Beth Cato's Blog, page 79
October 16, 2016
Sunday Quote imagines spiders don’t exist
“Everything you can imagine is real.”
~Pablo Picasso
October 14, 2016
A is for Apocalypse Sale at Kobo: Buy 2 Books, Get 1 Free
Halloween is nigh, and with it come sales on sweet things like candy and creepy-dark books! Kobo is currently holding a Buy 2 Get 1 Free Ebook Sale through the 18th that includes the anthology A is for Apocalypse, for which I wrote a story for letter D. The book is packed with some 275 pages of 26 takes on the end of the world.
Check out the sale here, and stock up on some great seasonal reads!
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October 12, 2016
Bready or Not: Ginger Pumpkin Braided Bread
Bready or Not is full-out bready this week with a recipe that produces two gorgeous braided loaves of pumpkin bread!
This recipe from King Arthur Flour and was featured in their mailed catalog a while back. Like so many of their recipes, it’s an absolute winner.
The pumpkin puree doesn’t make this bread tacky, even as dough. It incorporates well and adds light taste and vivid color. Diced candied ginger and raisins create variations in texture. The spices play well with everything. Actually, you should make this bread just to smell it as it bakes.
The slices are divine, whether or not you add butter. It would also be delicious in something like bread pudding. YUM.
Plus, it’s just plain pretty.
Modified from King Arthur Flour.
Bready or Not: Ginger Pumpkin Braided Bread
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This recipe yields two large loaves of luscious, braided ginger pumpkin bread! Make in a mixer or by hand; if making in a bread machine, add the ingredients in the order specified by your machine (likely liquids first) and add the raisins and candied ginger after the dough is well mixed. Baked loaves are delicious for days, kept well-wrapped, and can also be frozen. This is modified from a recipe at King Arthur Flour.
4 1/2 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon instant yeast
1 3/4 cups pumpkin (1 can, not organic)
2 eggs, room temperature
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/3 cup diced candied ginger
extra butter, to brush on bread
In the large bowl of a stand mixer, combine the flour, spices, sugar, ginger, salt, and yeast.
In a separate bowl, stir together the pumpkin, eggs and melted butter. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Continue to stir until the dough begins to come away from the sides of the bowl. Knead the dough for 2 minutes; let it rest for 15 minutes. Knead for an additional 5 to 7 minutes, or until it's smooth. Add the raisins and candied ginger, and continue kneading just until they're incorporated.
Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl. Cover it with plastic wrap, and set it aside to rise for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until about doubled.
Lightly grease a surface and turn out the dough onto it. Divide the dough in half, then divide each half into three pieces. Roll each piece into a 10-inch log.
Place three logs together on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Braid them together, making sure to pinch together the ends or tuck them underneath. Repeat the process with the other three logs on another baking sheet. Lightly cover them with plastic wrap and let them rise another hour. They should be puffy, not necessarily doubled in size.
Bake the loaves in a preheated 375-degree oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until lightly browned. A cake tester inserted in the center should come out clean. Brush butter over the loaves to give them a nice shine.
Let the braids cool on a wire rack. Serve them warm or at room temperature. Loaves can also be frozen for later enjoyment.
OM NOM NOM!
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October 11, 2016
Big News: Fairwood Press Story Collection Next Fall
I’m emerging from my Revision Cave with some happy news: in fall 2017, Fairwood Press will release a collection of my stories and poems! It’s called Red Dust and Dancing Horses and Other Stories. This will be a novel-length selection of my works–the best ones out of over 70 published stories and 100 poems. And the cover. Oh wow. The art is absolutely perfect. I can’t wait to reveal the final version in the coming months!
There will be a lot more news to come!
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October 9, 2016
Sunday Quote loves the word “Defenestration”
“Read, read, read. Read everything — trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master. Read! You’ll absorb it.
Then write. If it’s good, you’ll find out. If it’s not, throw it out of the window.”
~William Faulkner
October 5, 2016
Bready or Not: Triple Chocolate Pumpkin Cake
Triple Chocolate Pumpkin Cake created something of a sensation at my husband’s work. Imagine profanity-laden joyful proclamations about this being the best cake ever.
The thing that surprised me most about their feedback was that they didn’t even realize there was pumpkin in the cake. It was all about the chocolate and the sheer moistness of the cake itself.
Well, the secret to that tender crumb: canned pumpkin puree. Ta-da!
The chocolate IS the star here. I mean, there’s a reason the name starts with “triple chocolate.” You have cocoa and chocolate chips in the cake, and a chocolate glaze that is also topped with chocolate chips.
Does that mean this should really be called a “quadruple chocolate pumpkin cake?” Dang it. I’m a writer. Don’t expect me to do math.
Modified from A Dash of Sanity.
Bready or Not: Triple Chocolate Pumpkin Cake
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This bundt cake is loaded with chocolate and has an especially moist, tender crumb thanks to the inclusion of pumpkin puree. Some people don’t even realize the pumpkin is in there!
To Coat Pan
1 Tablespoon butter
1 Tablespoon cocoa, sifted
Cake
2 cups white sugar
3/4 cup oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 eggs, room temperature
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup cocoa, sifted
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup milk (almondmilk works)
15 ounce can pumpkin puree (NOT organic)
3/4 cup chocolate chips
Glaze
3 tablespoons butter, diced
3/4 cup dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 Tablespoon light corn syrup
2 Tablespoons mini chocolate chips, for topping
Prepare the bundt pan. In the microwave, melt the tablespoon of butter. Stir in the tablespoon of sifted cocoa to make a paste. Use a pastry brush to completely coat the inside of the pan. Set aside.
Preheat oven at 325-degrees. In a large bowl, mix together sugar, oil, vanilla extract, and eggs.
In a separate bowl combine flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, sifted cocoa, and cinnamon. Gradually add the flour mix to the sugar mix.
Mix in the milk and pumpkin puree. Once everything is just combined, stir in the chocolate chips. Pour thick batter into the ready bundt pan.
Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until it passes the toothpick test.
Set pan on rack for about ten minutes and remove pan by upending the cake onto the rack. Let it completely cool.
Once the cake is cool, make the glaze. In a small microwave-safe bowl, place the butter, chocolate chips, and corn syrup. Heat for 30 seconds or so and stir thoroughly, then briefly heat again if needed to finish melting.
Use a spoon to drizzle the glaze onto the cake, spreading it around as needed. Sprinkle mini chocolate chips on top to finish it off. Set in fridge to set for several hours or overnight--chocolate cakes are better after a day (if you can restrain yourself that long)!
OM NOM NOM!
October 2, 2016
Sunday Quote wonders where the year has gone
“A room without books is like a body without a soul.”
~Marcus Tullius Cicero
September 28, 2016
Bready or Not: Butternut Squash and Quinoa Salad
Bready or Not has featured a whole lot of sweets in recent weeks. Let’s switch to something delicious and healthy instead: Butternut Squash and Quinoa Salad.
This still has a little bit of sweetness going on. Butternut squash is naturally awesome that way, and a sprinkling of cranberries adds some extra oomph. Add some pecans for crunch and feta because CHEESE, and this creates a bowl of happiness. The quinoa adds protein and kinda enjoys the ride along with all the other flavors.
I cobbled this together from several other recipes. I wanted something that I could invest some time in and then use as a quick-fix dinner for several more days. I parcel it into three or four containers, depending on the size of the squash, and my meals are set! Or, you could use this as a gluten-free main dish or side dish to feed a group.
I can offer a few useful tips, too. I cook quinoa in my Zojirushi rice cooker. One cup of uncooked quinoa makes a LOT once its cooked, more than my salad recipe requires, but cooked quinoa keeps well in the fridge and can also be frozen and thawed weeks later without any issue.
If you’re intimidated by cutting butternut squash, there is a safe and easy way to do it!
Next week’s Bready or Not officially kicks off my October-November tradition of pumpkin and autumn-themed recipes! Time to bust out the stretchy pants.
Bready or Not: Butternut Squash and Quinoa Salad
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A Bready or Not Original! This salad takes some initial work to assemble, but it creates a big bowl of autumnal deliciousness! Serve as a main dish or side dish for a crowd, or use it as a solo meal over several days. This is gluten-free, healthy, and full of happiness.
butternut squash (2.5-3.5 pounds)
olive oil or avocado oil
pumpkin pie spice/cinnamon/nutmeg etc
1 cup cooked quinoa
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped pecans
feta cheese
Preheat the oven at 425-F.
Line a rimmed cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Spread out the chopped squash and drizzle with oil. Sprinkle spices of choice and some salt. Roast squash for 20 minutes.
While the squash is roasting, measure out the cranberries and place in a small bowl. Cover the cranberries with water and let them soak. Measure out the pecans.
When the 20 minutes is up, toss the squash in the pan. Drain the water from the cranberries, discarding water. Add the plumped cranberries and pecans to the squash, and season more, if desired. Cook another 10 minutes or so, until butternut squash is fork tender with roasted coloration.
Transfer the pan's contents to a large bowl. Gently stir in the quinoa. Serve hot or stash in fridge for later, and heat with microwave. Add sprinkle of feta just before serving.
OM NOM NOM!
September 25, 2016
Sunday Quote thinks this is great advice
“In a time of destruction, create something.”
~ Maxine Hong Kingston
September 24, 2016
Sign Up for the Cato Log Newsletter: Book News + Recipes!
I am starting a newsletter called the Cato Log (it’s a pun for catalog, get it?). I aim to send out at least one newsletter a month–which will include all of the newest Bready or Not links in one spot–plus more emails if there’s an ebook sale or other big news. In other words, I solemnly swear to never spam you, unless it’s a recipe that includes Spam (which isn’t very likely).
There’s a sign up link on the right side of BethCato.com or just plug in your address below!
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