A Good Read and a Recipe

By Elizabeth Eagan-Cox

Shannon Delaney Paranormal Mystery Series, Vol. 5

   Halloween night, 2012. Mount Esperanza Memorial Park, San Diego. Shannon Delaney and Alex Blackthorne accept assignment to guard the grave of Andalyn Dixon, who died on her twenty-first birthday, October 31st, 1892, before she could prove her innocence in one of San Diego’s most notorious bank scandals, October Hoax of 1891. Legend says, Andalyn was scared to death, by a ghost. And now, by request of Mt. Esperanza Restoration Committee, Shannon and Alex keep sentry over Andalyn to prevent scam artists from staging claims of Andalyn speaking to them from beyond the grave, and thus, allowing the truth to be revealed. 

   The cryptic facts surrounding Andalyn’s life and death lead Shannon on a journey of discovery into the past to answer the nagging questions of: Was Andalyn Dixon involved in the bank scam? Did Andalyn attempt to hide her guilt? Was Andalyn scared to death, by a ghost?

Cream Cheese Halloween Cup Cakes

Ingredients

• Dollar General
• 1051 W North Bend Rd
• CINCINNATI, OH 45224

• Cream Cheese Icing:
• 2 ounces white chocolate
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon orange extract
• 4 cups confectioners' sugar
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• Carrot Cake:
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 1/8 cups white sugar
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups shredded carrots
  • 1/2 cup crushed pineapple
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 cup chopped walnuts

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Directions

Print  

• Prep
  30 m
• Cook
  25 m
• Ready In
  1 h 55 m

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease 12 muffin cups or line them with paper cups.
2. For the Icing
3. In small saucepan, melt white chocolate over low heat. Stir until smooth, and allow to cool to room temperature.
4. In a bowl, beat together the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Mix in white chocolate, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and orange extract. Gradually beat in the confectioners' sugar until the mixture is fluffy. Mix in heavy cream.
5. For the Cake
6. Beat together the eggs, white sugar, and brown sugar in a bowl, and mix in the oil and vanilla. Fold in carrots and pineapple. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Mix flour mixture into the carrot mixture until evenly moist. Fold in 1/2 cup walnuts. Transfer to the prepared muffin cups.
7. Bake 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. 
8. Cool completely on wire racks before topping with the icing, leaving part of the center open and putting in two white dots for the eyes peeking out.
9. Place half a raisin or a chocolate chip on top of the round dots to complete the eyes.