Beth Cato's Blog, page 100

Bready or Not: Chocolate-Coffee Truffles

Start the day off right with breakfast truffles packed with coffee and cocoa!

Sure, they might not be the most photogenic of items, but they are delicious and they pack a caffeine wallop. These are also gluten-free with no added sugar.

The dates act as the source of sweetness and as the binding agent. Almonds are loaded with all kinds of healthy goodness. Everything about these screams “HEALTHY!”

Trust me. They might not look pretty, but they’re tasty.

Modified from Relish Magazine.

Bready or Not: Chocolate-Coffee Truffles





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These truffles won’t win any awards for good looks, but their taste is pure chocolate and coffee. These are gluten-free with no sugar added. Recipe makes about 9 tablespoon-sized truffles; 2-3 make for a good breakfast or snack!

1 cup chopped Medjool dates (about 15 dates)
1/2 cup raw or roasted almonds
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 Tablespoons ground coffee
1 tablespoon chia seeds or wheat germ or flax seeds
pinch of salt

Combine all the ingredients in a food processor or high-powered blender. It might need to be blended in batches.

Pulse until the almonds are in very small pieces. If the mixture isn't cohesive, add a teaspoon of water and blend again. Add more water if needed. The mash should hold together when pressed but not be wet.

Use a spoon or scoop to form the mix into truffles. Makes about 9 tablespoon-sized.

OM NOM NOM!

 

Sunday Quote begins a new moon

“You don’t write about the horrors of war. No. You write about a kid’s burnt socks lying in the road.” ~Richard Price

Reprint Cluster

I mentioned a while back that I have made an effort to send out more reprints. That’s pretty evident this week, as two of my older stories find new life just days apart!

For Want of a Horse features my story “Red Dust and Dancing Horses.” You can grab it in ebook at Amazon and in print at Lethe Press, though Amazon should have it in print soon, too.

Meanwhile, Fantastic Stories of the Imagination has reprinted “Cartographer’s Ink.” This was one of my first pro-paying story sales in 2012, and features an elderly cartographer and magical maps that overflow onto living topography.

Bready or Not: Honey Roasted Chicken and Carrots

When bone-in chicken breasts go on sale, I’m really happy for the chance to make this family favorite: Honey Roasted Chicken with Carrots.

This is a fairly healthy recipe. It relies on the chicken skin and a touch of olive oil to keep the chicken tender and moist, with a little more butter added at the end. You can use however many baby carrots you want, though you might not be able to squeeze more than 12 ounces worth into a dish. The carrots end up tender and the slightest bit sweet and caramelized.

I have fresh oregano and rosemary handy, so I like to use one or both of those in this, but you can season this however you want. Dry herbs will rehydrate nicely.

One of the things I love most about this is that the breast pieces are meaty and we’re bound to have leftovers the next day. This tender chicken is delicious in salads, wraps, or sandwiches!

Modified from a recipe published in the Arizona Republic, October 4th 2007.

Bready or Not: Honey Roasted Chicken and Carrots





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This recipe bakes up chicken breast halves and baby carrots into a sweet and savory dish.

2-3 chicken breast halves with bone and skin
olive oil
salt and pepper
8 to 12 ounces baby carrots
2 Tablespoons butter, softened
1 Tablespoon honey
2-3 Tablespoons fresh oregano or rosemary, or a few teaspoons dry

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Set out a large casserole dish. Rub the chicken with enough oil to coat it on both sides, then season with salt and pepper. Place the breasts skin side down in the dish.

Bake for 25 minutes. Turn the chicken over--watch out, it will sizzle and pop! Add as many carrots as desired to the pan.

Bake for another 25 minutes. As the chicken bakes, in a bowl combine the butter, honey, and herbs.

Turn the chicken over to be skin-side up again. Spoon the butter-honey mix over the chicken and carrots. Roll the carrots around in it for good measure. Roast for an additional 5 minutes.

OM NOM NOM!

 

Links to Start September

First of all, two reminders: I’m doing a booksigning at the Phoenix Metro Center Barnes & Noble on Saturday September 12th from 1-3pm. I’m also traveling to Houston on September 26th to team up with Chuck Wendig and Richard Kadrey for a signing! This is at Murder by the Book at 4:30pm. I bet there will be shenanigans.

When you were a kid, did you ever have issues with the floor turning to lava when the vacuum was turned on? I have a poem at Zetetic about this common childhood plight: “The Reason I Limp.”

Rhonda Parrish interviewed me about my story in B is for Broken.

Over at A Dribble of Ink, I’m listed in great company as A Foodie Fantasy Author.

I’m also listed as a Not-So-Invisible Ninja at Charles Stross’s Antipope site–because some daft guys still insist that there are no women writers in science fiction and fantasy. I don’t know how to explain their blindness, either. But then, I’m also mystified by people who can stay awake during baseball games.

My story from last year, “The Cartography of Shattered Trees,” is still getting attention along with other stories in the FAE anthology. Jorie Loves a Story has incredibly kind things to say.

Sunday Quote pets the bunnies

“Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen.” ~John Steinbeck

Bready or Not: Cookies and Cream Chocolate Pie

Here’s a no-bake, super-easy pudding pie that perfect for summer.

You can go hardcore with this and make your Oreo crust from scratch. Me? I’ve done that before, but honestly, I prefer the store version for both taste and ease of use.

The chocolate flavor here is great because it’s neither weak nor strong. If you want to amp it up, heck, that’s easy to do with more chocolate topping. When I made this for my folks, my brother thought it was even better with dulce de leche added to individual slices. It made it taste kinda like a Twix with that caramel-chocolate thing going.

I used mini Oreos for everything in this recipe. They chop up easily to throw in and I can often get them on sale for about a buck. Plus, my son loves eating the leftovers!

This is the perfect pie for a potluck or to stash in the fridge to slice up and cool off on a hot summer day.

Modified from Inside Bru Crew Life.

Bready or Not: Cookies and Cream Chocolate Pie





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A quick no-bake pudding pie with a mild chocolate flavor.

1 Oreo pie shell (store bought or homemade)
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup powdered sugar
3 cups Cool Whip, divided
2/3 cup Oreo cookie chunks
1 - 3.9 ounce box instant chocolate fudge pudding mix
1 cup chocolate milk
10-15 mini Oreo cookies
squirt bottle hot fudge or dulce de leche topping (optional)

Set out the Oreo crumb pie shell so it is ready to be filled.

Beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar together and fold in about 1/2 cup of Cool Whip. Stir in the Oreo chunks. Spread everything in the bottom of the crust.

Using the same bowl or a new one, whisk together the pudding mix and chocolate milk. Fold in 1 cup of Cool Whip. Spread this as your second layer.

Top off the pie with the remaining Cool Whip. Add mini Oreos around the edge or even crumble some for the top, if you wish. If you have squirt bottles of chocolate or dulce de leche, add some swirls or cross-hatching to the top.

Chill pie at least two hours before serving. Keep refrigerated thereafter.

OM NOM NOM!

 

New Story at DSF

I have a new and very personal story up at Daily Science Fiction: “The Quest You Have Chosen Defies Your Fate.” This story delves into depression, bullying, and finding the strength to move beyond.

I think of it as emotionally autobiographical. I experienced deep depression starting in junior high became more debilitating when I entered high school. It’s a war that is never truly over, though my recent years have been fairly stable due to my supportive family, my writing regimen, and daily exercise.

If the story resonates for you, if you think it might encourage someone else in the thick of depression, please share it.

Sunday Quote is glad to be home

“This is how you do it: you sit down at the keyboard and you put one word after another until its done. It’s that easy, and that hard.”

~Neil Gaiman

Bready or Not: Oatmeal Fig Bars (aka Homemade Fig Newtons)

These are like Fig Newtons, but better. They are thicker. Fresher. The top has the slightest crunch.

This recipe is what happened after I thought I was buying dates to use for my breakfast truffles. It took me a few weeks to notice I really had figs in my cupboard. Whoops?

An awesome kind of whoops!

I doubled the original recipe so I could use as many figs as I could. My immersion blender pulsed the fruit on the stovetop. Everything came together fast and easy. I used the double sided parchment-aluminum foil for easy clean up, too.

These bake up with golden, crispy tops while the rest of the bar is dense and chewy. These things are hearty. They’d make for a good breakfast or snack for kids or adults, and I imagine they would even freeze well.

I’m not sure how well they keep beyond a day, though. My husband took them to work and they kinda vanished. All that remained were crumbs and rave reviews.

Recipe doubled and adapted from Alida’s Kitchen.

Bready or Not: Oatmeal Fig Bars (aka Homemade Fig Newtons)





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Make a large dish of delicious homemade Fig Newtons in under an hour! These bars have just-crispy tops and are chewy all the way through.

For fig filling
2 cups chopped dried figs, stems removed (16 ounces)
1 cup water
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
For dough
3 cups oats (I used mixed rolled and quick oats)
2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups brown sugar, packed
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
2 eggs, room temperature

In a small sauce pan, bring figs, water, and lemon juice to a boil. Simmer for several minutes until it starts to thicken. Remove from heat and let it cool for ten minutes or so.

Use a food processor or an immersion blender to process the fruit unless smooth. Be very careful--hot fruit splatter is not fun! Set it aside to cool as you ready everything else.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x13 casserole pan with parchment paper and apply nonstick spray. Melt the butter and let it cool a few minutes.

In a large bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. Add the butter and eggs and stir until just combined.

Press half of the oat mixture into the prepared baking dish. [Handy tip: use a sheet of wax paper and a heavy glass to compress the layer.] Evenly spread the fig mixture to the edges.

Use your hands to compress the remaining dough into small discs and pieces, and set this on top as evenly as you can. Gently compress it again.

Bake for about 30 minutes, or until lightly browned at edges. Completely cool on wire rack.

OM NOM NOM!