recursal/Fanatic-Fandom huggingface dataset:
Petite Pea Boats

Plum Pudding Murder

## Ingredients

* One small orange for every 2 guests
* Package of frozen petite peas ***(or 2 packages, depending upon how many guests)***
* Butter
* Salt
* Pepper
* Crumbled bacon
* Small triangles of colored paper for flags
* Toothpicks

## Directions

* Cut the oranges in half and scoop out the fruit, leaving two half shells for the boats. You can cut a little off the bottoms of the boats with a sharp knife so that they won't roll on the serving platter. These "boats" can be made a day ahead and stored in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.
* Cook the frozen peas according to package directions. Drain them, and then toss them with butter, salt, and pepper.
* Arrange the "boats" on a serving platter. Attach the paper flags to the toothpicks and stick the end of the toothpick into the white part of the orange peel so that it will stand straight up.
* Fill the Petite Pea Boats with peas, sprinkle them with crumbled bacon, and serve.
Marjorie Hanks

Luanne

**Granddaughter**: Suzie

## Books

*first introduced* Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder

**Marjorie Hanks** is a side character in the Hannah Swensen Mystery series.

## Biography

Marjorie was married to Ned Hanks who died of liver failure, due to his excessive drinking, a few years before the series started. She worked as a cleaning lady to support her family, until Luanne's baby was born. After that she still does some cleaning but mostly watches her granddaughter while Luanne works.

Her daughter and granddaughter lives with her.

## Chronology

She is first introduced in Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder when Hannah visits them to talk with Luanne.

In Lemon Meringue Pie Murder when she was no longer needed to clean Rhonda's lake cottage, Norman offered her a job cleaning his dental clinic.

In Sugar Cookie Murder she shares a delicious recipe Corn Chowder.
Shamrock Limousine Service

## Book Reference

Gingerbread Cookie MurderDouble Fudge Brownie Murder

**Shamrock Limousine Service** is owned by Cyril Murphy as his newest business. Ernie Kusak was the manager and head driver. Gary Jenkins was also another employee who bought Ernie's house after Ernie divorced his wife Lorna.

It is mentioned in Gingerbread Cookie Murder.

In Double Fudge Brownie Murder Doc Knight hires them to take him and Delores Swensen to the airport and then to pick up Delores' daughters and bring them to the jet, too.
Wacky Cake

**Wacky Cake** is the eleventh recipe featured in Apple Turnover Murder.

## Ingredients

* 1 and 1/2 cups flour ***(don't sift--just scoop it up and level it off)***
* 1 cup white ***(granulated)*** sugar
* 1/2 tsp salt
* 1 tsp baking soda
* 3 heaping tablespoons cocoa powder ***(about a quarter cup)***
* 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1 tablespoon vinegar ***(we used raspberry vinegar--it was good!)***
* 1 cup cold water

## Directions

* Choose a pan. Suzy's cousin used a round cake pan about 2 inches high, her mother used a rectangular cake pan 8 inches by 12 inches rectangular pan, and her aunt used a square 9-inch by 9-inch cake pan that was 2 inches high. Spray with nonstick cooking spray.
* Put the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and cocoa powder into a bowl. Suzy says to sift all the ingredients together, but Michelle and I just stirred them with a fork until everything was well-blended.
* Make three “pukas” ***(Suzy says those are holes or wells)*** in the mixed dry ingredients, just as if you were making a well in your scoop of mashed potatoes to hold the gravy.
* Put the vegetable oil in the first puka, the vanilla extract in the second puka, and the vinegar in the third puka.
* Pour the cup of cold water all over the top of the cake.
* Mix everything up with a fork or a wooden spoon. Continue to beat ***(or fork)*** until the batter is smooth.
* Bake at 350 degrees F. for 30 minutes.
* Serve warm.
* Suzy's cousin says you shouldn't remove the cake from the pan--just put the pan on the table and serve it that way. Suzy's aunt says you should serve it with sweetened whipped cream or ice cream. Suzy's mother frosts it in the pan. She sifts 2 cups of powdered sugar with a dash of salt in a bowl, and stirs in a teaspoon of vanilla extract and enough cream to bring it to the right consistency.
Pink Peppermint Cookies

Christmas Cupcake Murder

DO NOT preheat the oven. **This dough needs to chill before baking.**

* 4 and ¼ cups flour *(don’t sift - pack it down in the cup when you measure it)*
* 3 or 4 drops red food coloring *(enough to make the dough bright pink)*
* 2 cups *(11- or 12-ounce package)* white chocolate or vanilla baking chips *(I used Nestlé)*
* 1/2 cup white *(granulated)* sugar in a small bowl for coating cookie dough balls
* Hershey’s Candy Cane Kisses *(or any soft, pink peppermint candy)* to decorate
	+ **Hannah’s 1st Note:** *If you want to make these cookies extra crunchy, use either white or red decorators sugar when you roll the cookie balls.*

### Directions

* Melt the butter in a large microwave-safe bowl. Add the sugars and the cream, and stir thoroughly. Let the mixture cool to room temperature.
* Add the beaten eggs, baking soda, cream of tartar, salt, and peppermint extract, stirring after each addition.
* Add the flour in one-cup increments, mixing thoroughly after each increment. Add the 3 or 4 drops of red food coloring and stir well.
* Add the chips and stir them in.
* Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough at least 2 hours ***(overnight’s even better)*.**
* When you’re ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.
* Roll the chilled dough into walnut-sized balls with your impeccably clean hands. Put ½ cup white sugar in a small bowl and roll the balls in it to coat them. Place them on a greased cookie sheet *(or a cookie sheet you’ve sprayed with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray)*, 12 dough balls to a standard-sized sheet. Press the dough balls down just a little so they won’t roll off on the floor when you put them in the oven. Place a peppermint candy in the center of each dough ball and place the cookie sheet in the oven.
* Bake for 10 to 12 minutes at 350 degrees F. The dough balls will flatten out, all by themselves. Let the cookies cool for 2 minutes on the cookie sheet and then move them to a wire rack to finish cooling.

**Yield** — approximately 7 to 8 dozen cookies, depending on cookie size.

## Conversion Charts

See Baking Conversion Chart for non-USA baking conversions.
Pink Lemonade Whippersnapper Cookies

Pink Lemonade Cake Murder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.

**Ingredients:**

* 1 15.25-ounce box lemon cake mix (I used Duncan Hines Perfectly Moist Lemon Supreme Cake Mix)
* 2 cups Cool Whip
* 1 egg (beaten)
* 1/2 teaspoon of lemon zest (use just the yellow part of the lemon rind, be careful not to grind in any of the white part)
* 1/2 cup powdered sugar (in a separate bowl for rolling the cookies in)
* enough grenadine to color the batter pink (I used about a 1/2 ounce)

**Directions:**

1. Prepare a cookie sheet by lining it with parchment paper.
2. Spray the parchment paper with Pam or another non-stick cooking spray.
3. Into a large bowl, add the lemon cake mix, Cool Whip, egg, lemon zest, and just enough grenadine to turn the batter pink.
4. Combine until just mixed through by using an electric or hand mixer.
5. After it is all mixed, put plastic wrap over the top of your mixing bowl, then set in the refrigerator to chill for 20 minutes.
6. Remove bowl from the refrigerator after it has chilled for 20 minutes.
7. Place your powdered sugar next to the mixing bowl (you will only scoop out one teaspoonful of the Whippersnapper mixture at a time into the powdered sugar).
8. Drop small balls of dough by the teaspoon into the powdered sugar and roll them around until the small balls of Whippersnappers are completely coated in the powdered sugar.
9. Place each Pink Lemonade Whippersnapper on a cookie sheet, no more than 8-12 cookies to a sheet.
10. Place cookie sheet in the oven and bake at 350 F. for 10-12 minutes, until cookies are slightly brownish on the top.
11. Remove to a cold stovetop burner or wire rack to cool for 5 minutes.
12. Using oven mitts, take the parchment paper (with the Pink Lemonade Whippersnapper Cookies still on it) and remove to the countertop or another wire rack to finish cooling.

**Yield:** 2-3 dozen pretty, soft, and moist cookies.

Serve these Pink Lemonade Whippersnapper Cookies with strong, hot coffee or glasses of icy-cold milk for a yummy snack.

## Conversion Charts

See Baking Conversion Chart for non-USA baking conversions.
Twin Chocolate Delights

## Book Reference

Blueberry Muffin Murder

**Twin Chocolate Delights** are the third recipe included in Blueberry Muffin Murder. It's based off the *Twin Chocolate Delights* Hannah often makes.

## Ingredients

* 1 cup butter *(2 sticks--melted)*
* 2 1/2 cup white sugar
* 1/2 cup cocoa *(unsweetened, for baking)*
* 2 teaspoons baking soda
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 2 teaspoons vanilla
* 4 beaten eggs *(just whip them up with a fork)*
* 3 cups flour *(no need to sift)*
* 1 cup chopped nuts (*optional--your choice of nut)*
* 2 cups chocolate chips

## Directions

* Preheat oven to 350°F, rack in the middle position.

* Melt butter in large microwave-safe bowl. Add the sugar and mix. Then add the cocoa, soda, salt, and vanilla and stir till smooth. Add the beaten eggs and stir thoroughly. Mix in the flour, the chopped nuts *(if you want to use them)*, and then the chocolate chips.
* Place rounded teaspoons of dough on greased cookie sheet, 12 to a standard sheet. *(They'll flatten out as you bake them.)*
* Bake at 350°F for 10 minutes. Cool on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes, then remove them to a wire rack to complete cooling.

*Mother loves these cookies. If I bake them when she's mad at me, she sweetens right up.*

## Hannah's Note

*Twin Chocolate Delights cookies should freeze well, but I can't swear to that--they never last long enough to try it.*

## Trivia

*Mother loves these cookies. If I bake them when she’s mad at me, she sweetens right up.*

*There twins Don and Shane at the Quick Stop favorite cookies.*

## Conversion Charts

See Baking Conversion Chart for non-USA baking conversions.
Edna's Shortcut Whipped Orange Crème Fraîche

For Sweet Orange Pie

Triple Chocolate Cheesecake Murder

## Ingredients:

* 3 cups Cook Whip *(the original kind)* thawed in the refrigerator
* 1/2 teaspoon orange zest
* 1/2 cup sour cream

## Directions:

* Measure out the 3 cups of thawed Cool Whip and place them in a mixing bowl.
* Sprinkle the half-teaspoon of orange zest over the top of the Cool Whip.
* Measure out the sour cream and add it to the mixing bowl on top of the orange zest.
* Gently fold in the sour cream. You can do this by hand or by using the slowest speed on the mixer. DO NOT OVERMIX!
* Cover your mixing bowl with plastic wrap and keep it in the refrigerator until you are ready to use Edna's Shortcut Whipped Orange Crème Fraiche.

**To Serve:** Place a generous dollop of Edna's Shortcut Whipped Orange Crème Fraiche on each piece of pie that you cut and plate.

See Also Hannah's Whipped Orange Crème Fraiche for Sweet Orange Pie
Lynne Larchmont

## Books

Cherry Cheesecake MurderChocolate Cream Pie Murder

## Bio

An old college friend of Hannah’s that not only changed her name from Linda, she also changed her appearance. When in college she was engaged to Ross Barton, but they never married.

Instead she heads to Hollywood to become a star. Stardom eluded her and so far the best role she had was in the Indy film *Crises in Cherrywood*.

## Chronology by Novel

### Cherry Cheesecake Murder

Lynn is the star of the indy movie, “Crisis in Cherrywood” being filmed in part in Lake Eden

### Chocolate Cream Pie Murder

Lynn and Tom arrive early for the film festival, Tom leaves almost immediately, but first asking Lynn for a divorce. She has dinner with Hannah at the Lake Eden Inn and tells Hannah more about Ross and her relationship.

### Coconut Layer Cake Murder

Lynn makes an offer on Tori’s condo at the Albion Hotel and it was accepted so she is moving to Lake Eden.
Delores and Hannah go to LA to help her pack up and move.

Hannah is called back to Lake Eden to help Lonnie and Delores stays a few more days. Lynne comes back to Lake Eden with Delores.

When Lynn visits KCOW-TV to talk about the upcoming film festival, she discovers that one of the co-anchors, Dee-Dee Hughes, got married and quit without giving notice. They were looking for a new co-anchor and she applied. They immediately do a test run and hire her.
Pretty Coleslaw

Sugar Cookie Murder

*This is what Andrea calls "Green Jell-O." She makes it for special occasions.*

### Directions

* In a large bowl, dissolve Jell-O in boiling water. Let cool slightly. Add mayonnaise, salt, and vinegar. Stir until blended. Then add cold water and refrigerate until mixture is syrupy, but not completely set. *(This will take an hour to an hour and a half.)*
* Spray Jell-O mold(s) with non-stick cooking spray. *(Andrea uses one Bundt cake pan that holds eight cups and one small 2-cup mold.)*
* Beat partially set Jell-O mixture until fluffy. Then mix in the shredded cabbage, diced celery, and diced onion.
* Pour or ladle the mixture into the molds you've chosen and refrigerate them for another 2 hours. Then cover the tops with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least another 4 hours before unmolding.
* To unmold, you have two choices. Andrea sets the molds in the back of her Volvo and drives around town for ten minutes or so to jiggle the Jell-O loose.
	+ This works just fine if you're taking it to a potluck dinner at the Lake Eden Community Center, or to someone's house for dinner. If you're not, you can do what I do...
	+ I pull the Jell-O away from the sides *(and from the funnel in the middle, if you're using the Bundt pan)* by putting the pads of my impeccably clean fingers close to the edge, and pulling back gently. If that hasn't loosened that enough, I go to plan B and partially immerse the mold in warm water for a very few seconds, then pull it out and dry the bottom. I place the serving platter upside down over the top of the Jell-O mold and invert the whole thing at once *(and over the sink, to avoid spills.)*

## Conversion Charts

See Baking Conversion Chart for non-USA baking conversions.
Phil Plotnik

**Son:** Kevin

## Books

* Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder
* Sugar Cookie Murder

## Bio

**Phil Plotnik** is Hannah’s downstairs neighbor at the condo complex. He often reminds Hannah to unplug her truck from the electrical outlet in the garage before driving off in wintertime. Married to Sue Plotnik. They have a young son, Kevin.

## Chronology of Novels

### Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder

* Hannah refers to him as her next-door neighbor and tells him the water will be shut off at their condo complex between 10 and noon as she's leaving for The Cookie Jar and he's returning from his night job at DelRay Manufacturing (around 6:15 a.m.).

## References

1. ↑ Fluke, Joanne. Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder (Hannah Swensen series Book 1) (Chapter 1). Kensington Books. Kindle Edition.
Sammy

**Sammy** is a "Fox Terrier" puppy that Hannah rescues from an accident and asks Lisa Herman to watch him for a little while. But Lisa falls in love with the pup and tells Hannah that she will keep him as Dillon is always with Herb and she wants her own companion.

In Cinnamon Roll Murder Herb takes the puppy to the vet and everything checks out good. Delores buys a crate for Sammy, to be kept at The Cookie Jar and a very large and plus bed. She also buys him a lot of toys, which the girls all have fun playing with initially.
Norman Rhodes/Biography

## Relations

**Mother**: Carrie Rhodes*Father*: *deceased*

## Books

*First appearance*:Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder

**Norman Rhodes** is a character in the *Hannah Swensen Mystery* series*.* He is the son of Carrie Rhodes and is a good friend and object of affection to Hannah.

## Bio

Mother: Carrie Rhodes
Norman is a dentist like his father before him, when his father passed away he took over his clinic in Lake Eden. Prior to that he was working in a dental clinic in Seattle. He moved to Lake Eden about three years prior to the start of the series.

His hobby is photography and develops his own prints. Once digital cameras became available he switched over but still uses traditional photography on occasion.

He brings the resisting Hannah into the twenty-first century when he helps her pick out a computer and sets it up for her as well as buys her a cell phone.

While in college, Norman raced cars for two years, he had started out in the pit crew then moved to driving.

### Personality

As a dentist, he seems to be proud of his work and finds interest in discussing things like "gum disease" - even while in the middle of dinner. He is very kind and gentle, and makes others feel at ease, but at times he shows there is more to him than a slightly awkward dentist. He has an interest in photography and cares deeply for Hannah.

### Appearance

It is mentioned in the books that Norman is older then Hannah, but the exact number is never mentioned.

In Cream Puff Murder he mentions that he goes to the new spa to lap swim several times a week. In a later book he mentions that he works out a few times a week, too.

## Trivia

* Was engaged to Dr. Beverly Thorndike.
* Is a talented photographer, and has his own dark room at his mother's house.
* He also likes to paint pictures of landscapes from looking out of a window.
* Used to race cars and can drive extremely well.
* Worked with Hannah to draw up plans for a "dream house" for a contest in a Minneapolis newspaper. After they won the contest, he bought Rhonda Scharf's aunt's house, knocked it down, and built the exact dream house he and Hannah designed.
* He has a grey tabby cat named Cuddles.

## References

1. ↑ Fluke, Joanne. Sugar Cookie Murder (Hannah Swensen series Book 6) (p. 27). Kensington Books. Kindle Edition.
Mystery Cookies

## Book Reference

Lemon Meringue Pie Murder

**Mystery Cookies** is the sixth recipe featured in Lemon Meringue Pie Murder.

## Ingredients

* 1/2 cup melted butter *(1 stick)*
* 3 1/2 cups white sugar
* 2 beaten eggs *(just whip them up with a fork)*
* 1 can condensed tomato soup *(the regular plain kind, not "Cream of Tomato" or "Tomato with Basil" or anything else fancy--I use Campbell's)*
* 2 teaspoons cinnamon
* 2 teaspoons nutmeg *(if you grind your own, use 1 teaspoon instead of 2)*
* 2 teaspoons baking soda
* 2 teaspoons salt
* 2 cups raisins *(either golden or regular)*
* 2 cups chopped walnuts *(measure after you chop them)*
* 4 1/2 cups flour *(no need to sift)*

## Directions

* Preheat oven to 350°F, with rack in middle position.
* Microwave the butter in your mixing bowl to melt it. Add the sugar, let it cool a bit, and mix in the beaten eggs. Open a can of condensed tomato soup, add that to your mixing bowl, and then mix it all up. Stir in the cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt. Then add the raisins and the walnuts, and stir. Measure the flour and add it in one-cup increments, mixing after each addition.
* Let the dough sit for ten minutes or so. Drop the dough by teaspoons onto a greased or Pammed cookie sheet, 12 to a standard sheet. *(If the dough is too sticky to scoop, you can chill it for a few minutes, or dip your teaspoons into a glass of cold water.)*
* Bake at 350°F for 10 to 12 minutes or until the cookies are golden brown on top. Let them sit on the cookie sheet for a minute or two *(no longer or they'll stick)*, and then transfer them to a wire rack for complete cooling.

Yield: A batch of Mystery Cookies yields about 10 dozen. *(I know that's a lot, but they'll be gone before you know it.)* They're soft and chewy and a real favorite. *(And if you don't tell the kids that they're getting a helping of tomatoes with their cookies, I guarantee they'll never guess.)*

## Conversion Charts

See Baking Conversion Chart for non-USA baking conversions.
Rummy Tum Tum Chocolate Frosting

Blackberry Pie Murder

## Ingredients

* 1/2 cup ***(1 stick, 1/4 pound, 4 ounces)*** salted butter
* 1 cup white ***(granulated)*** sugar
* 1/3 cup rum ***(I used Appleton ’s Rum)***
* 1/2 cup chocolate chips
* 1 teaspoon rum extract ***(or vanilla extract if you can’t find rum extract)***
* 1/2 to 1 cup powdered ***(confectioner’s)** sugar **(I used a total of 3/4 cup)***

## Directions

* Place the butter, sugar, and rum into a medium-size saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. Turn down the heat to medium and cook for two minutes.
* Add the half-cup chocolate chips, stir them in, and remove the saucepan from the heat.
* Stir in the rum extract.
* Let the frosting cool to room temperature. If it hasn’t thickened enough, add enough powdered sugar to bring it to spreading consistency. ***(I started with 1/2 cup powdered sugar, but had to add another 1/4 cup to make my frosting the right consistency.)***
* Frost the cake and don’t forget the inside of the little crater in the middle. That’s an added bonus for frosting lovers.
* Put the whole cake into the refrigerator so that the frosting hardens completely. Cover it loosely with foil if you intend to refrigerate it for more than 2 hours.

**Hannah’s Note: If you would prefer not to use alcohol in this frosting, simply substitute 1/3 cup light cream for the rum.**
Pineapple Delights

## Ingredients

* 2 cups butter ***(4 sticks, one pound—melted)***
* 2 cups brown sugar
* 2 cups white ***(granulated)*** sugar
* 4 eggs—beaten ***(just beat them up in a glass with a fork)***
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 2 teaspoons pineapple extract ***(if you can't find it, you can use vanilla)***
* 4 cups flour
* 2½ cups chopped sweetened dried pineapple ***(measure AFTER chopping—if you can't find pineapple, you can substitute any dried fruit chopped in chocolate chip sized pieces)***
* ½ cup chopped coconut flakes ***(measure AFTER chopping)***
* 3 cups rolled oats ***(uncooked oatmeal—I used Quaker Oats Quick 1-minute in the round paper can that you can save, but you don't know why)***

## Directions

* Preheat oven to 350°F, rack in the middle position.
* Melt the butter in a large microwave-safe bowl ***(About 3 minutes on HIGH.)*** Add the sugars and let it cool a bit. Then add the beaten eggs, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pineapple extract. Mix in the flour. Then add the chopped pineapple, chopped cocnut, and rolled oats, mixing them in thoroughly. The dough will be quite stiff.
* Drop by teaspoon onto a greased cookie sheet, 12 to a sheet. ***(I roll mine in a ball so the cookies turn out nice and round.)***
* Bake at 350°F for 12 to 15 minutes. Cool on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes and then remove them to a wire rack to cool completely.

## Hannah's Note

*These freeze really well if you roll them in foil and put them in a freezer bag.*

## Conversion Charts

See Baking Conversion Chart for non-USA baking conversions.
Quick Stop

## Book Reference

Mentioned in the Novels

**Quick Stop** is the bright red and yellow convenience store in Lake Eden. It is owned by twin brothers Sean and Don. It is frequently mentioned in the Novels. It is located about 5 miles outside of town on the Highway.

It is a stop along the route for long distance busses to pick up and drop off passengers. If someone is traveling they buy their tickets directly from the driver.

*The old wooden building was painted bright red with yellow trim around the windows, and it loomed like a beacon against the banks of snow*.

*The building itself was almost fifty years old, and the twins had spent one whole summer renovating it. They’d added living quarters in the rear, put on a new roof, and painted it inside and out. Their color choices more than made up for the black-and-white Minnesota winter landscape outside the windows. The front counter was bright blue, the shelves were bright yellow, and the inner walls were a brilliant green*.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Fluke, Joanne. Blueberry Muffin Murder (Hannah Swensen series Book 3) (p. 126-127). Kensington Books. Kindle Edition.
Pink Grapefruit Glaze

Chocolate Cream Pie Murder

## Ingredients

* 4 Tablespoons pink grapefruit juice
* 2 cups powdered ***(confectioners')*** sugar

## Directions

* Using an electric mixer, combine the pink grapefruit juice with the powdered sugar.

**Hannah's Note: You can experiment with the amount of juice and the amount of sugar. This glaze is very forgiving. If it's too thick to pour over your cake, add more pink grapefruit juice. If it's too thin to coat the cake when you pour it on the cake, add more powdered sugar and give it a second coat.**

**Lois' Note: The more glaze, the better!**
Raspberry Jam Glaze

Raspberry Danish Murder

## Ingredients

* 1 cup seedless raspberry jam
* ½ teaspoon dry unflavored gelatin ***(I used Knox)***
* ¼ cup cold water

**Hannah's 1st Note: The original glaze was made with jelly, not jam. Jelly does not have pieces of fruit in it. I've modified it so that you can use either jam or jelly, which gives you a wider choices of flavors.**

## Directions

* Measure out one cup of seedless raspberry jam and place it in the bowl of a food processor.
* Process the jam with the steel blade until it is in smooth and completely pureed.
* Put the water in a small bowl and sprinkle the dry, unflavored gelatin over the cold water. Let it stand for 1 minute.
* Stir and let stand another 10 minutes. This will allow it to "bloom."

**Hannah's Note: When gelatin "blooms," it means that soaking the gelatin in liquid will cause it to become tender and dissolve more readily. Both sheet gelatin and dry gelatin granules will usually "bloom" in any liquid.**

* Mix the gelatin and water mixture with the pureed raspberry jam in a small saucepan.
* Cook the mixture over MEDIUM heat until it bubbles, stirring the mixture constantly with a wooden spoon or a heat resistant rubber spatula.
* Pour the Raspberry Jam Glaze over the cooled Almond Custard Pie and refrigerate it until the glaze has set.
Mini Mac Cookies

Devil's Food Cake Murder

## Ingredients

* 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk ***(NOT evaporated milk—I used Eagle Brand)***
* 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 2 seven-ounce packages flaked coconut ***(that’s approx. 5 and 1/3 cups)***
* 2 cups mini chocolate chips ***(12-oz. package—I used Nestle)***

## Directions

* Preheat oven to 325 degrees F., rack in the middle position.
* Prepare your baking sheets. You can use mini size paper baking cups ***(1 and 5/8 inches diagonally, the size that will fit into a mini muffin pan)***, the mini muffin pan without baking cups, or cookie sheets. If you use the baking cups, just set them in the muffin pan. If you use the mini muffin pan without baking cups, spray it with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray and then flour it, OR use baking spray which already contains the flour. If you use cookie sheets, line them with heavy duty foil. Spray the foil with cooking spray and flour it, or simply use a baking spray that contains flour.
* Open the can of sweetened condensed milk and empty the contents into a large mixing bowl. Add the vanilla extract and stir it in.
* Measure out your coconut, chop it a bit finer with your food processor or a knife and stir it into the bowl. ***(It’s easier if you add the coconut a half-cup at a time.)***
* Add your mini chocolate chips to the bowl, stirring them in as thoroughly as you can. ***(The goal here is to get some chocolate chips in every single Mini Mac Cookie.)***
* If you’re using baking cups, drop some cookie dough inside with a teaspoon and press it down lightly with a wet fingertip. ***(This dough is sticky!)*** Since these cookies don’t rise, you can fill the baking cup very close to the top.
* If you’re using mini muffin tins without the baking cups, simply use a teaspoon to fill them up and press down slightly with a wet fingertip. They’ll look best if they’re a little mounded on top.
* If you’re using greased and floured ***(or sprayed with baking spray)*** cookie sheets, drop the dough by teaspoons onto the sheet and press them down slightly with a wet fingertip. Since these cookies don’t spread out, you can get 16 to 20 on each cookie sheet.
* Bake the cookies at 325 degrees F. for 15 to 18 minutes. ***(Mine took 17 minutes.)*** They’re done when the coconut is toasted to a nice golden color on the tops.
* Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheets, in the baking cups, or in the mini muffin pans for 2 minutes. Then remove them to a wire rack to cool completely. If you’re using the baking cups, don’t remove them from the paper. They’re easier to serve that way, and they’ll look much prettier.
* Store the Mini Mac Cookies in layers of wax paper in a box or in a storage container. Make sure the cookies don’t touch each other or they’ll stick together and be difficult to separate. They can be frozen, but again, don’t let the cookies touch each other.
Paul Walters

## Bio

“Matthew’s father had a younger brother and Matthew’s mother had a younger sister. The two younger siblings met at their wedding and got married a year later.”
The younger pair were Paul’s parents. The mother died of cancer about 6 years before the book and his father died the year before the book.
He was two years younger than Matthew.
He got in trouble with the law and served time in Iowa, but was released after five years due to overcrowding.

## Chronology by Novel

### Devil's Food Cake Murder

Paul and a partner were the ones that stole the Jewels from a Minneapolis home. When they needed to stash them in a safe place, they flew to St. Louis with the intention of hiding them somewhere in with Matthew’s stuff, but when they arrived Matthew was leaving on his sabbatical. Paul overheard his plans and when he wasn’t around stashed the jewels in a box of books in the trunk of his car.
Before Paul could retrieve them once Matthew arrived in Lake Eden he hid them and wouldn’t tell Paul where they were when confronted.
Ronni Ward

## Books

* Cherry Cheesecake Murder
* Carrot Cake Murder
* Cream Puff Murder

**Ronni Ward** is a side character mentioned in "Hannah Swensen Mystery" series

## Bio

Real name: Veronica Alice Ward
Blonde hair,
(5’3’’) sixty-three inches in height, (112) one hundred and eleven pounds, fourteen ounces in weight.
Physical Fitness Instructor
Mentioned frequently in the series, doesn’t have a role until Cream Puff Murder.

She won the title of Miss Bikini at Eden Lake, three years in a row.

## Chronology by Novel

### Cherry Cheesecake Murder

Ronni attends the Police Physical fitness seminar in Fl with Sheriff Tdd and Todd is upset over it.
But while Ronni is away she meets another physical fitness instructor, Wade Hoffman, and they become engaged. She moves to Elk River and they open a fitness center.

### Carrot Cake Murder

Ronnie’s broke up with her fiancé and has returned to Lake Eden and her job as fitness trainer at the Sheriff’s department.
She is seen out with Mike and he frequently mentions her to Hannah.

### Cream Puff Murder

The night that Wade Hoffman is in a car accident that hospitalizes him, Ronni is murdered while at the “Heavenly Bodies” fitness center at the Tri-County Mall. It was her birthday celebration and she was drinking heavily.

When she is murdered, the Sheriff and three of his detectives have to excuse themselves from the investigation, so Sheriff Todd sends for a detective from Minneapolis, Stella Parks.

Frank Hurley murders Ronni because she was toying with his nephew, Tad Newberg.
Orange Crisps or Chocolate Crisps

Blackberry Pie Murder

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

* 2 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour ***(pack it down in the cup when you measure it)***
* 1 cup chopped nuts ***(measure AFTER chopping--any nut you like will do--I used walnuts)***
* Zest from one orange ***(zest is the finely grated orange part of the peel)***
* 2 cups GROUND dry oatmeal ***(measure BEFORE grinding--I used Quaker's Quick 1-Minute and zooped it up in my food processor with the steel blade)***

### Directions

* Melt the butter in a large microwave-safe bowl on HIGH for one minute. Let it sit for a few seconds and then stir it to see if it's melted. If the butter has not melted, heat it again in increments of 20 seconds until it melted.
* Let the butter cool to room temperature.
* Add the white sugar to the butter and beat until the mixture is thoroughly incorporated.
* Mix in the vanilla extract, salt, and baking soda. Mix well.
* Stir in the beaten eggs.
* Add the flour in half-cup increments, mixing after each addition.
* Mix in the chopped nuts. Try to distribute them evenly. You want some in each cookie.\*
* Add the zest from one orange and mix it in thoroughly.
* If you haven't already done so, measure your oatmeal and grind it with a food grinder, or in a food processor with the steel blade until it's the consistency of coarse sand.
* Add the ground oatmeal to your bowl and mix it in. ***(If you're not using an electric mixer, this will take a little muscle since the resulting dough will be fairly stiff.)***
* Roll walnut-sized dough balls with your hands and place them on a cookie sheet sprayed with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray, 12 cookie balls to a standard sheet. You can also line your cookie sheets with parchment paper and spray that if you'd prefer.
* If your dough is too sticky to roll, place the bowl in the refrigerator for thirty minutes and then try again.
* Once the dough balls are on the cookie sheet, press them down with the tines of a fork in a crisscross pattern ***(the way you'd do with peanut butter cookies.)***
* Bake at 375 degrees F for 10 minutes. Cool the cookies on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes and then remove them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Yield: 6 to 7 dozen delicious cookies, depending on cookie size.

## Chocolate Orange Crisps

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

* Follow the instructions for Orange Crisps **EXCEPT**:
* Reduce the cup of chopped nuts to one-half cup of chopped nuts.
* Add one cup of miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips ***(a 6-ounce bag)*** right after you mix in the chopped nuts. Then proceed as directed.\*

Yield: 7 to 8 dozen delicious cookies that Delores adores.
French Baked Brie with Bread Knots

Chocolate Cream Pie Murder

## Ingredients

* 2 small rounds ***(approximately 4 inches in diameter)*** of ripe Brie ***(I used President soft ripened Brie)***
* 4 teaspoons Herbs Provencal
* 1 roll of refrigerated unbaked French bread ***(I used Pillsbury in the blue foil package)***
* 2 ounces ***(½ stick)*** salted butter

## Directions

* Preheat oven to 375°F rack in the middle position.
* Prepare two 9-inch pie pans by spraying them with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray, or covering the bottoms with a round of parchment paper cut to fit and then sprayed with nonstick baking spray.
* Unwrap the Brie and use a sharp knife dipped in water to cut/peel off the top rind. ***(This is easier if you use a knife with a long, flat blade and keep rinsing it off in water.)***
* When the top rinds have been removed, sprinkle the top of each Brie with 1 teaspoon of Herbs Provencal.
* Place your herbed Brie rounds in the center of the prepared pie pans, herbed side up.
* Open the can of unbaked French bread and use a sharp knife to cut it into pieces that you can shape into 1-inch balls.
* Roll the pieces into balls and place them on a piece of wax paper on the counter.
* Place the salted butter in a shallow, microwave-safe bowl.
* Heat the butter on HIGH in the microwave for 20 seconds to melt it. If the butter isn't completely melted, heat it in additional 20-second intervals until it is.
* The bowl may be hot, so use pot holders to remove it from the microwave and place it on a folded towel next to the pie pans with the herb Brie rounds.
* Using tongs, dip each bread dough ball into the melted butter and place the balls around the bases of the Brie rounds. ***(It's okay if they touch each other.)*** Work until the Brie rounds are ringed with circles of bread dough balls.
* Sprinkle the remaining 2 teaspoons of Herbs Provencal over the tops of the bread dough balls.
* Bake your Brie at 375°F for 20 to 25 minutes or until the bread dough balls have turned a nice golden brown.
* Let your French Baked Brie with Break Knots cool in the pans for 5 minutes. Then remove them using a large flat metal spatula and place them on a serving platter.

Yield: 2 delicious appetizers that will serve 8 to 10 guests.
Tracey Todd

## Relations

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

**Sister**: Bethany Todd

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

## Books

at least mentioned in All Novels

**Tracey Todd** is the oldest daughter of Andrea and Bill Todd and niece of Hannah and Michelle Swensen. Delores Swensen is her grandmother.

## Bio

Tracey is very precocious who taught herself to read after an initial lesson. For her age she is very articulate and knowledgeable. Her Aunt Hannah is teaching her how to cook and bake.

### Personality

As a four year old, Tracey is full of curiosity and questions- testing her mothers patience. She wants to be seen as helpful and respected, and shows a surprisingly mature side at times, such as how she wrote an elegant letter to Santa, and how she could easily see a corpse with no problems afterwards. She is said to become hyper if she gets chocolate..

### Appearance

She shares her mother's blonde hair, blue eyes and petite frame.

## Chronology by Novel

### Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder

Tracey was thrust upon Hannah's care early on in the book while Andrea was off to work. She was the one to see Ron LaSalle earlier that morning and point out his truck was in the alleyway. When Hannah realized he was dead and called the police and ambulance, Tracey witnessed this- going on to reveal what she saw to her classmates and teacher.

### Sugar Cookie Murder

A few hours before her mother goes into labor, Tracey talked to Hannah about becoming a big sister.

### Cherry Cheesecake Murder

When the filming of an Indy movie comes to Lake Eden, Tracey is cast as the star, Lynne Larchmont when she was a child.

### Key Lime Pie Murder

Tracey and her mother, Andrea are entered into a Mother-Daughter look-a-like contest at the Tri-County Fair. A contest that they win.

### Double Fudge Brownie Murder

Tracey accompanies Hannah to upgrade her ancient cellphone, which Tracey compares to a Brachiosaurus, a plant eating dinosaur. Tracey also attends Hannah's dinner gathering to welcome Ross Barton into town, which he is visiting for an interview.

## Trivia

* Tracey was born in the hallmark murder she baked Peach Cobbler Murder
Pie Eating Contest and Bake Sale

## Description

Michelle organizes a fund raiser for the Players since they are broke.

**Bake Sale and Pie Eating Contest, held at Jordan High School**

## Pie Eating Contest

Who can eat the most pie in 90 seconds. The pies are crustless Hannah's Banana Cream Pie and the winner wins a real pie from Hannah. KCOW (Ross) is filming the contest.
Edna Ferguson is the Announcer, due to her amazing ability to handle the rowdy children that go through the lunch room.

There are 3 contestants that will use a very large red serving spoon.

* Mayor Richard Bascomb had eaten his first pie, and had started in on the second.
* Al Percy had almost finished his first pie, but his second was untouched.
* Rose McDermott had gotten more pie on her cape than she had in her mouth.

"*It’s clear to me, and the other two judges agree, that my husband, the mayor, won this pie eating contest*.” Stephanie paused and smiled sweetly, directly at Ross’s camera. “*I always said that Richard had a big mouth*!”

The judges will inspect the pies to see who had eat the most out of them.

* Stephanie Bascomb
* Ken Purvis
* Sheriff Todd

The community really got behind the Players for the fund raising,

* Edna Feurgson is making and selling coffee or tea.
* Florence at the Red Owl Grocery Store donated the coffee, tea and other supplies for Edna.
* Freddy Sawyer came in very early and set up all of the tables.

“*You’re a real wonder, Edna*!” Michelle complimented the older woman.
“*I’m not a wonder. I’m just a pro. I’ve been doing this sort of thing for years*.”

## Bake Sale

The players and their parents along with The Cookie Jar really contributed a lot of baked goods and the community members purchased them.

## References

1. ↑ Fluke, Joanne. Banana Cream Pie Murder (A Hannah Swensen Mystery Book 20) (p. 350). Kensington Books. Kindle Edition.
2. ↑ Fluke, Joanne. Banana Cream Pie Murder (A Hannah Swensen Mystery Book 20) (p. 342). Kensington Books. Kindle Edition.
Pork and Beans Bread

Plum Pudding Murder

## Ingredients Ingredients-Doubled

* 15-ounce can of pork and beans ***(I used Van Camp's)*** **30 oz, or two 15 oz. cans of pork n' beans**
* 4 eggs, beaten ***(just whip them in a glass with a fork)*** **8 eggs, beaten**
* 1 cup vegetable oil ***(not canola, not olive—use vegetable oil)*** **2 cups vegetable oil**
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract **2 tsp. vanilla extract**
* 2 cups white ***(granulated)*** sugar **4 c. white sugar**
* 1 teaspoon baking soda **2 tsp. baking soda**
* ½ teaspoon baking powder **1 tsp. baking powder**
* ½ teaspoon salt **1 tsp. salt**
* 1 and ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon **3 tsp. (1 Tbsp.) ground cinnamon**
* 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts ***(measure after chopping)* 2 c. chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)**
* 3 cups all-purpose flour ***(pack it down in the cup when you measure it)*** **6 c. all-purpose flour (packed down)**

## Directions

* Preheat oven to 350°F, rack in the middle position.
* Prepare your pans. Spray two 9-inch by 5-inch by 3-inch-deep loaf pans with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray.
* Don't drain the pork and beans. Pour them into a food processor or a blender, juice and all, and process them until they're pureed smooth with no lumps.
* Place the beaten eggs in a large mixing bowl. Stir in the pureed pork and beans and mix them in well.
* Add the vegetable oil and the vanilla extract. Mix well.
* Add the sugar and mix it in. Then mix in the baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Stir until everything is incorporated.
* Stir in the chopped nuts.
* Add the flour in one-cup increments, stirring after each addition.
* Spoon half of the batter into one loaf pan and the other half of the batter into the second loaf pan.
* Bake at 350°F for 50 or 60 minutes. Test the bread with a long food pick inserted in the center. If it comes out sticky, the bread needs to bake a bit more. If it comes out dry, remove the pans from the oven and place them on a wire rack to cool for 20 minutes.
* Run the sharp blade of a knife around the inside of all four sides of the pan to loosen the bread, and then tip it out onto the wire rack.
* Cool the bread completely, and then wrap it in plastic wrap. At this point the bread can be frozen in a freezer bag for up to 3 months.

**Hannah and Lisa's Note: If you don't tell anyone the name of this bread, they probably won't ever guess it's made with pork and beans.**
Savory Tortilla Cups

Chocolate Cream Pie Murder

## Ingredients

* 1 bottle Italian dressing ***(I used Kraft)***
* 1 can finely grated Parmesan cheese ***(I used Kraft in the green foil can)***
* 12 ten-inch flour tortillas

## Directions

* Preheat oven to 350°F, rack in the middle position.
* Spray the inside of the 12 regular-size muffin cans with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray.

**Hannah's 1st Note: Usually muffin pans have 12 cups in them. You can also use 2 muffin pans with 6 cups in them.**

**Hannah's 2nd Note: I've filled these baked Tortilla Cups with mixed vegetables, rice, or beans. Just don't try to fill them with something that's too wet or the cups will get soggy.**

* Place the Italian dressing in a shallow bowl that's larger than the size of the tortillas.
* Place the finely grated Parmesan cheese in another shallow bowl in a bit larger than the size of your tortillas.
* Using tongs, dip one tortilla in the bowl with the Italian dressing. Then flip it over so that both sides are coated with the dressing.
* Again using tongs, remove the tortilla from the bowl with the dressing and lay it flat in the bowl with the finely grated Parmesan cheese.
* Flip the tortilla over so that both sides are coated with the cheese.
* With impeccably clean fingers, place the center of the coated tortilla in one of the muffin cups, pressing it down to the bottom.
* Once the bottom is flat, press the tortilla cup against the sides of the muffin cup. Your object is to form a tortilla cup that lines the inside of the indentation.
* Bake your Savory Tortilla Cups at 350°F for 8 to 10 minutes or until they are beginning to brown slightly.
* Take the muffin tin out of the oven and set it on a cold stove burner for 10 to 15 minutes or until the muffin tin and its contents are cool to the touch.

**Hannah's 3rd Note: Letting the Savory Tortilla Cups cool in the pan will firm them up so that they will maintain their cup shape when you remove them.**

* Flip the muffin tin over on a wire rack. The Tortilla Cups should tip right out. Since they're now upside down on the rack, flip them over, place them on a platter, and fill them with contents of your choice.

**Michelle's Note: I'm going to use these Savory Tortilla Cups for potato salad, chicken salad, and tuna salad.**
Ibby's Metaphysical English Toffee

## Book Reference

Candy for Christmas

**Ibby's Metaphysical English Toffee** is the third recipe featured in Candy for Christmas.

## Ingredients

* 16-ounce box Club Crackers\*\*\* *(Mine were made by Keebler)*
	+ \*\*\* *There are three packets in a 16-ounce box of Club Crackers. You'll use only one packet. You can buy a smaller box if you can find it, but you can always use extra crackers, right? If you can't find Club Crackers at your store, you can use any brand of salted soda crackers. Your goal is to cover the bottom of the pan as completely as you can with something both crispy and salty.*
* 1 cup butter *(2 sticks, 1/2 pound)*
* 1 cup brown sugar *(tightly packed)*
* 2 cups milk chocolate chips *(12-ounce bag)*
* 2 cups chopped pecans *(salted or unsalted, it really doesn't matter)*

## Directions

* Preheat oven to 350 degrees, rack in the middle position.
* Line a 10-inch by 15-inch cookie sheet with foil. If you have a jellyroll pan, that's perfect. If you don't, turn up the edges of the foil to form sides.
* Spray the foil with Pam or other nonstick cooking spray. *(You want to be able to peel it off later, after the candy hardens.)*
* Line the pan completely with Club Crackers, salt side up. Cover the whole bottom. *(You can break the crackers in pieces to make them fit if you have to.)* Set the cracker-lined jellyroll pan or cookie sheet aside while you cook the toffee mixture. **[1]**
* Combine the butter with the brown sugar in a saucepan. Bring it to a boil over medium high heat on the stovetop, stirring constantly. Boil it for exactly five minutes, stirring it constantly. If it sputters too much, you can reduce the heat. If it starts to lose the boil, you can increase the heat. Just don't stop stirring.
* Pour the mixture over the crackers as evenly as you can. **[2]**
* Slide the pan into the oven and bake the toffee at mutes. 350 degrees F. for 10 minutes.
* Remove the pan from the oven and sprinkle the milk chocolate chips over the top. Give the chips a minute or two to melt and then spread them out as evenly as you can with a heat-resistant spatula, a wooden paddle, or a frosting knife.
* Sprinkle the chopped pecans over the top of the chocolate and refrigerate the pan.
* When the toffee has thoroughly chilled, peel it from the foil and break it into random-sized pieces. **[3]**

## Hannah's Notes

[1] **You don't need a candy thermometer to make this candy.**

[2] **I start by pouring the mixture in lines from top to bottom over the length of the pan. Then I turn it and pour more lines over the width of the pan. Once the whole pan is crosshatched pour with the hot toffee mixture, I pour any that's left where it's needed. If it doesn't cover the crackers completely, don't worry—it'll spread out quite a bit in the oven.**

[3] **Ibby used her toffee as a reward for high quiz scores. Once you taste it, you'll know why I can still recite at least one stanza from each of the Metaphysical Poets.**

## Conversion Charts

See Baking Conversion Chart for non-USA baking conversions.