Kate Collins's Blog, page 174

Join us at our Virtual Holiday Party

The Cozy Chicks want YOU to join us for a virtual holiday party on Wednesday, December 10th, from noon until 2 pm (eastern standard time).


During the party, we'll reveal lots of Cozy Chicks secrets; share recipes, and have a bunch of wonderful giveaways.  Here's a look at some of our party favors, but we'll have much, much more!






What do you need to do?  If you're a Facebook member and haven't yet friended us, you can.  Just click this link: https://www.facebook.com/cozychicks

If you're already a friend, please join our Cozy Chicks public group.  That's where we'll be hosting our party:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/1497885200485578/

We're going to have a wonderful time -- and we want YOU to share it with us.

See you there!

Taking heart!

by Mary Jane Maffini aka Victoria Abbott
Yesterday, I had a great experience.  I was asked by a student to give a presentation to her ‘Writers’ Craft’ class.  Writers Craft is an optional course for graduating high school students here in our Ontario system.  It is not a particularly easy class and only kids who are really interested in writing sign up for it.  I wish this course had existed when I went to school back when dinosaurs roamed the earth. 
“My” student had to bring a speaker to the class as part of her many assignments.  I was it.The school is in a very mixed area with lots of new immigrants and people from many cultures. There are pockets of wealthy homes in the neighborhood and also very poor areas. It was the first time I’d spoken at this particular school.  

What an eye-opener!  In this small class of about twenty students, I found people of every color and many nationalities represented. There were boys as well as girls. I loved the energy of the group and the humor. They laughed at my jokes and made their own.  They asked great questions.

Everyone in the class participated in the writing exercise  that I played with them to illustrate building character.  The most enthusiasm and some of the best ideas came from three young woman all named Zeinab, two of whom wore head-scarves.  

As I slipped away after my presentation, I glanced back to see a group of incredibly engaged, cooperative kids discussing their projects, arms waving and eyes lit up.
I came away happy, with this great example of young people (regardless of what we’re told!) still valuing the written word and with a desire to use it.  They are all readers as well as writers. It was the most fun I'd had in a long time!  I wish I had been able to take photos, but there were privacy considerations.  So please, close your eyes and imagine what they looked like.  
And tell me, what's your experience? Do the children and young people you see value books? Reading and writing? 

Come Watson Come...

I’m a Sherlock fan...actually I’m a Sherlock nut. I love anything Sherlock. My license plate is Shrlock! The license plate holder is: Come, Watson, Come The Game is Afoot. Don’t you love it.
I read Sherlock as a kid but the real love affair started with the new BBC series Sherlock played by Benedict Cumberbatch and the best Dr. Watson ever played by Martin Freeman.
Dr. Watson in old movies is often kind of a stupid guy. He’s a doctor so he’s intelligent but not all that clever. Not so with the new Dr. Watson. He’s smart and clever and a perfect match for Sherlock.
The thing with the new Sherlock series is that they brought it into the 21st Century. I thought I’d hate this but the writers and produces did such an amazing job of making Sherlock true to his character.
And the stories are a take off of the original ones. A Study in Scarlet became a Study in Pink. The Sign of Four became The Sign of Three. You get the picture
But enough of the new Sherlock there is still the magic of the old Sherlock to consider. What is amazing to me is despite the old-fashioned language and pace the stories have stood the test of time and are still captivating. IMO it's not really the mystery that’s the draw but the character of Holmes himself. It really is amazing that a character such a product of his times can be still so intriguing over a hundred years later. Sherlock is a super-hero in many ways but also an enigmatic and flawed hero which makes him so intriguing.

So, are you a Sherlock fan? Think you know your Sherlock? Here’s a little Sherlock quiz. Sherlock questions:
            What instrument did Sherlock play?            Where did Holmes live (Do you know the address?)            Who was his sidekick?            What was the first Sherlock Holmes book?            Name of his brother?            Name of his nemesis?             His one love interest? 

            What did he take up when he retired?             Author of Sherlock Holmes?
So, how did you do?Are you a Sherlock nut like me?
Hugs, Duffy

Geared for the Grave Berkley Prime CrimeDecember 2, 2014first book in Cycle Path Mysteries
Where biking takes a deadly turn
Shakedowns cover-ups and big fat lies keep bodies hidden on Mackinac Island and bike-riding tourist oblivious to it all.

Thanksgiving Hangover

by Maggie Sefton


Photos were taken in the Clarendon area of Arlington, Virginia.  Above is one of the new taverns, cafes, coffee shops, and boutique stores that fill the area now----


My apologies to Everyone for this delayed post.  Blame it on too much---way too much---Holiday eggnog.  :)  And, of course, late night travel and return home.  So, I sleep in.  Mea culpa.

Yesterday, Monday, was a VERY long travel day.  I was up at 4:40am because I was staying with my dear friends from childhood, and they were leaving at 5:30am for a very long travel day themselves as they drove from Vienna, VA (in Northern VA) all the way down to their Florida getaway home in Palm Coast, Florida.  We hugged goodbye and I zoomed off to Vienna's main drag and stopped in for a  nice cuppa (that's hot tea) at the neighborhood Mickey D's.  Then I treated myself to a big breakfast at one of those family places.  Yum, yum.  Way too many calories, and that's just too bad.    

I spent the rest of the day before my evening flight driving around the Northern VA area and visiting bookstores.  The staffs recognize me since I'm back in my old Hometown area frequently, so it's good to chat.  Also, in the process of visiting bookstores, I always take a "cruise" down the mains streets of the totally re-done, totally trendy and cool Clarendon shopping area in the northern section of Arlington where I grew up.  That was a cute shopping center  several blocks long back in my childhood, all the stores were two-stories then.  :)  Now it's filled with tons of great cafes and shops.  I do love to see the renovations and rejuvenation of an area.  It's given it a new life, for sure.  Heck, it even merits 2 (two) stops on the
Washington area Metro Line:  Courthouse Road and Clarendon.  

The third photo I couldn't resist taking.  It's the only remnant from the Old Days.  Some of you remember the old White Tower or White Tavern mini-restaurants years ago.  They made these little hamburgers with grilled onions over the top.  I can still remember how delicious they tasted.  Do any of you remember them?  What were your favorite childhood places?

Ellery's Mystery Cozy Contest

Hosted By Ellery Adams

It's the first of the month! Time for me to give away a $10 card to the bookstore of your choice.

This is how it works: I post a few lines from a cozy mystery. You post the title and author in the comment section. Then, I'll draw a random name from the winning guesses and post that person's name on this page and on Facebook by 10 p.m. on December 2nd.


Okay, here we go! Here are the lines from this month's mystery cozy:

"I haven't seen a flurry since last February," Tucker complained. "At this rate, New York's chance for a white Christmas is about on par with my chances of dating Channing Tatum."


Ellery's helpful hint - The theme of this series revolves around something that's lovely to drink when you're cold.

Leftovers

by Leann


I am talking about the Thanksgiving feast, of course--which was wonderful. The vegetarian daughter and son-in-law made a lentil Shepherd's Pie, a green bean casserole, vegetarian gravy and fresh cranberry relish. For the rest of us there
was a brined turkey baked in an infrared cooker. It comes out like a fried turkey without the whole oil mess to deal with--and a lot less calories, too. Add Cajun stuffing and wild rice casserole all preceded by an amazing cranberry salsa and we were all content and
full when we were done. Bring on the leftovers! And there were plenty of those for Friday starting at breakfast and ending quite late after a game of Trivial Pursuit.

But some of the leftovers weren't quite as tasty. I am still grieving the loss of my precious Marlowe last Sunday and though I tried my best to engage and laugh and enjoy my family and friends, he was always on my mind. He will be for a while, I know. Then there's the good-byes as my grown-up kids headed back to NYC yesterday. Those good-byes are more difficult than dealing with the mountain of dishes on Thursday, especially when you're unsure when you'll see them again. The kids, not the dishes. I'll be seeing plenty of them!

I'd love to hear some of the dishes you prepared--including the good, the bad or the ugly. (My bread was a fail and I used a recipe that had never failed before. But who needs bread with all that food?!) Whatever you did that day, I know something made you smile. Do share!

THE PERFECT COLD WEATHER SOUPS.

By Mary Kennedy
Winter's the time for delicious creamy soups, and they don't have to be filled with fat and calories. Here's a simple recipe for carrot soup, pictured above, and you can modify it and use other veggies. It's low fat and it only has three ingredients!

To make carrot soup, simply use 1 and 1/2 to 2 cups of fresh, cooked carrots (or one package of frozen carrots if you prefer, but I don't think the taste is as good). Place the cooked carrot in a blender along with 4 ounces of "lower fat" cream cheese and two cups of low sodium chicken or veggie broth. Blend and reheat. Some people add a touch of curry powder to jazz it up but this is optional. Makes 2 servings.
                                                             

To make broccoli soup, use 1 and 1/2 cups to two cups of cooked fresh broccoli, (or one package of cooked frozen broccoli), 4 ounces of "lower fat" cream cheese and two cups of low sodium chicken or veggie broth. Place in blender. Some people like to add all the veggies to the blender, but you can leave out 1/2  cup or so and add to the final version. If you want to kick up the flavor a little you can add a small amount of cheddar or feta cheese, but it's fine the way it is. Heat and serve. Makes two servings.
                                                       
 Squash soup. Use 1 and1/2 cups to 2 cups cooked squash (either butternut or acorn) and place in blender along with 4 oz "lower fat" cream cheese and 2 cups low sodium chicken or veggie broth. Blend and reheat. Some people like to add a tablespoon or two of low-sugar maple syrup. Makes two servings.
                                                          
 This low fat tomato soup is delicious and is a little different from the carrot, squash and broccoli recipe above. It's super-easy though. Saute 1 and 1/2 cup cups chopped onion in one tablespoon of olive oil. Add  2 (14 oz) cans of fire-roasted tomatoes and 3/4 cup fresh basil. Fresh basil is the best, but is may be hard to find during the winter months, so a few dashes of dried basil is okay. Add four ounces "lower fat" cream cheese to the pan and stir well until cream cheese melts. Place in blender and blend well. Next, return mixture to pan and add 2 cups 1% milk and a dash of pepper. Serves two.                                                                                                                If you need a cornbread recipe, here's one that's super easy and delicious.You need 3 eggs, 2 packages Jiffy Cornbread mix, one 8 oz container sour cream, one stick melted butter and one can creamed corn. Beat the eggs, add the other ingredients and spread into a greased 9 x 13 pan. Bake at 375 for about 35 minutes. Perfection! Hope you try these easy recipes and I think you'll enjoy them.
 Mary Kennedy  

We give up!

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

A couple of weeks ago, we decided it was time to do another puzzle.  "Oh, this looks like a fun one," I told Mr. L.

We didn't know when we started looking for the edge pieces that we were entering PUZZLE HELL.

OMG, all the edge pieces were GREEN.  Okay, we'll start on the birds.  This wasn't one of those puzzles where the shapes all line up nicely in lines.  Noooooo!  They had to be all odd shapes (and a lot of them looked the same).


As you can see, we got about 2/3 of it done in the two weeks we worked on it before we threw in the towel.  I mean, we DID need the table for Thanksgiving dinner.  So back into the box it went.  We are the second owner of this puzzle. We pass on all those with no missing pieces, and this is going to a new home this weekend.  I only hope the next person has better luck ... or a lot more patience than us.

BTW, this is only the second puzzle we haven't finished.

Do you always finish the puzzles you start?

Happy Thanksgiving!

From THE COZY CHICKS to our friends and readers: we are thankful for you!

May you all have a wonderful day, full of blessings to be thankful for and, of course, delicious things to eat and fabulous books to read - wherever you live.  We know that outside North American, this isn't a perhaps a holiday, but we hope it's wonderful day anyway.  The Canadians have already celebrated but some, ahem, might celebrate a bit more today. 


Please let us know what you are thankful for today and how you celebrate!

Mackinac Island

With Geared for the Grave out Dec 2,
I thought I’d give you a tour of Mackinac Island, and to help things along here’s a map of the place.

Mackinac is an eight-mile-around chunk of land where Lake Michigan meets Lake Huron and is a throwback to the turn of the century...and I’m not talking the twentieth century.You get there by ferry. No motorized vehicles, scant WiFi and cell service, two golf 9-hole golf courses, and 18 fudge shops. Holy cow!
I used all the streets, stores and a lot of the people who own and run the stores on the island in Geared for the Grave. I added some of my own shops to suit the story but the rest of the places like the grocery, the newspaper, blacksmith shop, medical center are for real.
The island is made of the bluffs and the town. The bluffs have huge Victorian houses (SeeFar) referred to as cottages that are nothing like where Red Riding Hood met the wolf and way more like where the Rockefellers hang out. The bluffs overlook the town that consists of two streets, Main Street and Market.
There are two directions on the island...up and down and down is waaay easier!
There is no Wal-Mart but there is Doud’s Market the oldest family-owned grocery in the US and probably one of the cutest and well stocked. They even have a place in the back where you can get a slice and a cup of soup. Delish! (and wait till you see what happens there in Geared for the Grave!)
There is a police station that is in the Town Hall that also houses the courthouse. Very efficient!
The Grand Hotelis a short trot up Cadotte. The front porch is two-football fields long...the longest porch in the world. All 385 rooms are different and themed. Thomas Edison, Mark Twain, lots of US Presidents and even Vladimir Putin have stayed at The Grand. You must “dress” for dinner and High Tea is scrumptious!
The Governor’s Houseis stone and clapboard and overlooks the lakes. You can take tours when Mr. Governor is not home hanging out in his jammies.
The Pink Pony is a bar as is the Mustang Lounge right off Main Street. The Stang is the watering hole for locals and has amazing fried green beans...veggies my way! Mustang named after a prop airplane and not the horse. It has a neat jukebox, a big yellow propeller on the wall and euchre tournaments. Euchre is a big deal on the island.
In keeping with the turn of turn-of-the-century theme there is Fort Mackinac where they fire the cannon...scaring the crap out of the tourists...when they raise and lower the flag. And, yes, everyone stops, faces the fort and puts hands over hearts. Very moving.
The Blacksmith Shopis on Market complete with forge and anvil and lots of hammering. The Yacht Club is on Main Street overlooking the harbor.
There are well over a hundred horses on the island to get people and stuff around. They are taken off the island via ferry in October and brought back in the spring. Bicycles are a way of life and all over the place.  Yes, this is how your luggage gets to your hotel!
When the ice “makes” there is an Ice Bridge to the mainland that the islanders take snowmobiles across...brave people...the “safe path” marked with their Christmas trees.  
There are 500 fulltime residents on the island, they have their own Island School and the winters are not for the namby-pambies of this world. The island has a ton of festivals...Lilac, Jazz, Fudge, Horse, etc. that are always packed full of fun.
Mackinac is a family island, an escape and the best place ever to kill someone off and ditch the body! Hope you have a great time visiting in Geared for the Grave. And remember...what happens on Mackinac stays on Mackinac.   

Hugs, Duffy Brown
Geared For the Grave First book in the Cycle Path MysteriesBerkley Prime CrimeDecember 2, 2014www.DuffyBrown.com