SFR Brigade Summer Café - Week 4
Androids and Aliens
And a couple of cyborgs for good measure
Cooking by the Seat of Your Pants
Like my writing, I cook by the seat of my pants. It's just a little of this, some more of than and last time there wasn't enough cheese, so I'll add a bit more pepper jack. In a new WIP, I might start out with an outline, even make up a stack of 3X5 cards. I know where my story is going; I just don't know how I--or my characters--are going to get there. And somewhere in the "mushy middle", I invariably re-plot the ending.
So it is for my cooking. At some point in time, I had a recipe for this dish, but I've changed it so many times, I don't recall what the original was. The only things that don't change are cheese and eggs. Sometimes I add onions and potatoes, as in the one below. Other versions have been sausage, peppers and onions or onions and broccoli, or asparagus, or any vegetable you like and happen to have in the refrigerator. Feel free to make your own personal version of it.
I know, if you're one of those people who has to have a recipe to follow, this is going to drive you crazy. I'll bet you're a plotter, too.
Chris' Potato and Cheese Frittata
You'll need an 8 inch heavy cast iron skillet and a non-stick fry pan. A small carton of low-fat, low-cholesterol egg product (to balance out the hi-fat, hi-cholesterol cheese), a small white onion and a can of pre-sliced, cooked potatoes (so I cheat, I don't have time to slice potatoes, I've got a book to write) and a package of finely grated cheese (of your choice, but it has to be real. That fake stuff just won't melt right). Sauté your thinly sliced onions and the potatoes (separately) in the non-stick pan. Grease the iron skillet liberally and place over medium heat. Pour in about half an inch of egg product, then layer the onions, potatoes, cheese and more egg until you finish up just short of the edge of the pan with enough egg to cover everything. Cook slowly, lifting the edges periodically to let the uncooked egg on top flow underneath. Cook to about three quarters done, then top with a nice thick layer of more cheese (hey, I didn't say this was low calorie) and place it under the broiler until golden brown.
This is great for Sunday brunch, served with fruit, a muffin and cuppa tea, hot, Earl Grey. Along with your favorite book. It should serve 2-3, depending on their appetite, but left-overs warm up nicely and work well for supper with a salad.
And now for something entirely different.
A first look at Cypher, the second book in The Dragon's Bidding Saga
"No.” The strength of
his denial, contradicted the confusion in his eyes. “I’m….”
“Who? Who are you
then?” asked Fitz.
The elegant features
twisted. “I don’t know. All I remember…”
“Do you remember
anything before you woke up in the medical bay?”
“I, ah…. You, I
remember you, Gray Eyes. You were there, bending over me when I opened my eyes.
I wanted to crawl inside those silver orbs and stay with you forever.”
“But nothing before
that?”
“No.” The word seemed
to hurt him.
“That’s because you
didn’t exist before that second. You’re just a scrap of programming that Dr. DeWitt
slipped into Wolf’s computer while they were doing the augmentation upgrades.
It overwrote your personality. Tritico paid the cyber-tech to hijack your body.
He figured you were the only person strong and smart enough, with the access to kill Ari
and he wanted her out of the way, so he could go on doing business the way he
always had. He programmed you to kill her.”
She stroked her hand
down the side of his face, felt the scratch of whiskers. “Come back with me,
Wolf. We can pull the program out. Stop it now before anyone else get hurt.”
He flinched back from
her touch. “Don’t call me that. I’m not your Wolf. And I’m not just a piece of
bad code. I exist, damn it. I’m human, I have emotions and I want to stay
alive.”
"We’ll figure something
out. I promise. We won’t just delete you like a random cypher…."
“Cypher. I like that.”
He trailed his finger down her throat. "No more Wolf. Call me Cypher.”
His mouth claimed hers,
hard and hungry, his tongue forcing its way past her lips demanding her
response. All the anger, fear and frustration of the past few day ignited a
laser bright heat inside her, fusing her mouth to his. He pressed his body
against her, pinning her to the wall. When the need to breathe drove
him to lift his mouth, he searched her face, his eyes hooded and dark
with passion. “You don’t seem like the type to seek hard anonymous sex in
Warren back alleys. Who is this Wolf to you? At first, I thought you were his
bodyguard, just an augie charged with protecting him, but it goes a lot deeper
than that, doesn’t it?”
“You…Wolf is my bonded
partner. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do to get him back.” She lifted her hand,
displaying the thin platinum ring circling one finger. Her index finger held a
second, larger band. “These are our bonding rings. I’d never heard of the
custom before, but you…Wolf… said it was common on his home world Willcommin. I
kept yours… his, while he was undergoing the implantation surgeries.”
“Bond-partner, huh?
Lucky man.” He kissed her again, softer this time. It ended too soon for Fitz.
“You told me once that
you would be by my side for a long as I would have you. Even for all eternity.
I need you to keep that promise now.”
Cypher shook his head. “I’m sorry, Gray Eyes, but I can’t do that. Although, I’ll admit that
kiss almost made me change my mind. The truth is, I’ve gotten accustomed to
this body. It’s quick, strong and smart. And easy on the eye, if I’m reading
your emotions correctly. I’m going to need all those attributes when I come
after Ransahov again.”
Fitz raised her chin
and put as much frost into her gaze as her aching soul would allow. “If you do,
I’ll be forced to stop you. Don’t make me do that.”
“You might try, but I
don’t think you’ll succeed. My advice would be to stay out of my way. I’ve
already stolen your Wolf’s body and maybe after the Emperor is dead, I’ll come
back and claim his woman.”
Look for Cypher, coming soon.
Nice recipe, and a very nice excerpt. I'll be looking out for Cypher.
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