Devilish Details . . . and Eggs

The devil is in the details—or so the saying goes. Likely, most writers who’ve spent much time editing would agree. After spending months or even years crafting a plot, characters, and all the bigger picture issues, it’s the little things that make the difference.

Do the words just and very pop up everywhere? Are adverbs sprinkled too liberally or emotions too sparsely? Is your main character even facing the right direction to be blinded by the sun in the big fight scene? Worst of all, is there an easy solution on page 12 that most readers would notice though none of the characters think about it until page 200?

Even something as simple as names can make a book unravel. If the names don’t sound authentic to the culture or time period, if they’re all hopelessly unpronounceable, a story can lose its bite. Never mind the mental chaos that ensues from names that are too similar. Just try setting loose a Jeremy, a Jerry, and a Jimmy in the same book, and see how many people still follow who’s doing what. The devil is in the details, and, unfortunately, there are thousands of details that require attention before releasing a book into the world.

The details cannot be ignored, but neither can they be elevated above what matters most: the story. In the end, there’s always going to be untouched rough spots and perfect words that were never found. That’s okay. At a certain point, you’ve just got to cross your fingers and hope that the devils still hiding in your manuscript are simultaneously tiny yet obvious enough for your critique partners, agent, and editor to squash them like the pests they are.

To get you going, here’s a recipe without too many details. Even better, the details that remain can be easily changed to fit your mood and the tastes of your guests.

Deviled Eggs

1 dozen large eggs

¼ c. fresh onion, minced

1 tsp. olive oil

½ c. mayo (I used Hellmann’s light mayo.)

2½ tsp. Dijon mustard

½ tsp. Tabasco

¼ tsp. pepper

½ tsp. onion salt

a pinch of cumin

chili powder (for sprinkling)

Hardboil one dozen large eggs. (Click here for one set of boiling directions--there are many variants.) While eggs are boiling, sauté minced onion in olive oil over medium heat until onion is translucent.

After eggs have cooled, carefully slice them in half lengthwise. Place whites on serving tray and put yolks in a medium bowl. Mash yolks with a fork. Mix in onions, mayo, mustard, and Tabasco. Add pepper, onion salt, and cumin. Stir well. Taste yolk mixture, and adjust according to your preferences.

Spoon all yolk mixture into halved egg whites. Sprinkle eggs with chili powder and serve when desired.

Putting Things Off and Egg Casserole

We are all bound by time, constrained by details, demands, and necessities to put off those dreams we most yearn to embrace. We make other choices.

Indeed, we may have no choice about how 95 percent of our time is spent. But life happens no matter how we live it, so between the craziness, the exuberance, and the tragedies of life, there are gaps. There are moments. 10 minutes. 30 minutes. An hour. There are moments that we do control, even if we’re not aware of them.

That time making the perfect meal, those minutes crafting a transcendent sentence, these things are not a waste. They’re an investment, an infusion of joy. And when they fill the gaps well enough, they enliven all the other moments in between.

I was going to be funny here, but, instead, in utter (okay, mostly utter) seriousness, here are my top five legitimate reasons for putting off your writing and the top five for putting off real cooking. Note: these only apply to those who are truly passionate about these pursuits, and, of course, there are exceptions.

Legitimate Reasons Not to Write

    1. You are suffering from serious illness or sleep deprivation.

    2. Flying monkeys have stolen your computer, burned down your house, and are dive-bombing to prevent you from using smoke signals from the fire to write your manuscript.

    3. Your family needs you more (always a valid reason, but remember to differentiate between “need” and “want”).

    4. You truly don’t believe you have anything worth saying—and don’t want to find out if you’re wrong.

    5. The thought of failing scares you more than the thought of never trying.

Legitimate Reasons Not to Cook

    1. You’re married to a fabulous cook who will make anything you want.

    2. The insurance company still hasn’t ponied up for the last time you burned down the kitchen. (Notice the fire theme in these excuses.)

    3. You believe that a box with sixty unpronounceable ingredients will provide your family with a healthier or tastier meal than you, a pan, and six things from your Fridge. Come to think of it, perhaps that should be a feature on Pots ‘n Pens: Six Things from Your Fridge. ;)

    4. You’re eating out somewhere that doesn’t have a mascot, a jingle, or a “Value Menu.”

    5. You’re working on your novel.

Bonus Reason for Either

    6. I need to _________________ instead today. But tomorrow, I will definitely take time to _______________ my heart out.

Okay, since I’ve stalled long enough myself, here is today’s recipe for Egg Casserole. There are countless versions of this, but what I like best about this variation is the perfectly dense yet fluffy consistency.

1 lb. ground sausage

2 c. diced potatoes

1 c. diced onion

½ c. chopped green onion

1 finely chopped bell pepper

1 tsp. sage

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

8 eggs

4 oz. (½ c.) milk

12 oz. (1½ c.) evaporated milk

2 tsp. dry mustard

4 slices white bread, cubed

1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350˚. Stirring often, cook sausage and potatoes in a skillet on medium high heat until sausage is starting to brown. Add onions, greens onions, and bell pepper, and cook a few more minutes until sausage is browned. Mix in sage, salt, and pepper, and let cook for one more minute. Drain.

In a large bowl, beat eggs. Stir in milk, evaporated milk, and mustard. Then add sausage mix, bread, and cheese. Once thoroughly mixed, pour into greased pan. (I used a 9x13 glass pan.) Cook at 350˚ for 40-50 minutes, until egg is firm.

Get going. Don’t put it off!

Interview with Author Gina Rosati

Today we're talking with YA author Gina Rosati, whose debut book Auracle (Roaring Brook Press/Macmillan) comes out in August. I met Gina through the Apocalypsies group and she is one of our most enthusiastic members—she's always there with a kind and funny comment. No surprise, then, that with such sweetness Gina also happens to be an expert cake decorator. Gina lives in New Hampshire with her husband and two teenagers.

About Auracle

On the surface, there’s nothing special about Anna Rogan; she gets average grades, she’s not especially beautiful, and she spends most of her time just hanging out with her best friend, Rei. But Anna has a secret; she can astrally project out of her body, allowing her spirit to explore the world and the far reaches of the universe. When there’s an accident and her classmate Taylor takes over Anna’s body, what was an exhilarating distraction from her repressive life threatens to become a permanent state. Faced with a future of never aging, never being heard or touched, Anna turns to Rei for help. Together they search for a way to get Anna back into her body in time to stop Taylor from accusing an innocent friend of her murder, but they don’t take into account the deeper feelings that are beginning to grow between them. A story about an out-of-body experience gone terribly wrong, Auracle reaches deep within the soul of one girl to discover the strength of love and the power of a single touch.

How does food play into your August debut, Auracle?

Food plays into Auracle in so many ways! First, our main character, Anna, really loves to eat (especially junk food!) except she has a peanut allergy, which puts the kibosh on eating certain things. Food allergies are just a fact of my life—my husband, my kids and I all have them. Auracle is a paranormal romance meant to entertain but I may have slipped in a few random facts here or there to help people understand food allergies.

Another way food plays into Auracle is Anna’s next door neighbor (and possibly soul mate) Rei—his parents own an Asian-themed health food store, so he likes to point out the healthier choices for Anna. This is how I justified my fascination with bento boxes and all the adorable ways food can be prepared … I bought Yum Yum Bento Box and said, “Oh look! It’s a research book! It’s tax deductible!”

What draws you to writing about this subject?

I like food. I like to eat it and shop for it and play with it (cake decorating is a hobby of mine). I like to learn about healthy food, but I like to eat junk food. I have tons of books about healthy eating, which I usually read while I’m sitting down drinking diet soda and eating chips. It’s very counter-productive.

What are some of your own favorite eats?

Favorite eats … oh, let’s see. Filet mignon with béarnaise sauce. Potatoes, any way except raw. I love most vegetables (except Brussels sprouts), although I prefer my veggies roasted with garlic. I love salad, especially if I don’t have to make it. And Marshmallow Fluff, right out of the jar—fastest way to mainline that sugar.

Do you cook while on deadline or do you go takeout style?

I mix it up. I do take out at least once a week whether I’m on deadline or not, but if I’m really rushed, yes, pizza, KF-Bell, sometimes I’ll pick up the baked potatoes from Wendy’s just because they taste better than my own baked potatoes.

If your agent or editor came to visit you in New Hampshire, where would you take them out to eat?

I’d take them to Giorgio’s, which is an Italian/Greek restaurant very close to my house. They have the most authentic Italian bread I've found in my area, and their basil/garlic/olive oil dipping sauce … so good!

Recipes or improvisation? Plotter or pantser?

It depends on what I’m cooking … I’m married to a nice Italian boy who still (after 28 years) compliments my cooking after every meal :) Most things I cook on autopilot just because I’ve made them so many times. I do follow recipes occasionally, but that’s mostly for baked goods where I find the measurements are more important.

As far as my writing, I pantsed my way through Auracle, and after a major revision, I discovered Larry Brooks' writing book, Story Engineering. I have seen the light *halleluiah* and now I outline.

Tell us about your cake-decorating hobby. How did you first get into decorating cakes and what do you like about it?

When I was around 18, my stepfather bought a Brigham’s Ice Cream Restaurant. My mom asked if I’d like to take cake decorating lessons with her and I was fairly decent at it, so I ended up decorating ice cream cakes through college. I’ve done a few wedding cakes for friends, and at one point I thought of starting a home-based cake business, but then I decided it wouldn’t be nearly as much fun if I had to do it. [NOTE: The picture on the left is a wedding cake Gina made for her friends Nick and Jean. Amazing, right?]

Now for the signature Pots and Pens question: If you had to choose a single book and a single food item, desert island style, what would you pick?

Single book … I know I’m supposed to pick my favorite work of fiction, but I can’t choose just one, and being the practical person that I am, I’d have to go with: SAS-Revised Edition Survival Handbook For Any Climate In Any Situation by John “Lofty” Wiseman

Single food item … bananas – not my favorite food, but in the practical sense, they don’t need refrigeration, they’re easy to peel and they’re loaded with potassium. Anna's BFF, Rei, would approve.

What recipe are you going to share with us? Tell us a little bit about it!

I’m going to share a frittata recipe from this cookbook which I highly recommend. My husband grew up near Providence, RI and his extended family still lives in the area—great Italian food!!! My father-in-law made the best frittata, but he made it like an omelet and I have never been able to master the art of flipping a giant omelet, so I was excited when I found this recipe. I brought it to a family gathering, and even my relatives who started the legendary Tom’s Deli in North Providence loved it. The nice thing about this recipe is you can make it as low fat and healthy as you like, and it tastes great cold. It’s good for breakfast, lunch or dinner and it’s very portable—good to bring for lunch to school or the office. I’ve improvised, so this isn’t the exact recipe as it appears in the book.

Baked Frittata

1 dozen eggs or combination egg substitute to make the equivalent of a dozen eggs

16 oz. ricotta cheese (use regular, low-fat or fat-free)

Handful (about 1 and 1/2 cups) grated Italian cheese, according to taste (I usually use freshly grated Pecorino Romano, but use your favorite – sometimes I buy Sargento Classic 6 Cheese Italian shredded blend and toss the entire bag in).

Mix that all together, and season to taste with garlic powder, black pepper, oregano, chives, whatever you love – this is a very versatile recipe.

Now stir in anything you’d like (just make sure your veggies are well drained). Some suggestions:

- Sliced sausage

- Diced pepperoni

- Diced ham

- Steamed broccoli

- Cooked spinach

- Diced onions

- Grated zucchini

- Grated carrots

- Steamed asparagus

- Cooked bell peppers

Bake in a greased 9 x 13 casserole pan at 375 degrees for 40 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Thank you for hosting me here on Pots & Pens!!!