Beth Cato's Blog, page 112

Bready or Not: Sour Cream Bread

Make note: this recipe doesn’t make sourdough bread. Instead, it uses sour cream to create tender, delicious sandwich bread that isn’t the least bit sour.

I always keep sour cream around. It’s often on sale, it keeps well, and I can use it for tacos, salads, or making this bread. I actually make this bread on an almost weekly basis.

Different brands of sour cream have different consistency. That means you need to keep an eye on this in the mixing stage. If it looks lumpy, add more water. If it’s looser, add more flour.

This loaf bread may be finicky, but it’s worth the effort. The end result has that perfect fresh bread smell and soft texture. It makes your whole house smell cozy and happy, and does the very same to your belly.

I originally found this recipe in a fabulous book, The Bread Lover’s Bread Machine Cookbook by Beth Hensperger.

PrintBready or Not: Sour Cream Bread

Ingredients

1/2 cup plus 1 Tablespoon water
1 cup sour cream (use nonstick spray on measuring cup)

3 1/2 cups bread flour
1 Tablespoon light brown sugar
2 teaspoons gluten
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast

Instructions

If you're using a bread machine, add the ingredients in the recommended order and run on dough cycle or full bread mode. I prefer to do dough cycle and bake in the oven.
If you're using a stand mixer, blend water and sour cream. In a separate bowl, combine bread flour, brown sugar, gluten, salt, and yeast. Mix wet and dry ingredients together and knead with a dough hook.
Either method: Keep an eye on the texture. If it's wet or too tacky, add more flour. If it's too lumpy or thick, splash in a tiny bit more water as needed.
Let dough rise until it has doubled, 1-2 hours. Grease or non-stick spray a bread pan.
Lightly grease a surface and dump your dough onto it. With your greased hands, form the dough into a loaf shape by gently folding. Set in the pan--or glop it in, and smooth it out (that's still a professional method, I think). Cover with lightly greased plastic wrap or a shower cap.
Let dough rise in a warm spot until it's crested to desired height, 30-60 minutes. Watch it.
Preheat oven to 350-degrees.
Bake bread for 20 minutes. Cover the top with foil to prevent heavy browning, then bake for an additional 15-20 minutes. When it's done, it'll sound hollow when tapped.
Remove bread from oven and hold it over a rack so it will gently drop out; use a spatula to carefully loosen it, if needed. If you want, you can brushed the top with some butter to soften the crust and give it a shine.
Let the bread cool at least 45 minutes before cutting. Also, you can let it cool completely and then wrap it several layers of plastic wrap before placing it in the freezer. Keeps well in freezer up to one month.
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Awards Consideration for 2014

It’s award season for genre fiction writers, that time when last year’s works are being considered for the Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy Awards. I had a few things published in 2014 that I’d like folks to keep in mind.

Foremost of all, there’s this book called The Clockwork Dagger.

In the short story category:

“A Mother’s Touch,” Perihelion Science Fiction
“Hatchlings,” Daily Science Fiction
“Post-Apocalyptic Conversations with a Sidewalk,” Nature Magazine
“The Cartography of Shattered Trees,” FAE; on Amazon and Barnes & Noble (If you want to read my story for consideration, drop me an email/tweet/message and I’ll happily send it along.)
“Measures and Countermeasures,” Daily Science Fiction

As for works that I plan to vote for, I list those over on Novelocity. It’s a great post where my fellow authors Fran Wilde, Michael R. Underwood, Tina Connolly, and Ken Liu also chime in with their favorites.

Sunday Quote thinks some sport is played today

“The best writing is simple writing. And try to write something funny. People enjoy reading anything that makes them laugh.” ~ Beverly Cleary, on advice given to her by her mother

So Many Links

I am behind on All the Things. See, last week I finished up the novella I worked on for five days in November. Then I gave myself the severe deadline of finishing the first revision pass before the end of the month. Oh boy. That was mean of me. It’s been a very intense rewrite of a very bloated, crappy rough draft. It still needs a lot more work but that first pass is done and now I can catch up on other things, like my blog.

HI, GUYS. Let’s get all caught up, shall we?

- I was interviewed on the Science Fiction & Fantasy Marketing Podcast. You can watch the full video or download the audio alone. I talk about my experience with Harper Voyager, my writing background, Dragon Quest slimes, and the Holy Taco Church. As one does.

- Also on the subject of podcasts, at Skiffy and Fantasy Michael R. Underwood gave Clockwork Crown a shout-out as among his most anticipated reads of 2015. He’s at the 30 minute mark. The whole podcast is very interesting, the sort that’s dangerous for your book wish list.

 

- I’m REALLY EXCITED (CAPSLOCK!!!!) that I have an article on Tor.com: That Was Awesome: The Power of Voice in The Diabolical Miss Hyde. This is a new steampunk book out from Voyager in a few weeks. It’s really good, very intense, definitely on that borderline with horror.

- My recipe at the Holy Taco Church this month is a healthy one: Butternut Squash and Chickpea Tacos.

- Awesome Australian Pete Aldin interviewed me: On CLOCKWORK DAGGER, 5 Questions and 1 Statement.

I had a bunch of new poems come out this month as well!

- “When Death Rides Among Puppets” is in Eye to the Telescope

- “Time Traveler’s Diagnosis,” “Loophole,” “The Border Cowboy in Fairyland,” and “The Border Cowboy’s Smile” are in Star*line 38.1. Follow that link and you can read “Loophole,” which is very short.

I think that’s everything? Maybe? Anything else can wait for another post. A long to-do list awaits!

Bready or Not: Dulce de Leche Apple Blondies

Dessert. Breakfast. Brunch. Hunger. These are all good times to whip up these Dulce de Leche Apple Blondies.

This is kinda like a cross between an apple crisp and a pie. The apples are mixed into batter and then topped with layers of caramel and sweetened crumbs.

I confess, I didn’t measure the amount of dulce de leche I used here. The measurement below is a total guess. Really, get a squeeze bottle or an open jar and drizzle. Don’t worry about covering the whole surface.

The edges here bake up solid and chewy. The middle passed the toothpick test for doneness, but once it was cut into, it was still a little gooey. That was fine. I knew it was baked through. It’s just a pie-like consistency in the middle.

Serve this cold straight out of the fridge. Maybe add a scoop of ice cream. Or warm it up a touch in the microwave. These blondies are versatile. They can take many paths to end up in your happy belly.

Modified from Foodie Crush

PrintBready or Not: Dulce de Leche Apple Blondies

Ingredients

For the blondies
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 2/3 cups packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 medium apples, peeled and diced (1 1/2-2 cups)
dulce de leche or caramel topping (1/4-1/2 cup)

For the strudel
5 tablespoons cold butter, chopped
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 8 X 8 inch pan (or 9 X 9 inch) pan with aluminum foil so that it hangs over the sides. Apply non-stick spray.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, cream of tartar and salt in a medium size bowl and set aside.
In a large bowl, mix the brown sugar and butter. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until well combined. Add the dry ingredients. Add the apple pieces. Spread the batter in the prepared pan.
Whip out a squeeze bottle or jar of dulce de leche or caramel. Drizzle over the batter.
Combine the strudel ingredients in another bowl and chop together until the butter is mostly down to pea-size chunks. Sprinkle evenly over the top of the batter.
Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the top is lightly golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of the pan comes out clean. Allow to cool completely. Lift the bars out by the overhanging foil and cut into bars. The edges will be crisper and more solid, while the center may be messier and sticky with caramel. It's all good.
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Book Giveaway(s)! And CLOCKWORK CROWN has a cover!

Hey, would you like to win a copy of The Clockwork Dagger? You can, over at Kings River Life! They choose a winner on January 31st. Check it out, and please spread the word.

Oh, but you already have Clockwork Dagger? Would you like to read Crown and get the early buzz going? The book is available through Edelweiss. If you’re registered there, submit your request and wait impatiently.

On the subject of Clockwork Crown, there’s this.

ISN’T IT PRETTY?! I’ll do a post soon where I talk more about the cover, but I am so excited about how it turned out. SQUEE.

Sunday Quote is permanently cold

“Writing fiction is … an endless and always defeated effort to capture some quality of life without killing it.” ~Rose Wilder Lane

Bready or Not: Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Breakfast Bites

I present to you a healthy, delicious breakfast option that just happens to taste like cookie dough. OH YEAH.

A while back I shared my recipe for Maple Energy Bites. Now it’s time to share the cookie dough version. It’s very simple. Throw ingredients in a high-powered blender. Form into bars or balls. Stash in the fridge. Eat.

You can use any kind of nut here, really, or a combination of nuts, but cashews will be the closest to cookie dough. They have that natural buttery taste. The dates add sweetness and also act as a binding agent. I add cinnamon, but you can sprinkle in whatever flavors you want and make it more like a spice cookie.

I usually eat two or three for breakfast. They are great before a work-out. They also will keep for upward of two weeks in a sealed container in the fridge.

Healthy cookie dough. This is totally a thing.

PrintBready or Not: Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Breakfast Bites

Ingredients

2/3 cup chopped dates (medjool is best)
1 cup cashews
big pinch or sprinkle of cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 Tablespoons mini chocolate chips
water, if needed

Instructions

In a bowl, combine all of the ingredients but the chocolate chips and water. Pour 1/3 or 1/2 the mix into a high-powered food processor or blender. Pulse. Stir it with a spoon or spatula--it will be thick and gum up the machine. Pour the blended mix out, then add in more of the nut-date blend until everything is mostly blended. It's okay to have some chunks. Add the mini chocolate chips.
Squeeze the mash between your fingers. If it doesn't want to stick together, stir in water by 1/2 teaspoon until it's cohesive.
You can shape them in two ways. Use a tablespoon scoop to form a ball, then compress them with your hands to tighten. Or, make bars. Place a sling of parchment paper in a bread pan. Pour the mash in. Compress as tightly as you can. Remove using the sling and cut to preferred size.
Keep stored in covered dish or closed baggie in fridge. Makes about 9 tablespoon-sized balls or 7 bars. Will keep for upward of 2 weeks.
OM NOM NOM!3.0http://www.bethcato.com/bready-or-not-chocolate-chip-cookie-dough-breakfast-bites/

 

An Interview with Sara Dobie Bauer, author of “Forever Dead”

I’m hosting my friend Sara Dobie Bauer on my blog today. She just released her short story “Forever Dead” on Amazon. Read on to find out more!

- What’s the summary of “Forever Dead?”

Even centuries didn’t prepare Dario for Zach Mede and a love that took his vampire heart by storm. But loving a mortal holds dangers of its own. A mortal can be murdered … and murderers are everywhere.

- What’s the story behind this story?

I’ve loved reading about vampires since Interview with the Vampire in sixth grade. BBC Sherlock fan fiction got me into gay erotica. (If you don’t know, don’t ask. It’s addicting.) I woke one morning with an image: what if a vampire attack turned into a furniture-breaking sex romp and eventually … love?

I’m also terrified of losing the man I love, my husband Jake. FOREVER DEAD forces you to deal with this question: What would you do differently if you knew the person you loved was about to die?

- Do you have a favorite line or paragraph?

[Note: NSFW content in paragraph below.]

“Five years prior, I realized I was disturbingly in love with Zach while I was inside of him, which some would say doesn’t count. Endorphins getting in the way or something. But it wasn’t that; it was the way he looked at me, his tree trunk thighs wrapped around my waist. I was on top, moving gently, as I so rarely do, with one hand on the side of his neck. My thumb touched his Adam’s apple. His eyes raked over my face like he’d never seen me before. Then, he closed his eyes and came. It was like watching the sunrise over the apocalypse. Doomed.”

- What do you like most about writing male x male?

The rough sensuality of it. Men are tough, brutal at times, especially with each other. They’re trained from birth to put on a strong face for the world, but what happens when the mask slips, when the weakness shows?

Beyond that, I love men. Love them. Like a profiler, I wander around inside their heads, which is why I often use male protagonists. I’m a woman; I understand women. Being inside the head of a macho dude is my form of escapism.

- Was there a character or section that gave you particular grief?

To be honest, the ending. I had to make a choice: does Zach live or die? You’ll have to read to find out.

- What other authors do you think influenced “Forever Dead?”

Anne Rice (vampires)

Christopher Rice (sex)

Elmore Leonard (bad-ass boys)

- Is there a song/soundtrack that you feel sums up the mood of this story?

“Before I Ever Met You” by BANKS

- Where can “Forever Dead” be purchased?

On Amazon! Head on over and read, review, and seduce your significant other (once you’re done reading, of course). Check out FOREVER DEAD on Goodreads, too.

All About Sara:

I’m a writer and prison volunteer in Phoenix, Arizona. I have an honor’s degree in creative writing from Ohio University and am the official book nerd and sex-pert at SheKnows.com.

When not writing, I watch bad horror films, root for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Michigan Wolverines, and enjoy a good rye whiskey. Although I have a shameless crush on Benedict Cumberbatch, I’m married to my best friend Jacob and play mother to dog-children, Ripley and Raylan.

Check out my blog for more! Oh, Twitter, too.

Sunday Quote is now 35

“If one is lucky, a solitary fantasy can totally transform a million realities.” ~Maya Angelou