the meerkat ties on her apron....

I don't bake often, but when I do, I take it seriously....




Yes, I have a full set of prep bowls. Yes, I really do mise-en-place. Yes, it IS possible in a galley kitchen. In fact, I'd call it essential.

No, you're not going to get a pic of me actually wearing my apron.  But if someone wants to guess what that apron says, I might give the first "close enough" winner their choice of one of my books....

I decided to take a break from the traditional things this year (gingerbread, butter cookies) and try some new recipes, instead.  The emphasis seemed to be more on savory and crunchy than sweet and/or soft.  Those of you who want to read anything into that are free to, of course.  ;-)

Fact: The art of separating eggs, once learned, never leaves you.  Also, it's surprisingly easy when you're using fresh heirloom eggs rather than bland supermarket ones.   Also: I do not give thanks to Microplane anywhere near enough.  

And if anyone ever wants to buy me this?  I'll find room for it in the kitchen.  Somewhere.  Somehow.  Until then, I'm ok with my little can-do KitchenAid hand mixer*, and arm muscle.






*I'm not 100% certain, but that mixer may have been my mother's, and I claimed it when she sold the house and moved into the city.  Which would make it nearly 20 years old, now...

Day Twelve of the Year-End Project

Chapter Five was a bear to write, mainly because there's a massive amount of delicate worldbuilding here -- too much, and it comes across as a Tract, too little, and the reader becomes lost in unfamiliar territory. A lot of movement, covering ground (heh) and launching the story into a new direction.

And this is where I get to introduce perhaps my favorite characters in this book.

In the pale dawn, her skin had the hue of blued steel, and the face she lifted to him could have been a Roman emperor’s writ small, all sharp lines and strong nose.

It took me forever to write that description, originally. Now, when I read it, I see her. I know her voice, her mannerisms, her twitches and her starts. Yet another secondary tries to steal the damn show.... (this is actually more of a joke than I can admit, right now. Trust me, it's funny.)

And for the first time I can remember, I spelled Lieutenant right on the first try. Go, me!


Current Word Count: 36,000ish. Not much gain in actual word count, but the existing words are stronger.


One more day left. Won't hit the hoped-for 50k, but expect to see 40k. That'll do.