"Man does not live on bread alone." Luke 4:4
Although we don't live on bread alone, for me it wouldn't be hard! I love bread. Not store bought white bread that sticks to the roof of your mouth, but the hard crusty kind you have to tear apart and fight to chew!
Making yeast bread is an art I never managed to master. Thinking a bread machine would have me churning out perfect loaves, I eagerly purchased one when they first came out. Trying to save a few bucks, my husband found a refurbished model. Right. Out of every five loaves made, only one would turn out perfect.
My faulty bread machine dampened my enthusiasm about bread making and was used less and less. The last time I pulled it out was about four years ago. I was having a large family gathering on Christmas Eve, serving lasagna and Italian meatball soup. Wouldn't homemade Italian bread be good with that? Needless to say, the bread machine let me down again. My loaf, which should have been 12" high, rose only four and resembled a mass of concrete.
Back to the shelf. Why I kept it, I don't know. Perhaps I hoped that next time it wouldn't fail me and produce a tall, golden brown, dome topped flawless loaf, like it had on three other occasions during the 12 years I owned it.
Not long after this, my friend Lisa gave me a recipe for European rustic bread. I think I'd been complaining about my bad luck with yeast bread and she felt sorry for me. Lisa assured me the recipe was easy--and to my disbelief, not even a bread machine was necessary!
I've been making Lisa's bread ever since and have shared the recipe with others who are shocked to learn that I actually made it myself! A big thanks to Lisa!
Oh, so what happened to my bread machine? The day after I made the rustic bread for the first time, the bread maker went to the curb! Hope you enjoy this recipe! As with all yeast breads, several hours must be allowed to let it rise.
Rustic Bread
3 cups flour
1 1/4 t salt
1/4 t yeast
1 1/2 cups water
Mix all ingredients by hand. Knead dough until firm. Cover and let rise 9 hours.
Pour enough oil into the bottom of a cast iron pot with lid to cover bottom. Set inside cold oven. Preheat oven to 500 degrees with pot inside. Once oven is heated, remove cast iron pot and dump dough into it (it should be sizzling hot). Cover, and place back in oven. Bake 25 minutes. Remove cover and bake 7-13 more minutes.
Have a bread disaster story? I'd love to hear it!
Follow me on Twitter: @maria_mckenzie.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Monday, May 24, 2010
Clean Up Your Act: Trash Those Useless Details
"In many cases when a reader puts a story aside because it 'got boring,' the boredom arose because the writer grew enchanted with his powers of description and lost sight of his priority, which is to keep the ball rolling." Stephen King
I'm certainly guilty of descriptive overflow, as well as providing too many historical facts, overusing adverbs, and writing too many details that the reader doesn't need to know.
As writers, we want to entertain, not bog down our audience with how much we know, how beautifully we can describe something or explain every move a character makes upon waking up, driving to work, arriving at the office and riding the elevator to the 9th floor.
All of the above add wordiness and slow the pace. This takes away from the storytelling--what people buy books for in the first place!
In researching historical fiction, I find several things fascinating. But it's important for me to realize, that people read for the story, not a history lesson. Characters in whatever time frame we're writing about should react to events around them as we do today. In other words, no character should start espousing a dissertation on an event which today is considered historical and significant.
Something else I've had to curtail is wanting to describe every movement. "She took a sip of water. Afterwards, she set the glass down." The reader can figure that out, unless something significant happens as she puts the glass down. "She took a sip of water. But after setting down the glass discovered blood stains on the table."
It's also easy to lay it on thick with those adverbs and adjectives. "The large, shiny glaring light nearly blinded him with its overwhelmingly white brightness." Hmm, that's an instant rejection. How about, "The large light shone brightly, nearly blinding him."
Lastly, we should never overindulge ourselves by writing too much description. "Aunt Margaret's study, decorated with water stained antiques and thick gray curtains, appeared gloomy to Elise. She sat down on a wingback chair, feeling the metal springs beneath its threadbare fabric." That's good enough. Don't do this: "The chair once belonged to a wealthy planter in Georgia who'd owned 1000 slaves. At least that's what Aunt Margaret was told when she'd purchased it three years ago in Macon." Who cares?! Unless the history of the chair pertains in some way to the story, all we need to know is that it's old and uncomfortable!
Enough description to set things like time, the place and its surroundings, and the mood of your character/characters should provide enough details for the reader to fill in the rest. That's what reading fiction is all about, using your imagination!
What are some useless details you've learned to cut from your writing?
Follow me on Twitter: @maria_mckenzie.
I'm certainly guilty of descriptive overflow, as well as providing too many historical facts, overusing adverbs, and writing too many details that the reader doesn't need to know.
As writers, we want to entertain, not bog down our audience with how much we know, how beautifully we can describe something or explain every move a character makes upon waking up, driving to work, arriving at the office and riding the elevator to the 9th floor.
All of the above add wordiness and slow the pace. This takes away from the storytelling--what people buy books for in the first place!
In researching historical fiction, I find several things fascinating. But it's important for me to realize, that people read for the story, not a history lesson. Characters in whatever time frame we're writing about should react to events around them as we do today. In other words, no character should start espousing a dissertation on an event which today is considered historical and significant.
Something else I've had to curtail is wanting to describe every movement. "She took a sip of water. Afterwards, she set the glass down." The reader can figure that out, unless something significant happens as she puts the glass down. "She took a sip of water. But after setting down the glass discovered blood stains on the table."
It's also easy to lay it on thick with those adverbs and adjectives. "The large, shiny glaring light nearly blinded him with its overwhelmingly white brightness." Hmm, that's an instant rejection. How about, "The large light shone brightly, nearly blinding him."
Lastly, we should never overindulge ourselves by writing too much description. "Aunt Margaret's study, decorated with water stained antiques and thick gray curtains, appeared gloomy to Elise. She sat down on a wingback chair, feeling the metal springs beneath its threadbare fabric." That's good enough. Don't do this: "The chair once belonged to a wealthy planter in Georgia who'd owned 1000 slaves. At least that's what Aunt Margaret was told when she'd purchased it three years ago in Macon." Who cares?! Unless the history of the chair pertains in some way to the story, all we need to know is that it's old and uncomfortable!
Enough description to set things like time, the place and its surroundings, and the mood of your character/characters should provide enough details for the reader to fill in the rest. That's what reading fiction is all about, using your imagination!
What are some useless details you've learned to cut from your writing?
Follow me on Twitter: @maria_mckenzie.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Do You Know the Muffin Man?
"I can resist anything but temptation." Oscar Wilde
"Do you know the muffin man, the muffin man, the muffin man..." Okay, so we know the song, although none of us are personally acquainted with the Muffin Man. But if you're like me, you've never met a muffin you didn't like.
However, eater beware! Muffins may masquerade as harmless, healthy breakfast fare, but they're really no more than--GASP--cupcakes in disguise! They appear innocent as they sit benignly in coffee shops and bakeries pretending to be good for you. Honey bran, apple cinnamon, carrot raisin--yum! Loaded with oil and whole eggs, muffins are notorious fat traps. As the saying goes, "A moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips."
In other words, take caution before being tempted! In my quest to enjoy muffins that are delicious, but won't add inches to my waistline, I've transformed lots of recipes into low fat creations. Here's one of my favorites. Hope you enjoy it!
Carrot Pineapple Muffins
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
1t baking powder
1t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 t cinnamon
1/4 t nutmeg
1/4 t ginger
1 T canola oil
1/2 cup applesauce
1 whole egg, plus two egg whites
1/2 cup skim milk
1 1/2 cup carrots
1 cup crushed pineapple (undrained)
1 cup brown sugar
Preheat oven to 350 dgrees. Spray muffin tins (enough for two dozen) with non-stick cooking spray. In large bowl combine flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. Set asisde. In medium bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Add wet ingredients to dry, and stir until just blended. Fill muffin cups about 2/3 full (using an ice cream scoop works well). Bake 25-30 minutes. Yield: about two dozen.
"Do you know the muffin man, the muffin man, the muffin man..." Okay, so we know the song, although none of us are personally acquainted with the Muffin Man. But if you're like me, you've never met a muffin you didn't like.
However, eater beware! Muffins may masquerade as harmless, healthy breakfast fare, but they're really no more than--GASP--cupcakes in disguise! They appear innocent as they sit benignly in coffee shops and bakeries pretending to be good for you. Honey bran, apple cinnamon, carrot raisin--yum! Loaded with oil and whole eggs, muffins are notorious fat traps. As the saying goes, "A moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips."
In other words, take caution before being tempted! In my quest to enjoy muffins that are delicious, but won't add inches to my waistline, I've transformed lots of recipes into low fat creations. Here's one of my favorites. Hope you enjoy it!
Carrot Pineapple Muffins
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
1t baking powder
1t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 t cinnamon
1/4 t nutmeg
1/4 t ginger
1 T canola oil
1/2 cup applesauce
1 whole egg, plus two egg whites
1/2 cup skim milk
1 1/2 cup carrots
1 cup crushed pineapple (undrained)
1 cup brown sugar
Preheat oven to 350 dgrees. Spray muffin tins (enough for two dozen) with non-stick cooking spray. In large bowl combine flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. Set asisde. In medium bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Add wet ingredients to dry, and stir until just blended. Fill muffin cups about 2/3 full (using an ice cream scoop works well). Bake 25-30 minutes. Yield: about two dozen.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Who Will You Encourage Today?
"One of the most beautiful gifts in the world is the gift of encouragement. When someone encourages you, that person helps you over a threshold you might otherwise never have crossed on your own." John O'Donohue
The American Heritage Dictionary defines "encourage" as follows: to inspire with hope, courage or confidence.
Pastor Chris Beard (http://www.fcacincinnati.org/) described it in a totally awesome sermon this past Sunday, which inspired this post, when he said, "to encourage is to speak courage into someone's heart.
No matter what our circumstance, no matter what our station in life, we can all encourage others! Quoting Pastor Chris again, "We are made to take the input of others, and to to give our input to others.
But sometimes we're afraid to share our stories and experiences. Perhaps we're afraid of what people might think, or maybe we believe what we have to share isn't that important. But all of us learn and aquire wisdom from our mistakes, and it's a gift to share this with others!
Even though our scars exist (physical or emotional) the pain is gone, and sharing what we've experienced can stregthen, and speak courage into another person's life. One of the most moving accounts of encouragement I've ever read is in the June/July issue of Reader's Digest. Daniela Garcia was a young medical student who suffered horrific injuries after being run over by a train. Although she could have died, she didn't give up; she chose to live.
As a quadruple amputee, she finished her medical degree and became a rehabilitation physician. Through her experience, and her scars, she inspires patients daily, as well as ordinary folks like me who read her story.
Encouragement doesn't have to be on a dramatic scale. Every day we can encourage those around us. George M. Adams says, "Encouragement is sugar to the soul," and we all need it: children, spouses, friends, co-workers, the sales clerk who's having a bad day, etc.
In writing communities we encourage each other by sharing ideas to improve our writing. And we also share encouragement when rejections are received. We've all been there and we think of the current bestselling authors who aren't any more! And we're certainly encouraged to hear when one of us gets "the call" from an agent or publisher.
In the business world, encouragement by helping and sharing with others, and showing you care benefits everyone.
Dan Blank, in his http://www.wegrowmedia.com/ May 13 newsletter, wrote a post entitled "What Are You Sharing?" In it, he discussed a recent transaction of ideas he shared with a prospective client.
Even though no money was exchanged, he chose not to hold back on his ideas and give them only a little of what he could offer. Instead, he shared extensively. Dan said, "It wasn't a transaction of money, but rather a transaction of of ideas and possibilities. Of considering what we can create together. And that's the way it should be. To share. To help."
And that's encouragement--at home, at work, or somewhere else out there in life--to share, to help, to care.
Who will you encourage today?
The American Heritage Dictionary defines "encourage" as follows: to inspire with hope, courage or confidence.
Pastor Chris Beard (http://www.fcacincinnati.org/) described it in a totally awesome sermon this past Sunday, which inspired this post, when he said, "to encourage is to speak courage into someone's heart.
No matter what our circumstance, no matter what our station in life, we can all encourage others! Quoting Pastor Chris again, "We are made to take the input of others, and to to give our input to others.
But sometimes we're afraid to share our stories and experiences. Perhaps we're afraid of what people might think, or maybe we believe what we have to share isn't that important. But all of us learn and aquire wisdom from our mistakes, and it's a gift to share this with others!
Even though our scars exist (physical or emotional) the pain is gone, and sharing what we've experienced can stregthen, and speak courage into another person's life. One of the most moving accounts of encouragement I've ever read is in the June/July issue of Reader's Digest. Daniela Garcia was a young medical student who suffered horrific injuries after being run over by a train. Although she could have died, she didn't give up; she chose to live.
As a quadruple amputee, she finished her medical degree and became a rehabilitation physician. Through her experience, and her scars, she inspires patients daily, as well as ordinary folks like me who read her story.
Encouragement doesn't have to be on a dramatic scale. Every day we can encourage those around us. George M. Adams says, "Encouragement is sugar to the soul," and we all need it: children, spouses, friends, co-workers, the sales clerk who's having a bad day, etc.
In writing communities we encourage each other by sharing ideas to improve our writing. And we also share encouragement when rejections are received. We've all been there and we think of the current bestselling authors who aren't any more! And we're certainly encouraged to hear when one of us gets "the call" from an agent or publisher.
In the business world, encouragement by helping and sharing with others, and showing you care benefits everyone.
Dan Blank, in his http://www.wegrowmedia.com/ May 13 newsletter, wrote a post entitled "What Are You Sharing?" In it, he discussed a recent transaction of ideas he shared with a prospective client.
Even though no money was exchanged, he chose not to hold back on his ideas and give them only a little of what he could offer. Instead, he shared extensively. Dan said, "It wasn't a transaction of money, but rather a transaction of of ideas and possibilities. Of considering what we can create together. And that's the way it should be. To share. To help."
And that's encouragement--at home, at work, or somewhere else out there in life--to share, to help, to care.
Who will you encourage today?
Friday, May 14, 2010
Research: You Never Know Just What Might Turn Up
"Sometimes when you take another look, you will find something to be grateful for that you might otherwise have overlooked." Elizabeth Elliot
Isn't it amazing when we find something we're not even looking for at all? Research can be like that at times. As a former reference librarian, I enjoy searching for information and finding answers. But sometimes, as writers, we can make unexpected discoveries that can actually help us while crafting our stories.
Maybe you've been trying to determine just the right expression for a 1930's character's to use when you hear Johnny Depp say "like nobody's business" in the movie Public Enemies. Or maybe you want some in depth information on thespians in turn of the century New York, and then you stumble upon just the right book at a flea market--for $2.00! Perhaps you're trying to envision a dinner party from the 1940's, and when flipping through channels, find an old movie depicting just that. Or while visiting the museum, you see a furniture exhibit that can help you develop a description for a bedroom in 1889.
Could be that we're more attuned to what's around us when we're creating narratives. However, finding something that helps us when we least expect it, is the most fun and unexpected part of research!
What have you found to be grateful for lately?
Isn't it amazing when we find something we're not even looking for at all? Research can be like that at times. As a former reference librarian, I enjoy searching for information and finding answers. But sometimes, as writers, we can make unexpected discoveries that can actually help us while crafting our stories.
Maybe you've been trying to determine just the right expression for a 1930's character's to use when you hear Johnny Depp say "like nobody's business" in the movie Public Enemies. Or maybe you want some in depth information on thespians in turn of the century New York, and then you stumble upon just the right book at a flea market--for $2.00! Perhaps you're trying to envision a dinner party from the 1940's, and when flipping through channels, find an old movie depicting just that. Or while visiting the museum, you see a furniture exhibit that can help you develop a description for a bedroom in 1889.
Could be that we're more attuned to what's around us when we're creating narratives. However, finding something that helps us when we least expect it, is the most fun and unexpected part of research!
What have you found to be grateful for lately?
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