Tuesday, August 15, 2023

Recipes and Reads Series: Have You Eaten the Official Food of Halifax, Nova Scotia? #recipesandreads #recipes #donaleemoulton

 

Recipes 'n Reads Series
Guest donalee Moulton

Hello and welcome to the Focused on Story Blog by J.Q.Rose.


I am thrilled to welcome donalee Moulton to our Recipe and Reads series which is scheduled every third Wednesday of the month. My guest author shares her favorite recipe and the reasons why she chose this particular one. I'll also spotlight a book by the author.

* * *

Today is award-winning author and fellow BWL Publishing colleague, donalee Moulton. (yes, her mother did not capitalize her first name. If you're wondering why, please leave the question in the comments below.)

Donalee began her writing career just as I did, creating articles for print and online publications. Her first foray into writing a fiction novel, Hung Out to Die was released this spring by BWL Publishing. And it sounds like a winner!

Hung Out to Die by donnalee Moulton
Pulled into a world not of his making, Riel resists the hunt to catch a killer.

Welcome donalee! At first, I thought since your name began with don, this new-to-me food could have been named after you. Then I thought, it's probably some kind of donut. But, no. I won't leave the readers in suspense any longer. Please explain exactly what the donair is. Thank you for sharing the recipe!

Discovering the donair

In my book Hung Out to Die the main character, an American transplanted to Nova Scotia, discovers the delicious joy of the donair. Many people have never heard of this juicy, meat-filled, garlicky concoction, but it is the official food of Halifax. Popular history says the donair – spicy meat wrapped in a pita and embraced with lots of sweet sauce – was invented in Halifax in the 1970s where it rapidly became a must-have menu item for late-night partiers, snackers, and food aficionados.

 As my main character, Riel Brava, discovers, the donair can be a little difficult to eat. There is an art to juggling a stuffed pita while licking sauce off your face and adjusting foil wrap to get more donair in your mouth.

 The recipe below avoids that dilemma. It’s an appetizer compliments of the Dairy Farmers of Canada. I have adapted the recipe slightly.

 

Donair Dip

 

Donair Dip

Ingredients

 1lb (450g) lean ground beef

1 tsp (5 ml) dried oregano

1 block (250 g) cream cheese

1 cup (250 ml) shredded old cheddar cheese (or cheese of your choice)

2 tsp (10 ml) paprika

2 tsp (10 ml) garlic powder

2 tsp (10 ml) onion powder

1/2 tsp (2,5 ml) salt

1/2 tsp (2,5 ml) black pepper

1 cup (250 ml) donair sauce (see below)

1/2 diced tomato (optional)

1/2 diced onion (optional)

Donair Sauce

1 can (300 ml) sweetened condensed milk

1/3 cup (80 ml) white vinegar

1 tsp (5 ml) garlic powder

Add all ingredients in a bowl and combine.

 Preparation

 Preheat oven to 350 °F (180 °C).

Cook the ground beef and the spices together, mix well in a frying pan.

Drain off excess grease.

Mix the softened cream cheese, cheese and Donair sauce together.

Place ground beef mixture on the bottom of 9”x9” cooking dish (or equivalent).

Add the cheese and Donair sauce mixture on top of the ground beef mix.

Bake for 20 minutes.

Top with diced veggies after removing from oven (optional).

Serve hot or cold with tortilla chips or baked pita slices.

About Hung Out to Die by donalee Moulton

Hung Out to Die
Mystery

Meet Riel Brava. Attractive. Razor-sharp. Ambitious. And something much more.

 Riel, raised in Santa Barbara, California, has been transplanted to Nova Scotia where he is CEO of the Canadian Cannabis Corporation. It’s business as usual until Riel finds his world hanging by a thread. Actually, several threads. It doesn’t take the police long to determine all is not as it appears – and that includes Riel himself.

 Pulled into a world not of his making, Riel resists the hunt to catch a killer. Resistance is futile. Detective Lin Raynes draws the reluctant CEO into the investigation, and the seeds of an unexpected and unusual friendship are sown. Raynes and Riel concoct a scheme to draw a confession out of the killer, but that plan is never put into place. Instead, Riel finds himself on the butt end of a rifle in the ribs and a long drive to the middle of Nowhere, Nova Scotia.

Click the link below to download or order your copy of Hung Out to Die

 EBook and Print available at Amazon

* * *

About donalee:

 Author donalee Moulton is an award-winning freelance journalist. She has written articles for print and online publications across North America including The Globe and Mail, Chatelaine, Lawyer’s Daily, National Post, and Canadian Business.

Author donalee Moulton
Her first mystery book Hung out to Die was published this spring. Her short story “Swan Song” was one of 21 selected for publication in Cold Canadian Crime. A second short story, also featuring the Iqaluit-based chief of police Doug Brumal, was published this spring in Black Cat Weekly. Her literary short story “Moist” was published recently in After Dinner Conversation and The Antigonish ReviewAs well, she is the author of The Thong Principle: Saying What You Mean and Meaning What You Say and co-author of, Celebrity Court Cases: Trials of the Rich and Famous.

 Click these links to connect to donalee

 donalee's Website

Amazon Author URL

Facebook

Goodreads

LinkedIn

Twitter: @donaleeMoulton

Instagram: donaleemoulton

Click here to discover guest author Connie Vines' recipe for Christmas cookies--

yes, we were celebrating Christmas in July!

UPDATE:

Girls Succeed: Stories Behind the Careers of Successful Women 

eBook On Sale during Back-to-School Days


Girls Succeed! Stories Behind the Careers of Successful Women by J.Q. Rose
Readers cheer for these incredible women as they overcome obstacles and crash through barriers to complete their goals. Join these hard-working women during a typical workday. Learn about the achievements they have reached in their chosen careers.
Interactive eBook On Sale during Back-to-School Days
Available in eBook and paperback in color

Even if I am no longer teaching in a classroom, I still feel the excitement of starting a new school year. So, I'm celebrating Back-to-School Days with a sale on my non-fiction eBook for middle-grade girls, Girls Succeed: Stories Behind the Careers of Successful Women. If you have a young girl in your life or if you are a teacher, Girls Succeed is a feel-good book filled with the inspiring stories of 16 women who dreamed big and made their dreams come true. Readers can go deeper to learn about each role-model's story by clicking links in the eBook to take her to articles about her work and career. 

Click here to download the interactive eBook from your favorite online bookseller

Click here to order the paperback at amazon


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Thank you for stopping by today. 

5 comments:

Natalie Aguirre said...

Interesting recipe that I never heard of before. Thanks for sharing how you included it in your book. Nova Scotia sounds like a cool setting for your mystery.

J.Q. Rose said...

Hi Natalie, yes I want to try this recipe too. We visited Halifax and loved it.

Jacqui Murray--Writer-Teacher said...

I remember July being my favorite month because it was completely without school obligations. Loved teaching, but the break was nice. Your book and recipe both sound excellent!

Sandra Cox said...

Wishing donalee much success on this exciting read.
How are you, Cuz?

Sandra Cox said...

Back to school is the purrfect time to get a copy of Girls Succeed. I loved it.

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