I thought about Bobbie and her teddy bears, Tak Hoshiyama and his family’s restaurant, and Ebony and Shindig. All over Proper City were people who had decided that a little desert town inspired by fairy tales and designed by city planners was the place they wanted to call home. Even the wealthy families had put down roots in Christopher Robin Crossing instead of moving to a more status-conscious city.
The people who lived here were a lot like me: friends, neighbors, people who wanted to dress up for the sheer fun of it. As long as people lived in Proper City, Disguise DeLimit would be A-OK. And maybe, with a store full of costumes at my disposal, I’d be okay too.
Disguise DeLimit Costume List: Blitz Manners’s Detective Party
Columbo Rockford
Kojak
Nancy Drew (1930s) Nancy Drew (1950s) Mr. Moto
Nick Charles (The Thin Man movies) Nora Charles (The Thin Man movies) Ironside
Remington Steele Cannon
Magnum, P.I.
Bob-Whites: Trixie Belden Bob-Whites: Honey Wheeler Bob-Whites: Jim Frayne Bob-Whites: Mart Belden Bob-Whites: Brian Belden Judy Bolton
Tom Swift
Cherry Ames, school nurse Three Investigators: Jupiter Jones Three Investigators: Pete Crenshaw Three Investigators: Bob Andrews Philip Marlowe Sam Spade
Hardy Boys: Frank Hardy Boys: Joe Miss Marple
Veronica Mars Hercule Poirot Shaft
Inspector Clouseau Sherlock Holmes (classic) Sherlock Holmes (BBC/Benedict Cumberbatch) Sherlock Holmes (CBS/Jonny Lee Miller) Sherlock Holmes (steampunk/Robert Downey Jr.) Encyclopedia Brown Mike Hammer
Perry Mason
Ace Ventura, pet detective
Recipes
HOSHIYAMA FRIED RICE
(serves 2–4, depending on hunger) 2 tbsp. sesame oil 2 tbsp. butter
2 cloves garlic, minced 2 scallions, sliced 2 cups cooked rice ? carrot, diced
1 stalk of celery, diced 1 cup bean sprouts Soy sauce
1 egg
Sesame seeds
1. Heat sesame oil and butter in skillet. Add minced garlic and scallions and raise temperature to medium. Cook for about 2 minutes. Push mixture to side of skillet.
2. Raise temperature to high. Add rice, stir-fry for 1 minute. Add vegetables. Add 1 tbsp. of soy sauce. Mix well and cook for additional 1–2 minutes. Push everything to sides of skillet, leaving room in center of pan.
3. Beat egg slightly and pour into center of skillet. When egg begins to set, scramble and combine with rice mixture.
4. Add additional splash of soy sauce.
5. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve.
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CATCH-22 SALVADORIAN SHRIMP SALAD
(makes 2 big salads or 4 smaller salads) 1 lb. uncooked, peeled shrimp 2 tbsp. butter
1 packet Goya Sazón seasoning (for lower sodium, use 1 tsp. achiote/annatto) 1 head lettuce (romaine, red leaf, green leaf, or iceberg) ? carrot, sliced
1 Roma tomato, diced 1 cup jicama, sliced 1 avocado, sliced
? cup white onion, diced 1 bunch cilantro
1. Cook shrimp in saucepan with butter and Sazón for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
2. Tear lettuce onto plate.
3. Add: carrot, tomato, jicama, avocado, white onion. Add cooked shrimp and drizzle any juices from pan on top.
4. Garnish with cilantro leaves.
DRESSING: FRESH SALSA ROJA (RED SALSA) Olive oil
? cup white onion, chopped 1 clove garlic, chopped 1 jalape?o, chopped 2–3 Roma tomatoes
1 tsp. dried oregano Salt
Pepper
? cup cilantro
1. Place all ingredients in blender.
2. Puree until smooth. Add water if necessary.
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MARGO’S EASY FRUITY PEBBLES DINNER
Fruity Pebbles cereal Milk
1. Pour Fruity Pebbles into bowl.
2. Add milk.
Costume Ideas
A creative costume lies less in the construction and more in the imagination. The best way to determine a good costume is to choose a recognizable character and then identify 3–4 elements that are unique to him or her. Often it’s not only the clothes that make a costume work, but it’s the additional props that sell the concept. Here are a few examples pulled from Blitz Manners’s birthday party: SHERLOCK HOLMES
1. Deerstalker hat 2. Men’s plaid suit
3. Tweed cape*
4. Prop: pipe
5. Prop: magnifying glass *Instructions for making an easy, no-sew, costume-appropriate cape: 1. Buy 2 yards of fabric 2. Fold in half (cut edge to cut edge) 3. Fold in half again (side to side) 4. Lay flat
5. On the folded corner, cut a small quarter circle out of all layers 6. Cut a large quarter circle out of all layers of the unfolded edges 7. Unfold one time. Fabric will still be folded in half, but will now resemble a semicircle with a smaller semicircle where the head will go 8. Cut a straight line down the center of the fabric from the neck hole to the hem 9. Cape is complete!
For enhanced instructions and photos, visit dianevallere.com.
COLUMBO
1. Men’s rumpled trench coat (suggestion: purchase from thrift store) 2. Men’s rumpled suit in neutral color, white shirt, and black skinny tie (thrift store) 3. Wedding ring
4. Wet all clothes and garments, ball up, and run through dryer for extra wrinkles 5. Prop: cigar
6. Prop: police badge CLASSIC NANCY DREW
1. Sweater set 2. Plaid skirt (below the knee) 3. Blond wig that falls to shoulders 4. Cloche hat
5. Prop: magnifying glass 6. Prop: invitation from Ned Nickerson 7. Prop: set of car keys labeled ROADSTER
MISS MARPLE
1. Turtleneck
2. String of pearls
3. Wool blazer
4. Wool skirt (below the knee) 5. Thick tights