Kate Collins's Blog, page 246

Dru's Cozy Report: December 2012

Welcome to Dru's Cozy Report. A slight departure, but this month we have books that I’ve read this past week.

The Light Keeper's Legacy by Kathleen Ernst is the third book in the "Chloe Ellefson" mystery series. Publisher: Midnight Ink, October 2012

Solitude at last! Museum curator Chloe Ellefson leaps at the opportunity to be a consultant for the historic lighthouse restoration project on Rock Island, a state park in Wisconsin’s scenic Door County. Hoping to leave her personal and professional problems at home, Chloe’s tranquility is suddenly spoiled when a dead woman washes ashore. Determined to find answers behind the mystery, Chloe dives into research about the island’s history and discovers the amazing, resilient women who once lived there. But will the link between the past and present turn out to be a beacon of hope or a portent of doom?

I love how the author blends the past and present into a wonderfully written whodunit that captured my attention in this intriguing page-turner that I could not put down. When I open a book by Ms. Ernst, I know that the story is going to take me back to a period long time ago giving me insights in the past on a collision course with the present that will have Chloe searching for clues to a present day crime, and bonus is I get a little history lesson at the same time. This was very enjoyable read with a mystery that was fun to unravel along with Chloe and I look forward to the next book in this terrific series. Visit Kathleen at www.kathleenernst.com
FTC Full Disclosure - I bought my copy of The Light Keeper's Legacy
Notorious Nineteen by Janet Evanovich is the 19th book in the "Stephanie Plum" mystery series. Publisher: Bantam, November 2012

After a slow summer of chasing low-level skips for her cousin Vinnie’s bail bonds agency, Stephanie Plum finally lands an assignment that could put her checkbook back in the black. Geoffrey Cubbin, facing trial for embezzling millions from Trenton’s premier assisted-living facility, has mysteriously vanished from the hospital after an emergency appendectomy. Now it’s on Stephanie to track down the con man. Unfortunately, Cubbin has disappeared without a trace, a witness, or his money-hungry wife. Rumors are stirring that he must have had help with the daring escape . . . or that maybe he never made it out of his room alive. Since the hospital staff’s lips seem to be tighter than the security, and it’s hard for Stephanie to blend in to assisted living, Stephanie’s Grandma Mazur goes in undercover. But when a second felon goes missing from the same hospital, Stephanie is forced into working side by side with Trenton’s hottest cop, Joe Morelli, in order to crack the case.

The real problem is, no Cubbin also means no way to pay the rent. Desperate for money—or maybe just desperate—Stephanie accepts a secondary job guarding her secretive and mouthwatering mentor Ranger from a deadly Special Forces adversary. While Stephanie is notorious for finding trouble, she may have found a little more than she bargained for this time around. Then again—a little food poisoning, some threatening notes, and a bridesmaid’s dress with an excess of taffeta never killed anyone . . . or did they? If Stephanie Plum wants to bring in a paycheck, she’ll have to remember: No guts, no glory. . . .

This was a very entertaining read as Stephanie is on a trail of a missing hospital patient as she deals with threats coming from Ranger’s past, all to bring some money home. Stephanie, in her most usual way, handles it as she normally does with a few bumps along the way. I know I’m in for some good laughs while Stephanie and the gang are out pursuing their prey, from Lula’s quest for a meal, grandma’s desire to shoot off her gun, and from the two men in Stephanie’s life. This was a fun read and I can’t wait for the next book in this amusing series. Visit Janet at www.evanovich.com
FTC Full Disclosure - I bought my copy of Notorious Nineteen
Collared by L. A. Kornetsky is the first book in the new "Gin & Tonic" mystery series. Publisher: Gallery Books, November 2012

Ginny Mallard and her shar-pei, Georgie, are about to run out of kibble and cash, unless she digs up another client for her private concierge business. So she heads to her neighborhood Seattle bar, Mary’s, to sniff out an opportunity. Or a gimlet or two. The bartender, Teddy Tonica, is usually good for a round of challenging banter, and Georgie is oddly fond of his bar cat, Mistress Penny. Before she can say “bottoms up,” Ginny lands a job tracking down some important business papers that have gone missing—along with the customer’s uncle. If Ginny hopes to track him down, she’ll need more than her research skills: she’ll need a partner with people skills—like Tonica. This is one dangerous case that’s about to go to the dogs—unless man, woman, cat, and canine can work together as one very unconventional crime-solving team.

This was very enjoyable. An evenly paced drama that explodes with suspenseful tension as to what's going on and will they be able to find a resolution. A chance job brings a new crime solving duo into the cozy genre and I like it, and I especially like the "human owners" element in this story. The banter among the duos was fun and the chance to see the protectiveness of Miss Penny and Georgie was very nice. Gin and Tonic make a great team and I can't wait to see what new job they tackle in this charmingly likable series. Visit L. A. aka Laura Anne Gilman at www.lauraannegilman.net
FTC Full Disclosure - I bought my copy of Collared

The Magic of Christmastime through cards

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

Too often when I find myself goofing off these days -- I'm goofing off on Pinterest.  The entire site has gone bananas with two points of interest:  Doctor Who and Christmas--especially vintage Christmas.  Ahh ... for the old days, when everyone was happy.  When there was no stress around the holiday feast table.  When everything was better.

Of course, it wasn't.  That's Hallmark's fault for making us believe that.  (That and Madison Avenue in general.)  But wouldn't it be nice if the holidays were all filled with magic?

I admit it, I love that kind of Christmas magic and I love vintage Christmas cards.  In fact, I collect them and have about 50-60 of them.  Thanks to Pinterest, I now have an even bigger virtual collection (spread out over several of my writing personas).

I like cards from the 1950s.  It was such an innocent era.  (Well, we like to think that.  The WWII had ended, but Korea was in full swing, and there was the Cold War going on ... but let's think innocent.)

Most of my cards came from yard sales.  Usually when daughters were cleaning our their parents homes.  They bagged them up and I bought them. (I also have an entire VERY BIG BOX (we're talking 18" high and 2' wide) of assorted cards for every occasion that I got FOR THREE BUCKS!) I love them all!

Every year I hand the last Christmas card I got from my Granddad back in the 1980s.  It wasn't an expensive card, but it has his signagure on it and it says "with Love"  (sniff).

But so far this year I have only received four Christmas cards--and all of them were from my readers. (Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!)  I'm so sad that that tradition seems to be going the way of the doh-doh.  I used to look forward to the mail every day in December. Now people send virtual cards which, less face it, don't entail much effort at all.  Especially when all one has to do is gang a load of email addresses and shoot off one card with one generic message.  Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to receive them, but I can't hang them on the wall and admire them several times a day.

I've got my cards all ready to work on this weekend, and will feel sad that my wall of cards might only have those four cards on it this year.

If you like vintage cards, they have reproductions on Amazon.  BTW, I'll be sending out a few of my duplicate vintage cards to a chosen few.

Will you be sending out Christmas cards this year?
 ==================================== Don't forget that the Cozy Chicks Cookie Exchange starts on Sunday with Leann's recipe!  

Late to the party

by Julie Hyzy

First - huge thanks to Anita Joy for the pumpkin scone recipe she shared in the comments last week. I couldn't respond until today, but wow... this one sounds great. I will definitely give it a try next time I have a Queensland Blue "Pumpkin" - not squash <grin>!

Now, to today's post:

I'm way behind. Waay behind.
One of my all-time favorite TV shows is Star Trek: The Next Generation. Do you know when I started watching it? Around season 4.
My number one, all-time favorite TV show is The Dick Van Dyke Show , but I didn't start watching that until it was in reruns.
And Battlestar Galactica ? Awesome series. It ran from 2004 - 2009. We watched it last year.
We're trying to keep up, though. Really. One of our current favorites is Castle . I am absolutely loving the interplay between that "ruggedly handsome" writer and Detective Beckett. The thing is, we Netflix the series, which means we're always one season behind. With Castle, I could DVR current episode (headslap... this just dawned on me last week), but with other shows we enjoy, like Dexter, for instance, that's not an option. He's on HBO, or one of those other premium channels. We don't get any of those.
Oh, and Downton Abbey ? Same thing.
The thing is, we both really enjoy watching all these shows at our convenience. When we used to make time for Survivor, or Lost , we had to make sure we were at home, in front of the TV at a certain time on a certain day. Netflix has changed all that for us, and I have to say I love it. Who cares if we're a little bit behind, right? 
What about you? Do you watch TV shows as they air, do you tape/DVR them? Do you rely on Netflix? Or do you eschew television altogether?

December Slacker Discovers the Hallmark Channel

by Hannah Reed/Deb Baker

Working at my craft during December is impossible. I should know that by now. Instead of beating myself up with a thick stick of guilt, I'm going to give up and indulge. That means lots of watching the Christmas Classics, like Elf and Miracle on 35th Street, and The Grinch, to mention just a few.

To make my distraction complete, I've discovered the Hallmark Channel and all its original holiday movies. Just like the elements of a good cozy mystery, these movies give us thought provoking themes, colorful characters, and feely-good (some of the tearing up variety) plots. Here are a few I am really looking forward to this week.

A Smoky Mountain Christmas (with Dolly Parton)Hitched for the HolidaysChristmas with HollyMistletoe over ManhattanDo you watch the Hallmark channel? Have you seen any of these yet? What else would you recommend?

Merry Christmas from a December slacker!

Carols and Concerts of the Season

by Maggie Sefton

I looked for photos of carolers and didn't see anything I liked, so I've included the cover photos of FLEECE NAVIDAD because it's a Christmas theme and our Cozy Chicks Kitchen Cookbook because it's chock full of yummy recipes for the holidays.  :)  

Last Saturday evening I got to attend one of my favorite early holiday events---the University Holiday Concert with all the Colorado State University choral groups plus the Symphony Band, Wind Ensemble, & Jazz Band.  What a treat to sit back and enjoy all the familiar Christmas carols plus other holiday music we've grown fond of hearing over the years.

Music is so important to me.  I started singing with church choirs when I was only eight years old.  I loved it!  And I continued to sing not only in church choirs but also in school choral groups, starting in junior high and continuing all the way into college & university choral groups.  I took a short break early in marriage when I started having children, but I soon returned to my lifelong love of  singing by auditioning and singing with choral groups in Northern Virginia, Indiana, and Colorado.  I even studied Voice in university and as an adult and performed solo and in duets and small groups over the years.

During all those years, my favorite concerts were in December which included Christmas music---everything from the familiar carols to classical compositions.   And for every holiday season, I always pull out our family's favorite CDs and listen to them while I'm stirring the fudge pot or making gingersnaps or other holiday goodies.

Update:  I'm almost finished with fudge-making---yes, I've steadily been making batches (2 pans/batch) of fudge for over a week now---but I've only got one more batch to go.  I've mailed all eight pans to my daughter Maria in Afghanistan to share with the troops.  

I CAN'T SWALLOW THAT!

by Kate Collins

It's not that I don't want to -- I have a cup of hot tea steaming away at my side -- it's that I can't because it hurts too much.

This isn't the raw throat that accompanies a cold, that horrible burning feeling. This is a severe pain in my left tonsil area that radiates into my left ear every time I swallow. It doesn't hurt otherwise, but try NOT to swallow.

I've been taking Advil every 4 hours to keep the pain dulled, but it sure hasn't subsided. I gargled with vinegar and with salt water, and I tried dripping hydrogen peroxide into my left ear (yes, that's a remedy.) But it hasn't remedied this throat pain that came on yesterday morning and grew worse all day.

Frankly, it's making me cranky. I miss my tea breaks. I should be working on my next synopsis and instead, all I feel like doing is sacking out on the sofa and being miserable (although I have been enjoying a Cosby Show marathon. I'd forgotten how funny that show is.)

Does anyone have any idea what's going on in my throat, or even better, a way to stop the pain, short of lancing my own tonsil? Trust me, I'm tempted. And yes, if it's no better tomorrow, I'll call my doctor.  In the meantime, any tips would be appreciated.

I'll drink to that -- once my throat heals.

Paradise .. Or Rather, Recipes Lost

by Leann

Christmas was always cookie-baking time at my home in Texas. This year, I am living in the 1960's motel-like rent house as we wade through the many steps needed to build the house we plan to live in for the rest of our lives. There is little counter space and a fifty-year-old oven standing in the way of baking just about anything but frozen pizza. We cooked a lot of food here at Thanksgiving, so I know the problems!

But, I could do it. I am resourceful. But not resourceful enough to find the old recipes packed away in a box somewhere near where I am sitting right now. These are not recipes found on any website. They are old family recipes written out on paper or batter-spotted 3 X 5 cards. I've looked on the internet and have found a few things close to some of my favorites, but not quite right. When I find them, I have learned how important it is to type them up and save them on the internet. After all, my kids are always calling this time of year for a certain recipe they remember and love.

One of my cookie recipes went missing a long time ago. It's a brown sugar cookie with sunflower seeds that I absolutely love (no eggs--I am allergic). But it disappeared. Back then, there was a food section in the newspaper that had a column called "recipe quest." I sent in my request and sure enough, a few weeks later, my cookie recipe was printed in the newspaper. Not only that, I was given the name of the book where it was first printed. Years later, I found that very book on eBay! I now have about 5 copies of that cookie recipe as well as the book.

But today, I sit here without my recipes. Funny how the things you miss in a situation like this are NOT what you'd expect. I miss my socks--I have a whole big box of socks somewhere--and I miss my cookbooks. I may not use them much, but they are a comfort. The new house will have a special shelf for my special cookbooks even though most of the time when I cook, I bring up a recipe on my iPad.

Next week on the blog, we will start our "cookie exchange" and I thank goodness the recipe I will be sharing is in the Cozy Chicks Kitchen. I can't find my copy, but Lorraine will help!

The Best Christmas Picture Books

By Ellery Adams


I started collecting holiday picture books ages ago. I've always loved picture books, but I have a special place in my heart for the Christmas ones because it was Dad's job (not Mom's) to read us The Night Before Christmas right before bed on Christmas Eve. That book is always on our coffee table near the tree, but here are some others that you might want to give to a kid, or an adult, you know. They are guaranteed to bring a smile.

My all-time favorite is Mr. Willoughby's Christmas Tree . This is the ultimate story about recycling! And its filled with charming animals and their families. Everyone gets a piece of this huge tree in this story and kids love the tiny mouse family at the end.

If you know siblings, especially ones that tend to squabble, Santa Calls is a very moving story about a brother and a sister. There's a special letter at the end that always made me a little teary.

Everyone loves The Jolly Christmas Postman . While traveling through fairytaleland, the Jolly Postman delivers catalogues, jigsaw puzzles, and letters. This book is much more than a book - it's even got a mini board game folded up inside.

Here are some more books that I take out each year: How The Grinch Stole Christmas! Olive, the Other Christmas Reindeer, The Polar Express, The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey. 

On top of my favorite stories are books by my favorite illustrators. I love the colors and designs by Jan Brett, Tasha Tudor, and Eric Carle.


Can you add any more great books to this list?

More time in the day, please!

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

For years I've been kvetching that I need another 12+ hours in the day.  And that was wayyyy before I became a member on Pinterest. Talk about a time sink ... there are so many marvelous images, in no time flat you can find you've spent several hours gazing at new pins (pictures).

[image error] I've got a LOT of great boards.  For instance:

Star Trek
Katie's Storage Unit (which won't become clear until you read One Hot Murder)
Teatime with Katie (again, clear when you read One Hot Murder)
Vintage Christmas Cards (which I've been collecting for years)
Vintage Christmas Figurines (of which I have over 200)
Cut Out Cookies (which I could eat every day of the year)
Cookbooks I Love
Cupcake Joy

Oh, what the heck, just click this link and you can see where've I've spent far too much of my time these past couple of months.

Guess what, not only am I on Pinterest but so are:
Ellery Adams
Deb Baker / Hannah Reed
Lorraine / LL Bartlett / Lorna Barrett
Julie Hyzy
Cozy Chicks
Leann Sweeney
Heather Webber / Blake

So, what do you like to pin the best?



[image error]

Squash the soup!

by Julie Hyzy

Our eldest daughter came up with a unique Christmas gift last year. She and her boyfriend bought us a farm share, that is: participation in a CSA - Community Supported Agriculture. Now, because they aren't wealthy, they couldn't buy us the summer share, it's too expensive. Instead, they bought us a six week fall share which began in mid-November.

This has been the most fun I've had cooking in a LONG time. Every week we pick up our box of vegetables and bring it home to play. I've learned how to make kohlrabi and Swiss chard (I remember making fun of these names when I was a kid. Things sure come back to haunt us, don't they?) among other new-to-me goodies.

I'm having a blast. This week I made black bean and kale soup. It looks... scary. Seriously, it isn't pretty. But it tastes great. I've also made a cabbage dish that was so good I wanted to lick the plate clean. Here's the link to that recipe: Braised cabbage. For the record, I skipped the carrots because sometimes they're too sweet for me, and I added bacon in addition to the bacon fat. It was fabulous.

Anyway, one of the items in our share was Queensland Blue Squash. Here's a link to what this looks like: Queensland Blue Images

I'd never seen one before, so I needed to troll the trust Internet for hints on how to slice, how to cook, how to serve this new treat.

Let me just say here, right now, that I'm not a squash girl. I think squash is just too sweet, overall, for my tastes. I baked the enormous Queensland Blue (and believe me, it's HUGE), then used the softened insides to make soup. I added all sorts of great ingredients - coconut milk, vegetable stock, onions, celery, garlic, even *jalapenos* ... and nothing. Nothing gave this thing any life. It was a huge pot of ... blah.

So I'm squashing squash soup going forward. I think it's just my personal taste. Boring. Bland. Blah. Sounds delicious, doesn't it? <grin>

Gotta tell you, though. The farm-raised, free-range chicken was AMAZING. Probably the best chicken I've ever had.

I'm thoroughly enjoying this experience. Every week is a new adventure.

Have you ever participated in a farm share/CSA? What fun things did you learn?