New publications for spring!
I’m staying incredibly busy these days, and publishers are keeping busy, too. I’ve had a number of new works published of late! [Note that links to Amazon are through their affiliate program.]
Short stories
- “The Recipe Keeper,” Flash Fiction Online
- “How to Hide a Unicorn,” Untethered
- “More Than Nine,” Reinvented Heart
Poetry
- Four works nominated for the 2022 Rhysling Award and included in the anthology: long form “The Bookstore” and “Follow the Meandering Path”; short form “Field Trip to See the Mermaid” and “How to Find Yourself Again”
- “Let’s Enjoy the Stars One Last Time” and “Today,” Star*Line 45.1
- “Forget That,” Star*Line 45.2
Nonfiction
- “Joy Amidst the Sorrow,” Chicken Soup for the Soul: Grieving, Loss and Healing
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Read MoreNew Publications Galore!
I’ve had a lot of works published in September and in recent days. Here’s the recap, and expect another post soon–I’ll have more things published in October!
– “Your Cat” at Daily Science Fiction. A tear-jerker about time travel and cats.
– “Shared Pain” in Nature. A story for those of us who deal with chronic pain.
– A story based on the letter H in the new anthology G is for Ghosts, just released on Tuesday, and available for purchase everywhere! My story features airships, floating islands, and spirits who just want to get home.
– Southwest Review Volume 106, No. 3, a prestigious literary magazine, just published my poem “The Exorcist Does a Consultation and No More” in their Halloween issue.
– Star*Line 44.3 includes my poem “Out of All the Experiences.”
– Issue 2 of Black Cat Magazine is available for free download, which features my poem “As if My Anxiety is at Last Depleted.”
– “But You Mustn’t Look Back,” a poem co-written with Rhonda Parrish, in the October 1st issue of The Dread Machine.
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Read MoreBready or Not: Shortcut Overnight Sourdough Starter and Soft White Dinner Rolls using Sourdough Starter
It’s easy to make sourdough bread even if you don’t maintain a sourdough starter thanks to the shortcut on Bready or Not today. Use this Shortcut Overnight Sourdough Starter with any recipe, or to make the accompanying recipe for Soft White Dinner Rolls using Sourdough Starter!
A lot of people maintained a sourdough ‘mother’ during 2020. A lot of people no longer do. Maintaining a starter takes effort, and it’s easy to forget to feed or discard as necessary.
That’s why these recipes today are so great. With a day of planning, you can whip up 1 cup of starter. Use it to make rolls, or anything else that requires 1 cup of starter.
Then, ta-da! You get delicious bread, and without the fuss of a starter.
These rolls are fantastic, too. My husband declared them to be about the best homemade bread ever, which is really saying something.
Bready or Not: Shortcut Overnight Sourdough Starter
Equipment
- large jar or medium bowl
- plastic wrap or towel
Ingredients
- 1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 teaspoon honey or sugar
- 1/4 cup white whole wheat flour or whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients in a jar or bowl; make sure the starter has room to grow, as it will double in size! Cover with plastic wrap or towel, and let sit at room temperature overnight. Use in baking the next day.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not: Soft White Dinner Rolls using Sourdough Starter
Equipment
- kitchen scale
- basting brush
- 2 cake pans or rimmed baking sheet
Ingredients
Dough
- 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
- 2 Tablespoons white sugar
- 2/3 cup milk or half & half warmed (no higher than 110-degrees)
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter (half stick) melted and cooled
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 cup sourdough discard about 8 oz
- 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour plus more if needed
Top
- olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter melted
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together yeast, sugar and warm milk and let sit for a few minutes to activate. Add the cooled-down melted butter followed by the sourdough discard, salt, and cornstarch. If using a stand mixer, switch to a bread hook as the flour is added, a cup at a time, adding more as necessary to reach a soft, workable consistency. The dough should no longer be super-sticky and pull away from the sides of the bowl. Continue to knead for another 5 minutes using a mixer, or up to 10 minutes by hand.
- Add some olive oil to the bowl. Rolls the dough to coat it completely. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a towel to let rise until doubled, 45 minutes to 1 1/2 hours; this will take longer if the starter was cold.
- Cut parchment to fit in two 9-inch cake pans or for a rimmed baking rim. Apply nonstick spray on pan and paper.
- Turn out the dough onto the counter and punch it down. Use a kitchen scale to weigh the dough, then divide it into 16 equal portions. Keep a saucer with some water in it nearby to dab in fingers to smooth the dough into a round–the dough may be sticky! Set in prepared pans, giving each roll some space to rise again.
- Cover rolls and set in a warm place for the 2nd rise for about an hour, until doubled in size.
- Preheat at 350-degrees. Bake for 11 minutes, rotate pans, then bake for another 11 to 15 minutes. The tops should be golden; a digital thermometer discreetly plunged into a middle roll should be over 190-degrees.
- Immediately brush melted butter over the tops. Let cool at least 10 minutes before eating. Leftover rolls keep well sealed at room temperature or in the freezer, but they must be eaten hot.
OM NOM NOM!
Come to the Online Book Club Meeting this Sunday!
On Sunday September 19th, my collection Red Dust and Dancing Horses will be discussed in a virtual book club meeting on Facebook that is conducted by the wonderful Madame Askew. The event will happen at 4:30 MST. Buy the book ahead of time (if you don’t have it already) and join in on the discussion! I’ll be there to answer questions.
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Read MoreBready or Not: Almond Cake
This Almond Cake tastes fancy, but thanks to a handy-dandy food processor, it’s actually quite straightforward to make. I’m all about fancy without major effort!
The food processor isn’t just there to streamline the process, though. Those blades really shred into the eggs and sugar, creating a cake that lusciously dense, not light from being gently blended.
This cake bakes up into a soft, almond-fragrant pillow with a tender crumb and a golden, crunchy top. It’s one of those cakes that is as delicious as it is beautiful.
To make this even better, unlike many other cakes, it keeps well! Wrap up individual slices, and they are fine at room temperature for up to 3 days. They can also keep in the freezer for weeks!
This cake would be wonderful for breakfast, brunch, or dessert. It’s great by itself, but would also be lovely with some fresh fruit.
Modified from America’s Test Kitchen.
Bready or Not: Almond Cake
Equipment
- 9-inch springform pan
- parchment paper
- large food processor
Ingredients
Cake:
- 1 1/2 cups sliced almonds
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 1 1/4 cups white sugar
- 2 lemons zested
- 3/4 teaspoon almond extract
- 5 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
Topping:
- 2 Tablespoons white sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1/3 cup sliced almonds
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 300-degrees.. Cut a piece of parchment to fit in the bottom of the springform pan. Grease pan, place parchment inside, then grease that as well. Set aside.
- In food processor, pulse sliced almonds, flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda until the almonds are finely ground. This will be 5 to 10 pulses. Move mixture to another bowl.
- Into the now-empty processor, place the eggs, white sugar, 1 Tablespoon of lemon zest (reserve rest for topping), and almond extract. Process for about 2 minutes, until everything turns pale yellow. Pour in the melted butter and oil until they are blended in. Add the almond mixture with a series of pulses.
- Pour batter into the prepared pan.
- Start preparing the topping by using fingertips to mix the lemon zest into the white sugar, dispersing the zest throughout. Sprinkle the almonds all over the top of the cake. Follow that up with the lemon-sugar.
- Bake cake until the middle is set and bounces back when gently pressed, about 55 minutes to an hour. The middle should also pass the toothpick test. Let the cake cool for about 15 minutes. Run a plastic knife or toothpick around the sides of the cake to make sure it is loose. Set a plate on top of the cake and tip it out to invert it. Then set cake back onto a cooling rack, almonds up.
- Let cake cool at least 2 hours at room temperature, or speed the process by chilling it in the fridge. Cake tastes best at room temperature. Cut into wedges and serve.
- Individual wedges of cake can be wrapped in plastic to keep at room temperature for up to 3 days, or can be frozen for later enjoyment.
*OM NOM NOM!*
Bready or Not: Irish Cheddar Soda Bread
If you know me at all, you know I love cheese. One of my forever favorites is Kerrygold Dubliner, which I can buy in bulk at Costco almost all the time. That makes the use of a hefty amount of Dubliner all the more affordable in this amazing Irish Cheddar Soda Bread.
Of course, you can use another kind of Irish cheddar, or cheddar from anywhere in the world. Whatever you use will be delicious and amazing in this bread.
This recipe is the first in a series of re-worked recipes from a fantastic issue of Bake from Scratch Magazine last year. The July/August issue was all about Ireland, with loads of Irish recipes, and I had a blast baking my way through and making my own versions of deliciousness.
(Truly, if you love to bake, I highly recommend Bake from Scratch. I get a lot of food magazines, and it is my favorite. I find several things I want to make in each issue, which I can’t say about any of my other subscriptions.)
This bread is perfect along with a roast or soup or stew, or all by itself with a generous pat of butter (Kerrygold being best, of course).
You might think I’m getting paid to endorse this Kerrygold stuff and Bake from Scratch. I wish! No, I’m just a total fan.
Bready or Not: Irish Cheddar Soda Bread
Equipment
- parchment paper
- instant thermometer
Ingredients
- 3 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup Irish aged white cheddar cheese (113 grams) coarsely grated, divided
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley or other herbs
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups buttermilk or substitute soured milk, see note
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 450-degrees. Line a baking pan with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, stir together flour, salt, and baking powder. Add about 2/3 cup of cheese, herbs, and pepper. Form a well in the middle and add the buttermilk. Use a hand to mix everything, kneading and clawing everything together; note that the dough will be very sticky and clumpy.
- Once it can be patted into a round, transfer it to the parchment paper. Reshape a bit if needed. Dip a knife in some flour, and slash an inch-deep X broadly across the top of the round; this is to release steam and, according to folklore, evil fairies. Sprinkle the remaining 1/3 cup of cheese on top.
- Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 400-degrees. If the round is already looking quite brown, carefully cup some foil over the top.
- Bake for another 20 minutes. The bread is done when it is browned and registers 200-degrees or more on a digital thermometer. If the bottom is tapped, it should sound hollow.
- Let cool for about 30 minutes before cutting in. Bread is best served warm; easily reheat slices in the oven later. Pieces can also be frozen.
OM NOM NOM!
Notes
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