Catch-up!

Below is a Special Holiday Treat from us three girls at SPELLBINDERS (Carolee Dean and Caroline Starr Rose).

I've put up the last of the Writing Cottage Pictures at Facebook if you've missed them: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151013715345043.770589.698155042&type=3


Other FAB news: My Middle-eastern Goddess trilogy just sold to Poland yesterday! YAY! Thailand and now Poland. So. Very. Thrilled. Here is a link to the publisher there, it looks like they do some cool books: REMI Katarzyna Portnicka


Rainy days have set in and I have all my major holiday shopping to do. And decorating. And, well, everything. And all I want to do is decorate my little *house*. 

More painting is still needed as well as clean-up and furniture and curtains! But we're close!

And here's SPELLBINDERS - from last Monday!

December 5, 2011 A Special Gift From Spellbinders A HOLIDAY TREAT JUST FOR YOU We know everyone is busy this holiday season, so rather than give you more to think about, we've decided to spend the next five weeks trying to make your life easier. We'd like to start by sharing a very simple, yet versatile recipe with you that will help you get your busy day started, and also warm you on cold December nights. BAKING MIX 1        five pound bag (or seventeen cups) of unbleached flour  9        tablespoons (slightly more than 1/2 cup) of baking powder 2        tablespoons of salt 3        one cup containers (one pound) of Crisco shortening Put all ingredients except for shortening into a large bowl and mix thoroughly with a whisk. Cut the shortening into small pieces and then add to the dry mixture. Use two large knives to cut the shortening into the mixture. You may use a pasty blender, but it will get messy. Put the contents into an airtight container. This recipe makes about 21 cups of mix. A plastic, one gallon ice cream container (cleaned and dried and minus the ice cream) will hold about 18 cups of the mix. Store in a cool, dry place and use within 2-3 months. QUICK BISCUITS for 9 small, 2 inch biscuits                       for 14 small, 2 inch biscuits 2     cups BAKING MIX                         3    cups BAKING MIX ½    cups milk                                          3/4 cups milk Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Combine ingredients. Add just enough milk to form a stiff dough. For fluffier biscuits add one tablespoon of cold butter cut into pea size pieces before adding milk. Stir until just blended. Press onto a cutting board and form dough into a 1 inch thick slab. Use a 2 inch biscuit cutter to form round biscuits, or cut into 2 inch squares. Place side by side on a greased baking sheet and bake for about 12 minutes. FLUFFY DUMPLINGS 1        cup BAKING MIX 1        tablespoon milk   1        egg Make a large pot of your favorite chicken soup or use the recipe below. The key is to use a pot with a large circumference because the dumplings will float along the top of the soup. Combine ingredients into a stiff dough. Stir until just blended. Press onto a cutting board and form dough into a 1 inch slab. Cut into 2 inch squares. Drop into boiling soup and cover with a tight fitting lid. Cook for twenty minutes. Dumplings should be wet on the outside and dry on the inside. CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL Put the following ingredients in a 4-5 quart crockpot:  6 cups chicken broth 1 large frozen chicken breast 1 teaspoon cumin 1 teaspoon minced garlic salt and pepper to taste cut into bite size pieces and add: 2 potatoes  2 carrots 2 celery stalks 1 small onion (chopped) Cook on low for 6-8 hours then take out chicken breast and cut into pieces and return to pot. Turn crockpot to high. Add dumplings and cook another 20 minutes. A HOLIDAY GIFT Are you running out of time to bake and distribute hundreds of holiday cookies? Are your friends tired of the sugar overload each holiday brings? Get 7 plastic bags and put three cups of BAKING MIX into each one. Secure each bag with a twist tie or zip lock and put in a decorative paper bag along with a stick on bow and these recipes. Your friends will be glad to receive something they can make for dinner instead of something that will just make them fat and cranky. FOR THE NEXT FOUR WEEKS STAY TUNED TO SPELLBINDERS FOR RECIPES WITH BOOK TIE-INS THAT USE THIS BAKING RECIPE. NEXT WEEK WE WILL EXPLORE THE MIDDLE GRADE NOVEL TORTILLA SUN. Join Our Mailing List! Meet the Spellbinders   Caroline Starr Rose spent her childhood in the deserts of Saudi Arabia and New Mexico, camping at the Red Sea in one and eating red chile in the other. She's taught English and social studies to upper elementary and middle-school students in New Mexico, Florida, Virginia, and Louisiana. Back in New Mexico, Caroline now writes middle-grade novels and picture books full time. Website Blog          Carolee Dean has made numerous appearances as a guest poet/author at schools, libraries, poetry events, and teacher/library conferences. She holds a bachelor's degree in music therapy and a master's degree in communicative disorders, and she has spent over a decade working in the public schools as a speech-language pathologist. Her first novel, Comfort,was nominated as a Best Book for Young Adults, was named the Best YA Novel of 2002 by the Texas Institute of Letters, and was on the TAYSHAS (Texas Library Association) reading list. She conducts teacher trainings on inspiring reluctant writers including "The Secret Language of Stories" and "Random Acts of Haiku." To find teacher's guides, writing activities, and information about author visits, go to my website.                  Kimberley Griffiths Little is the recipient of the Southwest Book Award, The Whitney Award for Best Youth Novel of 2010, and the author of the highly acclaimed, The Healing Spell and Circle of Secrets, published by Scholastic Press. Look for her books at the Scholastic Book Fairs, as well as two more forthcoming novels in 2012 and 2013. She lives on a dirt road in a small town by the Rio Grande with her husband, a robotics engineer and their three sons. Kimberley is a favorite speaker at schools around the country, presenting "The Creative Diary", a highly successful writing workshop and has been a speaker at many conferences. Please visit her website to download free Teacher's Guides and Book Club Guides.       UPCOMING AUTHOR EVENTS   Saturday, January 14, 2012 2:00-3:30pm Launch Party for Caroline Starr Rose's debut novel, May B. Alamosa Books 8810 Holly Ave. Suite D Albuquerque, NM 87122   Sunday, April 29th, 2012 9-5 Preconference Session Author's Panel at the International Reading Association Conference Chicago, Illinois "Rekindling the Reading and Writing Fire" Join us for this all day session featuring 11 authors including all 3 Spellbinders Carolee Dean Kimberley Griffiths Little Caroline Starr Rose Tuesday, May 1 3 p.m. - 4 p.m. International Reading Association Conference Chicago, Illinois "The Secret Language of Stories: Beyond Story Grammar" Carolee Dean

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