Breakfast all day long on National Pancake Day

It's National Pancake Day. Imagine being at a charming B&B on Martha's Vineyard that overlooks the ocean, with beautiful gardens, and a hostess who makes you feel welcome with a wonderful home-cooked breakfast of pancakes. That's what I imagine it's like at Blythe Cove Manor, where there's always a little magic in the air. (Think sparkles!) What side would you want with those heavenly pancakes?

Haven't tried the Tales From Blythe Cove series? Read about it on my website. Just click this link

Gayle Leeson's Latest Release!

Happy Bookday to my friend and co-author Gayle Leeson. Putting Down Roots in Kinsey Falls, the second book in that series, is out today and for a short time is 99 cents for the ebook. (The paperback is also available.)

Greta Parker is absolutely certain that newcomer Joanne Faraday is up to something. Her best guess--and it's backed up by the Silver Sleuths--is that Joanne is planning some sort of heist. Thinking that Joanne might be in dire financial straits, Greta thinks maybe they can lure Joanne away from the dark side with the offer of a fund-raising bake sale.

But when Joanne's and Greta's worlds collide in an unexpected way, both women have to take stock of what they really want out of life …

Kindle US: https://is.gd/AS05JB
Kindle Worldwide: http://authl.it/B07HB9FLJ8
Kobo: https://is.gd/WyxHJ3
Nook: https://is.gd/d6j2lo
Amazon: https://is.gd/6qyrWh

Didn't read the first one (Hightail it to Kinsey Falls)? It's only 99 cents for a short time, too!

Amazon: https://is.gd/dhQQvA
Kindle US: https://is.gd/pFAKWf
Kindle Worldwide: http://authl.it/B07C46H3WH
iBooks: https://is.gd/VPmrv4
Kobo: https://is.gd/CU43Jb
Nook: https://is.gd/y9Z0YP

My weekend thrifting haul--check it out!

Just a few things I got this weekend while thrifting. The little candle rings with the bird ornaments were in a $1 bag along with little mercury glass balls that I will transform into earrings for my November craft show. I think they look adorable and I’m going to use them as is to decorate one of my coffee tables. (Um, doesn’t everyone have five separate sitting areas?) The tray is unusual in that it has feet.


The little vase was choked with roots and dirt. That took a little work cleaning up. The mug is Syracuse China and I already had a small bowl that matches, so this was something I wanted.  Mr. L collects vintage cocktail shakers, and he didn't have anything this one, which looks like it might be from the 1950s.


This darling little needlepoint pillow came from the good rummage sale for a buck. It really needs to be cleaned, but I’m not sure what to use. This is where a girl needs her Mother. My mother had so much knowledge, especially about the “domestic arts.” She did every kind of needlecraft there was, from sewing, to cross stitch, to knitting—she did it all and well (although quilting was her favorite). The back is velveteen and the pillow inside is going into the washing machine with my towels. My Mum had this special detergent (very gentle) for washing sweaters and you don’t even need to rinse. Just soak. I wondered if that would be something to use on the needlepoint. Please, let me know what you think about that. Thanks.



This adorable little bucket and the two pumpkins were part of two displays at one of the sales and the sign said, “10¢ to $1 – Pay what you want.” Holy smoke, did they have a lot of cute stuff. I paid $5 for everything and the woman was happy to “get rid of some of mom’s crap” and I was happy to get so many silk flowers and other cute stuff. I love the little bucket. It’s adorable and something cute (and probably silk) will go in it.

To see everything else I found, check out my Facebook Group page, Lorraine's Perpetual Tea Party Page. Here's a link.

So, what's your favorite?

What's with this pumpkin spice thing?

Hey, it's pumpkin spice time! Um...I'm not into pumpkin spice. I have tasted pumpkin pie, but didn't like it. (Tried more than once, so you've gotta give me that.) Never had a latte, let alone a pumpkin spice one. Never had a pumpkin spice cookie, muffin, cupcake, or meat pie.

I like the idea of pumpkin spice, but can't think of anything that would entice me to eat/drink it.

What do you think the whole pumpkin spice thing?

Baking with my characters

I was speaking with my hairdresser the other day (got my roots done -- I'm YOUNG again!) and she was telling me that her husband doesn't like to eat. She has to remind him to eat.

A person who doesn't like to eat??????????

I smell cake/cookies/muffins/Yorkshire pudding and I gain weight. Therefore, I live vicariously through my characters who love to bake. Among them: Katie Bonner, Kathy Grant, and most recently Tricia Miles. These ladies are baking up a storm--and they can do it and not get fat because they have an audience they can feed. Katie has her vendors at Artesans Alley, Kathy has been experimenting with recipes for her B&B and feeding her friends Tori, Anissa, Noreen and Paul. Tricia has her employees, Pixie and Mr. Everett (and when you read A Killer Edition, which will be out next year, this will become really obvious.)


But I like to bake, too. And the other day my neighbor, who has a huge garden, put out a little stand for veggies his family can't eat. It's so cute with a colorful umbrella to shade the veggies during the day. And I picked up a zucchini, tomato and a chili pepper. The zucchini was too big for stir fry, but I knew when I picked it up it was destined for zucchini muffins.

Who's my audience? Mr. L. He loves baked goods for breakfast and this will be my second batch of zucchini muffins this summer. In fact, I will need to make a double batch because it is such a big zucchini. That doesn't worry me!  Here's my recipe.

Zucchini Muffins
Ingredients
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 large eggs
1/2 cup canola oil
2 cups finely shredded unpeeled zucchini
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup dried currants or chopped raisins

Preheat oven to 350° In a bowl, combine the first six ingredients. Combine the egg and oil; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in the zucchini, walnuts and currants. Coat muffin cups with cooking spray or use paper liners; fill three-fourths full with batter. Bake for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack.

Yield: 12 muffins

Who do you bake for? (And care to share a recipe, too?)

==========================================

Recipes to Die For: A Victoria Square Cookbook, was the first companion book I did for my New York Times bestselling  Victoria Square Mystery series. In it, Katie Bonner shares her favorite recipes, and those of her vendors and the merchants on Victoria Square, plus each contributors signature drink and anecdotes about their lives on Victoria square.

Treat yourself today!

Amazon (trade paperback)

Kindle | Kindle Worldwide | Nook | Kobo | iBooks

Decorating for fall

Happy Tuesday! I haven't hauled out all my "fall stuff" (and I haven't got much more than this), but this is the start of my fall decorating. I never thought to do this before I saw "Hillary from Old World Home's" seasonal $5 Goodwill Thrift Store Challenge on Youtube. Basically you spend $5 and add something to your decor. Everything here except the fabric pumpkin (which belonged to my Mum) I got at yard sales. The flowers and vase were bought within the past couple of weeks. You might remember the little "boo" and the gold tray were found this summer, too.

Here's a link to Hilary's challenge.

Do you decorate for the seasons?

P.S. My Mum made the runner for me.

When you're thirsty, drink tea!

If you know anything about me, you know that I LOVE tea. I start every day with a cup (and usually drink an entire pot) and often have another cup or two in the afternoon.

I am a tea addict, and I'm not ashamed.

That said, I mostly drink English Breakfast (black) tea, and not much else. The fun part comes because I have a lot of teacups and tea mugs. Choosing one every day makes the day start with a lot more whimsy.

Not long ago, Mr. L and I visited the Buffalo area and visited the Millard Fillmore house. I was surprised at how many artifacs were available from our 13th pesident, a man who only served two years after the death of Zachary Taylor.

That's a cardboard cut-out of President Fillmore on the porch.

For such a small house, which Fillmore built with his own two hands, there were an astonishing amount of presidential artifacts.

The teapot above belonged to Fillmore's first wife, Abigail.  I wonder how many wonderful cups of tea she delighted in from that pretty pot.

This teacup belonged to the Fillmore family. It was probably used by the President. Think of the history!

The above tumbling-block quilt was made by the first Mrs. Fillmore. The stitching was exquiste. The bedframe was the bed they took to the white house and slept in for their two-year tenure.

The docents at the Fillmore house were fantastic and kept us spellbound with their tales about the last Whig-party president.

I went to visit the Buffalo area because I needed to reconnect with my character, Jeff Resnick, for an upcoming book, but I'm pretty sure he never visited the Fillmore home. Still, it never hurts to visit the rich history of any area you write about, and I'm sure glad I visited the Fillmore House.

This makes three presdential homes I've visited. The first was Mount Vernon, home of George Washington. The second was James Buchanan's home (Wheatland) in Lancaster, PA, and now Millard Fillmore's home.

Have you ever visited a home of a president?

To decorate my neck

The Yard Sale Season is winding down, but yesterday it was smoking hot. I scored these four necklaces.  #1 and #4 look like the kind my friend (and fellow cozy author) ElleryAdams wears. I'm having a hard time deciding which I like best. 

What's your pick?

Just what I asked for

WA couple of weeks ago, I blogged about how I wanted a golf cart. (In case you missed it, click here.)

It turns out, Mr. L actually does read my blog because he decided to do something about it.


Of course, the golf cart Mr. L bought me was only about three inches tall. Not a problem. We don't have room in the garage (and don't have a shed) so where would I put a bigger one?

When my folks were alive, they lived seven houses down the street from us. A golf cart would have been handy because I would go and visit them once or twice a day, and they would have dinner with us pretty often. It would have been handy (and fun) to drive up and down the street.

I wish I could have had a real golf cart, but this one made me smile and it will for a long time to come.

Luckily I have a sense of humor--and so does Mr. L ... maybe that's why we've been together so long.

So, have you been on the receiving end of a joke present? Tell all!

Nothing says lovin like something from the oven

I was speaking with my hairdresser the other day and she told me that her husband doesn't like to eat. She has to remind him to eat.

A person who doesn't like to eat??????????

If I smell cake/cookies/muffins/Yorkshire pudding and I gain weight. Therefore, I live vicariously through my characters who love to bake. Among them: Katie Bonner, Kathy Grant, and most recently Tricia Miles. These ladies are baking up a storm--and they can do it and not get fat because they have an audience they can feed. Katie has her vendors at Artisans Alley, Kathy has been experimenting with recipes for her B&B and feeding her friends Tori, Anissa, Noreen, and Paul. Tricia has her employees, Pixie and Mr. Everett (and when you read A Killer Edition, which will be out next year, this will become really obvious.)

But I like to bake, too. And the other day my neighbor, who has a huge garden, put out a little stand for veggies his family can't eat--and everything is FREE. It's so cute with a colorful umbrella to shade the veggies during the day. I picked up a zucchini, a very nice tomato, and a chili pepper. The zucchini was too big for stir fry, but I knew when I picked it up it was destined for zucchini muffins.

Who's my audience? Mr. L. He loves baked goods for breakfast and this will be my second batch of zucchini muffins this summer. In fact, I will need to make a double batch because it is such a big zucchini. That doesn't worry me!  Here's my recipe.

Zucchini Muffins
Ingredients
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 large eggs
1/2 cup canola oil
2 cups finely shredded unpeeled zucchini
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup dried currants or chopped raisins

Preheat oven to 350° In a bowl, combine the first six ingredients. Combine the egg and oil; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in the zucchini, walnuts and currants. Coat muffin cups with cooking spray or use paper liners; fill three-fourths full with batter. Bake for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack.

Yield: 12 muffins

Who do you bake for? (And care to share a recipe, too?)

==========================================

Recipes to Die For: A Victoria Square Cookbook, was the first companion book I did for my New York Times bestselling  Victoria Square Mystery series. In it, Katie Bonner shares her favorite recipes, and those of her vendors and the merchants on Victoria Square, plus each contributors signature drink and anecdotes about their lives on Victoria square.

Treat yourself today!

Amazon (trade paperback)

Kindle | Kindle Worldwide | Nook | Kobo | iBooks

Dolly Madison has Grape Expectations

My 4th Tale From Blythe Cove Manor, set on the beautiful island of Martha's Vineyard, is out today.

With the advent of Labor Day, the "season" on the island is now over,but you don't have to wait until the end of next May to visit. It's waiting for you right now in this series of stories about a unique bed and breakfast, and its hostess, Blythe Calvert. The place? Blythe Cove Manor ... where just a little magic awaits all its guests.

Young heiress Dolly Madison arrives on Martha's Vineyard with an agenda to discover and taste the great wines of this picturesque island off the coast of Massachusetts … only to learn there are none. What she will find, however, is far more compellingÑand could just change her life.

Kindle US | Kindle Worldwide | Nook | Kobo | iBooks | Smashwords