COOKING WITH CLORIS -- CRANBERRY APPLE CRISP

In winter we all seem to gravitate more toward comfort foods. Maybe it has to do with the cold, dark days. One of my favorite comfort foods is apple crisp. Today Cloris offers up a yummy version. -- AP

CRANBERRY APPLE CRISP
(serves 8)

Ingredients:

4 cups Granny Smith apples, cored and cut into 1” pieces

2 cups fresh cranberries

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1-1/2 cups uncooked oatmeal (not the quick-cooking kind)

1/2 cup packed lt. brown sugar

1/3 cup flour

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1 stick unsalted butter, melted

In a large bowl mix together apples, crafberries and granulated sugar. Spoon into a greased 2-qt. baking dish.

Mix together the oats, brown sugar, flour, and walnuts. Stir in the melted butter. Sprinkle oatmeal mixture evenly over the fruit mixture.

Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 45 minutes or until apples are tender. Serve warm or cold.

And this is so yummy with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt. -- AP

CRAFTS WITH ANASTASIA-- YARN DOLLS

In celebration of the release of Death By Killer Mop Doll (the second book in the Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries, otherwise known as the series about moi,) today I'm featuring the directions for a basic yarn doll. These directions first appeared on May 23, 2011. If you'd like directions for making a mop doll, you'll find them in Death By Killer Mop Doll. 

Want to win a copy of Death By Killer Mop Doll? Author Lois Winston is giving away 5 signed copies at the end of her January blog tour. You can find the schedule on the sidebar to the right. To enter the drawing, post a comment to this blog or any of the guest blogs on the tour. -- AP

BASIC 12” YARN DOLL DIRECTIONS

Yarn dolls can be used as ornaments, tree toppers, garlands, wreath decorations, package decorations, centerpieces, shower gifts, wall and door hangings, and much more. 

Today we have the directions for the basic yarn doll. Next week and in weeks to come you'll find directions for taking the basic yarn doll and adding hair, clothing, and accessories for a variety of different looks.

Materials:
2” Dylite (smooth) craft foam ball
52 strands 18” lengths of 4-ply yarn
13 strands 10” lengths of 4-ply yarn
2-3/4” x 2-3/4” piece of muslin
8” chenille stem that matches yarn color
2 blue or black glass head straight pins
circle template or compass
yardstick
scissors
tacky glue

1. Place 50 of the 18” lengths of yarn on a flat surface with ends even. Using one additional 18” piece, tie the yarn into a bundle at the mid-point for the body.

2. Using the circle template or compass, draw a 2-3/4” circle on the muslin. Cut out. Make 1/4” deep cuts around the perimeter of the circle.

3. Glue the muslin to the craft foam ball.

4. Poke a hole in the bottom of the craft foam ball for neck. Place some glue on the end of the chenille stem and insert it into the hole.

5. Wrap the chenille stem once around the tied center of the body so that the body touches the craft foam ball head. Hold in place with a small amount of glue. Allow the remainder of the chenille stem to hang in the center of the yarn body.

6. Braid 12 pieces of the 10” long yarn for arms. Tie at each end with half the remaining piece of 10” yarn.

7. Place the braid centered inside the yarn body. Tie the body under the arms with the remaining 18” length of yarn.

8. Dip the straight pins in a small amount of glue. Insert into the head for eyes.

Check back next Monday for directions on personalizing your yarn doll. -- AP

BOOK CLUB FRIDAY -- GUEST AUTHOR LOIS WINSTON

As promised last week, author Lois Winston returns today to answer that burning question on everyone’s mind: what the heck is a mop doll? -- AP

Thank you, Anastasia. Death By Killer Mop Doll will be released next week, and the question I’m most frequently asked is, as you so delicately put it, what the heck is a mop doll.

Well, I am a delicate person.

You?

Of course. Now let’s get on with the topic of the day. We have readers staring at their monitors, holding their breath in anticipation.

All right. Without further ado, a mop doll is a doll crafted from a cotton string mop, those mops you often see janitors using in office buildings.

Yuck!

Hold on! These dolls are made from unused string mops, ones that have never come in contact with a bucket of Mr. Clean.

I knew that. I was just stating what our readers were probably thinking.

Right. As you know, Anastasia, crafters are very resourceful people. We’re constantly finding new uses for readily available materials, and cotton string mops are readily available in just about any hardware store, home store, or supermarket.

At some point in the late 1980’s, these dolls started popping up at crafts fairs, first in California, then spreading throughout the country. Suddenly, mop dolls were all the rage, and mop head manufacturers were selling tens of thousands of mop heads to craft stores. Like all trends, though, the mop doll craze eventually went the way of the pet rock -- until now, thanks to you and a certain assistant producer you meet in your latest adventure, Death By Killer Mop Doll.

The picture shows me with a mop doll at the Bouchercon mystery convention in St. Louis this past September (I’m the one who looks like she’s fighting a cold.)

Definitely not the most flattering picture you’ve ever taken, dear.

I know, but it’s the one that best showcases the mop doll.

Speaking of conventions, you have some exciting news for anyone who will be attending the American Library Association Mid-Winter conference in Dallas, don’t you?

That’s right. For anyone attending the conference (January 20-24 at the Dallas Convention Center), Midnight Ink will be raffling off the hand-crafted mop doll shown in the photo during the opening reception Friday evening, January 20^th at 7pm. Librarians and reviewers in attendance are encouraged to stop by the Midnight Ink booth #1459 to register for the drawing. In addition, signed copies of Assault With a Deadly Glue Gun and Death By Killer Mop Doll will also be raffled off.

And as mentioned last week, Lois will be going on a virtual blog tour throughout January to promote Death By Killer Mop Doll. As part of the tour, she’ll be giving away 5 copies of the book. To enter the drawing, just post a comment to any of the blogs on the tour or to today’s post. You can find the schedule for the blog tour on the sidebar to the right.

In addition, Lois will also be giving away 3 copies of Death By Killer Mop Doll on Goodreads.

Read more about Lois and an excerpt of Death By Killer Mop Doll at her website. -- AP

FASHION WITH ERICA -- WEAR YOUR HOBBY

Vintage clothing is all the rage. If you’re a collector, fashion editor Erica Milano says wear that collection. Don’t hide it away. -- AP

What’s more environmentally friendly than recycling? Why should we limit our recycling to paper, cardboard, glass, and plastic? I wear mine. No, not like the Recycled Runway couture I showed you a few weeks ago. I’m talking about wearing items I find in places other than your typical dress shops and department stores. Do you have any idea the bargains you can find in second-hand shops?

Vintage clothing is generally considered any garment from the 1920’s through the 1980’s. Anything before the 1920’s is considered antique.

Don’t think of vintage clothing as used clothing. Think of vintage clothing as a timeless fashion collection.

Given the variety of trends that appeared over between the 1920’s through the 1980’s -- everything from flapper dresses to leisure suits -- there’s a vintage style for everyone, no matter your taste.

Right now fashions of the 1950’s and early 1960’s are popular, thanks in part to TV shows like Mad Men and Pam Am. You can find their influence in many new garments, but why not go for the originals? Finding such gems might be a bit difficult right now, thanks in part to the revival of everything from this period, but you might strike gold by trolling through closets at estate sales. Or ask your elderly relatives if they’ve kept any of their clothes from that period. They may be thrilled that someone is interested in wearing them.

Thanks, Erica. I’m waiting to see you come to the office dressed like Marilyn Monroe in Some Like It Hot. -- AP

MONEY MATTERS WITH SHEILA--DIY HOUSEHOLD CLEANERS

If your New Year’s resolutions include saving money, our money guru Sheila Conway has some ways to cut your cleaning costs. -- AP

That’s right, Anastasia. Not only are household cleaning products outrageously expensive, most are neither environmentally nor health friendly. Think about that tightness in your chest or the coughing spell that often accompanies cleaning the kitchen and bathroom. That’s because you’re breathing in toxic fumes.

So here are recipes for three DIY cleaners that will cover all your cleaning needs while neither affecting your health or our planet.

SCOURING POWDER
Use backing soda. It does a great job and is less abrasive than commercial scouring powders.

GLASS CLEANER
Mix a quart of warm water and 2 tablespoons lemon juice in a squirt bottle. Your windows and mirrors will sparkle, and your wallet and lungs will thank you.

ALL-PURPOSE CLEANER
Mix a cup of white vinegar with a cup of hydrogen peroxide. Add a few drops of tea tree oil. You can us this concoction to clean and disinfect all bathroom and kitchen surfaces except granite.

Great recipes, Sheila! For just a few pennies and a little time, we can all save big. -- AP

COOKING WITH CLORIS -- NON-ALCOHOLIC NEW YEAR’S HOT PUNCH

Planning a New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day party this year? Why not make a batch of Cloris’s non-alcoholic hot punch? -- AP

NON-ALCOHOLIC NEW YEAR’S HOT PUNCH

Ingredients:
(Note: for an alcoholic variation, add 1 qt. white rum)

1 qt. white grape juice
1 cup orange juice
1 cup pineapple juice
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 qt. water
cinnamon sticks

Pour liquid ingredients into a large pot. Heat to a simmer. Serve warm with cinnamon sticks.

CRAFTS WITH ANASTASIA-- GLITTER FRINGE YARN SCARF

The weather outside is frightful. Why not curl up in a comfortable chair and knit an elegant scarf to wear New Year’s Eve? -- AP

GLITTER FRINGE YARN SCARF

Materials:

3 skeins Glitter Fringe Yarn

#11 knitting needles

Cast on 15 stitches. Knit 4 rows.

Next row (wrong side): Knit 3, purl 9, knit 3.

Next row: Knit.

Repeat last two rows until scarf measures 48” in length, ending with a wrong side row.

Knit 4 rows.

Caste off.