Posts made in March, 2018

Bready or Not: Pistachio Cardamom Biscotti

Posted by on Mar 28, 2018 in Blog, Bready or Not, breakfast, cookies | Comments Off on Bready or Not: Pistachio Cardamom Biscotti

Bake up these biscotti, and your house will smell absolutely glorious!

Bready or Not: Pistachio Cardamom Biscotti

That’s the power of cardamom. It’s one of my favorite spices to use in baking AND in writing (heck, see my story in Uncanny last year, “With Cardamom I’ll Bind Their Lips.”)

Bready or Not: Pistachio Cardamom Biscotti

The combination of cardamom and vanilla here creates a very fresh taste. Really, these are a delight to the senses.

Bready or Not: Pistachio Cardamom Biscotti

There are just enough pistachios included to add pretty green dapples and some extra crunch, but they didn’t make the biscotti harder to cut (the almonds in my Chocolate Almond Biscotti were a lot more annoying in that regard).

Bready or Not: Pistachio Cardamom Biscotti

Store these biscotti for a few weeks. These are also great to ship because they do keep so well.

Bready or Not: Pistachio Cardamom Biscotti

Serve them up with some hot tea or coffee, and start the day off right!

Bready or Not: Pistachio Cardamom Biscotti

 

Bready or Not: Pistachio Cardamom Biscotti

These biscotti taste and smell fantastically fresh thanks to the cardamom and vanilla, while the pistachios add some extra color and crunch.
Course: Appetizer, Breakfast, Snack
Keyword: biscotti
Author: Beth Cato

Ingredients

  • 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter softened
  • 3/4 cup white sugar
  • 2 eggs room temperature
  • 3/4 cup salted pistachios shelled, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder

Instructions

  • Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Preheat oven at 350-degrees.
  • In a large bowl, mix together the butter and sugar until they are light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time. Add the pistachios, cardamom, and vanilla extract. Stir in the flour and baking powder until just combined.
  • 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.
  • Bake for 25 minutes, until the dough is slightly golden. Remove the baking sheet from oven, but 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 20 to 25 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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Sunday Quote is unsure about doing Poem a Day in April

Posted by on Mar 25, 2018 in Blog, Quote | Comments Off on Sunday Quote is unsure about doing Poem a Day in April

“Poetry isn’t a profession, it’s a way of life. It’s an empty basket; you put your life into it and make something out of that.”
~ Mary Oliver

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Bready or Not: Gluten-Free Almond Flour Brownies

Posted by on Mar 21, 2018 in Blog, Bready or Not, brownies, chocolate, gluten-free, healthier | Comments Off on Bready or Not: Gluten-Free Almond Flour Brownies

I often get requests for more gluten-free sweets. Here you go. These brownies are so good, people won’t even know they lack gluten.

Bready or Not: Gluten-Free Almond Flour Brownies

They also happen to be grain-free. Just don’t give them to people who have almond allergies!

Bready or Not: Gluten-Free Almond Flour Brownies

These brownies are fast to assemble. The end result tastes like standard brownies. I didn’t find them super moist, but they were nice and chewy.

Bready or Not: Gluten-Free Almond Flour Brownies

They kept pretty well in a sealed container for several days, too. The cut edges dried out a bit, but they were still delicious.

Bready or Not: Gluten-Free Almond Flour Brownies

Here’s a tip for you: almond flour, because of its high fat content, can spoil. Keep it in the freezer! It won’t freeze solid but it will get clumpy. Hence my note in the ingredients list to sift the almond flour.

Bready or Not: Gluten-Free Almond Flour Brownies

Modified from King Arthur Flour.

 

Bready or Not: Gluten-Free Almond Flour Brownies

These delicious brownies are gluten-free and grain-free, and they come together almost as fast as a box mix! Modified from King Arthur Flour.
Course: Dessert, Snack
Keyword: bars, brownies, gluten free
Author: Beth Cato

Ingredients

  • 5 Tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 3/4 cups white sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup cocoa powder sifted
  • 3 large eggs room temperature
  • 1 1/2 cups almond flour sifted
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder

Instructions

  • Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line an 8x8 or 9x9 pan with foil and apply butter or nonstick spray.
  • In the microwave, melt the butter in a medium-sized bowl. Stir in the sugar, salt, vanilla, cocoa, and eggs. Add in the almond flour and baking powder. Pour batter into the ready pan.
  • Bake for 33 to 38 minutes, until the top is set and the middle just passes the toothpick test. Let cool, then cut into blocks. Store at room temperature in a sealed container or freeze for later enjoyment.
  • OM NOM NOM!
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COVER DEBUT: Roar of Sky

Posted by on Mar 19, 2018 in Blog, roar of sky | Comments Off on COVER DEBUT: Roar of Sky

This is it! The cover of the third and final volume in my Blood of Earth trilogy from Harper Voyager. Roar of Sky comes out on October 23rd and it’s already available to preorder at places like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and awesome indies like Poisoned Pen! Also… the back cover copy is now online, too! Scroll down to read.

BEHOLD!

 

 

In this stunning conclusion to the acclaimed Blood of Earth trilogy—a thrilling alternate history laced with earth magic, fantastic creatures, and steampunk elements—the young geomancer Ingrid must find a way to use her extraordinary abilities to save her world from the woman hell-bent on engineering a war that would rip it to pieces.

Thanks to her geomantic magic, Ingrid has successfully eluded Ambassador Blum, the evil genius behind the plan to achieve world domination for the United Pacific. But using her powers has taken its toll: Ingrid’s body has been left severely weakened, and once again she is on the run with her friends Cy and Fenris.

Hoping to learn more about her magical roots and the strength her bloodline carries, Ingrid makes her way across the Pacific to Hawaii, home to the ancient earth goddess Madame Pele. What she discovers in this paradise is not at all what she expects—but perhaps exactly what she needs to find the strength to face Blum.

But Ambassador Blum comes from the same world of old magic. She is a kitsune with near-mythic power. And if Ingrid cannot defeat her once and for all, she knows Blum will use that power to take the lives of everyone she holds dear before igniting a war that will bring the entire world to its knees.

Release date: October 23rd, 2018

 

blood of earth triptych

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Sunday Quote celebrates many family birthdays this month

Posted by on Mar 18, 2018 in Blog, Quote | Comments Off on Sunday Quote celebrates many family birthdays this month

“Words can be like X-rays if you use them properly — they’ll go through anything. You read and you’re pierced.”
~ Aldous Huxley, Brave New World

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