so who could resist that?
There was an interesting recipe I’d never heard of before, spinach and cheese dumplings. Basically you make cooked spinach into a paste with ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, and a spice mix of pepper, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg. You coat the dumplings in flour and boil them, kind of like gnocchi.
Well, guess what? The paste was a bit more watery than I expected, even though I had squeezed the water out of the spinach, and then the dumplings disintegrated. I had boiling green water.
I didn’t want to waste the entire batch of paste—after all, it was a pound of spinach and a cup and a half of ricotta. So, inspired by hush puppies, I busted out my Fry Daddy.
I added cornmeal and flour to the paste, which made it less watery but still not-dough, coated the dumplings with flour, and then deep fried them instead of boiling them in water.
They weren’t bad, if I do say so myself. Very soft inside, with a thin crispy outside. The cheese makes it a little gooey.
But here’s the kicker—the paste is bright green. Not just slightly green or dark olive green, but neon alien anti-freeze green. The fried flour coating makes it a bit brownish green, but once you bite into it, it’s blinding.
Because the paste was so not-dough, I couldn’t shape it much and so the dumplings turned out to look a bit like turds. Sorry if that’s TMI, but that’s the first thing Captain Caffeine and I said when we saw the finished products.
But if they taste good, that’s all that matters, right?
So, remember I talked about old cookbooks from Goodwill? Well, I got another one, this one by some Italian brothers I’ve never heard of, but the cookbook was titled Pasta so who could resist that?
There was an interesting recipe I’d never heard of before, spinach and cheese dumplings. Basically you make cooked spinach into a paste with ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, and a spice mix of pepper, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg. You coat the dumplings in flour and boil them, kind of like gnocchi.
Well, guess what? The paste was a bit more watery than I expected, even though I had squeezed the water out of the spinach, and then the dumplings disintegrated. I had boiling green water.
I didn’t want to waste the entire batch of paste—after all, it was a pound of spinach and a cup and a half of ricotta. So, inspired by hush puppies, I busted out my Fry Daddy.
I added cornmeal and flour to the paste, which made it less watery but still not-dough, coated the dumplings with flour, and then deep fried them instead of boiling them in water.
They weren’t bad, if I do say so myself. Very soft inside, with a thin crispy outside. The cheese makes it a little gooey.
But here’s the kicker—the paste is bright green. Not just slightly green or dark olive green, but neon alien anti-freeze green. The fried flour coating makes it a bit brownish green, but once you bite into it, it’s blinding.
Because the paste was so not-dough, I couldn’t shape it much and so the dumplings turned out to look a bit like turds. Sorry if that’s TMI, but that’s the first thing Captain Caffeine and I said when we saw the finished products.
But if they taste good, that’s all that matters, right?
Comments
I wouldn't serve these at a party unless the attendees were really close friends. :smile
Thanks,
Ty
Brittanie, I've never had fried okra but I'd love to try it sometime!
Ty, I'm changing it right now. Thanks!
Camy
I think I will pass on asking for the recipe and wait for the next one.