My Virtual CoKoCon Schedule for September 4th through 6th
CoKoCon is September 3rd through 6th! The convention is online and totally free. To attend, you must register and use their Discord server. Find out all about that on their website. Please also check out the charity book auction, which will benefit a great local group, the Joshua Tree Feeding Program.
Here’s my final schedule. I say final, but of course, things may change and the internet may choose to be fickle at the worst possible time. Find the full schedule for the weekend here. All times are Pacific time.
Saturday, September 4
2:00pm – 3:00pm Steampunk in the Round
What is it that makes steampunk a lasting trend? We’ll discuss: The evolution of steampunk, how do you see it in a few years? The literary and media side of steampunk. The commercial side of steampunk. The splinter divisions of Steampunk. Q&A with audience.
3:15pm – 4:15pm The Wonderful World of Cheese
Join author Beth Cato and friends as she leads a lively discussion on the world of cheese, from its early history to modern day.
5:45pm – 6:45pm From the Paddock to Pern
Judith Tarr. Tamora Pierce. Robin McKinley. Mercedes Lackey. Our panelists discuss the impact of “horse girl” fantasy.
Sunday, September 5
10:15am – 11:15am Book Discussion: The Calculating Stars
Join avid reader and sometime blogger Michael Senft, and Nebula and Dragon award nominee Beth Cato (The Clockwork Dagger, Breath of Earth) as they discuss Mary Robinette Kowal’s award-winning “Lady Astronaut” alternate history.
2:00pm – 3:00pm Author Self-Care: COVID Edition
Surviving the past year has been an ordeal for everyone. Our authors talk about how COVID affected them, and what they did (and are still doing) to cope with pandemic, lockdown and deadlines.
4:30pm – 5:30pm Writing Speculative Poetry
Join our panelists as they discuss writing speculative poetry, as well as share their own works.
Monday, September 6
2:00pm – 3:00pm From Tabletop to Text and Vice Versa
Whether Dungeons & Dragons or Final Fantasy, our panelists discuss how gaming influenced their writing, and how their writing influences their gaming.
#SFWAPro
Bready or Not Original: Food Processor Brioche Rolls
My no-fuss Food Processor Brioche Rolls recipe will dazzle your mind because they are SO EASY. Enriched doughs like this have a reputation (that is well-earned) to be time-consuming and aggravating. Not anymore.
The food processor is what makes this easy-peasey. It mixes the dough in no-time, and aerates the butter and eggs into the flour and develops that all-important gluten.
These rolls are good for any variety of uses, as they can be eaten with things sweet and savory. As the bread is nice and durable, we found they worked well for shredded pork sandwiches, with barbecue sauce and all.
Once these are baked-up, they are fantastic to freeze and thaw, too. They really are best eaten within a day–I suppose they still had to be fussy in at least one way!
Bready or Not Original: Food Processor Brioche Rolls
Equipment
- food processor
- food scale
Ingredients
1-lb batch
- 1/4 cup warm water no hotter than 130-degrees
- 2 1/4 teaspoon dry yeast 1 packet
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 Tablespoons white sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted
2-lb batch
- 1/2 cup warm water no hotter than 130-degrees
- 4 1/2 teaspoons dry yeast 2 packets
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 6 Tablespoons white sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 12 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted (1 1/2 sticks)
For egg wash
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 Tablespoon milk or half & half
Instructions
Follow these same directions, regardless of the batch size.
- Affix steel S-blade inside food processor.
- In a cup, stir together the dry yeast and water. Place the flour in the work bowl, followed by the yeast-water, sugar, and salt. Pulse a few times. Add the eggs and spin until they are mixed in, no more than 10 or 15 seconds.
- Start the processor on low and pour in the melted butter in a solid stream. Stop mixing after about 20 seconds. The dough will be very sticky and fluid.
- Apply nonstick spray or butter in a big mixing bowl. Pour in the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rise at room temperature until it has tripled in size, no more than 3 hours. Keep an eye on it, because it can expand fast.
- Flour hands and punch down dough.
- Cover bowl with plastic wrap again, and stash the bowl in the fridge. Keep it there overnight, at minimum, or up to a day. It will rise a bit but nowhere near as much as the initial rise.
- To make rolls, prepare a baking sheet with parchment or nonstick spray.
- Prepare egg wash. Crack egg into a bowl. Beat in milk. In addition, add water to a small saucer and set it within reach.
- Grab small handfuls of dough. To get amounts even, use a kitchen scale to measure out 4-ounces worth. Working fast, pat into a ball. Dip fingers in water then stroke dough to smooth out rough spots. Set rounds on prepared sheet, spaced out. If the dough gets too sticky to work with, place in fridge briefly to chill again.
- Once rolls are formed, brush them with the egg wash. Let them rise for an hour, until nicely puffed.
- Preheat oven at 400-degrees.
- Gently brush on more egg wash. Place in oven and bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until browned and set. Doneness can be double-checked by jabbing a thermometer into a subtle spot along the bottom to ensure the middle is over 190-degrees.
- Rolls are best eaten within a day, but they keep very well frozen. Eat them warm or at room temperature.
OM NOM NOM!
CLOCKWORK DAGGER ebook on sale for $1.99!
My novel The Clockwork Dagger is currently on sale for $1.99! I have no idea how long it will be at that price. This is the first book in my series that’s been described as Agatha Christie meets Final Fantasy.
Please, if you haven’t read it yet, grab it while you can! And please spread the word, too.
#SFWAPro
Bready or Not Original: Slow Cooker Apple Steel Cut Oats
These Slow Cooker Apple Steel Cut Oats are not the most photogenic of foods, but they are delicious, healthy, and good, and probably one of the most convenient meals in my cooking repertoire.
I’ve been cooking this recipe for over five years now, tweaking it here and there, making it better. What I present here is really a foundation. This recipe can be customized all kinds of ways–either when the food is being assembled, by adding in different spices or apples, or by tweaking it at serving time.
I love using Gala, Honeycrisp, or Pink Lady apples, but go for any good baking-type apple or a variety thereof. You don’t want the apples to go to mush. Or maybe you do? That might not be a terrible thing here.
I typically use unsweetened vanilla almond milk or cashew milk, but any plain or vanilla nut, soy, or oat milks would work, or you can opt for dairy milk.
This isn’t an overnight slow cooker oats recipe. I’ve tried that. Even on low and warm settings, the oats just plain overcooked for my preference. The consistency goes brick-like and the pot requires some intense scraping if you don’t use a removable liner. I prefer to make this during the day, and then portion out the oats to go in the fridge and freezer. They reheat beautifully.
Bready or Not Original: Slow Cooker Apple Steel Cut Oats
Equipment
- large slow cooker
Ingredients
- 2 cups steel cut oats no substitutes
- 2 cups nut milk or oat milk, regular or vanilla, sweetened or unsweetened
- 2 cups water
- 2 medium apples peeled and chopped
- 1/4 cup brown sugar packed
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in slow cooker and stir to distribute. Place lid on pot and put heat level to LOW. Cook for 3 hours before lifting lid again. Stir and taste to test doneness. Continue to cook for 30 minutes to an hour more, dependent on the desired texture for the oats. The longer it cooks, the thicker it will be.
- Serve oats fresh, or stash in fridge to reheat in microwave over the next week. These oats are great to portion out and freeze for later. If desired, add more spices, fresh fruit, or extra milk when serving–the customization possibilities are endless!
*OM NOM NOM!*
Bready or Not: Snickerdoodle Brookie
Don’t struggle to choose between Snickerdoodles and Brownies. Have them both at the same time in this extraordinary Snickerdoodle Brookie!
This is essentially like a massive cookie-cake hybrid. It looks impressive, and the flavor is impressive, too. If the layers work out right, you get a bit of everything in every bite.
If you eat the brookie warm, the chocolate flavor is quite strong. I actually liked this best at room temperature. The flavors play together better then.
I mean, it’d be a shame to not get to enjoy the Snickerdoodle side of things. A travesty.
I modified this from the original in my favorite food magazine, Bake from Scratch. I tried to make it easier by using the microwave, prepping the pan with parchment, and clarifying the steps throughout.
I can also testify that this is a great recipe to portion out and freeze. Pieces don’t take long to thaw and the brookie is dense enough to be pretty portable, too, though the dusting of cinnamon and sugar on top can sometimes be messy.
Modified from the March/April 2020 issue of Bake from Scratch Magazine.
Bready or Not: Snickerdoodle Brookie
Equipment
- 9-inch round cake pan
- parchment paper
Ingredients
Brownie batter:
- 6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips or bittersweet (170 grams)
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter 1 cube
- 1 cup white sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup Dutch process cocoa powder sifted
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Snickerdoodle dough:
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
Topping:
- 1 tablespoon white sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Cut a piece of parchment to fit inside a 9-inch round cake pan. Apply nonstick spray in pan, place parchment, then spray parchment as well. Set aside.
Make brownie batter
- Melt together the chocolate and butter either in a double boiler on the stove or in the microwave in a microwave-safe bowl. Stir until everything is mixed and smooth. Stir in sugar. Set aside to cool for a few minutes before mixing in the eggs and vanilla.
- In a medium bowl, stir together flour, cocoa, and salt. Fold the dry ingredients into chocolate mixture just until combined. Set aside.
Make snickerdoodle dough
- Beat together the butter and sugar until they are fluffy; in a stand mixer, this will be at about 3 to 4 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl a few times. Add the egg and vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, stir together flour, cream of tartar, salt, cinnamon, and baking powder. Gradually mix the dry ingredients into butter mixture. Dough will be quite thick.
Assemble the cake
- Spoon large dollops (about 3 tablespoons each) of brownie batter into bottom of the prepared pan, leaving space between each lump. Crumble dollops of snickerdoodle dough in between brownie batter. Top with any more scoops of brownie batter and snickerdoodle dough. Gently use fingers to even out top.
- Bake until the middle passes the toothpick test, 33 to 40 minutes.
Make topping
- Stir together cinnamon and sugar. As soon as the cake is removed from the oven, sprinkle the mixture across the top.
- Let cool at least 15 minutes before cutting in. Cake can be served warm or at room temperature. It can also be frozen in slices and thawed for later enjoyment.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not: Potato Rolls
These Potato Rolls are perfect for a hearty sandwich with a wet filling like BBQ sauce.
The ‘potato’ here is potato flour, a not-so-secret ingredient to create soft bread with a tender crumb. It handles moisture in a different way than standard wheat flours.
It’s not the kind of thing carried by a standard grocery store, but the internet comes to the rescue! I use the kind sold by King Arthur Flour (an all-around fantastic purveyor of bready goods), but it is also sold by Bob’s Red Mill and (of course) Amazon. Check your local natural goods store, too.
Nonfat dry milk powder IS sold by many grocery stores, but I like the results of King Arthur Flour’s version best.
I’ve made these rolls several times and I find they didn’t double for me during the rise stages, but did they puff, and at the end the crumb showed a good texture inside.
I found that dividing by 8 made for good-sized sandwich rolls, but you can make these as big or small as you want, and any shape, too.
Modified from Food & Wine Magazine June 2020.
Bready or Not: Potato Rolls
Equipment
- parchment paper
- food scale
- basting brush
Ingredients
- 2 2/3 cups bread flour
- 1/3 cup potato flour available from King Arthur Flour and Bob's Red Mill
- 1/3 cup nonfat dry milk powder
- 2 1/2 Tablespoons white sugar
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 1/4 oz active dry yeast or one store-bought envelope
- 1 cup warm water 100 to 110-degrees
- 5 Tablespoons unsalted butter divided
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the warm water and 4 Tablespoons of melted butter. Add the bread flour, potato flour, milk powder, sugar, salt and yeast, and mix using the dough hook. Beat until the dough is cohesive, about 3 minutes.
- Increase the mixer’s speed and beat for another 6 minutes to make it smooth and elastic. Dough might be sticky. Grease another large bowl and dump the dough in there. Cover with plastic wrap or a towel and let it rise for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
- Place parchment paper on a large baking sheet. Use the food scale to weigh the dough. To make rolls of a good sandwich size, divide the total by eight; if smaller rolls are desired, go smaller. Pull off pieces of dough and shape into rounds. To smooth the surface, keep a saucer with water in it nearby, and use moistened fingers to smooth the dough. Set rounds spaced out on parchment. Loosely cover rolls with plastic wrap or a towel and let rise until they are puffy, about 35 to 45 minutes.
- Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Remove plastic wrap or towel. For sandwich-sized rolls, bake for 15 to 19 minutes, until the outside is nicely browned. Dip the basting brush into the remaining tablespoon of butter, and paint butter atop each roll to make glossy.
- Let rolls cool at least 15 minutes before cutting in. Rolls will keep for at least 2 days in a sealed bag at room temperature. They can also be frozen and thawed for later consumption.
OM NOM NOM!
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