Kate Collins's Blog, page 225
July 13, 2013
Waiting on My World to Change
by Leann
When we moved last year, things happened very quickly. Yes, selling your house in about a week is not what you plan on! (It sure was nice to get a deal that quickly, of course!) Beforehand, we'd done a lot of clearing out, putting belongings in storage, throwing away useless objects, purging our life of mucho paper (which was shredded and recycled) and giving many things to charity.
A year later, we are in a rental house and most of our stuff remains boxed
up or in storage. I noticed today that because I SO want this place to be a very temporary home, I haven't made any attempt to make this place more like what I was used to in Texas. Objects put on shelves or in closets remain there, untouched. It's like my mind is reassuring me that this, too, shall pass.
But now, I so miss my quilts, my fabric stash, my dishes, my pictures of
family, my Amish made dining room table, my piano and the collectibles I always kept where I could admire them, take comfort in them and feel the joy of the memories they evoke. I collect cat folk art. I only have one piece here--what a friend sent me for Christmas. I miss walls dotted with pictures my sister painted or cross stitch projects I created.
When you race into a new stage of life, you anticipate all the wonderful things that will happen. I suppose I need to return to anticipation stage because waiting on this rental house world to change just isn't happening.
The good news is, I will have a "Christmas" unlike any other when we finally move once our house is built--boxes and boxes of wonderful gifts to re-explore and appreciate more than ever. I hope anyone in the southeast doing the "non-rain" dance will keep up the effort so we can back to building a house!
Ever put your stuff in storage for a year or more? What was it like to get it all back? I'd love to hear!
BTW--I haven't forgotten the giveaway, but having a very sick cat and a very sick me (bronchitis) has me behind in all normal daily activity. But the winner(s) will hear from me soon!
When we moved last year, things happened very quickly. Yes, selling your house in about a week is not what you plan on! (It sure was nice to get a deal that quickly, of course!) Beforehand, we'd done a lot of clearing out, putting belongings in storage, throwing away useless objects, purging our life of mucho paper (which was shredded and recycled) and giving many things to charity.
A year later, we are in a rental house and most of our stuff remains boxed
up or in storage. I noticed today that because I SO want this place to be a very temporary home, I haven't made any attempt to make this place more like what I was used to in Texas. Objects put on shelves or in closets remain there, untouched. It's like my mind is reassuring me that this, too, shall pass.But now, I so miss my quilts, my fabric stash, my dishes, my pictures of
family, my Amish made dining room table, my piano and the collectibles I always kept where I could admire them, take comfort in them and feel the joy of the memories they evoke. I collect cat folk art. I only have one piece here--what a friend sent me for Christmas. I miss walls dotted with pictures my sister painted or cross stitch projects I created.
When you race into a new stage of life, you anticipate all the wonderful things that will happen. I suppose I need to return to anticipation stage because waiting on this rental house world to change just isn't happening.
The good news is, I will have a "Christmas" unlike any other when we finally move once our house is built--boxes and boxes of wonderful gifts to re-explore and appreciate more than ever. I hope anyone in the southeast doing the "non-rain" dance will keep up the effort so we can back to building a house!Ever put your stuff in storage for a year or more? What was it like to get it all back? I'd love to hear!
BTW--I haven't forgotten the giveaway, but having a very sick cat and a very sick me (bronchitis) has me behind in all normal daily activity. But the winner(s) will hear from me soon!
July 12, 2013
Strawberry Muffin Pan Pies
By Ellery Adams
July 4th has come and gone, but that doesn't mean that there won't be more summer picnics. And there's nothing better than taking summer's fresh produce and turning it into a tasty dessert. These mini pies are so easy to make that you can get the kids to help. And you can sub out the fruit for whatever is in season - blueberries, raspberries, peaches—you name it! They're the perfect treat to bring along to a family gathering. Do you have any special family events planned this month?
Ingredients:
1 package refrigerated piecrusts 5 cups strawberries, chopped1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon corn starch
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup packed brown sugar 1/2 teaspoon apple pie spice 6 Tablespoons cold butter, cubed
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toss strawberries in sugar and let sit for at least 30 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the crumble top in a medium bowl by putting flour, brown sugar, apple pie spice, and butter in fod processor. Pulse until you have a nice crumble topping. Place pie crust on a floured surface and cut out circles using a circular cookie cutter or biscuit cutter. Press circles into the muffin tins so there are no air bubbles. Next, strain strawberries to remove excess liquid. Transfer back to the bowl and mix in lemon juice and cornstarch. Spoon strawberries into cups and crumble topping over each cup. Things should be overflowing. Bake in the oven for approximately 45-55 minutes. Let the mini pies cool completely and then use a thin butter knife to loosen and remove pies. Makes 12-16 mini pies depending on size of your piecrust circles.
July 4th has come and gone, but that doesn't mean that there won't be more summer picnics. And there's nothing better than taking summer's fresh produce and turning it into a tasty dessert. These mini pies are so easy to make that you can get the kids to help. And you can sub out the fruit for whatever is in season - blueberries, raspberries, peaches—you name it! They're the perfect treat to bring along to a family gathering. Do you have any special family events planned this month?
Ingredients:
1 package refrigerated piecrusts 5 cups strawberries, chopped1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon corn starch
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup packed brown sugar 1/2 teaspoon apple pie spice 6 Tablespoons cold butter, cubed
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toss strawberries in sugar and let sit for at least 30 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the crumble top in a medium bowl by putting flour, brown sugar, apple pie spice, and butter in fod processor. Pulse until you have a nice crumble topping. Place pie crust on a floured surface and cut out circles using a circular cookie cutter or biscuit cutter. Press circles into the muffin tins so there are no air bubbles. Next, strain strawberries to remove excess liquid. Transfer back to the bowl and mix in lemon juice and cornstarch. Spoon strawberries into cups and crumble topping over each cup. Things should be overflowing. Bake in the oven for approximately 45-55 minutes. Let the mini pies cool completely and then use a thin butter knife to loosen and remove pies. Makes 12-16 mini pies depending on size of your piecrust circles.Here's my garden
by Lorraine Bartlett / Lorna Barrett / L.L. Bartlett
The older I get, the more I want to garden. I actually take pleasure (well, for a few minutes at a time) weeding. Often when I'm stuck for an idea, weeding helps me think through a story snag, and then I'm off and writing again.
This year, I'm concentrating on roses. But did I take pictures when they were at their peak? Nope. But here's one of my climbers. Amazingly enough, I got the shot holding the camera over my head (while standing on tiptoe ... as it's almost 7 feet in the air.)
Not far away, are one of the lilies my mother gave Mr. L soon after we moved in here. (Goodness, that was 20 years ago already.)
I love cosmos, but haven't had a lot of luck growing them. Until this year!
The last couple of years were disasters when it came to growing veggies. In fact, I wasn't going to attempt it because I knew Mr. Bunny would just eat everything and break my heart. But ... I had this bit empty pot and ... well, the next thing you know, I had planted pole bean seeds. I figure we'll probably get the first of our "crop" around Labor Day.
Luckily, bunnies don't eat tomatoes. (Although I've seen chipmunks standing on their hind legs eating them them from the bottom up.) I saw on Facebook this morning that some people around the country are already picking their tomatoes. I see another 4-5 weeks before that happens here. These are celebrity tomatoes. They go great on a BLT!
About 17-18 years ago, I bought a catnip plant at the grocery store. It has been self seeding all around the yard ever since. This is just one stand next to the tomatoes. We don't pull them out, though. We let them grow (and these will get another week or so) and then dry them so the cats can enjoy catnip all winter. (You'd be surprised how much catnip Chester can eat.)
Last year I put the snap peas in too late, and then the bunnies ate them anyway. We got exactly ONE pea pod. Ha! I'm not taking any chances this year and put them in a pot. We won't have a lot, probably one meal's worth, but we'll get to enjoy them instead of the bunnies.
And we're back to flowers. These are just two of the blooms from the hydrangea plant Leann Sweeney sent me several years ago. I counted 33 the other day. In other years, I've had as few as five. The unrelenting rain has been good for them, and just about everything else in the garden.
This is a common day lily, like you see by the side of the road--and that's exactly where its forbearers came from. We pulled out the old garden at my family's summer garden, but I couldn't bear to throw away just everything, so I brought home a number of them and put them around the side of our deck, where nothing wanted to grow. I figured if they could survive along the side of roads, they could survive around my deck. They have been fruitful and have done a great job of multiplying.
And that's my yard.
How is your garden doing?
The older I get, the more I want to garden. I actually take pleasure (well, for a few minutes at a time) weeding. Often when I'm stuck for an idea, weeding helps me think through a story snag, and then I'm off and writing again.
This year, I'm concentrating on roses. But did I take pictures when they were at their peak? Nope. But here's one of my climbers. Amazingly enough, I got the shot holding the camera over my head (while standing on tiptoe ... as it's almost 7 feet in the air.)
Not far away, are one of the lilies my mother gave Mr. L soon after we moved in here. (Goodness, that was 20 years ago already.)
I love cosmos, but haven't had a lot of luck growing them. Until this year!
The last couple of years were disasters when it came to growing veggies. In fact, I wasn't going to attempt it because I knew Mr. Bunny would just eat everything and break my heart. But ... I had this bit empty pot and ... well, the next thing you know, I had planted pole bean seeds. I figure we'll probably get the first of our "crop" around Labor Day.
Luckily, bunnies don't eat tomatoes. (Although I've seen chipmunks standing on their hind legs eating them them from the bottom up.) I saw on Facebook this morning that some people around the country are already picking their tomatoes. I see another 4-5 weeks before that happens here. These are celebrity tomatoes. They go great on a BLT!
About 17-18 years ago, I bought a catnip plant at the grocery store. It has been self seeding all around the yard ever since. This is just one stand next to the tomatoes. We don't pull them out, though. We let them grow (and these will get another week or so) and then dry them so the cats can enjoy catnip all winter. (You'd be surprised how much catnip Chester can eat.)
Last year I put the snap peas in too late, and then the bunnies ate them anyway. We got exactly ONE pea pod. Ha! I'm not taking any chances this year and put them in a pot. We won't have a lot, probably one meal's worth, but we'll get to enjoy them instead of the bunnies.
And we're back to flowers. These are just two of the blooms from the hydrangea plant Leann Sweeney sent me several years ago. I counted 33 the other day. In other years, I've had as few as five. The unrelenting rain has been good for them, and just about everything else in the garden.
This is a common day lily, like you see by the side of the road--and that's exactly where its forbearers came from. We pulled out the old garden at my family's summer garden, but I couldn't bear to throw away just everything, so I brought home a number of them and put them around the side of our deck, where nothing wanted to grow. I figured if they could survive along the side of roads, they could survive around my deck. They have been fruitful and have done a great job of multiplying.
And that's my yard.
How is your garden doing?
July 10, 2013
You're Invited
by Julie
You're invited to my launch party. The book has been out since July 2nd, but the party is just beginning! It promises to be loads of fun! If you're in the Chicagoland area, or plan to visit soon, here are the details:
Launch Party for Grace Takes Off
Sunday, July 14, 2013
Anderson's Bookshop123 W. Jefferson AvenueNaperville, IL 60540(630) 355-2665
2:00 PM
There will be snacks, refreshments, and books! Plus lots of mingling, a little author talk (by me) and lots of fun. I hope you'll be able to be there!
You're invited to my launch party. The book has been out since July 2nd, but the party is just beginning! It promises to be loads of fun! If you're in the Chicagoland area, or plan to visit soon, here are the details:
Launch Party for Grace Takes Off
Sunday, July 14, 2013
Anderson's Bookshop123 W. Jefferson AvenueNaperville, IL 60540(630) 355-2665
2:00 PM
There will be snacks, refreshments, and books! Plus lots of mingling, a little author talk (by me) and lots of fun. I hope you'll be able to be there!
July 9, 2013
Pull the Trigger on Children's Diseases
by Deb Baker/Hannah Reed
There are some pretty debilitating (and sometimes fatal) diseases out there, and we’ve all had scares within our families or friendships or with our own health. But most of the time our worries are unfounded.
Except when they aren’t.
It’s even more frightening when it strikes a child. Cystic fibrosis is one of those inherited chronic childhood diseases. It attacks lungs and other organs. And there is no cure. Yet.
Four authors have banded together to publish an eBook anthology. The Fatal Four-Pack. All the proceeds go to fighting cystic fibrosis. Help us wipe out this bad guy.
You may have read my Gertie story already. Or Lorraine’s. Or all of them. Buy it anyway. If not for your enjoyment, then for a friend. It’s only $.99. But if it helps just a tiny bit with a cure or with the development of new treatments, it’s priceless.
Here are a few ways to buy it.
Barnes & Noble
Smashwords - Smashwords makes it possible to download from a selection of format options – Kinde, PDF, e-pub
Amazon
Kobo (US)
Thank you in advance!
There are some pretty debilitating (and sometimes fatal) diseases out there, and we’ve all had scares within our families or friendships or with our own health. But most of the time our worries are unfounded.
Except when they aren’t.
It’s even more frightening when it strikes a child. Cystic fibrosis is one of those inherited chronic childhood diseases. It attacks lungs and other organs. And there is no cure. Yet.
Four authors have banded together to publish an eBook anthology. The Fatal Four-Pack. All the proceeds go to fighting cystic fibrosis. Help us wipe out this bad guy.
You may have read my Gertie story already. Or Lorraine’s. Or all of them. Buy it anyway. If not for your enjoyment, then for a friend. It’s only $.99. But if it helps just a tiny bit with a cure or with the development of new treatments, it’s priceless.
Here are a few ways to buy it.
Barnes & Noble
Smashwords - Smashwords makes it possible to download from a selection of format options – Kinde, PDF, e-pub
Amazon
Kobo (US)
Thank you in advance!
July 8, 2013
Time to Travel
by Maggie SeftonYes, it's that time again. Time to travel to conferences--to meet readers and talk about new releases and other upcoming books. This trip will be longer than usual--11 days--because I'm doing two conferences back-to-back. . .well, almost. There will be a 2-day break before the 2nd conference starts. I fly off on Thursday, July 11th and will return Sunday, July 21st.
First stop, New York City, where I'll be attending ThrillerFest, at the New York Hilton at Grand Central. I'll be on a panel and will mostly talk about the first in my Molly Malone Suspense trilogy, DEADLY POLITICS, which came out last August. This August, the 2nd in the trilogy will be out, POISONED POLITICS. The books are set in my old hometown, Washington, DC, where I grew up watching Washington politicians. Believe me, they bear watching. There's no real persons portrayed in the books, but there's no way a novelist can exaggerate. We've got the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly in Washington politics. Really.
Next stop will be Atlanta, Georgia, where I'll attend the huge RWA conference at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis Hotel in Downtown Atlanta. This is a longer conference, 5 days, so I usually get a roommate or in this case two roommates to keep expensive hotel rates reasonable. It's a GREAT conference, because there are TONS of readers attending. And these readers are voracious, trust me. They read romance, sic fi, fantasy, mystery, suspense, thrillers, paranormal, every genre and sub-genre. So, it's paradise for a writer to be surrounded by all those readers. You readers are the reason we writers write.
I'll be signing books at the huge Literacy Book Signing and the Berkley book signing. At this conference, I'll be talking about the latest Kelly Flynn mystery, CLOSE KNIT KILLER, as well as the Molly Malone Political Suspense, DEADLY POLITICS and POISONED POLITICS. I'll even have postcards there for my E-book release of my earlier Historical Romance, ABILENE GAMBLER, set in 1871 in the rough cowtown of Abilene, Kansas. There's a Confederate widow, a former Union officer, a cowardly deputy sheriff, several nasty villains, and lots of other colorful characters. If anyone lives near either conference location and would like to meet at the hotels for coffee, lunch or whatever. Email me: maggie@maggiesefton.com. I LOVE to meet readers.
July 7, 2013
Taking "The Heat" Out of the Kitchen
by Kate CollinsHave you seen the Melissa McCarthy, Sandra Bullock movie, "The Heat?" I did and liked it. And apparently many others did, too, because it beat out some of the bigger movies at the box office last weekend.
In case you haven't heard of it, "The Heat" has laughs, suspense, violence, a car chase, lots of guns, lots of cursing, cops, Feds, DEA agents, drugs, and was a buddy movie -- but didn't star men! Are you cheering with me? Two solid women actresses are pitted against a slew of male-dominated movies -- and winning. Yay!
And while I celebrated that, I groaned at the trailers for the stupid/silly summer movies that are about to hit the silver screen, most of them about college kids or overgrown men who act like college kids getting drunk, doing drugs and trying to have/having sex.
So, although the language was coarse, it was still refreshing to see an intelligent movie starring good actresses. But I'd go see anything starring Melissa McCarthy. Talk about a breath of fresh air!
Have you seen any flicks you can recommend?
July 6, 2013
Defeated by Rain But Giving Away a Rainbow (Yes, a GIVEAWAY!)
by Leann
I just looked at the extended forecast for our area and though we have been drenched by buckets of rain in the last week,even more is on the way well into next week. I nearly burst into tears when I saw that little icon appear every day until July 15th!
After so much trouble haggling about house plans since we moved here last August, the minute we got what we wanted on paper, the monsoons hit. We have a hole dug on our property but every step since has been painstaking and stressful.
First the footers that support the hole in the ground had to be redone three times because of weather. Then, the first blocks of the foundation were put in and more rain hit. We had to wait. They finally got them in and were
at the point where the rough plumbing needed to be done and it rained. And rained. And rained some more. With a small break in the weather, that step was completed. But then there had to be a test of the line by an inspector. More waiting. Done, passed and then, if we thought we had rain before, we were wrong. It just won't stop. But our hopes of building a
house any time soon sure has. The next steps are to finish the foundation and that requires dry weather. We can do nothing, and every day my husband goes out and pumps water out of the hole in the ground while we wait.
It is such a helpless feeling. On top of it all, I got sick and cannot kick it, plus my kitty Marlowe had a short relapse with 2 days of seizures. I am feeling as if my life as been put on hold. When you have no control over such circumstances what do you do? I have busied myself with work, but writing a book requires an enormous amount of energy. I feel drained and keep looking to the sky for the sunshine we need--in more ways than one.
When you are low because of circumstances you cannot control, what do you do? How do you cheer yourself up when you have no friends or family nearby to help you out? What I'm trying is to give something away. If you'd like a hardcover book club edition of my latest book, The Cat, The Mill and The Murder, leave me a comment with a creative suggestion on how to shake the blues. I'm offering a rainbow in hopes of getting one back.
Random winner will be chosen so make sure and leave me your e-mail addy so I can contact your for your address!
I just looked at the extended forecast for our area and though we have been drenched by buckets of rain in the last week,even more is on the way well into next week. I nearly burst into tears when I saw that little icon appear every day until July 15th!After so much trouble haggling about house plans since we moved here last August, the minute we got what we wanted on paper, the monsoons hit. We have a hole dug on our property but every step since has been painstaking and stressful.
First the footers that support the hole in the ground had to be redone three times because of weather. Then, the first blocks of the foundation were put in and more rain hit. We had to wait. They finally got them in and were
at the point where the rough plumbing needed to be done and it rained. And rained. And rained some more. With a small break in the weather, that step was completed. But then there had to be a test of the line by an inspector. More waiting. Done, passed and then, if we thought we had rain before, we were wrong. It just won't stop. But our hopes of building a 
house any time soon sure has. The next steps are to finish the foundation and that requires dry weather. We can do nothing, and every day my husband goes out and pumps water out of the hole in the ground while we wait.It is such a helpless feeling. On top of it all, I got sick and cannot kick it, plus my kitty Marlowe had a short relapse with 2 days of seizures. I am feeling as if my life as been put on hold. When you have no control over such circumstances what do you do? I have busied myself with work, but writing a book requires an enormous amount of energy. I feel drained and keep looking to the sky for the sunshine we need--in more ways than one.
When you are low because of circumstances you cannot control, what do you do? How do you cheer yourself up when you have no friends or family nearby to help you out? What I'm trying is to give something away. If you'd like a hardcover book club edition of my latest book, The Cat, The Mill and The Murder, leave me a comment with a creative suggestion on how to shake the blues. I'm offering a rainbow in hopes of getting one back.Random winner will be chosen so make sure and leave me your e-mail addy so I can contact your for your address!
July 5, 2013
The Mylar Murderer
By Heather
It’s celebration season at our house. Birthdays in May, June, July, and August. Plus, this year we’ve had the added celebration of Baby Girl’s high school graduation. Lots of excitement. Lots of cake. Lots of fun.
Lots of balloons.
The latex balloons fizzle pretty fast. Two or three days, and phhht, they’re limp on the floor. The mylar foil balloons, however...those suckers just don’t want to deflate.
Take Baby Girl’s 18th birthday and graduation balloons for examples. They've been floating limply around the family room for weeks. Weeks. Not quite deflated but far from their once perky selves. It’s long past time for them to...go.
So I’ve decided it’s time to ahh...put them out of their misery, so to speak. That’s right, I’m committing mylar murder. I do carry some guilt about this, mostly because those balloons represent big events and seeing the balloons go means closure on those events (and I’m having issues with these big milestones). But, not so much guilt that I’m going to put the scissors away and let them naturally shrink away.
I will, however, cut them nice and neat and tuck them away in Baby Girl’s overstuffed baby book.
Now tell me...am I the only one who commits mylar murder? Or do you let your balloons naturally fade away?
Oh, and by the way, Thursday was son #2’s birthday, so there are even more balloons in the house. I’m keeping a careful eye on them...and keeping my scissors handy. Mwa-ha-ha.
It’s celebration season at our house. Birthdays in May, June, July, and August. Plus, this year we’ve had the added celebration of Baby Girl’s high school graduation. Lots of excitement. Lots of cake. Lots of fun.
Lots of balloons.
The latex balloons fizzle pretty fast. Two or three days, and phhht, they’re limp on the floor. The mylar foil balloons, however...those suckers just don’t want to deflate.Take Baby Girl’s 18th birthday and graduation balloons for examples. They've been floating limply around the family room for weeks. Weeks. Not quite deflated but far from their once perky selves. It’s long past time for them to...go.
So I’ve decided it’s time to ahh...put them out of their misery, so to speak. That’s right, I’m committing mylar murder. I do carry some guilt about this, mostly because those balloons represent big events and seeing the balloons go means closure on those events (and I’m having issues with these big milestones). But, not so much guilt that I’m going to put the scissors away and let them naturally shrink away.
I will, however, cut them nice and neat and tuck them away in Baby Girl’s overstuffed baby book.
Now tell me...am I the only one who commits mylar murder? Or do you let your balloons naturally fade away?
Oh, and by the way, Thursday was son #2’s birthday, so there are even more balloons in the house. I’m keeping a careful eye on them...and keeping my scissors handy. Mwa-ha-ha.
July 4, 2013
We cook--we bake--and sometimes...we fail!
by Lorraine Bartlett / Lorna Barrett / L.L. Bartlett
The Cozy Chicks love to cook. In fact, a number of us include recipes in our books. And of course, before we include a recipe in our books, we test them. Sometimes more than once. In fact, just yesterday, I was testing a recipe I want to include in Booktown Mystery #9, that I will start work on come September.
So, I spent the morning making the cake; black raspberry cake. It called for a tube pan, but I thought it would look prettier in a bundt pan. Big mistake.
As you can see, the cake did NOT want to leave the security of the bundt pan and came out in pieces--about six of them. And the recipe called for it to be baked for between 40-50 minutes. I decided to go halfway and bake it for 45 minutes. My oven is pretty accurate and ... 40 would have been better than 45. It tasted pretty good, but did not look good. And the next time I bake it (and I will bake it again), I think I'll add walnuts. I like a cake with walnuts.
And speaking of baking, this week the Cozy Chicks got a wonderful review on our cookbook (The Cozy Chicks Kitchen) from Night Owl Reviews--a "Top Pick" in fact. It said:
I loved this cookbook and immediately tried three recipes contributed by author Kate Collins: Baked Crispy Potatoes, Easy Crispy Potatoes and Incredible Chicken. I tried an additional one by Lorraine Bartlett which was called Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars and I have to say all four of these recipes where delicious. The next three recipes I’d like to try would be the Easy Toffee Bars by Maggie Sefton, Ellery’s Banana Pudding Pie by Ellery Adams and the Onion Breadsticks by Lorraine Bartlett. Just typing the names of these recipes is making my mouth water. There are so many recipes to choose from under categories like: appetizers, soups, salads & veggies and main dish options. Others also included are: pies, cakes & other sweets, cookies and other treats in which I’m sure you’ll find a recipe or two that you just can’t wait to try. I highly recommend this cookbook and I’m definitely adding this book to my ever-growing library. Well done!
In this book we find recipes from eight authors that offer a variety of delicious meals and snacks for you and your family to try. With all the choices they offer, it’s so hard to pick which ones to try first, but when you do, you’ll be glad you did. Also, in the back of the book you’ll find the list of contributing authors, along with the book titles each has available for purchase and their personal websites where you can find out more about them. I’m so glad I stumbled across this cookbook because I’ve added a few new recipes to my everyday cookbook that I use.
It's rare that a book that's been out more than a year gets a review on one of the bigger review sites--but that's the beauty of ebooks--they have a shelf life of longer than a month or year or so. But wait! The Cozy Chicks Kitchen is also available in trade paperback.
If you haven't already given our cookbook a try, we hope you will. And if you have -- we hope you'll consider writing a review on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Goodreads, or any other review site.
Thank you!
Trade Paperback ~ Kindle ~ Nook ~ Kobo ~ iTunes ~ Sony ~ Smashwords
HAPPY COOKING!
The Cozy Chicks love to cook. In fact, a number of us include recipes in our books. And of course, before we include a recipe in our books, we test them. Sometimes more than once. In fact, just yesterday, I was testing a recipe I want to include in Booktown Mystery #9, that I will start work on come September.
So, I spent the morning making the cake; black raspberry cake. It called for a tube pan, but I thought it would look prettier in a bundt pan. Big mistake.
As you can see, the cake did NOT want to leave the security of the bundt pan and came out in pieces--about six of them. And the recipe called for it to be baked for between 40-50 minutes. I decided to go halfway and bake it for 45 minutes. My oven is pretty accurate and ... 40 would have been better than 45. It tasted pretty good, but did not look good. And the next time I bake it (and I will bake it again), I think I'll add walnuts. I like a cake with walnuts.
And speaking of baking, this week the Cozy Chicks got a wonderful review on our cookbook (The Cozy Chicks Kitchen) from Night Owl Reviews--a "Top Pick" in fact. It said:
I loved this cookbook and immediately tried three recipes contributed by author Kate Collins: Baked Crispy Potatoes, Easy Crispy Potatoes and Incredible Chicken. I tried an additional one by Lorraine Bartlett which was called Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars and I have to say all four of these recipes where delicious. The next three recipes I’d like to try would be the Easy Toffee Bars by Maggie Sefton, Ellery’s Banana Pudding Pie by Ellery Adams and the Onion Breadsticks by Lorraine Bartlett. Just typing the names of these recipes is making my mouth water. There are so many recipes to choose from under categories like: appetizers, soups, salads & veggies and main dish options. Others also included are: pies, cakes & other sweets, cookies and other treats in which I’m sure you’ll find a recipe or two that you just can’t wait to try. I highly recommend this cookbook and I’m definitely adding this book to my ever-growing library. Well done! In this book we find recipes from eight authors that offer a variety of delicious meals and snacks for you and your family to try. With all the choices they offer, it’s so hard to pick which ones to try first, but when you do, you’ll be glad you did. Also, in the back of the book you’ll find the list of contributing authors, along with the book titles each has available for purchase and their personal websites where you can find out more about them. I’m so glad I stumbled across this cookbook because I’ve added a few new recipes to my everyday cookbook that I use.
It's rare that a book that's been out more than a year gets a review on one of the bigger review sites--but that's the beauty of ebooks--they have a shelf life of longer than a month or year or so. But wait! The Cozy Chicks Kitchen is also available in trade paperback.
If you haven't already given our cookbook a try, we hope you will. And if you have -- we hope you'll consider writing a review on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Goodreads, or any other review site.
Thank you!
Trade Paperback ~ Kindle ~ Nook ~ Kobo ~ iTunes ~ Sony ~ Smashwords
HAPPY COOKING!
