WorldCon/Sasquan: Once again, with feeling…
Tomorrow I journey northward to the land of Spokane wherein I will make merry through the weekend. I AM EXCITED. I had the time of my life at WorldCon in San Antonio two years ago, and now I have approximately a gazillion more writer friends AND I have two books out. Also, Spokane just plain looks like a nifty place and it has an incredible food scene downtown. I will also prowl the room parties at night, because I am the adventurous type of eater who is willing to try the Helsinki WorldCon Bid’s reindeer pate. I mean, heck. In San Antonio I drank a poutine martini. I live dangerously at WorldCon.
And yes, I am bringing cookies. Lemon Cornmeal Shortbread, to be exact. If you see me around the con, feel free to stop me and inquire about the cookie stash. I’ll be happy to share, but I imagine I will run out before the con ends. The one guaranteed place to find cookies is my Friday 3pm reading that I’m sharing with Tina Connolly. I’ll be reading excerpts from Clockwork Crown and my next novel Breath of Earth.
Here’s my official con schedule:
Thursday the 20th
Steampunk, Colonialism & Imperialism
11:00 AM to 11:45 AM (45 minutes)
Charles Stross Moderator , Arthur Chu , Leigh Ann Hildebrand , Warren Frey , Beth Cato
CC – Bays 111B
Autographing – Beth Cato
02:00 PM to 02:45 PM (45 minutes)
CC – Hall B
Friday the 21st
The Future of Food
12:00 PM to 12:45 PM (45 minutes)
Beth Cato , Fran Wilde , Lawrence M. Schoen , Scott Edelman , Amy Thomson Moderator
CC – Conference Theater 110
Reading – Beth Cato & Tina Connolly
Aug 21 03:00 PM to 03:30 PM (30 minutes)
CC – 304
Sunday Quote prepares for Spokane
Read More“Fight your shame.
Throw out your pride and learn all you can from others.
This is the basis of a successful life.”
~ Sen Rikyu poem, quoted in _Tea Life, Tea Mind_ by Soshitsu Sen XV
Bready or Not: Slow Cooker Balsamic Beef
This is my favorite non-taco way to cook up beef in the crock pot. The result is slightly sweet and perfect by itself, on a sandwich, in a salad, in a wrap…! Delicious meat in any form.
With the way beef prices have shot up, I pretty much have stopped buying ground beef. Roasts are the way to go, and slow cooking is the way to keep the cuts nice and tender.
This is just an all-around good recipe. It’s very easy to tweak if you want it more or less sweet. The oven is off and my kitchen stays cooler. The one bad thing is that I work from home, and I’m tortured by the scent all day long.
Modified from Shugary Sweets.
Bready or Not: Slow Cooker Balsamic Beef
Ingredients
- 4 - 5 lb beef chuck roast
- 1 yellow onion
- 1 can beef broth low sodium
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar packed
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon soy sauce low sodium
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 3 garlic cloves minced
Instructions
- In the slow cooker, whisk together the ingredients from the beef broth through the end.
- Cut the onion into chunks and place in slow cooker. Trim any excess fat from the roast and place the meat atop the onion. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours.
- Soon before mealtime, pull the meat out and shred apart. Place back in pot to soak up juice. Set the cooker on WARM until ready to serve.
- OM NOM NOM!
Sunday Quote has a 5th grader
Read More“The scariest moment is always just before you start.”
~ Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
My WorldCon/Sasquan Schedule
I’ll be in Spokane for WorldCon/Sasquan August 19th through 23rd! I had a blast at WorldCon in San Antonio two years ago, and I am super excited to attend this year! This time around, I have panels and other events, too.
Here’s where you can find me for sure:
Thursday the 20th
Steampunk, Colonialism & Imperialism
11:00 AM to 11:45 AM (45 minutes)
Charles Stross Moderator , Arthur Chu , Leigh Ann Hildebrand , Warren Frey , Beth Cato
CC – Bays 111B
Autographing – Beth Cato
02:00 PM to 02:45 PM (45 minutes)
CC – Hall B
Friday the 21st
The Future of Food
12:00 PM to 12:45 PM (45 minutes)
Beth Cato , Fran Wilde , Lawrence M. Schoen , Scott Edelman , Amy Thomson Moderator
CC – Conference Theater 110
Reading – Beth Cato & Tina Connolly
Aug 21 03:00 PM to 03:30 PM (30 minutes)
CC – 304
