The search for 'Clues to Good Cooking' continues!

The Recipes:

• Lilac Inn Consomme
• Detective Burgers
• Old Album Meatballs
• Togo Dogs
• Mysterious Letter Chili
• Tolling Bell Tuna Rolls
• A Keene Soup
• Muskoka Salmon Salad
• Burt's Pizza
• Souffle Gruen
• Bungalow Mystery Salad
• Hidden Staircase Biscuits
• Bess's Secret Chocolate Waffles
• Carson Drew's Cheesecake
• Dancing Puppet Parfait
• Mapleton Milk Shake

Featured Recipe: Bess's Secret Chocolate Waffles

Ingredients:

2 squares unsweetened chocolate
1 stick(4 ounces) butter
1 scant cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring

Directions:

Let the butter stand at room temperature until it is soft. Mix the butter and sugar together. Melt and cool the chocolate and mix it with the butter and sugar.

Add the eggs, salt, flour, cinnamon, almond extract, and vanilla flavoring to the chocolate mixture. Stir until well blended.

Heat the waffle iron. Spoon in the batter and heat until waffles are brown.

Makes 4-6 waffles.

Jenn's Sleuthworthy Recipe Investigation:

I was wondering if the Mysterious Letter Chili was anything like alphabet soup? The Tolling Bell Tuna Rolls appear to be drummed up by those strange elves featured in one of the internal pictures from The Mystery of the Tolling Bell! Is Nancy's Tasty Topping for Burt's Pizza really tasty?!

Nancy has a clue for you--parsley is a great breath neutralizer!

If I was going to make the Old Album Meatballs, I would substitute a can of tomato sauce and some cans of tomato puree for the can of tomato soup. I would first saute some minced garlic in olive oil until lightly browned and then add the tomato sauce and a little water to thin. Then I would add to taste(fresh or dried): basil, oregano, and garlic salt. A dash or two of Italian seasoning(it has a few other spices besides basil and oregano). Then I would add the formed meatballs to this sauce. Much more tastier! I'm still not sure about the use of rice in this recipe but shall have to try it.

I am puzzled by the use of onion soup mix in the batter for the Togo Dogs. I'm not so sure Togo would approve...

I would most definitely substitute ground beef for the canned corn beef in the Mysterious Letter Chili, unless of course you are a corned beef chili fan! I'm "intrigued" by the addition of Worcestershire sauce in this recipe--hmm...

"'How did I get here?' Nancy asked herself"

Answer: Tolling Bell Tuna Rolls!

This is another of the cookbook recipes that is not very appetizing!

I'd most certainly leave out the American cheese cubes and the pickle relish.

(I'd leave out the eggs but I'm not a hard boiled egg fan and I know some people like those in tuna!)

I would substitute actual dill pickles for the pickle relish and add finely diced onion.

I'd also recommend Nancy's substitution of cooked chicken.

You can't go wrong with chicken salad!

A Keene Soup with milk, peanut butter, and cinnamon sounds semi-tasty but not with celery salt! And sprinkling this with paprika really puts a damper on this one!

I would add basil and or Italian seasoning to the tomato sauce in Burt's Pizza. Bagels are a tasty substitution for the English muffins, but not as healthy! Nancy's Tasty Topping of black olives or mushrooms appears to be tasty!

You won't find any hidden staircases in the Hidden Staircase Biscuits, but you will find a cherry sugar surprise!

Overall Comments:

With the exceptions noted above, there are some fairly good recipes in this section. I'd recommend Bess's Secret Chocolate Waffles, Bungalow Mystery Salad, Mapleton Milk Shake, Burt's Pizza, and Mysterious Letter Chili. (Keep in mind notes above for the chili.)

The search continues for 'Clues to Good Cooking' in Chapter 3...

If you have tried one of the cookbook recipes and would like to submit comments or tips please e-mail here, and your comments or suggestions will be placed in the chapters with the recipes you are commenting on.