A Visit at Dan’s Virtual Bar — Join Us

Posted on by Teagan Riordain Geneviene

Saturday, November 4, 2023

CGI from Teagan via Vieutopia

Welcome, all you sheiks and Shebas.  Through the magic of the blog-verse, I’m in two places at once this weekend.  I’m here sharing a couple of Roaring Twenties recipes with you — and I’m at Dan Antion‘s virtual bar answering his questions about my new novella, A Peril in the Bayou.  Dan is such a generous host.  He always offers refreshments, so I’m sharing them with you.  Then we’ll get aboard my magic train and head over to Dan’s.

Cocktails

French 75 champagne cocktail, Adobe Stock

French 75 Champagne Cocktail

Prohibition didn’t prevent champagne being popular. It is said that the French 75 cocktail is named after a field gun used by French soldiers during World War I.  Exactly how that weapon inspired the elegant drink is not known nowadays.

Ingredients (for 1)

  • 1 lemon
  • 1½ oz. gin
  • ¾ oz. fresh lemon juice
  • ½ oz. simple syrup
  • 1 cup ice cubes
  • 2 oz. dry sparkling wine, such as brut Champagne, chilled

Instructions

  • Cut the peel away from 1 lemon in a long, thin spiral. Reserve lemon for the drink, and set peel aside.
  • Combine 1½ oz. gin, ¾ oz. lemon juice, and ½ oz. simple syrup in a cocktail shaker. Add 1 cup ice cubes and shake vigorously until well chilled, around 20 seconds. Strain into a chilled Champagne flute and top with 2 oz. dry sparkling wine.
  • Curl reserved lemon peel around finger to create twist about 6″ long. Garnish drink with lemon twist and serve immediately.

Appetizers

iStock
iStock

Stuffed mushrooms were a popular as appetizers in the Roaring Twenties, just as they are today.  I also mention mushrooms in a bayou scene in the novella.

Stuffed Mushrooms

Ingredients (for 12 to 14)

  • 16 ounces white button mushrooms
  • ½ pound sausage of your choice
  • 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • ¼ cup breadcrumbs
  • 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • Chopped basil leaves for garnish

Instructions

  • Remove mushroom stems and chop by hand or with food processor. Place the mushroom caps upside down in a baking dish.
  • Cook the chopped mushrooms and sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat until meat is no longer pink. Break it up into small pieces as it cooks. Reduce the heat to medium and stir in the cream cheese until melted. Add the bread crumbs and remove the skillet from the heat.
  • Stir until all ingredients are combined. Add 1 tablespoon of Parmesan and the salt. Stir well. Let it rest until cool enough to handle.
  • Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
  • Fill each mushroom cap with an equal amount of the sausage stuffing, mounding it high over the mushroom. Bake for 25 minutes, until the filling is bubbly and the mushrooms are tender.
  • Sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon of Parmesan over the mushrooms just as you pull them out of the oven. Garnish with basil before serving.

♣ ♣ ♣

CGI from Teagan via Imagine

Here’s a snippet from the book:

“It’s as if the bayou put a spell on us,” Clover murmured.  “It let us come here, see its sights, and laugh and joke with one another, as if we had bought tickets for a show.  While we, ignorantly audacious, came without asking permission of the living spirit of the bayou.  We intruded into this little otherworldly kingdom of marvels and… and voodoo!”

“Just imagine this was a country that was reserved for the use of others who had a right to be here,” she went on fancifully.  “All over the place there were secret warnings to trespassers.  But you had to have enough imagination to find the warnings.”

♣ ♣ ♣

I hope I’ve given you an appetite for the story as well as the appetizers.  Hop on my magical train and come with me to Dan’s virtual bar.  Friendly comments are encouraged here, but please visit Dan’s interview post too.  Happy November, and hugs!

The train is waiting. Click here.  All aboard!

♣ ♣ ♣

Universal Purchase Links

Kindle:  relinks.me/B0CKGRJS8F

Paperback: relinks.me/B0BJBXGJ7L 

A Medium’s Peril full series link: relinks.me/B0CG2SXX24

♦ ♦ ♦

This is a work of fiction.  Characters, names, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons,

This is a work of fiction.  Characters, names, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, locales, or events is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2023 by Teagan Ríordáin Geneviene

All rights reserved.

91 thoughts on “A Visit at Dan’s Virtual Bar — Join Us”

  1. Those images sort of made me hungry, luckily it is almost lunchtime now so I can eat my homemade meal. Speaking of food, have you tried Indian food ever? I know it is hard to find authentic Indian food there, but still a valid question.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Hi Sharukh! Welcome to Teagan’s Books. Haha, writing that post made me hungry too. Oh yes, that is a valid question. I like Indian food very much. Unfortunately my old tummy just can’t handle all those spices (even the ones that are not hot). Sigh… I love all sorts of spicy foods, but they do not like me at all. There was a lovely Indian restaurant half a block away from my office near Washington, DC. They had wonderful “butter chicken.” I thought they were authentic, but honestly, I wouldn’t know for sure. A couple of coworkers I was friends with were Indian, and they liked the place.
      Thanks for reading and commenting. Hugs.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. Back here, when we visit a restaurant and order Butter Chicken, the ordertaker reminds us that it is a ‘on the sweet side dish’, because most Indians prefer spicy food. The reason I commented on the authenticity is because I’ve seen many YouTube videos of Indian restaurants in the USA and the Indian food served there is tweaked to American taste which is a practical thing to do. However, it robs you of the experience of knowing what Indian food really tastes like. Glad that you’ve tried it at least. What’s your favorite food? I mean the one thing you can eat any time of the day.

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply

        1. I think any food (here) from other countries is “tweaked” that way. Mexican and Chinese restaurants are notoriously not authentic.
          I’m not sure what my favorite food is anymore. (My disabilities have had a big impact on that and what foods I can get, since I’m not able to go out to places. Cooking is also difficult — even if I were a decent cook, Ha!) Rice is something I can enjoy any time of day. Unlike most Americans, I will even have it for breakfast. I usually have some kind of salad for dinner (with a small serving of meat), although as the weather cools I start liking soups. It feels strange to realize that I no longer have a favorite food. Eight or ten years ago I would have immediately have said sushi. I love sushi, but life changes and it isn’t easily available to me now.

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  7. What a fun-filled, delicious post featuring two of my most favouite bloggers!! You both know how to celebrate life and community. I have downloaded A Medium’s Peril Series (both – hope that there will be more) and will be entering 2024 with these two books on the very top of my TBR stack of book. Don asked whether I could wait until 2024. I don’t think I can!!! YIKES!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Haha. Rebecca, you and Don just gave me a smile. Thanks very much.
      Did you know you can have your Kindle read books aloud? It also has several options for the voice it uses. I sometimes use that feature to listen to books while I’m doing chores. Some people use it when they’re traveling. Anyhow, I’m delighted you could join us. You’re the oyster’s earrings — pearls all the way, baby!

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      Reply

    1. Oh, how cool! Maybe he can figure out the drink for which I lost the name… it’s one part each of gin, Dry Curaçao, grapefruit juice, orange juice, top off the salt-rim glass with your favorite sparkling water. Maybe I adapted it, but I can’t find the name anywhere.
      Thanks for commenting at both blogs, Noelle. You’re the oyster’s earrings!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  19. Hi Teagan! Long time, huh? I will have to pass on the gin drink as I was never a lover of that specific adult refreshment. However, I do love lemon anything, so while you are drinking your drink during the holidays, I will be quality testing my lemon curd cookies. And others. And having a brandy old fashioned. 😉

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. It’s great to see you, Mary. Oh, I do love lemon anything too. Your beverage sounds lovely. While gin is most commonly associated with the 1920s, there were other cocktails — like the Mary Pickford. it mixes white rum with maraschino liqueur, pineapple juice, and grenadine, “resulting in a sweet, fruit-forward, chilled libation.” Daphne & Velma send a loud purr to your kitties. You’re the kitten’s ankles.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  20. That picture along is enough to get me interested in your new novella, Teagan. I’ve read Dan’s post and it has reaffirmed my belief that you two work very well together!!
    I wish you all the very best!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

            1. I enjoy them. Never worry about that. If something bugged me, I could always edit it. I’m trying hard to get my head and heart back into the Atonement serial. This morning I promised myself “permission” to work exclusively on writing fiction. Maybe it will go to that quirky town. Hugs.

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              Reply

  22. I am not usually a fan of mixed drinks, Teagan, but that French 75 looks mighty interesting. Stuffed mushrooms? I have always been a fan of those little gems and this looks like a delicious recipe. From what I understand, Skippy came by for the drink recipe earlier, so he’s sure to be able to shake a good one to celebrate. The mushrooms are on the menu and we can’t wait to dig in. Congratulations on the second great story in this series. I hope you have a wonderful weekend. Thanks for sending folks to the bar.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. I admit to being a whimp when it comes to straight liquor, Dan. A gin martini (with really good very cold gin) is as close as I get. I’m delighted you enjoyed this post. It’s wonderfully generous of you to host me today at your blog. You’re pos-i-lutely the pig’s wings! (Deme & Honeybell concur.)

      Liked by 1 person

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  24. Congratulations, Teagan! A great post, recipes and images, and a great novella I thoroughly enjoyed (well, I enjoy being scared!). I’m off to visit at Dan’s. Thanks and have a lovely weekend!

    Liked by 1 person

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