Kate Collins's Blog, page 99

THE ULTIMATE HOT CHOCOLATE

By Mary Kennedy                       
                                                             
 Today the spotlight is on Dana Garrett, the ever-so-awesome assistant to Ali and Taylor Blake in their candy shop-café. If you've been reading The Dream Club Mysteries, you know that Ali and Taylor have fond memories of growing up in Indiana. They spent many a evening sitting around the kitchen table, enjoying hot chocolate while the wintry winds raged outside.There's something so comforting and soothing about hot chocolate (maybe because it brings back memories of childhood) that I enjoy it any time of the year. Here is Dana's recipe and I think it's a winner. It's rich, delicious and indulgent! HOT CHOCOLATE Ingredients:2 and 1/2 cups whole milk2 cups half and half8 ounces chopped chocolate (use half bittersweet and half milk chocolate)1Tablespoon sugar1Tablespoon vanilla1 teaspoon instant coffee Directions: Heat milk and half and half in a saucepan--do not boil! Take the pan off the heat and add chopped chocolate. When the chocolate is melted, add sugar, vanilla and instant coffee. Use a whisk and mix well. Now gently reheat and serve. You will love it! Enjoy! Mary Kennedy  

Will you me with some marketing research?

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

I've been doing some market research and the wonderful folks on my Facebook Group Page (also known as Lorraine's Perpetual Tea Party and the Cozy Chicks Group Page) have been very generous with sharing their opinions, from what magazines they read to checking out my website (which is about to undergo a refresh).

One of my readers suggested that I might try giving away recipe cards and or bookmarks on my website. It took a little bit of effort (and a Youtube tutorial), but I learned how to embed a link so that readers can download a few recipe cards from my Lorraine website.

Here it is in a photo so that you can see it what it looks like, but the actual link to the full-size recipe card (4 x 6") on the website is a PDF. PDFs are much more print friendly than a jpg or png. I did it in black and white so that it wouldn't take a lot of printer ink.

If you want to see the link on the website, it's on Katie's Recipe page.

(You need to scroll down under the recipe itself -- the link is next to the blue arrow.)  There are currently three recipe cards on the website.

So, what do you think?  Would a recipe card influence your decision to buy the book?  And just in case you need a reminder about the book, here it is.


Trade Paperback:  http://tinyurl.com/9j8page
Kindle:  http://tinyurl.com/mcmrtlf
Kindle Worldwide:  http://authl.it/B005NRXTHQ
iBooks:  http://bit.ly/1EqT3v0
Kobo:  http://tinyurl.com/kymn4mo
Nook:  http://tinyurl.com/6ncwq7c
Watch the video! http://youtu.be/Pj1Kzdirpwc




I would really love your input. Thanks!

The Flavored Coffee Craze

by Karen Rose Smith


I first experienced flavored coffee when we went to a restaurant for an occasion like a birthday or anniversary and I would order a specialty drink.  Somehow, that topped off the occasion.  I soon figured out my favorite--chocolate mocha.  In the past few years I realized I could buy flavored coffee for the coffee maker--from peach flavored to blackberry brandy!  I enjoyed them but my husband didn't.  He likes plain coffee.  So most of the pot would be wasted.


One year for our anniversary my husband gave me a one-cup-at-a-time coffee maker.  That opened up a whole world of flavored coffees from French vanilla to orange chocolate to Kahlua! Even when we have guests for dinner, the individual cups make them feel special when they can choose the coffee they prefer.  (My pantry has the aroma of coffee from the boxes of it there!)











I have a new favorite and I admit I can only find it when we go out to eat or stop at Starbucks--salted caramel mocha latte. I'm sure that a company will come up with that flavor soon.




Do you drink flavored coffee?  What's your favorite?

This place is a dump!

I’m always so careful to tell in my books what the characters homes look like.
Reagan lives in an old Victorian with the first floor turned into a consignment shop. The dining room has a chandelier and the drapes from when it was an actual dining room but now there are racks of dresses, jackets, blouses and with the dining room table a display for hats, jewelry, purses.
Evie lives with her bike shop on Mackinac Island meaning the shop is in the front, kitchen in back and bedrooms upstairs with a porch off one side that overlooks the Lake Michigan. I know where my characters, can see it in my brain so clear, but what about where I live? Sometimes I just don’t notice.
January is a gloomy month. I’m trapped inside and I look around and think this place is a dump!


I need to paint the bedroom, and that rug is a million years old and just plain ugly and how can I live with towels with spots, dishtowels that so worn out and my pots and pans would be condemned by the board of health.
The pots and pans thing got taken care of at Christmas with my kids giving me new Alclad. Since I cook dinner with them every Sunday they figure it was in their interest to get me nice cooking stuff.
Then there’s my towels. I have company coming and it would be nice to give them matching sets that do not have bleach spots or dye spots from when I do my hair and the dye gets all over everything.

So now I’m in fix-it-up hell. New rug, new paint, new couch. What about you? Is January your month to get the place in shape?

I’ll give away a Lethal In Old Lace tote with pink feather boa from the answers just to liven things up. 

Old Clothes

by Maggie Sefton

Below is the only photo I could find showing the Old Faithful coat.  I was taking Katy to the Vet.   

Do you have old clothes in your closet?  Garments that are way past new but are comfy or useful?  I do.  And today, I took the most versatile, useful "older" garment to a great seamstress my friends alerted me to years ago.  She can do just about any alternation or repair you can think of.  Once she completely re-designed a pair of black pants from baggy to sleek and perfect for wearing with all kinds of winter and fall sweaters and tops.

Today I took my old----and I do mean old----winter coat to her.  The zipper had finally started to fray at the end where it joins with the other side of the coat.  Plus, the lining of some of the pockets had started to fray and needs to be replaced.  That zipper is a long one, because the coat is a below the hips.  Try finding something really warm and comfy like that in the stores now.  I've looked, and it's nowhere to be found.  Not in department stores or specialty stores or fashion stores.  That's just another reason to repair rather than throw away.  I also have a lot of Scottish ancestors mixed in with all the English and Irish ones, and I can picture them wagging fingers and advising me to be thrifty.

Of course I have a newer everyday winter coat to wear when the weather changes and chill winds start to blow and snow starts to fall.  It's versatile and warm, and I wear it all the time.  But---the Old Faithful coat hangs in the front closet because it's so useful.  It's thicker than the newer coats made today, and keeps me warmer whenever those temps drop low.   In years past when we've had some cold winter weather, there was room beneath Old Faithful for me to "layer up", as we say out here in Colorado.  This winter, however, has been milder and not as cold.  Temps will dip down low for a couple of days, then scoot right back to the 40s, 50s, and even the 60s.   But, February is waiting around the corner.  Who knows what kind of Winter Weather it will bring?  Maybe a blizzard is out there lurking, just waiting to strike.      Do you have any old favorites in your closet?   

WHEN DID FOOD GET SO FANCY-SCHMANCY?

By Mary Kennedy                       
                                                            
 I must admit, I'm a big fan of simple food. Pasta, fresh veggies, cheese and salads. I've noticed that lately restaurants are featuring foods that are way too fancy-schmancy for my taste. They're out of my comfort zone. I remember the "small plate" trend of a few years ago. As far as I could tell, you needed at least half a dozen of these to make a meal. Check out the plate below. My cat (actually any of my cats) would eat this in one gulp.                                                          I guess the idea is that just a taste should be enough, but seriously, it isn't! Of course, I guess that's the idea behind tapas, you order several little dishes.    And the latest trend for "vertical foods" drives me nuts. Why does anyone want their food arranged in a little mini-tower?                                                                I like to see what I'm eating!                                                                
Here's another example, I have no idea what this is!

                                                            
 I guess I'm not a "foodie," or I don't have refined taste, because I really like simple food, well cooked. Soups, stews, and of course, pasta.                                                                                                             How about you? Are you a fan of nouvelle cuisine or do you like the tried and true favorites? Inquiring minds want to know! Bon appetit, everyone! Mary Kennedy

It's got EVERYTHING!

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

Yesterday, I went to a store where, just inside the door,  I was greeted by a six-foot long mirrored lion--roaring his head off. (I'm calling him "Disco Lion.")

Yesterday, I went to Home Goods for the first time.

WOW -- talk about a store that contains everything you WANT and just about nothing you NEED.

I walked around in awe looking at the china, the pictures, the bedding (even dog bedding), the beautiful coffee (or tea) mugs, throw pillows, soap dishes, lamps -- just EVERYTHING, and I wanted it all (even though I have no where to put it.)

I'd first heard about Home Goods on HGTV. Hosts of the decorating stores would walk in, grab a grocery cart, and start filling them up with neat stuff to decorate the homes they were working on.  Just like on TV, women were walking (and blocking) the aisles with shopping carts full of STUFF. There were even a few guys in there doing the same.

Mr. L and I walked around (and I must say he was EXTREMELY PATIENT, as I pulled a "MUM" and looked at everything) in disbelief. While most of the customers were breaking the bank with their purchases, we walked out of there with a new soap dish.

I'm at the point in life where I'm starting to shed stuff, so it's not likely Home Goods is a place I'll return to. But it does make me want some of those gorgeous bone china mugs to drink my morning tea out of.

What's your impression of Home Goods? Would it be a destination place for you?

Do You Eat Broccoli???

by Karen Rose Smith



I eat broccoli because it's good for me--the calcium and fiber and all that.  But I don't really like it unless it's floating in cheese sauce or in some other recipe that disguises the taste.  Except for the recipe below which a friend gave me.  This broccoli slaw doesn't taste like broccoli.  It just has a lot of crunch.  This recipe is terrific for covered dishes at picnics or holiday get-togethers.  Someone always asks me for the recipe.  I hope you enjoy it.  In the comments, can you share your favorite vegetable?





Oriental Broccoli Salad
Salad:1 bag broccoli slaw1 pkg Beef Ramen Noodles (broken up)1 cup sunflower seeds
Dressing:3/4 cup oil½ cup sugar1/3 cup white vinegarRamen Noodle seasoning
Mix the slaw, broken up noodles and sunflower seeds in a large bowl.  Then mix up the dressing in a measuring cup and pour over the slaw mixture.  I mix this up the evening before because I like the noodles soft.  Stir again before serving.



What's your favorite vegetable???

For the birds...

Okay, it’s winter and there’s snow on the ground and not everyone has a home meaning deer, birds, raccoons...you get the picture. I feel sorry for these guys. It’s hard enough to be scrounging for food but in the winter it’s got to be the pits. Brush away the snow, eat frozen grass. Yuck!
All summer long I’m spraying to keep the deer off my plants. If I didn’t they’d level my yard in one night. I use that liquid fence stuff, string fishing line and yell a lot.
The yelling has no effect at all, though I have heard a deer or two chuckle, but the other two ideas work pretty well if I keep at it. Of course one rain and it’s back to spraying.


So here’s my question... Do I feed the critters or not? I’ve even heard not to feed the birds. I guess the reasoning is if you make it too easy they’ll forget how to hunt for seeds on their own. Actually I think this is crap. Birds will remember how to get their food if I do not hang out the Come And Get it feeder.

And when it really gets cold and the ground covered with snow I feel like I need to feed the deer. We can’t starve Bambi no matter how much havoc he/she causes me in the summer. Once I start feeding them the deer do get in a pattern and come though the yard and this will continue into the summer and then I’m back in the soup worse than ever with them eating my plants.
So what do you do? Do you feed the birds? The deer? Let them fend for themselves?

Dramatic Times, Changing Times

by Maggie Sefton





Yesterday,  Monday, was a holiday in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,  the famous Civil Rights leader who stood up during tumultuous times and made a difference in this country, especially during the dramatic decade of the 1960s.  I was beginning college in Washington, D.C. (my hometown area) during the time of Dr. King's famous Civil Rights March in Washington, D.C.  where he gave his "I have a dream speech."  I was working a summer job for the Federal Government right before starting college that Fall.


Would you believe that the Federal Government actually closed down the day of Dr. King's March?  All the "important people" in Washington, D.C. and in the government actually believed there would be violence during the March.  So, we were not allowed to go to our jobs.  All Federal Government offices were closed.  Hard to believe, I know.

Well, guess what?  Dr. King's dramatic and history-making March on Washington took place and it was TOTALLY PEACEFUL.  Yes.  Totally peaceful.  And, it was a marvelous thing to watch take place on television.  And Dr. King's speech was mesmerizing.  We could tell we were watching History being made right then.  America was changing.  And we were watching it happen.  





The Chinese have a saying, something like:  "May you live in interesting times."  Well, those of us Sixties kids certainly did live during and through Interesting Times, to be sure.  I'll say.  The entire decade of the Sixties was dramatic to say the least.  Interesting times. . .boy, were they ever.

Do any of you folks have memories of that period or the years following you would like to share?