Beth Cato's Blog, page 149

Sunday Quote ponders the meaning of life

“Getting over a painful experience is much like crossing monkey bars. You have to let go at some point in order to move forward.” ~C.S. Lewis

Progress

Chugging along on Breath of Earth:



Writing, writing, writing. My Excel chart estimates a done rough draft in about a month. The book continues to be fun, even if the characters and their vastly different motivations make my head spin at times. Plus, the world-building. Oooooh the world-building. I'm continuing to slog through a pile of research books, and likely will for several months yet, and revise the novel as I learn more.

An excerpt from this week:
Mama used to say that whoever decided women should wear skirts should be forced to do constant jigs for the devil in hell, and this was one of those moments when Ingrid agreed. The wood of the fence was a tad coarse, and once it had hold of her skirt, it didn't let go. Instead of heaving over the top and landing with finesse worthy of those militia in Chinatown, she ended up upside down, skirts tangled and half upended for all of three seconds before gravity did its job and brought her down with a mortifying rip of cloth. It took everything she had to not screech at the hard impact on her hands, her forearms, and then her knees.

"Are you alright?" hissed Cy.

She choked down some blasphemy that would have made the southern boy turn vermilion, and managed to crawl a few feet to hide behind a bush and assess her injured skirt and dignity. The cheap cotton had shredded from the knee on down to a 90-degree angle at her other leg. The apron didn't fall quite far enough to cover it. It would have been easiest to just rip the whole parcel of fabric out, but no one needed to see her lacy bloomers up to the thigh.

But Cy had, and a whole lot more. Good Lord, of all the people.

Bready or Not: Chocolate Chip Cake

I am from a family of picky eaters. The family that will spend an hour debating where to eat. The family where my dad may love a restaurant and my brother will loathe it, and my mom eats low-carb so she'll always have to discard crusts and buns. Trying to figure out what to cook for them is a challenge--one my mom has largely given up on these days. But me, I like to cook, so if we're all together, I undertake the insane task of pleasing everyone.



When it comes to desserts, I know my mom can't eat most things (and she's okay with that) so I focus instead on the king of picky eaters: my brother. I will typically present to him a list of recipes to choose from.

When he chose this chocolate chip cake recipe, I was thrilled. I mean, LOOK AT THE CAKE. It's like a dinner plate-sized cookie sandwich! Plus, it gave me an excuse to walk around all day chanting, "Ganache, ganache, ganache." It's a cool word. Ganache.

I loved this cake. LOVED. It looks like a cookie sandwich. It is a cookie sandwich. The only thing I will change when I make it again--and I have the corrected measurements below--is that I will cut the ganache ingredients in half. It just seemed like too much (yes, there is such a thing). Weirdly enough, the excessive ganache was something that my dad, brother, and husband agreed on, so it must be true.

Ganache, ganache, ganache...



Chocolate Chip Cake
modified from recipe on The Faux Martha; originally from United Cakes of America

For the cake
WET INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla extract

DRY INGREDIENTS
2 cups AP unbleached flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

CREAMING INGREDIENTS
10 tbs. unsalted butter, room temp
1 1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup lightly packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1 egg yolk

1. Preheat oven to 335° and place rack in middle position. Line the bottom of two 9-inch round pans with parchment paper.

2. Combine wet ingredients in a bowl. Combine dry ingredients, except the chocolate chips, in separate bowl. Set aside.

3. Using a spatula, toss 2 tablespoons of the wet ingredients with the chocolate chips in a small bowl. Add 1/4 cup of the dry ingredients. Toss again to coat evenly. This will keep the chocolate chips from sinking to the bottom of the cake.

4. Mix butter and sugars in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment until well creamed, about 3 minutes.

5. Add egg and egg yolk one at a time.

6. Alternately add dry and wet mixtures about a quarter at a time without pausing between additions.

7. Remove the bowl and fold in the chocolate chips with a spatula. The dough will be thick—more like cookie dough than cake batter.

8. Divide dough into prepared pans. It will be too thick to fill the pan to the edges, but will spread under the heat of the oven. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until edges crown and surface is browned.

9. Cool the cakes in pans to room temperature, then invert them using a small offset spatula to release edges.



10. Make ganache. Spread thick layer between the two cakes. Dust the top with confectioner's sugar. Shave dark chocolate and sprinkle on top.

Chocolate Ganache
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 Tb sugar
4 ounces (half a stick) unsalted butter, softened
5 ounces bittersweet chocolate
1 tsp vanilla extract
dash of sea salt

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, bring cream and sugar to a light simmer, stirring occasionally. Place the butter, chocolate, vanilla, and sea salt in a large bowl.

2. Pour hot cream over ingredients in the bowl and let stand for a few minutes to melt the chocolate. Whisk until smooth and set aside to cool, but DO NOT refrigerate. Let it set.

3. Once the icing has thickened, stir it with a flexible spatula to a spreadable consistency.





OM NOM NOM. Ganache ganache ganache...

Sunday Quote wishes Happy Saint Pat's Day to everyone

"Conditions are never just right. People who delay action until all factors are favorable are the kind who do nothing." ~ William Feather

Things Learned While Writing During a Family Visit

One of the big reasons I was waiting to start work on Breath of Earth was because I knew my parents and brother would be visiting in early March. I needed time with them. However, I caved in and started writing on February 26th.

A logical person would say, "Well, just stop writing for the week!" or "Take it easy!"

To which I say: this logical person obviously doesn't know me.

I'm diagnosed OCD. I set goals. I get very anxious if I can't make my goals. This meant I needed to continue writing during their visit. By the numbers, I made excellent progress. I only skipped one day of writing, and made 1,000 minimum on other days. This involved some sacrifices and stress.

- I woke up at 5AM almost every day so I could write before my son woke at 6. Days later, I still feel exhausted as a result of this regimen. My son is on spring break, so no naps for me.

- I learned I had to shut the door. Sitting at the computer with Scrivener or Word open wasn't enough. I had to tell my folks, "If I'm writing, the door is closed. Don't disturb me unless there's a fire or vomit. Though maybe the vomit could extinguish the fire."

- The time I set aside for writing was more productive. It was much easier to ignore the temptation of Facebook when I knew I only had small blocks of time in which to write. But...

- I realized the importance of preparing to write before I even reach the keyboard. On an average day, I keep things quiet and low-key. I ponder plots when I exercise, especially when I use the elliptical machine. I think as I drive. I think as I bake. But with a house full of people, I didn't have that brain-space. I was doing lots of those things, but I was talking or listening. This meant I sat down to write and I simply was not prepared.

- I knew when I had to take a day off. I pushed myself hard, too hard. When my frantic thoughts had me pondering 4AM wake-ups to write, I knew I couldn't keep up this pace. So I gave myself Monday off from writing, and used my close-door writing time to read most of my weekly slush for Waylines Magazine. That still took a while since most of the stories were 4,000-5,000 words. It bothered me to see that blank novel word count day in my Excel file, but I was a lot less stressed after that.

- I still had a wonderful time and enjoyed my family's company. I only get to see my folks a few times a year. My parents have had several health scares, and in recent months I've seen several friends with parents who have succumbed or been diagnosed with brutal cancers. I also had a friend my own age die a few months ago. I had to seize this time with them, and go to the zoo, and do yard work, and bake lots of stuff for them.

Writing time is important. I regard it as a job. But I can't take my family for granted. This past week, they came first, and I'm very glad for it.

And next week when my son is back in school, I really, really, hope to take a nap or two.

Bready or Not: Spiced Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

The name of this one is a mouthful--a very tasty, descriptive mouthful.



I confess, I'm not a cheesecake person. To me, they tend to taste rather bland. Not even the addition of fruit seems to liven it up enough for me. I like cream cheese by itself, on crackers, or in savory dishes, but in pies? Not so much.

Somehow, this cake suits my interests more. Maybe it's because the cream cheese is sandwiched between two decadent sugary layers, with streusel on top. "Streusel." The very word makes my mouth water.



This is one of those special-occasion-company's-coming sorts of cakes that works well as a dessert or a breakfast. The crumbs are succulent with the tang of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and ginger, and that cream cheese in the middle adds a certain smoothness that melds it all together.

In one word: YUM.



Cinnamon Cream Cheese Coffee Cake
original on Pinecones and Acorn

Ingredients:
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup sour cream
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp allspice

Filling:
1 (8oz) package cream cheese
1 egg yolk
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Streusel Topping:
1/4 cup of brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup butter
1Tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

Directions

1) Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9 inch spring form pan with cooking spray and set aside.

2) Cream the butter and sugar in a medium sized bowl, mixing for 3-4 minutes. Add the eggs and sour cream and beat for another 3 minutes.

2) In a separate bowl, sift together the dry ingredients. Slowly add them to creamed mixture until just combined.

3) Spread half of the batter into the bottom of a greased spring form pan.

Cream Cheese Filling:

4) Mix the cream cheese with the egg yolk until incorporated and then add the sugar and vanilla. Spread filling mix over the bottom layer in the pan, then add the remaining half of the batter.

Stresuel topping :

5) Combine the streusel ingredients, using your fingers or fork to cut the butter into the topping mixture until it resembles crumbles. Sprinkle over top.

6) Bake for 50-55 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack and run a knife around the pan before you remove it. Store in the fridge.



OM NOM NOM.

Sunday Quote wonders what Emerson would think of the internet

"Guard well your spare moments. They are like uncut diamonds. Discard them and their value will never be known. Improve them and they will become the brightest gems in a useful life." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Publications galore!

Another odd little flood of new publications this week:

- I'm extremely happy to have a story in one of the oldest magazines around! "Canopy of Skulls" can be read in the March 7th issue of Nature Magazine. This story came about directly because of the Cascade Writers Workshop last July. Ken Scholes led us in a workshop on short story creation, and people threw out random words to form a story prompt. The result? "Canopy of Skulls." I mulled the concept over for months and finally wrote it up in December.

- In the space opera issue of Penumbra, you can read my poem "Homecoming."

- My poem "Nightmares" has been published in Bete Noire Magazine.

In other news, I had a story accepted this week that was on its 15th submission and had been sent out for almost two years--and it sold for pro rates!

Keep the faith, folks. If you love a story, you'll find other people who love it, too. (Sometimes it just takes an awfully long time.)

Breath of Earth progress, and foooooood

I had a couple of 2k days this week, which was awfully nice because the next week will slow to a crawl. My parents will arrive later today and stay for about the next week, so it means my computer time will be more limited overall, and I'll be cooking a lot of awfully good food. I'm trying some new recipes, but today I dish up old favorites--some that will be new to them.

On the menu for today:
Cinnamon Wreath Bread, as breakfast for a few days

BBQ Ribs in the Crock Pot

Roasted Lemony Cauliflower

Plus, thawed bread dough made from a recipe in Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, which I'll make into cheesy bread.

Bready or Not: French Silk Pie

So far this year, I've been relying on themes for each month. January had cookies. February was savory. In March, we're covering another theme, in tribute to Pi Month: pies and cakes!

To start things off right, we're going for chocolate with this recipe from one of my very favorite chefs, the Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond.



This pie is incredibly easy to make, though it is one where a stand mixer is an essential. Why is that? Well, there's the stage where you add the eggs and the mixer goes for about 20 minutes straight, at 5 minutes for each egg. All the P90X in the world isn't going to buff up my wrists enough to whip for that long.

But the results of that thorough mixing? LOOK.



LOOK AT IT.



LOOK. AT. IT.



Isn't that gorgeous? The texture! French silk pie is called that because it's silky and rich, and oh my goodness does this pie live up to that.

Now, a few notes on the pie crust. I made this using my stand-by pie crust, baked as a shell. The family feedback on the pie was that the crust--especially since it was cold straight out of the fridge--was a bit heavy and thick for the light, delicious contents. Therefore, instead of doing a baked pie crust, I would suggest using a graham cracker or Oreo crust; store-bought or homemade, whatever works for you!

Honestly, though, you could forego the crust entirely and just eat this up with a spoon.

French Silk Pie
original recipe from the Pioneer Woman

4 ounces, weight Unsweetened Baking Chocolate
1 cup Salted Butter, Softened
1-1/2 cup Sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
4 whole eggs
1 graham cracker or Oreo shell, or a baked pie shell

In small microwave safe bowl melt 4 ounces of unsweetened baking chocolate until stirrable (about 45 seconds on high). Set aside to cool.

In a large bowl with an electric mixer beat 1 cup (2 sticks) of regular (salted) butter and 1 ½ cups of white sugar until fluffy (about 1 to 2 minutes). When melted chocolate is cooled, drizzle it over the butter/sugar mixture. Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Beat the mixture thoroughly until combined (on a Kitchen Aid mixer, you will be using the whisk attachment).

Turn your mixer to a medium speed and over a period of 15 to 20 minutes add in the four eggs, one at a time, leaving about 5 minutes between each egg addition. Once the pie filling is well mixed, pour it into the baked pie shell, scraping every last speck of it out of the bowl. Smooth out the pie filling and place pie in the refrigerator to chill for at least two hours (preferably longer).

OM NOM NOM.