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The Cozy Chicks

Cozy Chicks


Last Updated: 11/23/2009

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Gender: Female
Status: Single
Age: 44
Sign: Capricorn

State: Illinois
Country: US
Signup Date: 5/19/2009

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December 2, 2009 - Wednesday 
I am SOOO glad I'm not on a frantic end-of-year deadline (been there, done that). My first beekeeping mystery has been signed, sealed, and delivered, and the next one isn't due until May. That means I can celebrate properly, and since we only have 23 more days until Christmas, it's officially cookie making season at my house.

I wish I could say I belong to a group of friends who gather to exchange cookies, recipes, and stories. But I don't. Still, I'll make several different kinds and my mom will fill in the rest as she does every year.

I'm dreaming of rum balls, snickerdoodles, gingerbread boys, cinnamon logs, eggnog cookies, chocolate crescents, peppermint bars, corn flake wreaths with red-hots on the bows. And sugar plums.

That's right. Sugar plums. Several years ago I found a recipe in my favorite food magazine, Saveur. Guests love them as much as I do, and they are easy to make. Here's the recipe:

2 c. whole almonds
1/4 c. honey
2 tsp. grated orange zest
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground allspice
1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1 c. finely chopped dried apricots
1 c. finely chopped pitted dates
1 c. confectioners' sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Arrange almonds on a baking sheet in a single layer and toast in oven for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool. Then finely chop. Meanwhile, combine honey, orange zest, cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg in a medium mixing bowl. Add almonds, apricots, and dates and mix well. Pinch off rounded teaspoon-sized pieces of the mixture and roll into balls. Roll balls in sugar, then refrigerate in single layers between sheets of waxed paper in airtight containers for up to 1 month.

Their flavor improves after ripening for several days. Dust with sugar again before serving.

What vision of cookies is dancing through your head?
3:06 PM 
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December 1, 2009 - Tuesday 
Attention all Cozy Chicks fans and friends: I'm running a "Name the Mystery" contest on my website http://www.maggiesefton.com/.

You have the chance to name a future Kelly Flynn Knitting Mystery. I will choose five mystery title suggestions from all the submitted entries. You may submit multiple titles with one entry. To submit, simply email me with your title suggestion(s) at maggie@maggiesefton.com. The contest will run until January 6, 2010.

The five winners will each receive an autographed set of all seven of the Kelly Flynn Knitting Mysteries, which I will ship to your U.S. address. All five winning title suggestions have a chance to actually be used as a title for an upcoming Kelly Flynn mystery, subject to editor approval, of course.

Advice on creating a title: The Kelly Flynn mysteries involve murder and knitting or fiber arts. So, every title should have something that hints at that connection. Look at past Kelly Flynn mystery titles for clues as to how to put that connection together: KNIT ONE, KILL TWO; NEEDLED TO DEATH; A DEADLY YARN; A KILLER STITCH; DYER CONSEQUENCES; DROPPED DEAD STITCH; and the upcoming June 2010 release, SKEIN OF THE CRIME.

I announced the contest in my website newsletter last week and have already received many, many entries. And, I want to make sure Cozy Chicks friends have a chance to join in the fun, too. I'm excited to see the new title suggestions.

Good luck to everyone!
2:33 PM 
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November 30, 2009 - Monday 
Here’s a shocking fact: Bodies heal themselves! Imagine that. I’m witnessing it right now, as my “repurposed” foot, aka, bunion-free and straight once more, heals. I took away the heavy covering to monitor the progress. The bruising from the nerve block injections has gone from deep purple to sickly yellow. The stitches are hidden beneath the bandages, but my glimpse of them last Wednesday showed the skin was closing nicely. All my body needed was good nutrition and no stress. But healing is what bodies are supposed to do, right? The way nature intended?

So why should it come as a surprise to medical specialists that the body can actually make tumors go away? Or fight off flu without vaccines? All living organisms are given the necessary tools to stay alive. It’s called survival. So I was absolutely stunned to read the following article, not because the woman’s deadly cancer went away without doctor intervention, but because the doctors wondered if maybe the immune system was behind the cure. Ya think?

So instead of using poisons to kill all the cancer cells, which also kills the immune system, what if the medical mindset was to build up the immune system to make it strong enough to do its job? That doesn’t seem like a stretch, does it? There are wonderful “super” foods that are known to build strong immune systems, along with sunshine or vitamin D supplements. What if people were put on that regimen first, instead of chemo?

Oh, wait. I keep forgetting. No money in nutrition. I mean, think about it. If we actually could prevent or cure cancer with food, sun and exercise, what would happen to all those treatment centers? All those expensive DRUGS? All the oncologists? Tens of thousands of people would be without jobs. You know that won't happen.

Still, wouldn’t it be fantastic if we knew that our bodies could kill off any cell that decided to go haywire? What a relief it would be.

The positive note in that article, by the way, which I do hope you’ll read, was that in the UK, at least, they will be looking into harnessing the power of the immune system. Maybe there’s some hope for us after all.
2:09 PM 
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November 28, 2009 - Saturday 
The other day, my mother asked me, "What do you want for Christmas."
Of course, my immediate answer was, "EVERYTHING!" But when forced to narrow it down, I came up rather short. Uh...let's see....

At my age, I can pretty much buy what I want. And as it turns out ... I don't seem to want all that much. In fact, I can better tell you what I DON'T want than what I do want. Yeah, that list could take up several pages, and maybe an entire BOOK.

I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but among my favorite don't wants are:

Bath salts Bath Salts: Unless you have one of those deep, soaker tubs, warmed fluffy towels, and nothing on your to-do list, who has time to take a tub bath? An as I get older, I find I'm using less and less products that have a fragrance to it. So please--don't give me bath salts.

Clothes: As a kid, there was nothing worse than the dreaded flat, rectangular box. It meant a sweater, or new pajamas, or yet another hat, scarf, and mitten set. I don't care how old a kid you become, Christmas is for TOYS! My toys of choice have changed to books, CDs, and DVDs, but they're still FUN!

Christmas candy Candy and Sweets: My butt is already too big. I have a hard enough time avoiding this stuff the other 11 months of the year. I'd rather have some new highlighters, glue sticks and white-out. (Yes, I still use it.)

Candles Candles: My mother put the fear of fire in me at an early age. I got one of those candle warmers a few years ago, but seldom use it--especially as I read something online that said the scent of these lovely smelling candles might be toxic. (Same with all these air fresheners.) Why might be toxic? Nobody has ever done a study.

That's just off the top of my head?

What is it that you DON'T WANT for Christmas?
11:57 AM 
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November 27, 2009 - Friday 
**The winner of last week's contest is: Vicki! Please send your snail mail address to heather@heatherwebber.com! Congratulations!**
Who's shopping today? Braving the crowds, the cold, the mayhem and madness for some of the best deals of the year?
Part of me wants to. I mean, come on. Savings like that are hard to pass up. But the claustrophobic in me says NO WAY.
I'll undoubtedly do most of my shopping online. There's nothing like placing orders with the push of a button from the comfort of home.

No matter if you do or don't, one thing is clear. Christmas is less than a month away. Shopping must be done, lists must be made.

What's on your list this year?
Book gift cards? The Nook, the Kindle? I haven't made my list out yet, but I'm pretty sure a manicure and pedicure GC will be on it...

~Heather
11:55 AM 
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November 26, 2009 - Thursday 
Cook, eat, clean.

It's what we do today! We, the Cozy Chicks, are thankful for all of our readers. Here's a turkey cupcake to make you smile.

Have a warm and bountiful holiday!
1:05 PM 
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November 25, 2009 - Wednesday 
I love traditions and one of my all-time favorites is watching the Macy's parade while preparing our Thanksgiving dinner. For me, the holiday season begins right here in my kitchen amid the pageantry, the floats, balloons, marching bands, dance troupes, stars. Here are some facts you should know and some just for fun:

1. Tune in at 9am on NBC, unless you are lucky enough to be there in person.

2. They have a new route this year - 7th Ave instead of Broadway.

3. Imagine 3.5 millions in the streets and another 50 million home viewers.

4. Floats are designed in a former tootsie roll factory in New Jersey.

5. During a downpour in 1957, Popeye's cap filled with water, forcing him to veer off course and dump water on the spectators.

This year, I have a major conflict. I'm in Wisconsin where the Packers rule and they are playing smack dab in the middle of my big tradition. What a dilemma!

But I'm not going to let them rain on my parade.

I'll be running from kitchen to family room to see what's happening with them. But my first priority has to be the Macy's parade.
Good thing we have more than one television.

What are you doing for Thanksgiving?
2:45 PM 
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November 24, 2009 - Tuesday 
That lovely lady on the postcard above is Lillie Langtry, the "Jersey Lily" of Late 19th Century fame. Later in this post I'll explain why I'm posting her photo. You'll notice the loveley Lillie has her own Victorian Bar & Cafe now. the next time you're in Manhattan, check it out. Trust me, you'll be glad you did. (More below).

So--as you probably guessed, I'm back in Manhattan doing some book business and visiting with daughter Melissa. As is our usual custom, Melissa and I love to try new cafes & bars while I'm here. Actually, Melissa doesn't wait for me to come, I assure you. She and her friends try new spots all the time. And in Manhattan, there's a lot to choose from. So----I thought I'd shrare with you some of the places we visited.

As soon as I landed at JFK last Friday evening, I zoomed into city (well, as fast as you can zoom on the Long Island RR), took taxi thru Friday night traffic to Melissa's place on Upper West Side then off we went to Lincoln Center. We had tix to the New York City Opera's production of Mozart's "Don Giovanni." What a great production. Fabulous voices and striking, erotic staging. Yes, I said erotic. Read one of the reviews on Google. NYC Opera is located in the gorgeous fountain plaza area right beside the Metropolitan Opera. (See photo above). This is the same spot you saw in the movie "Moonstruck." Post-opera, we walked nearby to the Empire Hotel and their great bar. Fabulous Latin/rock mix of music. Good martinis, too. Got back to apt 3:30am. Needless to say, we slept in Sat morn.

Saturday, walked thru Central Park to 59th St and Fifth Avenue, then all the way down beautiful Fifth Avenue, admiring Christmas windows wherever we saw them & browsing/shopping, of course. Walked to Herald Square at 34th St/Broadway where the original Macy's is located. Checked out windows, of course. We did appetizers & wine at wine bar for dinner then off to a great place that I can recommend highly----Caffe Taci Opera Nights located in the Papillon Cafe on 54th St, right off Fifth Avenue. Not far from St. Patrick's Cathedral. Every Friday & Saturday night, upstairs at Papillon, they have young opera singers who're starting their singing careers---and they are great! Some are already performing in Europe as well as all over the US. And they perform all the "old favorites." Plus, food and drinks and desserts are great at the cafe, and the "host" Leopoldo is always there to welcome you and make sure you enjoy yourselves--and offer you a glass of Limoncelo (not sure that's the spelling), which is a yummy lemon liquor. Next time you're in Manhattan, check it out. Singing starts at 9pm Friday/Saturday nights and goes till midnight.

While there, Melissa and I met the owner of the cafe, Tommy Burke, an engaging and delightful Irishman and naturalized American. He escorted us to his newest bar and cafe, Lillie's on 17th Street between Union Square and Fifth Ave. (see card above), his Victorian Bar and Cafe. Friends--I've got to tell you, Lillie's is drop-dead beautiful inside. Tommy has restored a vacant building into a gorgeous Victorian period bar. He even brought over furnishings from an Irish estate to include in the decor. And reigning over all is Lillie Langtry, herself. The famous beauty and actress who went from the Isle of Jersey to the bed of a future king (Crown Prince Edward VII, Queen Victoria's eldest son) during the turn of the century (1880--90's). Definitely check this one out, friends. It was 4:00am before we returned to Melissa's apt this time.

Sunday was for shopping, believe it or not, and book party with Melissa's friends that night. Great fun. Meanwhile, I'm back to work writing the 1890 Washington, DC historical mystery I'm working on. So---you can see why I was so taken with the Jersey Lilly.

12:20 PM 
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November 23, 2009 - Monday 
Three days post-surgery and I am really sick of dragging around a humongous foot that weighs about as much as a bowling ball. How can one little bunion cause so much trouble? Okay, make that one “major” bunion, according to my surgeon, which necessitated taking a wedge of bone out of my metatarsal so it could be folded back into where it once was, freeing the tendon in my big toe so it could spring back at attention, and taking part of the knob off the knuckle of my second toe that had developed from being shoved down the line. Doc suggested that I shouldn’t have waited so long to have it taken care of. I should’ve listened.

But there has never been a good time to do it. Who can give up a month of being able to put both feet on the ground? And then another 4 weeks of wearing a clunky boot? Not I? But now I’m wishing I had done something about 2 years ago so I wouldn’t have had such extensive work. All of you with bunions out there: heed the warning. Don’t let it get ahead of you!

I’ve ditched the crutches. Ten minutes after returning home from the surgery, I was loping across my kitchen and they got away from me and I went down, like a slo-mo film, doing a tuck and roll so as not to injure the foot. Now I’m using a “scooter” walker, with a padded seat, so I can put my knee on it and propel myself along with my good foot, which is actually kind of fun until I run into a door jamb.

And although I haven’t had any significant pain in my foot – God bless nerve blocks! -- just about every other muscle in my body aches like the devil from having to compensate. My pecs are gonna be something to behold when I’m done, as will my gluts, but right now, what I wouldn’t give for a whole body massage to work out the knots in my shoulders. My left calf will probably be gorgeously shapely, but woe to the right one, hidden under layers of wrappings and unused.

And then there’s the inconvenience. Take now, for instance, after I finally got myself situated in front of the computer, my right foot propped on a stool, my hot tea prepared, my square of dark chocolate sitting beside it – and I realized I’d forgotten honey for the tea. Will I haul myself up off the chair, prop myself on the scooter, wheel all the way down the hall into the kitchen – why does it seem like a mile away? – just for a teaspoon full of the sweet syrup? Nope. I’m going to make do, which goes for a lot of other things in my life right now. It’s a “making do” life, having to figure out easier ways to do just about everything I took for granted before.

As my doctor predicted, at the end of the month I will fully understand what it means to be handicapped. I’m fortunate. I know there will be an end to this. For those with no end, my admiration for you has grown leaps and bounds. It takes courage to face every day. I’m in awe of all of you who manage to not only get up out of bed, but live. Do. Experience. Enjoy. I’m certainly appreciating the small stuff, such as having a husband who will pick me up when I tumble, make my breakfast, and jump up in the middle of the night to help when my calf cramps.

As I’ve written before, it’s those little moments in life that bring happiness. And right now, this square of chocolate looks mighty good.

Happy Thanksgiving, friends. Enjoy those small moments.
1:48 PM 
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November 21, 2009 - Saturday 
Apple1 Last weekend, my husband took me on a Magical Mystery tour of some of the Bed & Breakfasts in Wayne County, NY. Ten B&Bs were to participate, but at the last minute one of them was pulled from the tour due to a death in the family. Still, we only managed to fit in eight in the five hours allotted for the tour. They were in all corners of the county, so we had to hustle to do that.

Peppermint Inn Our first stop on the tour was actually the third B&B listed. We'd signed up too late to have our tickets mailed, and had to pick them up. Peppermint Cottage and Jackson School House was a delight. It seems the area (Lyons) was once the peppermint oil capital of the world. The B&B itself consists of a cottage (will full kitchen, and two bedrooms) and a lovely room inside the owner's home (a converted school house). We sampled all kinds of goodies flavored with (what else?) peppermint, and there were several huge bowls of peppermint candies out for guests. They also boast a hot tub and a sauna--but you'd better have good knees to walk up the steps to get to the sauna.

Duck1 Next, we traveled east to the Old Duck Inn. What a beautiful old farm house. It was built in 1840, and has two bedrooms. The Grandma's room was our favorite, probably because of the king-sized bed (instead of twin beds, which were in the other room). What struck me about the house was all the original woodwork that had never been painted. And the floors were in terrific condition, too. The owner told us the original pocket doors between the dining room and parlor had their original beveled glass. (Although the doors had been painted. I guess stripping them is on the docket for the future.) Like the previous B&B, they had quite a spread, including duckie cut-out cookies. De-lish!

Victorian Gardens1 The highlight of the tour was the Vintage Gardens Bed & Breakfast in Newark. Whoa! Talk about gorgeous. The house was originally built by the owners of Jackson & Perkins roses, and because of them, Newark was once known as Rose City. (Of course, they're long gone--moved to Oregon, and what once was their magnificent rose testing grounds is now a bunch of nondescript condos.) The current owner said she has 300 roses, none of which were in bloom in November. We intend to make a repeat visit in June when they should be at peak. Victorian2 We partook of the homemade pumpkin bread at this stop (click here for the recipe), from a table in the enclosed porch. They had a fire going in the pellet stove, which was really neat. (This was my favorite stop on the tour--but don't tell the other innkeepers.)

Close to my family's cottage was the New Hartford On the Ridge B&B in Wolcott. We see this B&B everytime we go through the village, so it was neat to be able to go inside and see everything. The owner is an New hartford wolcott accomplished seamstress, and there were examples of her work all over the house. They had three bedrooms. Also near to "home" was the Oak Park Inn. We can see the marina it's a part of from our cottage. (The house is set back farther.) This was also an old farmhouse with four bedrooms. While it's got original woodwork, the house has been heavily remodeled and is decorated in a more contemporary fashion. While very nice, it was more masculine than most, and perhaps a little stark. Still, anyone who stays there will be very happy. And wouldn't you know, my camera's battery was fading and the only picture I took was messed up.

I could go on and on -- but this is already getting long.

So, have you ever been to a B&B -- if so, what do you remember most about the experience?
1:46 PM 
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