Beth Cato's Blog, page 68
June 21, 2017
Bready or Not: Maple Krispy Treats
Regular Bready or Not readers know that I espouse that everything is better with maple. Case in point: Rice Krispy Treats, now with maple.
I had to make this several times to get the right flavor and balance. An onerous task, I assure you. In the end, I created an original recipe that’s perfect for maple lovers.
This recipe can be made in the microwave or on the stovetop. Just make sure you’re using a large bowl or pot, as you need room to stir in a lot of cereal, and take care when heating. Burned marshmallows are a bad, bad thing.
If you do this in the microwave, which is my preference, you will have ready to eat treats in under 30 minutes.
Even more importantly–for people in hot environs like me–you won’t heat up the house when it’s already a zillion degrees outside. That makes this the perfect summer recipe.
Did someone scoff at that because of the maple flavor? Pfft. Maple flavor knows no season. If it’s tasty and you like it, make it, no matter what the calendar says.
OM NOM NOM!\n","cookTime":"P","prepTime":"P","totalTime":"P"}
A Bready or Not Original: Maple Krispy Treats
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These goodies have the scrumptious chewy texture of Rice Krispy Treats with the bonus sweetness of maple. A Bready or Not original.
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 Tablespoons maple sugar (or use brown sugar and more maple flavor)
2 teaspoons maple flavor
10 ounces miniature marshmallows (1 bag)
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
6 cups Rice Krispies or similar puffed rice cereal
more maple sugar and kosher or pretzel salt for the top (optional)
Line an 8-inch square pan with aluminum foil then coat the surface with butter or non-stick spray. Stage the maple sugar, maple flavor, and marshmallows so they are ready to add quickly.
These treats can be made in the microwave or on the stovetop. Either method: on low, gradual heat, melt the butter in a large bowl.
Once the butter is melted, remove from heat and stir in the maple sugar and maple flavor. Add marshmallows and stir. This will just barely start to soften the mix, so continue to heat gradually until the marshmallows become smooth goop; in the microwave, use 20 second zaps and stir well between each pass. Stir until no white streaks remain. Remove from heat again, if needed.
Add the cereal and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Mix until everything is coated, then pour into the prepared pan. Quickly spread it to the corners and evenly press it down with a rubber spatula. (If the goop sticks to the spatula too much, quickly use nonstick spray on it or rub it with butter.)
When the cereal mix is even, sprinkle coarse salt and maple sugar on the top, if desired.
Let the pan cool for at least 15 minutes. Slice into bars while everything is still in the pan, then use the foil to lift them all out at once. Store for up to two days in a sealed container, with waxed paper between layers to prevent sticking.
OM NOM NOM!
June 18, 2017
Sunday Quote extends Happy Father’s Day wishes
“There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading them.”
~ Joseph Brodsky
June 14, 2017
Bready or Not: Cinnamon Twist Cookies
These Cinnamon Twist Cookies give you an opportunity to play with cookie dough.
You divide the dough in half and mix cinnamon into one half. Then you twist the doughs together, creating delicious braided cookies!
This would actually be a great recipe to involve kids or grandkids! Just keep in mind that the cookies spread as they bake, so you don’t want them too large.
This is one the first cookie recipes I claimed as “mine.” I found it on the Betty Crocker website back in my newlywed days when I was hunting for new cookies that would please my husband.
I made these cookies all the time for about five years, and then the recipe became buried in my growing collection of clippings and print-outs. I was stunned to realize recently that I hadn’t made these cookies in years.
These cookies keep well for several days and they’re durable to pack and bring with you places. They have a kind of snickerdoodle vibe going with that kick of cinnamon, but they’re not messy at all.
Most importantly of all, they are delicious.
OM NOM NOM!\n","cookTime":"P","prepTime":"P","totalTime":"P"}
Bready or Not: Cinnamon Twist Cookies
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This simple recipe creates tasty two-color cookies with a lovely boost of cinnamon! Modified from a Betty Crocker recipe.
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
1 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 egg
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Preheat oven at 375-degrees.
In a large bowl, mix the butter, sugar, vanilla, and egg. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt.
Divide dough in half. Stir cinnamon into one half until it's mixed in and brown.
Grab equal pinches of both kinds of dough, place them side by side, and gently twist into a short rope. Place on cookie sheet, with several inches around each to account for expansion. Repeat with remaining dough.
Bake 8 to 10 minutes, until the cookie is set with the pale dough just tinted brown. Let cookies cool on wire rack. Store in a sealed container for several days.
OM NOM NOM!
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June 12, 2017
5 Tips to be a Prepared Panelist at an SFF Convention
So you’re going to attend a genre convention as a panelist. Whoo hoo! If this is your first time, it’s normal to be nervous. If this is your thirtieth time, it’s normal to be nervous.
Here are some tips to get you geared up, regardless of the content of your panel(s).
5) Know your schedule before you get there.
Carry a notebook or Post-It pad. Make sure your entire schedule is in there–panels you’re on, panels you want to attend, or any other important events during the con. Why? The paper-bound con guide can be very unwieldy to carry or poorly organized. Sure, the con may have an app or allow you to save your schedule online, but the internet can and will go down. Some convention centers get absolutely horrid reception.
I like to use Post-It notes. If my badge is in a plastic sleeve, I will slip the sticky notes right inside the back so I can reference my schedule at a glance without having to dig into my purse in a big crowd.
4) EAT. Seriously.
Food is kinda important, but the very nature of conventions can make it hard to eat. Your schedule might have you booked solid, or the venue might not have restaurants close by, or you’re on a restricted diet. You need to take care of yourself. The last thing you want is to have low blood sugar in the middle of your panel and be listless or feel faint… or for your stomach to be growling like a caged werewolf.
Bring a stash of snacks–granola or energy bars, nuts, jerky, something safely portable. Use Google Maps or Yelp to map out nearby eateries ahead of time; you can focus the online map and search for places right nearby!
If you’re feeling weak and hungry, don’t be afraid to ask for help, either. I bet someone will have some food on their person or be willing to dash for the nearest snack bar for you.
3) Know the layout of the convention.
Large convention centers were surely designed the same folks who create video games dungeons. There are dead ends, winding corridors, nonsensical room numbers, boss monsters. Sometimes the maps shown online or in the con booklet aren’t that useful, either, because they don’t clearly show where floors connect to different levels or across streets.
Reserve some time right at the start of the convention to walk the grounds. Find where your panel(s) will be, and also where you might find the nearest water fountains or bathrooms.
2) Read up on your fellow panelists.
If you have time, read a book or two by your fellow panelists, or at the very least, read their biography, know where they are from, and where they have been published. Maybe there is someone you want to get to know more, so you want to sit beside them to chat; or maybe there is someone you know you want to sit far, far away from.
(Note: A lot of conventions will have a space in their initial questionnaires about “who I do not want to be on a panel with.” You should also feel free to turn down a panel if you think it’s a poor fit or that you’ll clash with another panelist.)
1) Jot down notes during the panel.
I like to use a pen and paper. Some folks use their phone instead. Whatever the medium, it’s nice to have a way to jot down quick notes during a panel. Why? Sometimes questions are long and convoluted, or maybe a fellow panelist will babble on so long that you forget the original question. Maybe someone will mention a book or author that sounds really good. Maybe you need to keep score of something, or need to preserve a neat tip or research morsel. Don’t trust yourself to remember anything during the low-sleep high-craziness action of a convention.
All of these tips revolve around a central concern: YOU. Take care of yourself. A little work to prepare will make for a less-stressful, happier time during your convention!
Reposted from Novelocity.
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June 11, 2017
Sunday Quote has a giveaway ending soon
“Some books should be tasted, some devoured, but only a few should be chewed and digested thoroughly.”
~ Francis Bacon
Goodreads Book Giveaway
Call of Fire
by Beth Cato
Giveaway ends June 13, 2017.
See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.
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June 7, 2017
Bready or Not: Cardamom Bundt Cake with Coffee Glaze
It’s June and hey, let’s eat cake! Cardamom Cake with Coffee Glaze. A bundt cake full of sugar and glory and cardamom-y goodness.
I read a lot of books. I also read a lot of magazines. One of my favorite things to do is hit up a good used book store or library book sale and buy stacks of older food magazines to raid for recipes.
That’s how I found the original recipe for this in an October 2013 issue of Country Living. I modified it, removing pistachios and tweaking here and there, and created a cake that earned the utter adoration of my husband’s co-workers.
Coffee and cardamom is a fantastic flavor combination. You might remember the Cardamom Coffee Pound cake I posted last fall. This bundt cake is like that awesome loaf cake, and so much more.
It’s bigger, for one, being a full-size cake. It has a kinda pound cake thing going, too. The sour cream does miraculous thing for cake texture, creating crumb that is dense, not crumbly.
This is a cake you can eat out of hand, no saucer required. And you’ll want to lick your fingers clean, too, because the glaze includes espresso powder (one of my favorite ingredients to keep around) and sugar.
If the caffeine doesn’t boost your day, you know the sugar will!
OM NOM NOM!\n","cookTime":"P","prepTime":"P","totalTime":"P"}
Bready or Not: Cardamom Bundt Cake with Coffee Glaze
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This amazing bundt cake pairs two fabulous flavors: cardamom and coffee! Eat this for breakfast or dessert. Modified from recipe in Country Living Magazine, October 2013.
Bundt cake
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more to grease pan
Fine, dried breadcrumbs to dust pan
cooking spray
2 1/3 cups cake flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups white sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream
Coffee glaze
2/3 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon espresso powder
1/4 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 Tablespoon milk or half & half, plus more if needed
Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Generously butter a 10 or 12-cup Bundt pan. Dust the pan with fine bread crumbs; a toasted and pulverized half heel of bread will do. Apply cooking spray over the bread crumbs.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cardamom, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
In a large bowl, use a mixer on medium to beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time followed by the vanilla extract, beating until very pale yellow.
Reduce the mixer speed and alternate between adding the flour mix and the sour cream into the butter blend.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan, using a rubber spatula. Bake cake until a wooden toothpick inserted into the cake comes out dry with only a few moist crumbs attached, 45 to 50 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool for 30 minutes, then invert cake onto rack to completely cool. Once cool, move cake to cake plate and prepare glaze.
Whisk together sugar, espresso powder, and cocoa powder. Add milk and stir, adding more milk as needed until glaze is just thin enough to drizzle. Dribble over cake.
OM NOM NOM!
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June 6, 2017
Breath of Earth $1.99 continues PLUS new Call of Fire giveaway
The sale on Breath of Earth continues into June! Get the ebook for $1.99 at all major online bookstores:
Amazon
Kobo
iTunes
Barnes & Noble
The deal was featured on Bookbub on the 1st, and I was stunned to see my book make it to #247 out of all Kindle books and #53 out of all Nook books. Wowsers!
Also, I’m giving away two copies of the sequel on Goodreads. Enter below!
Goodreads Book Giveaway
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Call of Fire
by Beth Cato
Giveaway ends June 13, 2017.
See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.
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June 4, 2017
Sunday Quote braces for June
“People without hope not only don’t write novels, but what is more to the point, they don’t read them.”
~ Flannery O’Connor
June 2, 2017
“Etymology Is Important,” She Ejaculated
I’m going to start off by telling a story from when I was 13 or 14 years old. I was with my mom and grandma in the car as we drove through the Central California countryside after a Sunday visit to my uncle’s church. As is often the case, then and now, I was reading a new book.
“Mom,” I asked, “What does ‘ejaculate’ mean?”
My Mom and Grandma shared a look in the front seat. “Beth, what are you reading?” There was a strange strain to her voice.
“This book called The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge.” I held up the cover so she could see it in the mirror.
Mom and Grandma glanced at each other again. “Read the line to me,” Mom asked.
“‘The coachman is getting down,’ ejaculated Maria.'”
Mom and Grandma both belted out nervous laughs. “Oh. Is it an old book?” she asked. I confirmed that it was a reprint of an old book, and I was informed I’d be told about other definitions for the word once we arrived home.
Yeah, that was a fun conversation. I was both mortified and amused. I had given them quite a fright with my choice of reading material on the way home from church! (I do recommend The Little White Horse–it’s a lovely gothic middle grade book, and apparently has gained new attention in recent years as it’s one of J.K. Rowling’s childhood favorites.)
Etymology is the history of a word, the how, when, and where of its use. I write historical fiction novels, and I find myself very aware of the words I choose. I cannot be 100% accurate to period, nor do I want to be. I will not have my characters ejaculate their speech, no matter how appropriate that word usage may have been in their time!
It’s all about balance. I want my books to be as easy to read as other current books–with contemporary concepts of paragraph size, dialogue tags, etcetera–while still keeping readers in a distant world.
I frequently check word etymologies as I write and revise. My usual go-to is the Online Etymology Dictionary; if that site doesn’t list the word, I usually resort to a Google search of “etymology [word].
There is also the dilemma of a word seeming contemporary, even though it’s not. This is referred to as “The Tiffany Problem”, named so because Tiffany is a legitimate medieval name but it looks too modern to readers of historical fiction and fantasy. For matters like that, it’s great to get feedback from other readers during early revision stages.
Sometimes, I consciously stay with an anachronistic word. For example, the word “kid” for “child” is a very recent development in the English language.
I also use the word “Reiki” to describe a form of magical healing, though Reiki as a modern practice didn’t start in Japan until the 1920s. On an additional note, my copyeditor for Breath of Earth suggested capitalizing Reiki–that’s what it said in their style guide–so I went with that in the final book. It gives it more gravitas in my 1906 setting.
Word choice does determine the tone. Within a sentence, a writer can establish the setting, time, and point of view. Be choosy. Be cautious. And be aware of what “ejaculate” means in various contexts.
Reposted from Novelocity.
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May 31, 2017
Bready or Not: Snickerdoodle Biscotti
Brace yourself: I’ve been experimenting with biscotti, and this Snickerdoodle version is the first of several you’ll see this year!
Yes, these really do taste like Snickerdoodles, only in a crisper, more dunk-able form. I even added cream of tartar to the recipe, to amp up the Snickerdoodliness. (That should totally be a word.)
For years, I have said that I dislike biscotti. That’s because the only kind I ever tried came from the grocery store, and it was HARD. Like, “this could break my teeth,” hard. It didn’t help that I don’t drink coffee and therefore had nothing to dip the biscotti into to soften it.
Then the Great British Bake Off featured biscotti and my interest was piqued. The bakers made it look easy. Doable. And the fresh version was supposed to be crisp, not teeth-shatteringly hard.
I hunted down some recipes. I started baking. I discovered, once again, that the Great British Bake Off abounds in wisdom. Homemade biscotti is easy and tasty.
These Snickerdoodle Biscotti are fantastic for Snickerdoodle lovers. The cinnamon-sugar top makes these even look and smell like the cookie version, and the flavor….!
Oh yeah. Snickerdoodliness.
Because these are biscotti, they keep well for a few weeks, too. That makes these great to stash away or to even ship across distances.
And even if they go stale, I bet you they are still a million times better than the grocery store version.
Modified from Brown Eyed Baker.
OM NOM NOM!\n","cookTime":"P","prepTime":"P","totalTime":"P"}
Bready or Not: Snickerdoodle Biscotti
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These Snickerdoodle Biscotti are easy to make and stay delicious for weeks. With a cinnamon-sugar top and cinnamon chips throughout, these twice-baked cookies are pure happiness for the Snickerdoodle lover in your life.
biscotti
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup cinnamon chips
topping
1/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Preheat oven to 375-degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, cinnamon, baking powder, cream of tartar, and salt.
In a large bowl, cream together the sugar and butter on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl often. Add the eggs, one at a time, followed by the vanilla. Gradually add the dry ingredients, mixing just until a dough forms. Finally, mix in the cinnamon chips.
Divide the dough in half on the prepared baking sheet. Form each into a log about 4 inches wide and 10 inches long; make sure there is space between the two logs, as they'll grow in the oven.
Mix together the topping ingredients and sprinkle over both dough logs.
Bake about 25 minutes, until the biscotti is lightly browned with small cracks forming across the top. Remove the baking sheet from the oven, but be sure to leave the oven on.
Let the biscotti cool for 10 minutes. Use a large knife, such as a bread knife, to diagonally slice the logs 1/2-inch apart. Use a straight-down motion to cut; don't saw.
Arrange the biscotti spaced out on the baking sheet. Stand them up if possible, or lay them on their sides. Bake for another 15-20 minutes, flipping them over halfway if necessary, to equally crisp both sides.
Cool completely on the baking sheet. Store in an airtight container as long as a few weeks.
OM NOM NOM!
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