Recipe: Magic Springs’s Easy Apple Pie by Lynn Cahoon

About The Book:

In the first in New York Times bestselling author Lynn Cahoon’s Kitchen Witch series, Mia Malone is starting over in Magic Springs, Idaho—where murder is on the menu . . .

What’s a kitchen witch to do when her almost-fiancé leaves her suddenly single and unemployed? For Mia Malone, the answer’s simple: move to her grandmother’s quirky Idaho hometown, where magic is an open secret and witches and warlocks are (mostly) welcome. With a new gourmet dinner delivery business—and a touch of magic in her recipes—Mia’s hopes are high. Even when her ex’s little sister, Christina, arrives looking for a place to stay, Mia takes it in stride.

But her first catering job takes a distasteful turn when her client’s body is found, stabbed and stuffed under the head table. Mia’s shocked to learn that she’s a suspect—and even more so when she realizes she’s next on a killer’s list. With Christina, along with Mia’s meddling grandma, in the mix, she’ll have to find out which of the town’s eccentric residents has an appetite for murder…before this fresh start comes to a sticky end. . . .

Includes Recipes!

Book Links: Amazon / B&N / Bookshop /
Google Play

In the quaint town of Magic Springs, Idaho, kitchen witch Mia Malone’s magic is different than what normal people think when one thinks of a witch. Her magic is more about food, healing, and throwing spells for happiness—which is why this Easy Apple Pie is so magically delicious!

Pastry:

2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
2⁄3 cup shortening (I use butter)
4–6 Tbsp cold water

Mix the salt into the flour. If you use butter, use right out of the fridge and cut into squares. Fork the butter into the flour until you don’t see any butter and it’s all crumbling. Once you do that, dribble the water into the mix until you can hand mix it into a ball. Divide these into two balls and wrap in plastic. Then refrigerate for at least 45 minutes. Roll out the bottom pastry and fit into a pie plate.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Filling:

Peel, core, and slice 6–8 tart apples (Granny Smiths are great)

In a bowl mix the following dry ingredients:

3⁄4 cup sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1⁄2 cup flour

Put the apple slices into a large bowl, then sprinkle with 1 Tbsp lemon juice. Then add dry ingredients and stir well to coat the apple slices. Pour into the bottom pie shell. Top with 1 Tbsp of butter.

Roll out the second ball of pastry into a circle. Cut a design into the middle of the circle to allow steam to vent (I like a stem and leaves). Put top circle on pie and seal the edges with a crimping motion. Sprinkle top of crust with sugar or brush with an egg white. Bake 35–40 minutes until filling bubbles inside the crust.

Serve at room temperature with ice cream or warm with a slice of sharp cheddar cheese.

Mia Malone is starting over in Magic Springs, Idaho—where murder is on the menu . . . in #OnePoisonPie (Kitchen Witch Mysteries) by @LynnCahoon #NetGalley
Tweet

It is always fun to have a Lynn Cahoon book on the blog. One Poison Pie is the first in series story of Mia Malone. As the story progresses we discover that she had left her cheating fiancee in Boise and moved to her family’s hometown of Magic Springs to make a fresh start. Just the name makes it sound like a wonderful place before we even get to know anything about it. It is a classic small town located in the mountains of central Idaho. Description of the area makes me yearn for snow despite the two feet of it outside my window. Her grandmother has helped her to procure an old schoolhouse with a bit of a past. Her plan is to restore it and open a cooking school along with a catering kitchen. Everything is going mostly smoothly when her first client, a longtime friend of her Gran’s, ends up dead and Mia is the prime suspect.

The author has done a wonderful job of introducing the characters that will make up the core MC’s moving forward, including a plucky sidekick and a love interest. Gran, I do believe will be my favorite character. She is the perfect mix of spunk and decorum, plus she’s a little bit nosey. We all know granddaughters cannot be trusted to find the right guy. ::wink wink:: The secondary cast is fun and vibrant and they have a secret or two hanging around. In addition to the murder mystery there a couple of other side questions that need answering; Where does her cat keep disappearing to? Why is her Ex really in town? What lengths would the aggressive real estate developer actually go to to get what he wants? Why does the detective seem to be out to get her young sous chef?

It is a solid start for what I believe will be a fantastic series. I am really looking forward to learning more about the witches in the area and how “Kitchen” magic differs from traditional witchcraft.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

About The Author:

Lynn Cahoon is the author of the NYT and USA Today best-selling Tourist Trap cozy mystery series. She also pens the Cat Latimer series, the Farm to Fork series, and the Kitchen Witch series. Small town setting, big time fun with a bit of murder to keep it interesting. Romance novels are published under the pen name, Lynn Collins. She lives in a small river town like Mark Twain with her husband and three fur kids..