Welcome Tina Swayzee McCright to Food, Fiction, and Foolishness! She is a fellow Kindle Scout Winner. Her Gingerbread cookie recipe looks delicious. I can almost smell them baking!! Be sure and follow her on social media and check out her website…and of course, if you love cozy mysteries—BUY  her book!! And always remember to post a review for the books you love. I hope Tina doesn’t mind the cartoon I added at the end of this post. I thought it was funny and tied right in with her excerpt!

FOOD

Gingerbread cookie man in a hot cup  of cappuccino

Andi’s Gingerbread Cookies
Featured in Euphoria Lane

Cookie Batter Ingredients:
½ cup butter, softened
1 tsp. ground allspice
1 tbsp. sour cream
1 tsp. ground cloves
½ cup brown sugar
1 tsp. ground ginger
2/3 cup molasses
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 eggs
½ tsp. baking soda
4 cups flour, divided*
½ tsp. salt
*Set aside ¼ cup of the 4 cups of flour for lightly flouring rolling surface.

Gingerbread Man cookie cutter

Frosting Ingredients:
1 pound of confectioners’ sugar
½ tsp. cream of tartar
3 egg whites

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, sour cream, and brown sugar until smooth. Stir in molasses and eggs. Combine 2 cups of flour with the allspice, cloves, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Gradually beat the dry flour/spice mixture into the wet mixture. Continue to gradually beat in the remaining 1 ½ cups of flour to form a stiff dough.

Use remaining ¼ cup of flour to lightly flour working surface. Roll out dough with rolling pin until dough is 1/8 inch thick. Cut with gingerbread man cookie cutter.
Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes. Allow cookies to cool 5 or more minutes before transferring
cookies to wire racks to finish cooling.

While cooling, make frosting. In a medium bowl, sift together confectioners’ sugar
and cream of tartar. Blend in the three egg whites. Beat with mixer on high speed until mixture is stiff. Add food coloring if desired.

Cookies can be decorated with candy, sprinkles, etc. Either cute or ghastly. Miniature candy canes can be broken and filed down to create stick pins to stab cookies with.

FICTION

A Kindle Scout Winner!

How far will one person go to stop the HOA?
Andi Stevenson knew her life would never be same after purchasing her new condo on Euphoria Lane. On day one, she finds the body of the Homeowners’ Association president. Day two, she discovers the property manager is her former fiancé. Day three, the new president begins his campaign of violation letters to force her to move. Day four, her sister, the owner of a detective agency, needs her help with the investigation of the murder. And day five, a full- scale neighborhood war!

Available on Amazon and in KU!
https://www.tinyurl.com/y8cnculy

Follow Tina:
BookBub https://www.bookbub.com/authors/tina-swayzee-mccright
Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Tina-Swayzee-McCright/e/B00BAKKOAU
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/AuthorTinaMcCright/
Twitter https://www.twitter.com/TinaMcCright
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/suspensebytina/
Website https://www.BooksbyTina.com

FOOLISHNESS

Margarita Water Aerobics
Excerpt from Euphoria Lane

Following Andi’s lead, he peered through the slits as well. A group of women with their backs to him jumped up and down in the water. Many wore neon pink bathing suits that drew attention to their aging bodies. The purple flowers on their bathing caps swayed to the music and waves of water splashed over the sides onto the cool decking. The music slowed, and the women bobbed.
Valerie stood in the shallow end, facing them. The string bikini she wore barely contained her figure. “Great job, ladies! It’s time to cool down, but keep moving. Right foot, kick. Take a sip.” With great flare, she brought a crystal glass filled with a red concoction to her lips. She swallowed and continued. “Left foot, kick. Take a sip.”
The other women scrambled for the plastic margarita glasses lining the pool’s edge, just out of reach of the splashing water. They held their drinks high while bouncing back to their exercise area in the center.
They chanted together, “Right foot, kick. Take a sip. Left foot, kick. Take a sip.”
Luke’s jaw dropped.
Since when had water aerobics become a drinking game?

Image from https://www.hamptonroadshappyhour.com

This lady looks like she could be friends with the ladies in the water aerobics class!!