Ken and Elena Murder Mysteries

  Everyone living near the Sequoia Woods Country Club raves about Elena's apple pie.  She brings a pie or two to every potluck or group picnic. Elena's Homemade Apple Pie The foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains are home to some of the best apples in the world. Those apples plus Elena's knack for making a beautiful crust makes her pies in demand from both her family and friends. She modified this pie recipe after seeing the video of Natasha from natashaskitchen.com. 1 double nine-inch pie crust or the homemade crust from the recipe below. 2 1/4 lbs. Granny Smith Apples peeled and cored 6-7 apples (7 cups thinly sliced) 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon 8 tablespoons unsalted butter 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1/4 cup water 1 cup sugar 1 egg + 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash The homemade pie crust below is really easy to make. As an alternative, you can buy a high-quality one from the store. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Melt the butter over medium heat and whisk in 3 t...

Ken and Elena met at JJ's Dive Bar to discuss their progress in solving the murder and to plan new moves. The bar was named after the brother of the owner and who lost his life while diving in Hawai'i. Ingredients suggested by Irine Semana and Marvin at the Burnt Lumpia Blog have been incorporated into this recipe.  Please enjoy the lumpia as you read our book. Makes 40-50 Lumpia 1 package Menlo All-Purpose Wrappers (one pound) If Menlo wrappers are not available, then wrappers for Chinese spring rolls can be used. 2 lb. ground pork 5 cloves garlic, peeled and minced 1-inch ginger, peeled and minced 2 tablespoons Maggi seasoning 2 eggs, lightly beaten 3 dashes ground black pepper 6 ounces minced carrots and onions Cut the square Menlo wrappers in half so that you have two stacks. Place a damp paper towel over the wrappers to keep them from drying out as you work. Combine the pork, carrots, onions, garlic, ginger, Maggi seasoning sauce, eggs, and black pepper in a large bo...

Chapter 1 — Ken As I walked up the hill from my cabin, I noticed several police cars parked in front of the Sequoia Woods Country Club and a gathering crowd on the road near the main door. I hoped this was just an over-reaction to a break-in. God forbid one of my friends had a heart attack or a stroke. I waved to several people I knew in the crowd as I approached the uniformed officer at the door, a more efficient way to get to the bottom of what was going on than asking bystanders, a habit from my old life, I guess. “I'm sorry, sir. The club is closed,” the slightly chubby young female deputy with the Calaveras Sheriff's Department stationed at the door told me. Her nametag said Deputy Terry, and for a brief moment, I wondered if that was her first or last name. “Are you telling me I won't be able to order the breakfast special?” I asked, trying to be humorous. I used to banter like this with the cops I ran into at crime scenes before I retired, a tendency that struck me n...