Beth Cato's Blog, page 151
February 13, 2013
Bready or Not: BBQ Ribs in the Crock Pot
I love my slow cooker. I love that it makes meat all amazing and delicious with little effort on my part. It's really rather magical, that chemical change that occurs when meat cooks all day long and steeps in juices.
It's the sort of magic you can eat. The sort of magic that fills the house, so you come back inside and could just float into the kitchen like a scene from an old Bugs Bunny cartoon. That's the way these ribs smell when they're cooking--like you can bite the air itself and swallow the savoriness.
These ribs are so tender, the meat falls off the bone when you pull them out. Use whatever BBQ sauce you want here, and you can certainly save extra for dipping!
Barbecue Ribs in the Crock Pot
from Team Hess
3 pounds pork or beef ribs
1 cup water
1/4 cup cooking sherry
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup barbecue sauce
Place ribs standing upright in crock pot (see picture above); you want them braced like a picket fence along the sides of the slow cooker. Pour in sherry and water. Sprinkle with Worcestershire sauce and salt and pepper. Pour barbecue sauce over ribs.
Cook on low approximately 8 hours. Serve with additional barbecue sauce for dipping.
OM NOM NOM.
It's the sort of magic you can eat. The sort of magic that fills the house, so you come back inside and could just float into the kitchen like a scene from an old Bugs Bunny cartoon. That's the way these ribs smell when they're cooking--like you can bite the air itself and swallow the savoriness.
These ribs are so tender, the meat falls off the bone when you pull them out. Use whatever BBQ sauce you want here, and you can certainly save extra for dipping!
Barbecue Ribs in the Crock Pot
from Team Hess
3 pounds pork or beef ribs
1 cup water
1/4 cup cooking sherry
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup barbecue sauce
Place ribs standing upright in crock pot (see picture above); you want them braced like a picket fence along the sides of the slow cooker. Pour in sherry and water. Sprinkle with Worcestershire sauce and salt and pepper. Pour barbecue sauce over ribs.
Cook on low approximately 8 hours. Serve with additional barbecue sauce for dipping.
OM NOM NOM.
February 11, 2013
Guest post at the WOW! Muffin
I have a guest post over at the WOW! Muffin right now on defying stereotypes. It's about how some people assume that because I'm a mother, I must write for kids, and that I get some confused reactions when I say I write fantasy and science fiction.
What assumptions do people make about your writing?
What assumptions do people make about your writing?
February 10, 2013
Sunday Quote is plotting
"Creative writing teachers should be purged until every last instructor who has uttered the words "Write what you know" is confined to a labor camp. Please, talented scribblers, write what you don't. The blind guy with the funny little harp who composed The Iliad, how much combat do you think he saw?" ~P.J. O'Roarke, from a review, Washington Post Book World, 2006
February 8, 2013
Recommendations for the 2012 Hugo and Nebula Awards
Throughout December and January, I did a lot of reading for the coming awards season, and barely delved into the wealth of quality works published last year. I now present to you my list of favorites. I provide links to the work online, if available; whether you can vote in the awards or not, I highly recommend you give these a read.
The short stories list is still long and I face the difficult task of narrowing it down to the top five. I debated culling it down to post here, but thought, "Nah"-- these are all good and worth sharing.
Short Stories
- "Searching for Slave Leia" by Sandra McDonald at Lightspeed Magazine
- "Good Hunting" by Ken Liu at Strange Horizons (note that it's posted in two parts)
- "Scraps" by Michael Haynes at Daily Science Fiction
- "Butcher of Londinium" by Jennifer Deery Wray at Intergalactic Medicine Show
- "Worth of Crows" by Seth Dickinson at Beneath Ceaseless Skies
- "Nanny's Day" by Leah Cypress at Asimov's
- "Her Words Like Hunting Vixens Spring" by Brooke Bolander at Lightspeed Magazine
- "Lion Dance" by Vylar Kaftan in Asimov's and Escape Pod
- "Miracle on Tau Prime" by Alex Shvartsman at Daily Science Fiction
- "Sojourn for Ephah" by Marina J. Lostetter at Intergalactic Medicine Show
- "The Womb Factory" by Peter M. Ferenczi at Clarkesworld Magazine
- "The Forest of Trees" by Rachel Swirsky from The Future is Japanese
Novelettes
- "Scry" by Anne Ivy at Beneath Ceaseless Skies
- "Serkers and Sleep" by Kenneth Schneyer at Beneath Ceaseless Skies
-"The Waves" by Ken Liu at Asimov's
Novellas
- "Barry's Tale" by Lawrence Schoen, published in Buffalito Buffet
- "All the Flavors" by Ken Liu, published in Giganotosaurus
Novels
Three Parts Dead by Max Gladstone
Dead of Winter by Lee Collins
Geekomancy by Michael Underwood
Tricked by Kevin Hearne
Nightshifted by Cassie Alexander
Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy
Ironskin by Tina Connolly
Enchanted by Aletha Kontis
Living in Threes by Judith Tarr
The short stories list is still long and I face the difficult task of narrowing it down to the top five. I debated culling it down to post here, but thought, "Nah"-- these are all good and worth sharing.
Short Stories
- "Searching for Slave Leia" by Sandra McDonald at Lightspeed Magazine
- "Good Hunting" by Ken Liu at Strange Horizons (note that it's posted in two parts)
- "Scraps" by Michael Haynes at Daily Science Fiction
- "Butcher of Londinium" by Jennifer Deery Wray at Intergalactic Medicine Show
- "Worth of Crows" by Seth Dickinson at Beneath Ceaseless Skies
- "Nanny's Day" by Leah Cypress at Asimov's
- "Her Words Like Hunting Vixens Spring" by Brooke Bolander at Lightspeed Magazine
- "Lion Dance" by Vylar Kaftan in Asimov's and Escape Pod
- "Miracle on Tau Prime" by Alex Shvartsman at Daily Science Fiction
- "Sojourn for Ephah" by Marina J. Lostetter at Intergalactic Medicine Show
- "The Womb Factory" by Peter M. Ferenczi at Clarkesworld Magazine
- "The Forest of Trees" by Rachel Swirsky from The Future is Japanese
Novelettes
- "Scry" by Anne Ivy at Beneath Ceaseless Skies
- "Serkers and Sleep" by Kenneth Schneyer at Beneath Ceaseless Skies
-"The Waves" by Ken Liu at Asimov's
Novellas
- "Barry's Tale" by Lawrence Schoen, published in Buffalito Buffet
- "All the Flavors" by Ken Liu, published in Giganotosaurus
Novels
Three Parts Dead by Max Gladstone
Dead of Winter by Lee Collins
Geekomancy by Michael Underwood
Tricked by Kevin Hearne
Nightshifted by Cassie Alexander
Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy
Ironskin by Tina Connolly
Enchanted by Aletha Kontis
Living in Threes by Judith Tarr
February 6, 2013
Bready or Not: No Knead Olive Oil Dough
Since I've done two months of cookie recipes, I figure it's time to take a break from the sweet stuff. In February, Bready or Not will focus on savory recipes--bread, meats, stuff like that.
I like my homemade pizza dough. I have several recipes that I rotate between, depending on my mood, time, and how much dough I want. The latter is especially important with this recipe since it makes a LOT of dough. But, there's nothing to worry about, as the dough keeps perfectly fine in the fridge for up to two weeks. Make a pizza or two, or calzones (like I did); then the rest you can pull out in chunks every day or so to make personal pizza, a side of garlic or cheese bread, or however else you want to use it.
Oh yeah, and there's no kneading required, either. Mix it, let it rise, then use what you need, when you need it! (No pun intended. Honest.) You can also easily double or halve the recipe. Oh, and you can also freeze the dough; when you're ready, thaw it in the fridge, and use from there.
No Knead Olive Oil Dough
from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day
Ingredients:
2 3/4 cups lukewarm water
1 1/2 tablespoons granulated yeast (2 packets)
1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
6 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour*
*In the book, they explain that using all-purpose is their preference over bread flour because you actually want less gluten along with the slow rise.
Directions:
1. In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, or in a large (5 quart) bowl working with a wooden spoon, mix the yeast, salt, sugar, and olive oil with the water.
2. Mix in the flour without kneading. A mixer will make it easier, but hand power also works--just flour or grease your hands first.
3. Transfer dough to large (5 quart) bowl or lidded food container. Cover (not airtight), and allow to rest at room temperature until dough rises and collapses (or flattens on top), approximately 2 hours.
4. The dough can be used immediately after the initial rise, though it is easier to handle when cold. Refrigerate in a covered (not airtight) container and use over the next 12 days.
OM NOM NOM.
(Flatbread shown here.)
I like my homemade pizza dough. I have several recipes that I rotate between, depending on my mood, time, and how much dough I want. The latter is especially important with this recipe since it makes a LOT of dough. But, there's nothing to worry about, as the dough keeps perfectly fine in the fridge for up to two weeks. Make a pizza or two, or calzones (like I did); then the rest you can pull out in chunks every day or so to make personal pizza, a side of garlic or cheese bread, or however else you want to use it.
Oh yeah, and there's no kneading required, either. Mix it, let it rise, then use what you need, when you need it! (No pun intended. Honest.) You can also easily double or halve the recipe. Oh, and you can also freeze the dough; when you're ready, thaw it in the fridge, and use from there.
No Knead Olive Oil Dough
from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day
Ingredients:
2 3/4 cups lukewarm water
1 1/2 tablespoons granulated yeast (2 packets)
1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
6 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour*
*In the book, they explain that using all-purpose is their preference over bread flour because you actually want less gluten along with the slow rise.
Directions:
1. In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, or in a large (5 quart) bowl working with a wooden spoon, mix the yeast, salt, sugar, and olive oil with the water.
2. Mix in the flour without kneading. A mixer will make it easier, but hand power also works--just flour or grease your hands first.
3. Transfer dough to large (5 quart) bowl or lidded food container. Cover (not airtight), and allow to rest at room temperature until dough rises and collapses (or flattens on top), approximately 2 hours.
4. The dough can be used immediately after the initial rise, though it is easier to handle when cold. Refrigerate in a covered (not airtight) container and use over the next 12 days.
OM NOM NOM.
(Flatbread shown here.)
February 3, 2013
Sunday Quote is hosting a Super Bowl party today
"What you are afraid to do is a clear indication of the next thing you need to do." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
February 1, 2013
Poetry Publications plus Chicken Soup
As I noted a few weeks ago, my poetry has been doing pretty well. (Well, by the math, if I keep 30-40 poems out, some are bound to get accepted!) Some of them have also had quick turn-over to publication.
The new zombie-themed issue of Penumbra is out today featuring my poem, "What Remains." I can also add that I'll have a poem in next month's issue as well--space opera.
Last week, Star*Line 36.1 came out in print; it includes two silly urban fantasy poems of mine, "The Truth About Unicorns" and "A Hairy Issue." And with a similar addendum--I'll have a poem in a future issue of Star*Line this year, too!
This week brought me two happy emails from Chicken Soup for the Soul. My story "We Love Vermont" will be in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Raising Kids on the Spectrum: 101 Inspirational Stories for Parents of Children with Autism and Asperger's, due out April 2nd. I also have a story in final consideration in another Chicken Soup anthology out this year.
I didn't realize it until I typed all this out, but the theme of this post seems to be, "If you find a good market, stick with them!"
The new zombie-themed issue of Penumbra is out today featuring my poem, "What Remains." I can also add that I'll have a poem in next month's issue as well--space opera.
Last week, Star*Line 36.1 came out in print; it includes two silly urban fantasy poems of mine, "The Truth About Unicorns" and "A Hairy Issue." And with a similar addendum--I'll have a poem in a future issue of Star*Line this year, too!
This week brought me two happy emails from Chicken Soup for the Soul. My story "We Love Vermont" will be in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Raising Kids on the Spectrum: 101 Inspirational Stories for Parents of Children with Autism and Asperger's, due out April 2nd. I also have a story in final consideration in another Chicken Soup anthology out this year.
I didn't realize it until I typed all this out, but the theme of this post seems to be, "If you find a good market, stick with them!"
January 30, 2013
Bready or Not: New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookies
There are a gazillion variations on the classic chocolate chip cookie. The types of chips, different brands of chips or flour or vanilla, the sugars, the amount of vanilla, with added Biscoff, with added cat saliva, whatever. However, there is one recipe that's been making the rounds for a few years now with reactions like "ZOMG BEST COOKIES EVER." This is the recipe dubbed "The New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe," created by baker Jacque Torres.
I finally caved. I had to try this recipe. There are a lot of things that set it apart: the mix of cake and bread flour (I had never even bought or used cake flour before!), the insane amount of chips, and the minimum 24 hours for the dough to meld in the refrigerator.
However I did make some modifications.
Mind you, I love good chocolate, but for me the good stuff means Ghiradelli over my usual Nestle. I don't need some recipe screaming at me to buy frou-frou chocolate that costs more than a month of cat food. I also don't need huge honkin' cookies--they need to readily fit in containers so my husband can tote them to work!
Therefore, I used a mix of three kinds of chocolate chips, finishing off some open bags of Nestle and Hershey's: milk chocolate, mini semi-sweet, and white. I then used my tablespoon scoop to parcel out the dough, which meant I had 65 (!) cookies. Not small, either. Very average, large-as-my-palm cookies.
I tried out the recipe and was very skeptical. Could it really be that good?
In a word: YES. It's an excellent recipe, and a rare case where I would describe the cookie as being complex. It's simultaneously dense yet light, crisp yet chewy. The sea salt on top heightens the sweetness of the chips. The whole thing is really texture-perfect. Due to the cost of supplies, time span, and the sheer amount it makes, this won't be my go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe, but it is one I heartily recommend, and will definitely make again.
New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookies
slightly modified from the original version by Jacque Torres, published in The New York Times
2 cups minus 2 tablespoons (8 1/2 ounces) cake flour
1 2/3 cups (8 1/2 ounces) bread flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) light brown sugar
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8 ounces) granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 1/3 cups (20 ounces) chocolate chips, any kind, mix and match
Sea salt, for sprinkling
1. Sift together the cake flour, bread flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a large bowl and set aside.
2. Cream together the butter and sugars on medium speed until very light, about 5 minutes [see picture below]. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition, then add the vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low, gradually add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the chocolate chips.
3. Press plastic wrap against the dough and refrigerate for at least 24 hours, up to 72 hours.
3. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat.
4. If you want large, bakery-sized cookies, scoop out 3 1/2-ounces of dough, roll into a rough ball (it should be the size of a large golf ball) and place on the baking sheet; or you can use a tablespoon scoop, or smaller as you prefer.
Sprinkle dough balls lightly with sea salt and bake until golden brown but still soft: 18 to 20 minutes for golf ball-sized, or 11 to 13 minutes for tablespoon-sized. Let cool on a wire rack.
Repeat with remaining dough (or keep some of the dough refrigerated for up to 3 days, and bake cookies at a later time). Store leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Yield: 65 tablespoon-sized cookies
OM NOM NOM.
I finally caved. I had to try this recipe. There are a lot of things that set it apart: the mix of cake and bread flour (I had never even bought or used cake flour before!), the insane amount of chips, and the minimum 24 hours for the dough to meld in the refrigerator.
However I did make some modifications.
Mind you, I love good chocolate, but for me the good stuff means Ghiradelli over my usual Nestle. I don't need some recipe screaming at me to buy frou-frou chocolate that costs more than a month of cat food. I also don't need huge honkin' cookies--they need to readily fit in containers so my husband can tote them to work!
Therefore, I used a mix of three kinds of chocolate chips, finishing off some open bags of Nestle and Hershey's: milk chocolate, mini semi-sweet, and white. I then used my tablespoon scoop to parcel out the dough, which meant I had 65 (!) cookies. Not small, either. Very average, large-as-my-palm cookies.
I tried out the recipe and was very skeptical. Could it really be that good?
In a word: YES. It's an excellent recipe, and a rare case where I would describe the cookie as being complex. It's simultaneously dense yet light, crisp yet chewy. The sea salt on top heightens the sweetness of the chips. The whole thing is really texture-perfect. Due to the cost of supplies, time span, and the sheer amount it makes, this won't be my go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe, but it is one I heartily recommend, and will definitely make again.
New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookies
slightly modified from the original version by Jacque Torres, published in The New York Times
2 cups minus 2 tablespoons (8 1/2 ounces) cake flour
1 2/3 cups (8 1/2 ounces) bread flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) light brown sugar
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8 ounces) granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 1/3 cups (20 ounces) chocolate chips, any kind, mix and match
Sea salt, for sprinkling
1. Sift together the cake flour, bread flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a large bowl and set aside.
2. Cream together the butter and sugars on medium speed until very light, about 5 minutes [see picture below]. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition, then add the vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low, gradually add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the chocolate chips.
3. Press plastic wrap against the dough and refrigerate for at least 24 hours, up to 72 hours.
3. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat.
4. If you want large, bakery-sized cookies, scoop out 3 1/2-ounces of dough, roll into a rough ball (it should be the size of a large golf ball) and place on the baking sheet; or you can use a tablespoon scoop, or smaller as you prefer.
Sprinkle dough balls lightly with sea salt and bake until golden brown but still soft: 18 to 20 minutes for golf ball-sized, or 11 to 13 minutes for tablespoon-sized. Let cool on a wire rack.
Repeat with remaining dough (or keep some of the dough refrigerated for up to 3 days, and bake cookies at a later time). Store leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Yield: 65 tablespoon-sized cookies
OM NOM NOM.
January 29, 2013
A Conversation with my Husband
I've been rather anxious about things lately. I told my husband, "Neurotic writer is neurotic." (A reference to Long cat is long.)
"You were neurotic before you were a writer."
I gave an indignant huff. "Well, now I have an excuse."
Neurotic writers, represent!
"You were neurotic before you were a writer."
I gave an indignant huff. "Well, now I have an excuse."
Neurotic writers, represent!
January 27, 2013
Sunday Quote believes
"Those who don't believe in magic will never find it." ~ Roald Dahl
