recursal/Fanatic-Fandom huggingface dataset:
Benton Woodley

## Relations

**Mother**: Judith Woodley**Father**: Del Woodley

## Books

* Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder
* Key Lime Pie Murder
* Christmas Caramel Murder
* Coconut Layer Cake Murder

**Benton Woodley** is the son of Judith and Del Woodley in Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder.

## Bio

The son of Del and Judith Woodley.
He dated Andrea when they were in HS. While they were dating Andrea picked up on his "tell", whenever he told a lie he would flick his fingernails.

## Personality

Hannah has held disdain for him since he dumped Andrea back when they dated in high school. She describes him as a spoiled know-it-all.

## Appearance

He is described as handsome and easy on the eyes.

## Chronology by Novel

### Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder

Benton has returned to Lake Eden from college in the East. He says he is back to help his father with managing the DelRay Company, but it is a lie, as he flicks his fingers while telling Andrea about how happy he is to be back.

### Key Lime Pie Murder

He is around Andrea's age as they went to their Junior Prom together.

### Coconut Layer Cake Murder

He is involved with Danielle Watson and working as a supervisor at the DelRay Company.
Dimpled Duchess

## Book Reference

Sugar Cookie Murder

*Bertie Straub contributed this recipe. She told me she serves these drinks when her best customers stay late for a "hen party" at the Cut ’n Curl. Mother says she certainly wouldn't swear this on a stack of Bibles, but there's a rumor going around that one too many Dimpled Duchess could be responsible for Donna Lempke's bright orange hair.*

Use a blender to make these drinks.

### Ingredients

* 1 ounce *(2 Tablespoons)* amaretto liqueur
* 4 ounces *(½ cup)* strawberry ice cream

### Directions

* Zoop up the ice cream and the liqueur in the blender and pour into a fancy stemmed glass.

*Bertie says to make certain that anyone who's had more than two Dimpled Duchesses gets a ride home with someone who hasn't.*

## Conversion Charts

See Baking Conversion Chart for non-USA baking conversions.
Caviar Pie

## Book Reference

Sugar Cookie Murder

*Carrie Rhodes got this recipe when she went to Los Angeles on vacation and stopped off at an estate sale. A lady named June Pierce kept her from spending too much money on a silver vase that wasn't really silver and gave her this recipe to boot.*

### Ingredients

* 8-ounce or larger jar of lumpfish caviar *(you can also use red caviar)*
* 1 1/2 teaspoons good olive oil
* 4 hardboiled egg, finely diced
* 1/3 cup finely diced sweet onions *(or green onions)*
* 1/2 to 1 cup sour cream
* 2 Tablespoons mayonnaise *(1/8 cup)*
* 1 teaspoon salt

### Directions

* Put the lumpfish in a small bowl. Pour in olive oil, stir, and refrigerate while you make the rest of the recipe.
* Boil the eggs. Cool them, peel them, and dice them. *(If you have a food processor, use the steel blade--if you don't have one, use a sharp knife to chop them finely.).*
* Put the diced eggs in the bottom of a 9-inch glass pie plate or shallow glass dish. Press them down with a metal spatula.
* Dice the onions and sprinkle them over the diced eggs. Press them down.
* Mix the sour cream with the mayonnaise and the salt. Put dollops of the mixture on top and carefully spread them together. Use as much as it takes to make a nice layer.
* Drop the lumpfish on top of the sour cream by spoonfuls, spreading it out carefully. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for 4 to 6 hours.
* Serve with toast points or crackers for an elegant appetizer.

## Conversion Charts

See Baking Conversion Chart for non-USA baking conversions.
Albion Hotel

The New Albion

## History

When it became known that the new highway would be built right on the outskirts of Lake Eden, there was a lot of anticipation that the town would grow into a city and that a Hotel would be needed. Alton Granger built a hotel with high expectations.

Unfortunately, plans for the highway changed and it wasn’t built near Lake Eden, so the Hotel never did that well.

The hotel had a ballroom on the 2nd floor and they held an annual “Christmas Ball” with a parade of cakes.
There with a tiny elevator to get to the upper floors and the first floor had a café the “Red Velvet Lounge”. A dance floor was installed in the large lobby area.

Soon after Alton's death the hotel closed but his widow Essie Granger continued to live there in two rooms on the second floor, but with no water or electricity.

In Christmas Cake Murder one last Christmas ball is re-enacted along with the "Christmas Cake Parade", which Hannah, Michelle and Lisa work hard on. The ballroom is refurbished by Delores and Andrea who is expecting her first child. All of the townspeople are invited.

## The Albion

The old and shabby hotel has been converted to luxury Condos by Dalworth Enterprises. Two condos to a floor plus a penthouse with a tropical garden, pool, and jacuzzi under a climate control dome.

The original restaurant, "The Red Velvet Lounge" has been reinvented into an upscale gourmet dining experience and is located on the first floor. The lobby is big enough to hold cocktail parties and other events with the old dance floor restored. There are private conference rooms located on the ground floor, too.

In Red Velvet Cupcake Murder the Grand Opening is held where people can come for the inaugural party and view the condos.
Cinnamon Roll Murder

**Cinnamon Roll Murder** is the fifteenth book in the *Hannah Swensen Mystery* series. It was released in 2012.

## Short Summary

When bakery owner Hannah Swensen hears that the Cinnamon Roll Six jazz band will be playing at Lake Eden, Minnesota’s Weekend Jazz Festival, she's more than happy to bake up a generous supply of their namesake confections to welcome them to town.

Before the festival even begins, tragedy strikes when the tour bus overturns. Among those injured is Buddy Neiman, the band’s beloved keyboard player. His injuries appear minor, until his condition suddenly takes a turn for the worse—as in dead. Hannah’s no doctor, but she suspects that the surgical scissors someone plunged into Buddy’s chest may have something to do with it.

Fortunately, she’s on the case, because she knows from experience that nothing’s sweeter than bringing a killer to justice…

*Features cookie and dessert recipes from The Cookie Jar, including Peaches and Cream Cookies and Chocolate Caramel Bars!*

## Main Characters

* Hannah Swensen
* Lisa Herman
* Andrea Todd
* Norman Rhodes
* Mike Kingston
* Michelle Swensen
* Delores Swensen

## Minor Characters

* Sally Laughlin
* Doc Knight
* Buddy Neiman
* Beverly Thorndike
* Devin Murphy
* Lonnie Murphy
* Ben Matson
* Marlene Aldrich
* Claire Rodgers

## Quotes

* “Some people said that Minnesota had two seasons: Shovel and Swat. Hannah knew that wasn’t the case. The land of the frozen north had four seasons—Fishing Season, Duck Season, Deer Season, and Mud Season.” (Chapter One)

## Cover Gags

* The dripping icing makes it appear like blood dripping.
Cappuccino Royales

## Ingredients

* 2 cups melted butter ***(4 sticks, 1 pound)***
* ¼ cup instant coffee powder ***(I used Folgers)***
* 2 teaspoons vanilla
* 2 teaspoons brandy or rum extract
* 3 cups white ***(granulated)*** sugar\*\*\*
	+ \*\*\*If you prefer a sweeter cookie, roll the dough balls in extra granulated sugar and flatten before baking.
* 3 beaten eggs ***(just whip them in a glass with a fork)***
* 2 teaspoons baking soda
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 3 cups milk chocolate chips
* 5½ cups of flour ***(don't sift—pack it down in the measuring cup)***

## Directions

* Preheat oven to 350°F, rack in the middle position.
* Melt the butter in a large microwave-safe bwol at 3 minutes on HIGH. Or melt it in a saucepan over low heat on the stovetop.
* Mix in the instant coffee powder, vanilla and rum or brandy extract. Stir it until the coffee powder has dissolved.
* Add the sugar, beaten eggs, baking soda and baking powder. Mix well.
* Stir in the milk chocolate chips. Mix until they're evenly distributed.
* Add the flour in one-cup increments, stirring after each addition. Mix until the flour is thoroughly incorporated.
* Form walnut-sized dough balls with your fingers. Roll them in a small bowl with granulated sugar if you decided you wanted them sweeter.
* Place the dough balls on a greased cookie sheet, 12 to a standard-size sheet. ***(I used Pam to grease my cookie sheet, but any nonstick cooking spray will down.)***
* Flatten the dough balls with the back of a metal spatula, or with the palm of your impeccably clean hand.
* Bake the cookies at 350°F for 9 to 11 minutes. Let them cool on the cookie sheets for 2 minutes, and then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to complete cooling.

Yield: 12 to 14 dozen cookies ***(depending on cookie size)***

## Hannah's Note:

*These cookies freeze well if you have any left over.*

## Conversion Charts

See Baking Conversion Chart for non-USA baking conversions.
Hailee Steinfeld (Episode)

**Hailee Steinfeld** is the 5th episode of Season 4 and the 30th over all.

## Plot

Ally meets her co-star and idol Hailee Steinfeld

## Songs Featured

Best Friend's Brother by Victoria Justice

Let It Go by Hailee Steinfeld (originally by James Bay)

## Main Cast

Kelli Berglund as Ally Vegaz

Ross Lynch as Ross Lynch (text message)

## Recurring Cast

Hailee Steinfeld as Hailee Steinfeld

Joey Bragg as Danny Hunter

## Background Information

* This marks the first appearence of Hailee Steinfeld and I.Marlene King

## Trivia

* This is the first time a text conversation is shown and it is between Ross and Ally
* Ally will meet her idol, which is Hailee Steinfeld
* I.Marlene King is Ally's new boss
* Hailee's character's name is Mika
	+ It will be changed into Bea
	+ Her character has a brother, she hasn't talked to in years
* Ally and Danny will play twins
* Ally's character is called Heather
	+ But it will be changed later
* Danny's character is called Flynn
	+ But it will be changed later
* Hailee auditions for the new show and got the role
* Hailee tells Ally that she is a huge fan of her's and vise versa
* Hailee invites Ally to her performance
Dessert Chef Competition

## Description

A national contest pitting the best Dessert chef's against each other.

**The Food's Channel *Dessert Chef Competition***

It is a national contest pitting the best Dessert chef's against each other. Each contestant had to send a sample with their application and those samples were used to pick the top chefs to compete live on TV.

**Judges**:

* Alain Duquesne
* Jeremy Zales
* La Vonna Brach
* Helene Stone
* Christian Parker

**Contestants**:
All of the contestants, except Hannah work in large restaurants.

* Brooke Jackman
* Loren Berringer
* Rodney Paloma
* Gloria Berkeley
* Hannah Swensen

### Double Fudge Brownie Murder

Michelle submitted Hannah along with her Double Fudge Brownies and she won a place in the competition.

### Wedding Cake Murder

The competition is held, the first challenge is in New York City for the *Hometown Advantage*, the rest of the competition was held in the Hometown of the winner of this competition. Hannah won with her Magic White Chocolate Soufflé

When the show moved to Lake Eden, the competition was held at the Lake Eden Inn.

* The next competition was the "Cake Challenge". Hannah and Rodney Paloma tied for first place with her Double Rainbow Swirl Cake (Hannah's Wedding Cake).
* The next competition was the "Cookie Challenge" where once again Hannah tied for first place with Brooke Jackman. Hannah's winning cookie was her Butterscotch Sugar Cookies.
* The last competition was a "free-for-all" where the contestants could make any dessert they want to. Hannah again tied for first place with Rodney Paloma. Hannah's entry was for Mom's Apple Pie made two ways and with 3 toppings.

The grand prize winner was Hannah.
The food channel also gave them a ten-day Honeymoon cruise to the Mexican Riviera.
Aunt Grace's Breakfast Muffins

## Book Reference

Sugar Cookie Murder

**Aunt Grace's Breakfast Muffins** is the first Bread recipe featured in Sugar Cookie Murder.

### Ingredients

#### Muffins

* 1 1/2 cups flour
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg (*freshly ground is best)*
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 1/3 cup melted butter
* 1 beaten egg
* 1/2 cup milk
* 1 1/2 cups cored, peeled, and then shredded apples *(measure after shredding)*

#### Topping

* 1/2 stick melted butter *(1/4 cup, 1/8 pound)*\*\*\*
	+ \*\*\*Use a whole stick if you really want to be sinful! It's wonderful!
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 1 teaspoon cinnamon

## Directions

#### Muffins

* Stir together the flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. Set aside.
* In another bowl, blend the sugar and melted butter together. Let the butter cool to room temperature.
* Add the eggs, milk, and shredded apples to the butter and sugar mixture. Stir well. Then mix in the dry ingredients you've set aside.
* Fill well-greased muffin tins 2/3 full with batter. Bake at 400 degrees F. for 20 to 25 minutes. Let the muffins cool in the tins for 10 minutes and then turn them out.

#### Topping

* Melt the butter and pour it into a shallow bowl. Mix the sugar and cinnamon together in another shallow bowl. Roll the muffins in the melted butter and then in the sugar and cinnamon mixture.

Yield: 12 muffins

### Hannah's Note

*This recipe is from my friend Terry Sommers (no relation to Becky Summers.) These muffins are just incredible. When we tested them at the Christmas potluck, we came very close to putting them on the dessert table.*

*These muffins are wonderful warm, but they're also good at room temperature, or even refrigerated! There is no way to serve them that's not good. To borrow an advertising slogan, "Nobody doesn't like Aunt Grace's Breakfast Muffins."*

## Conversion Charts

See Baking Conversion Chart for non-USA baking conversions.
Candy for Christmas

**Candy for Christmas** is a short story featured at the end in Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder on Kindle Novella.

## Short Summary

*In the Novella, Hannah Swenson, owner of The Cookie Jar, discovers that someone has broken into her store. Perhaps this individual is simply sleeping there to stay warm. Whoever this individual is, they clean up before they leave. So Hannah plans, with Norman's help, to catch the intruder in the act (and they do). What unwinds is a tale of innocence and a dysfunctional family who is reunited due to Hannah's understanding and sense of fairness.*

## Main Characters

* Hannah Swensen
* Norman Rhodes
* Andrea Todd
* Candy

## Other Characters

* Father Coultas
* Sally Loughlin
* Cyril Murphy
* Claire Rodgers
* Sonny

## Quotes

* “Candy loved to shop and she couldn't seem to stop smiling. They'd gone out the front door of The Cookie Jar and into the next building over. There were party dresses on the mannequins in the windows, and Hannah has said they were going to buy something for her to wear to the party tomorrow night.” (Chapter Nine)

## Trivia

* Unusual for the series, this is not a murder mystery.
Cherry Cream Cheese Frosting

Christmas Cupcake Murder

To be used with Holiday Cheer Cherry Cupcakes

## Ingredients

* 1/2 cup ***(1 stick)*** salted butter, softened to room temperature
* 8-ounce ***(net weight)*** package softened, brick-style cream cheese ***(I used Philadelphia in the silver package)***
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1 teaspoon cherry liqueur or cherry juice
* 4 to 4 and 1/2 cups confectioners ***(powdered)*** sugar ***(no need to sift unless it's got big lumps)***
* Maraschino cherry halves or red decorators sugar ***(optional)***

## Directions

* Mix the softened butter with the softened cream cheese until the resulting mixture is well blended.
* Add the teaspoon of vanilla extract and the teaspoon of cherry liqueur. Mix them in thoroughly.

**Hannah's 1st Note:  Do this next step at room temperature. If you heated the cream cheese and the butter to soften them, make sure your mixture has cooled to room temperature before you complete the next step.**

* Add the confectioners sugar in half-cup increments, stirring thoroughly after each addition, until the frosting is of proper spreading consistency. ***(You'll use all, or almost all, of the powdered sugar.)***
* Use a frosting knife or a small rubber spatula to place a dollop of frosting in the center of the top of your cupcakes. Then spread it out almost to the edges of the cupcake paper.

**Hannah's 2nd Note: If you spread the frosting all the way out to the edge of the cupcake, your guests will get frosting on their fingers when they peel off the cupcake paper and they'll have to wash or lick their fingers. Kids enjoy this. Adults, not so much.**

* If you wish to decorate the tops of your cupcakes, use a half maraschino cherry ***(round side up)*** or sprinkle with red decorators sugar.
* If you have frosting left over, spread it on graham crackers, soda crackers, or what **Great-Grandma Elsa** used to call *store-boughten* cookies. This frosting can also be covered tightly and kept in the refrigerator for up to a week. When  you want to use it, let it sit on the kitchen counter, still tightly covered, for an hour or so, or until it reaches room temperature and it is spreadable again.
* This frosting also works well in a pastry bag, which brings up all sorts of interesting possibilities for decorating cakes or cookies.
Danielle Watson

## Books

* Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder
* Strawberry Shortcake Murder
* Lemon Meringue Pie Murder
* Fudge Cupcake Murder
* Christmas Caramel Murder
* Coconut Layer Cake Murder

**Danielle Watson** is a friend to Hannah Swensen.

## Biography

née Perkins. She wasn't originally from Lake Eden.

Danielle was married to Boyd Watson, the Eden Lake High School coach. He was an abusive husband and controlled Danielle. They didn't have any children.

### Appearance

You’ve got to be a natural light blond to wear it. And Danielle’s hair is so blond, it’s almost white.”

## Chronology by Novel

### Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder

While tracking down a clue to Ron LaSalle’s murder, Hannah discovers that Danielle was with him on his milk delivery rounds the morning he was killed. When Hannah confronts Danielle, she discovers that Danielle is attending “Gamblers Anonymous” and that Ron was her sponsor. Danielle is being physically abused by her husband, Boyd, which causes her to want to gamble more. Danielle and Hannah become friends during her investigation.

### Strawberry Shortcake Murder

When Danielle finds Boyd’s body in their garage, she calls Hannah first. The Sheriff's detectives think that Danielle is the most likely suspect, so Hannah decides that she has to investigate to clear Danielle.

### Lemon Meringue Pie Murder

Danielle returns to Lake Eden and opens up a dance studio above the Red Owl Grocery Store

### Fudge Cupcake Murder

Danielle is running her dance studio that she named the Red Owl Dance Studio.

### Christmas Caramel Murder

Hannah finds out more about Danielle’s past and she has important info about Phyliss Bates and Bonnie Surma.
Danielle has started to date Benton Woodley and she gets along with Del Woodley, including him whenever possible. She, Benton and Del were with the mayor at the time that Phyliss was killed so he was alibied, but Stephanie Bascomb had an hour without an alibi.

### Coconut Layer Cake Murder

Hannah interviews Danielle concerning Benton's alibi during the time that Darcy Hicks is murdered.
Double Apple Crisp

## Ingredients

**For the bottom**:

* 8 large apples, cored, peeled, and sliced\*\*\*
* ¾ cup white (granulated) sugar
* 1 tablespoon lemon juice
* ½ cup honey

**For the topping**:

* 1 cup flour
* ½ cup brown sugar, firmly packed
* ½ teaspoon salt
* ½ cup (1 stick, ¼ pound) softened butter

## Hannah's Note 1

\*\*\* I used 4 Granny Smith and 4 Fuji, but any combination will do. Half of the apples should be tart and the other half sweeter.

## Directions

* Spray a 9-inch by 13-inch cake pan with Pam or other nonstick spray. The pan can be metal, glass, or disposable foil.
* Spread the sliced apples over the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle them with the white sugar and then the lemon juice.
* Measure out the honey. (**I always spray my measuring cup with Pam first, so the honey won’t stick to the sides as much.**) Drizzle the honey over the apples.
* Mix the flour, brown sugar, and salt together in a small bowl. Use a fork to work in the softened butter, stirring until you have a crumbly mixture. (**You can also do this in a food processor using the steel blade and a stick of chilled butter cut into 8 pieces.**)
* Sprinkle the topping evenly over the apples in the pan.

* Bake at 375 degrees F. for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the apples are tender when pierced with a fork and the topping is golden brown.
* Serve warm with whipped cream, regular cream, vanilla ice cream, or cinnamon ice cream.

## Hannah’s Note 2

*If you take this out of the oven twenty minutes or so before the meal begins, it’ll be a perfect temperature to serve for dessert. If you’re not that organized (and who is?), dish up the apple crisp and heat it in individual bowls in the microwave. It holds up very well when reheated.*

*It’s also good at room temperature or even cold, right out of the refrigerator. There is no wrong way to serve this Double Apple Crisp.*

## Conversion Charts

See Baking Conversion Chart for non-USA baking conversions.
Bethany Todd

## Relations

**Mother**: Andrea Todd**Father**: Bill Todd

**Sister**: Tracey Todd

**Grandmother**: Delores Swensen**Aunts**: Hannah Swensen and Michelle Swensen

## Books

Sugar Cookie Murder

**Bethany Todd (Bethie for short) is niece to both Hannah Swensen and Michelle Swensen. Bethie Todd is the 2nd daughter of Bill and Andrea Todd**. Tracey Todd is her older sister and her Granddaughter of Delores Swensen.

## Bio

Bethany is born at the end of Sugar Cookie Murder.
Baked Brie

## Book Reference

Sugar Cookie Murder

Preheat oven to 375°F, rack in the middle position.

*This is Lisa Herman's recipe, and she says to tell you that it's the easiest appetizer she ever made in her life.*

### Ingredients

* 6-inch round just ripened baby Brie *(5-inch will also work)*
* One round, unsliced loaf of bread, 10 to 12 inches in diameter
* 1/4 cup chopped green onion *(clean and peel them first--then you can use up to two inches of the stem)*
* 1/4 cup chopped shallot
* 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
* 2 tablespoons white wine *(or 1 Tablespoon water, 1 Tablespoon vinegar)*
* 1/2 teaspoon Mrs. Knudson's Season Salt

### Directions

* Preheat oven to 375°F, rack in the middle position.
* Slice the top from the bread. Keep the top--you'll need it later. Hollow out the inside of the bread, leaving at least 3/4 inch of bread in place on the sides and 1 inch on the bottom.
* Slice off the top rind of the baby Brie. *(If you dip your knife in water frequently, it won't stick as much.)* Leave the rest of the rind in place. Place the Brie in the bread.
* In a small bowl, mix together the green onion, shallots, white pepper, white wine, and Season Salt.
* Spread this mixture on top of the Brie, replace the top slice of bread, and wrap the entire loaf in aluminum foil.
* Bake at 375°F for 30 minutes.
* Served with cubed bread or crackers.

## Conversion Charts

See Baking Conversion Chart for non-USA baking conversions.
Candy Bar Bar Cookies

Cream Puff Murder

## Ingredients

* 1 cup softened butter ***(2 sticks, ½ pound)***
* ¾ cup white ***(granulated)*** sugar
* 1 beaten egg ***(just whip it up in a glass with a fork)***
* 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* ½ teaspoon salt
* 2½ cups flour ***(pack it down in the cup when you measure it)***
* 5 three-ounce chocolate candy bars ***(I used Nestle Milk Chocolate)***
* ¼ white ***(granulated)*** sugar

## Directions

* Preheat the oven to 350°F, rack in the middle position.
* Prepare a 9-inch by 13 inch cake pan by lining it with a piece of foil large enough to flap over the sides. Spray the foil lined pan with Pam or other nonstick cooking spray.
* Mix the butter and the sugar together in a bowl. Continue to stir until the mixture is light and creamy.
* Add the egg, and stir it in thoroughly. Mix in the vanilla extract and the salt.
* Add the flour in half-cup increments, mixing after each addition. The dough will "ball up" like piecrust, and that's fine.
* Pat half of the dough into the bottom of your prepared pan. Smooth it out with your impeccably clean fingers.
* Unwrap the candy bars and place them on top of the dough. ***(Make 2 rows with 2 candy bars in each row. Break the fifth candy bar in half lengthwise, and use it to fill in the ends of the rows.)***
* Pat the remaining dough on top of the candy bars, distributing it as evenly as you can.
* Use the back of a table fork to make cross-hatches on the top of the dough, the way you'd do with a peanut butter cookie. The little grooves the fork makes will hold the sugar.
* Sprinkle the quarter-cup sugar over the top of your pan as evenly as possible.
* Bake at 350°F for 25 minutes. The bars should be slightly brown around the edges an still quite white on top.
* Cool the Candy Bar Bar Cookies in the pan on a metal rack. Feel the bottom of the pan. When you can comfortably place your hand against the bottom and it's not too hot to hold, grasp the foil and lift the bars out of the pan. Cut them into brownie-sized pieces while they're still warm.
* Place the squares on a plate and serve. Everyone will love these a bit warm from the oven, but they'll also love them cold.
Claire Rodgers

## Books

Mentioned in almost every Novels

**Claire Rodgers** is a recurring character in *Hannah Swenson Mystery* series. She runs the *Beau Monde Fashions* boutique next to The Cookie Jar.

## Bio

Claire is an elegant, sophisticated blonde that owns and runs the upscale designer boutique, Beau Monde Fashions that is located next doors to The Cookie Jar

She often sells clothes to Hannah at her cost and Hannah supplies her with lots of cookies.

Rumors have abounded about her and the Mayor having an affair, but Clare breaks it off before those rumors are publicly confirmed. But, someone has pictures and Clare is blackmailed in Strawberry Shortcake Murder.

Later she begins to date Bob Knudson. He eventually asks her to marry him and she accepts, but has a very hard time with a public announcement as she is afraid that it will hurt him with his congregation.

### Personality

She is supremely confident when it comes to her business and clothing, but with her personal life she is very insecure and emotionally stunted. She eventually overcomes most of that insecurity when she marries Reverend Knudson and takes her place as the minister's wife.

## Chronology

### Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder

She arrived to work the same time as Hannah during the morning of the murder, explaining that she had to set up the new shipment of dresses she got in. With the holidays coming up, she suggested a pretty dress she thought Hannah would like before they separated. There was a rumor floating around that she was sleeping with the town's Mayor, but Hannah didn't believe it.

### Strawberry Shortcake Murder

Clare is one of the victims of [Lucy Richards|Lucy's]] blackmail scheme. Hannah returns the pictures of Clare and the mayor so they would not have become part of the evidence.

### Lemon Meringue Pie Murder

Claire starts to date Bob Knudson, but since she is trying to be careful of his reputation, they are very quiet and "just friends." But Claire tells Hannah that Bob has asked her to marry him and she said yes, but she wants to wait awhile before planning the wedding or making an announcement.

### Key Lime Pie Murder

Clare is in love with Bob Knudson and he has asked her to marry him. They're planning a Christmas wedding but Clare keeps refusing to let him announce it to his congregation. Clare specifically invites Hannah to be in the church when Bob is finally going to make the big announcement, but when Hannah realizes that they aren't going to do it, she stands up and announces it for them.

### Cream Puff Murder

Clare has special ordered Regency style dresses for Deloris' three daughters, but Hannah's dress is too tight on her. Clare makes some suggestions on what she could do to let out the seams but none of the ideas will work well, so Hannah determines to lose weight.
Cherry Cheesecake Murder

The **Cherry Cheesecake Murder** is the eighth book in the *Hannah Swensen Mystery* series. It was originally released in 2006.

## Short Summary

Hannah Swensen and her bakery, The Cookie Jar, bask in the glow of Hollywood glamour when Main Street becomes a movie set. And although tensions simmer as the cameras roll, no one expects the action to turn deadly . . . until it's too late . . .

There’s no such thing as privacy in Lake Eden, but Hannah never thought things would go this far. Everyone has been telling her what to do ever since she got not one but two marriage proposals. Movie mania soon shoves Hannah's marriage dilemma into the background and even gives her cat a shot at stardom. The Cookie Jar serves as snack central with Main Street rented out for the week. She stirs lots of fresh gossip, whipping up treats for cast and crew, including demanding director Dean Lawrence's favorite—cherry cheesecake.

**Features Over a Dozen Cookie and Dessert Recipes from The Cookie Jar!**

## Main Characters

* Hannah Swensen
* Mike Kingston
* Lisa Herman
* Andrea Todd
* Delores Swensen
* Bill Todd
* Norman Rhodes
* Dean Lawrence

## Other Characters

* Winnie Henderson
* Ross Barton

## Quotes

* “You can’t be nervous and amused at the same time. They’re both powerful emotions and one overrides the other. If your sense of humor kicks in, you lose your case of nerves...at least according to the professor who taught the psychology class I took in college.” (Hannah Swensen, Chapter Thirteen)

## Cover Gags

* The Cherry Juice on most of the covers resembles dripping blood.
* The audiobook has blood-like sauce and a gun near it.
* One version has a knife above the cheesecake.

## Trivia

* This is the second cake title of the series
Country Egg Bake

Chocolate Cream Pie Murder

## Ingredients

* 4 cups shredded Pepper Jack cheese ***(or Swiss cheese)***
* ⅓ cup chopped red onions
* 2 cups chopped ham
* 4 cups shredded cheddar cheese ***(or mozzarella)***
* 1 small can sliced black olives, drained
* 3 cups half-and-half or whipping cream
* 6 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon salt
* ½ teaspoon ground black pepper ***(freshly ground is best)***
* 2 Tablespoons honey mustard ***(I used Beaver)***
* 6 large eggs

## Directions

* Preheat oven to 350°F, rack in the middle position.
* Prepare a 9-inch by 13-inch cake pan by spraying it with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray.
* Layer half of the shredded Pepper Jack cheese in the bottom of the pan.
* Sprinkle half of chopped red onion over that Pepper Jack cheese.
* Scatter half of the chopped ham over the onion.
* Sprinkle half of the shredded cheddar over the chopped ham.
* Distribute the sliced olives on top of the shredded cheddar.
* Repeat, using the rest of the cheeses, the chopped red onions, and the chopped ham.
* Pour the half-and-half or cream into a bowl. Sprinkle the flour, salt, black pepper, and honey mustard on top of the bowl.
* Crack the eggs and mix them into the bowl, beating until you have a smooth texture and all the ingredients are incorporated.
* Pour the egg mixture into your prepared pan, distributing it as evenly as possible.
* Bake your Country Egg Bake for 50 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
* Test for doneness by inserting a knife from the silverware drawer 1 inch from the center of the pan. If it comes out milky, bake for 10 minutes longer and test again. Except for the melted cheese, that might stick to the knife blade, the knife should come out clean.
* Take the pan out of the oven and place it on a cold stovetop burner or a wire rack on the counter.
* Cool for at least 10 minutes before cutting and serving it.
* Cut your Country Egg Bake into squares, but do not remove them from the pan. Instead, put the pan on pot holders in the center of the table and let each person serve themselves, or pass you their plates so that you may serve them.

Yield: Serves 8 breakfast guests as long as you also serve muffins, toast, biscuits, or scones.
Chocolate Pecan Roll

## Book Reference

Candy for Christmas

**Chocolate Pecan Roll** is the sixth recipe featured in Candy for Christmas.

## General

You don't need a candy thermometer to make this candy.

## Ingredients

* 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk *(NOT evaporated milk)*
* 2 one-ounce squares of unsweetened chocolate *(l used Baker's)*
	+ **You don't absolutely positively have to use unsweetened chocolate squares. If you don't have them on hand, just use three cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips instead of 2 1/2  cups and it'll work out just fine.**
* 2 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips *(15 ounces)*
* 1 teaspoon butter
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract\*\*\*
	+ *\*\*\*You can use almost any dried fruit in this candy. Lisa tried it with dried sweetened pineapple and pineapple extract, and it was delicious. If there's an extract that matches your fruit, you can use it instead of the vanilla.*
* Pinch of salt
* 8-ounce package dried apricots *(or pineapple, or cherries, or whatever)*
* 1 1/2 cups roughly chopped pecans *(measure after chopping)*

## Directions

* Chop the dried fruit into pea-sized pieces. Then chop the pecans and measure out one and a half cups. *(This is easy to do if you have a food processor, but a knife and chopping board will work also.)*
* Chop the squares of unsweetened chocolate into chip-sized pieces. *(They'll melt faster that way.)* Empty the can of sweetened condensed milk into a 2-quart saucepan. Add the unsweetened chocolate pieces and the semi-sweet chocolate chips.
* Stir the mixture over low heat until the chocolate has melted. Give a final stir and take the pan from the heat.
* Mix in the butter, flavor extract, salt, and the dried fruit. *(Don't add the nuts yet--they're for later when you make the rolls.)*
* Put the saucepan in the refrigerator and chill the candy for 30 to 40 minutes.
* Take the pan out of the refrigerator and divide the candy in half. Place each half on a two-foot-long piece of waxed paper.
* Shape each half into a roll that's approximately a foot and a half long and about 1 1/2 inches in diameter.
* Roll the candy logs in the chopped nuts, coating them as evenly as you can. Press the nuts in slightly so they'll stick to the outside of the roll.
* Roll the finished logs in clean waxed paper, twist the ends closed, and place them in the refrigerator for at least two hours to harden.
* Cut the candy rolls into half-inch slices with a sharp knife.
* Yield: Makes about 48 slices of delicious candy

## Conversion Charts

See Baking Conversion Chart for non-USA baking conversions.
Magnolia Blossom Bakery

**Magnolia Blossom Bakery** Hannah's rival for Mike Kingston, Shawna Lee Quinn opens up a bakery across the street from Hannah's The Cookie Jar, rivaling her for Bakery Queen title too. Despite the fact that her bake goods are inferior to Hannah's the residents are flocking to the new Bakery, causing Hannah to be in danger of having to go out of business. Shawna Lee is undercutting her prices and running give away contests. Her new bakery is underwritten by her wealthy sister, Vanessa.

But before Hannah has to close her shop, Shawna Lee is murdered and since Hannah is the chief suspect, she investigates and discovers who done it.

At the end when Vanessa is desperate for a lawyer, Hannah makes a deal with her to buy all of the contents of the "Magnolia Blossom Bakery" for a really low price.
Connie MacIntyre

## Books

Blueberry Muffin Murder

Hostess of "*Cooking with Connie Mac*" a popular cable TV show.

## Bio

**Connie MacIntyre** (**aka Connie Mac**) is a TV star, cook, and author who has a multi-million-dollar empire Connie Mac Enterprises run by her husband Paul. Her entities include a cooking show, kitchen boutique stores (one to be opened soon in Lake Eden's Tri-County Mall that sells exquisite tableware such as *Baccarat* ). She also has a monthly cooking/homemaking tips magazine. She is the first TV celebrity to visit Lake Eden and partake in the Lake Eden Winter Carnival in Blueberry Muffin Murder.

She is married to Paul MacIntyre, who runs her multi-million-dollar Connie Mac Enterprises.

She doesn't actually do the cooking, her staff does the research for the recipes and cooks everything, while Connie fakes it. Her cookbooks are put together based on the recipes from her show and done by the staff at Savory Publishing.

## Personality

While on the surface she appears sweet and considerate, she has an iron will and bends everything around her to suite her. In private she is a tyrant to her staff and fires them all of the time. Some of her staff she hires back immediately, but has ruined others.

## Appearance

* An attractive woman in her early fifties,

## Entourage

While on tour, her entourage consists of :

* Alan Carpenter - Connie Mac's lawyer
* F. E. Laughlin - not part of her crew, but mentioned that his secretary was Connie Mac's great-great uncle.
* Janie Burkholtz - Connie Mac's right-hand-man assistant
* Helen - Connie Mac's head cook
* Kristi Hampton - Connie Mac's gorgeous, platinum blond beautician
* Kurt Howe - Connie Mac's young, blond, and handsome publishing representative
* Ray - Connie Mac's van truck driver
* Rhea Robinson - Connie Mac's manager of *Connie Mac Kitchen Boutique* chain stores
* Spenser - Connie Mac's chauffeur/limo driver (who's about fed up with her, but refrains personal comments)

## Chronology by Novel

### Blueberry Muffin Murder

With the opening of her newest boutique kitchen store at the Tri-County Mall, during the Lake Eden Winter Carnival, Connie Mac was asked to be Guest Host of the Carnival events.

When opening a new boutique at any mall, they have a policy that there can be no other competing kitchen ware stores. When they decided to open a new boutique in the Tri-County mall, there was already a kitchen ware store. They gave the mall a choice their store or the existing one. The existing store owned by Greg Canfield lost their lease and was run out of business.

Once Connie Mac came to Lake Eden a few people that had immediate dealings with her, soon learned that she wasn't the sweet and kind person that she acted like on her TV show.

Then she was murdered at The Cookie Jar, and Hannah's shop was closed as a crime scene until the murderer was caught. Hannah and Lisa still had catering commitments and commitments for the Winter Carnaval, so moved their operation out to Sally's kitchens at the Lake Eden Inn. Hannah goes into action to find the culprit so she could reclaim her own kitchen and store.
Angel Kisses

Cherry Cheesecake Murder

Preheat oven to 275°F, rack in the middle position

* approximately 30 Hershey Kisses, unwrapped *(or any other small chocolate candy)*

## Directions

* Preheat oven to 275°F, rack in the middle position. (That's two hundred seventy-five degrees F., not a misprint.)
* Separate the egg whites and let them come up to room temperature. This will give you more volume when you beat them.
* Prepare your baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper ***(works best)*** or brown parcel-wrapping paper. Spray the paper with Pam or other non-stick cooking spray and dust it lightly with flour.

**Hannah's note**: *These are a lot easier to make with an electric mixer, but you can also do them by hand with a copper bowl and a whisk.*

* Beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar, vanilla, and salt until they are stiff enough to hold a soft peak. Add the cup of sugar gradually, sprinkling it in by quarter cups and beating hard for ten seconds or so after each sprinkling. Sprinkle in the flour and mix it in at low speed, or fold it in with an angel food cake whisk.
* Drop little mounds of dough on your paper-lined cookie sheet. If you place four mounds in a row and you have four rows, you'll end up with 16 cookies per sheet.
* Place one Hershey's Kiss, point up, in the center of each mound. Push the candies down, but not all the way to the bottom. *(You don't want the chocolate to actually touch the parchment paper.)* Drop another little mound of meringue on top of the candy to cover it up.
* Bake at 275°F for approximately 40 minutes, or until the meringue part of the cookie is slightly golden and dry to the touch.
* Cool on the paper-lined cookie sheet by setting it on a wire rack. When the cookies are completely cool, peel them carefully from the paper and store them in an airtight container in a dry place *(A cupboard shelf is fine, just NOT the refrigerator!)*

**Yield**: 3 to 4 dozen cookies with a nice chocolate surprise in the center.

## Conversion Charts

See Baking Conversion Chart for non-USA baking conversions.
Caramel Pecan Roll Murder

## Short Summary

Embracing a sweet escape from her usual routine at The Cookie Jar, Hannah gets asked for her help in baking pastries at the local inn for a flashy fishing competition with big prizes and even bigger names. But the fun stops when she spots a runway boat on the water and, on board, the lifeless body of the event’s renowned celebrity spokesperson…

Famed TV show host Sonny Bowman wasn’t humble about his ability to reel in winning catches, and no one knew that better than his tragically overworked sidekick, Joey. Did Joey finally take bloody revenge on his pompous boss—or was Sonny killed by a jealous contestant?

With goodies to bake and a mess of fresh challenges mixed into her personal life, it’s either sink or swim as Hannah joins forces with her sister, Andrea, to catch a clever culprit before another unsuspecting victim goes belly up…

## Main Characters

* Hannah Swensen
* Delores Swensen
* Andrea Todd
* Michelle Swensen
* Norman Rhodes
* Mike Kingston

## Minor Characters

* Doc Knight
* Lonnie Murphy
* Bill Todd
* Wally Wallace
Cottage Cheese Cookies

**Cottage Cheese Cookies** is the seventeenth recipe featured in Apple Turnover Murder.

## Ingredients

* 2 cups softened butter ***(4 sticks, 16 ounces, 1 pound)***
	+ ***That’s room temperature butter, unless you’re working in an unheated kitchen in Minnesota in the winte***r.
* 1 and 1/2 cups brown sugar ***(pack it down in the measuring cup)***
* 2 cups white ***(granulated)*** sugar
* 4 large beaten eggs ***(just whip them up in a glass with a fork)***
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 4 teaspoons vanilla extract ***(that’s 1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon)***
* 2 cups cottage cheese ***(one-pound container) (I used small curd)***
* 1 cup chopped pecans ***(you can use walnuts or any other nut, if you prefer)***
* 1 cup cocoa powder ***(I used Hershey’s)***
* 5 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour ***(don’t sift — just scoop it up with the measuring cup and level it off with a knife)***
* approximately 1 cup powdered ***(confectioner’s)*** sugar for rolling dough balls

## Directions

* DO NOT preheat oven — This dough needs to chill in the refrigerator overnight.
* In a large mixing bowl, mix the butter with the brown sugar and the white sugar. Beat them together until they’re light and fluffy.
* Add the eggs and mix until they’re thoroughly incorporated. If you’re using an electric mixer, you don’t have to whip them up in a glass first. You can just add them one by one, mixing after each egg is added.
* Mix in the baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Stir until they’re completely mixed in.
* Pour in the vanilla extract. Stir it in thoroughly.
* Stir in the cottage cheese. Keep mixing until it’s thoroughly incorporated.
* Mix in the chopped pecans. ***(Marge says you can also add raisins, if you like.)***
* Add the cocoa powder in quarter-cup increments ***(don’t worry about measuring accurately—just add it in 4 parts).*** Mix it in after every quarter-cup. Cocoa powder is very difficult to clean up, so don’t add it all at once or it will poof out the sides of your bowl and make a real mess.
* Add the flour in half-cup increments. ***(It can also make a mess if it poofs out the sides of your bowl.)***
* Mix after each addition.
* Give the bowl a final stir, cover it with plastic wrap, and stick it in the refrigerator to chill overnight.
* When you’re ready to bake:
* Preheat the oven to 350 F., rack in the middle position.
* Spray cookie sheets with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray. You can also use parchment paper if you prefer.
* Roll small balls of dough about one-inch in diameter. Roll the balls in powdered sugar and place them on the cookie sheets, 12 to a standard-size sheet. Press them down slightly when you position them so that they won’t roll off on the way to the oven.
* Bake the Cottage Cheese Cookies at 350 degrees F. for 10 minutes. They’ll spread out all by themselves. Leave them on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes and then remove them to a wire rack to cool completely.

## Yield

12 dozen ***(depending on cookie size, of course)*** yummy and addictive cookies that everyone in the family will enjoy.
Blackberry Pie Cooler (Non-Alcoholic Blackberry Pie "Martini")

## Book Reference

Blackberry Pie Murder

To make this drink you will need a martini glass, a martini shaker **OR** a pitcher filled with ice, and a drink strainer.

### The Rimming Mixture

* ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
* ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg ***(use the store-bought kind--it's ground rather than grated)***
* ¼ cup white ***(granulated)*** sugar

### The Drink

* 2 ounces white cranberry juice
* 2 ounces fresh lemon juice
* 2 ounces Torani Blackberry Syrup **OR** fresh blackberry puree

### The Garnish

* 1 fresh or frozen Blackberry as a garnish

### Directions

* Mix the cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar together in a saucer or small salad plate that is slightly larger than the rim of your martini glass. ***(I used the cap of my flour jar turned upside down to do this--it fit perfectly.)***
* Dip your impeccably clean fingertip in a bit of lemon juice and run it around the rim of the martini glass. ***(The object here is to make it wet on top of the rim so the rimming mixture will stick.)***
* Turn the glass upside down in the shallow (saucer or small salad plate) and move it around a bit so that the rimming mixture coats the tip of the rim.
* Set the rimmed glass on the counter while you make the drink.
* Combine the drink ingredients in a martini shaker. Add ice and shake for 5 to 10 seconds, but not long enough to melt the ice cubes.
* Strain the mixture into your rimmed martini glass, add the blackberry garnish, and serve.
* Alternatively, you can make this in a pitcher filled with ice, stir until the mixture is icy cold ***(but not long enough to melt the ice--you don't want it to dilute the martini)***, and strain the mixture into your rimmed martini glass.
* Drop a fresh or frozen blackberry into your martini as a garnish.

### Yield

* 1 delicious non-alcoholic "martini" that tastes like blackberry pie!

**Hannah's Note:** *If you're only making one Blackberry Pie "Martini", you'll have some rimming mixture left over. Put it in the cupboard and use it to sprinkle on hot buttered toast in the morning to make cinnamon toast.*

## Conversion Charts

See Baking Conversion Chart for non-USA baking conversions.