Coming in January 2024 . . .
Raise a glass for St. Paddy’s Day but keep a shamrock handy because some of these minty milkshakes are made with murder!
IRISH MILKSHAKE MURDER by CARLENE O’CONNOR
In advance of their St. Patrick’s Day wedding, Tara Meehan and Danny O’Donnell are off to the Aran Islands with their bridesmaids and groomsmen for a joint hen and stag party. The weekend kicks off with the ferry trip to Inis Mór, as the passengers enjoy boozy milkshakes on board and entertainment from a pair of famous Irish-dancing twin brothers. But faster than Tara can say “Oh, Danny Boy,” a murder shamrocks the boat as someone’s spiked shake turns out to be their final round. Stuck in a rural island cottage, while a storm rages outside, Tara must find the Celtic killer before her luck runs out . . .
MURDER MOST IRISH by PEGGY EHRHART
St. Patrick’s Day is drawing near in Arborville, New Jersey and the folks at Hyler’s Luncheonette are getting into the holiday spirit with a new, limited-time, Irish-themed menu item–a festive green milkshake appropriately named, “The Leprechaun.” It’s a hit, until a patron is felled by one of the frothy concoctions during a sheep parade through the town. Now, it’s up to Pamela Paterson and her Knit & Nibble knitting club pal, Bettina Fraser, to catch a murderer and put a stop to the sheer madness . . .
MRS. CLAUS AND THE LUCKLESS LEPRECHAUN by LIZ IRELAND
Spring in Santaland means two things: the elves have more leisure time and iceball season is in full swing! To celebrate, April Claus’s friend, Claire, whips up some minty milkshakes for her bustling ice cream shop, Santaland Scoop. But when the St. Paddy’s promotion makes one elf the target of a decidedly unlucky strike, Mrs. Claus and her friends must figure out if the attack was a failed hit job, a crime of passion, or an extremely unfortunate accident . . .
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KNIT
Knitted Potholder
A knitted potholder is a fun project that goes quickly and isn’t too difficult. Directions for making the knitted potholder are included at the end of Murder Most Irish, the second novella in Irish Milkshake Murder.
I used bright green yarn as a nod to St. Patrick’s Day.
In progress . . .
When your piece of knitting makes a triangle folded on the diagonal, you have a perfect square and it’s time to cast off.
I had some green felt so that’s what I used, but the felt is hidden inside and doesn’t have to match the yarn. I cut two pieces, but as it turned out I only needed one to insulate my potholder because my yarn was quite thick.
Making sure the sides, bottoms, and tops of the knitted squares are aligned . . . (One square will then go on top of the other with the felt sandwiched between.)
Tacking the felt to one of the knitted squares . . .
Use your tails left from casting on and off to sew the two sides of your potholder together.
If the tails aren’t long enough, tie on a strand of yarn from your skein. Tuck the little tail inside the potholder before you sew up the seam.
Alternatively, you can hide your tails. Stitch half an inch or so into a seam, pull the yarn through, and cut off the small tail that remains.
Crocheting the chain that will become the loop for hanging the potholder . . .
The loop attached . . .
Ready for use!
NIBBLE
Irish Coffee Mallow
In Murder Most Irish Wilfred Fraser invents a special dessert for his St. Patrick’s Day Eve meal. It’s a twist on an old-fashioned recipe involving marshmallows and coffee, but he adds Irish whiskey. The alcohol in the whiskey evaporates, but the distinctive flavor remains. The recipe for Irish Coffee Mallow is included at the end of Murder Most Irish, the second novella in Irish Milkshake Murder.
The ingredients are simple.
Melting the marshmallows into the coffee . . . going, going, gone!
Whipped cream at soft peaks stage . . .
The filled dessert dishes are easier to handle if you arrange them on a small tray before refrigerating them.
Here’s the finished mallow served with a shortcut version of Pamela’s shamrock cookies. (See BONUS NIBBLE below.)
BONUS NIBBLE
In Murder Most Irish, Pamela gets out her collection of vintage cookie cutters and makes a batch of cookies shaped like shamrocks and four-leaf clovers to serve the Knit and Nibble knitting group. She mixes up a special shortbread dough for her project, but ready-made cookie dough from the refrigerator section of the supermarket works just as well. This dough is designed to slice and bake, but if you let it get a bit soft at room temperature and then knead in 1/4 cup of flour it’s quite possible to roll it out and cut shapes with cookie cutters.
Here’s a plate of the cookies that I created using the ready-made dough. I sprinkled green-tinted sugar on top and patted it into the dough before baking for a special St. Patrick’s Day touch. If you look closely, you will see that some cookies are shamrocks, with three leaves, and some are four-leaf clovers.
