Kate Collins's Blog, page 142

The aroma of fresh bread!

by Lorraine Bartlett / Lorna Barrett / L.L. Bartlett

Every year, my brother asks me what I want for Christmas.  For most of our adult lives, he's been buying me small appliances.

Earlier this year (or was it late last year?) the Chicks had a discussion on bread machines.  Leann waxed poetically about the marvelous bread she makes in her bread machine.

So ... I thought I might ask my brother for a bread machine for Christmas.  But then I started thinking ... what if I never actually make bread.  (Um, he's still a little burned that I haven't used the food processor he gave me five years ago.) Okay, so bread machine is off the list.

But ... I went to a thrift store the other day and they had a bread machine. I plugged it in and it "appeared" to work.  (It looks pretty new ... like somebody might have gotten it for a Christmas present and only used it once.)  It was only $5. I'm pretty cheap, but I decided to go for it.

Now the big question is... what do I do with it?  I have no idea how a bread machine operates except that you dump in the ingredients and later on the heavenly aroma of bread fills your kitchen.

It did come with an instruction manual.  Guess I'm gonna have to read it, huh?  Okay, will do.  But now I want to ask you ... what's your favorite bread machine recipes? (I think I'm going to try seeded rye first ....)

A woman who makes a difference

By Mary Jane Maffini aka Victoria Abbott 
For five years, our wonderful friend Dru Ann Love has been posting Dru’s Cozy Report, about newly released cozies here at The Cozy Chicks Blog on the 15th of each month. It’s a great source of what to read next.  We have been very fortunate to have her with us and she’s made many friends from our Cozy Chicks family, including all of the chicks. She’s a splendid reader, a generous spirit and a tireless contributor to the mystery community. She’s a woman who makes a real difference to cozy readers.  We’ve loved having her here.But this month Dru has sent a note for all of us:

I’ve enjoyed being a part of the Cozy Chicks, but the time has come that I must step away from Dru’s Cozy Report.  I learned a lot in my five years here and will treasure it all. You can still follow me on www.drusbookmumsing.com to learn about cozies and other books from the mystery genre.
  -- Dru Ann

We will miss her!  Dru Ann is optimistic and cheerful and gathers new friends everywhere she goes.  She does things to make the world a better place. Dru loves and respects cozy mysteries as much as anyone I’ve ever met.  She wants to make sure readers are aware of the latest in this wonderful mystery world.  You will remember we said tireless!  Because in addition to her own blog Dru’s Book Musings and a lively presence on Facebook, she has a day job.  She is also smart and organized.  I wish she could bottle that energy and sell it. I’d definitely line up to buy a year’s supply. 

And for all of you who attended our “Hat” event in advance of Tea Time With the Cozy Chicks, you’ll know that Dru can wear headgear with great style.
Thank you, Dru Ann!  We know you will continue to be in and out of our Cozy Chicks events. We hope you also pop in to the blog from time to time to say hello, share your news and your smile.  Of course, we’re having a Tea Party at The Cozy Chicks Group on Facebook tonight tonight to celebrate the launch of Tea Time With the Cozy Chicks, so we hope you’ll start by joining us there. We know you already have the perfect hat! 

Trade Paperback: http://amzn.to/1L43KZR
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1L43KZR
Kindle: http://amzn.to/1UwMAFa...
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Hey!  Mary and Ellery have just popped in to say a few words of thanks.   
"A big thank you to Dru Ann for being such a wonderful, enthusiastic supporter of our cozy mysteries We appreciate each and every review and shout-out. You're the best, Dru!"   Mary Kennedy 

“Dru Ann has been reviewing my books since I started writing. She really is one of the original champions of our genre. She always has something positive to say in print and in person. Thank you for all the time you’ve put in posting for The Cozy Chicks. We are grateful as a group and I am thankful to number you among my friends. My characters will continue to appear on your blog as long and they’re invited. Love, Ellery."
I'll echo that.  Jordan Bingham was thrilled to be on your blog when The Marsh Madness came out last month.  Good-bye, Dru! Don't be a stranger!  XO  Victoria Abbott
We hope that many of you will pop by to leave a comment today.  Have a great Thursday and we also hope to see you at the party tonight at The Cozy Chicks Group on Facebook.

Wedding of your dreams…

Duffy Brown here and I just had two daughters get married within two months. Both destinations weddings, one in August in Colorado and the other Lake Como, Italy, just this weekend. Both were lovely and both so different. 

The Colorado wedding was in the mountains, 60 people, dinner, dancing, big dress. The October wedding was an elopement with me and the other parents tagging along. I guess that isn’t exactly an elopement but close. I always told  the kids your wedding, your way…but I want to be there!!!




Here are a few shots of my daughters’ wedding to get you in the mood but my question to you is what is your ideal wedding? What would you choose if you had it to do all over again…or for the first time around? Below are some choices…so now you can choose the wedding of your dreams. 





The dress? What style of dress do you want? Fluffy Cupcake?  Slim? Short?


The cake? White? Colors? Cupcakes?


Big wedding? Big? Small? Elope?









Wedding flowers? Big white? Colors? Simple?











Honeymoon? Mountains? Beach? Cruise?








In honor of Tea Time with the Cozy Chicks book just out I’ll give away two boxes of Cozy Chicks tea.  ***Please add you email so I can contact the winners. 
Hugs, Duffy 

Cozy Chicks Facebook Giveaway

by Maggie Sefton


Don't forget!  This Thursday from 7:00pm to 9:00pm EDT, the Cozy Chicks will celebrate the release of our new book Tea Time With the Cozy Chicks by hosting a great giveaway on Facebook.  There will be lots of prizes, so put this date on your calendars!  You won't want to miss it.


Tea Time With The Cozy Chicks

In addition to wonderful new recipes, Tea Time With the Cozy Chicks also contains fascinating  facts and articles about both black and green teas as well as several Chicks' memories of tea times past.  And did I mention prizes?  Lorraine is offering some of the beautiful tea cups she's collected over the years.  For today, I thought I'd post one of my recipes from Tea Time with the Cozy Chicks.  Enjoy!  And don't forget to join us this Thursday evening, October 15th, 7:00pm to 9:00pm EDT.  


Butterscotch Brownies
1 package butterscotch morsels¼ cup butter1 cup brown sugar2 eggs½  teaspoon vanilla extract¾  cup flour1 teaspoon baking powder½ cup nuts
Melt butterscotch morsels with butter in pot.  Remove from heat and add brown sugar.  Let stand 5 minutes to cool;  then stir in eggs, vanilla, flour, baking powder, salt and nuts.  Bake in greased  9x9x2”  pan at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.  Cut while still warm. 

ACHING FOR BEAUTY

by Kate Collins

What we won't do to make ourselves feel beautiful. Or at least attractive. But we have nothing on the Chinese women of a few thousand years ago -- up to a few decades ago, when foot binding was the custom. You can see the photo here of their tiny shoes. Why did women deform their feet? For beauty, of course. Deformed "lotus petal" feet were consider signs of status and men thought them erotic.   But first, the backstory.

I had the good fortune to sit beside a young Chinese woman at a book signing following a writers' conference this past weekend. This remarkable woman, whose name is Wang Ping, came to the US with $26 in her pocket. She had graduated from Beijing University and wanted to get her masters here, which she managed to do at NYU. Now she's an author, poet, editor, translated, and academic.

She has put her considerable talent to work on this book of her heart, peeling back the layers of fear, desire, and social climbing behind the ancient Chinese tradition of foot binding. As I thumbed through her book, ACHING FOR BEAUTY, and saw the photos of what feet looked like after being curled under and taped for years throughout childhood, I was both appalled and fascinated. The photos were so gross that I decided not to post them here.

The women mutilated their feet because it was the fashion. But isn't that what people here do when they pierce their skin? Get tattoos? Have face lifts and breast implants?

What does that say about humans? That we are insecure being our natural selves? I don't have an answer to that. I color my hair and slather on anti-aging cream all in the hopes of staving off the effects of aging so I can feel attractive.  I can, say, however, that I would't mutilate my feet.

My question for you is, how far would you go to feel beautiful, or does that matter to you? Would you have body work done? Do you feel comfortable in your own skin?

I think we have a way to go before we stop trying to make ourselves feel more attractive and just be ourselves. Or maybe it's just me.

Save the Date!

by Leann

October 15th is a special day for more than one reason. I am so excited about my son-in-law's book, coming out on October 20th. Derived from the global hit podcast, Welcome to Night Vale, he (Jeffrey Cranor) co-writes with Joseph Fink. The novel from HarperCollins Perennial is titled the same.


That's cool all by itself BUT they (along with the amazing "voice" of their podcast Cecil Baldwin) have been booked on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert for the 15th! It's unbelievable what can happen when you follow your dream. And their lead-in guest? This little known celebrity named OPRAH. Yup. I think they're both getting cars. :-) Set your DVR's for October 15th at 11:35--but add extra time because Thursday night football ALWAYS makes the Late Show come on late! (Drives me crazy!) You don't want to miss it--and Jeffrey usually wears a bow tie, so check it out!

Also on October 15th from 7-9 PM, the Cozy Chicks will be hosting an online "tea party" on our group page (The Cozy Chicks Group--you can search for it if you aren't a member and join the fun. Consider yourself invited!) Why are we having a tea party with PRESENTS? Because we have put together a nice little book called Tea Time with the Cozy Chicks. We hope you'll buy it so we can continue to send out our bookmark packages and have events like this where we give away great stuff! So JOIN US!

Have a wonderful Sunday everyone and hope you can make it online October 15th and watch CBS for the Welcome to Night Vale celebration.

TOSS THE DIET BOOKS AND TRY THESE TIPS INSTEAD

By Mary Kennedy                               

We all know diet books don't hold a magic cure. If they did, why are the shelves crowded with new releases every single month? And the truth is, some diet books do more harm than good: they promote extreme weight loss (which usually includes muscle loss), they eliminate entire food groups, and they go against scientific evidence.
Yet people buy diet books, try to follow their advice, meet with failure and then discard them. And the cycle continues. Another month, another slew of new releases.
So I tried something different. I did a completely unscientific survey (not random, not double-blind) and asked my clients to list what "worked" with their weight loss efforts. Interestingly, I found that the clients who managed to lose weight recommended the same "tips," and I thought I'd share them with you.  Just a caveat: I'm a clinical psychologist, not a registered dietician and I'm not offering these tips as medical advice (just a few fun observations).                                                        1. If you don't know what you want to eat, don't eat!! Wait until you do know. Don't eat impulsively and grab whatever you see. Plan your meals carefully.  Don't "spend" calories on something that may not be high quality food and doesn't promote health or a feeling of fullness. (hint: protein and fiber are among the most filling foods and they will keep you satisfied for a longer period of time.) All my clients agreed when they found themselves idly staring into the refrigerator or opening kitchen cabinets, they took a deep breath and stepped back. No browsing or grazing allowed. A little of this, a little of that, and you've scarfed down half a day's calories!!             
2. Go for a brisk walk and wait for the magic "20 minutes" to pass . Did you know that it takes 20 minutes for your stomach to signal your brain that you're full?  So take a deep breath and wait. You may be pleasantly surprised when the synapses connect and you no longer feel hungry. Nutritionists call this feeling "satiety." It simply means that you feel "full," and are not experiencing hunger pangs.                                                                      3. The simplest tip of all. Drink a big glass of water before each meal.   One of my clients keeps a big pitcher of water in the fridge, and adds some fruit slices to give it a little taste and make it look appealing.  You can use a fruit infuser like the one pictured below, or just float some lemon slices in ice water. I bought a fruit infuser when I spotted one at a spa in Palm Desert. They used sliced lemons, limes, grapefruit and even cucumber in a giant pitcher of chilled spring water--it was delicious. And it was so visually appealing, I found myself guzzling more water than usual. Which is a good thing.  If you prefer herb tea, that's a good possibility, too. The main thing is to choose something that you know you will drink. Here's what a fruit infuser looks like, in case you're wondering. I love mine and use it all the time.                                                                              
I hope you find these tips helpful. I thought it was interesting that they seem to be "universally known" among people who have been successful in managing their weight. You might have your own tips you'd like to share and I'd love to hear them!
Mary Kennedy

The Cozy Chicks Button goes many places ...

by Lorraine Bartlett / Lorna Barrett / L.L. Bartlett

Earlier this year, the Cozy Chicks ran a game called "Button Up For Spring."  We mailed out buttons to our a number of our readers, and asked them to take them to interesting place.  It was a lot of fun and we had a lot of reader interaction, and saw many wonderful photos.

I recently traveled to Florida and I took my Cozy Chicks button with.



This cutie-pie dolphin is advertising the Clearwater Jazz Festival
(P.S. That's Mr. L holding the button so I could take the picture.)

We also wanted to see a bit of old Florida and went to see the live Mermaid show at Weeki Wachee Spring.  How cool was it that one of the Mermaids held up my button?


We'll be playing the button game again soon.  Where would you take YOUR button?

Do you have a plan?

By Mary Jane Maffini aka Victoria Abbott 





Did you know that it’s fire prevention week?  That’s right: October 4 -10, 2015. This annual week is a great reminder to us to keep in mind that fires can happen anywhere because of a candle left unattended, a pot forgotten on a burner, a frayed electrical cord or overloaded circuit. It pays to be vigilant. But we should not only try to prevent them, but also have a good plan for what to do if a fire does break out despite our best efforts.
This week my new neighbors almost lost their home to a fire in the middle of the night. They were lucky to escape with their lives, although a fireman was injured.  This was a beautiful home, renovated and in good condition. These are responsible people. And yet it happened, perhaps because of an electrical issue. Time and the fire investigators will sort it out, but it looks like pot lights and a box of tissues caused the disaster.
Your fire department or city will have a lot of tips for preventing fires.  An equal problem is what to do if one does start? What then? 
With good planning, you will have a smoke alarm in each bedroom or just outside the bedroom door. Batteries should be checked regularly and Fire Prevention Week is a good reminder to do that.
Everyone in the family needs to have and understand a plan to get out of the house in case of fire. With modern materials and construction methods, you, your family and your pets may have on average TWO MINUTES to escape.
It’s good to practice how you’ll exit and agree on where you will meet up once you’re out. It may not be easy getting through a smoked filled room, so experts tell us to practice a crawling departure. Once you are out the door, then call 911. 
There’s not much I can’t live without in my home (although I don’t want to lose anything) but I really want to hang on to my husband and trusting and beloved little dogs.

My little dog, Daisy, sleeps in our bedroom and my computer, cellphone and purse are parked by the bed. Lily insists in sleeping on the living room sofa.  We have a plan for that too. 
In the meantime, we’ve bought this snazzy pair of fire extinguisher in case anything goes wrong in the kitchen. We’d been intending to but kept forgetting.  Now tonight's homework will be studying the instructions.
While at the hardware store, I met another neighbor who had just realized that all her detector batteries were dead. Talk about a wake up call! 
What about you? Are you prepared? Do you have a plan? Or any stories or tips to share?Be safe, my friends!

Launch Day….

Hi, Everyone!!

Duffy Brown here and I’m so excited because today is launch day for Tea Time with the Cozy Chicks. 

Tea Time is a chance for you to have a tea party with some of the fictional characters from Ellery Adams, Lorraine Bartlett, Duffy Brown, Kate Collins, Mary Kennedy, Mary Jane Maffini, Maggie Sefton and Leann Sweeney cozy mystery books. 


 Tea Time is filled with great tea party themes, such as a Bon Voyage tea, bachelorette tea, proper Yorkshire Tea, Chocolate Lovers tea etc. There are menus and recipes included, and all hosted by our characters  to add to the fun.  
In Tea Time with The Cozy Chicks you’ll find menu themes to cover celebrations as well as those more intimate moments between close friends or romantic partners.  There are tips on setting the perfect table, fun ideas on decorations, where to get cute and unusual invitations, how to make your own if you like, great suggestions on gifts, prizes and things to share at your party. 
In a nutshell Tea Time with the Cozy Chicks is the way to have fun with friends and take the stress out of coming up with all the ideas on your own. It’s always fun to have a girl’s night…or afternoon…out and Tea Time takes away the stress and lets the host have fun too.
Here is an added recipe that you won’t find in the Tea Time with the Cozy Chicks book but that gives you an idea of what’s included. Auntie KiKi is a character from my Consignment Shop mysteries set in Savannah and this is a fun and easy Southern candy recipe that Auntie KiKy would use and it’s just for you:
Auntie KiKi’s Easy Turtles
4 oz. pecan halves24 unwrapped Kraft Caramels1 tsp. shortening1 cup semisweet chocolate chips5-6 Heath bars, crunched up for topping
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Cover cookies sheet with aluminum foil, shiny side exposed. Lightly grease foil with vegetable oil spray. Place 3 pecan halves in a Y shape on the foil. Place 1 caramel candy in the center of each Y. Bake just until caramel is melted, about 9 to 10 minutes.Heat shortening and chocolate chips over low heat just until chocolate is melted. Spread over candies, sprinkle with Heath bars and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

And you’ll find a ton of other recipes and an a list of tea themes like tea-paring, tea stories, reading tea leaves and making your own tea blends. So are you a tea person? Got a fav tea? Have you ever had a tea party…as an adult or kid…and have you ever gone to high tea?
Share some of you tea experiences and I’ll give away two adorable tea bag holders and delis peach tea from the answers.
And now…it’s tea time!