Beth Cato's Blog, page 62

Sunday Quote sends out productive Nanowrimo wishes

“’Classic’ – a book which people praise and don’t read.”

~ Mark Twain

World Fantasy Schedule

I’m headed to World Fantasy Con in San Antonio next week! My panel schedule is light for once–that means I actually get to attend other panels and readings! Yay! I will also be doing the tourist thing with Novella the Sloth as my stalwart companion. I’ve been to San Antonio a few times before, but there is always more to see… and taste. I’m going to hunt me down some good BBQ.

I am already being asked,” Will you bring cookies?” The answer, of course, is YES! That said, I’m encouraging folks to get cookies at two particular places:

– I’m donating cookies to the Tiptree Award bake sale that takes place Friday 12:30-3pm in the hospitality suite. Buy my cookies, support a great cause!

– I’ll be at the Fairwood Press booth in the exhibit hall to sign Red Dust and Dancing Horses. You don’t have to buy a book to get a cookie, but the books will be right there, so I hope some people will be enticed to acquire new reading material.

Thursday Panel

02:00 PM to 03:00 PM (1 hour)

Where: WR – ExecSalon 2 (Ardath Mayhar)

Guns, Gears and Wheels: Making Plausible Historical Choices in an Industrializing World

Some fantasies focus on the natural magics inherent in the world; others on derived magics found or developed by human or nonhuman cultures. Writers have to balance the existence of magic with the development of technology over time. Tolkien envisioned human industry and technology as part of the evil. Roger Zelazny played magic against technology in his Changeling stories. Neal Stephenson directly examined the place of technology in a monastic society in Anathem. Our panelists will discuss what historical inventions would change in a world that includes magic. What are the continuing prospects for technology in historical fantasy and who is doing it right?

With Alan Smale (mod), moi, Stina Leicht, Tracy Caulfield

 

If you want to know where I am (and where my cookies are), follow me on Twitter and Facebook.

 

 

 

Bready or Not: Pumpkin Poppers

I first featured these Pumpkin Poppers on my LiveJournal four years ago. It’s time to revisit them, because these things are SO GOOD.

My husband’s co-workers like to snicker and call them “pumpkin balls.”

You could also call them “pumpkin donut holes.” That’s what they are, really. You can make them in a donut hole or a mini muffin pan–I use the latter.

This makes 24 of these tender balls of joy. Once they are baked, set up an assembly line with bowls of melted butter, and cinnamon and sugar. Slather those balls with butter, and roll’em in the sweet stuff!

Hey, I never claimed this was health food.

The end result is an orange puff that is light and fluffy, and pretty much melts in your mouth.

Make these to share, or they might prove dangerous.

OM NOM NOM!\n","cookTime":"P","prepTime":"P","totalTime":"P"}


Bready or Not: Pumpkin Poppers





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These Pumpkin Poppers are like light, fluffy donuts holes, bathed in butter and coated in cinnamon and sugar. The recipe makes 24 in a mini muffin pan or donut hole pan.

Dough
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup canned pumpkin puree [not organic]
1/2 cup milk [almond milk works]
Coating
1 stick unsalted butter (or more), melted
2/3 cup (or more) granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons (or more) cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Use nonstick spray on a mini muffin or donut hole pan.

Combine the dry ingredients. In another bowl, mix together the oil, brown sugar, egg, vanilla, pumpkin, and milk.

Pour the dry ingredients into the wet and mix until just combined. Fill the pan cavities about 2/3 full; the dough will poof up a lot in the oven.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. In the meantime, melt the butter in a bowl. In a separate small bowl, combine the topping sugar and cinnamon.

Remove poppers from oven. Give them a few minutes to cool, then start the assembly line. Use a spoon to roll them in the melted butter, then roll them in the cinnamon sugar. (Note: topping bowls may run low near the end, but it's easy to melt an extra tablespoon of butter or mix up some more sugar and cinnamon.)

Store in a sealed container at room temperature. The cinnamon-sugar mix will absorb into the balls over time and make them darker, but they taste great for several days.

OM NOM NOM!

CLOCKWORK DAGGER $1.99 ebook sale!

My first novel is on sale for a splendiferous price of $1.99! That’s right, you can grab an ebook of my Final Fantasy meets Agatha Christie steampunk fantasy for under two bucks. This includes Amazon, B&N, Kobo, iTunes, AND Google Play.

If you already have it, perhaps consider gifting it to a friend?

Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Kobo
iTunes
Google Play

#SFWAPro

Words of Wisdom on NaNoWriMo and Star Wars

Are you preparing to take part in NaNoWriMo in November? Striving for 50,000 words in a month is a major undertaking. At the Once and Future Podcast blog, I offer 4 tips to reduce stress during NaNo.

(I’m not taking part in NaNo this year; I wrote a rough draft for Roar of Sky in March and April this year, and I’ll be working on the edits for it this November. I will, however, be doing the Poem-A-Day Challenge.)

In other geeky news, a whole bunch of authors contributed posts to Unbound Worlds on what Star Wars personally means to them. As “Da Wars” was among my first words spoken as a baby, I have very deep thoughts on the subject.

Sunday Quote heeds Henson

“The most sophisticated people I know – inside they are all children. ”

~ Jim Henson

Bready or Not: Pumpkin Roll

The Great British Bake Off inspired me to finally try making a cake roll of my own, and this is the result: a delicious, successful Pumpkin Roll.

No lie, these things have intimidated me for a decade. I was certain I’d try to roll it up, and it’d crack and be a total disaster.

In reality, I ended up with only a few minor cracks, and the roll maintained its shape without any issue.

But let’s talk about the taste. Cream cheese and pumpkin make for the perfect pairing. Both are mild and complement each other, and the amounts here are perfect. The filling doesn’t gush all over the place like some of the disastrous results on Bake Off.

The most time-consuming part of all of this was beating the whites to stiff peaks… which wasn’t helped by the fact that my hand mixer was dying and could barely beat at all. I like to think it met a noble end in the making of this recipe.

RIP hand mixer, a well-used wedding gift from the year 2000.

This cake is super-easy to store in the fridge because it’s small and narrow. The original recipe said it could be frozen, too, though I didn’t try that myself.

Be bold and crazy. Conquer your fear. Make a Pumpkin Roll. And salute the work of your noble hand mixer.

OM NOM NOM!\n","cookTime":"P","prepTime":"P","totalTime":"P"}


Bready or Not: Pumpkin Roll





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This Pumpkin Roll is a fall classic, melding pumpkin and cream cheese in a compact, delicious form. Plan ahead when making this, as the rolled sponge must cool, and the whole cake should chill before being sliced. Modified from Chef in Training and Taste of Home.

Sponge
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 eggs, with separated yolks and whites
1 cup white sugar, divided in half
2/3 cup canned pumpkin puree (not organic)
Filling
8 ounces (1 box) cream cheese, softened
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted, plus more
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven at 375-degrees.

Cut parchment paper to fit inside a 15x10-inch pan. Grease and flour the pan and the top of the paper.

In a small bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks until they are thick. Slowly add 1/2 cup white sugar and the pumpkin puree. Beat until the sugar is completely blended in.

In another small bowl, use a hand mixer to beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually pour in the remaining white sugar, and continue beating until stiff peak stage. Fold the egg whites into the pumpkin mixture, then fold in the dry ingredients; be gentle and do not overmix.

Pour the sponge batter into the pan and use an uneven spatula to spread it to the edges.

Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, or until the cake springs back when touched. Lay a cotton kitchen towel out on the counter and sprinkle it all over with confectioners' sugar. After the cake has cooled for 5 minutes, turn it out onto the prepared towel. Peel away the parchment paper. Roll the cake up by the short side. Leave it rolled up and cool it completely on the towel.

To make the filling, in a small bowl beat together the cream cheese, butter, confectioners' sugar, and vanilla, until smooth.

Unroll the cake on the towel again. Spread the filling. Roll it up again.

Wrap the cake in plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours. When ready to serve, cut thin slices off both ends of the cake to make for a pretty presentation. Dust confectioners' sugar all over the top.

OM NOM NOM!

 

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Sunday Quote pronounces the month half done

“The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid.”

~ Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey

Bready or Not: Pumpkin Pucks

I continue to revisit old favorite pumpkin recipes to incorporate more experience and better photography. This week’s recipe is for Pumpkin Pucks.

These happen to be gluten-free and paleo, if you follow those diets. More to my needs, they are high-protein, avoid processed flours, and are DELICIOUS.

They are rather like mini pumpkin pie custards with a slightly nutty taste. Do note that this can be made with whole wheat and/or all-purpose flour, if you don’t care about it being gluten-free… but I by far prefer the taste with almond flour.

I have also used different nut butters. Almond butter tastes the strongest–in a very good way–though cashew butter was fantastic, too.

Once, I only had 3/4 cup of pumpkin, so I made up for the difference with applesauce. I found no major difference in taste or texture.

I find that two of these make for a delicious breakfast. The size makes them very kid-friendly. I have kept them in the fridge for upwards of a week. Also, these are fantastic to freeze. Just be sure to remove the muffin cup liners and use waxed paper between layers.

You can alter the flavor with different toppings, too. Mini chocolate chips are my favorite! Pepitas and dried cranberries work well, too; note that the cranberries are tart but mellow after time in the fridge.

Enjoy this healthy recipe, and be warned that next week takes a decidedly sugary turn with a recipe for Pumpkin Roll!

Modified from Paleo Parents.

OM NOM NOM!\n","cookTime":"P","prepTime":"P","totalTime":"P"}


Bready or Not: Pumpkin Pucks





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This delicious recipe makes a kind of gluten free, paleo-friendly dense pumpkin custard in a muffin pan. Store these in the fridge for upward of a week; they can also be frozen, with the muffin liners removed, and kept between waxed paper.

1 cup pumpkin puree [canned, NOT organic]
1 cup almond or other nut butter
1/4 cup honey
2 Tbsp maple syrup
2 eggs, room temperature
1/3 cup almond flour [or wheat or all-purpose flour]
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
Topping choice: 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips, OR chopped nuts or pepitas, or dried cranberries

Place muffin cup liners in pan, then spray the insides with nonstick spray. Preheat oven at 350-degrees.

If your almond butter is very stiff, measure it out, place in a microwave-safe bowl, then zap it for 15 seconds or so to soften it. Mix pumpkin puree and the almond butter together.

Add honey and maple syrup. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add the dry ingredients until everything is just combined.

Fill the muffin cups to 3/4 full; a tablespoon scoop makes this easy, as it's almost exactly 2 tablespoons to fill the cups. Top with mini chocolate chips or nuts or cranberries, if desired.

Bake at 350-degrees for about 20 minutes. Pumpkin pucks will not rise much. The tops of some may start to crack. Remove them from pan and allow to cool, then store in fridge.

OM NOM NOM!

Author David Walton: The Importance of Food When Telling a Story

I’m delighted to have author David Walton as a guest! His new book The Genius Plague came out last week, and as you might guess with a glance at the cover, mushrooms–and other foods– play important roles in the plot…

 

The Importance of Food When Telling a Story

Everyone eats.  To some people, food is central to their experience of family or national culture, a thing to be cherished and enjoyed.  To others, food is a sterile necessity.  How and what a person eats can tell us a lot about them.  When creating a character in a novel, then, it’s important to get the food right.  In one sense, it’s who they are.

In my newest novel, THE GENIUS PLAGUE, a South American fungus takes center stage.  That means a lot of the novel takes place in Brazil, with main characters who grew up there.  For me, that meant not just researching Brazilian food, but also talking with a native of Brazil to understand what food meant to him, and translating those feelings to my character.  Brazilian flavors include a mix of indigenous and Portuguese influences, mostly involving beans and rice.  In fact, beans and rice is such a common part of everyday life that the phrase “beans and rice” is a Brazilian expression meaning common or ordinary.

When one character goes to his parents’ home and his father cooks shrimp bobó, the delicious flavor means a lot more to him than just a good taste.  It’s comfort food that brings back memories of childhood experiences and better times.  Times when he and his brother weren’t on opposite sides of a bitter argument.  Times when his father wasn’t dying.  When he shovels a third helping onto his plate, it’s more than just food he’s eating: it’s memories and nostalgia and hope.

Another character is a mycologist–someone who studies mushrooms.  When he and a woman he barely knows are stranded deep in the Amazon, food isn’t a matter of taste or culture — it’s only his knowledge of what mushrooms are safe that allows them to survive.  I personally love to eat mushrooms, but I’m the only one in my family who does.  Which means a lot of mushrooms being passed over to my plate!  The mushrooms in the story, however, are not entirely safe, as it turns out…

Food is an essential part of who we are, both to stay alive and to form relationships and cultures.  If you are a writer, be sure to think about the food your characters are eating and what it means to them.  If you’re a reader, a story may not tempt your taste buds or fill your stomach, but I hope you’ll notice how food can enhance the flavor of our books, even as you are devouring them.

Look for THE GENIUS PLAGUE online or at your local bookstore!

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | BAM | IndieBound | Powells


—

David Walton is the author of the international bestseller SUPERPOSITION and its sequel SUPERSYMMETRY. His novel TERMINAL MIND won the 2008 Philip K. Dick Award for the best SF paperback published in the United States for that year. He lives near Philadelphia with his wife and seven children.