To Do List

Last week I stayed at a haunted inn in Empire, Colorado.

After being attacked by a gorilla.

And signing books at the Colorado Teen Lit Conference.

Where I got to meet some awesome teens.
And give a speech.
And hang out with a bunch of really cool people -- teens, writers, teachers, librarians, booksellers, ice cream sellers, parents, story-tellers... including the wise and witty Pete Hautman.
And then ski with my husband -- and some great friends -- in Vail.

More fun people from the conference. (Can you tell I am having trouble organizing the photos on my website? The order is just going to have to be random.)

Also: BRILLIANT was chosen for Meg Cabot's April Book Club!

And JUSTIN CASE was chosen by Bank Street as a Best Book of 2011!

But just dealing with today:

So I was just thinking, simultaneously, that I have to blog, and also figure out the climax of the book I am writing, and also find a recipe for macaroons. I therefore went to my Aunt Ronnie's website (http://ronniefein.com) and got one of them.

So my to-do-to-day list is half done. Or, now, I guess, two-thirds!

Which brings up my advice du jour: never write "cross this off" on your to-do list.

How are you doing today?

Love,

Rachel Vail

PS Special Bonus Feature: Aunt Ronnie's macaroon recipe

(her cookbooks are THE BEST)

Incredibly Easy Macaroons

2 cups packaged, shredded coconut

1/2 cup sugar

pinch of salt

3 large egg whites

garnish: chopped dried fruit, chocolate chips, crystallized ginger, whole almonds, etc.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease a cookie sheet. In a bowl, toss the coconut, sugar and salt together. Add the egg whites and mix the ingredients until a uniform “dough” has formed. Take heaping teaspoons of dough and shape them into about 20 balls. Place the balls on the cookie sheet a piece of put a garnish on top of each ball. Bake for about 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool on the sheet for 5 minutes, then remove to a cake rack to cool completely. Makes about 20

If you like firmer macaroons, mix 1/4 cup matzo cake meal into the dough.

To make them chocolate covered: melt some semisweet chocolate with vegetable shortening (about one tablespoon for every 6 ounces of chocolate). Use this as a dip to cover the baked macaroons.