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Pear and walnut bread Makes one loaf. 1 ½ cups plain flour ½ tsp baking soda ¼ tsp baking powder ½ tsp sea salt 1 heaped tsp ground cinnamon ½ cup chopped walnuts 125g butter, melted (or use oil) 1 large egg, lightly beaten 1 cup sugar 2-3 firm pears, grated to yield 1 cup 1 tsp vanilla extract Preheat oven to 175 C. Grease and line a 12cm loaf pan. Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Add walnuts and toss to coat. Set aside. In a medium bowl, lightly whisk to combine, butter, eggs and sugar. Stir in grated pear, and vanilla and stir to mix everything well. Pour pear mixture into dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Scrape batter into prepared tin and bake for 50-60 minutes or until bread is browned, risen and a skewer inserted comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for about 10-15 minutes before turning out to cool on a wire rack, top side up. Serve slices as is or generously buttered. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How can organic writing and leaning into the pivot help your stories stand out? And how can you pitch a story as a discovery writer if you genuinely don't know what's going to happen next. Steven James gives his writing tips after more than 20 years as an author. In the intro, Better Than Free in an Age of AI [Kevin Kelly on Tim Ferriss; Kevin Kelly on The Creative Penn]; Future Vision XPrize; A Different Kind of Bucket List. Today's show is sponsored by Draft2Digital, self-publishing with support, where you can get free formatting, free distribution to multiple stores, and a host of other benefits. Just go to www.draft2digital.com to get started. This show is also supported by my Patrons. Join my Community at Patreon.com/thecreativepenn Steven James is the multi-award-winning and international bestselling author of 21 novels across thrillers, YA, and science fiction, with more than a million copies sold, as well as the author of non-fiction craft books for writers, a writing teacher, and the host of The Story Blender podcast. You can listen above or on your favorite podcast app or read the notes and links below. Here are the highlights and the full transcript is below. Show Notes How to lean into organic writing, and what to focus on instead of plot How characters unfold on the page, and why an attitude beats a background Producing an outline for an agent or publisher when you genuinely don't know what happens next Don't pitch the plot, pitch the pivot The four choices you have in every scene, and why logic plus surprise is the engine of story Faith, moral clarity and big questions You can find Steven at StevenJames.net. Transcript of the interview with Steven James Jo: Steven James is the multi-award-winning and international bestselling author of 21 novels across thrillers, YA, and science fiction, with more than a million copies sold, as well as the author of non-fiction craft books for writers, a writing teacher, and the host of The Story Blender Podcast. So welcome to the show, Steven. Steven: Thanks for having me, Jo. Good to be here. Jo: Great to have you on the show. First up— Tell us a bit more about you and how you got into writing and publishing. Steven: Oh, gosh. Well, the thing is, when I was a kid, I fell in love with stories. My uncle would always, whenever we got together for the holidays—Christmas, New Year's and so on—he would take my sister, my brother and myself into a corner of the room while the other adults had coffee, and we would just sit there, and he would get this look in his eye and he'd say, “I'm going to tell you a story.” We were transported to another world. We were swashbuckling with pirates, or facing down a grizzly bear in Alaska, or flying over the desert on a flying carpet, or whatever. I fell in love with imagination and stories and everything. So I started reading as much as I could, mostly short stories. They had a programme at our library called the paperback book exchange, where you bring a paperback book and you leave it, and you can take any one of the paperback books that they had. You could keep it as long as you wanted. If you wanted it for your life, that's fine, or you could just bring it back as soon as you finished reading it. Anyway, I went crazy over the summers reading short stories, mainly. As I got older, I was like, “I think I want to be a storyteller.” So I actually got my master's degree in storytelling. Then I started to travel and tell stories, but I had three little daughters at home, and I was like, “I don't want to be gone 300 days a year when they are growing up.” So I ended up starting to write stories instead of travel, and then it just kind of shifted in that direction. That was in '97. Oh my goodness, that's long. '97, '98. So then I started to write books, and then eventually in 2007, I think, my first novel came out. Now, mainly, I've been writing novels ever since. Jo: It's so interesting. Was it a job, storytelling? Is that what you did before you became a book writer? Or did you have a different job? Steven: I mostly would go to events, conferences, schools and so on, and do a family-friendly storytelling show. So I would tell personal stories, some folktales reimagined. I would go to different events around the country. Mostly it was that. Then I started to shift. I wrote for magazines for a while—80 different magazines I wrote for over those years, a couple of hundred different articles, stories. I was like, “I'm just going to try to make a living telling stories.” So the shift has gone back and forth between actually telling stories and writing stories, but these days, I don't know. I'm still speaking. I'm still out there teaching. Jo: That's so interesting, because it's obviously a completely different thing to tell a story in person than it is to write a story. So when you decided to shift that way, what did you have to learn and unlearn? Because your thoughts on the page are so different to when you can make eye contact with an audience. Steven: That's a good point. I kind of started by telling stories back when I was in college, so I sort of moved from telling to writing. And you're right, there's so much that's lost, whether it's eye contact or pauses. On a printed page, there's always the same amount of space between every word—a space. But when you tell stories, obviously you pause for effect in different places, different areas, and so it's quite different. So if I have an idea for a story, I usually have to decide, is this going to be written or told? And then I do it in that medium. Then if I want to, let's say, tell a written story, I almost have to relearn it, or retell it very differently. You have gestures, body language. All of those things are obviously lost in text, so they are very different. I think for me it's been good, because when I tell stories, I hear different characters speaking, so that when I write, usually dialogue comes fast to me. I can hear what people are saying. I don't always know where they are. I don't always know the setting. I don't even know the scene necessarily, but I can hear the dialogue. Then it also helps me to step into the characters, like when I'm writing different points of view, so that I think I can do a good job of getting into that character's mind, as if I were that person. I think some of that comes from just telling stories. Jo: You've taught so many writers over the years, and it's interesting you said that you hear characters' dialogue. I see visual film in my mind. I don't hear any voice at all. It's all silent. I struggle with dialogue, but I do great world building. Do you find that this really is different by the author? I feel like we fall into these different groups. Steven: Yes, I do. I kind of feel like that's very true as far as what comes first, whether it's a description of a place, whether it's the action. I mean, basically a story has dialogue, narration—or we call it sometimes exposition—and description. Those three things. Every story has those three things, and those are the three that we use to tell a story, a novel. So some people tend to drift into one or the other as sort of their default setting: dialogue, description, or action. That's true. I think also something else that's interesting about writers is they tend to fall into either the camp of being a wordsmith or a storyteller. Not everyone, but I feel like some people are wordsmiths, where I read what they're writing, and I'm like, “Man, this is so powerful, evocative,” whatever. Maybe there's no story there. It's just really interesting writing. Other people just are natural storytellers, and they have to really work on the wordsmithing. I think that's me. I'm more naturally just a storyteller, but it takes me a long time to get the descriptions to where I want them, to choose exactly the right word. That takes me more effort. Some people have to build up the storytelling muscles. I have to build up the wordsmithing muscles. Jo: Well, part of the reason I wanted to talk to you is because you talk about this thing called organic writing in your book Story Trumps Structure, which is out now in a second edition. I call it discovery writing, so similar to you. But most people in the writing community seem to obsess about plotting and planning. So talk about your process of organic writing. You say in the book, “Trust the fluidity of the process.” Tell us more about that. Steven: Well, I remember in high school even, when my teacher got up front and he kind of got this very almost wise look on his face, and he goes, “A story is something with a beginning, a middle, and an end.” I'm sitting there in high school like, “Well, so does a bratwurst. What are you talking about here?” A description of a chair has a beginning, a middle, and an end. The sentence, “Preheat the oven to 450 degrees,” has a beginning, a middle, and an end. My view is that saying a story is something that has three acts is like saying that a pizza is something with three toppings. It might have three. It might have one. It might have five. So the idea for me is not to worry about structure, trying to tick off the boxes of a template, a formula you find online, a fill-in-the-blanks kind of a thing. But instead, to actually look at what lies at the heart of the story—the character, the tension, the struggle, the pursuit, the pivots and plot twists, and the payoff at the end. As you develop those aspects of the story, I feel like you need to worry less and less about following a formula. The more you understand what lies at the heart of a story, I feel like the less you need to plot and the less you need to write by the seat of your pants. A lot of people say, “Oh, you write by the seat of…” No, I don't write by the seat of my pants, because I know what a story contains, so I know that in a certain scene a character will make certain choices that are unpredictable but that escalate the tension, and different things like that. I'm a huge proponent of discovery, as you say, or organic writing. I won't get the quote exactly right, but Ray Bradbury said something along the lines of, “Plot is the tracks left in the snow after your characters have run by on their incredible destinations. It cannot precede action. It is the chart that remains when an action is through.” So he's saying plot is not what precedes action. After the action, you have plot. So the whole idea of trying to plot out a story before you write it is going about writing exactly backwards. Plot doesn't precede action. It's the result. So I always tell people, “Don't worry so much about the plot. I want you to look at the pursuit.” A plotter might say, “Well, what should happen?” And they'll just come up with something. But an organic writer—a pursuit-based question would be, what does the character want? Now, when I know what the character wants, I will know what should happen. So literally, it will lead me to the story. Focusing on plot will not necessarily lead you to the story. It might lead you down the wrong track. Jo: Then in terms of your actual writing process— Do you start writing without knowing the ending? Do you write in order? Is the organic side also in the process? Steven: I've never started a book where I know how it will end. So I usually start with either a character that's fascinating or, in some cases, a premise, a question. Then as I write, I explore the possibilities of where it might go. I've tried to outline a scene—like one scene, not a whole book—and it never works. I can't even outline one scene. I've tried, and I'm like, okay, that's… What I end up with is completely different from it, so it's just a waste of time and effort for me to try to outline or plot out a story. I'm much more interested in the pathway the characters will take as they face obstacles and setbacks in their pursuit. As the struggles and the tension develop, what choices will they make? That's how the story will unfold for me. Jo: I'm similar. Then I also wonder— Do you do character sheets and character bios, or do the characters also unfold organically? Steven: Absolutely, I don't do any of the sheets and bios and stuff. The characters really come to me as I write. I begin to get to know them. I always tell people, a character with an attitude is more interesting than a character with a background. So a lot of people will spend a lot of time on, like, where's this character gone to college, and what's their first pet's name, all that stuff. I'm not trying to dump on that idea. I get that that can be helpful. But I'm like, how would I know that until I've spent time with them? Then once I begin to spend time with them, I'm writing and I'm like, “Nah, this doesn't seem like what that character would really say or do,” so I have to go back and rejigger the story to hopefully make it fit with that character. Then I like to give the characters some sort of attitude. I'm not talking about a negative or judgy attitude, but an attitude about something that is unique or different, and that makes them not a template character, not an archetype or whatever, but unique. Sort of this constellation of unique traits, characteristics, maybe wounds, flaws and so on, that create a character where you're like, “This is a character like none I've ever seen before. I want to spend time with this character.” Jo: Then you're spending time with the character by writing what's happening, as opposed to writing loads of stuff beforehand and then starting to write. You're actually finding all of this out during the process of writing. Steven: Yes, and I think it's kind of like getting to know someone. If I were to say, “Okay, I'm going to write down Jo's bio,” or whatever—okay, I'm making stuff up, because I don't know you super well. If we were to spend time together, hang out, whatever, talk, over the course of time I would start to know, oh, she likes this, she doesn't like that. This is important to her. This is what she would weep or pound the table over—whatever, all of the things that come with time. It's like a friendship in real life to me. So I can't sit down and tell you what a character in real life would think and say and do if I don't know them, but the more time I spend with them, then the more I'm able to predict that accurately. I think the mistake a lot of people make is they think, “I'm going to get to know this character with a background,” and then they start writing it, and instead of looking at the context, they look back at the—I don't know what you call it—the background or something like that. I always feel like what you mentioned earlier is, like, hold it loosely in your hand. Trust the fluidity of the process. As you're writing, you have an instinct. “Ah, I think this character would say this or do this.” So trust that. Trust that instinct. Trust that moment in the story, instead of trying to go back to an outline, back to a character description, or whatever it might be. So I'm a big proponent of looking at the context—not just what happened, but what is the result? So looking at the impetus and the implication of the choices and the activities. When something occurs, what would the character naturally say or do or think or respond? Then what would that cause? What's the implication that that would have on the rest of the story, on the rest of the characters? So, really trying to keep your finger on the pulse of the story, and adapt as you move forward through it. Jo: I love all of that, but I also am very aware that you've been in traditional publishing for over 20 years, and one of the things with agents and publishers is that they often ask for an outline. So how do you manage that? Or how did you more earlier in your career, because I imagine they just trust you now. Earlier in your career, or people listening who want to pitch but they write in this organic way, how do we deal with that kind of thing? Steven: Well, okay, so there's two good questions. One is about producing an outline for an agent or editor or publisher and so on. The other is how to pitch a story. So the first: I would write the premise down, and maybe a paragraph or two, and then where I think it might go. Basically, I would focus on the questions that the characters will face, maybe the moral dilemmas, the sacrifices they have to make, the world they live in. I kind of know that stuff, and I can write a couple of paragraphs about that. But beyond that, I just don't know what's going to happen, so I can't really provide more. I'm looking at my shelf at the books that I've done, and mostly that's what I've done is kind of a couple of paragraphs focusing on the premise and the problem, the struggle, and so on like that. As far as pitching a story, I always tell people, “Don't pitch the plot, pitch the pivot.” I think that there's a screenwriter—I think that he talks about this a little bit. I've not read the book Save the Cat, but people have told me, “Oh, he kind of brings this up in that book.” The idea is to pitch the irony instead of what occurs. So sometimes when I tell people to pitch, or I give them ideas, one process that you can use is: when, must, before, or else. So, when this occurs, this character must do something before this, or else. So you have the character, you have the struggle, you have the inciting incident, you have the stakes, and you have the countdown. It works well for thrillers. So for instance, like Jaws. When a man-eating shark starts eating people in a small seaside village, the sheriff must stop him before more people die and the town loses its economy. So there you have when, must, before, or else. Now, no one's going to buy the story based on that, because there's no irony, there's no pivot. It's just a description of the plot, and that's what most people pitch. So I always tell people, pitch the part of the story that you wouldn't expect. So for instance, in there you might pitch: when a shark starts eating people in a small seaside village, the only one who can stop him is afraid of the water. Now you're like, “Oh, well, that's interesting. How does that happen? What happens there?” With my book Broker of Lies, the pitch was something like, when a high-level Pentagon redactor ends up on the run, he must stop a terrorist attack before he's neutralised by the people he trusts the most. So the pivot is that the people he trusts at the Pentagon the most are actually trying to neutralise him because he's on the run, and all that kind of stuff. So why would they be trying to do that? Well, that's interesting. So it's always looking for the irony, the pivot. Why is this character the last one in the world who would ever be equipped to tackle this problem or face this issue? So that's one way to do a pitch. Obviously there's lots of them, but I think your goal with a pitch is to get them to say, “Tell me more.” It's not necessarily to summarise the whole story. Jo: That's great advice. So you teach writers—I first saw you at ThrillerFest, I think it was 2012—and you do events, you run writing retreats. So you work with a lot of authors, and I wondered, what are the challenges that you see from authors with, say, five books? So not the beginner authors, because obviously there's a lot of challenges. But those who, let's say they've got the three to five books, things are going all right, but they're like, “How do I get to the next level?” What are the craft issues, or the business issues as well, that mid-list authors face? Steven: Well, business, I'm not the guy to ask. I could try to answer that, but I mean, basically: meet your deadlines and write something amazing. Try to be easy to work with, but also stand up for what you wrote as far as working with editors. It's sort of a fine line you have to walk. The one thing that over the last few years I've really noticed in a lot of writers who are in that space is that they don't have many pivots. They tend to write predictable stories, and that's why they tend to stay where they're at—whether it's because they're following an outline or a plot formula or whatever it is. So when I talk about a pivot, I mean a moment in the story where something happens that's both unexpected and inevitable. For instance, if you're reading a story, you want things to make sense. You want them to be logical. That's one thing. But you don't want them to be too predictable. If it's too predictable, it's boring. It's like, I'm not interested. So we also want surprises. We want these two things. We want logic, and we want surprise. When those two things meet and you have a moment in the story where it's like, “I didn't see that coming, but that totally makes sense,” that's what we want, and we want that in every scene. I feel like a lot of authors don't have that in every scene. Now, you might say, “Well, every scene?” Well, yes, because basically those two factors, logic and surprise, can only meet in four different ways. You could have something that's very logical but has no surprises. That's going to be boring. It's going to be too predictable. We don't want that. You could have something that is very surprising but not logical. It makes no sense. A lot of stuff is surprising, but that's not what we want, because it's unbelievable, and it's like, what is going on here? You could have something that has neither logic nor surprise, which obviously we don't want that. The only other option is to have a moment that is both logical and surprising. So you have a choice in every scene. You have four choices, actually. You can have it be predictable and boring. You can have it be nonsensical. You can have it be unbelievable. Or you can have a pivot. So I find myself trying to really coach people on pivots. They'll say, “Oh, well, do I need it in every scene?” I'm like, “You can choose, but do you want it to be predictable or boring or nonsensical, or do you want it to really drive the story forward?” I think it's because people have been taught structure and plot and three acts and all this kind of stuff, but they haven't been taught this idea—even though it's not something I made up. Aristotle, in Poetics, thousands of years ago, put it a little bit differently, but he said, “The reversal of the situation”—what I call the pivot—”is the moment at which the action veers around to its opposite”—that would be what I call surprise—”subject always to a rule of probability or necessity”—which is the logic. So he's basically saying the same thing in just a little bit different language, but you have these three factors. You have logic, you have surprise, and you have them come together in a specific moment. I don't know why it's not taught more. I have never found anyone who teaches pivots. I have not found any books, so I wrote a book recently about how to use pivots. It's so central, and I think great storytellers naturally do it. You'll read a book, or you'll maybe watch a show, and you're like, “Oh, I didn't see that coming. That totally makes sense.” I don't see anyone else out there really focusing on teaching that. So that's a huge thing for me, really, to help people move up in their writing, elevate it to a different level. Jo: Is that Delve, Pivot, Propel? Steven: Yes. That book came out a couple years ago. We just re-released it. I updated it some, but it talks pretty much in depth about pivots and how to actually use those to propel the stories forward. Jo: Maybe you could just give us one tip on how to do that, because going back to the organic writing—let's say I've been organically writing, and every time a character has a decision to make, I think at that point about what I want to write and I write it. Are you suggesting that we go back in the edit and look at the end of every scene and redo it? Because I can't imagine that I would get this right every time. I would need to do that in an edit, I think. Steven: I think for me, when I'm writing, I'm always asking myself a series of questions. One is, what would the character naturally do? I want to make it believable and natural. Let them do it. I want to escalate the tension, so I'll ask myself, “How can I make things worse?” Then I'll always ask myself, how can I add a pivot to this scene? So as I'm writing a scene—again, I don't know how it will end when I start it—but if I use the first idea that comes to mind, probably a lot of readers would guess that as well, because it's the first idea that comes to mind. It's probably logical and probably predictable. That's why most stories end up being too predictable. It's because we go with the first idea that maybe we had. So I try to discard that. Maybe the second idea, just discard it. Then I start thinking, okay, now if I've discarded the obvious, what is going on? What's below the surface? So to answer your question, I'm looking for what isn't what it appears to be, or who isn't who they appear to be, or a surprising way to bring together plot threads that I didn't see related before. So it's always looking for the unexpected, the surprise, because most of the time that is what we're missing. Now, if you have a great surprise, then you have to lean into making it believable. So you've got to move into that idea of, well, what would the character naturally do? You can't just have him do something ridiculous and then say, “Oh, it's for my twist.” No, you can't do that. You've got to play fair. So it has to be believable, causally related, logical, and surprising. That's what you're shooting for. Those are the questions going through my mind. So as I'm working on a scene, I'm like, “How could I end this?” Or include something that people won't see coming right away. The best ideas always come to me then. It's so interesting. A lot of people will say, “Oh, don't write organically,” or, quote, “by the seat of your pants,” whatever they'll say, “because then you might write yourself into a corner.” I'm like, “Yes, absolutely write yourself into a corner. That's what I'm trying to do in every scene.” And then you write yourself out of a corner in a way that's logical and surprising. The best twists I've ever come up with have been when I'm in a corner. So why would I warn people against going to the place where the best ideas await them? That just seems mean. Why would I do that? No, I want you to have the best possible ideas. So yes, look for corners, write yourself into them, and then write yourself out of them in a way that's both logical and surprising. Jo: I guess also it needs to be genre specific. We write mainly thrillers, and there is this fine line, isn't there? I love Stephen King, but one of the most unbelievable endings is Under the Dome. I still remember feeling betrayed. I don't know if you've read that one, but— Steven: Oh, no. Jo: I was like, “I'm sorry, you've just changed genre in the last chapter of the book. What is going on here?” Steven: That's actually interesting. The fourth question I ask… So I ask, what would the character naturally do? How can I make things worse? How can I add a pivot? But the fourth question is, what promises have I made that I have not yet kept? So genre, to me, is a promise. You build up a promise in your writing at the beginning of the book, and then I feel like as we write, we have to honour that. So if we bring something up that's super interesting, bring it back or whatever. Keep your promises. Keep your narrative promises. It's true of really any genre. Let's say you're writing a romance. You want to respect the conventions, but not fall into the clichés. So there's going to be a moment where the lovers meet, right? They haven't met before. I don't know what they call it, a meet cute or a cute meet. I think they call it a meet cute, I guess. Jo: Yes. They do. Steven: Anyway. So they're going to meet, right? And you're like, “Oh, I'll just have them meet.” Well, try to do it in a way we haven't seen before. Add something else to the scene. Add a third element, as my friend Bob Dugoni likes to say. Add something a little bit that we're like, “Huh, I've never seen that before.” We know they're going to meet, but let them meet in a way that we don't anticipate, that we can't predict right away, that isn't exactly by the numbers, and then you're going to be on the right track. Jo: So then, talking about reader expectations and genre, I wondered if I could also ask you about your Christian faith, because many people listening are people of faith, and some people want to write a Christian book. Other people want to bring their faith into, say, a mainstream type thriller in an authentic way. So how do you balance your faith and your writing? Because I think you have some series that are more sort of Christian than others. Steven: It's interesting. When my first novel came out—The Pawn, like a chess piece, The Pawn—back almost 20 years ago. Gosh, 20 years ago. Nineteen. But anyway, when it came out, someone wrote to me and said, “Is this a Christian book?” I'm like, “What would make a book not Christian?” I'm like, maybe if it has a lot of idolatry, or witchcraft, or maybe sexuality or graphic violence. Then I'm like, oh, wait, that's… No, that's the Old Testament. So it's interesting, because people have asked me similar questions over the years. My books are not sermons in disguise. I'm trying to write great stories that anyone of any background or faith will enjoy. I always ask big questions. I let my characters wrestle with questions that matter, I think. Do my choices matter? Is there hope? Is there a God? Is there no God? Do I have free will? Can I find forgiveness? Can I offer forgiveness? Can I extend it, or whatever? So I always try to base the stories on something deeper. I do believe that there is good and there's evil in the world. That's part of my worldview. So when people talk about moral ambiguity, I don't want to write or read something that's morally ambiguous. I want moral complexity, but I also want moral clarity. So whenever you write, the question is, what are you justifying and what are you condemning? And if you're justifying something that's morally—I would say wrong, actually—then I don't feel like that's the kind of book I would want to write. So I want to write stories that explore good and evil, that explore our world, human nature, in an honest way. I feel like when you write honest stories, people, no matter what their background or whatever faith, then they will connect with it. I think a lot of people, if they start off with an agenda—whatever that agenda might be, let's say it is a Christian agenda, like I want people to trust in Jesus, let's say—so they write a story. Well, what you're doing, you're actually starting your story with an answer, and drama is not built on answers, it's built on questions. So you're actually diminishing the amount of tension. You're also diminishing the possibility of a pivot, because we all get where you're going. It's predictable, but there's probably no surprise. You're diminishing the payoff at the end, because we're like, “I saw that coming. I exactly knew where you were going with this.” So instead, I don't start with an answer. I always start with a question, or in some cases a moral dilemma, like, what's more important, protecting the innocent or telling the truth? That's interesting to me. If I had to choose between the two, would I tell the truth or would I protect the innocent? It's interesting, because people might come down on different sides of it. They might say, “Oh, you should always tell the truth,” or they say, “You always should protect the innocent.” I'm like, okay, well, let's explore it. Let's literally ask the question. So I come from a certain worldview, but I've written characters who have very different worldviews from me. I'm always just trying to be honest with the character, ask big questions, tell a story that examines human nature and sort of the paradoxes of the human condition in a way that will resonate with really whoever the readers might be. Jo: And of course that worldview is part of your author voice and part of what readers come to you for. I also notice that you have some pretty diverse different series. How do you manage that diversity of series under your one brand? Do you find your readers move from one to the other, or do you have different readerships? Steven: You mentioned the B word—brand. That's what publishers are always telling me: “What's your brand?” I'm like, “I don't know. You tell me what my brand is.” I've done fantasy, science fiction, conspiracy. I've done spies and police procedurals and crime and suspense, thrills, whatever. So I would say the one thing that really ties all my stories together is probably just suspense. They are stories with suspense. Some are more high concept thrillers, some are more dark fantasy, but they're built around suspense. So I guess that would be intelligent suspense, maybe, if I was trying to come up with a brand. Something like that. Because I don't want them to be dumbed down. They're not dumbed down stories, so they're a little bit more complex than you might find in other places, but always built around the idea of suspense. Suspense to me is basically—my definition is apprehension born of concern. So we're concerned about a character, and we're apprehensive because there's peril around the bend, or right in front of them. So I want the readers to really care about a character, and then try to build the story and the suspense around that empathy or sympathy that we have for the character. Jo: I think it's really interesting, because again, you mentioned 2007—we're coming up on 20 years since first published. The publishing industry has changed a lot. So what do you think has changed most in publishing for you, and what are your thoughts on routes to market for new authors these days? Or even established authors who are finding that things have changed, which they obviously have. Steven: Well, I'm not a marketer, I'm not a businessman. I'm just a storyteller at heart. So I just keep writing stories that I would be intrigued with reading, stories that I feel like are resonant. Then I look for publishers for those. I've been to a variety of different publishers over the last decade. I've done some different types of stories. I feel like you have to just write the story instead of trying to write for a specific market trend or something like that. So I might not make as much as some of my friends, I might not sell as many books, but I feel like I have to write certain stories if they grab ahold of me. There's a Native American—I think the Pawnee tribe, anyway, in the United States—but they were saying that all the stories that exist are out there already, and when one finds you, it's your job to share it with the world. I think that's kind of interesting. Sometimes—maybe it's just true for you, I don't know, Jo—but it's like a story will grab hold of me, or an idea, and I'm like, “I can't shake it.” That's a story that I want to tell the world. I would say that stories are becoming shorter, dumber. People are trying to write faster. They're trying to write several books a year, and as a result of that, some of the quality has gone down. This is all unfortunate. I'm still sort of a dinosaur. I still tend to write longer, complex stories. But people have shorter attention spans and whatever, and they're not reading as much. The structure of stories, I think, is changing slightly, where people will have to spend more time on a hook to really grab the attention of the readers. Then there might be a longer slow period, or more info dumping, which I'm not a fan of. So they kind of look like, “I want to get readers hooked at the beginning, and then get them to flip pages.” So I tend to set up my stories a little bit differently than that. So I'm not the best guy to ask about marketing and sales and stuff like that. I feel like, write a story that will not let you go. And if you do that, I feel like that's the kind of story that will resonate with readers, because there's a deep honesty to it. You care, you're passionate about it. It's not just something you're trying to spin out just to sell books. That's my view. Jo: I guess I also feel that writers are doing other things. So you have non-fiction, you have your podcast, you do events. I see you sell books direct from your website. It's like the business expands into multiple streams of income, so that the art doesn't have to pay all the bills. Steven: That's interesting. I do love to teach writing at conferences, events, and speak at different things. So I guess if you think about it that way, my brand might be just story, or storytelling, or something like that. Really trying to get out there, and whether it's speaking or writing, just tell a great story. So it's so interesting when I work with publishers and they'll ask, “What's your brand?” Basically it's like, “What's your box?” is really what they're asking. What box can we stick you in that will make it easy for us to package you and sell you? I know myself, and just a lot of authors that I know, we don't think in a box. Every one of my stories is not boxy. It's not the same. They're different. I know a lot of authors like that too. So it's unfortunate. I get it, that it's part of them trying to market and sell the books. I understand that, but I think being honest, genuine with the story, doing the very best you can, writing a worthy book, and then letting them come up with a way to categorise it, is probably the best bet. I don't know. Jo: We're almost out of time, but this is obviously a podcast, and you have a podcast. So tell us about The Story Blender Podcast and what people might find over there. Steven: Yes, I appreciate it. Basically, I interview some of the leading writers and storytellers in the world every week, and the goal is for great storytellers to share the secrets of great storytelling. So I basically pick their brains, kind of like what you were doing with me today, and find out what projects they're working on, and really just try to get insights into storytelling. So it's tons of fun. I've been doing it now for a number of years, and I guess I've interviewed over 250 different authors and writers from around the world, and so I always enjoy it. It's a ton of fun. It's The Story Blender, and people can find it anywhere. Jo: So where can people find you and your books and everything you do online? Steven: Probably the best place is StevenJames.net. I think I'm on different socials @readstevenjames, so you can look me up there—Facebook, Instagram, X, and so on. I think they're all under readstevenjames. Check out the website, drop me a note. I always enjoy hearing from readers. Jo: Well, thanks so much for your time, Steven. That was great. Steven: Thanks, Jo. I appreciate it. Good luck. The post Organic Writing And The Power Of The Pivot In Fiction With Steven James first appeared on The Creative Penn.

Warm butternut salad w black olive honey & rocket oil Cook time: 25 minutes Prep time: 20 minutes Serves: 6 Butternut salad 1 large butternut 12 small tunnel house tomatoes 2 tbsp sunflower oil flaky salt & black pepper Handful rocket leaves 150 gm danish feta, crumbled 1 cup walnut halves, toasted till crispy Kalamata Honey 12 pitted kalamata olives 1 tbsp honey Rocket oil 1 handful of rocket 1/2 cup sunflower oil salt Preheat oven to 180*C. Carefully cut butternut in half and scoop out seeds. Slice into wedges and toss in a large bowl with the oil and flaky salt, spread out onto a roasting tray. Roast in oven for 25 minutes. After this time add the tomatoes onto the tray and cook for a further 10 minutes. Make the black olive honey by simply blitzing the olives and honey together until smooth. Remove the butternut and tomatoes from oven and arrange on serving dish, top with rocket, feta and toasted walnuts. Drizzle with the olive honey and rocket oil. To make the black olive honey Simply blitz olives and honey together until smooth. To make the rocket oil Bring a pot of salted water to a rapid boil. Drop in your rocket and count to 5, remove and drop straight into boiling water. Once cold, squeeze out excess water and blitz quickly with oil. Pour over a sieve with a chux cloth and allow the oil to drip through slowly. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rewana with kawakawa pesto Cook time:30 minutes Prep time: 1hr 10 minutes 300 gm white flour 100 gm wholemeal flour 220 orange kumara, cooked and mashed 230 ml water 1 tsp yeast 1 tsp salt 1 Tbsp fennel seeds (or any herbs) Pesto 10 kawakawa leaves (mixer of holes and non) 1 cup curly parsley 1 cup flat leave parsley 1 cup coriander leaves 1 cup sunflower oil salt and pepper 1 cup almonds, toasted and crushed 1 cup parmesan, finely grated Mix together flour, yeast and fennel seeds Add salt and mix Add mashed kumara and water and mix Once you have a dough with no dry bits pop it into a oiled loaf tin and pop somewhere warm with a tea towel on top for 1 hour Preheat the oven to 200*c and bake for approx 30 minutes. Or until it has a nice hard golden top. Leave to rest for 30 minutes on a rack before eating. To make up the kawakawa pesto, place the parsley, coriander and oil into a blender and blend in quick bursts. Do not over heat, otherwise you will lose the colour. Add in half the kawakawa and blend. Season and taste. If you can't taste the bitter tones of the kawakawa add a little more until you can. Finish with the almonds and parmesan. Serve alongside the bread. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on the show, we're diving into all the biggest stories from the world of gaming. From the latest industry headlines and game announcements to the rumors and reactions making waves across the community, we've got everything covered. We break down the news that matters, share our thoughts on the hottest topics, and discuss what these developments could mean for players moving forward. Whether it's new releases, updates on upcoming titles, or the occasional gaming controversy, there's plenty to talk about this week. Grab your controller, settle in, and join us for another episode packed with gaming news, opinions, and plenty of laughs along the way.

Caramelised Pork Claypot Serves 2 300g cubed pork – use shoulder, pork fingers (which are belly), or chops 1 medium onion, sliced 1 carrot, chopped into lengths 1 tsp grated ginger ½ red chilli chopped finely Sauce: 2 tablespoons fish sauce 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce 1 tablespoons palm sugar or brown sugar 1 teaspoon sesame oil Lemon juice Splash rice vinegar (optional) Decent grind of black pepper Preheat an oven to 180°C. In a bowl toss everything together. Place in a clay pot or ovenproof dish with a lid. Add enough water to reach nearly halfway up the ingredients. Bake until the pork is meltingly soft and the sauce is syrupy - about one hour or a little longer. Take the cover off for the last 10 minutes to help it reduce and syrup up. Serve with rice. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The episode explains the best whole wheat flour to use when making pastries, or the best combination of whole wheat flours for making bread. White whole wheat flour or previously referred to as gold whole wheat flour-the spring wheat that is lighter and best for use in pastries. Amazon.com : Wheat Montana Prairie Gold 100% Whole Wheat Flour (Pack of Two – 5 Lb. Bags) : Grocery & Gourmet FoodAmazon.com : Shibolim White Whole Wheat Flour, 5lb (2 Pack) | Triple Sifted Flour | 100% Whole Grain | Certified Kosher : Grocery & Gourmet FoodThe recipe outlined is the Whole Wheat Oatmeal Raisin Cookie. 1 C softened butter unsalted preferred, 1.5 C of brown sugar. Cream in mixer or beat hard by hand. Add one egg, beat again, 1tsp vanilla and 2 Tablespoons of water beat again. Then add in a flour mixture that should be measured in a different bowl first. 1.5 cups of white whole wheat flour/gold flour. 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp of baking soda and 1 tsp of cinnamon. Beat for a couple of minutes then add in the oats 2 C, 1.5 C of raisins (or sub 3/4 C of chocolate chips and 3/4 C of walnuts), beat until just combined. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, bake 10-12 minutes until gold on outside and soft in the middle. Enjoy! For more information about House of Bread, please visit www.houseofbread.com.  To purchase the House of Bread recipe book,please visit https://houseofbread.com/recipe-book/  To take an on line class, please visit https://houseofbread.com/product-category/online-baking-class/   If you'd like more information about thefranchise opportunity with House of Bread, please visit www.houseofbreadfranchise.com.   For our Utube channel, please go here https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCXH5NgT8vpnAuSuZN5AxEQQ

Happy feast of St. Barnabas the Apostle! On today’s show, Matt Swaim and Anna Mitchell discuss his role as the “son of encouragement.” Guests include Courtney Brown on utilitarianism and the pope’s encyclical about artificial intelligence, Gary Michuta on more Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah, and Rita Heikenfeld to discuss a gluten free cookie recipe using foods mentioned in the Bible. Plus news, weather, sports, and more… ***** Collect prayer for the feast of St. Barnabas O God, who decreed that Saint Barnabas, a man filled with faith and the Holy Spirit, should be set apart to convert the nations, grant that the Gospel of Christ, which he strenuously preached, may be faithfully proclaimed by word and by deed. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. ***** RECIPES FROM RITA: GLUTEN FREE POWER COOKIES Ingredients1/2 cup natural creamy nut butter (such as almond butter or peanut butter)1/2 cup maple syrup6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened1 large egg1/4 cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt2 teaspoons vanilla1 3/4 cups almond flour2/3 cup hemp seeds, sesame seeds or chia seeds3/4 teaspoon baking soda1/2 teaspoon salt1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional but good)1 cup add-ins (pumpkin seeds, chocolate chips, yogurt chips, raisins, chopped dried figs, really whatever…) InstructionsLine 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.Beat together nut butter, maple syrup, and butter in bowl until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.Add egg, yogurt, and vanilla; beat until incorporated.Add flour, cinnamon, hemp seeds, baking soda, and salt.Fold in add-ins.Using a 2” cookie scoop OR 3 tablespoons dough, portion 16 cookies; place about 2 inches apart on baking sheets.Chill, uncovered, until slightly firm, about 1 hour.Preheat oven to 375 with racks in upper and lower third positions. Flatten cookies a bit – to 1/2- to 1/4-inch thickness.Bake until golden and set, about 15 minutes, rotating from top to bottom halfway through baking.Cool completely on baking sheets, then enjoy! Gilding the lily: We like them with a thin powdered sugar glaze. ***** Full list of guestsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pear crumble with pouring cream and burnt blackberry marshmallow Crumble mix 200 gm unsalted butter 150 gm raw sugar 200 gm plain flour 50 gm wholemeal flour 50 gm chopped dates Preheat oven to 170*C. Blitz all of the ingredients until just combined, apart from the dates. Spread the mix out on 1 large baking tray. Bake for 15 minutes, remove from oven. Add in the dates and turn the mix over with a spatula or wooden spoon then return to the oven for a further 15 minutes until crunchy and golden. Allow to cool, before crushing into slightly smaller pieces. Pear, apple and berry filling 500 packman pears, peeled and chopped 500 gm granny smith apples, peeled and chopped 200 gm frozen blackberries 150 gm sultanas 100 gm raw sugar 2 tbsp sunflower oil Keep the pears and apples in cold lemon water whilst preparing them, to avoid turning brown In a large saucepan over a high heat sauté the apples, pears in the oil until they just start to gain a touch of colour and soften. Remove and in a large bowl combine with the remaining ingredients. Pouring cream 250 ml cream 1 tbsp vanilla paste Icing sugar if required Combine the pouring cream with the vanilla paste and set aside Blackberry marshmallow 350 gm caster sugar 30 gm liquid glucose 80 ml water 180 gm or 6 egg whites 1 tbsp freeze-dried blackberries Bring the sugar and water together in a pot and heat till 110*c, keeping the sides of the pot clean with a brush dipped in cold water. Start beating your egg whites at this stage, you want the egg whites to be stiff before adding the sugar, turn down to a medium speed to stabilize whites before adding sugar. When the sugar reaches 120*c, take of the heat and slowly pour over the egg whites. Turn the mixer up faster as the sugar blends in. Continue to beat until the egg whites are cool and glossy. Fold through the blackberry powder and place mixture into piping bags ready. To serve: Preheat the oven to 160*c Put 2-3 big spoonsful of the apple mix into the average sized cups (about 250ml capacity), then top with the same amount of the crumble mix. Place into the oven for 25 minutes insuring the crumble mixture doesn't colour any further. Remove the crumbles from the oven and pipe over a dollop of marshmallow, using a blow torch then to burn the top. Just before serving the pour a tbsp of cream into the crumble. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prep time: 30 minutes Serves: 6-8 2 cups red wine 1 cup fresh thyme 6 garlic cloves, crushed 12 baby white onions, outer skin removed, cut in half 2 tbsp oil Pinch flaky salt and white pepper 400 gm button mushrooms, cut in half 10 rashers streaky bacon 2 cubes chicken stock dissolved in 2 cups of water Cut the chicken legs in half between the drum and thigh. Cover the chicken in red wine, garlic and thyme and place in the fridge overnight to marinate. Preheat oven to 160*C. Heat a large cast iron pan until hot, add a touch of oil and then lay in the baby onions cut side down. Cook until well coloured before turning. Remove and repeat with the cut mushrooms before setting them aside. Finally saute bacon until fat is rendered out. Remove bacon and chop into large pieces, Keeping the bacon fat in the pan, gently heat. Remove chicken thighs from marinade and fry the chicken in batches to avoid stewing. When all coloured on both sides. Place the chicken back into the pan and slowly pour over the red wine marinate, including the garlic and thyme and reduce by half. (note if the pan is to small you can use a roasting tray instead). Top with the bacon, onions, mushrooms and stock. Cover with baking paper cook in oven for 45-60 minutes. The end result should be crispy chicken with a reduced sauce that is thick enough to coat the chicken. Serve with some creamy mash potatoes. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Want to learn how to roast coffee but have no idea where to start? In this episode you get a structured overview of all learning paths – from in-person courses and online learning to books, coaching and learning by doing. And you'll find out what you should actually focus on first – the answer surprises most people.What's covered in this episode:Why sensory skills are the most important foundation – before any techniqueWhy your choice of green coffee has more impact on taste than any roast profileWhat you need to know about roasting basics and profiles – and in which orderHow to learn fast with a machine like the Kaffelogic Nano 7eWhere online courses, YouTube, blogs and forums help – and where to be carefulROAST REBELS COURSES & ACADEMYIn-Person Course Zurich – Coffee Roasting WorkshopDuration: approx. 4.5 hours. Content: green coffee fundamentals, roasting 4 different coffees, roasting theory, cupping, create and take home your own roast. Open to beginners and experienced home roasters. Usually in German; English documentation available on request; English courses 1–2x per year. Participants regularly travel from across Europe to attend.https://roastrebels.com/en/courses-events/Roast Rebels Online Academy – available worldwideMachine-specific courses for Kaffelogic Nano 7e and Aillio Bullet. Covers: machine operation, green coffee selection, roasting theory, practical roasting exercises. Self-paced, available anytime. Included when purchasing selected machines from Roast Rebels.https://academy.roastrebels.com/coursesRoast Rebels ships machines and green coffee across Europe and offers online courses to roasters worldwide.LINKSGreen coffee beans (EU shipping, free from €150): https://roastrebels.com/en/green-coffee/Books (Scott Rao, Rob Hoos, Book of Roast): https://roastrebels.com/en/books/Kaffelogic Nano 7e: https://roastrebels.com/en/kaffelogic-nano-7e/ABOUT THE CONTENTCoffee roasting is less complex than most people think – if you approach it in the right order.Sensory skills: Understand what you like and don't like in a coffee before touching a roaster. Drink coffees with known origins side by side. Visit cuppings and coffee festivals.Green coffee: Origin, processing method (washed, natural, anaerobic), density and freshness have a bigger impact on taste than the roast profile. Learn this through practical tasting, not just theory.Roasting basics: Preheat temperature, heat input, airflow, roast darkness and speed – these concepts apply to all machines.Roasting profiles: Once basics are solid, profiles let you dial in sweetness, acidity, floral notes, body and more.Learning paths covered: in-person courses (incl. Roast Rebels Zurich, ~4.5h, English on request), Roast Rebels Online Academy (worldwide, machine-specific), YouTube, blogs, forums, books (Scott Rao, Rob Hoos, Book of Roast), coaching (Rob Hoos, Scott Rao, Morten Münchow / CoffeeMind, Nikolai Fürst, Gloria Pedrosa), learning by doing with Kaffelogic Nano 7e or Nucleus LINK.ABOUT ROAST REBELSRoast Rebels is your partner for specialty coffee roasting. From the best hardware like the Kaffelogic Nano 7 to high-quality green beans and expert-led courses – we help you roast coffee you'll love.Website: https://roastrebels.com/en

Fish cakes with curry lime mayonnaise Cook time: 30 minutes Prep time: 15 minutes Serves: 6 500 gm gurnard fillets 1 cup milk 4 medium agria potatoes, peeled Zest of 1 lemon ½ cup parsley, chopped 1 red chilli, finely chopped ½ red onion, finely chopped Salt and black pepper 2 eggs, lightly beaten 1 cup milk 2 cups panko crumbs 3 Tbsp sunflower oil Curry lime mayonnaise 2 egg yolks juice of 2 limes 1 tbsp curry powder Pinch salt Pinch sugar 1 tbsp Dijon mustard 1 cup sunflower oil Preheat oven to 180*C. Place the fish and the milk into a pot and bring to the boil then turn the heat off and allow the fish to cool in the milk. Meanwhile, cook the potatoes by starting them in cold salted water bring to the boil. Turn down until just tender, drain and mash with a potato masher. Set aside. Remove the fish and flake it into a bowl containing along with the potato, lemon, parsley, chilli, onion and seasoning. Mix until combined. Roll the mix into golf ball sized balls, then press to flatten slightly. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Crumb the fish cakes by rolling them first in the egg and milk then in the panko crumbs. Pan fry until golden and crispy, then finish in the oven for about 10 minutes. Curry lime mayonnaise Place all the ingredients except the oil into a food processor and blitz for 30 seconds. Then with the motor running gradually add the oil until the mix is smooth and creamy. Season and serve. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“This really is so simple,” wrote Paula Deen of her recipe for “Soy-Rubbed Tenderloin” in her book, Christmas with Paula Deen, published in 2007. But you don't have to wait for the holidays to make this roast! It's perfect for a special family dinner or any celebration. Soy-Rubbed Tenderloin One 4- to 5-lb. beef tenderloin 1/2 c. soy sauce Freshly ground black pepper Allow the beef to stand at room temperature for 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Place the tenderloin in a 13x9-inch glass baking dish and rub all over with soy sauce. Rub meat all... Article Link

Hi Bakers,If you want an unusual scone, you need to try this one! Delicious, tender almond scones are drizzled with cherry blossom glaze for a light, floral flavor you can't find anywhere else. Get the powder online and be sure to use good-quality almond extract for the best possible flavor. Are you brave enough to try it? I hope you do and send me the photos. Enjoy! ~CarolynGluten-Free Almond Scones with Cherry Blossom IcingMakes ten 2.25” sconesDRY2 cups Cup4Cup Multipurpose Flour (Original blend with milk powder)1/2 cup blanched almond flour1 teaspoon Koda Farms Sweet Rice flour1/2 teaspoon salt1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder1/2 teaspoon baking soda4 tablespoons granulated sugar1/2 cup cold butter, cut into chunksWET1 large egg*2 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce1/3 cup half and half1/4 cup buttermilk1/2 teaspoon almond extract1/4 teaspoon vanilla extractOptional: 1/4 cup cream or egg wash for brushing the tops of scones before baking1/2 cup sliced blanched almondsCherry Blossom Icing 1/2 teaspoon dried cherry blossom powder1 cup powdered sugar2 tablespoons water 1/2 teaspoon cherry juice or food coloring Preheat the oven to 400F and place the rack in the middle position. Mix the flours, baking powder, baking soda, and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Add the cold butter and cut it into the dry mixture until it resembles crumbs with a few larger bits of butter remaining. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk the wet ingredients together. Add just enough of the wet ingredients to the dry to make a stiff dough. Scrape the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and pat it into a large circle. The height of the dough should be about 3/4” tall. Cut out using a 2.”25 biscuit cutter. Place the scones on a lined cookie sheet and then brush with cream and sprinkle with sliced almonds. Bake for about 10-14 minutes or until browned on top and springs back when pressed in the middle. Cool on a rack for about 15 minutes while you make the icing.In a small mixing bowl,, combine powdered sugar and cherry blossom powder. Add cherry juice and water gradually to achieve a thick icing you can drizzle. You don't want it too watery or the scones can get soggy. Enjoy! Scones are best enjoyed the day you make them, but they will last in the fridge or freezer and can be carefully reheated in the microwave or toaster oven on low. 

The healthiest bread in the world is not at the grocery store. While many low-carb bread recipes fall short, this healthy bread recipe has a delicious taste and perfect texture. This is the absolute best bread for your health, and you won't even guess it's keto-friendly. 0:00 Introduction: The best bread for health0:33 Wheat bread vs. white bread 3:10 Good bread vs. bad bread3:45 How to make healthy breadDownload Dr. Berg's Free Daily Health Routine: https://drbrg.co/45qtO07It's often thought that whole wheat bread is the best bread for health, but this isn't true. The average glycemic index for whole wheat bread is identical to that of white bread. Both spike blood sugar more than table sugar!Whole wheat bread contains phytic acid, an anti-nutrient that binds with important minerals, blocking their absorption. Whole wheat bread contains inflammatory compounds and may also contain glyphosate.This 5-ingredient healthy bread is low on the glycemic index, so it will not spike your blood sugar. It doesn't contain anti-nutrients, inflammatory compounds, or glyphosate. Here's how to make healthy bread that's simple and delicious:• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.• Combine the following ingredients:1½ cups blanched almond flour¼ cup psyllium husk powder 2 tsp baking powder¼ tsp sea salt4 organic eggs, separated • Combine dry ingredients.• Beat egg whites with a mixer until stiff peaks form.• In a separate bowl, mix egg yolks with a tablespoon of melted butter.• Combine egg yolk mixture with dry ingredients.• Gently fold in whipped egg whites.• Line a loaf pan with parchment paper.• Put the dough in a loaf pan and put it in the oven to bake. • Bake for 30-35 minutes.• Allow bread to cool completely before slicing. Dr. Eric Berg DC Bio:Dr. Berg, age 61, is a chiropractor who specializes in Healthy Ketosis & Intermittent Fasting. He is the Director of Dr. Berg Nutritionals and author of the best-selling book The Healthy Keto Plan. He no longer practices, but focuses on health education through social media.Disclaimer: Dr. Eric Berg received his Doctor of Chiropractic degree from Palmer College of Chiropractic in 1988. His use of “doctor” or “Dr.” in relation to himself solely refers to that degree. Dr. Berg is a licensed chiropractor in Virginia, California, and Louisiana, but he no longer practices chiropractic in any state and does not see patients, so he can focus on educating people as a full-time activity, yet he maintains an active license. This video is for general informational purposes only. It should not be used to self-diagnose, and it is not a substitute for a medical exam, cure, treatment, diagnosis, prescription, or recommendation. It does not create a doctor-patient relationship between Dr. Berg and you. You should not make any change in your health regimen or diet before first consulting a physician and obtaining a medical exam, diagnosis, and recommendation. Always seek the advice of a physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

Bacbeat is a diverse house DJ who although in the early stages of his journey has already captivated crowds in London, Ibiza, Amsterdam, Switzerland and Africa. After recently playing in Studio 338 for Forward Motion and at Ministry of Sound for their 33rd birthday weekender, Bacbeat is commanding dance floors with growing popularity. ⚡️Like the Show? Click the [Repost] ↻ button so more people can hear it!

Cook time: 30 minutes Prep time: 20 minutes Serves 6 1 de-boned lamb shoulder 1 small jars chipotle in adobo sauce (available from most supermarkets) 1 bottle hoppy beer 1 tbsp tomato paste 1 tbsp brown sugar 1 tsp salt 1 tsp smoked paprika 1 tsp oregano Preheat oven to 150*C. Place the lamb in to deep roasting tray, approx 25 x 20cm. You want the lamb to loosely fit in. Cover with the chipotle, tomato paste, sugar, paprika, salt and oregano. Time to get you hands dirty, rub all ingredients into the lamb. Then pour over the beer and mix again. Place a large sheet of greaseproof paper over the lamb then cover the entire roasting tray with tin foil and place into your oven. Cook for 90 minutes, then remove the tinfoil, leaving the paper on and cook for a further 90 minutes. After this time, time to check the lamb. Remove from the oven and lightly press down the flesh of the lamb. If it stays down, it's ready. If it springs back place it back into the oven. This time really does depend on the size and age of the lamb. Remove the lamb and allow to cool in the juices. Using a fork, pull apart the meat keeping the meat and discarding the fat. Place into a bowl and pour over the juices. Season with salt if required. Place back into a clean oven proof dish, cover and keep warm in the oven until required. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today we tackle these countertop jars as we lose interest in birthdays and deliver inside jokes to subscribers only. We deal with dressings, Blink 002 and a brand new special guest who oozes everywhere before declaring that ignorance is bliss. Through emulsifiers and polarities we finally decide on our vinaigrette boundaries even as we deny mustard its due. Matthew's Salmon Cucumber dish4 salmon fillets, about 8 ounces each, skin onSalt and pepper to taste4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided1 English cucumber, halved, seeded and cut on the diagonal into half-moons1 shallot, thinly sliced1/4 cup red-wine vinegar2 teaspoons sugar2 scallions, white parts only, thinly sliced1 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar1. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Season the salmon with salt and pepper on both sides. Put 1 tablespoon olive oil into a 12-inch ovenproof skillet and place over high heat until oil is shiny.2. Add the salmon fillets to the pan, skin side up. Sear one minute. Flip the fillets and transfer the pan to the oven. Roast until medium rare, 6 to 8 minutes (you can check for doneness by peeking between the flakes).3. While fish is roasting, place the cucumbers in a bowl and add the shallot, remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil, vinegar, sugar, scallions and mustard seeds. Season with salt and pepper and toss well.4. Divide the cucumbers evenly among four plates. Place a salmon fillet, skin side up, on top of each portion of cucumbers. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and serve.  Support Spilled Milk Podcast!Molly's SubstackMatthew's Bands: Early to the Airport and Twilight DinersProducer Abby's WebsiteListen to our spinoff show Dire DesiresJoin our reddit Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello and welcome to Handgun Radio! I'm your host Ryan Michad, Weerd Beard & Co from the wild woods of Central Maine and this is your home for all the news, information and discussion in the handgunning world!   This week, we talk Best & Worst Purchases!   Please check out the Patriot Patch Company for their awesome patches and other high quality  items! Visit www.patriotpatch.co for more information! Cool artist “proof” rendition come along with the latest patch of the month patches!    We are proudly sponsored by VZ Grips! Please go check out all their fantastic products at their website! VZ Grips!  -KFrame Magna Grips   Thank you to all our patreons! Visit us at https://www.patreon.com/handgunradio    Week In Review:   Ryan: -Connor asthma trip, doing better now! -Maine 72 Hour waiting period going back into effect   Oddball:   Food Segment: New Stove! We got rid of the 35 year old one and got a brand new GE Gas Stove! Regular bake, convection roast or bake, air fry, pizza no preheat and more! And the griddle in the middle! I did my classic Popovers in it and they came out great! -1 Cup Flour -1 Cup Milk -A Punch of Salt (As Lefty Said) -4 Eggs -Beat eggs first, then add ingredients. Let batter sit. Preheat oven to 450. Pour into greased popover tins. Bake for 20 min on 450. Decrease temp to 350. Bake for 15 mins or until golden brown.    Main Topic:   Best Purchases: -FEG P9R 9mm (Basically half Browning Hi Power, Half S&W 59) -Inglis Hi Power Color Case Hardened -S&W M&P 10mm FPC (Price was too good to pass up, with ammo) -Glock 19 Gen 4 9mm (Also, price was too good to pass up) -Walther PPK/s .22 LR (Its reliable, very concealable and will be a great suppressor host) Beretta 92LTT Beretta Px4 Altor Sig 365   Worst/Questionable Purchases:   -1860 Pietta Blackpowder Revolver (Great gun, I just never realized how much of a pain blackpowder cleaning is) -SIG Sauer P230 .380 ACP (Hurt my hand, and I am a recoil junkie, so that is saying something) -NAA .22 LR & .22 Magnum Mini Revolvers (These aren't really “worst” or “Questionable”, I enjoy them, they are fun & fantastic pieces of firearms engineering. They just have limited utility) -Jennings J-22 (I think this speaks for itself. The first time I took it apart and saw what held the striker back, I was terrified.) Any new gun that doesn't work out of the box Old Colt revolvers Thunderstruck HK p30sk   Wrap Up: Don't forget to shop Brownells using our affiliate link! Head to firearmsradio.net and click the affiliate link in the upper right hand corner! Be sure to go like Handgun Radio on facebook and share it with your friends! Leave us a review on iTunes! Check out VZ Grips!  Listen to all the great shows on the Firearms Radio Network! Check out the Patriot Patch Company!! www.patriotpatch.co   Weerd where can people find you? Assorted Calibers Podcast,  Weer'd World   Oddball gunscarstech.com Assorted Calibers Podcast ACP and HGR Facebook Play screechingtires.wav   David Blue Collar Prepping Brena Bock Author Page David Bock Author Page Team And More Xander: Assorted Calibers Podcast Here so Ryan doesn't do a bad impression of me   Until next week, have fun & safe shooting!    

Easter figgy and oozy caramel loaf Fig topping 125 gm unsalted butter 150 gm soft brown sugar 6 figs, stem removed and cut in half Cake mix 225 gm unsalted butter, softened 225 gm caster sugar 4 eggs 3 tbsp milk 100 gm whole ground almonds 1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp ginger powder 150 gm flour Serve with yogurt or ice-cream To start: Line a small cake loaf tin approx. 20cm x 12cm with greaseproof paper and then grease with a touch of butter. Melt butter in saucepan over a low heat. Add sugar and stir over heat until the mix becomes foamy and pale (2-3 minutes). Pour evenly into the greased loaf tin. Place the half figs, flesh side down and set aside. Preheat oven to 180*C. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. In another bowl, lightly beat eggs together with milk. Gradually add eggs to butter and sugar, beating well after each addition. Stir in ground almond, baking powder, salt, and ginger. Gently fold in flour. Pour cake mixture over figs, place on a baking tray and bake for 40 minutes or until a skewer inserted into cake comes out clean. Remove from oven and rest on a wire rack for 5 minutes before sliding a warm knife around the edge of the dish to loosen. Carefully invert to turn loaf out onto a board Slice into thick pieces, serve hot with yogurt or ice-cream. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today I'm sharing 8 things I'm absolutely loving right now! From my current favorite protein powder and a supplement that has seriously improved my mental clarity, to a romance book series I can't stop reading, a song that instantly shifts my mood, and even a nutrient-dense muffin recipe my toddler is obsessed with. This episode is a mix of wellness, habits, products, and little life upgrades that are making my days better right now.Ways to work with Corinne: Join the Mind Your Hormones Method, HERE! (Use code PODCAST for 10% off!!)Mentioned in this episode:Wellius Plant Protein Powder Gut Personal Creatine — use code CORINNE for 10% offThe When in Rome book series by Sarah AdamsNew book by Abby Jimenez: The Night We MetSong: Believer in the Pulse — Magic WithinGet Soul Mood Gummies — use code CORINNE15Well People Eyebrow PencilBanana Chickpea Spinach Mini Muffins (Egg-Free,No Zucchini):Ingredients:- 1 cup canned chickpeas (rinsed & drained)- 1 very ripe banana- 1/4 cup rolled oats- 1 tsp vanilla extract- 1/2 tsp cinnamon- 1/2 tsp baking soda- pinch salt- 1/4 cup spinachOptional:- 1 tbsp almond or sunflower butter- blueberries or mini chocolate chips- 1–4 tbsp almond milk (as needed)Instructions:1. Preheat oven to 350°F.2. Place mini muffin liners in a regular muffin tin.3. Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.4. Add almond milk 1 tbsp at a time if needed until batter is thick but smooth.5. Fill liners 3/4 full.6. Bake for 12–15 minutes.7. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.FREE TRAINING! How to build a hormone-healthy, blood-sugar-balancing meal! (this is pulled directly from the 1st module of the Mind Your Hormones Method!) Access this free training, HERE!Join the Mind Your Hormones Community to connect more with me & other members of this community!Come hang out with me on Instagram: @corinneangealicaOr on TikTok: @corinneangelicaEmail Fam: Click here to get weekly emails from meMind Your Hormones Instagram: @mindyourhormones.podcast Disclaimer: always consult your doctor before taking any supplementation. This podcast is intended for educational purposes only, not to diagnose or treat any conditions. 

Ham and pineapple and chunky tomato pizza Cook time: 10 minutes Prep time: 10 minutes Serves: 6 200 ml warm water 9 gm dried yeast (1 pkt) 9 gm sugar 120 gm wholemeal flour 250 gm flour 2 tsp salt 2 tbsp sunflower oil Chunky pizza sauce 1 onion, roughly diced 2 cloves garlic, crushed 6 large tomatoes, chopped 1 stick rosemary 1 tbsp honey salt and pepper Cured ham Pineapple, Sliced 100 gm cheese, grated Place warm water in a small bowl and crumble yeast into it. Add sugar and leave to ferment for 10 minutes. Combine flours and salt in an electric mixer bowl. Add oil to fermenting yeast, then add this to flour mix. Mix with dough hook for 4 minutes. Place dough in a clean bowl and cover with a damp, clean tea towel. Leave in a warm place until doubled in size. Knock dough back and form into 100 gm balls. Cover and rest for 10 minutes. Using a rolling pin, roll balls out into pizza bases and place on baking trays or in pizza trays ready for topping. For the chunky tomato sauce, combine all ingredients in a saucepan and place over a medium heat. Simmer for 15 minutes or until reduced by about one third. Preheat oven to 220*C. Spread pizza sauce over bases, then a little cheese, followed by the ham and pineapple. Finish with a little more cheese over pizzas, season, and cook in oven for 10 minutes. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bacbeat is a diverse house DJ who although in the early stages of his journey has already captivated crowds in London, Ibiza, Amsterdam, Switzerland and Africa. After recently playing in Studio 338 for Forward Motion and at Ministry of Sound for their 33rd birthday weekender, Bacbeat is commanding dance floors with growing popularity. ⚡️Like the Show? Click the [Repost] ↻ button so more people can hear it!

Hello and welcome to Handgun Radio! I'm your host Ryan Michad, Weerd Beard & Co from the wild woods of Central Maine and this is your home for all the news, information and discussion in the handgunning world!   This week, we talk Wild Departures!   Please check out the Patriot Patch Company for their awesome patches and other high quality  items! Visit www.patriotpatch.co for more information! Cool artist “proof” rendition come along with the latest patch of the month patches!    We are proudly sponsored by VZ Grips! Please go check out all their fantastic products at their website! VZ Grips!  -KFrame Magna Grips   Thank you to all our patreons! Visit us at https://www.patreon.com/handgunradio    Week In Review:   Ryan:-Nothing major, cool video posted in the HGR group about USFA   Listener Email Nate:   Ryan & Weerd, Hey guys, what's up? I've been looking forward to the next HGR episode…hint hint! I bet both of you are pretty busy.   Here's hoping y'all get some free time for a new episode!   I'm currently on hometime in Commierado. The state of the 2nd isn't good here. Commierado's legislature is again passing more gun control.   I really do wonder if they've ever read the Constitution and the Bill of Rights?    In regards to our previous emails, Ryan, I don't have any updates on Tisas USA, as far as their operations go. I did learn some interesting information about theirs new CEO. Are y'all familiar with Classic Firearms on YouTube? Kaya, formerly of Classic Firearms, is more the CEO of Tisas' new US operations.    I'll keep y'all posted as I find out more information.    As for new additions to my growing armory, I recently picked up an H&K VP9 in 9mm. It came with 11 mags, and a Holosun 507…. for $700.    Weerd, could you please suggest a good recipe for whiskey sours? Thanks!   Sincerely, Nate   PS Ryan here's an attachment for something you're in dire need of   Weerd:   Oddball:   David:   Drink Segment:   Old Crow Boubon   Whiskey Sour:  2oz Whiskey (Rye is classic) 1oz Lemon Juice 0.5 Oz Simple Syrup (adjust to taste)   Cinnamon Challah Ingredients 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour 2 eggs and 1 more for egg wash 2  ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast 1 packet 3 tablespoons brown sugar ⅓  cup olive oil 1 teaspoon salt ⅔  cup warm water Filling ¼ cup canola oil ¾  cup brown sugar 2 teaspoons cinnamon Instructions Add the flour, brown sugar, and salt to a mixing bowl. Proof the yeast in the water with a pinch of sugar. Add the yeast, eggs, and oil to the flour. Mix into a dough and knead for 7 minutes or until fully developed. Cover and allow to rise for 1 hour in a warm place. While the dough is rising, make the filling a medium sized bowl. Add the oil, sugar and cinnamon. Mix. Separate the dough into 3 pieces. Roll each one into a square with a rolling pin. Spread the cinnamon-sugar mix on the dough, leaving a 1/2 inch around the edges. Roll each square. Pinch the ends and stretch each strand to about a foot long. Braid them up! Place on a non-stick baking surface and cover for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375°F Brush the challah with beaten egg. Bake for 30 minutes. If the top is getting too dark, place a piece of foil on top of the challah in the oven.   Main Topic: Wild Departures -Ounce Pistol -Altor -Zip 22 -Taurus Curve -P90 Magazine -Hill 15 SMG -Bizon Magazine ( I first saw this playing Syphon Filter on PS1) -Calico -Webley–Fosbery -Mauser ZigZag -LeMatt Revolver -KelTec PR-5.7 -Pen Gun -Lifecard -Ideal Conceal -Full Conceal Glock -Standard Manufacturing Thunderstruck S333 -M&P 5.7 -Palm Pistol -Apache Pistols   Wrap Up: Don't forget to shop Brownells using our affiliate link! Head to firearmsradio.net and click the affiliate link in the upper right hand corner! Be sure to go like Handgun Radio on facebook and share it with your friends! Leave us a review on iTunes! Check out VZ Grips!  Listen to all the great shows on the Firearms Radio Network! Check out the Patriot Patch Company!! www.patriotpatch.co   Weerd where can people find you? Assorted Calibers Podcast,  Weer'd World   Oddball gunscarstech.com Assorted Calibers Podcast ACP and HGR Facebook Play screechingtires.wav   David Blue Collar Prepping Brena Bock Author Page David Bock Author Page Team And More Xander: Assorted Calibers Podcast Here so Ryan doesn't do a bad impression of me   Until next week, have fun & safe shooting!

Hi Bakers,Why do you need another chocolate chip cookie recipe? The classic is the perfect cookie, but if you want something a little richer, a bit bougier with some layers of flavor, you really need to try this version. I wasn't prepared for how much I loved it. The sea salt with rich buttery toffee, espresso, and chocolate is to die for and something you need to try at least once. I ended up, adding one more egg yolk that you don't see or hear on camera, use the amounts listed in the recipe. Please make them and let me know if you crowned a new cookie king in your life. Enjoy! ~CarolynPS Here is the toffee recipe link if you want to make some instead of buying it. https://www.chillybakesglutenfree.com/english-toffee/Gluten-Free Espresso Toffee Chocolate Chip CookiesMakes ~20 cookiesDry2 1/3 cups Cup4Cup multipurpose flour1 tablespoon Oat Flour1 tablespoon instant espresso powder (use 1.5-2 if you want a strong espresso flavor)1 teaspoon Koda Farms Sweet rice flour½ teaspoon baking soda½ teaspoon salt¼ teaspoon xanthan gumWet12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) of butter, melted and cooled1 cup packed brown sugar ½ cup granulated sugar1  large egg3  large egg yolks 1 teaspoon vanilla extract1 teaspoon yellow sweet potato, cooked and mashed well1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (if you use oversized chips, as I did you only need 1 cup)1/2 cup English toffee chunks*Optional: large grain sea salt crystals to top cookies withIn a medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, oat flour, espresso powder, rice flour, baking soda, salt, and xanthan gum. Set aside.In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter. Stir in granulated and brown sugar. Next, thoroughly mix in the sweet potato and smash any lumps completely with a rubber spatula. If the mixture is hot, let it cool a bit and then add the eggs, egg yolks, and vanilla. Mix well and scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix for a few minutes until the dough comes together. Stir in chocolate chips and toffee. Scoop the dough into ~2 tablespoon-sized portions and refrigerate the dough for at least two hours or overnight.**Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Make sure the rack is in the center position. Space cookies a few inches apart to make room for spreading. Bake for about 13-18 minutes or until cookies are crisped on the edges but still soft in the center. Let sit for 5 minutes on the sheet, then move to a rack to cool completely. Store in the fridge for up to a week. Enjoy!*I made the toffee, but you can add pieces of a ready-made toffee bar instead.**If you freeze the dough, let it sit out for 30 minutes before baking.

Bacbeat is a diverse house DJ who although in the early stages of his journey has already captivated crowds in London, Ibiza, Amsterdam, Switzerland and Africa. After recently playing in Studio 338 for Forward Motion and at Ministry of Sound for their 33rd birthday weekender, Bacbeat is commanding dance floors with growing popularity. The guest on this weeks show is Max Savage. At the age of 23, Max has already quite the résumé to his name. A resident for Sneak at XOYO in 2023, playing at Outlook festival in Croatia and supporting Route 94 at Brixton Jamm. Amongst other well respected milestones, the South London lad is looking to introduce his production into his sets in the near future to bring his sound to the next level. ⚡️Like the Show? Click the [Repost] ↻ button so more people can hear it!

  Hello and welcome to Handgun Radio! I'm your host Ryan Michad, Weerd Beard & Co from the wild woods of Central Maine and this is your home for all the news, information and discussion in the handgunning world!   This week, we talk Security at places of worship with David & The S&W 396 Night Guard with Daniel!   Please check out the Patriot Patch Company for their awesome patches and other high quality  items! Visit www.patriotpatch.co for more information! Cool artist “proof” rendition come along with the latest patch of the month patches!    We are proudly sponsored by VZ Grips! Please go check out all their fantastic products at their website! VZ Grips!  -KFrame Magna Grips   Thank you to all our patreons! Visit us at https://www.patreon.com/handgunradio    Week In Review:    Ryan: -Not much, huge snowstorm. SUCKED!!! -ALL the 007 Movies on Netflix!!   Weerd:   Daniel: -S&W Night Guard 396 and more .44 Specials   David:   Drink Segment: Backwoods Bastard   Food Segment:  Leg of lamb Ingredients 7-8 lb leg of lamb 1 Tbs Black pepper 2 Tsp Salt ½ Tsp Crushed rosemary 2-3 cloves of Garlic Olive oil Recipe Rinse and pat dry the leg of lamb, and place on a rack in a roasting dish, meaty side up. Mix salt, pepper, and rosemary, then coat the surface of the lamb with about half the mixture. Sliver the garlic and coat it with the remaining spice mix. Poke holes in the roast and insert slivers of garlic. Coat with olive oil. Preheat the oven to 450F. Put the roasting pan in and immediately lower the temperature to 325F. Cook until the internal temperature reaches 125–130°F for medium-rare. Take out of the oven, and let rest for 15–20 minutes.   Chef John's Tzatziki Sauce   Main Topic:   Planning Layout: Doors, window, cameras Equipment: First aid, AED, phones, flashlights, door wedges, etc Build a team with clearly defined and assigned roles Connect with local law enforcement agencies Communication plans Training: classes, exercises, and drills. Both with and without members present. Evacuation plan, Bunker plan, Medical Emergency plan, Fire plan, etc. Mental preparation: security team members need to give themselves permission to do bad things to bad people. If anyone can't, they should be relegated to a support role. There is no shame in this. Build good mental habits. Primary and secondary members assigned to provide information to Law Enforcement/911 Name and location of incident Physical description of shooter(s) Location of the shooter. Number of shooters, if more than one. Number and type of weapons held by the shooter(s) IE: handgun, shotgun, rifle? Number of potential victims at the location. How many people are present? Identifiable entrances and exits. Are the doors numbered? Law Enforcement Response - what to expect They are not there to treat wounded, they are there to end the threat. The initially responding officers will shout commands and may physically move or restrain people other than the shooters as needed. Once the threat is ended, additional first responders will enter to provide medical care. How to Survive the Incident Run, hide, fight Once they arrive, follow LEO instructions, keep hands visible, avoid quick movements. OODA loop: Observe, Orient, Decide, Act Legal defence: If force was used (up to and including deadly force) protecting members, there's a good chance that person or persons will be taken into custody. The family of the attacker may sue the defenders and victims. After an event: If LEOs haven't arrived, clear the scene Once LEOs arrive, see above Try to avoid disturbing the crime scene within reasonable limits Medical care. As with a depressurized airplane, check yourself first, then others Media: Primary and secondary security team personnel assigned to interact with media and run interference between them and traumatized/injured members. The Media is not your friend Counselling and therapy   Wrap Up: Don't forget to shop Brownells using our affiliate link! Head to firearmsradio.net and click the affiliate link in the upper right hand corner! Be sure to go like Handgun Radio on facebook and share it with your friends! Leave us a review on iTunes! Check out VZ Grips!  Listen to all the great shows on the Firearms Radio Network! Check out the Patriot Patch Company!! www.patriotpatch.co   Weerd where can people find you? Assorted Calibers Podcast,  Weer'd World   Protect His House   Oddball gunscarstech.com Assorted Calibers Podcast ACP and HGR Facebook Play screechingtires.wav   David Blue Collar Prepping Brena Bock Author Page David Bock Author Page Team And More Claus of War: Santa's Battle Chronicles Xander: Assorted Calibers Podcast Here so Ryan doesn't do a bad impression of me   Until next week, have fun & safe shooting!  

Cucinare! Ma non solo, mettetevi comodi, ma non troppo, perché dopo qualche chiacchiera poi dobbiamo preparare la ricetta. Trascrizione interattiva e Vocab Helper Support Easy Italian and get interactive transcripts, live vocabulary and bonus content: easyitalian.fm/membership Note dell'episodio https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fhn3v844_Ts&t=1s - Italians Using the CONGIUNTIVO (real-life examples) Iniziano le olimpiadi invernali Milano Cortina 2026! E noi? Le osserviamo e vi riportiamo un po' il "dietro le quinte" o almeno vi raccontiamo il lato della città di Milano che viviamo tutti i giorni. Partiamo con: come è iniziato tutto, come è l'organizzazione delle olimpiadi? Siamo alle solite? Poca organizzazione e tante lamentele? A quanto pare un po' si. Raffaele ci racconta come sta andando e che notizie ci sono. Curiosità per la fiaccola che è arrivata a Milano, molti "tedofori" https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tedoforo Sono state personaggi famosi italiani ma non sportivi famosi. Non proprio quello che ci si aspetta da coloro che portano in giro la fiaccola delle olimpiadi. Passiamo dalle olimpiadi agli affreschi. Ma non affreschi qualsiasi! Parliamo di affreschi che assomigliano un po' troppo a politici italiani. Ma chi? A quanto pare un angelo assomiglia un po' troppo al presidente dei ministri italiano! Concludiamo in cucina! La ricetta della pasta al forno che Matteo ha fatto nell'ultimo festival organizzato dalla scuola di italiano Joy of languages https://joyoflanguages.com/ Ingredienti: Pasta corta 400 g / 14 once Short pasta 400 g / 14 oz Passata 1l / 4 cups Tomato purée 1 L / 4 cups Una melanzana grande o due piccole One large eggplant or two small ones Scamorza affumicata (o mozzarella) 200g / 7 once Smoked scamorza cheese (or mozzarella) 200 g / 7 oz Parmigiano 50 g / 1,7 once Parmigiano cheese 50 g / 1.7 oz Pangrattato 50 g / 1,7 once Breadcrumbs 50 g / 1.7 oz Uno spicchio di aglio One clove of garlic Sale Salt Olio Oil Strumenti: Pentola Pot Pentolino per il sugo Small saucepan for the sauce Teglia 25 cm x 17 cm Medium baking dish (about 10 × 7 inches), suitable for 4 servings Coltello Knife Tagliere Cutting board Ciotola Bowl Scolapasta Colander Cucchiaio di legno Wooden spoon Mestolo per sugo Ladle for sauce Padella Pan / Skille Ricetta: In una padella, scaldare olio e uno spicchio d'aglio schiacciato con il coltello; quando fa le bollicine, aggiungere il sugo. In a pan, heat the oil and one clove of garlic crushed with a knife; when it starts bubbling, add the sauce. Tagliare le melanzane e togliere un po' di polpa. Cut the eggplants and remove some of the flesh. Cuocere le melanzane in padella con il sale e aggiungere acqua o vino se si asciugano troppo. Cook the eggplants in the pan with salt and add water or wine if they dry out too much. Abbassare la fiamma quando le melanzane si rimpiccioliscono. Lower the heat when the eggplants shrink. Far bollire l'acqua, aggiungere il sale e cuocere la pasta. Bring the water to a boil, add salt, and cook the pasta. Accendere il forno a 180° / Gas mark 4 / 356°F. Preheat the oven to 180°C / Gas mark 4 / 356°F. Tagliare la scamorza: metà finemente e metà a fette per la parte sopra. Cut the scamorza: half finely and half into slices for the top. Scolare la pasta al dente e mescolarla in una ciotola con sugo e melanzane. Drain the pasta al dente and mix it in a bowl with the sauce and eggplants. Mettere in teglia uno strato di pasta e aggiungere la scamorza tagliata finemente. Place a layer of pasta in the baking dish and add the finely chopped scamorza. Sopra mettere scamorza, pangrattato e parmigiano. On top, add scamorza, breadcrumbs, and Parmigiano. Cuocere per 10 minuti; usare il grill se serve dorare la superficie. Bake for 10 minutes; use the grill/broiler if needed to brown the top. Mmmm... che fame

Hello and welcome to Handgun Radio! I'm NOT your host Ryan Michad, This is  Weerd Beard from the wild woods of West Morocco, I'm Joined by my Crew, and this is your home for all the news, information and discussion in the handgunning world!   This week, we talk hand Cannons and pea Shooters   So, guys, how was your week?   Week in Review:   Drink Segment: (I got nothing,  David?) Stromboli Ingredients 1 ¾ cups lukewarm water 1 tablespoon granulated sugar 2 1/4 teaspoons or one packet active dry yeast 6 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour 1 tablespoon table salt 1 large egg 1 tablespoon water Recipe Weigh or measure the flour and add to the mixing bowl with the sugar and salt. Stir a pinch of sugar and the yeast into the warm water. Once it starts bubbling, add to the other ingredients in the mixer. Let run until the dough cleans the sides of the bowl. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead by hand until the dough is smooth and supple. Place in an oiled bowl, turning once to coat all sides. Cover with a damp towel and let sit until doubled in size. 1 to 2 hours. Punch the dough down, and let rise again. For about half the time as the previous rise. Divide dough in half and roll out into rectangle. Lightly coat the surface with olive oil, avoiding the edges. Add sauce, meats, cheeses, and any other toppings desired. Roll the dough by the long edge, pinch the ends, and fold the ends under. Cover with a damp towel and let rise for 45 to 60 minutes. Whisk together the egg and water for the glaze. Slash the tops of the Stromboli, then brush the tops with the egg and water mixture. Preheat oven to 450F. Bake for 15 minutes. Turn the temperature down to 400F and bake another 15 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown. Allow the Stromboli to cool for 10-15 minutes, then slice and serve.   Main Topic:  Hand Cannons and Pea Shooters   Hand Cannons: S&W X Frame Remington Rolling Block .50 50 Reing Ruger Super Redhawk Magnum Research BFR Magnum Research Lone Eagle .44 Magnum and .50 AE Desert Eagle Colt Schofield S&W Model 29 .600 Nitro Revolver Howda Pistols Springfield Armory Single-Shot System Colt Walker Bond Arms Cyclops   Pea Shooters: NAA Mini Revolver S&W Escort Beretta Bobcat Rossi Garrucha .22 Short Revolvers Astra 2000 in .22 Short or .25 ACP .25 ACP .32 S&W Short Parlor guns, many in .22 BB and CB rimfire Liliput 4.25mm Kolibri 2mm   Wrap Up: Don't forget to shop Brownells using our affiliate link! Head to firearmsradio.net and click the affiliate link in the upper right hand corner! Be sure to go like Handgun Radio on facebook and share it with your friends! Leave us a review on iTunes! Check out VZ Grips!  Listen to all the great shows on the Firearms Radio Network! Check out the Patriot Patch Company!! www.patriotpatch.co   Weerd where can people find you? Assorted Calibers Podcast,  Weer'd World   Ryan Wild woods of central Maine Weekly on Handgun Radio   Oddball gunscarstech.com Assorted Calibers Podcast ACP and HGR Facebook Play screechingtires.wav   David Blue Collar Prepping Brena Bock Author Page David Bock Author Page Team And More Claus of War: Santa's Battle Chronicles Xander: Assorted Calibers Podcast Here so Ryan doesn't do a bad impression of me   Until next week, have fun & safe shooting!  

Click to LISTEN Hosts Marcy Gordon and Beth Costa discuss upcoming events, share stories, and provide resources for wine enthusiasts in Northern Sonoma County. Here's the rundown: Sponsor Shoutouts: Thanks to Ron Rubin and River Road Family Vineyards and Winery for supporting the podcast. Check out their Chardonnay and Pinot Noir at riverroadvineyards.com. Event Updates: Winter Wineland: Recently wrapped up, offering a relaxed post-holiday wine weekend. Wine Love Wine Trail: Happening on Valentine's Day (Feb 14). A $50 ticket grants access to 30 wineries with fun treats like conversation hearts and Hershey's Kisses. Barrel Tasting: Celebrating its 48th year and the Wine Road's 50th anniversary. This signature event (March) allows guests to taste wines directly from barrels, meet winemakers, and purchase futures. Tickets are rolled back to $50 for the weekend. 50th Anniversary Grand Tasting: Scheduled for November 6 at Fopiano Vineyards, featuring founding members, live music, and food.  (UPDATE - new date September 19th).  Book Recommendation: Vines in a Cold Climate by Henry Jeffries explores the rise of English sparkling wine, driven by climate change and visionary winemakers. Local Resource Highlight: Edible Marin and Wine Country magazine is a free, insightful guide to local food, wine, and culture. Recipe Spotlight: Marcy shares a simple recipe for spiced candied nuts, perfect for Valentine's Day gifts. Ingredients include nuts, sugar, spices, egg white, and salt. Bake at 300°F for 30 minutes, separate, and package with a bow. Fun Moments: The hosts share laughs, personal anecdotes, and celebrate Beth's 49th wedding anniversary. Listeners are encouraged to share photos from Winter Wineland and explore the Wine Road's events and resources. Happy Valentine's Day! Links: River Road Family Vineyards Winter Wineland Wine Love Wine  Trail Barrel Tasting Edible Marin Vines in a Cold Climate   Sugar and Spice Candied Nuts - a perfect Valentine gift idea! 1/3 cup dark-brown sugar 2/3 cup white granulated sugar 1 teaspoon kosher salt (I might up this by a 1/2 tsp. next time for more of a sweet/salty balance) Generous pinch of cayenne pepper (I swapped this with 1/4 teaspoon of hot smoked paprika) 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 pound walnut or pecan halves or whole peeled hazelnuts 1 egg white, room temperature 1 tablespoon water Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Mix sugars, salt, cayenne, and cinnamon, making sure there are no lumps; set aside. Beat egg white and water until frothy but not stiff. Add walnuts, and stir to coat evenly. Sprinkle nuts with sugar mixture, and toss until evenly coated. Spread sugared nuts in a single layer on a cookie sheet fitted with parchment paper. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from oven, and separate nuts as they cool. When completely cool, pour the nuts into a bowl, breaking up any that stick together.  

Happy New Year! 2026 is officially here! Many people dive into the new year with reckless abandon hoping to meet all of their elusive life goals. This often leads to self-loathing when we fail to meet the unrealistic expectation we've hastily set for ourselves. But what if this year we take a gentler approach? Rather than jumping in with both feet, instead we tiptoe into the next calendar year with an intentional, well-laid plan. Instead of rushing, what if we paused, considered, and took our time plotting a thoughtful journey? As we consider the year before us, take the time you need… this may be the key to creating the life you truly desire. What am I reading?The Silver Witch by Paula Brackston https://bookshop.org/a/111301/9781250086341Every Day I Read: 53 Ways to Get Closer to Books by Hwang Bo-reumhttps://bookshop.org/a/111301/9781639737796https://bookshop.org/shop/witchywomanwalkingWhat's playing on repeat?C'Mon Down by Poor Man's Poison What's for dinner? French Onion Soup Ingredients:6 large yellow onions 4 tablespoons unsalted butter2 tablespoons olive oil1 teaspoon granulated sugar1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste6 cups rich beef or veggie broth 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves – or 1 tablespoon dried thyme2 bay leaves1/2 teaspoon black pepper6-8 thick slices of day-old baguette1½ cups grated Gruyère cheese – Swiss or Provolone work as alternatives1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheeseInstructions:Slice all onions uniformly using a sharp knife or mandoline. Shred cheese, set aside.Heat butter and olive oil in a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium heat. Add sliced onions, sugar, and salt, stirring to coat evenly. Cook onions for 45-50 minutes, stirring every 8-10 minutes. Take your time, slow stirring makes for great flavor! Once onions reach deep caramelization, add 1/2 cup of beef broth to deglaze the pan, scraping up the flavorful brown bits. Add remaining broth, thyme, bay leaves, and black pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Preheat your oven's broiler. Ladle soup into oven-safe crocks, top with bread slices, and generously cover with mixed cheeses. Broil for 2-4 minutes until cheese bubbles vigorously and develops golden-brown spots. Enjoy!Spiced Pear TeaIngredients:– 2 cups water– 1 ripe pear, sliced– 1 tablespoon honey (adjust to taste)– 1-2 cinnamon sticksInstructions:1. Start by boiling the water in a pot. Add the sliced pears and cinnamon sticks. 2. Let the mixture simmer for about 10 minutes. This will blend the flavors beautifully.3. After simmering, strain the tea into cups. Sweeten with honey to your liking.4. Serve warm and enjoy the soothing flavors.Support the show

For the holidays, we're re-running some of our very favorite holiday-themed episodes! It's hard not to feel like we've got to be doing ALL the things at the holidays, especially when social media tells us we should be. Here are some tips for taking perspective at the holidays and operating in "high magic, low effort" mode. We discuss: pre-gaming with your (older) kids about the preferred responses to less-preferred gifts starting with what family members really do love most about the holidays (their answers will surprise you) why you don't have to go the Nutcracker, or lights at the zoo, or Aunt Martha's house, this year, let alone every year Rosie Colosi for Today Parents: ⁠⁠Moms are challenging the idea that they are the sole keepers of holiday ‘magic'⁠⁠ SNL's "Christmas Morning" sketch: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOVCtUdaMCU⁠ ⁠Read all of our listeners' great advice on the original Facebook thread⁠... and here, as promised, is Amy's recipe for the⁠ Italian pepper cookies⁠ that seem to be unique to northeast Pennsylvania... Italian Pepper Cookies (makes about 72 cookies, more if they're small) 1/2 cup Crisco  2 cups of milk or water (or more if needed) If dough is really sticky you can add a little bit more of milk 1/2 lb. raisins  1 cup cocoa 2 1/2 cups sugar 4 tbsp. baking powder 7 cups of flour (add more if needed) 1 1/2 tsps. cinnamon 1 1/2 tsps. cloves (not whole) 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla 1 1/2 tsps. black pepper (if you don't want them too spicy, you can cut back on the pepper, I never do though) Optional, you can add nuts or I've seen people add chocolate chips too. We aren't big nut eaters, so I've never made them with nuts. Preheat oven to 375 Cream sugar and Crisco together in a bowl  In a different bowl, sift together all the dry ingredients. Add sifted dry ingredients to creamed sugar and Crisco alternately with milk. Mix well. It will be very sticky, it's easier to work with your hands. I usually coat my hands with some Pam to be able to work the dough. Add your raisins and mix it up more.  Using your hands, take enough dough to roll a small ball (my mom likes them big, I like them smaller) Place cookie balls on your cookie trays (I usually fit around 16 on a tray, all depends on the size of your cookie balls)  Bake in oven for 8-10 minutes. Icing: 2 cups confectioner's sugar 1 to 2 tablespoons milk 1/2 teaspoon butter splash vanilla For icing: Mix together all ingredients, adding milk until achieving creamy consistency, not stiff. When cookies are slightly cooled, top with icing. Sign up for the What Fresh Hell newsletter! Once a month you'll get our favorite recent episodes, plus links to other things to read and watch and listen to, and upcoming special events: ⁠http://eepurl.com/h8ze3z⁠ We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: ⁠https://www.whatfreshhellpodcast.com/p/promo-codes/⁠ Get 50% Off Monarch Money, the all-in-one financial tool at ⁠www.monarchmoney.com/FRESH Ready to raise money-smart kids? Start now with your first month FREE at acornsearly.com/FRESH! What Fresh Hell is co-hosted by Margaret Ables and Amy Wilson. Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Santa, Elf on the Shelf, gift exchange, holiday, holiday shopping, holiday gifts, mom friends, funny moms, parenting advice, parenting experts, parenting tips, mothers, families, parenting skills, parenting strategies, parenting styles, busy moms, self-help for moms, manage kid's behavior, teenager, toddler, holiday recipes Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Alec Naman from @Naman's Catering called us this morning and said, "Here's a nice treat for a side dish for your Christmas dinner. My Famous Balsamic Glazed Brussel Sprouts with Bacon Recipe. You're gonna love this one! "      

Welcome to What Matters Now, a weekly podcast exploring key issues currently shaping Israel and the Jewish World, with host Jessica Steinberg speaking with cookbook author Adeena Sussman. In this conversation with the bestselling author of "Sababa" and "Shabbat," Sussman discusses the intersection of cooking, culture, and personal experiences as she continues melding her American Jewish background with her current Israeli life in her recipes. She reviews aspects of her latest cookbook, "Zariz," which emphasizes quick, easy recipes with shorter lists of ingredients, and how working on it during the war offered a therapeutic outlet during troubling times. Sussman talks about her various Hanukkah recipes, tips for frying potato pancakes and sufganiyot, and how to streamline the latke-making and doughnut frying processes, if one decides to make their own. Adeena Sussman's Sheet Pan Latke BoardFor the latkes: 1½ - 1¾ lbs skin-on Russet potatoes, scrubbed (depending on your sheet pan size)1 med-large onion, peeled2 eggs2 tsps kosher salt, plus more to taste½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper3-4 tablespoons potato starch, cornstarch or flour¼ - ⅓ cup olive oil Toppings ideas: Gravlax, sour cream, dill, lemon zest, capersSour cream + fish eggs + green onionAvocado + chili crispHorseradish sour cream + quail eggPear GorgonzolaPomme persimmonLabaneh + jamApple butter InstructionsArrange a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat to 450°F. Grate the potatoes and onions on the large holes of a box grater into a large bowl. Using both hands, squeeze out and discard as much of the liquid from the potatoes as possible; transfer them to a second bowl. Add the oil to a quarter-sheet pan (or 9 x 13 inch glass metal baking dish); place in the oven and heat until the oil is very hot but not smoking, 7 to 8 minutes. During the last two minutes of the oil heating, stir the eggs, salt, pepper, and potato starch into the potato-onion mixture. Carefully remove the sheet pan from the oven. Quickly pour and spread the latke batter across the pan; tip and spoon any excess oil over the top. Bake until deep golden brown and crisp, 23 to 25 minutes (or longer as needed). Cut into squares and top with the toppings of your choice. What Matters Now podcasts are available for download on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves. IMAGE: Cookbook author Adeena Sussman with her latest, 'Zariz,' in December 2025. (Courtesy)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the latest episode of Morning Tide, we go over San Jose's loss at Dallas, and talk about overall trends with the team with Alan Hoshida, the host of Sharks Pre and Postgame LIVE on NBC Sports California

Alec Naman from @Naman's Catering called us this morning and said, "Let's fire up the grills this weekend and cook some steaks, maybe with a nice chimichurri sauce. Oh, Don't worry about the rain..."      

Alex Turnbull is a mom, registered dietician, and picky eater nutritionist. She runs The Family Nutritionist, a community where parents get simple, real-life strategies for raising curious, confident eaters.Spinach Banana PancakesMake extras to eat throughout the week.1 cup milk of choice1 cup spinach, fresh - or 1/2 cup frozen1 banana1 cup pancake mixButter or cooking spray, for the griddle or pan1. Preheat griddle to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. 2. Add milk, spinach, and banana to a blender and blend until spinach and bananas are well combined with milk. 3. Combine liquid mixture with pancake mix and stir until most of the lumps are gone.4. Grease the griddle with butter or cooking spray. 5. If using a pancake batter dispenser, add the pancake batter to the dispenser. Pour 1/8 cup of batter, or roughly 2" pancakes, on the griddle. Once bubbles form, flip the pancakes to cook on the other side for roughly 3-5 minutes. Remove from griddle and enjoy!*******Follow Clean Plate Club on Instagram.Tag your meal on social media: #CleanPlateClubPodFollow Kappy on Instagram and TwitterExecutive Producer/Host: Andrew “Kappy” KaplanCo-Executive Producer: Ian CohenProducer/Editor: Joel YeatonProducer: Shant PetrossianDigital/Social Media Producers: Red Summit Productions (Harrison Sims)Kid Voices: Leo + Ella KaplanMusic & Sound: Jeffrey Goldford and the LikemindsEducational Consultant: Barbara JohnsonAlbum Artwork: Dave BogartClean Plate Club is a production of Beyond the Plate.

Host, Andrew “Kappy” Kaplan and his twins Leo + Ella share a recipe they created for Ella's 1st grade teacher and her daughter. Let kids join the fun by measuring ingredients, adding them to the mix, and being your personal timer for the mixer. :) Ms. V's Snickerdoodle Cookie BarsMakes approximately 24 regular size squares or 60, 1-inch cubes (our preference)Club Notes:- To make pumpkin spice flavor, reduce cinnamon to 1 teaspoon and add 1 teaspoon of ground pumpkin spice to cinnamon sugar blend that goes on top.2 ½ cups all-purpose flour1 teaspoon baking powder1/2 teaspoon kosher salt1 teaspoon cream of tartar1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature1 ½ cups granulated sugar, 1/4 cup set aside1/2 cup packed light brown sugar2 large eggs, room temperature1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (1 teaspoon if using pumpkin spice)1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9x13 inch baking pan with cooking spray and line the bottom with parchment paper, leaving a slight overhang on the long sides. 2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cream of tartar. 3. In a separate large mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter, 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar, and the brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Beat in the eggs and vanilla, mixing well and scraping down the sides of the bowl, as needed. 4. Reduce the mixer speed to low and beat in the flour mixture in 3 batches, turning the mixer off as you add each batch. Mix until just combined after each addition- no need to overmix.5. Transfer the dough to the prepared baking pan and spread it gently in an even layer. You can use a small offset spatula, knife, or gently pat it down using a sheet of parchment paper. 6. In a small bowl, stir together the remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar and cinnamon (and pumpkin spice, if using). Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture evenly over the top of the dough- you may not need to use it all. 7. Place the pan in a preheated oven and bake until the bars are light golden brown and the center is puffed slightly, about 22-25 minutes- do not overbake. Let cool completely in the pan, remove from the pan using the parchment paper overhang, and slice into squares, bars, or like us, 1-inch size cubes. *******Follow Clean Plate Club on Instagram.Tag your meal on social media: #CleanPlateClubPodFollow Kappy on Instagram and TwitterExecutive Producer/Host: Andrew “Kappy” KaplanCo-Executive Producer: Ian CohenProducer/Editor: Joel YeatonProducer: Shant PetrossianDigital/Social Media Producers: Red Summit Productions (Harrison Sims)Kid Voices: Leo + Ella KaplanMusic & Sound: Jeffrey Goldford and the LikemindsEducational Consultant: Barbara JohnsonAlbum Artwork: Dave BogartClean Plate Club is a production of Beyond the Plate.

Support the sponsors to support the show! Fall into comfortwith Mack Weldon's Ace Collection. Go to MackWeldon.com and get 20% off your first order of $125 or more, with promo code DAN https://mackweldon.com/ promo code DAN For a limited time, new Cash App customers can earn $10 if they use code SECURE10 in their profile at signup and send $5 to a friend within 14 days. Terms apply.Download Cash App Today: [https://capl.onelink.me/vFut/wdild9do] #CashAppPod. Cash App is a financial services platform, not a bank. Banking services provided by Cash App's bank partner(s). Prepaid debit cards issued by Sutton Bank, Member FDIC. See terms and conditions at https://cash.app/legal/us/en-us/card-agreement. Discounts and promotions provided by Cash App, a Block, Inc. brand. Visit http://cash.app/legal/podcast for full disclosures. Stop putting off those doctors appointments and go to Zocdoc.com/SODER to find and instantly book a top-rated doctor today https://www.zocdoc.com/?utm_medium=audiopodcast&utm_campaign=soder The Golden Retriever of Comedy Tour is coming to your city! Get tickets at https://www.dansoder.com/tour NOV 13 Iowa City, IA Nov 14 Minneapolis, MN NOV 15 Madison, WI NOV 21 Kansas City, MO NOV 22 St. Louis, MO DEC 5 Vancouver, BC DEC 6 Eugene, OR DEC 12 Columbus, OH DEC 13 Royal Oak, MI Follow Daniel Sloss https://www.instagram.com/danielsloss/?hl=en https://x.com/Daniel_Sloss?lang=en https://www.facebook.com/danielslosscomedian/ PLEASE Drop us a rating on iTunes and subscribe to the show to help us grow. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/soder/id1716617572 Connect with DAN Twitter: https://Twitter.com/dansoder Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dansoder Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dansodercomedy Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dansoder Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/@dansoder.comedy #dansoder #standup #comedy #entertainment #podcast Produced by  Mike Lavin      https://www.instagram.com/thehomelesspimp/?hl=en

Christmas is a time for celebration, joy, and the warmth of family traditions. This year, let's embrace the homemade spirit by creating a charming Christmas atmosphere using natural elements like orange slices and other delightful crafts. This podcast will guide you through crafting unique decorations, festive treats, and heartwarming gifts—all infused with the essence of the season. Grab your scissors, glue, and a hot cocoa as we dive into the merry world of homemade Christmas! 1. Gathering Your Materials To get started, you'll need a few essential materials to create your decorations and treats: - For Décor: - Dried orange slices - Cinnamon sticks - Pinecones (natural or painted) - Twine or ribbon - Craft glue - Scissors - For Treats: - Ingredients for cookies or gingerbread - Festive sprinkles or edible glitter - Small mason jars or bags for packaging - For Gifts: - Blank gift tags - Decorative paper - Craft materials for personalizing gifts 2. Creating Dried Orange Slice Ornaments Dried orange slices add a beautiful, natural element to your Christmas décor. The process of making these ornaments is simple and rewarding. Ingredients & Instructions: 1. Preheat your oven to 200°F (93°C). 2. Slice oranges into 1/4-inch thick rounds. 3. Place the slices on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. 4. Bake for 2-3 hours, turning them halfway through, until they are dry but not burnt. 5. Once dried, use a skewer to create a small hole at the top of each slice for hanging. 6. Thread twine through the hole and hang them on your tree, mantel, or around your home. These will not only look stunning but will also fill your space with a light citrus aroma. 3. Crafting a Cinnamon Stick Bundle Next, let's create a rustic decoration that will complement your dried orange slices: cinnamon stick bundles. Instructions: 1. Gather 3-5 cinnamon sticks and tie them together using twine or ribbon. 2. Attach a dried orange slice or a small pinecone to the bundle for added charm. 3. Use these bundles as chair decorations, table centerpieces, or even as gift toppers. These bundles capture the scent of Christmas and add a touch of elegance to your décor. 4. Baking Festive Treats No Christmas is complete without delicious treats! Consider baking cookies or gingerbread with your family. Simple Gingerbread Cookie Recipe: Ingredients: - 3 cups all-purpose flour - 1 tablespoon ground ginger - 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon - 1/2 tablespoon ground cloves - 1 teaspoon baking soda - 1/2 teaspoon salt - 3/4 cup unsalted butter (softened) - 3/4 cup brown sugar - 1/2 cup molasses - 1 egg Instructions: 1. In a bowl, mix together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, baking soda, and salt. 2. In another bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar, then beat in the molasses and egg. 3. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture. 4. Refrigerate the dough for about 1 hour. 5. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and roll out the dough on a floured surface. 6. Cut out shapes and place them on lined baking sheets. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until firm. 7. Let them cool and decorate with icing and sprinkles. Package them in mason jars with a festive ribbon for a personal touch! 5. Personalizing Gifts with DIY Touch Once your decorations and treats are ready, it's time to wrap your gifts. Gift-Wrapping Ideas: - Use plain brown paper and decorate it with stamps or doodles. - Attach a bundle of dried orange slices and cinnamon sticks to your gifts for a beautiful, aromatic embellishment. - Handwrite gift tags with heartfelt messages. These simple yet personal touches will make your presents memorable and cherished. Merry Christmas

Hi Bakers,My son and his girlfriend went to the Farmer's Market and brought back a beautiful pumpkin roll cake. It looked so good, I thought why haven't I made one?? Oh yes, I remember I was terrified to try and roll a cake in a cylinder. I'm not sure if I got brave or just desperate to have a bite of this cake! This is my first attempt at making it and revising the recipe to be gluten-free too. Make this cake if you love a moist, sweet pumpkin cake with lots of rich cream cheese and butter icing. I would 100% make this cake again because it's so tasty, quick to mix together, and pretty forgiving too! Enjoy~CarolynTips Before Baking:Don't use two sheets of parchment paper; the cake cracked at the seamSpread the cake batter evenly in the pan so it bakes Roll the cake slowly while hot and  cool seam side down on a rackfrost cake all the way to the edges Keep the frosted cake tightly wrapped in plastic while coolingNeeded Equipment:jelly roll pan, 10”x 15”parchment paper large enough to cover the bottom of the panFoil or plastic wrap  (best)Optional Equipment:small offset spatula (helps smooth batter in an even layerGluten-Free Pumpkin Roll with Cream Cheese Butter IcingModified for gluten-free from Tastes Better From Scratch's RecipeDry Ingredients3/4 cup Cup4Cup Brand Multipurpose Flour (original blend with milk powder**)1/2 teaspoon sweet rice flour1/2 teaspoon baking soda1/2 teaspoon cinnamon1/2 teaspoon ginger1/4 teaspoon allspice1/8 teaspoon clovesWet Ingredients3 large eggs1 cup granulated sugar2/3 cup pumpkin puree (Libby's preferred)1 teaspoon vanilla extractCream Cheese Icing3 tablespoons butter, softened1 8-ounce block of cream cheese, softened1 cup powdered sugar1 teaspoon vanilla extract.Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 10”x 15” jelly-roll pan and line with parchment paper. Press the paper into the pan so it sticks in place, and then, grease the top of the paper too.Whisk the dry ingredients together in a medium-sized bowl and set aside. Mix the wet ingredients in a large bowl and then add the dry and stirring just until mixed. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top evenly to the edges. Bake for 11-14 minutes or until the top of the cake springs back. You can also use a toothpick; cake is done when the toothpick comes clean. Remove from the oven and place the pan on a heat-proof surface. Gently remove the cake from the jelly-roll pan and slide it onto a flat surface. You may have to cut around a few of the edges to free it. Starting with the short edge, slowly the cake with the parchment into a tight cylinder and secure by placing edge side down on a rack until completely cool.Combine the icing ingredients together while the cake is cooling.  Beat butter and cream cheese together with a mixer until smooth. Next, mix in the sugar and vanilla extract. Scrape down the bowl and mix until totally combined. Gently unroll the cake and frost the entire cake gently with a spoon or offset spatula. Try to get as even a layer as possible.  Re-roll the frosted cake and wrap tightly in plastic wrap or foil until chilled for at least 1 hour. Plate the cake by unrolling and dusting liberally with powdered sugar. Slice gently with a serrated knife and enjoy. Cake keeps well wrapped for up to 3 days. Enjoy!** If you have trouble finding this flour in stores, check online. I buy mine on Amazon.

On the latest episode of “Dishing with Stephanie's Dish”, I sit down with accomplished book cover designer, art director, and now, celebrated cookbook author, @LauraKlyn The episode is a deliciously detailed look into Laura's new book, “100 Pie, Tart and Galette Recipes for Every Season” and a behind-the-scenes peek into her world of culinary creativity and design.From the moment I flipped through the pages, it was clear Laura's design expertise shines brightly. Laura's background as a cover designer and art director, paired with hands-on experience working on dozens of cookbooks, comes to life in her visually stunning collection. Each photo in the book tells a story——and is surrounded by thoughtful prop styling, from vintage pie servers to antique dishes discovered at local shops.A special treat is Laura's focus on savory pies—think samosa pie or the show-stopping asparagus tart—beautiful options for every season and palate. The attention to technique continues with creative garnishes, like sugared cranberries and candied herbs, adding sparkle to your holiday spreads and beyond.Laura's cookbook recommendations are rock solid—even non-pie bakers will find plenty to love between these pages.Ready to up your pie game? Listen to the full episode for stories, tips, and plenty of seasonal baking inspiration! Enjoy these two recipes from Laura, one savory and one sweet, to get a taste of her book!Lemon Meringue TartMakes 1 10-inch round tartI love this twist on lemon meringue pie in tart form. For me, the proportion of crust to lemon is perfect, and it's even better with Swiss meringue instead of French meringue, which is a traditional pairing with lemon. Swiss meringue is cooked on the stove and doesn't need to go in the oven. It is softer and creamier, adding a beautiful airy sweetness to counter the tart lemon curd. This bright tart comes out looking lovely and tastes even better.Press-In Shortbread Tart DoughMakes 1 10-inch tart crustI've tested a lot of tart crusts over the years, and many of them are so hard, it's difficult to break off a bite with a fork. This buttery and delicious shortbread crust is delicate enough to easily break apart but strong enough to hold the tart together. Using cake flour is key to getting a nice, cookie-like crumb. This dough is not tough enough to roll out. Press the dough directly into the pan for an easy to pull together, delicious tart base.Ingredients¾ cup (169 g) unsalted butter, softened½ teaspoon fine sea salt2 teaspoons vanilla extract⅔ cup (73 g) confectioners' sugar2 cups (230 g) cake flourInstructionsIn the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix butter, salt, vanilla extract, and confectioners' sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add flour and mix just until combined. Press dough directly into a 10-inch tart pan, starting with the sides and finishing with the bottom. Bake the crust according to the tart recipe's instructions.Lemon CurdIngredients8 egg yolkszest of 2 lemons⅔ cup fresh lemon juice1 cup (200g) sugar10 tablespoons (141 g) salted butterSwiss Meringue5 egg whites1¼ cups (250 g) sugar½ teaspoon cream of tartar1 teaspoon vanilla bean pasteInstructionsTo make the crust: Preheat oven to 350ºF. Press tart dough into a 10-inch tart pan. Generously dock with a fork and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until lightly browned. While still hot, use a tamper or back of a spoon to lightly press down the center of the crust, leaving a ¾-inch edge.To make the lemon curd: Whisk together egg yolks, lemon zest, lemon juice, and sugar in a saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until mixture becomes thick and coats the back of the spoon, about 8 to 10 minutes. Use an instant read thermometer to check the temperature; it should reach 170ºF. Transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low. Add butter 1 teaspoon at a time, mixing until fully combined before adding the next teaspoon of butter. Strain through a sieve into a medium bowl. Pour while still warm into the tart shell. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours.To make the Swiss meringue: Whisk together egg whites and sugar in the top pan of a double boiler until completely incorporated (see note below). Cook, whisking continuously, for about 5 to 6 minutes or until mixture reaches 170ºF. Pour into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Add cream of tartar. Beat on high for about 2 minutes. Add vanilla extract and continue to beat on high until stiff peaks form. Scoop or pipe onto lemon curd. Toast meringue with a kitchen torch or under the oven broiler. Keep a close watch on meringue while toasting to avoid burning. Remove sides of tart pan and serve.Episode Transcript Follows:Stephanie Hansen:Welcome to Dishing with Stephanie's Dish, the podcast where we talk to people in the food space and a lot of cookbook authors. And this book came across my desk by Laura Klynstra And right away I was like, pie! Laura, your book, “100 Pie, Tart and Galette Recipes for Every Season” is extremely beautiful. And, and I, it kind of, when I read through the whole book and I read through your bio, I was like, oh, well, she's like in the design field because honestly, this is probably one of the most beautiful books on pie I've ever seen.Laura Klynstra:Oh, thank you. Thank you so much.Stephanie Hansen:It's so incredible, like just the way that the pies are decorated, the color choices that you used for the intros, everything is laid out so it feels easy, accessible. And even like the whole rolling out the pie dough section, there's tons of pictures, the decorating of the lattice work, It's a really well done book. Congratulations.Laura Klynstra:Oh, thank you so much.Stephanie Hansen:What's your background and how did you come to be the pie aficionado?Laura Klynstra:My background is actually cover design. I'm a book cover designer and art director. But I also, during all the time that I've been an art director, I've also worked on a lot of cookbooks. So I gotten to go on a lot of photo shoots, work with food stylists and photographers. And during that whole time I learned, I just kind of sat back and watched and learned all the bits and it took time. I'm a self taught photographer. It took me a long time to really figure out how to capture light correctly. And light is really the key to getting a good photo.Laura Klynstra:So yeah, it was a lot of trial and error, but eventually I figured out a system to get my camera mounted correctly. I shoot manually and get that light, but I also, I consider every photo similar to what the way I look at a cover design. It's not just here's your pie or whatever it is you're shooting. There's a lot of things going on around it. And so it's telling a story. The photograph is telling a story. It's giving you a sense of the time. Especially like the fall ones are a lot of fun to shoot.Laura Klynstra:So many great things to props that you can put in with the photos for the fall shots. And it's just, it's a lot of fun.Stephanie Hansen:Did you amass a large library of props and did you have things already or were you always on the lookout?Laura Klynstra:This is my third book, so I had a lot of props already. I have like all these Storage shelves downstairs have the weirdest things. You know, I go to antique stores and I'm always looking for old boxes and just everything. Pretty much everything that could possibly have anything to do with baking. If I go to an antique store, I'm always like, I need that. Especially pie servers. Old, old silverware.Stephanie Hansen:Yes.Laura Klynstra:I hate, I hate photographing with a shiny silver, you know, piece of silver or a new one that it never, you know, for one thing, you can end up reflecting your camera in that. So these old patina silverware and things like that are just fabulous to have. Like, you just gotta have a ton of those in your.Stephanie Hansen:In your Agreed, agree. Thus my sort of background of stuff from my cookbook styling myself in. Can we talk about pie crust? Do you have, like, what you would say is your definitive pie crust that you mostly use.Laura Klynstra:For sweet pies? There's a recipe in there called a maple pie crust, and that's actually my favorite crust to use. It's very similar to a regular crust, except for a lot of the liquid is made with a pure maple syrup. And when you roll that crust out, that syrup gives it like a pliability that just. It doesn't crack the way sometimes you can get with the regular all butter pie crust. And it's just so easy. And so it's just supple. It's, it's. It's my favorite one.Laura Klynstra:But again, I'd only use it for sweets. Even though you don't really taste the maple, it's like, you know how when you add maple to something, it doesn't have a strong flavor, as strong as what you would expect it to be, but it' if you're beginning. That would be my press recommendation for somebody who's just beginning because it does make a really easy to roll out.Stephanie Hansen:I love this because I use vodka in my pie crust to kind of do the same thing. It gives you that moisture when you're putting the assembly together and the roll, but then it bakes out in the final product, so you get kind of a crispier situation. Maple. I've never thought of that. I wonder, have you ever tried honey? Would it do the same thing?Laura Klynstra:I haven't tried it. I would expect it would. And it would just add a little bit of sweetness. The other thing is buttermilk. You can add a little buttermilk that I don't know if you've ever made pie dough, and then put it in your refrigerator and left it in there for two days and it started to turn kind of like a gray Color, Yes. When you add some acid from the buttermilk keeps it from doing that. I'm not sure. I can't.I don't know what the science is behind that, but a little. A little. I think the vodka might, too. I'm not sure. I.Stephanie Hansen:That's a great.Laura Klynstra:Yeah.Stephanie Hansen:I know what you're talking about, and I'm trying to think if I've noticed it with or without vodka. And I can't say. Truthfully, I have, but, like, a lot of times for Christmas or Thanksgiving or any of the. The special holidays, you're making your crust in advance because you've got so much to do, so. So that's a really great tip. I love it.Laura Klynstra:Yep. Yep. And you can also freeze pie dough. So you can make. If you're having Thanksgiving and you're. You're. You can do it a week ahead, just wrap each one individually and then put it inside a freezer as a black bag and then throw it in the freezer. And that way you're just.You've got something that's totally done, even a week in advance.Stephanie Hansen:One thing that I really liked about this book, too, was you took pie into not just sweet places, but also savory. So there's a lot of galette and, like, savory forward dishes, like a potato bacon, gruyere galette. You've got quiche. Do you eat a lot of savory pies? Because that's actually kind of one of my favorite ways to do it. This samosa pie looks amazing.Laura Klynstra:The samosa pie is so popular at my house. So popular. We love that one. So, yeah, we do eat that one quite a bit. The quiches, we do a lot. Some of the other ones, not as often, but, like, the. The asparagus one is kind of just more of something that I would bring to a party.Stephanie Hansen:Yeah. Spring or Easter.Yeah. You know, like, that first time when you. Asparagus is one of the first things that comes out. And in this. In the spring. And so you're just, like, dying to get something fresh. We talked. before I started the podcast that. She's in Michigan, I'm in Minnesota. And literally, like, when you see anything green at the store. And we always jump the gun. Right. Because.Get produce from the coast before we get our own, but there's nothing better than, like, your own homemade asparagus.Laura Klynstra:Yes. And the rhubarb is the other thing that comes up the soonest. And again, I love rhubarb. It's.Stephanie Hansen:So do I think that's My next book, actually.Laura Klynstra:The whole rhubarb book.Stephanie Hansen:Yes, because I just. I'm obsessed with it, and I have, like, 60 recipes, so I'm like, you know, I'm. I'm about way there.Laura Klynstra:What kinds of recipes are they? Like cakes and.Stephanie Hansen:Yeah. Yes. Like bars and cakes and pies and custards, but also chutneys and pork dishes and breads, cookies.Laura Klynstra:That's a fabulous idea. I'm on board with that one.Stephanie Hansen:I think I might have to, like, submit that as my next proposal. We'll see. Another thing that happened this year about pies, I guess it was maybe last year, but it created quite a kerfuffle, and you address it in this book, is the loss of the chocolate wafer cookie. The company that makes the chocolate wafer cookie, I believe it was Nabisco, stopped making that chocolate wafer cookie. And it was the base for a lot of people's, like, mud pies or chocolate pie crust or the press in crusts or the cookie crusts. And people were really freaked out, and people were, you know, we need a recipe to make this cookie. So in here, you have your own chocolate cookie recipe.Laura Klynstra:Yeah. Yep. It's got the black cocoa in it. Like, it's actually like an Oreo, but without the. And if you do end up using Oreos, do take out that middle part. I always scrape out the. If you don't, you're gonna end up with kind of like a too much butter and it's not gonna work. But, yeah, you can make your own so that you're not adding all these preservatives and yucky things into your pies, but sometimes people don't have time.I mean, I totally understand that you can't always.Stephanie Hansen:And I guess maybe depending on your audience too, like, if you're making something for a kid's birthday party, maybe that will be fine. Not that we feed our kids less delicious things than we feed ourselves, but come on, we kind of do times. I do love to. There's a lot of detail in this book about garnishes and sauces. And the white chocolate cranberry tart is just a beautiful photograph, but it also has these sugared cranberries. Tell me about those. And. And obviously, putting them on a tart is delightful, but what else could we do with those? Because those were just gorgeous.Laura Klynstra:I've used them on cakes. And just even, like, even if you're doing a spread, like a holiday spread, they look beautiful in a little bowl. And that same method, the method to make Those is you create a simple syrup and then you dunk the cranberries in the simple syrup and then you let it dry and they become really sticky. And then you roll them in sugar so they look really beautiful. But you can do that same process with mint leaves, rose petals, rosemary. And it's just a beautiful garnish, especially in the winter, because it has that sparkle to it. It just makes it look more special than if you were just going to, you know, lay a sprig of rosemary next to something.Stephanie Hansen:When you started making pies, do you remember how old you were? And what is it about pies that captured your imagination?Laura Klynstra:Well, I really like the handmade nature of it. The fact that, I mean, before I made pies, I was a cookie baker. Cookies were my. Because that's the easiest thing when you're a little. When you're a kid. And I baked since I was basically able to. My mom was a wedding cake baker, so we had all the supplies and all.Stephanie Hansen:Wow.Laura Klynstra:All the inspiration was there, but I didn't start making. And my mom, she always, she loved pie too, but she always used the pie crust from the box, which I kind of hate, but same, same. She just didn't like rolling out dough. So she just, she just used the, the rolled. The rolled up version. But you can buy better versions than the red box. There are.Stephanie Hansen:Joe's is surprisingly good.Laura Klynstra:I think that, yeah, Whole Foods has one too. That's butter instead of like the other weird oils that are in the. The other one. But I think maybe all of my love of like rolling out cookies and then you kind of turn that into rolling out dough. I learned it was a learning curve. I don't think that we just all naturally can know how to make a pie crust and how to roll it out. And you have to practice a little bit. But the lovely part of, of a pie versus a cake or a cookie is that there's just more of your hands involved.Laura Klynstra:And because I make so many things electronically and digitally, because I'm a book cover designer. So to have to be able to make something physically with your hands is both relaxing and satisfying. And I think it makes like a more special finished product. It makes a great gift or something to share with people, to bring to the office or a party or a potluck, and it just feels like it. A pie has a slightly more personal touch to it than maybe a cookie does or a bar. Even though I love cooking bars, don't get me wrong.Stephanie Hansen:Yes. Tell me about your other books.Laura Klynstra:So this is The Homemade Pie Cookbook is the first book I've written by myself. My book just before this one was called “Gather & Graze” and I wrote with my former colleague who is also an art director. She, she does the, she works at HarperCollins. Sure. Mumtaz Mustafa @spiceandsugartable and I have it right here. This is “Gather & Graze” Stephanie Hansen:That's beautiful.Laura Klynstra:So this is more of like a party table spread book. So Mumtaz is brilliant with savory food and I'm more, more of a baker. She's from Pakistan, so she's got this really broad sense of spice and she's just brilliant with the savory. So we split this book up by anything that was baked in the oven I've made and then pretty much anything that was cooked on stove she made. And it's divided by country. So it's a really fun international style party book.Stephanie Hansen:I love that. I'm glad you brought it to my attention. I'll for sure put that in the notes.Laura Klynstra:Yeah, it's a, it's a, it's quite fat. It's, it's a, it's, it's, there's over like 170 recipes in it. It's not a, not a lightweight book. And then the book before that I wrote with my mother. Oh, look at that cute “Christmas Baking”. And this one is it, it does well every, every holiday season. And it's kind of, it's been out for I think five years. And so it's kind of a perennial, hopefully at this point.Laura Klynstra:And it's just, you know, all my favorite. But Christmas baked goods. There's a, there's a breakfast chapter in there for Christmas morning.Stephanie Hansen:Holiday high points. What's next?Laura Klynstra:I got my way. And who knows if I will. I would like to do a fall baking book.Stephanie Hansen:What would that look like? I'm thinking apple. You have quite a, like pumpkin chapter in here.Laura Klynstra:Yeah. Yep. They would have all of those, those, those cozy. It would just be all the cozy, cozy recipes. And I just love the styling of fall too. Fall is one of my favorite seasons. So. Yeah, that would be, that would be super fun.Laura Klynstra:But I also have another idea for, called like, I want to call it Paradise Baking or Baking paradise, which would be all tropical recipes.Stephanie Hansen:That's a great idea. And that's not something we've seen before.Laura Klynstra:I don't, I haven't seen it. No. I have a second home in Guatemala so I could do a lot of the photography there, which would be fun. Yeah. The first few recipes in the Homemade Pie Cookbook were Shot in Guatemala. The line Mango and the hummingbird pie. So I got all of those props while I was down there.Stephanie Hansen:Yeah. In the. And beautiful colors. You also dedicate, like a whole spread to apples for pie. And we just talked about this on our TV show that I'm on. And Honeycrisp is obviously an apple I use a lot because it's Minnesota. Granny Smith is an apple that I think works really well for pies. Do you mix your types of apples? Apples when you're making apple pie?Laura Klynstra:Sometimes I do. The Pink lady is actually one of my favorite ones now that I've been, you know, baking so many apple pies. It's got, like, a tartness to it. But yeah, there you can mix them for sure. Just don't ever use them. Macintosh.Stephanie Hansen:Yeah. Or like the Red Delicious, which is now. Oh, yeah, that's the worst selling apple.Laura Klynstra:They aren't very delicious.Stephanie Hansen:They're not. And it's kind of funny that, like, that was like our lunchbox apple for basically our whole lives. Like, why did we have to eat such terrible apples? I'm so glad they've gotten better.Laura Klynstra:Yes. There's some. I mean, pretty much every variety is better.Stephanie Hansen:Yes, Pretty much. When you make a galette or a tart, let's just say savory, do you adjust that dough at all or do you use your same basic pie dough?Laura Klynstra:I use the same. Well, the. The tart is a totally different dough, but the galette is the same pie dough as the regular pies.Stephanie Hansen:And just.Laura Klynstra:You could use them. Yeah, you could use the maple pie. You could make the maple crust for a galette as well. If you. If it's a sweet, I wouldn't put it on a savory.Stephanie Hansen:When would you ever make, like. I love the idea of slab pies because I think they're kind of cool looking, but they seem like they're just not great. Like, I don't know who's gonna get the middle piece. And then it's just always, like, so messy and kind of falls apart. I love the idea of like, everyone getting a little bit of crust on the edge and then having their perfect little triangle. Do you serve slab pies a lot? And am I missing the boat here?Laura Klynstra:Oh, not a lot, but I would bring them to more of like a potluck or something. The same thing that I would bring bars to. Although you. You really can't pick it up and eat it.Stephanie Hansen:Yeah.Laura Klynstra:Because it's going to be kind of a more gooey center than A. Than a. And then a bar. But it's just. It's. You get a little bit more. It's going to go farther than a. Than a pie.Laura Klynstra:So if you just want to bring one thing and it needs to cover more people, I would bring a slab pie for that. Like a. Like a potluck summer potluck.Stephanie Hansen:People always ask me what my favorite recipe is in my book, and I always have the dumbest answers. So if I ask you what's your favorite recipe in your book, do you, like, have a answer that you're set on?Laura Klynstra:Well, the lemon meringue tart on the COVID is one of my favorite recipes in the book, and I've never been a big lemon meringue pie person, and I don't know why. It's. This is a. Has a Swiss meringue, and it's a little bit different than the lemon meringue pies that, you know, we all grew up eating. And I also feel like lemon meringue pie has too much lemon to, like, the crust is too little to the lemon. Like, the ratio.Stephanie Hansen:The big, like, meringue.Laura Klynstra:Yeah. Yeah. So this, I feel like, is the perfect ratio of meringue to lemon to crust. It's got a thick shortbread crust on it. So it's. It's actually kind of reminiscent of those lemon bars. And you're from the Midwest, so you probably had those lemon bars that everybody likes to crust. Yep.Laura Klynstra:It's. It's kind of like an elevated version of one of those lemon bars.Stephanie Hansen:Okay. I'm going to have to try it, because I always make something with lemon for Easter. It's sort of just something I do for the big Easter brunch. So maybe I'll use this as my recipe this year.Laura Klynstra:Yeah.Stephanie Hansen:How long does it take you to work on a book?Laura Klynstra:Well, I mean, it's hard to give a full, like, because there's a lot of time thinking about it and planning. Like, my first step to doing a book is to. Is writing the table of contents.Laura Klynstra:Is that what you do, too?Stephanie Hansen:Yes.Laura Klynstra:Yeah, I do it.Stephanie Hansen:So spreadsheet of all the recipes I think I want, then I sort of, like, try to organize them in some way, and then I start, like, thinking about the narrative and where I'm going to.Laura Klynstra:Right.Stephanie Hansen:I'm going to start.Laura Klynstra:Right. And so there's, like, this long, like, thinking period that you're not. It's just. I don't know. So it's. It's hard to put a time on how long it takes, but Once the. Once everything is set and I've gotten a few shots done and a few recipes tested, I can. I can do a book in a year and a half or a year if I'm really focused on it.Laura Klynstra:But I'm also doing all the photography and the design. So it's. It's a pretty intense process.Stephanie Hansen:Yeah. Because I just submit my photographs and my word docs and, you know, the designer makes it look pretty, and, gosh, you have to do the whole thing. That is harder.Laura Klynstra:And I don't have to, but, you know, you've done this much, and I am a designer. It's kind of hard to hand the design off somebody else when you're. That's like what I do. So.Stephanie Hansen:Yeah, of course, when you think about other books that. Cookbooks that you love, whether from a design feature or from just like that, you go back to them and use them a lot. Give me, like, a couple of your favorites.Laura Klynstra:The Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook. I don't know if you have that. It's got an orange spine. It's kind of like a go to, like, oh, I want to make banana bread. It's just so reliable. So that one is always in my kitchen. I also really like the Bake From Scratch series. Have you seen those? Big.Laura Klynstra:They're really huge. I think they're. They're not written all by the same person. I think there's an editor that collects recipes. It's based on the magazine, I believe. But the thing I love about those is there's so many recipes in those books. They're just loaded with recipes, and then you can just kind of page through and get all kinds of inspiration and ideas. So I love those.Laura Klynstra:I'm a big fan of Erin Jean McDowell, who is also a pie person. I like watching her on, like, her videos and stuff.Stephanie Hansen:Do you watch a lot of people, like, on YouTube?Laura Klynstra:Not a lot, no. I mean, mostly on Instagram. I'm. I'm watching, you know, the quicker reels that come through. And, yeah, one of the. One of the things that made me so inspired to want to do the fall thing is, is when you. When the fall baking stuff starts coming out on Instagram and all these beautiful baked goods and this. This wonderful mood of cozy comes through, it's like, people are.Laura Klynstra:Creators are just amazing at how they. They put this mood out there, and I just. I love it.Stephanie Hansen:Yeah, it's pretty. Pretty delightful. I was just gonna think of another question I had for you, but it totally just fell out of my brain right As I thought about it, do you, have you ever had the chance to meet like any other bakers in any of your cookbook travels?Laura Klynstra:Specifically bakers. It seems like most of the books I've worked on have been more chef related. Like cooks like Melissa Clark. I worked on some of her cookbooks. I did the photography for Bri McCoy. She. I don't know if you've seen her book. It's called the Cook's Book.Laura Klynstra:Yep, I did her photography for that book, so I've that kind of stuff, but I haven't done any specifically for bakers.Stephanie Hansen:So if in your, in your work life, do you like, like when someone gives you a recipe and you're like the person that photographs it and does the final like, is that an appealing piece of work for you?Laura Klynstra:Oh yeah. I love to do that too. Yeah. Yeah. Actually got a couple of them in the works right now that are coming down the pipeline.Stephanie Hansen:There's a lot of creators that do that and I didn't realize that, but that they, they maybe have a favorite recipe or they have recipes but they don't have the time or they don't want to be the one who puts it together for the book. So they hire all that out. Do you get any jobs like that that are one offs or do you mostly just do like a whole project?Laura Klynstra:Mostly a whole project.Stephanie Hansen:Yeah. It's, it's interesting. There's a lot of people out there that will cook your stuff if you find the right person. And I didn't realize that that was such a robust business, but apparently it is. Do you keep like a food blog yourself or is it mostly just the book?Laura Klynstra:Mostly I'm mostly in the book. But we have, I have. My friend who wrote Gathering Grace with me have a. We. We have an Instagram that's called Spice and Sugar. Oh, she's the spice and sugar table. Because spicy sugar was taken and she's the spice and I'm the sugar. Of course that's sweet.Stephanie Hansen:And you guys share it. So you just post when you're inspired?Laura Klynstra:Yeah, yeah. And we don't. We, we haven't posted.Stephanie Hansen:Yeah. Sometimes like what sounds good and feels good just falls away, right? It's no reason or rhyme. Just all of a sudden you're like not as interested in that anymore.Laura Klynstra:Well, I think we're, and we're so, both of us are so focused in the book world and our career. Careers are very busy. So it's like I feel, I feel like to really maintain one of those robust social media sites you have to be pretty much focused on it.Stephanie Hansen:Yeah. Some people post, like, on Facebook, like, 12 times a day. I don't know. They manage it all. But do you watch any baking shows? Like, are you a great British Bake off aficionado or.Laura Klynstra:I don't. I watch almost no tv.Stephanie Hansen:Okay, So I love that. And you have chickens too, right?Laura Klynstra:And I have chickens and duck.Stephanie Hansen:Okay. And do you eat the duck eggs and the chicken eggs?Laura Klynstra:Obviously, yeah. Usually the duck eggs I use in baking. I don't. You know, it has a slightly different flavor, and if you're not used to it, it's kind of like. It feels a little weird. But they're. They're actually have a higher fat content in a duck egg, and they're really great for baking, especially for cakes and.Stephanie Hansen:Oh, I love that. I don't think I ever thought about duck eggs in context of baking. That's so neat.Laura Klynstra:They're a little larger, so you might. Sometimes you have to be a little, like, careful because.Stephanie Hansen:Yeah.Laura Klynstra:You know, they might end up being too much egg in here, depending on how many eggs are in the. Like, if there's four eggs, you would probably only put three.Stephanie Hansen:Yeah, you can kind of see it, too, when you have the egg, like, the size. All right. The book is the Homemade pie Cookbook. It's 100 pie, tart, and galette recipes for every season. Like I said, it's beautiful. But even if you're, like, not thinking you're a pie person, I really think people would like this book because there's ice cream pies, there is icebox pies. Again, there's a lot of savory. There's tarts, there's little.Stephanie Hansen:There's some cookies in here, some sauces. There's just a lot of different things. When I started to go through the book, I was pleasantly surprised that there's a lot to offer here. There's whoopie pies. Your whoopie pie recipe looked great. Yeah. Everybody loves a good whoopee pie, don't they?Laura Klynstra:Yeah. I thought I might be stretching it a little bit with that one, but I'm like, it's called pie, so it's a pie.Stephanie Hansen:That's right. It's Laura Kleinstra, The Homemade Pie Cookbook. Thanks for being with me today, Laura.Laura Klynstra:Thank you so much for having me.Stephanie Hansen:Yeah, for sure. And when you get your. When you get your next book ready, give me a call anytime. I love talking to you.Laura Klynstra:Okay, great.Stephanie Hansen:Okay. All right. Bye. Bye.Laura Klynstra:Bye. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit stephaniehansen.substack.com/subscribe

Alec Naman from @Naman's Catering called us this morning and said, "Let's make a Quiche fit for a Cowboy this week. We can call this one a Cowboy Quiche!"      

On the latest episode of “Dishing with Stephanie's Dish”, I sit down with accomplished book cover designer, art director, and now, celebrated cookbook author, @LauraKlyn The episode is a deliciously detailed look into Laura's new book, “100 Pie, Tart and Galette Recipes for Every Season” and a behind-the-scenes peek into her world of culinary creativity and design.From the moment I flipped through the pages, it was clear Laura's design expertise shines brightly. Laura's background as a cover designer and art director, paired with hands-on experience working on dozens of cookbooks, comes to life in her visually stunning collection. Each photo in the book tells a story——and is surrounded by thoughtful prop styling, from vintage pie servers to antique dishes discovered at local shops.A special treat is Laura's focus on savory pies—think samosa pie or the show-stopping asparagus tart—beautiful options for every season and palate. The attention to technique continues with creative garnishes, like sugared cranberries and candied herbs, adding sparkle to your holiday spreads and beyond.Laura's cookbook recommendations are rock solid—even non-pie bakers will find plenty to love between these pages.Ready to up your pie game? Listen to the full episode for stories, tips, and plenty of seasonal baking inspiration! Enjoy these two recipes from Laura, one savory and one sweet, to get a taste of her book!Lemon Meringue TartMakes 1 10-inch round tartI love this twist on lemon meringue pie in tart form. For me, the proportion of crust to lemon is perfect, and it's even better with Swiss meringue instead of French meringue, which is a traditional pairing with lemon. Swiss meringue is cooked on the stove and doesn't need to go in the oven. It is softer and creamier, adding a beautiful airy sweetness to counter the tart lemon curd. This bright tart comes out looking lovely and tastes even better.Press-In Shortbread Tart DoughMakes 1 10-inch tart crustI've tested a lot of tart crusts over the years, and many of them are so hard, it's difficult to break off a bite with a fork. This buttery and delicious shortbread crust is delicate enough to easily break apart but strong enough to hold the tart together. Using cake flour is key to getting a nice, cookie-like crumb. This dough is not tough enough to roll out. Press the dough directly into the pan for an easy to pull together, delicious tart base.Ingredients¾ cup (169 g) unsalted butter, softened½ teaspoon fine sea salt2 teaspoons vanilla extract⅔ cup (73 g) confectioners' sugar2 cups (230 g) cake flourInstructionsIn the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix butter, salt, vanilla extract, and confectioners' sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add flour and mix just until combined. Press dough directly into a 10-inch tart pan, starting with the sides and finishing with the bottom. Bake the crust according to the tart recipe's instructions.Lemon CurdIngredients8 egg yolkszest of 2 lemons⅔ cup fresh lemon juice1 cup (200g) sugar10 tablespoons (141 g) salted butterSwiss Meringue5 egg whites1¼ cups (250 g) sugar½ teaspoon cream of tartar1 teaspoon vanilla bean pasteInstructionsTo make the crust: Preheat oven to 350ºF. Press tart dough into a 10-inch tart pan. Generously dock with a fork and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until lightly browned. While still hot, use a tamper or back of a spoon to lightly press down the center of the crust, leaving a ¾-inch edge.To make the lemon curd: Whisk together egg yolks, lemon zest, lemon juice, and sugar in a saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until mixture becomes thick and coats the back of the spoon, about 8 to 10 minutes. Use an instant read thermometer to check the temperature; it should reach 170ºF. Transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low. Add butter 1 teaspoon at a time, mixing until fully combined before adding the next teaspoon of butter. Strain through a sieve into a medium bowl. Pour while still warm into the tart shell. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours.To make the Swiss meringue: Whisk together egg whites and sugar in the top pan of a double boiler until completely incorporated (see note below). Cook, whisking continuously, for about 5 to 6 minutes or until mixture reaches 170ºF. Pour into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Add cream of tartar. Beat on high for about 2 minutes. Add vanilla extract and continue to beat on high until stiff peaks form. Scoop or pipe onto lemon curd. Toast meringue with a kitchen torch or under the oven broiler. Keep a close watch on meringue while toasting to avoid burning. Remove sides of tart pan and serve.Episode Transcript Follows:Stephanie Hansen:Welcome to Dishing with Stephanie's Dish, the podcast where we talk to people in the food space and a lot of cookbook authors. And this book came across my desk by Laura Klynstra And right away I was like, pie! Laura, your book, “100 Pie, Tart and Galette Recipes for Every Season” is extremely beautiful. And, and I, it kind of, when I read through the whole book and I read through your bio, I was like, oh, well, she's like in the design field because honestly, this is probably one of the most beautiful books on pie I've ever seen.Laura Klynstra:Oh, thank you. Thank you so much.Stephanie Hansen:It's so incredible, like just the way that the pies are decorated, the color choices that you used for the intros, everything is laid out so it feels easy, accessible. And even like the whole rolling out the pie dough section, there's tons of pictures, the decorating of the lattice work, It's a really well done book. Congratulations.Laura Klynstra:Oh, thank you so much.Stephanie Hansen:What's your background and how did you come to be the pie aficionado?Laura Klynstra:My background is actually cover design. I'm a book cover designer and art director. But I also, during all the time that I've been an art director, I've also worked on a lot of cookbooks. So I gotten to go on a lot of photo shoots, work with food stylists and photographers. And during that whole time I learned, I just kind of sat back and watched and learned all the bits and it took time. I'm a self taught photographer. It took me a long time to really figure out how to capture light correctly. And light is really the key to getting a good photo.Laura Klynstra:So yeah, it was a lot of trial and error, but eventually I figured out a system to get my camera mounted correctly. I shoot manually and get that light, but I also, I consider every photo similar to what the way I look at a cover design. It's not just here's your pie or whatever it is you're shooting. There's a lot of things going on around it. And so it's telling a story. The photograph is telling a story. It's giving you a sense of the time. Especially like the fall ones are a lot of fun to shoot.Laura Klynstra:So many great things to props that you can put in with the photos for the fall shots. And it's just, it's a lot of fun.Stephanie Hansen:Did you amass a large library of props and did you have things already or were you always on the lookout?Laura Klynstra:This is my third book, so I had a lot of props already. I have like all these Storage shelves downstairs have the weirdest things. You know, I go to antique stores and I'm always looking for old boxes and just everything. Pretty much everything that could possibly have anything to do with baking. If I go to an antique store, I'm always like, I need that. Especially pie servers. Old, old silverware.Stephanie Hansen:Yes.Laura Klynstra:I hate, I hate photographing with a shiny silver, you know, piece of silver or a new one that it never, you know, for one thing, you can end up reflecting your camera in that. So these old patina silverware and things like that are just fabulous to have. Like, you just gotta have a ton of those in your.Stephanie Hansen:In your Agreed, agree. Thus my sort of background of stuff from my cookbook styling myself in. Can we talk about pie crust? Do you have, like, what you would say is your definitive pie crust that you mostly use.Laura Klynstra:For sweet pies? There's a recipe in there called a maple pie crust, and that's actually my favorite crust to use. It's very similar to a regular crust, except for a lot of the liquid is made with a pure maple syrup. And when you roll that crust out, that syrup gives it like a pliability that just. It doesn't crack the way sometimes you can get with the regular all butter pie crust. And it's just so easy. And so it's just supple. It's, it's. It's my favorite one.Laura Klynstra:But again, I'd only use it for sweets. Even though you don't really taste the maple, it's like, you know how when you add maple to something, it doesn't have a strong flavor, as strong as what you would expect it to be, but it' if you're beginning. That would be my press recommendation for somebody who's just beginning because it does make a really easy to roll out.Stephanie Hansen:I love this because I use vodka in my pie crust to kind of do the same thing. It gives you that moisture when you're putting the assembly together and the roll, but then it bakes out in the final product, so you get kind of a crispier situation. Maple. I've never thought of that. I wonder, have you ever tried honey? Would it do the same thing?Laura Klynstra:I haven't tried it. I would expect it would. And it would just add a little bit of sweetness. The other thing is buttermilk. You can add a little buttermilk that I don't know if you've ever made pie dough, and then put it in your refrigerator and left it in there for two days and it started to turn kind of like a gray Color, Yes. When you add some acid from the buttermilk keeps it from doing that. I'm not sure. I can't.I don't know what the science is behind that, but a little. A little. I think the vodka might, too. I'm not sure. I.Stephanie Hansen:That's a great.Laura Klynstra:Yeah.Stephanie Hansen:I know what you're talking about, and I'm trying to think if I've noticed it with or without vodka. And I can't say. Truthfully, I have, but, like, a lot of times for Christmas or Thanksgiving or any of the. The special holidays, you're making your crust in advance because you've got so much to do, so. So that's a really great tip. I love it.Laura Klynstra:Yep. Yep. And you can also freeze pie dough. So you can make. If you're having Thanksgiving and you're. You're. You can do it a week ahead, just wrap each one individually and then put it inside a freezer as a black bag and then throw it in the freezer. And that way you're just.You've got something that's totally done, even a week in advance.Stephanie Hansen:One thing that I really liked about this book, too, was you took pie into not just sweet places, but also savory. So there's a lot of galette and, like, savory forward dishes, like a potato bacon, gruyere galette. You've got quiche. Do you eat a lot of savory pies? Because that's actually kind of one of my favorite ways to do it. This samosa pie looks amazing.Laura Klynstra:The samosa pie is so popular at my house. So popular. We love that one. So, yeah, we do eat that one quite a bit. The quiches, we do a lot. Some of the other ones, not as often, but, like, the. The asparagus one is kind of just more of something that I would bring to a party.Stephanie Hansen:Yeah. Spring or Easter.Yeah. You know, like, that first time when you. Asparagus is one of the first things that comes out. And in this. In the spring. And so you're just, like, dying to get something fresh. We talked. before I started the podcast that. She's in Michigan, I'm in Minnesota. And literally, like, when you see anything green at the store. And we always jump the gun. Right. Because.Get produce from the coast before we get our own, but there's nothing better than, like, your own homemade asparagus.Laura Klynstra:Yes. And the rhubarb is the other thing that comes up the soonest. And again, I love rhubarb. It's.Stephanie Hansen:So do I think that's My next book, actually.Laura Klynstra:The whole rhubarb book.Stephanie Hansen:Yes, because I just. I'm obsessed with it, and I have, like, 60 recipes, so I'm like, you know, I'm. I'm about way there.Laura Klynstra:What kinds of recipes are they? Like cakes and.Stephanie Hansen:Yeah. Yes. Like bars and cakes and pies and custards, but also chutneys and pork dishes and breads, cookies.Laura Klynstra:That's a fabulous idea. I'm on board with that one.Stephanie Hansen:I think I might have to, like, submit that as my next proposal. We'll see. Another thing that happened this year about pies, I guess it was maybe last year, but it created quite a kerfuffle, and you address it in this book, is the loss of the chocolate wafer cookie. The company that makes the chocolate wafer cookie, I believe it was Nabisco, stopped making that chocolate wafer cookie. And it was the base for a lot of people's, like, mud pies or chocolate pie crust or the press in crusts or the cookie crusts. And people were really freaked out, and people were, you know, we need a recipe to make this cookie. So in here, you have your own chocolate cookie recipe.Laura Klynstra:Yeah. Yep. It's got the black cocoa in it. Like, it's actually like an Oreo, but without the. And if you do end up using Oreos, do take out that middle part. I always scrape out the. If you don't, you're gonna end up with kind of like a too much butter and it's not gonna work. But, yeah, you can make your own so that you're not adding all these preservatives and yucky things into your pies, but sometimes people don't have time.I mean, I totally understand that you can't always.Stephanie Hansen:And I guess maybe depending on your audience too, like, if you're making something for a kid's birthday party, maybe that will be fine. Not that we feed our kids less delicious things than we feed ourselves, but come on, we kind of do times. I do love to. There's a lot of detail in this book about garnishes and sauces. And the white chocolate cranberry tart is just a beautiful photograph, but it also has these sugared cranberries. Tell me about those. And. And obviously, putting them on a tart is delightful, but what else could we do with those? Because those were just gorgeous.Laura Klynstra:I've used them on cakes. And just even, like, even if you're doing a spread, like a holiday spread, they look beautiful in a little bowl. And that same method, the method to make Those is you create a simple syrup and then you dunk the cranberries in the simple syrup and then you let it dry and they become really sticky. And then you roll them in sugar so they look really beautiful. But you can do that same process with mint leaves, rose petals, rosemary. And it's just a beautiful garnish, especially in the winter, because it has that sparkle to it. It just makes it look more special than if you were just going to, you know, lay a sprig of rosemary next to something.Stephanie Hansen:When you started making pies, do you remember how old you were? And what is it about pies that captured your imagination?Laura Klynstra:Well, I really like the handmade nature of it. The fact that, I mean, before I made pies, I was a cookie baker. Cookies were my. Because that's the easiest thing when you're a little. When you're a kid. And I baked since I was basically able to. My mom was a wedding cake baker, so we had all the supplies and all.Stephanie Hansen:Wow.Laura Klynstra:All the inspiration was there, but I didn't start making. And my mom, she always, she loved pie too, but she always used the pie crust from the box, which I kind of hate, but same, same. She just didn't like rolling out dough. So she just, she just used the, the rolled. The rolled up version. But you can buy better versions than the red box. There are.Stephanie Hansen:Joe's is surprisingly good.Laura Klynstra:I think that, yeah, Whole Foods has one too. That's butter instead of like the other weird oils that are in the. The other one. But I think maybe all of my love of like rolling out cookies and then you kind of turn that into rolling out dough. I learned it was a learning curve. I don't think that we just all naturally can know how to make a pie crust and how to roll it out. And you have to practice a little bit. But the lovely part of, of a pie versus a cake or a cookie is that there's just more of your hands involved.Laura Klynstra:And because I make so many things electronically and digitally, because I'm a book cover designer. So to have to be able to make something physically with your hands is both relaxing and satisfying. And I think it makes like a more special finished product. It makes a great gift or something to share with people, to bring to the office or a party or a potluck, and it just feels like it. A pie has a slightly more personal touch to it than maybe a cookie does or a bar. Even though I love cooking bars, don't get me wrong.Stephanie Hansen:Yes. Tell me about your other books.Laura Klynstra:So this is The Homemade Pie Cookbook is the first book I've written by myself. My book just before this one was called “Gather & Graze” and I wrote with my former colleague who is also an art director. She, she does the, she works at HarperCollins. Sure. Mumtaz Mustafa @spiceandsugartable and I have it right here. This is “Gather & Graze” Stephanie Hansen:That's beautiful.Laura Klynstra:So this is more of like a party table spread book. So Mumtaz is brilliant with savory food and I'm more, more of a baker. She's from Pakistan, so she's got this really broad sense of spice and she's just brilliant with the savory. So we split this book up by anything that was baked in the oven I've made and then pretty much anything that was cooked on stove she made. And it's divided by country. So it's a really fun international style party book.Stephanie Hansen:I love that. I'm glad you brought it to my attention. I'll for sure put that in the notes.Laura Klynstra:Yeah, it's a, it's a, it's quite fat. It's, it's a, it's, it's, there's over like 170 recipes in it. It's not a, not a lightweight book. And then the book before that I wrote with my mother. Oh, look at that cute “Christmas Baking”. And this one is it, it does well every, every holiday season. And it's kind of, it's been out for I think five years. And so it's kind of a perennial, hopefully at this point.Laura Klynstra:And it's just, you know, all my favorite. But Christmas baked goods. There's a, there's a breakfast chapter in there for Christmas morning.Stephanie Hansen:Holiday high points. What's next?Laura Klynstra:I got my way. And who knows if I will. I would like to do a fall baking book.Stephanie Hansen:What would that look like? I'm thinking apple. You have quite a, like pumpkin chapter in here.Laura Klynstra:Yeah. Yep. They would have all of those, those, those cozy. It would just be all the cozy, cozy recipes. And I just love the styling of fall too. Fall is one of my favorite seasons. So. Yeah, that would be, that would be super fun.Laura Klynstra:But I also have another idea for, called like, I want to call it Paradise Baking or Baking paradise, which would be all tropical recipes.Stephanie Hansen:That's a great idea. And that's not something we've seen before.Laura Klynstra:I don't, I haven't seen it. No. I have a second home in Guatemala so I could do a lot of the photography there, which would be fun. Yeah. The first few recipes in the Homemade Pie Cookbook were Shot in Guatemala. The line Mango and the hummingbird pie. So I got all of those props while I was down there.Stephanie Hansen:Yeah. In the. And beautiful colors. You also dedicate, like a whole spread to apples for pie. And we just talked about this on our TV show that I'm on. And Honeycrisp is obviously an apple I use a lot because it's Minnesota. Granny Smith is an apple that I think works really well for pies. Do you mix your types of apples? Apples when you're making apple pie?Laura Klynstra:Sometimes I do. The Pink lady is actually one of my favorite ones now that I've been, you know, baking so many apple pies. It's got, like, a tartness to it. But yeah, there you can mix them for sure. Just don't ever use them. Macintosh.Stephanie Hansen:Yeah. Or like the Red Delicious, which is now. Oh, yeah, that's the worst selling apple.Laura Klynstra:They aren't very delicious.Stephanie Hansen:They're not. And it's kind of funny that, like, that was like our lunchbox apple for basically our whole lives. Like, why did we have to eat such terrible apples? I'm so glad they've gotten better.Laura Klynstra:Yes. There's some. I mean, pretty much every variety is better.Stephanie Hansen:Yes, Pretty much. When you make a galette or a tart, let's just say savory, do you adjust that dough at all or do you use your same basic pie dough?Laura Klynstra:I use the same. Well, the. The tart is a totally different dough, but the galette is the same pie dough as the regular pies.Stephanie Hansen:And just.Laura Klynstra:You could use them. Yeah, you could use the maple pie. You could make the maple crust for a galette as well. If you. If it's a sweet, I wouldn't put it on a savory.Stephanie Hansen:When would you ever make, like. I love the idea of slab pies because I think they're kind of cool looking, but they seem like they're just not great. Like, I don't know who's gonna get the middle piece. And then it's just always, like, so messy and kind of falls apart. I love the idea of like, everyone getting a little bit of crust on the edge and then having their perfect little triangle. Do you serve slab pies a lot? And am I missing the boat here?Laura Klynstra:Oh, not a lot, but I would bring them to more of like a potluck or something. The same thing that I would bring bars to. Although you. You really can't pick it up and eat it.Stephanie Hansen:Yeah.Laura Klynstra:Because it's going to be kind of a more gooey center than A. Than a. And then a bar. But it's just. It's. You get a little bit more. It's going to go farther than a. Than a pie.Laura Klynstra:So if you just want to bring one thing and it needs to cover more people, I would bring a slab pie for that. Like a. Like a potluck summer potluck.Stephanie Hansen:People always ask me what my favorite recipe is in my book, and I always have the dumbest answers. So if I ask you what's your favorite recipe in your book, do you, like, have a answer that you're set on?Laura Klynstra:Well, the lemon meringue tart on the COVID is one of my favorite recipes in the book, and I've never been a big lemon meringue pie person, and I don't know why. It's. This is a. Has a Swiss meringue, and it's a little bit different than the lemon meringue pies that, you know, we all grew up eating. And I also feel like lemon meringue pie has too much lemon to, like, the crust is too little to the lemon. Like, the ratio.Stephanie Hansen:The big, like, meringue.Laura Klynstra:Yeah. Yeah. So this, I feel like, is the perfect ratio of meringue to lemon to crust. It's got a thick shortbread crust on it. So it's. It's actually kind of reminiscent of those lemon bars. And you're from the Midwest, so you probably had those lemon bars that everybody likes to crust. Yep.Laura Klynstra:It's. It's kind of like an elevated version of one of those lemon bars.Stephanie Hansen:Okay. I'm going to have to try it, because I always make something with lemon for Easter. It's sort of just something I do for the big Easter brunch. So maybe I'll use this as my recipe this year.Laura Klynstra:Yeah.Stephanie Hansen:How long does it take you to work on a book?Laura Klynstra:Well, I mean, it's hard to give a full, like, because there's a lot of time thinking about it and planning. Like, my first step to doing a book is to. Is writing the table of contents.Laura Klynstra:Is that what you do, too?Stephanie Hansen:Yes.Laura Klynstra:Yeah, I do it.Stephanie Hansen:So spreadsheet of all the recipes I think I want, then I sort of, like, try to organize them in some way, and then I start, like, thinking about the narrative and where I'm going to.Laura Klynstra:Right.Stephanie Hansen:I'm going to start.Laura Klynstra:Right. And so there's, like, this long, like, thinking period that you're not. It's just. I don't know. So it's. It's hard to put a time on how long it takes, but Once the. Once everything is set and I've gotten a few shots done and a few recipes tested, I can. I can do a book in a year and a half or a year if I'm really focused on it.Laura Klynstra:But I'm also doing all the photography and the design. So it's. It's a pretty intense process.Stephanie Hansen:Yeah. Because I just submit my photographs and my word docs and, you know, the designer makes it look pretty, and, gosh, you have to do the whole thing. That is harder.Laura Klynstra:And I don't have to, but, you know, you've done this much, and I am a designer. It's kind of hard to hand the design off somebody else when you're. That's like what I do. So.Stephanie Hansen:Yeah, of course, when you think about other books that. Cookbooks that you love, whether from a design feature or from just like that, you go back to them and use them a lot. Give me, like, a couple of your favorites.Laura Klynstra:The Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook. I don't know if you have that. It's got an orange spine. It's kind of like a go to, like, oh, I want to make banana bread. It's just so reliable. So that one is always in my kitchen. I also really like the Bake From Scratch series. Have you seen those? Big.Laura Klynstra:They're really huge. I think they're. They're not written all by the same person. I think there's an editor that collects recipes. It's based on the magazine, I believe. But the thing I love about those is there's so many recipes in those books. They're just loaded with recipes, and then you can just kind of page through and get all kinds of inspiration and ideas. So I love those.Laura Klynstra:I'm a big fan of Erin Jean McDowell, who is also a pie person. I like watching her on, like, her videos and stuff.Stephanie Hansen:Do you watch a lot of people, like, on YouTube?Laura Klynstra:Not a lot, no. I mean, mostly on Instagram. I'm. I'm watching, you know, the quicker reels that come through. And, yeah, one of the. One of the things that made me so inspired to want to do the fall thing is, is when you. When the fall baking stuff starts coming out on Instagram and all these beautiful baked goods and this. This wonderful mood of cozy comes through, it's like, people are.Laura Klynstra:Creators are just amazing at how they. They put this mood out there, and I just. I love it.Stephanie Hansen:Yeah, it's pretty. Pretty delightful. I was just gonna think of another question I had for you, but it totally just fell out of my brain right As I thought about it, do you, have you ever had the chance to meet like any other bakers in any of your cookbook travels?Laura Klynstra:Specifically bakers. It seems like most of the books I've worked on have been more chef related. Like cooks like Melissa Clark. I worked on some of her cookbooks. I did the photography for Bri McCoy. She. I don't know if you've seen her book. It's called the Cook's Book.Laura Klynstra:Yep, I did her photography for that book, so I've that kind of stuff, but I haven't done any specifically for bakers.Stephanie Hansen:So if in your, in your work life, do you like, like when someone gives you a recipe and you're like the person that photographs it and does the final like, is that an appealing piece of work for you?Laura Klynstra:Oh yeah. I love to do that too. Yeah. Yeah. Actually got a couple of them in the works right now that are coming down the pipeline.Stephanie Hansen:There's a lot of creators that do that and I didn't realize that, but that they, they maybe have a favorite recipe or they have recipes but they don't have the time or they don't want to be the one who puts it together for the book. So they hire all that out. Do you get any jobs like that that are one offs or do you mostly just do like a whole project?Laura Klynstra:Mostly a whole project.Stephanie Hansen:Yeah. It's, it's interesting. There's a lot of people out there that will cook your stuff if you find the right person. And I didn't realize that that was such a robust business, but apparently it is. Do you keep like a food blog yourself or is it mostly just the book?Laura Klynstra:Mostly I'm mostly in the book. But we have, I have. My friend who wrote Gathering Grace with me have a. We. We have an Instagram that's called Spice and Sugar. Oh, she's the spice and sugar table. Because spicy sugar was taken and she's the spice and I'm the sugar. Of course that's sweet.Stephanie Hansen:And you guys share it. So you just post when you're inspired?Laura Klynstra:Yeah, yeah. And we don't. We, we haven't posted.Stephanie Hansen:Yeah. Sometimes like what sounds good and feels good just falls away, right? It's no reason or rhyme. Just all of a sudden you're like not as interested in that anymore.Laura Klynstra:Well, I think we're, and we're so, both of us are so focused in the book world and our career. Careers are very busy. So it's like I feel, I feel like to really maintain one of those robust social media sites you have to be pretty much focused on it.Stephanie Hansen:Yeah. Some people post, like, on Facebook, like, 12 times a day. I don't know. They manage it all. But do you watch any baking shows? Like, are you a great British Bake off aficionado or.Laura Klynstra:I don't. I watch almost no tv.Stephanie Hansen:Okay, So I love that. And you have chickens too, right?Laura Klynstra:And I have chickens and duck.Stephanie Hansen:Okay. And do you eat the duck eggs and the chicken eggs?Laura Klynstra:Obviously, yeah. Usually the duck eggs I use in baking. I don't. You know, it has a slightly different flavor, and if you're not used to it, it's kind of like. It feels a little weird. But they're. They're actually have a higher fat content in a duck egg, and they're really great for baking, especially for cakes and.Stephanie Hansen:Oh, I love that. I don't think I ever thought about duck eggs in context of baking. That's so neat.Laura Klynstra:They're a little larger, so you might. Sometimes you have to be a little, like, careful because.Stephanie Hansen:Yeah.Laura Klynstra:You know, they might end up being too much egg in here, depending on how many eggs are in the. Like, if there's four eggs, you would probably only put three.Stephanie Hansen:Yeah, you can kind of see it, too, when you have the egg, like, the size. All right. The book is the Homemade pie Cookbook. It's 100 pie, tart, and galette recipes for every season. Like I said, it's beautiful. But even if you're, like, not thinking you're a pie person, I really think people would like this book because there's ice cream pies, there is icebox pies. Again, there's a lot of savory. There's tarts, there's little.Stephanie Hansen:There's some cookies in here, some sauces. There's just a lot of different things. When I started to go through the book, I was pleasantly surprised that there's a lot to offer here. There's whoopie pies. Your whoopie pie recipe looked great. Yeah. Everybody loves a good whoopee pie, don't they?Laura Klynstra:Yeah. I thought I might be stretching it a little bit with that one, but I'm like, it's called pie, so it's a pie.Stephanie Hansen:That's right. It's Laura Kleinstra, The Homemade Pie Cookbook. Thanks for being with me today, Laura.Laura Klynstra:Thank you so much for having me.Stephanie Hansen:Yeah, for sure. And when you get your. When you get your next book ready, give me a call anytime. I love talking to you.Laura Klynstra:Okay, great.Stephanie Hansen:Okay. All right. Bye. Bye.Laura Klynstra:Bye. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit stephaniehansen.substack.com/subscribe

We talk to Stephanie, who needs advice on how to deal with her boyfriend in the bedroom, hear your questions for Gary Spivey, and more!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We talk to Stephanie, who needs advice on how to deal with her boyfriend in the bedroom, hear your questions for Gary Spivey, and more!

We talk to Stephanie, who needs advice on how to deal with her boyfriend in the bedroom, hear your questions for Gary Spivey, and more!

Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney, more commonly known as the Black Keys, stop by the kitchen for some shrimp + grits and crispy chicken skins.  We also break down GOOD music and I offer them a gig on my new show they might not be able to say no to.  Plus, we breakdown ticket prices for concerts,  News Flash: it's not the artists.  Check out The Black Keys new album, No Rain, No Flowers and their upcoming tour dates - https://theblackkeys.com/pages/tour Follow: IG: https://www.instagram.com/theblackkeys  CRISPY CHICKEN SKIN CRACKLINGS 8 - 12 chicken thigh skins Kosher Salt Olive oil spray (optional) Preheat oven to 425 and line a baking tray with foil. Place a wire rack on top of the tray and spray the rack very lightly with cooking oil spray Pat dry chicken skins with paper towel and sprinkle them with kosher salt Place chicken skins in a single layer skin side down on your sprayed wire rack Place the tray in the oven and bake for 20 minutes, flipping the chicken skins to skin side up halfway through the cook.  NEW ORLEANS STYLE SHRIMP AND GRITS WITH CAVIAR Shrimp Ingredients 1 pound large or jumbo shrimp 16/20 size- peeled and deveined 2 tablespoons blackened seasoning (can be homemade or store brand like Zatarains Blackened Seasoning) 3 tablespoon unsalted butter 2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil ½ pound spicy pork smoked sausage - diced or sliced thin ½ red bell pepper - fine dice ½ green bell pepper - fine dice 1 small yellow onion - fine dice 3 cloves garlic - crushed or grated 1 cups low-sodium chicken stock 1 cup heavy cream 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce Salt and black pepper Cheesy Grits Ingredients 2 ½ cups filtered water 2 cups half and half 1 ½ teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon onion powder ¼ - ½ teaspoon cayenne 1 cup old fashioned corn grits 8 ounces freshly grated sharp cheddar 3 ounces freshly grated smoked gouda (optional) 6 tablespoons cultured butter 2 tablespoons creme fraiche Salt and black pepper to taste Garnish Ingredients 1 oz tin caviar Chopped parsley Finely sliced spring onion Add water, half and half, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, and cayenne to a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Very slowly pour in the grits to the boiling liquid, stirring quickly as you pour. Lower the heat to medium-low, cover the pot and cook the grits for 25-30 minutes, stirring at least every 5 minutes for an even cook with no lumps. While grits are cooking, toss the shrimp with 1 tablespoon of blackened seasoning in a small mixing bowl and set them aside. Heat the oil and butter in a 10 or 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the smoked sausage and cook for 3 to 5 minutes until browned. Add the peppers and onion and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until the vegetables soften. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds to a minute. Season the mixture with 1 tablespoon of blackened seasoning and add the chicken stock, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan and bring to a simmer.  Add the heavy cream and Worcestershire sauce, lower the heat a little and cook the sauce for 3 to 4 minutes until slightly thickened. Add the shrimp and cook until the shrimp are opaque and the sauce has reduced a bit. This should take about 5 to 7 minutes. Season the sauce with salt and cracked pepper to taste and remove the pan from the heat. Once the grits are thick and creamy, remove them from the heat and stir in cheese, creme fraiche and butter. Season the grits with more salt and cracked black pepper to taste. Serve shrimp and grits immediately by spooning grits, shrimp and sprinkling with parsley and a little spring onion then a generous amount of caviar on top. Sponsors: Rugiet - Head to https://www.rugiet.com/burning and use code BURNING to get 15% off today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

British rock band, The Struts, is in the kitchen for an English Breakfast inspired by my love of Jamie Oliver. They also teach me the right way to way to eat beans… and I cook up a Big Mac Taco. And of course I make them sing. And it's totally worth it. Follow The Struts: https://www.instagram.com/thestruts This episode is brought to you by Original Grain Watches. Go to https://OriginalGrain.com/Bert, use promo code BERT, and get your dad—or yourself—a piece of history you can wear. This episode is brought to you by Tastemade. Try Tastemade+ free for 7 days right now at https://tastemade.com/BURNING This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Our listeners get 10% off their first month at https://betterhelp.com/burning. SUBSCRIBE so you never miss a video https://bit.ly/3DC1ICg Stream LUCKY on Netflix https://www.netflix.com/title/81713944 PERMISSION TO PARTY WORLD TOUR is on sale now: http://www.bertbertbert.com/tour For all things BERTY BOY PRODUCTIONS: https://bertyboyproductions.com For MERCH: https://store.bertbertbert.com/ Follow Me! Facebook: http://www.Facebook.com/BertKreischer Instagram: http://www.Instagram.com/bertkreischer YouTube: http://www.YouTube.com/user/Akreischer TikTok: http://www.TikTok.com/@bertkreischer Threads: https://www.threads.net/@bertkreischer X: http://www.Twitter.com/bertkreischer Text Me: https://my.community.com/bertkreischer Big Mac Taco: * 1 LBS ground beef * 8-10 mini tortillas * 10 slices cheddar cheese * 1 cup chopped lettuce * 1 cup pickles * Salt * EVOO * 1 cup mayonnaise * 3 TBS ketchup * 1 TBS Dijon mustard * 2 TBS diced yellow onion * 1 TBS chopped relish * 1 TBS white vinegar * 1 TBS garlic powder * 1 tsp black pepper * 1 tsp smoked paprika 1. Combine mayo, ketchup, Dijon, onion, salt, relish, vinegar, garlic powder, pepper, and smoked paprika to create Big Mac sauce. Mix well and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. 2. Heat small amount of oil in pan on high heat. Place 2-3 TBS of ground beef in each tortilla, pressing down on the beef to create an even layer then sprinkle with salt. 3. Place meat side down on skillet, lower heat to medium-low, and cook for 4 minutes. Flip tacos and cook on tortilla side until crispy. 4. Top each taco with cheese, lettuce, pickles and sauce. One Sheet breakfast: * Potatoes, cut into 3cm chunks * Salt and pepper * Chorizo * Red pepper * Cherry tomatoes * Eggs * Mushrooms, whole or halved * Sprigs of parsley, chopped * Bacon * Roma tomatoes * Sausage * Shredded cheese * Beans * Sourdough bread 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Parboil the potatoes in a pan of salted boiling water for 5-6 minutes until almost cooked through, drain and steam dry. 2. Drop chorizo all over pan, cut up bacon, potatoes, and tomatoes. Bake until potatoes are soft. Add eggs and bake until eggs are at the consistency of your choice. 3. Heat beans over stove, then serve over cut up and toasted sourdough bread. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

O'Shea Jackson Jr and Paul Walter Hauser come by the kitchen to impress me with their epic movie roles… while I try and impress them with braised short ribs. But, I can't hold a candle to playing Ice Cube, Richard Jewel, Chris Farley OR being in a Den of Thieves trilogy. We also talk a lot about their true passion – wrestling. And they definitely have a LOT to say. Follow O'Shea Jackson Jr: https://www.instagram.com/osheajacksonjr Follow Paul Walter Hauser: https://www.instagram.com/paulwhausergram This episode is brought to you by Lightstrike. Learn more about Lightstrike at https://Drinklightstrike.com or follow on TikTok and Instagram @drinklightstrike. This episode is brought to you by Cigars International. Check out Cigars International and use my code BERT for a great deal: https://www.cigarsinternational.com SUBSCRIBE so you never miss a video https://bit.ly/3DC1ICg Stream LUCKY on Netflix https://www.netflix.com/title/81713944 Register to join us in Tampa, FL (or virtually) for the 2 Bears, 5K on May 4, 2025! https://www.2bears5k.com PERMISSION TO PARTY WORLD TOUR is on sale now: http://www.bertbertbert.com/tour For all things BERTY BOY PRODUCTIONS: https://bertyboyproductions.com For MERCH: https://store.bertbertbert.com/ Follow Me! Facebook: http://www.Facebook.com/BertKreischer Instagram: http://www.Instagram.com/bertkreischer YouTube: http://www.YouTube.com/user/Akreischer TikTok: http://www.TikTok.com/@bertkreischer Threads: https://www.threads.net/@bertkreischer X: http://www.Twitter.com/bertkreischer Text Me: https://my.community.com/bertkreischer Trenne Pasta w/ Short Ribs + Caprese Burrata Short Ribs: * Short Ribs * Yellow onion * Bone broth * Garlic * Dry red wine * Trenne pasta * Salt and pepper * Garlic * EVOO * Salt and pepper to taste * Oil for frying * Kale * Parmesan Cheese Steps: 1. Preheat oven to 250° 2. Braise short ribs in Dutch oven; add onion, bone broth, garlic, red wine, salt and pepper to taste 3. Place in oven and roast for 5 hours 4. Cook pasta to al dente 5. Cook kale with salt, pepper, garlic, and EVOO 6. Heat oil for frying pasta, and fry in small batches 7. Layer noodles, kale, then meat and sauce 8. Top with parmesan cheese Burrata Balls: * Heirloom Tomatoes * Cherry Tomatoes * Basil Leaves * French Bread * Balsamic * EVOO * Burrata Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices