Sweet Revenge (Cocoa Narel Chocolate Shop Mysteries Book 1) (16 page)

Yet has Amelia jumped out of the frying pan into the fire? The store is a cake store, and her aunt was a witch. To add to the mix, the house has secrets all of its own.

When a man is murdered in the cake store, will Amelia be able to cook up a way to solve the crime? Will her spells prove as bad as her baking?

A Ghost of a Chance
(Witch Woods Funeral Home Book 1)

Nobody knows that Laurel Bay can see and talk to ghosts. When she inherits a funeral home, she is forced to return from the city to the small town of Witch Woods to breathe life into the business. It is a grave responsibility, but Laurel is determined that this will be no dead-end job.

There she has to contend with her manipulative and overly religious mother, more than one ghost, and a secretive but handsome accountant.

When the murder of a local woman in the funeral home strangles the finances, can Laurel solve the murder?

Or will this be the death of her business?

Christmas Spirit
(The Middle-aged Ghost Whisperer Book 1)

Prudence Wallflower tours the country, making live appearances. She connects people with loved ones who have passed on. However, her reputation as a psychic medium is failing, and even Prudence has begun to doubt herself. She has never seen a ghost, but receives impressions from the dead. This all changes when the ghost of a detective appears to her and demands her help to solve a murder. Prudence finds herself out of her depth, and to make matters worse, she is more attracted to this ghost than any man she has ever met.

About the Author

#1 Best-selling Cozy Mystery author, Morgana Best, lives in a small, historic, former gold mining town in the middle of nowhere in Australia. She is owned by one highly demanding, rescued cat who is half Chinchilla, and two less demanding dogs, a chocolate Labrador and a rescued Dingo, as well as two rescued Dorper sheep, the ram, Herbert, and his wether friend, Bertie.

Morgana is a former college professor who now writes full time.

In her spare time, Morgana loves to read cozy mysteries, repurpose furniture, and renovate her old house.

A Note from the Author

Thank you for reading this book. I hope you enjoyed it.

All my books are edited by two separate editing firms, but no one is infallible. If you happen to find a typo, please email me at morganabest (at) outlook (dot) com. Thank you!

Recipes

Chocolate Cherry Slice

My grandmother’s own recipe

Ingredients

13 ounces (375g) dark cooking chocolate
4 1/2 ounces (125g) crystallized cherries
4 1/2 ounces (125g) crystallized ginger
1/2 cup superfine sugar
1/3 cup shredded coconut
1 egg
Method
.
Line a 7x11 inch (18 x 28 cm) tin with baking paper.

Roughly chop chocolate and place in a bowl over hot water. Stir occasionally until chocolate has melted. Pour melted chocolate into prepared tin and spread evenly. Set aside.

Place whole cherries, ginger, caster sugar, coconut, and egg in a food processor and process until fruit is roughly chopped and ingredients are combined (about 10 seconds).

Spoon over the chocolate base and smooth the top. Bake in a moderate oven (375 Fahrenheit = 190 Celsius) for 15 minutes. Chill in the fridge.

When chilled, cut into squares and serve.

Dairy-Free Low-fat Chocolate Ice-cream: 2 ingredients and No Churn!

I serve.

Ingredients
.

3 frozen bananas.

1 heaped tablespoon raw cacao powder.

Method
.

Put in blender.

Blend and serve immediately.

If you do not have a good blender, chill the bananas instead of freezing.

Note: If you wish to freeze this to eat later, add 1/2 cup blended cashews and 1/2 cup blended, pitted Medjool dates. This will give the mixture an ice-cream texture when frozen, but will also give it a caramel flavor and thick texture.

Grate dairy free chocolate and place over the top, or garnish with fruit - or both!

Chocolate cake (simple)

My mother’s recipe

Ingredients
.

4 1/2 ounces (125 gr) butter

3/4 cup sugar

4 drops vanilla essence

2 eggs

2 cups self raising flour

3/4 cup milk

4 level tablespoons cocoa

Method
.

Grease and lightly flour two 7 inch (18 cm) shallow cake pans and set aside.

Cream butter and sugar

Beat eggs and add gradually

Add sifted flour to which the cocoa has been added alternately with the milk

Spread into prepared pans

Cook in a moderate oven (350-375 Fahrenheit = 180-190 degrees Celsius) for 30-35 mins

Place on cooling rack for 5-10 mins before turning out to cool.

Filling
.

Beat thickened cream to which you have added a few drops of vanilla and place between cakes.

Chocolate Fudge Frosting
.

3 1/4 oz (90 grams) chopped butter

1/2 cup (3 3/4 oz =110 grams) superfine sugar

1/2 cups (8 1/2 0z = 240 gr) confectionary (icing) sugar

1/3 cup (1 1/4 oz = 35 gr) cocoa powder

1/3 cup (2 3/4 fl oz = 80 mls) water

Combine butter, water, and sugar in small saucepan. Stir over low heat without boiling until the sugar dissolves.

Sift confectionary sugar and superfine sugar into a small bowl, and then gradually stir in hot butter mixture.

Cover and refrigerate for 20 mins or until frosting thickens.

Beat with wooden spoon until spreadable.

Spread on top of chocolate cake.

Decorate with fresh raspberries and chocolate curls.