Feb 24, 2009
My version of King Cake.
In celebration of Fat Tuesday I decided to make a King Cake. Turns out the cake isn’t so much a cake as a bread, but that doesn’t stand in the way of the dessert being delicious. Here’s my version of King Cake.
Dough
Into the bread maker put:
3 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon of salt
1 egg
One cup milk less a tablespoon
¼ cup melted butter
2-1/2 teaspoons of active dry yeast (which goes in your bread maker’s yeast dispenser)
When the dough is ready, roll it out into a long thing rectangle and then fill with:
Filling
¼ cup softened butter
¾ cup brown sugar.
Mix butter and sugar into a paste and then spread on the dough. Roll the dough up jellyroll fashion and then shape into a large circle.
Bake the King Cake for 15-18 minutes in a 350-degree oven. Ice with your favorite vanilla icing. My favorite go-to icing includes:
Icing
¼ cup softened cream cheese
¼ cup of softened butter
1-1/2 cups of confectioner’s sugar
Milk as needed (about a 1/2 cup)
Whisk cream cheese and butter together and then alternately add confectioner’s sugar and milk. I mix in just enough milk to make the icing easy to pour but not runny.
Decorate with yellow, green and blue colored sugars!
Feb 13, 2009
Yesterday, I joined fellow Sisters in Crime authors Barb Goffman, Donna Andrews, Patrick Hyde and C. Ellett Logan for a panel discussion on writing mysteries. We spoke to the Fairfax County Retired Teachers Association at the Elks Club in Fairfax, Virginia. It was great fun visiting with the teachers and hanging with SinC writers.
From L to R: C. Ellett Logan, MB, Barb Goffman and Donna Andrews.
Feb 11, 2009
I love to have these for my sweetie on Valentine’s Day. I make up the dough in my bread maker the night before, assemble the buns and then let them rise in the refrigerator. I also mix up the icing before I go to bed. A couple of hours before breakfast, I set the pans on the counter to rise (double is size) and then I bake in a 350 degree oven for 18-20 minutes. While they’re warm, pour the glaze over them.
Simple and so delicious!
Dough
3 ¼ cups of flour
¾ teaspoon of salt
1/3 cup of sugar
4 egg yolks
1 teaspoon of vanilla
¾ cup of water
1/4 cup of low fat sour cream
¼ cup of melted butter
1 package of dry yeast
Filling
¾ cups of brown sugar
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
½ cup chopped walnuts (optional)
Glaze
1 cup of powdered sugar
2-3 tablespoons of milk
For fun I baked this batch in a heart shaped pan.
Place all the ingredients in the dough maker (yeast goes in the yeast dispenser). Once the dough is ready, place on a floured surface and roll out into a large rectangle—about ¼ an inch thick. Sprinkle brown sugar, cinnamon and nuts on the dough. Roll the dough in a long spiral and then slice into individual portions. Place dough on a large greased pan. Give the rolls plenty of room to rise and spread. (If you’re prepping for tomorrow’s breakfast, cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator. In the morning a couple of hours before breakfast, place pans of uncooked rolls in a warm place and let them rise.) When they’ve risen to twice their original size, bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes. While they are warm, pour glaze over top and serve.
Feb 10, 2009
Natale Stenzel and I had great fun this past Saturday at the Books-A-Million in Richmond, VA. We chatted with fans, signed books and handed out lots of chocolate!
MB at Books-A-Million.
Jan 20, 2009
Keeping creativity nurtured and healthy can be a challenge for writers. The demands of deadlines, family and the day-to-day details of life can make it tough to come up with new and fresh ideas. Most writers who’ve been in the business a few years have learned ways to nurture and care for their muse. For some it’s reading, for others it’s gardening or sewing and for still others it’s painting. If my muse is a little too silent, I either head into the kitchen or I unroll my yoga mat. Both cooking and yoga are calming and they clear my head like nothing else.
I discovered yoga sometime around the deadline of book five or six. The demands of sitting at the computer for long hours were taking a toll on my back and sleepless nights were becoming the norm. I’d heard a few good things about yoga and decided I had nothing to lose.
Thinking back to my first yoga class makes me smile. My back, neck and hips were so tight I could barely sit comfortably on the mat. Child’s pose was uncomfortable. And mediation…well lets just say there was no quiet reflection happening. To Do Lists and worries cluttered my mind and I found myself impatient with the silence.
But I’m stubborn (not very Yoga of me) and I stuck with my practice. Now seven years later, I practice five days a week. I cannot only sit comfortably on the floor, but have become pretty good at headstands. I now love the silence of the class, and have found that “clearing the clutter” from my mind during meditation has been a gift to my creativity.
In honor of Yoga Day USA on January 24, I encourage everyone to try a couple of simple poses. Just give yourself a couple of minutes. Turn off the phone and computer, push away from the desk and take ten, slow deep breaths. If you’ve got more time to spare, shrug your shoulders, curl and uncurl your fingers and turn your head gently from side to side. And if you can find time for a full class, all the better!
