About:Nancy J. Cohen

Website: https://nancyjcohen.com Profile Nancy J. Cohen writes the Bad Hair Day Mysteries featuring South Florida hairstylist Marla Vail. Titles in this series have been named Best Cozy Mystery by Suspense Magazine, won a Readers' Favorite gold medal, placed first in the Chanticleer Book Awards and third in the Arizona Literary Awards. Nancy’s instructional guide, Writing the Cozy Mystery, was nominated for an Agatha Award. A featured speaker at libraries, conferences, and community events, she is listed in Contemporary Authors, Poets & Writers, and Who's Who in U.S. Writers, Editors, & Poets. When not busy writing, she enjoys fine dining, cruising, visiting Disney World, and shopping.

Posts by Nancy J. Cohen :

Tuna Spaghetti Salad

Ingredients

8 oz. box spaghetti
(2) 12 oz. cans solid white tuna in water, drained and flaked
14.5 oz. can petite diced tomatoes, drained
4 oz. jar diced pimento, drained
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup pitted black olives, chopped
1 cup sweet onion, chopped
3/4 cup mayonnaise or more as needed
4 tsp. lemon juice
Bunch of fresh parsley

Directions

Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Drain and place in bowl. Cut into shorter pieces. In a separate large bowl, add the rest of ingredients except for parsley and toss lightly. Mix in spaghetti. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Spoon into a serving bowl and garnish with parsley sprigs. Serve cold. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Zucchini Quiche

Ingredients

1 large onion, chopped
½ cup vegetable oil
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 eggs, beaten
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
3 cups zucchini, peeled and grated
1 cup biscuit mix
4 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
¼ cup egg substitute

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together the first five ingredients in a large bowl. Add the zucchini, biscuit mix, cheddar cheese, and egg substitute. Stir to blend. Spray two 9-inch pie dishes with cooking spray. Pour mixture into pie plates, dividing evenly. Bake for 40 minutes or until golden brown and center is cooked through. Serves 6.

Caribbean Rice With Pigeon Peas

Ingredients

2 cups long grain rice
13.5 oz. can coconut milk
1 cup chopped green onions
15.5 oz can Goya dry pigeon peas (find near canned beans)
2 Tbsp. butter

Directions

Drain and rinse peas, saving juice. Combine coconut milk, juice from peas, and enough water to make 4 cups of liquid. Pour into saucepan. Add rice and simmer covered, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid is absorbed. Mix in green onions, pigeon peas, and butter. Add salt to taste. Serves 6 to 8.

Noodle Kugel

Ingredients

16 oz. bag wide egg noodles
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 lb. butter, melted
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
20 oz. can crushed pineapple, drained
Juice from a fresh lemon
Cinnamon sugar
Cornflake crumbs

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook the noodles in boiling water for 8 minutes, then drain and rinse under cold water. Stir a few noodles into the beaten eggs. Pour eggs into bowl with noodles and mix. Add sugar, melted butter, cinnamon, drained pineapple, and lemon juice. Stir until blended. Pour into a greased 9x13x2 inch baking pan. Sprinkle cornflake crumbs and cinnamon sugar on top. Bake for 50 minutes or until browned and bubbly. Optional: Cut butter to ¼ pound and add one pint sour cream; Add one tsp. vanilla instead of lemon juice; or Add 1⁄2 cup golden raisins.

Rosemary Red Potatoes

Ingredients

3 lb. bag of petite red potatoes
1 Tbsp. fresh chopped garlic
1 large onion, sliced
0.75 oz. package fresh rosemary, stemmed and chopped
Olive Oil

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Clean half of potatoes and cut into quarters. Store the rest for another use. Put the cut potatoes into a large bowl. Mix in garlic, onions and rosemary. Add enough olive oil to moisten. Spread onto greased 9x13x2 inch baking sheet. Bake on the next up-from-bottom rack for 30 to 45 minutes or until potatoes are browned and fork-tender. Serves 4.

Sweet Potatoes with Red Onions and Rosemary

Ingredients

3 large sweet potatoes, peeled
8 Tbsp. canola oil
3 tsp. minced garlic
2 large red onions, peeled
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut potatoes lengthwise and then into one inch cubes. Mix with 6 Tbsp. oil and minced garlic. Spread on greased, foil-lined baking sheet. Meanwhile, cut onions lengthwise and then crosswise into chunks. Mix with remaining 2 Tbsp. oil and spread on another greased, foil-lined baking sheet.

Put potatoes on center rack and onions on bottom rack. Roast for 30 minutes. Halfway through, turn both batches and sprinkle rosemary on potatoes. When both vegetables are tender, remove from oven and toss together in a bowl. Sprinkle cheese into mixture before serving. Serves 4 to 6.

Wild Rice, Barley and Mushroom Casserole

Ingredients

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 medium onion, chopped
8 oz. wild rice
2 Tbsp. pearl barley
28 oz. beef broth
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
8 oz. sliced mushrooms

Directions

Melt ¼ cup butter in 2 quart microwave casserole on high. Add onion and cook uncovered on high until soft, about 1 minute. Add rice, barley, beef broth, and thyme. Cover tightly and cook on high for 25 minutes. Stir and cook on medium setting for about 40 minutes, or until most liquid is absorbed.

Melt remaining ¼ cup butter in shallow 10 inch microwave dish on high. Add mushrooms. Cook uncovered on high until mushrooms are tender, about 4 to 5 minutes. Stir mushrooms into cooked rice and barley mixture. Serves 6.

A Day at Disney

Orlando in the summer can be brutally hot. Early in the morning one day last weekend, we took a walk around the lake at our condo in Windermere, Florida. We saw the resident gator poking his head out, a variety of ducks and birds, and a spider web outlined in the sunshine. It’s a tranquil setting, and the sky was bright with promise for a sunny day.

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Before noon, we headed over to the Magic Kingdom. We had lunch in Tomorrowland opposite the race car ride. We’d gotten smart and parked at Epcot, which is the closest theme park to our condo. The monorail ride from there took us to the Transportation Center, where we changed trains for the Magic Kingdom.

Our first stop after lunch was Carousel of Progress. Seated in comfortable theater seats, we listened to the cheerful refrains of the familiar song while viewing the progress of past eras through dioramas with audio-animatronic figures. It’s a good place to escape the heat. Then we hopped on the People Mover that had more folks in line than usual. This zipped around Tomorrowland, and I got some good shots of various attractions. It made me want to see the recent film “Tomorrowland” again.

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By the time we hit Fantasyland, we were sweaty and hot, so we dipped into Mickey’s PhilharMagic® for a 3-D theater experience highlighting favorite Disney tunes. Other rides had at least a 20 minute wait, so we strolled along for our walking exercise. The Jungle Cruise has reopened, but we’ll visit it another time when it’s less crowded. Pirates of the Caribbean was closed while they “swab the decks” according to a sign. Autumn decorations with pumpkins were evident throughout the park. The crowds and heat got to us, so we left. That’s the advantage of being a local resident. We can go for lunch and a brisk walk and then depart. I made over ten thousand steps by virtue of my Fitbit One and was glad for a rest.

What’s your favorite ride in the Magic Kingdom?

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Enter now at http://freshfiction.com/contest.php?id=7600 to win a Collectible Handcrafted Porcelain Drummer Doll or one of two runner-up prizes – a pair Arizona crafted earrings and a signed paperback Hanging by a Hair. I bought the doll while in Arizona doing research for Peril by Ponytail. U.S. Residents only please.

Enter Sept. 4-18 to win a $25 Amazon/BN gift card from Booklover’s Bench.  Check out our other features, including a weekly Let’s Talk discussion with our authors.

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Lemon Bars

Ingredients

CRUST
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup flour

FILLING
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
3 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. flour
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg

TOPPING
1 Tbsp. Powdered sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, cream butter and sugar, then add flour in small batches until mixture is blended. Press into an ungreased 8-inch square baking dish. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until slightly browned. Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, beat the filling ingredients until frothy. Pour over crust.

Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until set. Cool on a wire rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and cut into squares to serve. Makes 16 lemon bars.

Pumpkin Mousse

Ingredients

1-1/2 cups fat free milk
1 oz. package sugar free instant butterscotch pudding mix
½ cup canned pumpkin
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground allspice
½ cup fat free whipped topping
1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg

Directions

Whisk milk and pudding mix in large bowl for two minutes. Set aside. In another bowl, combine the pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger, and allspice. Add to the pudding mixture. Gently fold in whipped topping until blended. Spoon into individual dessert cups. Sprinkle nutmeg on top. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Serves 4 to 6.