Obituary for a Dead Anchor S3:E9

Plus Abby Dalton's Lamb Stew With Parsley Dumplings recipe - it's a goodie!

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL YOU LOVELY MURDER, SHE WROTE FANS!

First up - here’s a date for your diary.

More details about how to join the fun nearer the time, but if you’d like to chat to other fans on the night, you’ll need to have access to our private chatroom. You can sign up anytime so you are ready…

If you can’t join us, why not pop a date in your diary to watch this episode whenever it suits you?

Jessica gets more than she bargained for when a television journalist friend proposes that she make “a very gentle portrait of a small New England town as seen through the eyes of one of its leading citizens.”

Although thinking that a TV spot called “J.B. Fletcher's Cabot Cove” sounds a little pretentious, she agrees to bring it up at a town meeting to see what other folks think of the concept. Of course, the residents of Cabot Cove go crazy over the idea

and “lots of foolishness” ensues as townsfolk buy new outfits, give their properties fresh licks of paint, and get haircuts. Television exposure could also mean more summer visitors, which pleases the mayor and the local shopkeepers, of course.

Jessica is full of faith that “newsperson” Paula Roman will create a video segment that is like a beautiful postcard. Unfortunately, egotistical anchorman Kevin Keats is assigned the slot, and he is not as sympathetic to Jessica and her beloved town.

When he first meets J.B., he rudely asks, “Is this the way you always look?”

adding that he says he was expecting something a little more, “homespun”.

When he further insults her by suggesting that her friends in Cabot Cove are not her intellectual equals, J.B. is naturally furious.

The “TV people from New York” cause all kinds of problems, and when there is a tragic and mysterious death amongst their number, Jessica is compelled to give Sheriff Tupper a hand in getting to the bottom of it.

Abby Dalton plays Kevin's wife.

They are not on the best of terms, and I love her throwaway comment to Jessica when she is sitting at a bar after having imbibed her daily consumption, “if you see my husband, give him my worst.”

Abby’s recipe was a big hit here at Silver Screen Suppers Towers and I wrote a longish account of making it here. If you fancy making it, have a quick look at the blog post, and you may be spurred into action. Here’s a pic if you need more encouragement - DELICIOUS but what happened to that lovely blue cooking vessel? No idea!

Abby Dalton's Lamb Stew with Parsley Dumplings

1½ -2 pounds lean boneless lamb, from leg or breast, cut into cubes

Well-seasoned flour

Vegetable oil

Lamb bones, reserved from leg or breast

1 cup celery, chopped

1 onion, peeled, chopped

1 bay leaf

4 sprigs parsley, chopped

10-12 bruised peppercorns

1 can (10¾-oz) chicken broth, optional

3-4 large carrots, scraped, cut into large pieces

3 large stalks celery, cut into chunks

2 large onions, peeled, cut in large pieces

1 cup peas, fresh or frozen

Dumpling mixture

Trim fat from the lamb and discard. Dredge in the seasoned flour. Heat the oil in a frying pan and brown the lamb pieces on all sides. Set the lamb aside, keeping the flour left in the pan. Meanwhile, place the bones with the celery, onion, bay leaf, parsley, peppercorns, and salt to taste in a saucepan with water to cover. Simmer, covered (do not boil) for 2-3 hours until the stock is well flavored. Strain the stock, discarding the vegetables and bones. Add the strained stock, a little at a time, to the hot lamb.

Loosen the cooked flour mixture, stirring with a wooden spoon. Add enough chicken broth or water to make a very light gravy. Add the remaining ingredients except peas and dumpling mixture. Cover and simmer until the vegetables are almost tender. Add peas and the dumpling mixture. Cook until the dumplings are done, about 12 minutes. Serve piping hot!

Serves 4

Abby’s Parsley Dumplings

2 cups sifted all-purpose/plain flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1-2 tablespoons butter

¾ cup freshly chopped parsley

2 egg yolks

¾ cup cold buttermilk

Additional parsley, chopped, optional

Sift the dry ingredients together. With a knife, cut in the butter until mixture resembles cornmeal. Work in the chopped parsley. Beat egg yolks with buttermilk in a separate bowl, add quickly to the flour mixture with a fork. Do not beat the mixture. Drop dough by small teaspoonfuls into the simmering stew. Cover lightly, cook for 12 minutes without peeking! Serve hot, dusted with additional parsley if desired.

Next up for my lovely paid subscribers will be news about the writing plan for Murder, She Cooked Volume 2. This is the year I knuckle down and write it, my chums! I hope that you will all keep me accountable for getting the work done!

Copious amounts of coffee will be consumed!

Gift to self?

I had fun over the festive season sending out copies of my books all over the world. My Etsy shop had big Santa’s grotto vibes. Here I am having a tête-à-tête with the great man himself!

If you buy books directly from me, I can sign them for you and write a personal message to you, or the intended recipient of the book.

If you need a book in a hurry, they are all available via Amazon too - except the cocktail book. Switch to your own country for correct pricing…

Let’s all be MORE JESSICA in 2025 xx