COOKING WITH CLORIS -- NOT YOUR TYPICAL TUNA SALAD

It’s still beastly hot outside, and no one feels like cooking. So today food editor Cloris McWerther has another tasty, no-cook recipe for dinner. -- AP

TUNA WITH FRUIT SALAD

Ingredients:
2 cans water-packed tuna, drained and broken up
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1 large apple, peeled and diced
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup low-fat sour cream
1/4 cup low-fat mayonnaise
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon dry dill
1 tablespoon dried, minced onion
1 head romaine lettuce, rinsed and torn into bite size pieces
1 cup whole wheat croutons
3 tablespoons shredded parmesan cheese

Whisk together sour cream, mayonnaise, lemon juice, dill, and onion. Cover and chill 1 hr. Set aside 4 tablespoons of dressing. Combine tuna, celery, apple, cranberries, and lettuce with remaining dressing. In a separate bowl toss the 4 tablespoons of dressing with the lettuce, croutons, and cheese. Divide the salad into four portions and top each with 1/4 of the tuna mixture.

I think Cloris has another winner here. What do you think, readers? Post a comment to be entered in the drawing for a book from our Book Club Friday guest author this week. -- AP

CRAFTS WITH ANASTASIA-- SHELL JARS AND BATH SALTS

Continuing our seashell theme, this week’s craft is super simple and would make a great hostess gift if you’re invited to a friend or family member’s seaside vacation home. Make a dozen or so and keep them on hand for whenever needed. A set of three in a basket makes for a perfect gift.-- AP

MATERIALS: small glass jars with screw-on lids (available at craft stores,) hot glue gun and glue sticks, decorative shells, bath crystals or beads.

1. Glue a couple of shells to the jar lid. 


2. Fill the jar with bath crystals or beads.

If you’d like to make your own bath salts, here’s an easy recipe:

BATH SALTS

MATERIALS: 3 cups Epsom salts, 2 cups sea salt, 1/2 ounce essential oil, 1 cup baking soda (optional -- baking soda will soften the skin and condition the water), wire whisk, air tight glass containers (such as Mason jars).

1. Whisk salts together well in a glass or metal bowl. 


2. Add essential oil and continue to whisk together. 


3. Whisk in baking soda, if desired. 


4. Spoon into jars. Seal tightly.

That’s all there is to it! How much simpler can you get? Actually, even simpler. Watch for next week’s shell craft to see what I mean. Meanwhile, post a comment to be entered in the drawing for a book from our Book Club Friday guest author this week.-- AP

BOOK CLUB FRIDAY -- GUEST AUTHOR MELISSA BOURBON

Today we welcome Melissa Bourbon, the author of the new A Magical Dressmaking Mystery series. Pleating for Mercy, the first book in the series, was released earlier this month. Melissa, who sometimes answers to her Latina-by-marriage name Misa Ramirez, is also the author of the Lola Cruz Mystery series, the co-author of The Tricked-out Toolbox, and the author of two romantic suspense novels to be released in 2012. She also works as the marketing director for a publisher. Read more about Melissa at her website. -- AP-- AP

I’m so happy to be at Killer Crafts & Crafty Killers today, and especially glad to be sharing a little about Pleating for Mercy.  It was released about 2 weeks ago, hit the Barnes & Noble mass market mystery list at #14, and hit Bookscan’s list at #19!  I couldn’t be more thrilled!!

This book is for anybody who loves cozy mysteries, dressmaking, sewing, and/or anything crafty to read.

As I was thinking about visiting here, I got to thinking about why I write mysteries.  All I could come up with is that they are close to my heart.  Okay, truthfully, books of any kind are close to my heart, but mysteries, in particular.  The mystery can be large or small.  It can be the central focus of the story, or play a supporting role.  It really doesn’t matter to me the scope of the mystery elements, as long as it’s there in one way, shape, or form.

My love of mysteries started, like most young girls of a certain age--ehem, we don’t need to talk about age, now, do we?--with Nancy Drew.  From there I graduated straight to Agatha Christie.  I have a distinct memory of going with my mom to our town’s library so she could check out the last Hercule Poirot novel, Curtain.  She was crushed that it was to be Poirot’s last, and her love of these book intrigued me enough to start reading them.

I spent almost all of my high school lunches in one classroom or another reading.

Now, I should say that I’m a light-weight when it comes to these things.  Horror movies and books are not for me.  I threw Silence of the Lambs across the room once or twice while reading it, and I cover my eyes during certain parts of Dexter (though he and the show are morbidly fascinating and I LOVE it).

But I love the deduction. 

So, of course, I when my passion for writing grew until it couldn’t be denied, it was no surprise that it manifested itself in the form of mysteries.  I began with the Lola Cruz Mystery series, published initially with St. Martin’s Minotaur, and moving soon to a new publisher with the next 3 books in the series.

Then I wrote 2 romantic suspense, which, of course, have strong mystery elements in them.  They’re based on Mexican legends, and these will be coming out sometime next year.

Finally, my cozies, A Magical Dressmaking Mystery series with NAL, have brought me full circle to the kind of mysteries I love the most.  They are small town, feel good whodunits.  They are like comfort food.  They just make me want to curl up in front of a fire and escape into the town of Bliss (if only we weren’t on our 40 something day of 100+ degree weather). 

Mystery, mystery, mystery.  The characters.  The communities.  The crime.  The puzzle.  The deductions.  The justice.  All of it makes for such a satisfying read.

I’m particularly lucky to now be part of a dynamic publishing group.  I’m the marketing director for the new boutique publisher, Entangled Publishing.  Here, I get to help market so many books, some of them romantic suspense or mystery, many of them paranormal, urban fantasy, and sci-fi, most of them with some strands of mystery and romance elements in them.  There’s no better job, and it has been so exciting to be part of something like this from the get-go. 

I’d like to know what everyone loves most about mysteries, and how heavy the mystery element needs to be in books you read. 

Thanks for joining us today, Melissa! Readers, anyone want to chime in and answer Melissa’s question? -- AP

TRAVEL WITH SERENA -- GUEST TRAVELER, AUTHOR JEANNE MATTHEWS

Today we welcome author and guest traveler Jeanne Matthews whose mystery, Bones of Contention, takes place in the land of Oz. (No, not Dorothy’s Oz, the other one.)  You can read more about Jeanne and her books at her website, but for now, she’s going to take us on a virtual trip to Australia. -- AP

Ayers Rock

Australians have dubbed their remarkable “Down Under” continent the Land of Oz, and in many ways, traveling through the diverse and surreal landscapes does feel like an Over-the-Rainbow experience.  

I found the Northern Territory, also known as “The Top End” or “Never Never Land” to be the weirdest and most wonderful part of the country.  It occupies twenty percent of the continent but contains only one percent of the population.  Its barren center, famed for the mystical Uluru (Ayers Rock), is a vast desert of red rocks and red soil.  The Outback is studded with eerie canyons, incongruous valleys of palms, gnarled coolabahs, and the fantastical boab trees that look as if God had planted them upside-down. 

Australian Outback

By contrast, the coastal northeast is a wetland, a National Heritage Site that is home to numerous Aboriginal tribes.  Some 750 species of birds flit about through the tropical rain forest – parrots, rosellas, lorikeets, and cockatoos – and the forest teems with creatures that seem to belong to a bygone age.   

Boab Tree

Indigenous tribes have inhabited this place for over 50,000 years and the Territory offers the best opportunity to experience a bit of the native culture.  Aboriginal customs and beliefs, although not written until recently, have been passed down orally from generation to generation.  In their belief system, the past co-exists with the present and the future, and they continue to communicate with the ancestors who created the land and receive inspiration from their ancient wisdom.  Much of this inspiration is reflected in the totemic art rendered by local artists. 

I became so fascinated by the Territory’s unearthly beauties, the colorful Aussie lingo called Strine, and the ambience of Aboriginal mythology that I set my first novel, Bones of Contention, there.  I’d go back in a heartbeat.

Thanks so much for making Australia come alive for us, Jeanne. Readers, any of you ever been to Australia? Or is it on your Must-See list? -- AP         

HEALTHY LIVING WITH JANICE - CAN'T SLEEP?

Health editor Janice Kerr is here today with some exciting news for insomia sufferers. -- AP

Thanks, Anastasia. Melatonin is a hormone that makes you tired. Research has shown that if you dim your lights between dusk and bedtime, your body will produce melatonin up to an hour and a half sooner than if you keep your lights bright. This could reduce your risk of insomnia. And as an added bonus, it may also reduce your risk of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.

So more candlelit dinners? What do you think readers? Any of you suffer from insomnia? Let’s hear from you. -- AP

COOKING WITH CLORIS -- MOVIE MOGUL MEATLOAF

Guest foodie Kate Gallison, aka Irene Fleming, takes over for Cloris today and offers the following recipe for your delectation. Her novel about early Hollywood, THE BRINK OF FAME, comes out today. Visit Kate/Irene at her website to learn more about her and her books. -- AP

When the film industry first set up shop in Hollywood, the moguls liked to lunch on dishes their mothers used to make. Louis B. Mayer gave the chef at his studio commissary his mother's recipe for chicken soup. Adolph Zukor of Paramount Pictures might well have been responsible for what Basil Rathbone is eating here between takes of The Court Jester (1955) while Angela Lansbury nibbles her hamburger.

MOVIE MOGUL MEATLOAF

Preheat oven to 350.

Put in a large bowl:

1 1/2 lbs ground chuck

1 c finely chopped onions

3/4 c bread crumbs

1/2 c ketchup

1/2 c chopped fresh parsley

2 eggs

3/4 t thyme

3/4 t salt

1/4 t pepper

Knead with hands until well blended.  Place in loaf pan, mounding the top. Bake 1 hour and 10 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes more. Slice and serve to passing film stars, if any. Or consume while watching The Court Jester, a really funny Danny Kaye costume flick.

Thanks for sharing, Kate. The Court Jester is one of my favorite movies. Have any of you readers seen it? It's perfect for when you need a good laugh. -- AP

CRAFTS WITH ANASTASIA-- SEA SHELL TOPIARY

I love making topiaries. I think they’re a very versatile decorative element for any time of year. Today I’m going to show you how to make a seashell topiary from some of those shells you collected at on your summer seaside trip. -- AP

MATERIALS: 2-1/2” diameter clay pot, 6” Styrofoam cone, small piece of floral foam, 5” length 1/4” dowel, primer and white spray paint, ball of white twine, assorted small shells, assorted small white and translucent flat buttons, hot glue gun and glue sticks, tacky glue, 2 sequin pins.

1. Paint the clay pot with primer, then white paint, allowing paint to dry between coats.

2. Apply vertical rows of tacky glue to the cone.

3. Pin the end of the twine to the bottom of the cone. Begin wrapping twine around cone, working from bottom to top. When you come to the top of the cone, cut excess and pin end.

4. Beginning at the bottom edge and working in horizontal rows, attach shells to cone with hot glue. Vary the direction of the shells, overlapping some.

5. Glue buttons randomly around shells in open spaces but leave some spaces uncovered for variety.

6. Glue buttons around the lip of the clay pot.

7. Glue floral foam into pot. Glue dowel into center of floral foam.

8. Place cone centered over pot and lower onto dowel. Remove cone from dowel. Fill hole in cone with tacky glue. Replace cone over dowel.