Beth Cato's Blog, page 101

Middle grade readers need extra love

I unabashedly love middle grade books, and I love that my beloved story “Red Dust and Dancing Horses” is going to be in the 2016 Young Explorer’s Adventure Guide. This is an anthology of science fiction stories for readers 8 and up, and it’s all about strength and diversity. Nancy Kress says it very well on the promotional video:

The Kickstarter campaign has just started. It’s very affordable to get DRM-free copies of the 2015 book and the new 2016 one, and the print books are included starting at $20. Do you have a middle grade reader in your house? Know one? Want to help out a library? Please check out the campaign and consider a contribution!

The fundraiser ends on September 26th. I’ll be sure to post on the progress!

Sunday Quote heads home from Worldcon

“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”

~ Maya Angelou

Hear Me Speak

If you’re not able to attend my reading at WorldCon today, you can still hear my weird, raspy voice. I’m in the latest episode of the Skiffy and Fanty Show Podcast: The Wonders and Politics of Steampunk w/ Cherie Priest, Beth Cato, and Jaymee Goh.

It’s an interesting discussion. We talk about representation, whitewashing on covers, and some of the political issues around steampunk. There are a LOT of issues. We could have talked for hours on the subject, I’m sure, and as it is, the full broadcast is over an hour!

—

If you want to read my words instead, I talk about some books I recently read and enjoyed over at the What Writers Read. Particular favorites: Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho and The House of Shattered Wings by Aliette de Bodard.

Bready or Not: Biscoff Oreo Blondies (Redux)

This week, as I dash off to WorldCon, I share a re-do of a Biscoff Oreo Blondies recipe I first featured on my LiveJournal back in 2013. I modified it from the original Peanut Butter Oreo Blondies at Crepes of Wrath.

But this time when I made it, I modified it more. MORE OREOS. MORE CHOCOLATE CHIPS. MORE HAPPINESS.

I love Biscoff spread (also known as Speculoos at Trader Joe’s). It’s crack in a jar. If you’re not familiar with it, it’s cookie butter: yes, really, the consistency of a nut butter, but made of cookies.

Yeah. This is not health food. It ain’t gluten-free, either.

If it’s paleo, I want to join that tribe.

If you don’t like Biscoff (BLASPHEMER! BEGONE!) or can’t find it (though it’s at a lot of Wal-marts, Targets, and World Markets), you can substitute nut butter for this recipe, too. Not the natural type, though. You want it moister.

Oh yeah. I used Double-Stuf Oreos, too. Because those are the best kind.

The end result is a luscious, thick, chewy bar that’s like a cookie on steroids. Cookie butter does that to baked goods. It’s magic.

Mix up the add-ins if you want. Use dark chocolate. Use different kinds of Oreos or different cookies all together.

Live dangerously. And scrape clean that Biscoff jar when it’s empty.

Bready or Not: Biscoff Oreo Blondies (Redux)





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Luscious, chewy bars. The baked-in cookie butter complements the smooth chocolate chips and the crunch of Oreos! An all-time favorite of Bready or Not.

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
2/3 cup Biscoff or Speculoos spread
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups roughly crushed Oreos
1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat your oven to 350-degrees. Line a 9x13 pan with aluminum foil or parchment and apply nonstick spray.

Whisk together your flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat together the sugars and melted butter. Add cookie butter and mix to combine. Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition, then the vanilla extract. Gradually add in the flour mixture, mixing until just moistened. The dough will be very thick. Fold in most of the Oreos and chocolate chips; save some to make the top pretty, if you want.

Press the thick dough into the pan as evenly as possible. Press in the remaining Oreos and chips.

Bake for 24-30 minutes, until the blondies are lightly golden and set.

Allow them to cool completely before cutting into bars and serving. These will keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week, if they last that long.

OM NOM NOM!

 

 

WorldCon/Sasquan: Once again, with feeling…

Tomorrow I journey northward to the land of Spokane wherein I will make merry through the weekend. I AM EXCITED. I had the time of my life at WorldCon in San Antonio two years ago, and now I have approximately a gazillion more writer friends AND I have two books out. Also, Spokane just plain looks like a nifty place and it has an incredible food scene downtown. I will also prowl the room parties at night, because I am the adventurous type of eater who is willing to try the Helsinki WorldCon Bid’s reindeer pate. I mean, heck. In San Antonio I drank a poutine martini. I live dangerously at WorldCon.

And yes, I am bringing cookies. Lemon Cornmeal Shortbread, to be exact. If you see me around the con, feel free to stop me and inquire about the cookie stash. I’ll be happy to share, but I imagine I will run out before the con ends. The one guaranteed place to find cookies is my Friday 3pm reading that I’m sharing with Tina Connolly. I’ll be reading excerpts from Clockwork Crown and my next novel Breath of Earth.

Here’s my official con schedule:

Thursday the 20th

Steampunk, Colonialism & Imperialism

11:00 AM to 11:45 AM (45 minutes)

Charles Stross Moderator , Arthur Chu , Leigh Ann Hildebrand , Warren Frey , Beth Cato

CC – Bays 111B

Autographing – Beth Cato

02:00 PM to 02:45 PM (45 minutes)

CC – Hall B

Friday the 21st

The Future of Food

12:00 PM to 12:45 PM (45 minutes)

Beth Cato , Fran Wilde , Lawrence M. Schoen , Scott Edelman , Amy Thomson Moderator

CC – Conference Theater 110

Reading – Beth Cato & Tina Connolly

Aug 21 03:00 PM to 03:30 PM (30 minutes)

CC – 304

Sunday Quote prepares for Spokane

“Fight your shame.

Throw out your pride and learn all you can from others.

This is the basis of a successful life.”

~ Sen Rikyu poem, quoted in _Tea Life, Tea Mind_ by Soshitsu Sen XV

Bready or Not: Slow Cooker Balsamic Beef

This is my favorite non-taco way to cook up beef in the crock pot. The result is slightly sweet and perfect by itself, on a sandwich, in a salad, in a wrap…! Delicious meat in any form.

With the way beef prices have shot up, I pretty much have stopped buying ground beef. Roasts are the way to go, and slow cooking is the way to keep the cuts nice and tender.

This is just an all-around good recipe. It’s very easy to tweak if you want it more or less sweet. The oven is off and my kitchen stays cooler. The one bad thing is that I work from home, and I’m tortured by the scent all day long.

Modified from Shugary Sweets.

Bready or Not: Slow Cooker Balsamic Beef





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A savory and slightly sweet way to slow-cook as beef roast all day long! Serve by itself, on sandwiches, in salads–it’s delicious no matter how you eat it.

4 to 5 lb beef chuck roast
1 yellow onion
1 can beef broth, low sodium
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 Tablespoon soy sauce, low sodium
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
3 minced garlic cloves

In the slow cooker, whisk together the ingredients from the beef broth through the end.

Cut the onion into chunks and place in slow cooker. Trim any excess fat from the roast and place the meat atop the onion. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours.

Soon before mealtime, pull the meat out and shred apart. Place back in pot to soak up juice. Set the cooker on WARM until ready to serve.

OM NOM NOM!

 

Sunday Quote has a 5th grader

“The scariest moment is always just before you start.”

~ Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

My WorldCon/Sasquan Schedule

I’ll be in Spokane for WorldCon/Sasquan August 19th through 23rd! I had a blast at WorldCon in San Antonio two years ago, and I am super excited to attend this year! This time around, I have panels and other events, too.

Here’s where you can find me for sure:

Thursday the 20th

Steampunk, Colonialism & Imperialism

11:00 AM to 11:45 AM (45 minutes)

Charles Stross Moderator , Arthur Chu , Leigh Ann Hildebrand , Warren Frey , Beth Cato

CC – Bays 111B

Autographing – Beth Cato

02:00 PM to 02:45 PM (45 minutes)

CC – Hall B

Friday the 21st

The Future of Food

12:00 PM to 12:45 PM (45 minutes)

Beth Cato , Fran Wilde , Lawrence M. Schoen , Scott Edelman , Amy Thomson Moderator

CC – Conference Theater 110

Reading – Beth Cato & Tina Connolly

Aug 21 03:00 PM to 03:30 PM (30 minutes)

CC – 304

Bready or Not: Double Peanut Butter Cookies

Peanut butter in the dough. Peanut butter and chocolate chips teamed up for flavor reinforcement. That’s why these are called Double Peanut Butter Cookies.

These taste like a cookie version of a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup. Then there’s the texture. See, you whip a lot of air into the dough by mixing it for five minutes at the start, then you chill the finished dough for a prolonged period of time.

This combination adds LOFT. The end result is like a fluffy pillow of cookie. Seriously, these things don’t even spread when they bake. You need to compress them to be flat and bake evenly.

This dough will keep at least five days fully wrapped in the fridge. You can also freeze it. After baking, the cookies keep well for at least five days. Maybe longer than that. I can’t say. They were all eaten by that point.

If you love peanut butter, make these cookies. They will change your life.

Modified from Averie Cooks.

Bready or Not: Double Peanut Butter Cookies





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These thick, pillowy cookies taste like a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup! Plan ahead so that the dough chills for a few hours or days before baking.

1 large egg, room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter (not homemade or natural peanut butter)
1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 cube), softened
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
pinch salt
1/2 cup peanut butter chips
1 cup milk and/or semi-sweet chocolate chips

In a large bowl, cream together the egg, brown sugar, peanut butter, butter, and vanilla extract. A mixer is best. Pause every so often to scrape down the sides of the bowl, but continue mixing until the dough is light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.

Add the flour, baking soda, and salt until just incorporated. Add the peanut butter and chocolate chips.

Place two large strips of plastic wrap on the counter. Divide the dough in half, compress it to be stackable, and completely wrap each big disc. Stash it in the fridge for a couple of hours or up to five days. (Chilling the dough makes the end result thick and pillowy! Don't skip this.)

Preheat the oven at 350-degrees. Line a baking sheet with a silicon mat or parchment paper. Use a tablespoon scoop to dole out the dough. Compress each ball of dough to a thick oval; this is important because the dough won't spread much as it bakes.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the edges have just set. Allow the cookies to rest on the baking sheet another 10 minutes; they will firm up during this time. Transfer them to a rack to finish cooling, and start the next batch.

Cookies will keep at least five days in a sealed container at room temperature.

OM NOM NOM!