Chronicle Books Blog

Craft Blogs, better than Daytime TV

Our office is a breeding ground for germs these days, with a new sickness being passed around every week. Unfortunately it caught me and I spent two days at home. I like bad TV, but daytime TV can be really bad, and not in the Rock of Love bad kind of way (which is really good). One of the only truly good things about having this awful flu was that I got to spend quality time on some of my favorite craft blogs. In case you’re healthy and unable to waste two days straight on your couch with your cat and laptop here are some things I got excited about:

Amy Karol of Angry Chicken has a new eMailorder available. Issue No. 8 includes four paper cut designs and instructions. It seems that Amy is good at everything she tries her hand at and these paper cuts are no exception. Amy also has some great pictures and tips for making lollipops, which I think is a sweet idea for Valentine’s gifts.

Nancy of Belle Epoque is giving away an awesome stash of beads to someone who comments on her blog after purchasing Susan Beal’s new beading book, Bead Simple. If I actually had room in my craft space and an excuse to acquire more beads I would be clamoring for this awesome loot! Either way I will be buying Susan’s book- it looks fabulous and she’s such a talented designer.

I am such a huge fan of Heidi Kenney, the woman behind ‘My Paper Crane’. Heidi’s blog is one of my favorites to check in on. I love how much she shares with her readers from her craft room. Check out these adorable creatures she’s making for an upcoming show she’s a part of- the theme is Forest Party! In case you missed it, one of Heidi’s sweet patterns is included in our Softies book.

Not entirely craft related, but I loved the round up over on Hi + Low of old composition books. I swear I’d be a better note taker if I had these to write in.

And finally, I already have some projects in mind that I want to make with this new fabric designed by Jess from How About Orange.

And since I’m in the office today and not on my couch, I should probably get back to work! Let me know if you see anything good out there in the blogosphere.

They say everyone’s a critic. Which, we believe, is a good thing. If you’ve spent any time reading this blog, you’ve probably noticed that Chronicle Books is not an ivory tower kind of place. Our editors openly accept bribes, our authors solicit fans for new ideas, and we almost can’t help ourselves from giving away trade secrets on a weekly basis.

Some of our best ideas have come from our readers, so we make it a habit to pay attention when people like you have something to say. With that in mind, we’ve launched a brand new Customer Reviews feature on our website that allows visitors to rate and review any of our books.

It’s easy! Simply navigate to the title’s web page, scroll down to the “Customer Reviews” area, and click on the “write a review” link. If you are not already logged in to our site, you will be prompted for your login or asked to set up an account first—don’t worry, it’s super fast and all we require is your name and email address (which, btw, we never share). Once your review is approved (keep it clean, people!) we will post it to the site.

To kick things off, we’re offering a special promotion with this launch. Each month this year—beginning in February—we’ll randomly select one visitor who’s submitted reviews. The more reviews you write the more entries you’ll have in the drawing. The 11 winners will receive a free book of their choice (up to $50).

So tell us what you REALLY think. And get crackin’! (Our friend Holly G has already got a head start…)

Share your own thoughts now, visit our web site:

http://www.chroniclebooks.com/reviews/

Guinevere Harrison
Copywriter

Greek Three-Cheese, Spinach, and Onion Potpie

My potpie version of the Greek cheese and spinach turnover called spanikopita loads the traditional filling with ricotta, feta, and jack cheese, fresh dill and parsley, and uses store-bought phyllo pastry for the crisp topping. Its generous size and do-ahead preparation make it an ideal party dish. To serve a really big crowd, double the ingredients and bake it in two baking dishes. It is easy to keep phyllo pastry soft and pliable as long as it is carefully covered with plastic wrap and a damp dish towel while you are working with it.

Makes 12 servings

Cooking the filling: 5 minutes

Potpie baking: 350ºF for about 45 minutes

6 phyllo pastry sheets (about 13 by 17 inches), thawed if frozen

Filling
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups finely chopped onions (2 medium)
Two 10-ounce packages thawed frozen chopped spinach
One 15- or 16-ounce container ricotta cheese (2 cups); part skim is fine
8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (1 1/2 cups)
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded jack cheese
2 large eggs
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Position a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Butter a 9-by-13-by-2-inch baking dish.

Prepare the phyllo pastry: Lay out the phyllo pastry sheets and stack them. Use plastic wrap to roll up and tightly rewrap any leftover phyllo and refrigerate it for up to 1 week. Using the bottom of the baking dish as a guide, use kitchen scissors to cut 6 pieces of phyllo that are 1 inch larger all around than the baking dish. Immediately cover the cut sheets of phyllo completely with plastic wrap and a damp dish towel. Set aside while you make the filling.

Make the filling: In a medium skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat for about 1 minute. Add the onions and cook until they soften, about 5 minutes, stirring often. Set aside.

Rest a strainer over a medium bowl, put the spinach in the strainer, and use a large spoon to press firmly on the spinach to press out the liquid. Discard the liquid.

In a large bowl and using a large spoon, stir the onions, drained spinach, ricotta, feta, jack cheese, eggs, dill, parsley, salt, and black pepper together to combine them. Spread half of the filling in the baking dish. Place 2 pieces of the phyllo pastry on top of the filling in the dish. Brush the pastry lightly with melted butter. Top with one more piece of phyllo. Tuck any overhanging edges under to form a smooth edge that neatly covers the filling. Spread the remaining filling over the phyllo. Top with 2 more pieces of phyllo and brush them lightly with butter. Top with the remaining phyllo sheet and brush it with butter. Use a sharp knife to mark 12 squares by cutting through the top layers of pastry.

Bake until the topping is golden and the filling is bubbling gently, about 45 minutes. Use a sharp knife to cut through the marked squares and a spatula with a wide blade to remove and serve the squares.

A Step Ahead: The potpie can be assembled early in the day and baked later. Refrigerate it, remembering to cover the pie tightly with plastic warp, so the phyllo crust does not dry out. A cold potpie will need to bake an additional 5 minutes.

Purchase Potpies

Check back each Wednesday for more new recipes!

Peter Perez
Senior Marketing Manager

As many of you know, we get most of the information for our WORST CASE SCENARIO books from experts in the subject at hand—stuntmen, FBI agents, bullfighters, alligator wrestlers, and many others. But apparently our experts aren’t the only ones with good tips and advice to impart.

The contest for the best survival tips has just ended, and I’m happy to announce the five winners—each of them will receive a copy of the WORST CASE SCENARIO board game from University Games, along with our undying respect and admiration. Here are excerpts from the winning entries:

Entry #1: How to Tell Someone You Like Them

“Think about what you really feel…then just do what your heart just tells you to do.”

Entry #2: How to Survive When Stuck at the Airport

“An airport scavenger hunt helps to while away family boredom. With cell phones in hand for easy communication and for timekeeping, separate and find, in one hour or less:

A foreign language newspaper—-(10 points; 20 if no one in the family recognizes the language)
One scarf or glove (15)
A hat (10)
People Magazine (5)
Six different colored screw-on bottle tops (10)
A pacifier (5)
A relish package (5)
A paperback (5).

Only cheaters buy these items, and only thieves steal them. And maybe then your flight will be ready to go.”

Entry #3: How to Survive Holidays With Your Relatives

“Try to enjoy the time, and remember that yes, it might not be the most fun thing to do, but it might be the only day of the year you get to see these people, and vice versa. Find a kid your age, and chat them up. Go outside and get fresh air, walk around. Or help around the house. The more occupied you are the more fun you will have engaging yourself and the faster time will go by. Learn a few simple magic tricks before the day and show off your skills when you get there. Just remember to have fun because one day those old fogies will be you. Faster than you can say… ‘I’m bored!”

Entry #4: How to Survive Anytime, Anywhere

“Always have a spare bottle of water on hand.”

Entry #5: How to Train a Bad Cat

“There are many ways to tame the beast. A squirt bottle is a great deterrent. Also cats hate loud noise, so a noisemaker is fun and effective!”

Congratulations to the winners—and hey, hey, hey—let’s be careful out there.

It’s raining buckets here on the West Coast, but if you can venture outside, there’s a lot going on. Here’s a quick round-up of art, photography, and fashion events in the offing or soon to happen:

Artist and Illustrator Ward Schumaker’s work is up at Meridian Gallery, San Francisco.

Premier color photographer and author of Inside Havana and Russia, Andrew Moore, is debuting new work at Rena Bransten Gallery, San Francisco.

The Garden at Night photographer Linda Rutenberg will be at the Fairchild Tropical Botanical Gardens in Miami on January 30th, lecturing and conducting a workshop.

David Maisel, an amazing Bay Area photographer with whom Chronicle Books will publish a book this fall, is opening his series Oblivion at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art this weekend. It will be up through late April, and deserves to be seen at exhibition scale.

And for those who ever have the chance to go backstage at some fancy event, you know how it’s hard not to talk about it, even though it’s obviously just to crow. It’s just human to want to say, I got in; let me tell you about it. So, in that somewhat boastful spirit: New York’s Mercedes Benz Fashion Week takes place in early February. Chronicle Books has partnered with W Hotels to be the exclusive publisher to feature fashion and design books in the W Hotel backstage lounge. We will be featuring several new titles, including Fashion Illustration by Fashion Designers and Modern Menswear, both of which you can preorder now!

Alan Rapp
Senior Editor