Thursday Recipe - Flamingo Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

This is my interpretation of a recipe in an old Southern Living Annual Recipe collection. The title grabbed me. Who could resist making Hummingbird Cake? I have no idea why it was called that but it sounded delicious and it was fairly easy to put together. And it's delicious. It takes time, but it's worth the wait.

It's full of tropical flavors and makes a wonderful spring dessert. I changed it up a bit, which is why I changed the name. The original called for pecans and lots of sugar. I don't usually like nuts in my baking, so I skipped them and added a pineapple-raspberry filling.

Flamingo Cake

3 - 4 very ripe bananas
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 c. butter, softened
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1 t. vanilla
3 eggs
1 20-oz can crushed pineapple, undrained and divided
2 c. white flour
1 c. whole wheat flour
1 T. cornstarch
1/3 c. raspberry jam or preserves
Cream Cheese Frosting
shredded coconut for garnish

Put bananas in the mixing bowl. Add sugar. Beat until bananas are smashed and sugar is mixed in. Add cinnamon, butter, baking soda, salt and vanilla. Mix together. Add eggs. Beat for 1 minute. Add half of the pineapple and the flours. Stir just until mixed.

Divide into baking pans - 3 8-inch round pans or 2 10-inch round pans (springform pans are nice for this because they make it easy to remove the cake). Bake at 350°F for 20-35 minutes, depending on pans. (My 10-inch pans needed 30 minutes.) Let cool in pans.

Meanwhile, place remaining pineapple in a small saucepan. Stir in cornstarch. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir one minute. Set aside to cool.

Once cake and filling are cool, make the frosting, then assemble the cake as follows:
Place one layer on a plate. Spread with jam and pineapple filling (use half at a time if you have three layers, otherwise spread it all on the first layer). Top with the second cake layer. Frost top and sides with cream cheese frosting. Sprinkle with coconut.

I'm not the best at decorating and I skipped the coconut on this one.

DO NOT EAT YET. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least six hours. This lets the cake flavors blend and the frosting and filling set.

Remove from refrigerator and serve chilled. Garnish with strawberries, raspberries, coconut, fresh pineapple, or ice cream. Be sure to refrigerate any leftovers.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1/2 c. butter, softened
1 8-oz package regular cream cheese at room temperature
1/2 t. vanilla
1/2 t. almond flavoring
3 T. milk
2 - 3 c. powdered sugar

Cream butter and cream cheese until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add vanilla, almond flavoring, and milk a little at a time, beating well after each addition. Mixture should be very soft and creamy. Add powdered sugar until mixture is of a spreading consistency. Beat for another 5 minutes until very fluffy. It will be a very soft frosting.

Basket of Book Reviews

Here's what I've been reading lately. Just FYI, I do these reviews because I liked the book enough to read it all the way through. Nobody pays me for them, although I get free copies of books sometimes. I rarely review books by request.

Bards of Bone Plain; Patricia McKillip

I adore McKillip's writing. It's so poetic and beautiful. Her stories sometimes leave me scratching my head and saying, huh? Not this one. This is a wonderful story of a young man searching for his life's dream which is tangled up in his father's hidden past and the lost magic of the kingdom. Oh, yes, he also finds his true love.

The story just flowed for me. I loved the interwoven stories and the descriptions and characters. It's a beautiful story of friendship and family, of a young man learning to reach for what he wants, instead of what his father, mother, or teachers want.

5 stars, G rating, good for everyone.

Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow; Jessica Day George

I confess, I know the author. I met her years ago at a local event. I bought a couple of her books two years ago and I just now got around to reading them. I should have picked them up earlier.

Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow is a retelling of a Scandinavian folk tale about a girl who rescues her brother/true love (depending on which version you read) from the Ice Queen/Troll Queen. Jessica tells the story in a simple way that's still very rich in detail. She starts off with the main character's backstory. She's the youngest daughter of a woodcutter with a very large family. Her mother, disappointed that she wasn't a boy, refuses to give her a name, so she is called Pika, which means girl. Magic things happen to her, like being gifted with the language of animals, that eventually lead to her being kidnapped by the Troll Princess who lives in a palace of ice in the far north. Strange things happen in the ice castle and since I don't want to spoil the surprises, I'm not going to tell you any more plot.

Go read the book. It's well worth it. It's an easy read, aimed mainly at 10-16yo girls, but I thoroughly enjoyed the tale. It's a good one for read-aloud sessions. If you enjoy fairy tales, try this one.

4.5 stars, G rating

Princess of Glass; Jessica Day George

This is the sequel to Princess of the Midnight Ball, which I haven't read yet. Princess of Glass can stand alone, but a lot of the story references things which happened in the previous book.

Princess of Glass is a retelling of Cinderella. I can hear you thinking, Another retelling of Cinderella? What more is there to say about this story? It's been done to death! And yet, Jessica manages to pull a very unique story out of the world she created for Princess of the Midnight Ball and tie it to the events in that story. And the evil one in this story is very creepy. I will never look at glassblowers the same way again.

Her writing style is easy to read and she spins a fun tale of magic and princesses and match-making.

4 stars, PG rating for all the flirting

Elidor; Alan Garner

This was written in 1965. My coy has a clearance sticker on the cover so I think it was a reprint I picked up at a book fair several years ago. What can I say? I'm finally catching up on my backlog of books.

This is definitely a middle-grade book, aimed at kids from 8-12 yo. It's a British book about four siblings who get transported to a magical world that is in deep peril and they are the only ones who can save it. Sound familiar? It's a very well-used trope in British MG fantasy, but remember this book was written over forty years ago back before it had been done to death.

I enjoyed the story and the magical world. The interactions of the children were believable although sometimes I wanted to smack them upside the head for squabbling and being idiots. I guess that just adds to the believability. But I have a couple of complaints. The author spends little time in Elidor. He builds on the idea but after the initial visit, they never go back. Instead, the evil keeps trying to break through to our world. But even that is given short shrift in the story. And then it just ends. Abruptly. I was left feeling like I'd been allowed a small peek into a very rich world and then had the door slammed shut. I wanted more of the world, more of the villains, more of everything except the squabbling children.

3 stars, G rating

A Little Short for an Alien; Frances Pauli

This is a collection of short stories by my friend, Frances Pauli. We met over our books and I'm still inspired by her writing. I love her stories. My biggest complaint is that this collection is too small. It's only got six stories. I want more!

If you enjoy stories about wild hair, aliens giving birth, space squids, androids, and replicator on the loose, this is for you. My favorite story, though, was the last one with enigmatic aliens and an unusual attempt to communicate with unintended consequences. I don't want to say more because I don't want to ruin your exploration of the numerous worlds and ideas that the author invents.

Frances Pauli writes with flair and passion. You can tell she loves space and aliens and all of the weird and wonderful things that might possibly happen. If I ever get a spaceship, I'm inviting her along. Mostly because she knows how to handle giant space squids.

5 stars, PG for some mild violence

Thursday Recipe - Succotash

What the hey is succotash, you ask? Well you might. Wikipedia says it's usually defined as a dish of corn and lima beans with other stuff. I just like saying it - succotash. Succotash. Suc! o tash. It's also a tasty vegetarian dish. I chucked mine in a crockpot and let it cook very slowly all afternoon. Simple, easy, delicious. Try some succotash.

Succotash

2 T. butter
1/2 c. minced onion
1 c. thinly sliced celery
2 c. diced carrot
1 10 oz. bag frozen baby lima beans
1 18 oz. can sweet corn

Place butter in the bottom of a 2 quart slow cooker. Dump onions and celery on top. Add carrots and lima beans. Open the can of corn. Do Not Drain. Pour it over the top. Cover and cook on low for 4 - 6 hours. Don't bother stirring it. You want it layered while it's cooking. The stuff that needs the longest cooking time is on the bottom of the pot where it needs to be. Don't panic and add water, either or you'll end up with soup. Just slap the lid on and let the slow cooker do its magic.

30 minutes before serving, stir it well. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover and let it cook the rest of the way.

Serve with butter, sour cream, bacon, ham, cheese, whatever you want to top it with. I just used a little butter and pepper on mine.

Feel free to add up to 2 c. fresh veggies when you stir it - asparagus, green beans, bell peppers, kale, collard greens, etc. Use whatever you have on hand. They'll cook during that last 30 minutes.

Truth in Advertising

I hate to be nitpicky, but no, your car really isn't running on recycled dinosaurs. Try recycled algae or peat moss. But that isn't as funny or as cool.

Who wouldn't want to stuff a tyrannosaurus into the gas tank? (I wonder if car manufacturers would respond to a petition to change "horsepower" to "t-rexpower"? My car has a 20 t-rex power engine!)

But it isn't true.

I ran across a discussion in one of my author groups that's been eating at me for the same reasons.

An author complained that if she tagged her book as erotica on Amazon.com, they wouldn't let her list it in any other category. Her solution was to tag all her books as "Family" instead. Um, no. Just no. Erotica does not equal family oriented entertainment, not in any society I want to be part of.

I would have probably forgotten about it, except a few days later I was chatting with a neighbor about ebooks. She mentioned she'd bought one listed in the family category that should have had TV-MA or XXX warnings on it instead. She said she gave the book a really bad review for that reason. She's the sweetest lady, who would never viciously attack anything, not even a cupcake with a fork. For her to give you a bad review, you had to do something horrid. Like lie about your book.

When you slap labels on your book, it isn't all about making sales or getting noticed. It's also about informing the customer what to expect. Some customers really don't enjoy spicy hot romance books. Some of us don't enjoy MM or MMFM or whatever alphabet soup romance you want to cook up. We are not your target audience. Someone else is. When you label your erotic story as family entertainment, you are lying to the consumer. People don't like being lied to. They tend to get upset. Upset people do things like complain and give you bad reviews. Upset people tell their friends and give you a bad reputation. You end up losing sales, not to mention any goodwill you may have earned.

Those ratings are a tool. Don't abuse them. Don't push boundaries just because you can.

And for pete's sake, DON'T LIE TO THE CUSTOMERS. You are not going to convert them from family/sweet reads to erotica by mislabeling your stories. You are only going to make enemies.

I think from now on, I'm going to label all my dry, scientific papers as erotica. That should get me more sales...

Thursday Recipe - Fresh Ginger Cookies

Halfway between molasses cookies and gingersnaps, these have a very different flavor than either. The original recipe is here on allrecipes.com. Just so you can see what I do to recipes, I'm posting my version. Next time I get my hands on fresh ginger, I'm saving a chunk so I can make these again.

Here's a great tip for making these: Get your teenage son to finely grate the ginger for you. They've got energy to burn, plus they don't have arthritis yet. (I'm going to have to invest in a food processor with a grating attachment one of these days. I finally broke down and bought an electric can opener last Christmas. Just one more sign of how young I am not...)

Fresh Ginger Cookies

1/2 c. butter, softened
1/4 c. honey
3/4 c. sugar
1 egg
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
2 T. grated fresh ginger
1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
3/4 c. white flour

Cream butter, honey, and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg, soda, salt, and ginger. Beat well. Stir in flour just until cookies are mixed. Scoop dough into 1 inch balls. Place on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350°F for 10-12 minutes, just until cookies are set. Let cool on sheets at least 5 minutes.

Snarf the whole batch before your kids get to eat any.

Author Interview - Vonnie Winslow Crist

Please welcome Vonnie Winslow Crist to the Far Edge of Normal!
Born in the Year of the Dragon, Vonnie Winslow Crist has had a life-long interest in reading, writing, art, myth, fairytales, folklore, and legends. And having been a night person since infancy, she is quite fond of stars, moonlight, forests, owls, and other creatures of the darkness.

After attending Perry Hall Elementary, Parkville Junior High, and Perry Hall High, she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Art Education from Towson University. She married, then raised three children, did freelance illustrating and writing, and taught poetry for the Maryland State Arts Council’s Artists in Education Program. Thirty years after graduating from Towson, she returned to her alma mater and earned a Masters in Professional Writing.

A firm believer that the world around us is filled with miracles, mystery, and magic, Vonnie still sees fairies amidst the trees, mermaids on jetties, and ghosts and goblins of all sorts in the shadows. Her garden overflows with herbs and statues of animals. Toadstool rings sprout regularly on her lawn. And she's found so many four-leafed clovers that she keeps them in a jar.

For more information, check her website or blog.  Find her books on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and elsewhere. Become her friend and fan on Facebook and Goodreads. And follow her on Twitter.

Tell us about your writing - What genre do you prefer to write? What books, stories, other publications that you've written are your personal favorites? Anything new coming up?
I prefer to write fantasy with a mythic or folklore feel to it. I've loved myths, legends, folklore, and fairytales since I was little, so my writing tends to be influenced by them.

My favorite book or story is the one I'm working on at the moment or the one I'm dreaming about writing next. That being said, if I had to choose a favorite published story, I guess it would be either “Blood of the Swan” or “Sideshow by the Sea.” Both won Honorable Mentions in L. Ron Hubbard's Writers of the Future Contests, were published by wonderful semi-pro presses, and ended up in one of my short story collections. Both tales are also filled with folklore and mythic creatures.

As far as new publications, my Young Adult fantasy, “The Enchanted Skean,” was just published by Mockingbird Lane Press. You can view its book trailer here. My second collection of speculative short stories (with a pinch of poetry and art tossed in for good measure), “Owl Light,” is due out shortly from Cold Moon Press. One of my paintings is due to be featured on the cover of “Bards and Sages Quarterly,” a dark fantasy poem should be in the next issue of “Paper Crow” magazine, and I'm hoping a couple of stories make it into anthologies due out later this year.

What about you as a person? What do you do to relax? Favorite movies or tv shows? Hobbies? 
I enjoy gardening, walking in the woods, cooking, needle-arts, history, painting, reading, and traveling. And of course, spending time with family and friends. My favorite movies are “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, the “Star Wars” movies, “Willow,” “A.I.,” the “Star Trek” movies, “Serenity,” and many other fantasy/science fiction flicks. As far as tv shows, “Firefly” (yes, I know it's no longer on, but it still rocks), “Grimm,” “Once Upon a Time,” “Revolution,” “Defiance,” and “Castle.”

What gets your creative juices going? Do you write to a music, and do you want to share your playlist?
Oddly, I rarely write to music, though I listen to music when I'm painting. I like to listen to Stevie Nicks, Enya, assorted Celtic music, Heart, the Eagles, Meatloaf, the Dixie Chicks... As you can see, it's a rather eclectic mix. When I'm writing, I like to listen to nature – the sound of birds, the wind, the buzzing of insects, sleet clicking against the window, etc.

"All writers must have cats, especially if they write fantasy or speculative fiction." Do you have a stand on this one? Any cute pictures of your kitty or other pet? 
I've only had one cat, Samantha, a stray that wandered into my life and heart. But I've had many dogs (all of them strays or unwanted animals) since I was a toddler. Currently, my dog is Sandy the Black-Mouthed Cur (the same breed as Old Yeller). I adopted her from the Humane Society, and she keeps me company when I'm writing.

What organizations do you recommend for those wanting to become writers? Any advice you'd like to share about writing?
As far as writers' organizations, I recommend Broad Universe for speculative writers, the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators for children's and young adult writers, and then, a local writers' group that is professional and positive for general writing support. In my case, it's the Maryland Writers Association.

As far as writing advice: Read, write, read, write, then rewrite. Find a helpful critique group. Research markets, submit work, and keep writing while you wait to hear back from editors. Don't be discouraged. Practice makes you better. Persistence will usually result is finally getting an acceptance letter. And always be polite and professional to editors, fellow writers, and readers.

What writers inspired you to become an author?
As a book-lover since childhood, I've been inspired by many authors. A few who come to mind are JRR Tolkien, CS Lewis, Andre Norton, Laura Ingalls Wilder, and Ruth Gannet Stiles.

Any special appearances or events coming up that you want to mention?
I'll be at Balticon on Memorial Day Weekend and I'll be speaking to several Maryland writers' groups in the next few months.

If you could travel to any time in history, when would you visit?
There are many moments in history I'd love to witness, but I must admit to liking modern day food, housing, education, medical care, and the equal rights women enjoy in the USA – so I guess I'll have to take a pass on going back in time except in books.

If you could have dinner with any of your characters, which ones would you choose? What food would you serve?
Voland, Glum, and Elke – Janepar warriors from “The Enchanted Skean.” There would be singing, tale-telling, abundant food and drink, and good humor. I'd serve a hearty stew, fresh-baked bread, and blueberry pie.

If you could travel anywhere, on earth or off, where would you go?
On earth, if it were safe to do so, I'd like to visit the remains of ancient societies in Europe, the Middle East, along the Mediterranean, in Central and South America, Asia, etc. (My interest in history is showing here). Though I'd love to explore a planet suitable for humans, it would be outside our solar system, and therefore if I journeyed to it, I'd have to give up years with my family here on earth. And, alas, I'm not willing to do that.

What color would you wear if you had only one choice?
Black. I know it seems grim, but I think it's because black reminds me of night.

Black also makes you look slimmer, right? *cheesy grin* Thanks for visiting, Vonnie. It's been a pleasure!

SFR Brigade Presents...

Once a week, a group of us from the SFR Brigade post snippets from our current writings (click the link to find the rest). Here's mine from Poisoned Pawn:

Luke Verity arrived at the restaurant a fashionable forty minutes late. The planet Kimmel boasted some very glamorous night spots. This wasn’t one of them. Luke could barely conceal his disdain for the dusty decor and bland food. He tried to be civil to his dining companion, but even that was difficult. The man dressed with no sense of style or fashion. He looked like an accountant. He smelled of sweat.
Ortel leaned forward. “I’m telling you, Hom Verity, this sector is ripe for the taking. You find a way to get the governer in your pocket and no one can stop you.”