Rachel Lynn Brody's Blog, page 7

Millionaire’s Shortbread (Chocolate Caramel Shortbread)

I learned about this treat when I lived in Scotland: a layer of fresh shortbread, a layer of homemade caramel, and a layer of chocolate, cut into a square. I didn’t get the recipe until I moved back to the States, but it’s been one of my favorite dessert recipes for a long time. Living in NYC, the ingredients were always just expensive enough that I’d find a reason not to make it, but now that I’m living the country life I decided it was time to treat my office-mates.

Because each layer needs to cool, this can be a time-consuming recipe, but I’ve gone so far as to wait overnight with the trays in the fridge between layers. You don’t have to attend to it constantly, so you can take it easy and make it over the course of the day.

What you’ll need:

Shortbread:

2 cups flour

1 1/2 sticks of butter

1/2 cup “caster” sugar (in quotes because I’ve always just used regular granulated sugar, and never had a problem)

Caramel Filling:

1 can evaporated milk

1/2 stick butter

3-4 cups brown sugar (my recipe calls for much less, but I’ve always had to add up to this amount to get the caramel to thicken properly)

Chocolate topping:

Chocolate chips (at least 1 bag, more if you want a thicker chocolate layer.

Method: 

Rub the margarine and flour together in a bowl until you have a mix which is similar to breadcrumbs.
Stir in the sugar.
Spread the mixture evenly into a 9″ (23cm) square tin which has been lined with baking parchment. (I just rub Crisco vegetable shortening over the pan.) 
Bake in a pre-heated oven at 170C/340F (160C/320F if fan assisted) for approximately 35 minutes until it is golden brown.
Allow the base to cool.


Heat the filling ingredients together in a pot, making sure that you stir it constantly (otherwise it will stick!) until it begins to simmer.
Continue stirring until it thickens (which it should do in a few minutes).
Spread the filling evenly over the base and again allow to cool. (At this point, there is usually leftover caramel – put it in a jar and use on ice cream, in your coffee, or to eat with a spoon.)


Melt the chocolate so that you can spread it over the filling. (I use a double boiler)

 

 

When it has cooled and you are ready to eat it, cut up into squares or rectangles with a sharp knife

Bon appetite!

Writing for Rain

A photo my friend’s wife took of Lake Shasta, back in June.

California’s in the middle of a drought. Did you know that? I knew it, in a weird, quasi-intellectual way, but I didn’t really connect with it until earlier today when I read an article about a family that literally cannot flush their toilet in the night without a bucket of water.

I was in NYC during Sandy and we had water through that entire miserable experience. (Not everybody did, but we – me and my roommate – did, so.) We could flush the toilet. It was far from pleasant, but I could heat water on my gas stove and play Little House on the Prairie or Downton Abbey or whatever, and wash my hair.

A few years ago, myself and some other writers contributed to a book called HOT MESS, and the only one of us to tackle the idea of water issues looked at it from a perspective of a drowning Venice – in other words, a place where too much water was the problem, rather than too little.

California is in the third year of a drought, folks. And I’m not talking LA or SF or any of the other major metropolitain centers, though they’ve certainly had their share of gross weather. I’m talking about families that can’t take a shit without filling their toilet with a bucket, first.

I grew up on the Great Lakes, so my water anxiety has always been about how the lakes might be exploited by people who had less access to water, and what that might mean for the Great Lakes region. I’d read about places like Las Vegas, or other Southwestern cities, and wonder why someone “out there” might think they had a right to go somewhere so inhospitable, create a city that needed more water than they had, and then turn around and deplete the resources of another part of the country just to sustain their unsustainable consumption.

Of course, now I realize this could be argued for almost any natural resource in almost any region on earth (Oil? Food? Lumber? Fish? Natural gas?) and more importantly, I realize it doesn’t really matter. I read this piece about water last week. Does it matter that the mother the article talks about asked her kids to take shorter showers? Does it matter that they didn’t?

Not really.

There’s nothing – I mean, NOTHING – that I know to suggest that might help the current situation in California. But my friend, who runs a farm, who’s had a couple bad years and whose situation could get a whole lot worse if the drought doesn’t break, asked that I pray, dance or write in hopes of getting them more water. I don’t pray, and my back situation is still too tenuous for me to be much of a dancer for social justice.

So I’ll write for water.

Between writing this blog and posting it, courts in Detroit ruled that residents there have no human right to free water. While I recognize that water access in cities must be paid for, willfully depriving human beings of a substance that is literally necessary to life seems to be a cruel solution that has no place in a country that professes to be concerned with human rights. Shutting off efficient delivery of water to individuals does not seem to me to be a reasonable reaction to individuals’ inability to pay for it.

All Change

Not the kind of view one typically gets in Manhattan.

When you’ve let your blog updates slide for as long as I have, how do you jump back in and start writing again?

A lot has happened this year. After a lot of struggling, especially since hurting my back in January, I finally came to terms — a couple months ago — with the fact that my time in New York City had run its course. I spent six years living there – I’ve already been back for one visit, just this past weekend, to wrap up some final loose ends – and they were years that taught me a lot. But towards the end, in particular, I realized that (for now at least) I’d learned what I needed from the city. I was being ground down by various circumstances, I wasn’t making the progress I needed to make, and my back injury had come to dominate every facet of my life. After a lot of soul searching, I decided that it was time to move on.

So I moved.

Now I’m living in a small town, not too far from where I grew up. More importantly, I was lucky enough to find what has been, so far, a tremendously wonderful job where I can write (and write creatively) and work with a group of talented, dedicated people, in an atmosphere with a great work/life balance (so far) that’s helping ease my stress and rebuild my health.

The move was (and still is) a big shift. At least as much culture shock (if not more) as when I moved to the UK, at least as much (if not more) as when I moved back. It’s taken some settling in – an ongoing process – as I shift my schedule, my habits and so much more, but after all this time I can finally say I’ve come farther than I have left to go.

While I had intended to write a long explanation tracing all the steps it took to get me from there to here, I realize (in my 6am clarity) that’s less important than taking a deep breath and moving on.

After dozens of procedures and probably hundreds of doctors appointments, I am happy and relieved to report that my back is now in a place where I can sit again, where I can drive a car (yes, I have a car now, no more complaints about the MTA from this girl), where I can walk around my new home organizing things, and where I can pick things up off the floor without getting stuck or panicked about how to get back up. I’m not back to 100% just yet, but I feel like I’m getting there. And I’m grateful – so grateful – that as difficult as getting through this year so far has been, I never wound up needing surgery. Knock on wood.

Going forward, there will be more writing, there will be more quiet time, there will be more re-connecting with the things that have been important to me on a personal level, and may have been neglected over the last few years. I’m going to try and shift my focus back to things like my creative writing, and other creative projects. I’ve already fallen down a Pinterest hole when it comes to decorating my new home, and I’ve started paying more attention to my photography again – for the first time in years, taking more than just quick snapshots here and there.

Anyways. I don’t want to bore anyone, and this is more a post to get me moving on blogging again than anything else. I have internet now, so you should be hearing a bit more from me as we move forward.

To Use or Not To Use a Pen Name

I have never used a pen name.

There have been a variety of reasons for this. At first, as a teenager, it just didn’t occur to me. After all, I was a writer. Why would I want to make it harder for people to find what I’d written?

Much later, I learned that Joanne Rowling had been advised to use initials – J.K. – to obscure her gender, because “boys don’t read books by women writers.” Using my full name on my plays and published stories became tinged by a feeling of feminism, although (obviously) I sometimes use my initials and last name for the sake of brevity (for example, the URL of this website).

In the last few months, however, I’ve started thinking about writing non-fiction, and that’s made me start to consider the use of an alternative name – either a variation of my own name, maybe the initials, or more likely a different name altogether – because the topics I’d write about are sensitive ones and not necessarily work I’d want to publish under my full name. Since I’m not making enough money to live off my creative writing (yet) and I still need a day job, not revealing details of my personal life while connecting them to my name might be an unfortunate but practical decision.

Writing under multiple names isn’t new (for example, Nora Roberts writes under her own name in romance, but as J.D. Robb when she’s penning a mystery, and Stephen King flopped as Richard Bachman – not to mention Rowling’s own forays into assumed names), but I feel like the practice carries pluses and minuses.

One plus would be the anonymity it affords; one minus would be that it would require setting up and maintaining an entire separate platform as a “second” author. A plus would be that it allows for easy separation by readers – someone doesn’t download a title thinking they’re going to get the genres I write in creatively, and instead wind up with a how-to book on putting up a shelf. A minus would be that that makes it harder for readers who like my work and might want to put up a shelf to discover that yes, I have indeed written a how-to book on exactly that.  (And please note, this is just an example; I’ve never put up a shelf in my life)

I’m curious about how other writers make the decision to work under a pen name. Why do you use it? Or why don’t you? Or why do you do both? Are there reasons in favor or against either option that I might not have thought of? If you’re not a writer, what do you think about authors writing under more than one name? Do you prefer the simplicity of looking for one author, no matter what genre they write in, or would you rather be able to compartmentalize the writings of your favorite authors?

Looking forward to your answers in the comments.

Way Healthy Pancakes (Low Sodium, Gluten Free, Flourless, Delicious)

While lamenting how much I wanted pancakes the other day, a friend on Twitter sent me the following image:

No, seriously. It’s actually that easy. They were delicious, not too filling, and the recipe above makes about four 3-4 inch diameter pancakes. I’d probably double the recipe if I were making more than just for me. Add syrup (if you like, or fruit as pictured) and voila!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MIRANDA – A Britcom I’d Like To Share

Courtesy BBC America website

What’s Miranda, you ask? It’s a BBC comedy show currently airing on Hulu, starring the fabulous Miranda Hart (who you might know from Call the Midwife), as the titular character. Her trials and tribulations are slightly generic - annoying mum, crush on an unattainable guy, friend who’s a bit mad, annoying toff boarding school chums – but in many ways, including some serious shattering of the 4th wall, the show is un-generically hilarious.

I started watching it after recommendations from multiple friends. And loved it. And wanted to share it with one of MY friends.

The only problem? My friend is hard of hearing, and the Hulu version of the show doesn’t include captions.

We were both surprised; after all, Hulu tends to be decent with captions, as do British stations in general. That whole accessibility thing. But there we had it. My friend couldn’t enjoy a laugh-a-minute, female-centric comedy show with me because it didn’t have captions.

After posting on Facebook, I found out that Netflix was sued last year because of the lack of captioning on its films; I’m surprised that Hulu hasn’t faced that yet (though it may be that Miranda is part of their back catalogue, in which case I really hope they get around to it). Netflix, in case you’re wondering, doesn’t carry the show either on streaming or as a DVD rental option.

For now, my friend’s choices are to either buy the DVDs (erm, no) or else to…not watch the show.

Which is really a pity, because Miranda is a really fun show, and now it’s missing out on a potential viewer before she could even start to love it.

Edit: There has been some confusion over the shop’s network, but I can now confirm it is not on ITV, it’s on the BBC. Apologies for the error.

SHORT FRICTIONS, Coming Up Shortly!

A robot I met some time ago, on the Upper East Side. Not in any of my stories. But doesn’t he look dapper?

For the last month or so, I’ve been receiving helpful comments from wonderful people who’ve taken time out of their lives to prepare for advance reviewing of SHORT FRICTIONS - my upcoming collection of short stories. Their assistance has been invaluable, and the book you’ll eventually read has already been made leagues better thanks to their thoughts and comments.

So when do you get to check out this fabulous new collection of stories about vampires, robots, evil corporations and more?

One thing’s for sure: it won’t be long, now!

I’ve met with the designer – the stylish Sarah Hartley (who was responsible for the gorgeous cover of HOT MESS) and she’s working on some frankly brilliant ideas for the SHORT FRICTIONS cover. I hope you’ll like it. I know I love what she’s thought up so far.

I really can’t wait to share this collection of shorts – and a play! – with all of you. Most have been written in the last few years, with one outlier that dates back to my college days. Some, you may have seen in other places in the past. Others are fresh and new and clean and excited to be allowed out into the world.

The e-version will likely debut in August on several platforms, shortly ahead of the print one, and don’t worry – I’ll keep you updated. Just enter your info into the subscription widget – upper right hand side of this blog entry to make sure you don’t miss the new release. Or give me your email address (I’ll never sell or share it), below:

 

Could Tumblr Please Explain What’s Going On With Asks?

Some friends and I run a Tumblr and have noticed a problem in answering “asks” – the site’s blog-specific inbox. For about a month now, we’ve noticed that you can’t upload more than one animated .gif in response to an Ask, and have had to do a “first” answer, then go back and re-open the Ask to add more images.

One co-admin reached out to Tumblr via several communications options (Tumblr, Twitter, email, etc) and hasn’t gotten any kind of response. All three of us are trying to work out if there’s something wrong with our blog, or if Tumblr has the strange idea that this is a feature, or if something else is going on.

Any Tumblr gurus out there who know how we can fix what’s going on? Is it something we did? And if not, does Tumblr have any plans to fix this glitch?

Bic Pens & Buying Men’s

I was just reminded, via this video from Ellen Degeneres, about the Bic Pen incident a year or two ago. And it got me thinking about how split marketing to men and women not only warps kids ‘ perspectives of themselves, but how it also actually costs us money. Us being women, who have less of it (as a rule, thanks pay gap) to begin with.

The video’s pretty funny, and very on point. Go Ellen.

But of course, we know, it’s not just about pens. I’ve talked about gendered products and marketing on here more than a little, and realized that one thing I don’t think I’ve blogged about is that I recently went to buy deodorant and realized that the exact same product was being sold in two aisles for a dollar’s price difference. The difference? They were in different aisles. The one in the men’s aisle was a dollar cheaper and fractions of an ounce larger, so I bought it.

The experience opened my eyes in a way that’s made a practical difference to my budget, and since I’m not sure there are many millionaires reading this right now (and for gods’ sake if there are, there’s a PAYPAL DONATE BUTTON IN THE UPPER LEFT HAND CORNER), and Men’s Pocky is a thing, I thought this might be something you all would like to know about.

Also, the Ellen clip was funny.

Writers! A Place to Keep Your Plot Bunnies

Image: Bunny, a Creative Commons Attribution No-Derivative-Works (2.0) image from aigle_dore’s photostream

If you’re a writer, and you’re anything like me, you’ll be working on a scene for one piece when – POW! – a plot bunny pops into your head. Suddenly, you’re stuck trying to decide whether to press forward with what you’re supposed to be working on, or start writing down the new idea before it bounces away. The other morning, I was noodling around in Google Docs when I hit on an idea: what if there was an easily-searchable database where I could store those ideas until I was ready to use them? By reviewing the ideas periodically, I could keep my inspiration topped off and make sure that significant moments I wanted to include didn’t get left behind as the story surged forwards. Plus, since the answers fall into a Google Sheets (think Excel spreadsheet) document, they’re sort-able and easy to search! Obviously, not every idea is going to make it into the final draft, but at least when I’m staring at a blank scene I’ll have somewhere to look for ideas I’ve already had. Anyways, I thought other writers might like using this form as a tool. Here’s how: 1. Click “Edit form” 2.Go to File -> Make A Copy (As I understand it, this will both give you access to editing the document AND make it’s own back-end spreadsheet for you to access.) 3. Save it to your Google Drive. (Change the name however you’d like.) My advice is to copy the form to your own google drive, edit the fields and questions to suit your project, and go from there. Use it to organize ideas for a single narrative arc, or add another field and track all your plot bunnies for every project! Happy writing! PS – if there are any additions you think the basic template needs, or anything that isn’t clear from the above, let me know, and I’ll be happy to modify this blog to reflect them when I have time.