Kathleen Heady's Blog, page 8
February 15, 2011
Cookie Candy
Sometimes the memory of a favorite childhood food is better than the reality.
My mom used to make something that I, as a child, dubbed "cookie candy." It is baked in a square or oblong pan and consists of a cookie layer topped with a meringue and brown sugar mixture and baked all together.
I remember the large oblong pan of this treat, setting on the kitchen counter cooling for dessert. When it was finally served, I relished biting into the two layers and letting the flavor combinations, mostly of sugar, explode in my mouth.
A couple of weeks ago, I pulled out the recipe and baked a small pan. First I forgot to beat the egg whites seaparately from the brown sugar for the topping, so it did not come out as thick as it should have. Second, I did not spread the topping all the way to the edge, which caused the cookie layer to sink in the middle and emerge from the topping around the edge of the pan. And last, my tastes have changed. As a ten year old, sugar was probably my favorite flavor. As an adult who tries to eat healthful food most of the time, "cookie candy" was just too sweet for my taste.
I may try the recipe again, and maybe not. Maybe it is better in my memory, or maybe my mom just knew how to do it better.
Here is the recipe, in case anyone wants to try it:
Cookie Candy
1st Layer:
½ c. shortening
1 c. granulated sugar
2 eggs
½ tsp. vanilla
Pinch salt
½ c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
Mix in order given. Spread ½ in. thick in shallow pan.
2nd Layer:
1 egg white
1 c. light brown sugar
½ tsp. vanilla
¾ c. walnuts, chopped
Beat egg white. Fold in sugar, add vanilla. Spread over first layer. Sprinkle with nuts. Bake in moderate oven (350˚) about 30 min.
My mom used to make something that I, as a child, dubbed "cookie candy." It is baked in a square or oblong pan and consists of a cookie layer topped with a meringue and brown sugar mixture and baked all together.
I remember the large oblong pan of this treat, setting on the kitchen counter cooling for dessert. When it was finally served, I relished biting into the two layers and letting the flavor combinations, mostly of sugar, explode in my mouth.
A couple of weeks ago, I pulled out the recipe and baked a small pan. First I forgot to beat the egg whites seaparately from the brown sugar for the topping, so it did not come out as thick as it should have. Second, I did not spread the topping all the way to the edge, which caused the cookie layer to sink in the middle and emerge from the topping around the edge of the pan. And last, my tastes have changed. As a ten year old, sugar was probably my favorite flavor. As an adult who tries to eat healthful food most of the time, "cookie candy" was just too sweet for my taste.
I may try the recipe again, and maybe not. Maybe it is better in my memory, or maybe my mom just knew how to do it better.
Here is the recipe, in case anyone wants to try it:
Cookie Candy
1st Layer:
½ c. shortening
1 c. granulated sugar
2 eggs
½ tsp. vanilla
Pinch salt
½ c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
Mix in order given. Spread ½ in. thick in shallow pan.
2nd Layer:
1 egg white
1 c. light brown sugar
½ tsp. vanilla
¾ c. walnuts, chopped
Beat egg white. Fold in sugar, add vanilla. Spread over first layer. Sprinkle with nuts. Bake in moderate oven (350˚) about 30 min.
October 12, 2010
Writing a Synopsis
For a novelist, writing a synopsis of a novel is every bit as evil as everyone says, and much more difficult than writing the novel itself.
When writing a novel, you have the freedom to let your imagination run as wild as your characters do, and it the story wants to take an unexpected twist, you can allow it the freedom to do just that. Even if you have worked your way through revision number seven, tightening and elaborating the path of the story, you still have that freedom. You are still the storyteller.
A synopsis says that the story is done. You want the synopsis to tell your story as concisely and as appealingly as possible. You want the agent or publisher to read the synopsis, and even though they will learn the end of the story, they will still want to read the novel.
A good synopsis should be about three to five pages long, give or take a little bit, but never as long as the first chapter.
I find that it helps to have two other people read over my synopsis -- one person who has read my manuscript, and one who hasn't. The one who has read it (in my case my husband), can determine if it stays true to the story. The one who has not read it previously will be able to look at it with fresh eyes and tell you if the story is appealing.
I like to think of writing a synopsis as writing practice. It is a good opportunity to hone your skills for writing tight prose that will pull the reader in.
When writing a novel, you have the freedom to let your imagination run as wild as your characters do, and it the story wants to take an unexpected twist, you can allow it the freedom to do just that. Even if you have worked your way through revision number seven, tightening and elaborating the path of the story, you still have that freedom. You are still the storyteller.
A synopsis says that the story is done. You want the synopsis to tell your story as concisely and as appealingly as possible. You want the agent or publisher to read the synopsis, and even though they will learn the end of the story, they will still want to read the novel.
A good synopsis should be about three to five pages long, give or take a little bit, but never as long as the first chapter.
I find that it helps to have two other people read over my synopsis -- one person who has read my manuscript, and one who hasn't. The one who has read it (in my case my husband), can determine if it stays true to the story. The one who has not read it previously will be able to look at it with fresh eyes and tell you if the story is appealing.
I like to think of writing a synopsis as writing practice. It is a good opportunity to hone your skills for writing tight prose that will pull the reader in.
August 2, 2010
T minus Five Days - and Don't Forget the Contest!
I am down to the last week of preparations for my next trip. On my list of things to do: buy another flash drive, check with AT&T about cell phone use, buy kitty litter and cat food and confirm plans with cat sitter, pack, get out passport. There will be other odds and ends, but I am a fairly organized and experienced traveler, and I mentally pack long before I do it physcally, so then it is only a matter of throwing things into the suitcase.
New this trip: I will be bringing my netbook computer to use at the workshops as well as for Internet access as I travel. I have also downloaded the Kindle for PC and some books to read. As a devoted literature person, I find it quite exciting that I was able to download the complete works of Shakespeare,Charles Dickens, and Virginia Woolf,as well as the poetry of Robert Burns and William Wordsworth, for next to nothing. I treated myself to a few light mysteries, and a book about female spies during World War II, which just looked interesting, and ties in with my next novel.
I need to accomplish a few writing promotion tasks before I go, so I will feel that I am not neglecting that part of my work.
AND DON'T FORGET THE CONTEST -- Leave a comment on my blog any time between now and the end of August (I have expanded the time frame) and you will be entered in a drawing to win a prize -- either a copy of my book The Gate House,available at or a souvenir of my UK travels.
New this trip: I will be bringing my netbook computer to use at the workshops as well as for Internet access as I travel. I have also downloaded the Kindle for PC and some books to read. As a devoted literature person, I find it quite exciting that I was able to download the complete works of Shakespeare,Charles Dickens, and Virginia Woolf,as well as the poetry of Robert Burns and William Wordsworth, for next to nothing. I treated myself to a few light mysteries, and a book about female spies during World War II, which just looked interesting, and ties in with my next novel.
I need to accomplish a few writing promotion tasks before I go, so I will feel that I am not neglecting that part of my work.
AND DON'T FORGET THE CONTEST -- Leave a comment on my blog any time between now and the end of August (I have expanded the time frame) and you will be entered in a drawing to win a prize -- either a copy of my book The Gate House,available at or a souvenir of my UK travels.
July 28, 2010
Trip Preparations
Each traveler has her own unique way of preparing for a trip. I have long ago learned to travel light, and I minimize what I carry as much as possible when I know I am going to be dragging my luggage between hotel and train station, and hotel and airport, several times. I don't take taxis unless the are absolutely necessary (up the hill from the train station in Lincoln, UK) or super cheap (Costa Rica).
I have found that toiletries and cosmetics are the heaviest items, so I buy the smallest sizes I can find, do without, or buy them when I arrive.
I have purchased two pairs of good walking shoes, one of which can be worn without socks. I appreciate a change of shoes no matter how long I am going to be gone,and it can be warm in England in August, so I will appreciate the open shoes.
A week and a half before the trip, I have the pet sitter scheduled and have put holds on the newspapers and mail. Both of these are very easy to do on-line.
This year I will bring my new Netbook computer, since I plan to blog while I am traveling, and will use it at the writing retreat I am attending in Wales. It is small and light, not much heavier than the spiral notebooks I usually bring for journal writing. I am also experimenting with the Kindle e-reader for PC, which I have downloaded onto my Netbook. I always bring several books to read while I travel, and my hope is that the Netbook/e-reader will lighten that load as well.
I took care of another necessity today -- I got my hair colored. When I look back at the photos of the trip, I want to look good!
I have found that toiletries and cosmetics are the heaviest items, so I buy the smallest sizes I can find, do without, or buy them when I arrive.
I have purchased two pairs of good walking shoes, one of which can be worn without socks. I appreciate a change of shoes no matter how long I am going to be gone,and it can be warm in England in August, so I will appreciate the open shoes.
A week and a half before the trip, I have the pet sitter scheduled and have put holds on the newspapers and mail. Both of these are very easy to do on-line.
This year I will bring my new Netbook computer, since I plan to blog while I am traveling, and will use it at the writing retreat I am attending in Wales. It is small and light, not much heavier than the spiral notebooks I usually bring for journal writing. I am also experimenting with the Kindle e-reader for PC, which I have downloaded onto my Netbook. I always bring several books to read while I travel, and my hope is that the Netbook/e-reader will lighten that load as well.
I took care of another necessity today -- I got my hair colored. When I look back at the photos of the trip, I want to look good!
July 26, 2010
New Contest!
As I prepare for another trip to the UK for a writing retreat in Wales, I would like to share some of my traveling adventures with my readers through my blog, and through a new contest.
I will not be returning to Lincolnshire, where The Gate House is set, on this trip. Instead I will be in London and Scotland before going to Wales.And we may squeeze a day trip to Dover.
So this is the contest: Anyone who posts a comment on my blog between August 7 and 22 will be entered into a drawing for prizes which will include a copy of The Gate House as well as some little mementos of England, Scotland and Wales that I pick up along my way. There will be ten prizes awarded, including a copy of the book.
I will send out reminders and other tidbits before I leave, and you can always catch me on Facebook and Twitter.
And I would love to hear where other people are traveling this summer.
The photo shows the view from our retreat location in Wales last year.
