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In most parts of the world, apples are abundant and sweet this time of year. You know what’s also probably still abundant and sweet? All that leftover Halloween candy you’ve got piled up, that you keep eating for breakfast on your way out the door. Don’t deny it, I’m onto you.

If you’re growing tired of all that unnatural, corn-syrup filled sweetness, maybe its time to go with something a little more homemade, fairly healthy and just as sweet.

Behold, apple pancakes. With apple slices, plump raisins and crunchy walnuts, this apple-licious recipe (adapted from Recipes Every Man Should Know by Susan Russo & Brett Cohen) is sure to please. Just whisk, mix, pour and watch the griddle transform the batter into a delicious breakfast treat.

It just so happens that we have six, yes you read correctly, six production prints from the Gig Posters: Volume 1 calendar to give away.

These are huge high quality production prints on heavy weight poster paper. That way the poster won’t get too damaged when you drool all over it while admiring the awesome artwork. Featured artists include Feist (pictured!), Beck, James Brown, Juliett & the Licks, Queens of the Stone Age and Danzig

How does one win such a sweet poster you might ask? It’s so easy that a pre-rehab rock star could do it. All you have to do is post a comment about your favorite band. Be sure to include your email address, so we can contact you! We will chose six of you at random and send you one of the posters.

It’s that simple. Then you can gloat to all your friends about how you have some backstage production materials from Quirk.

Ever wonder what is actually going on behind the scenes in the Quirk Books office? I’ll bet you imagine it’s all zombie pizza parties in the conference room and Nerf gun fights in the basement. I’m not saying if these things are true or not, but 10 lucky AIGA student members will have that chance to see what really goes on in the Quirk offices and enjoy some pizza and drinks.

See, I wasn’t completely lying about pizza parties.

The tour is from 8 p.m. to 10p.m. on November 15th. Quirk Books is one of 8 companies around Philly that are opening their doors to design students so they have a chance to see what really goes on behind the books, ads, and graphic designs.

Have you eaten a sandwich today? Odds are you have. Hundreds of millions of people across the globe do every single day. And today that number will rise. Why? Because, sandwich lovers, it’s National Sandwich Day. That’s right. An entire day designated to celebrating the humble sandwich, a simple combination of bread and filling that is satisfying, fast, comforting, and portable.

Everyone loves sandwiches, but Americans are besotted. We love to make them, talk about them, and gaze upon them. Entire books (mine included), televisions shows, and websites have been devoted to them. Why are we so passionate? Because sandwiches typically have deep cultural, ethnic, and geographies roots. Think of the Vietnamese Bahn Mi, the Mexican Torta, and the American ham sandwich. Some sandwiches have become icons of the city from which they emanated. Can you imagine Philadelphia without its cheese steak or New Orleans without its Po ‘Boy?

So on this most glorious of days, make yourself or someone you love a sandwich. It doesn’t matter if it’s an old-fashioned BLT or an upscale Nutella sandwich. If it’s got bread and filling and makes you happy, then it has done its job.

I’ll be having a Sloppy Joe today. Easy to make, economical, and satisfying, Sloppy Joes were the ideal belly-filler during the Great Depression and World War II. And seeing as our current economy isn’t soaring yet, it seems apropos.

This all-American sandwich is fabulously gloppy, so assemble sandwiches only when you’re ready to eat them – wait 10 minutes and you’ll be eating a Soggy Joe instead. Skip the silverware – just a plop a stack of napkins in the center of the table, or better yet, a roll of paper towels. You’ll need them.

Wow! The entire Quirk HQ is sending a big thank you out to the folks at Goodreads and their fabulous, passionate user base. Earlier this week, the 2011 Goodreads Choice Awards launched, and three of our books are nominated!

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children is nominated for Favorite Book of 2011, and is in seriously good company. George R. R. Martin's A Dance with Dragons and Tina Fey's Bossypants are both in the same category. Miss Peregrine is also nominated in the Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction category, alongside Veronica Roth's Divergent and Beth Revis' Across the Universe.

Pride & Prejudice & Zombies: Dreadfully Ever After is nominated in the Horror category. Broet Laureate Brian McGackin's stellar debut, Broetry, is nominated in the Poetry category, and is currently fistpumping with Horrorscopes for the Dead, written by former Poet Laureate of the United States Billy Collins.

The opening round of voting has already started, and runs through November 13th. Semifinals launches on November 14th through the 20th, with finals kicking off November 21st through the 30th.

So go vote! For us, of course. And thank you again, Goodreads! We're psyched.

Hooray! Today is Halloween, and you’re inevitably planning some sort of fun get-together with your friends and/or family. As it is a Monday night, perhaps you’re keeping things low key. Perhaps.

Well, thanks to Alicia Kachmar and Witch Craft, I’ve got a fun Halloween recipe for you. Witches’ Brew, a blood-orange bunch that will keep guests under your spell.

Ingredients:

• 2 quarts cranberry juice or cranberry cocktail
• 1 3/4 quarts orange juice
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 2 blood oranges, washed and sliced into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
• 2 liters orange-flavored or unflavored seltzer

Directions:

1. In a clean punch bowl or cauldron, stir to combine cranberry juice, orange juice, and lemon juice.
2. Add orange slices to the brew.
3. Pour in seltzer just before party time to ensure that witches’ brew stays bubbly and fizzy for your guests.

Note: For a potent punch, mix in 4 cups gin or vodka. Alternatively, spike your brew with 2 cups vodka plus 2 cups of orange liqueur, such as Cointreau. What? Not ALL of us are planning a low key evening.