Kate Collins's Blog, page 46

Welcome, New Year 2019!

by Maggie Sefton



This is one of my favorite family photos from several years past.  The Christmas visit when  family came out to spend the holiday with me in Colorado. We had a wonderful time.  :)    



Happy New Year, Cozy Chicks Readers and Friends!  We're here to welcome our
New Year 2019.  I always find the beginning of a New Year is exciting.  Who knows what exciting news and events will occur.   I hope all of you can spend this New Year's Day doing something enjoyable----spending time with loved ones and/or friends.   Traveling to a wonderful destination that you enjoy or want to discover new.  Or, simply relaxing at home wth friends or family or beloved pets and reading a good book.  :) Enjoy!    
 

WHY THE KENNEDY CATS BELIEVE IN SANTA CLAUS

By Mary Kennedy                                           

Okay, I admit it, my cats believe in Santa Claus. And the Easter Bunny. The Tooth Fairy? Not so much. But maybe that's because they never seem to lose their teeth in a place where the Tooth Fairy can find them!                                                                               But back to Santa. I play Santa Claus for my cats, and no, I never go through that "who's naughty or nice" routine. In my mind, they're all good fur babies and deserve the best! 
You might wonder what they chose for their gifts this year. Well, it's the old standbys, the toys they never seem to get tired of.
Tower of Tracks is always a favorite.                                                                           
Along with something called a "worm teaser." This is quite a sturdy one and is practically indestructible.  It comes with extra "worms" that you can attach, just like keys on a key ring.                                                                                                                                                                       

And they never can resist a catnip banana! All the cats wanted one. 
                                                                                  
How about your cats? Did they get a good haul this year? I hope so! The Kennedy cats wish you (and your cats)  a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
By Mary Kennedy

Air Frying

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

Over the years, my brother has bought most of my small kitchen appliances as Christmas gifts. The very first, was a toaster oven which lasted me over 30 years. YES, you read that right: THIRTY YEARS. It was only when I frapped the cord that I tearfully pitched it in the trash tote. (I bought a replacement at a yard sale for $2. And then I bought another for $4 -- just in case the current one, which was about the same age as the original, dies.)

Over the years my brother bought me an electric fry pan, a crock pot, a waffle maker, a panini maker, an electric hand mixer, a food processor, and I'm sure more. This year, it was an air fryer.
It was back in October, and I freezing my feet off at our summer cottage, struggling to finish the edit on the next Booktown Mystery in order to hand it in on time (and I was a week late) when he called and said, "Would you like an air fryer for Christmas?"

Huh? I had never heard of an air fryer before and had no idea what he was talking about. (I live a very sheltered life.) He said he had bought one and his wife LOVED chicken wings cooked in it and would I like one? (P.S. As far as I know, he has been on a diet since he bought the thing and has never tasted anything cooked in his--but he regularly cooks stuff in it for the rest of his family.) Needing to get off the phone to attend to Tricia and Angelica, I said, "Sure."

So, my Christmas present was locked in more than two months before Santa's late-night journey.

I got my present on Tuesday. Wednesday, my brother dropped in with a package of raw chicken wings, eager for me to try out the air fryer. Unbeknownst to him, I'd already made a turkey pot pie for that evening's repast. But I promised him we would have chicken wings on Thursday.

So last night we wrestled open the box and found the instructions to be sadly lacking. I texted my brother and we went back and forth and I just decided to "wing" my "wings." His instructions didn't match the manual, but I figured as he'd been making chicken wings for at least two months, I'd just take his advice. Earlier in the day, we'd stopped at the grocery store to buy a jar of Boss Sauce (OMG--is it good). And I warmed up some butternut squash (Christmas leftovers) to have with the wings.

Half-way through the cooking time, we turned the wings over and gave them a smart squirt of cooking spray. Already they smelled wonderful. Ten minutes later, we were ready to eat.

OMG -- can you say tasty? And clean up was incredibly easy, too.

So...now I'm ready to scour the Internet to find air fryer recipes because not only it is fast, but boy was what I tried last night TASTY.

Santa was extremely good to me this year, not only with the air fryer, but with books, Orange Pekoe tea (hard to find around here), DVDs, and more.  Yes, Santa was very good to me ... and I'm not sure I can pick a favorite present. Maybe you can ...

So what did you get for Christmas (Hannukah, or Kwanzaa) that you are forever grateful for?

Christmas Gifts and Cat "Presence"

by Karen Rose Smith


Every year I purchase a few new toys to give the cats, hopefully to distract them while we open our Christmas gifts.  For the most part, this year's "distractions" lasted about five minutes!  Halo and Zoie Joy couldn't be bothered with the hoopla and went off to their favorite napping spots.  Paddy, on the other hand, spent some time with her new crinkly tunnel.  That even mesmerized Zander and Freya for a short while. 
But then the felines redirected their attention to "help" us open our gifts.  Dangling ribbons, empty boxes and crumbled paper were much more captivating than catnip toys.  Freya was especially interested in my husband's new digital tape measure.  
All in all, it was as much fun watching cat antics in the discarded wrappings as it was opening the gift inside the boxes and bags.  We can always count on a few good laughs provided by the family felines to provide free entertainment to our family gift exchanges.  Here are a few photos of the goings-on this year. 

Snow or No.

Hi, Duffy Brown here in Cincinnati and winter is upon us. The sky is gunmetal gray and we have way more gray days here in my neck of the woods than should be allowed. The trees are bare and actually that’s not all bad as I’m surrounded by trees and can now see the sky...even if it is gray.
The thing is, I’m not exactly a winter person, I’m more heat and sun and break out the suntan lotion and bug spray and where are my shorts and flip-flops kind of girl.But this year I’m embracing or at least trying to embrace winter. I bought new boots, got a cute bucket hat, and new red gloves. I’m trying really hard to get into the spirit of winter. I do love warm PJs and putting on a robe and snuggling in front of the fireplace and watching reruns of Gilmore Girls. It’s my go to place and wardrobe for comfort and the perfect down time.Then of course there’s the perfect winter snack to go with the comfy clothes and spot. Tea and cookies are the best. Just a simple butter cookie, no icing, dunked in the tea and making a complete mess but tasting amazing.So what about you? Do you have a comfy winter outfit? I robe that is threadbare and you love snuggling into? A fave pare of PJs? A hot drink and cookies to dunk? It may be cold outside but now that I think about it the cold does have an up side.Happy Winter!

Holiday Best Wishes

by Maggie Sefton






MERRY CHRISTMAS, COZY CHICKS READERS AND FRIENDS!  HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO EVERYONE!

TWO STEPS TO A BETTER BRAIN IN 2019!

By Mary Kennedy                                               

I think we all know by now that New Year's resolutions don't work, so why not try something different this year?  Most resolutions have bitten the dust by February and over 80% of people rarely use their gym membership. 
 So here's another plan. Instead of "depriving yourself" by writing out unrealistic resolutions, why not treat yourself to a better brain in the coming year. It's easy and there's a lot of powerful science behind it.                                                                                    
A new study shows that you can boost cognitive ability and stave off dementia by following two easy steps. And best of all, you have it all at your fingertips, you don't need a fancy gym membership, a personal chef or a health spa. 
Step one. The DASH DIET.                           


You've probably heard about the dash diet.  Dash stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. It's a wonderful eating plan, based on fresh veggies, fruits, fish, poultry, nuts and whole grains. It's easy and inexpensive to do and I think if you try it for a couple of weeks, you'll love it as much as I do. There are dozens of books written on it, and you can google it for a lot of free information. Say goodbye to sugar, fat, salt and processed food and your body will thank you.
Step two. Moderate exercise for 45 minutes 3 times a week.
What's considered moderate exercise? You don't have to go rock climbing or snowboarding. A 15 minute warm up followed by 30 minutes of walking or cycling will do the trick. You can walk outside like Alecks is doing. This shot was taken in Death Valley. She has the world at her fingertips!

Or you can cycle for your 30 minutes of exercise, after a warm up.                                                                                 

Follow these two steps to better brain functioning and you'll be happier and healthier in 2010. Need some recipes to get started? Here are some, courtesy of the Mayo Clinic, enjoy!
                                                                       
Mary Kennedy

Spend your holidays with Lorraine's characters

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

Sadly, the older we get ... the less family we have. Years ago, we had big family Christmas family gatherings. Those days are gone. I'm happy I get to spend my holidays with my brother and his family.

That's why I find myself reading favorite holiday stories during November and December. I have a number of children's and YA books, as well as adult novels centered around the holidays that I read every year. It's like visiting a bunch of old friends.

I've written a number of holiday stories, too. Maybe some of my characters are familiar to you, and if they aren't, maybe you'd like to get to know them.

The holidays are all about families…but families don’t always get along.

BAH! HUMBUG:  Jeff Resnick’s girlfriend’s family wants them to break up.

AN UNEXPECTED VISITOR: On a cold dark night, a taxi brings an unexpected visitor to Blythe Cove Manor.

WE'RE SO SORRY, UNCLE ALBERT:  Mandy Nichols’ combative family wants to kill their skinflint uncle.

BLUE CHRISTMAS: Judi Straub’s siblings … want her to be a full-time babysitter.

CHRISTMAS AT SWANS NEST: An unexpected storm and a treasure hunt make a Christmas to remember.

YULE BE DEAD: A visit from her former mother-in-law and a murder on Victoria Square make Katie Bonner's holidays more than a little less joyful.

For more information on all my holiday books, check out the Christmas Characters page on my website.

A Holiday Cookie Recipe

by Karen Rose Smith



I include three recipes in each cozy in my Caprice De Luca Home Staging series.  For me, the dessert recipe is always the most fun for me to create.  These chocolate peppermint blossoms will add color and flavor to any dessert tray.  (Nikki is Caprice's sister who owns a catering company, Catered Capers.)  They also freeze really well.  After I make a batch, I stow them in the freezer and just remove a few for a tray with other cookies whenever we have guests stop by.  I hope you enjoy the flavor and color of this festive cookie.



Nikki's Chocolate Peppermint Blossoms
2 sticks (1 cup) butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar (plus an additional 1/2 cup to roll cookies in)
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Cream butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar.  Add eggs and mix well.  Add baking soda, baking powder and cocoa.  Mix until all ingredients are blended well and butter is smooth and velvety.  Add flour 1/2 cup at a time.

When mixed, form one-inch balls and roll them in granulated sugar.  Handle as little as possible.  Put balls on lightly greased cookie sheets, leaving room to grow.

Bake 11-13 minutes until set.  Let cool one minute, then lightly press on candy.  The candy will melt a bit.

Remove cookies to a cooling rack.  Let cool until candy has hardened again, then store.

Makes about 36 cookies.

A truly Southern Christmas

Tales from Savannah, where guys are gentlemen, gals are belles, food is king and those of us from the Consignment Shop mysteries all hope to high-heaven someone doesn’t wind up dead before we open presents. Reagan Summerside here and I’m gearing up for my favorite holiday…Christmas Savannah style.It all starts with a lovely fresh-cut tree and a beautifully set table. KiKi uses the good china, crystal and best linens. There’s turkey and dressing for sure, ham and red-eye gravey and AnnieFritz and her sister Elsie who live next door bring the best pecan pie you ever put in your mouth. It’s so good I’m going to share the recipe with you right here.9” unbaked pie crust 1 cup light corn syrup1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar3 eggs slightly beaten1/3 cut butter melted½ tsp salt1 tsp vanilla1 cup pecan halves (or walnuts)heat oven to 350. Combine corn syrup, sugar, eggs, butter, salt, vanilla and mix well. Pour into crust, sprinkle with nuts and bake for 50 min till knife comes out clean. Cool. Add whipped cream or a scoop of Leopold’s vanilla ice cream. J
Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without mamma’s cornbread stuffing and this year I’m trying my hand at making the cranberry salad. I stole the recipe right out of Paula Deen’s kitchen.
1/2 orange2 cups water1 tart apple3 cups cranberries1 1/4 cups sugar1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon1/4 tsp. ground clovesSqueeze the orange and set the juice aside. Cut the rind into pieces. Boil the rind and water for 10 minutes, then drain. Dice the apple add the cranberries along with the orange juice, orange rind, sugar, cinnamon and cloves. Boil, then simmer till the sauce thickens, the apple is tender and the cranberries have burst. 
Uncle Putter who always has his nine-iron handy in case a golf ball drops from the sky and he has to save the planet by sinking a shot, says the blessing and then we each take a turn telling what we are most thankful for. This year I started the Prissy Fox consignment shop, found my new four-legged BFF, Bruce Willis under my front porch and discovered my ex’s finance wrapped up in plastic and dead as Lincoln. I’d say that’s a lot to be thankful for.
After dinner friends drop by. That no-good, low-rent lawyer Walker Boone will come visiting and mooch leftovers, that’s just his style. 
It’s going to be a mighty fine Christmas here in Savannah, I’m sure. So what are your plans for Christmas or Hanukah? Do you have any favorite foods you’re looking forward to? A fav recipe you’d like to share that’s been passed down in your family?
Merry Christmas from the Consignment Shop mystery regulars.