Hello Again

May 24, 2012February 17, 2012

Been gone so long I almost forgot how to blog again! Sorry, readers for the long absence. What can I say? I’ve been on the road again. Taking a post-Christmas vacay, a two-week writing binge in beautiful Anna Maria Island, Florida, then a couple quick trips to Tybee Island, another trip to South Florida, and now home again. Back in the saddle, trying to balance writing the new new book (for Summer 2013) and working on plans for the June 5 release of SPRING FEVER. We are nailing down tour stops and event dates and lots of fun promotions, so keep watching this space (and my Facebook and Twitter posts) for updates and deets on how you can catch SPRING FEVER. In the meantime, here’s a rundown of what I’ve been up to.

In January, right after New Year’s, I fled Atlanta for the sunny shores of Anna Maria Island, Florida, for some quiet writing time and a quick reunion of old friends from my hometown of St. Petersburg. Don’t want to give away too much, but the plot of my book for Summer 2013 will be set in this area, so the visit really was for research. Shh, don’t tell anybody, but I also managed to fit in a lil’ junking. Some days, it’s good to be me!

seasidesistersdogs — Me and my buddy Budweiser

My suitcase was barely unpacked from the Florida trip before I headed down to Tybee Island and Seaside Sisters for a fun fund-raiser put together by my friends at Mermaid Cottages for an organization that trains and provides assistance dogs for servicemen and women. Here I am pictured with six-week-old Buddy, a black lab puppy who is in training to become a service dog. Buddy was so chill I really wanted to sneak him home in my suitcase.Wouldn’t Wyatt and Weezie have loved having a new playmate?

breezenewsofa — Comfy new sofa for the Breeze Inn

Of course, while I was on Tybee, I couldn’t resist doing a little fluffing at The Breeze Inn. I found a queen-size sleeper sofa on Craigslist that seemed like the perfect addition to our living room, so I swapped the old sofa with Mermaid Diane, and got the new sofa installed. I also switched out the queen-size bed in the master bedroom for a king-size that I’d found at an estate sale in Atlanta. As soon as I have all the new linens gussied up for the room, I’ll show you pix of that. But in the meantime, I’m hoping our guests will love the new, bigger bed as much as I do. PS, if you’re thinking of booking a stay at the Breeze, you might want to check our calendar–we’re already starting to fill up for spring and summer. Hey–maybe I better book our next stay!

kathy&lindamarathon — Just another day in paradise

.An invitation to give a talk at the Palm Beach County library branch in Delray Beach provided a great excuse to go back down to Florida–this time I invited Mr. MKA along. We hooked up with our dear friends Linda and Cliff (Linda and I have been friends since junior high–so she really does know where all the bodies are buried) for a lil’ jaunt down to the Florida Keys. We stayed at an adorable little mom-and-pop motel on Marathon called The Ranch House, and could not have had a better time. Owner Diana spoiled us rotten, serving us her home-made smoked fish dip and mango salsa and chips–she even baked the boys a Key Lime Pie with limes from her own trees! While the guys fished on Saturday, Linda and I did what we do best–we cruised down to Key West for a day of shopping and strolling. Scored some cute sandals at the Kino Factory, and generally enjoyed that gorgeous sunshine.

delraylibrary — Library love in Palm Beach County

That Tuesday, it was time to sing for my supper with an appearance at the Delray Beach branch of the Palm Beach Public Library. That’s me, above, with librarian buddies Stacy and Nora, who I met nearly ten years earlier on another visit. Never forgot their hospitality, especially since they took me to their super-secret junking spots and afterwards sent me a gorgeous bracelet I admired in one of the shops. Since they knew I loved vintage, the PBPL folks made sure I stayed at what might be my favorite hotel ever, The Colony, a fabulous 1920s Spanish-style hotel smack in the middle of downtown Delray, Sitting on their porch, sipping a drink, I felt transported back to another time and place. Note to self: must go back!

mkachevy — See the USA in your Chevrolet

After the South Florida trip, I just HAD to get in a quick trip to the Scott’s Antique Market before I headed out of town again. But this trip came under the heading of research, as I was doing a scouting mission. Next month, junk goddess and Flea Market Style magazine guru Ki Nassauer is coming to Atlanta to shoot a junking story with me. My favorite find was one I couldn’t actually buy; this fully restored Chevy Bel-Air in my absolute fave two-tone turquoise and white combo. Talk about a sweet ride! Following that, we took another quick trip down to Tybee, where I fluffed my booth at Seaside Sisters while Mr. MKA did some honey-dos at The Breeze Inn. On Sunday, I hopped over to Hilton Head Island, where I participated in the Cooks n’ Books event, a wonderful annual fund-raiser for Low Country Literacy. Whew! So now you know where I’ve been. Please excuse me while I finally unpack my suitcase. Again.

The Junk Year in Review

May 24, 2012December 27, 2011

This is the time of year when knowledgeable sages prepare their reviews of the past year. You know, best movies, books, plays. The time when we re-cap all the momentuous stuff that happened in the world. Well, if that’s what you want, better look someplace else. I know I should be taking stock of the past year; its ups and downs, highlights and lowlifes. Maybe something spiritually and morally uplifting. Seriously, me? Morally uplifting? Not so much. However, I did think it might be fun to share my junky triumphs of the past year with my readers. And maybe a few tribulations. Like the basement full of snake tanks at an estate sale I stumbled into this past fall. Or the cheeky Buckhead Betty who tried to yoink the little antique oak barley-twist table I’d stashed behind the cash table at a sale earlier in December. Nearly had to pull out the pepper spray on the bee-yotch. Or maybe you’d like to hear about the truly creepy North Carolina country junk shop crawling with hundreds of cats–and the vaguely Deliverance-ish vibe the owner of the place gave off. Or maybe hear me admit I paid $15 for a repro Mercury glass candlestick with the Pottery Barn label plainly visible on the bottom, had I but looked. Nah, let’s forget that sutff. Instead, here are some of the highlights, and some of my favorite junk finds of 2011.

ardsleyestatesale — Savannah Estate Sale

Early January found me nesting at The Breeze Inn on Tybee Island, to get some writing done. We had a freezing start to the New Year, but on that first weekend, my friends Diane and Susan and I found a great estate sale in Ardsley Park, a historic Savannah neighborhood of gracious old homes. The pros running the sale even put out a propane heater to keep the customers warm while we waited for the doors to open.

diningrmestate — Loads of exquisite china, silver and antiques in dining room.

The sale was great, but I skipped over the pricey stuff and picked up mostly fun, funky stuff for my booth at Seaside Sisters.

estatehat — Couldn't resist this sweet vintage straw hat.

At the February Scott’s Antique Market, I scored this adorable vintage wool child’s Little League shirt. Vintage children’s clothing in good condition are always scarce, probably because most of the time back in the day, clothes got handed down multiple times–until they were too worn out to save.

I spoke to an old friend’s book club last winter, and when it was over, she gave me this wonderful antique wooden bench that she’d inherited. Took it home, did a little wood-strip number on it, along with some very amateurish upholstery work, and now it has pride of place in our sun-room.

posseloadsup — The Junk Posse Heads Out!

In March, members of my junk posse hit an estate sale in the far north suburbs, aimed only with our GPS and a willingness to hunt for treasures.

splitreedgroup — Vintage split-reed porch furniture

I nearly leapt from the moving car when I spotted this fabulous porch furniture. After some wheeling and dealing, it was mine. Had to get Mr. MKA to bring the truck to get it all home, and the peeling paint flakes left a tell-tale trail all the way down the interstate. But after some serious wire-brushing, power-washing and spray painting

bowlingshirt — How could I resist this vintage turquoise bowling shirt?

, it replaced the previous set of wicker furniture on the porch at The Breeze Inn. March found me back at the Scott’s Antique Market, and visiting various estate sales in and around Atlanta. I loved this bowling shirt, but since it was a size six, it got sold at Seaside Sisters.

april-may2011 007 — Here's that old split-reed furniture, repainted and re-covered.

By April, we’d gotten the porch furniture ready to install at The Breeze Inn. The wicker furniture that had been there got sold within an hour of putting it out for sale at Seaside Sisters. It was a win-win swap.In May, I was cruising down my street in Atlanta when I spotted something sitting at the curb in front of a neighbor’s house. By the time I stopped the car and got out, two men were wrestling with the thing. Dejected, I asked them if they were taking the thing, but to my delight, they replied that they were actually putting it ON the curb. Then they offered to load it into my car! Ka-Ching! The thing turned out to be a vintage anesthesiology machine that had been in my late neighbor’s medical office. Despite Mr. MKA’s complete disbelief that anybody would want “that piece of crap,” I took it down to Seaside Sisters where it sold for about $125.

Also in May, we attended a fun golf outing in the North Georgia mountains, where my friend Jinxie and I shopped at a flea market where we spotted a first–headstones! We didn’t purchase one, but later in the day, at a shop in Cleveland, GA., I did buy this awesome (if cracked) vintage Nestea iced tea crock for $18.

In June? Well, June 6, my 18th book, SUMMER RENTAL came out, and I was off on book tour for most of the month, which remains a blur. I can remember being in Nag’s Head, when my editor called to tell me that we were Number 5 on the New York Times bestseller list. Not a lot of junking got done. But. . . wait. I was doing a signing at the fabulous Page & Palette Books a week or so later, when a fan told me about an estate sale going on in a nearby neighborhood. So I sweet-talked my book escort into doing a drive-by on the way back to my Mobile hotel room where I scored an excellent antique quilt top. See, linens are great for book tours, because you can just slide them into your luggage, not that being on book tour has ever deterred me from junking. In the summer of 2009, when I was on tour for THE FIXER-UPPER, I found the most amazing old wooden sign at a shop on the Jersey shore. I had to be back at my hotel and dressed for dinner with my agent within an hour, but I still managed to buy the sign and have it shipped home. Today, it has a place of honor at The Breeze Inn.

mobile estate sale — I never let a book tour get in the way of junking.

By July, I was back home (mostly) awaiting the birth of our first grandson, Griffin. But on the day he was due, I got so nervous waiting for him to be born, I took a quick trip down to Scott’s Antique Market before heading over to the hospital. Can’t remember what I bought that day, but the definite find of the day was our little man!

grif&kiki — July 9, no junk, just a hunk o' love--John Griffin!

By August, I was off book tour and deep in the throes of trying to finish TFB (which stands for The Friggin’ Book). But somehow, this made me even more junk hungry.I ran away from home to write, all the way to the North Carolina mountain house of my friends Beth and Richard. Where I managed to use the carrot-and-stick rewards system. So many pages of writing in exchange for junking jaunts. Here’s the sweet child’s bentwood chair I found at a new honey hole. Also a tomato, because I ate lots of tomatoes bought from road-side stands.

On that trip, I found an honest-to-goodness treasure trove, The Depot at Gibson Mill, which is in Concord, N.C. Located in an old textile mill, the Depot is an antique mall of gargantuan proportions. Prices are good, and they have great stuff. Seriously great stuff.

Back home in September, I hit some really good estate sales, including the one where all the below treasures were discovered, including the vintage set of Pyrex mixing bowls with a book value of about $75–and I think I paid around $5.

Loads of goodies were unearthed at this Meemaw estate sale in Atlanta’s Virginia-Highlands neighborhood. I loved this old Black Flag atomizer, and put it in the Halloween display in my booth, where it sold pdq.

October was an excellent month for junking. At my friend Clay’s moving sale, I scored a great vintage metal dental cabinet, and also a bunch of great plaid blankets, picnic baskets and thermoses which made a great display in my booth.

plaidbooth — I went mad for plaid in October at Seaside Sisters.

November brought a yard sale at my neighbor’s house a few doors down. I bought a great patio set and a cool old general store cubbie, but I was delighted at what she gifted me with–a vintage turquoise toy Tonka truck, which she’d rescued from her neighbor’s trash pile. I posted a photo of it on facebook, and a fan emailed me that she had the matching trailer for my truck–which she promptly sent me. I think I have the nicest readers in the world.

toy tonka — Love this turquoise Tonka truck.

And the junking didn’t stop just because the weather got cold in Atlanta. I hit a Meemaw estate sale of a hoarder, and found three holidays worth of loot–vintage Halloween masks and candles, an Easter basket, and some Christmas collectibles too, including a set of vintage plaid Mahoganite dishes.

dec. junk — Christmas came in early December with this estate sale!

So, yes, it was the best of times for junking in 2011. Also for book sales. I was in such a junky mood as Christmas neared that I determined to gift members of the junk posse with upcycled estate sale treasures. (I prefer this term to re-gifted–all my recipients were told that I’d gleaned their gifts at sales.) Junker Jinxie is a retired school-teacher who collects children’s chairs. She got a sweet little antique bentwood oak chair found at an estate sale earlier in the year. Junker Suze loves nature, so she got a vintage-looking birdhouse picked up at a moving sale. Friend Shay and her husband joined us on a magical trip to Tuscany in 2010, so she got a gorgeous Tuscany coffee table book scored at a Buckhead moving sale, and friend Ellen got an amaryllis I forced and planted in an estate sale silverplate bowl. All the giftees also got paperwhites we forced ourselves. I wrapped everything with wide cotton ribbon found on clearance at Ballard’s Backroom. It made me happy just looking at the display I set up in front of my Welsh cupboard.

Just a lil' Christmas sumthin' for the junk posse.

So, that’s my year in review. No revolutions in Egypt, no boring Iowa caucuses. Just junk, every month of the year. And may 2012 be just as junky!

Heart-warming Christmas Catastrophes

May 24, 2012December 21, 2011

Ah, Christmas. A time of crashing Christmas trees, flaming hair extensions and faux fruitcakes. A joyous season of drunken, rampaging in-laws, in-church flatulence, and eggnog-induced dinner disasters. In the spirit of Blue Christmas, (still available as a bargain-priced $1.99 ebook until Dec. 23) we asked for your best/worst Christmas catastrophes, and like the intrepid troopers you are, nearly a hundred of you opened your hearts and your memory banks to come up with some of the most compelling, embarrassing, hilarious, heart-breaking stories ever.

Truly, reading your stories, my cup runneth over. In fact, my cup of Diet Coke speweth from my nostrils in a most un-Nativity like manner.

Your holidays make the Griswold’s Christmas Vacation seem like a Perry Como special. Your stories made me pause and take time to reflect and take stock, this blessed holiday season. IS IT JUST ME? Are all of my readers really this messed up? I was troubled, dear readers, that some of you might be troubled enough to come over to my place and take a baseball bat to my car, as did one of the characters in one of the stories I read. So I had to reach deep down and ask myself: Do my books attract a special variety of dysfunctional whack job?

But I decided, nah. Everybody’s life has its lousy, awful, disgusting moments. Everybody has a variation on the creepy ex brother-in-law who shows up Christmas morning to hit on an innocent niece. Lots of people have dogs who scarf up 30 yeast rolls and then barf them up on the rug just before company arrives. And really, who hasn’t, as a child, clambered atop her brother’s shoulders and ferreted out every last hidden Christmas toy at the top of the closet and handed them out to their younger Santa-believing siblings while their parents were picking up Granny at the airport?

Of course, not everybody is like Mary Calhoun, who defied her grumpy father in an effort to surprise her terminally ill mother with a live Christmas tree, and in the process inadvertently set a crazed squirrel loose in the house. For that, Mary Calhoun, you win first prize, a vintage Eisenberg Ice blue Christmas tree pin just like the one in Blue Christmas.

EisenbergBlueTreeresized — This vintage Eisenberg ice Christmas tree pin could be yours!

And not just anybody has a story like Amanda Totino, who unknowingly gifted her fruitcake-loving Aunt Berta with a mail-order confection which just happened to be made of foam rubber. For that moment of thoughtfulness, Amanda, you win the reproduction blue rhinestone Christmas tree pin.

Peggy Nesbit, you won an autographed copy of BLUE CHRISTMAS for your tale of the ‘60s-era hairpiece that ended up snagged in your suitor’s dinner jacket at the big Christmas formal. And Pennie Chase, you won an autographed BLUE CHRISTMAS for the not-so-funny story about the year your hubby believed all the bagged-up Christmas gifts were trash and thoughtfully took them to the curb for pick-up. Bridget Loprieato, you won for your re-telling of the time your cranky granddad mistook the doggie treats for cocoanut candy. Alison Storaasli, because we loved the tale of your sister’s hair extensions being set aflame at the candle-light Christmas service, you get a book too. And Yvonne Jefferson? How could we not give you an autographed book? Your story about the long-ago South Georgia white Christmas when your husband and father-in-law decided to thaw the frozen water pipes by starting a bonfire beneath the house—thus filling the old board house with enough smoke to cure a country ham left us—literally, with tears in our eyes.

As for the rest of you, please believe me when I say how much I enjoyed reading all your meaningful (and disturbing) stories. If I had a hundred prizes, you would all win one for your willingness to share. In the meantime, what I wish for you is a safe, loving, blessed, Merry Christmas. And just remember—don’t let the cat near the Christmas tree, and don’t leave the dog home alone. Take the plastic wrapping off the ham and the bagged-up gizzards out of the turkey before baking. Make sure your oven actually works before inviting the free world over for a big Christmas dinner. And always, no matter what, remember to smile. Because who knows? Maybe this year’s catastrophe is next year’s contest winner.

Merry Christmas, y’all!

Vintage Pin Giveaway & Bargain-Priced Blue Christmas!

December 13, 2011

Happy holidays, y’all. Are you as crazed as I am? I have been decorating, shopping, and baking, oh my! Well, my holiday newsletter just went out this morning. If you are not yet signed up to receive it, you can read it here. And be sure to enter your e-mail address under “Newlsetter Signup” on the right side of my homepage so you can be sure to get all future issues.

I have two exciting announcements:

1. Win a Pin!: I have snagged a vintage Eisenberg ice blue rhinestone Christmas tree pin (just like the one that has a starring role in the plot of my novella Blue Christmas) and I want to give it away to one of you!

E-mail us at meg@marykayandrews.com with “MKA Holiday Mishap” in the subject field and tell me all about your favorite holiday catastrophe. Every family has at least one of these stories…you know, the out-and-out epic debacles that seem dreadful in the moment but become pee-your-pants funny over time and grow more legendary with each re-telling. I’ll pick my fave and that person will get the pin. The 2nd place winner will get an equally cute reproduction of this same pin. The top 5 entries will all get an autographed hardcover copy of Blue Christmas.

2. Cheap E-Books!: Because I know how you love a holiday bargain, the Blue Christmas e-book is marked down to $1.99 now thru December 23^rd.

Regardless of what type of e-reading device you have, everywhere that e-books are sold, the Blue Christmas e-book should now be set to the promotional price. So go download it—and steal away some reading time for yourself in the midst of all the holiday hub-bub.

Good luck! Can’t wait to read your stories.

OK, enough blogging. These gajillion poundcakes are not going to bake themselves. And then there’s the wrapping. Oh, the wrapping!

Wishing you a holly jolly,
MKA

Holidays 2011

February 24, 2017December 13, 2011

As the craziness of the holiday season sets in, I always get to thinking about those great stories from holidays past. It’s usually not the heart-warming ones that leap to mind first. It’s the debacles. The mishaps. The out-and-out catastrophes of epic proportions that might seem awful in the moment but which become pee-your-pants funny over time—and tend to grow more legendary with each re-telling.

I have heard from many of you over the years about how my novella Blue Christmas is part of your holiday tradition and how re-reading it each year helps you to get into the holiday spirit. If you haven’t read it yet, it features my Savannah-based characters—Weezie the junker and her best friend BeBe who are also the leading ladies in Savannah Blues and Savannah Breeze. Let’s just say Blue Christmas showcases a holiday mishap of grand proportions.

In honor of Weezie & BeBe and in the spirit of sharing, I am asking you to share your tales of holiday mayhem with me. So share your story by e-mailing us with “MKA Holiday Mishap” in the subject line and let ‘er rip. I have two great prizes to offer for the stories that really grab me. The first place winner will get a collectible vintage Eisenberg ice rhinestone blue Christmas tree pin. The second place winner will get an equally cute reproduction of this same pin. These pins are just like the one that has a starring role in the plot of Blue Christmas. The top 5 entries will all get an autographed hardcover copy of Blue Christmas.

Tell us your story and you could win this pin!

Never fear, if you don’t win—and even if you don’t submit a story (maybe you’re one of those people whose Christmases are all visions of sugar plums?)—you still have the chance to nab the Blue Christmas e-book for a limited time (now thru Dec. 23rd) at the crazy low price of $1.99 for all e-reading devices and at all retailers where e-books are sold. Don’t you just love a holiday bargain?

From my home to yours, I wish you a joyful holiday season. This year, may your mishaps be few, safe, and truly funny.

Wishing you a holly jolly,
MKA

Cake Day 2011

December 12, 2011

xmas2010pix 007 — Pound cake ingredients all lined up

Yes, it’s cake day again. That merry, messy, sugary, achy-breaky back-achey marathon where I bake a dozen lemon cream cheese pound cakes to send my publishing peeps in New York. I’ve got my Christmas CDs playing: last year’s Glee Christmas album, Johnny Mercer, Frank Sinatra, and my all-time favorite, Phil Spector’s 1963 compilation album A Christmas Gift For You with the incomparable Darlene Love singing Christmas, Baby Please Come Home. If you don’t own this album, do yourself a favor and get it.

In case you missed my last year’s blogpost about this annual event, here’s a re-cap of how I got started.

A lifetime ago, when I was working as a reporter for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, I interviewed Atlanta food writer Shirley Corriher for an article, which, ironically, had nothing to do with food. I knew that Shirley was trained as a food chemist, and in the course of our interview, I asked her why my pound cakes always came out too dry. I recited the ingredients of the lemon cream cheese pound cake recipe I was using, which had been given to my sister Susie by another emergency room nurse at Grady Memorial Hospital. If we baked it as long as the recipe directed, it was too dry. Less time and it came out undercooked.”Hmm,” Shirley said. “Try this. Add another quarter cup of sugar. Stir in a quarter cup of vegetable oil. And add two extra egg yolks. Cut your oven temperature back to 325, and let it bake additional time.”

Et voila! A perfect, moist, amazing pound cake. Susie and I made pound cakes at Christmas. We made them at Easter, topped with strawberries and whipped cream, and for the Fourth of July, with peaches and blueberries. I took pound cakes to covered dish suppers and funeral luncheons. At one point, the recipe ran in the AJC’s food section. And at some fateful moment, I decided to bake a pound cake for my editor and agent, and ship them off to New York as Christmas gifts. The cakes were a hit. To my surprise, I discovered that “up north” pound cakes are considered something of a Southern regional specialty. The next Christmas, I added my agent’s assistant, my editor’s assistant, and my publicist to the list. Again, a hit. And so it began.

Every year, I would add somebody in New York to the Christmas cake list. The publisher, the head of marketing, the head of paperback marketing, the head of publicity, the people in library sales, the telereps in Scranton. Everybody who touched my books, basically, got a pound cake for Christmas. Or at least a share in the cake for their department. I’ll never forget the day my agent called with the news that polite hints were being dropped that I should bake cakes for the buyers at the big chain bookstores. Huh?

One Christmas, about five years ago, I woke up in a panic, realizing that my pound cake list had grown to 30. I’d gotten the cake-baking down to a science. I’d acquired four Bundt pans, and had figured out how to bake two cakes per shift. I’d hired my cleaning lady to assist on what I came to call “cake day”–separating eggs and measuring out the flour and other dry ingredients. On a good day, I could bake as many as ten cakes. And then have to take to the sofa with the Ibuprofen and heating pad. But 30 cakes? All of which had to be baked, wrapped, and hauled off to the UPS Store for shipping?

xmas2010pix 015 — Boxes lined up for shipping

That was the year I caved in and began out-sourcing some of the baking to a small bakery in my neighborhood. It’s still my recipe, and the key people in the life of my book still get a pound cake baked by me personally, but at least now I can manage to face December without cringing. Last year I baked twelve out of the 28 pound cakes. And lived to tell about it, thanks to my amazing assistant Grace, who came to work on “cake day” even though she wasn’t feeling well. As soon as the cakes started arriving, excited emails began popping up in my in-box.

xmas2010pix 008 — Nothin' says lovin' like sumthin' from the oven

“YUM” read the subject line in one typical missive. “Lemon cream cheese lusciousness” was how Meg described her cake. So it was totally worth doing. This year’s cakes are in the oven, and tomorrow is “shipping day.” Between baking cakes to send folks at both my new and old publishing houses, our kitchen is covered with flour—and I’ve already run out of sugar and cream cheese, plus I’ve gone through the crate of seven and a half eggs I bought at Costco. Boomerang Boy is hanging around the kitchen hoping one of the cakes will be too ugly to send off-which means he gets to cut into it. If you’ve got a yen for the perfect old-fashioned “Southern” pound cake, give this one a go. Although, take my advice, and do NOT start sending these as Christmas gifts. Unless you have plans to open your own bakery

cakecloseup — This year's cake ready to be shipped.

LEMON CREAM CHEESE POUNDCAKE

Turn off the phone and shut out any other distractions when making this cake. It’s a bit of work, but the results are definitely worth it. I usually bake two cakes at a time when I get started, one to serve (or give as a gift) and one to pop into the freezer. Since it’s such a large cake, you can always slice and serve half, and freeze the other half for later. Another note: the whipped egg whites mean the cake batter may spill over the edges of the pan, so make sure you have a large bundt pan–or place your pan on a cookie sheet to catch any overflow.

Preheat oven to 325. Spray bundt pan with floured baking spray

2-1/2 cups unsalted butter

1 8-oz. pkg. cream cheese

¼ cup vegetable oil

3-1/4 cups granulated sugar

5 egg whites

7 egg yolks—yes, this means you’ll discard the two extra egg whites unless you’ve got plans for ‘em.

1 tsp. lemon extract

1 tsp. vanilla

3 cups cake flour

¼ tsp. salt

Beat five egg whites until stiff and set aside

In mixing bowl, beat together butter, cream cheese and vegetable oil. Add in sugar and cream well. Beat in lemon extract and vanilla. Add egg yolks one at a time and beat well. In smaller bowl combine flour and salt, beat into batter, adding flour mixture by thirds. Fold in beaten egg whites, pour into prepared bundt pan and bake for approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes—check for doneness with wooden toothpick. Let cool 5 minutes, then remove from pan onto cooling rack and finish cooling. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap or store in large ziplock bag for freezing. You may choose to add a lemon glaze, made wi

Christmas at The Breeze Inn

December 4, 2011

breezexmasmirror — A frosty wreath and vintage aqua ornaments in mercury glass bowl on chest by front door.

Mr. Mary Kay and I took a quick trip down to Tybee last week to get The Breeze Inn decorated for our Christmas guests. We don’t overload the house because it’s small, and we want to keep it uncluttered, but each year I try to come up with a Blue Christmas-y look. This year we added the wreath to the rattan mirror above the chest, and I piled some estate sale aqua glass balls in a mercury glass bowl.

breezexmastree2011 — My version of a Blue Christmas tree.

I picked up a four-foot pre-lit tree at Target along with all these trimmings, and was thrilled with how nice it looks. I topped it with a glittery hot pink star. Found a box of 50 blue, aqua and silver ornaments, and added it, along with some strings of hot-pink beads.All the ornaments are actually plastic, although they look like glass, so if one gets dropped, no heartache for our guests. The tree sits on a rattan table in front of the bookshelves in the living room. I wrapped a piece of vintage lime-flowered barkcloth around the plastic base of the tree.

breezebike2011 — On Tybee, Santa gets around on a vintage bike!

I scored this vintage white bike at Scott’s antique market last summer, and then wrapped the frame with blinking white mini-lights. That was the most time-consuming chore of the week. Mr.Mary Kay is in charge of lights and the faux evergreen garland. He did a great job, don’t you think?

breezeinnxmas2011 012 — All ready for Christmas.

The nice part about our decorations is that after the holidays, they can all be popped in a big bin and stored in the attic until next year. Now, I just have to get our house in Atlanta decorated. Mr. MKA is way ahead of me. The outside lights are up, the tree is in the house and lit up, now the rest of it is up to me. Stay tuned for pix of our Blue Christmas coming later this week–along with a very cool contest.

Comfort Food Contest…We Have a Winner!

November 3, 2011

Well, I think I gained 10 lbs just reading all the amazing entries in my fall contest. In exchange for the chance to win an autographed copy of Paula Deen’s Southern Cooking Bible, I asked you to tell me your favorite comfort food. Boy did I get a ton of feedback! In fact, with nearly 350 entries, this was my most popular contest ever. And the entries were so varied. Hands down the most votes overall came in for mac & cheese and there were also plenty of votes for other old standbys like meatloaf with mashed potatoes, fried chicken, and chili. But there were also nods to soups and stews, cakes and brownies, cheesy grits and country fried steak. I heard several cries for “anything chocolate” and “anything pumpkin.” Popcorn and venison each also got a mention. Who knew?

I loved hearing from those of you who wrote in about old family recipes, like Alison, who told me about how her family all knew it was a special night when her Mo-Mo got out the big stock pot and her rolling pin to whip up her famous chicken and dumplings. Terri wrote in about how her grown children still beg her to make “Mawmaw’s Mac and Cheese,” Julie told me about “porcupine meatballs” (a new one on me). I think I need to try Jill’s grouper chowder even though my husband does not run a charter fishing business like hers does. It made my heart glad (and arteries clog) to hear about regional delicacies like Pennsylvania Dutch potato filling, Cajun gumbo, and Eastern Carolina oyster stew.

A special thanks to those of you who actually sent me your recipes too! Like Shirley who sent me her mother’s recipe for stuffed peppers and Sandra for the delish sounding recipe for smoked sausage and white bean soup. When I polish those off I’m gonna try Corinne’s squash soup. There were many more that I will need to print out and keep on file. Oh, boy, does Mr. MKA have some treats in store for him this fall.

Without further ado, the winner is Jessica Dixon from Petoskey, MI who told me all about her grandmother’s cinnamon rolls whose “smells wrapped around us like a warm blanket.” Well, pass ‘em over here! Congrats, Jessica! Miss Paula will send your book out to you in a jiffy. Thanks to all who entered. And thanks, as always, for your support and enthusiasm. Y’all are the best. Love, MKA

Fall Newsletter & Paula Deen Giveaway!

October 26, 2011

Hey. So my fall newsletter just went out. Are you signed up to receive it? If not, enter your e-mail address under “Newlsetter Signup” on the right side of my homepage so you can be sure to get all future issues. I send out about 3 or 4 a year–I’m not an in-box clogger! If you didn’t get the latest issue, you can read it here. Since fall is all about comfort food, I am sharing my son’s favorite dessert recipe with you: “Boomerang Boy’s Apple Crisp.” For my latest contest, I am asking you to tell me about your all-time favorite comfort food. Just shoot us an e-mail at meg@marykayandrews.com with “Paula Deen Giveaway” in the subject field and tell us what down-home, stick-to-your-ribs goodness melts away your stresses and gives you the warm-and-fuzzies. Since my friend Paula Deen is the undisputed queen of comfort food, it makes sense that the prize for this contest comes from her.

Paula has generously agreed to send an autographed copy of her brand new book (Paula Deen’s Southern Cooking Bible) to the lucky winner I choose at random. So, speak up. Let me know what you whip up when there’s a chill in the air and you need that no-place-like-home feeling. Good luck! And happy fall, y’all!

Fall 2011

February 24, 2017October 25, 2011

BOOMERANG BOY’S APPLE CRISP

The original recipe for this fresh fruit apple crisp called for a modest sprinkling of the oatmeal-brown sugar topping. But we don’t DO modest around our house, so I quadrupled the original topping recipe. We like a thick, crunchy, cinnamon-laden blanket of topping on our apple crisp. And we like it baked until the crisp comes out a deep brown, nearly rock-hard consistency, so that you have to jackhammer the oatmeal goodness with the tip of your spoon to break through to the sweet-tart apples lying just beneath the lava loveliness. I wish I could tell you this recipe was inspired by a dessert we shared at a cozy bistro in Paris. The truth is that it is my own interpretation of the apple crisp served by the lunchroom ladies at Lakewood High School in St. Petersburg, Florida. Since Mr. MKA and I met at that high school, it does have a high nostalgia factor. Not to mention that it is freakin’ good. It’s also the beloved favorite recipe of our son Andy, aka Boomerang Boy, who has been known to polish off an entire pan of the stuff, late at night, with a spoon, directly from the baking dish.

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups oatmeal
2 cups packed brown sugar (light or dark, you choose)
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
Dash salt
2 sticks softened margarine or butter
6 cups sliced peeled tart apples (we like Granny Smith)

INSTRUCTIONS:

In large mixing bowl, combine oats, sugar, flour, spices. Cut in softened butter until mixture is crumbly. In 9-by-13 buttered baking dish, place sliced apples. Sprinkle oat mixture over fruit. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes or until topping is golden brown. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or butterscotch topping. Serves 1 Boomerang Boy, or 6 deeply appreciative guests.

RENT THE BREEZE INN!

The Breeze Inn

Did you know that MKA’s very own fixer upper—The Breeze Inn on Tybee Island—is available for rent?! You and yours can chillax in beautiful beach cottage comfort in the very spot where MKA’s most recent bestsellers have been penned, surrounded by junking treasures uncovered by the author herself. Call Diane at Mermaid Cottages and book yourself in for the full MKA experience! If your crew won’t all fit at the Breeze, Diane has 30+ one-of-a-kind cottages sprinkled around the island, all just a short ride on a beach cruiser away from each other. Get yourself on “Tybee time” and discover the magic of slowing down.

Dear Friends:

My fall newsletter isn’t as much newsletter as it is a love letter. Love? To you, dear readers, for letting me know you enjoy my stories. To you, book-buyers, for showing ME the love by putting my latest novel, SUMMER RENTAL, at Number 5 on the New York Times Best-seller list, and for helping keep it on the list for seven amazing weeks—my best showing ever. To you who came out to meet me during the SUMMER RENTAL book tour, especially those of you who waited more than two hours at Island Bookstore on NC’s Outer Banks back in June when my plane was delayed, and who celebrated along with me when my editor called with the fabulous news that SUMMER RENTAL had debuted at #5. Wow, did the champagne flow that day! From St. Simon’s Island, Georgia all the way to Nantucket and the Jersey Shore, and Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, over to Chicago and Houston and Raleigh and Fairhope, Alabama, and just about every bookstore in the Atlanta area, readers came out to show the love. As always, I had a great time meeting all of you. Somehow, I managed to fit in a stop-over in New Orleans for the American Library Association conference, where I caught up with my brother Johnny, at his restaurant/bar Parasol’s. Best roast-beef po’boy. Ever. And there was another stop in New York, for the Romance Writers of America conference, where we partied with my publishing peeps at St. Martin’s Press, and boogied down with 700 other romance writers at a Black and White Ball at the Waldorf-Astoria. And I got to see The Book of Mormon on Broadway.

Hands-down the happiest event of the summer, of 2011, even, was the July 8 birth of my adorable grandson John Griffin. Griff, as we call him, is the sweetest, easiest baby ever, and his big sister Molly loves showing off “her” baby.

Check the upcoming appearances section on my website MaryKayAndrews.com for the latest in my signing schedule. I’ll be in Bristol, Va., on Nov. 5 and I have a hometown signing at the Avondale Estates Community Club on Dec. 11. I’m also thrilled to announce that the paperback edition of SUMMER RENTAL will be out May 8, just in time for Mother’s Day.

In the meantime, I’ve handed in next summer’s book, and although we’re still fussin’ and discussin’ the title, I can definitely tell you the release date is June 5. This is the book I literally dreamt up last summer, the story of Annajane Hudgens, who, while attending her ex-husband’s wedding, realizes she is SO not over him.

Since fall is the time when we start craving comfort food, I think it’s appropriate that we’re celebrating the season with a giveaway of FoodTV star and Southern cook extraordinaire Paula Deen’s new book, signed by Paula herself. Shoot us an e-mail telling us about your favorite comfort food. We’ll pick a lucky winner to receive an autographed copy of the just-released Paula Deen’s Southern Cooking Bible.

And if you don’t already have a favorite comfort food, I’m sharing the recipe for my son Andrew’s favorite, which I call Boomerang Boy’s Apple Crisp.

Happy fall, y’all!

All my best,

MKA

Bookclub Corner

Do you have a book club? If your club is reading one of my books, I would love to call in and join your discussion. You never know, I may even be able to drop by in person if it works out right. E-mail us with your request and we’ll see what we can do! Be sure to include a snail mail address and info about the size of your club.

ORDER NOW!

Book cover: Summer Rental

EVENT SCHEDULE

Sat, November 5, 12:00 PM

Luncheon

Bristol Bristol Public Library

701 Goode Street, Bristol, VA

Sun, December 11, 2:00 PM

Book signing

Holiday Tour of Homes and Market, Avondale Estates Community Club

Avondale Estates, GA

Visit the Events & Appearances page on the website to keep track of MKA’s whereabouts.

CONTEST

We have a great prize for you from my friend, the one and only Paula Deen. It’s fall and fall fare is all about comfort food. Since Paula Deen is the queen of southern cuisine—and what could be more therapy-on-a-plate than down home southern cookin’?—we have decided on a comfort-food themed contest. All you have to do to enter is write in to meg@marykayandrews.com with “Paula Deen Contest” in the subject field and tell us your all-time favorite comfort food and why. I will pick my favorite entry. The lucky winner will receive an autographed copy of Paula’s brand new book, Paula Deen’s Southern Cooking Bible: The New Classic Guide to Delicious Dishes with More Than 300 Recipes.