Karen’s Killer Fixin’s **AUTHOR SPECIAL** with ADAM GAFFEN!
Welcome to my Friday bonus feature called Karen’s Killer Fixin’s **Author Special**!! Today, in lieu of one of my own recipes, I’m going to introduce you to a new author who will share one of her favorite recipes. Not only will you and I occasionally learn how to make something new and delicious, but we’ll get a chance to check out some wonderful authors. Introducing author, ADAM GAFFEN, and his favorite recipe for CRUMPETS!
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THE MEASURE OF HUMANITY
The Cassidy Chronicles Volume 3
BY ADAM GAFFEN
Blurb
Six months have passed since The Road to the Stars.
An uneasy peace has settled between the Solarian Union and the Terran Federation. Negotiations continue, but seem to be going nowhere.
But that doesn’t mean Cass and Ken haven’t been busy.
Their second starship is about to commission. A new habitat is nearly complete. A new class of fighters is entering service.
And they still have stars to explore.
But within the Union, new plots are arising. New challenges are being prepared. Soon, they will be ready to strike.
Will Cass and Ken be able to handle the latest attack? Or will the dream of a Terran Federation die?
THE MEASURE OF HUMANITY
The Cassidy Chronicles Volume 3
BY ADAM GAFFEN
Note from Adam: Excerpt from Measure. It takes place early in the book; Aiyana Cassidy (Cass) is working in her office and she receives a call from the CEO of one of their companies, looking for advice.
Excerpt
“Well, Ms. Cassidy, like I said, I don’t know what to do next. Do I go out looking for jobs for the company? Do clients come to us? I mean, I just don’t know what I don’t know!”
Cass laughed. “I’ve been there, Dogfish. Believe me.” She looked around her office aboard the habitat. “Let’s take care of a small thing first. You have holographic capability on this call; it’s standard for all our CEOs. I like to be able to see people when I talk to them.”
“Like that. Exactly that. I didn’t know. How do I turn it on?”
“That’s a good question. I don’t know the exact layout of your office. Let me get some help. Diana.”
“Who’s Diana? The woman who I talked to first?” asked Percoco, but Cass was only half-listening.
“Sort of,” she answered absently as the AI responded with, “Yes, Commander?”
“I need Mr. Percoco to have access to the holographic call part of his system, but I can’t walk him through it. Can you?”
“Done,” replied Diana instantly.
“Hey!” exclaimed a surprised Percoco. “A dialog box just popped up, asking me if I wanted to start a holocall.”
“Just say yes. In the future, just make calls through that system.”
“Here goes nothing.”
The flickering, luminescent form of Dogfish sitting at his desk appeared in front of Cass.
“Whoa. That’s bizarre!” he said. “Oh. Hi, Ms. Cassidy.”
“Anything else, Commander?”
“No, thank you Diana. Hello again, Dogfish. That’s better.”
“It’s weird.”
“It can be,” she agreed. “If you find yourself getting disoriented, close your eyes for a few seconds.”
“I’m okay,” he said with some uncertainty. “Anyways, why did that woman keep calling you ‘Commander’?”
“Oh, right,” said Cass. “I forgot you just know me as the company owner.”
“And that’s another thing. You said ‘all our CEOs’. How many CEOs do you have?”
“I’d have to count,” she said honestly. “I don’t keep track of them. But to answer your other questions, well, how closely do you follow the news? Especially about space?”
He shook his head. “Hardly follow the news at all. Never anything good in it.”
“Well, about six, seven months ago, did you hear anything about something called the Terran Federation?”
His face wrinkled in concentration. “Maybe? Some sort of spaceship?”
“Some sort, yes,” she agreed with a smile. “The starship is called the Enterprise, and one of the things I do, the main one these days, is be the chief Science Officer aboard her. Hence my rank. You don’t have to use it,” she hastened to add. “Ms. Cassidy is fine.”
“So that’s why you’re wearing that uniform?”
Cass looked down. She’d gotten so used to wearing her uniform, even when not aboard ship, that she’d nearly forgotten about it.
“Yes,” she answered simply.
“Are you aboard the, what did you say, Enterprise, now?”
“No. Right now she’s on a short-range patrol to keep the Solarian Union away from Njord.”
“What’s a Nord?”
“Njord. It’s the Federation’s main off-Earth habitat.”
“Habitat?”
“Space station.”
“Whoa. Maybe you could slow down a little? This is an awful lot of information.”
“Right? Anyways, no, they don’t need me on Enterprise for the current mission, so I’m in my office on Njord working up plans for a gas mine. And that’s why you talked to Diana.”
“She works on the station? Some sort of junior officer?”
“Not exactly. Diana is the AI which runs Njord.”
“You have an AI answering your phone?”
Cass was getting more and more amused at the twists and turns of the conversation. “Not exactly,” she repeated. “But she had some extra time, and CEOs get through her filter to me. Diana, introduce yourself.”
“Hello, Dogfish,” said Diana. “I’ve been admiring your team’s work on the Mobile Bay project. It’s been very efficient.”
“Thank you?” he replied. “Weirder and weirder, man. Let me get this straight. I’m talking to the owner of the company, who’s a commander in some space navy thing, who’s sitting in an office somewhere in orbit?”
“Well, the office is inside the space station, and the orbit is actually the L5 Earth-Moon Lagrangian point, but yes, otherwise that’s correct.”
“And the space navy?”
“We’re working on it. Now. Much as I’m enjoying this, what do you need me to do?”
“Oh, right. So the company needs a new project.”
About Author Adam Gaffen...My name is Adam Gaffen; I live in Southern Colorado with my five, five dogs, and five cats. I manage to keep myself busy, volunteering for AmeriCorps, working part-time for the Department of Commerce, and my writing. I have just released the third volume of The Cassidy Chronicles, titled The Measure of Humanity. The previous two were The Cassidy Chronicles Volume 1 and The Road to the Stars (Volume 2). I have been writing, on and off, for nearly thirty years and would like to think that I am getting better at it.
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Links to Adam’s website, blog, books, etc.:
Find all of Adams links here: @Gaffen620
I hope you enjoy the recipe Adam is sharing today on Karen’s Killer Fixin’s. Happy Eating!
Karen
P.S. We’re at 513 recipes and counting with this posting. Hope you find some recipes you like. If this is your first visit, please check out past blogs for more Killer Fixin’s. In the right-hand column menu, you can even look up past recipes by type. i.e. Desserts, Breads, Beef, Chicken, Soups, Author Specials, etc.
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CRUMPETS
Note from Adam: Well, my wife is British by birth, and genuine British food is tough to come by, so I taught myself how to make crumpets. If your readers have never had crumpets, it’s something like an English muffin in that it’s ‘baked’ in a pan on top of the oven, not in the oven. Anyways, here’s what you need (I’ll note where you can substitute in the recipe itself):
- 2 tbsp active dry yeast
- 1 tsp white sugar
- 2 ¾ c warm water – divided 1c and 1 ¾ c
- 3 c all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp dry milk powder
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 tsp baking soda
- Cooking spray
- Rings
So, here’s what you do:- Dissolve the yeast and sugar in 1 c of warm water and let it stand about 10 minutes (or until foamy)
- While waiting, mix flour, milk powder, and salt together. Make a well in the center and add the yeast mixture and the rest of the warm water. Mix well until it’s the consistency of cake batter; cover with plastic wrap and let stand in a warm spot about an hour. It should appear bubbly
- You can substitute cake or pastry flour for the all-purpose; just reduce the amount of warm water by ¼ cup. Or, you can use bread flour to give it a bit more oompf. Also, if you don’t have powdered milk, you can use skim milk in place of the 1 ¾ c of warm water, you just have to heat it first
- Combine 2 tbsp water and baking soda; mix and let stand 15 minutes
- Heat a griddle or pan over medium heat. Spray the griddle/pan and the inside of the rings with cooking spray, arrange rings on griddle/pan
- Do NOT use more than medium heat. It’s far better to have lower heat, because this recipe counts on the top being partially done when the bottom is fully cooked. Too much heat and you have a raw top and or burnt bottoms!
- If you only have non-stick pans, do NOT use spray. Use butter or margarine instead. This is a good substitute in any case as it adds a rich flavor to the crumpets when cooking them.
- You can use cookie cutters if you don’t have rings. Also egg rings work perfectly well. Make sure they’re no smaller than 3”, though, and no more than about 4”
- Fill rings about 2/3 with better. Cook until the tops are bubbly and looking dry, anywhere from 5-8 minutes. Lift rings CAREFULLY, flip, and cook until lightly browned (1-2 minutes)
- Best served immediately, warm, with butter or your choice of topping, but can be frozen or stored refrigerated
Special Giveaways: Adam is giving away an ebook copy of Volume One to every reader who comments on his Karen’s Killer Fixin’s blog. One lucky reader who comments will be awarded an autographed and inscribed paperback copy of EITHER Volume One (all readers will received electronically) OR The Road to the Stars (winner’s choice).
Happy Reading!
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Thanks, Adam, for sharing your story with us!
Don’t miss the chance to read this book!
The story sounds interesting … I want to be able to holocall! 😀 The recipe sounds wonderful, as well. Thanks for sharing both with us.
recipe sounds tasty
Excellent excerpt….especially the “I don’t know what I don’t know”….the state of most things today….
But I do know a good crumpet recipe and this is one!
Thanks, Karen and Adam….
Good morning, Adam, and welcome to Karen’s Killer Fixin’s. I love a good space opera and your story sounds like it’s right up my alley! I’ve never had crumpets, per se. But I do love English muffins so I must try this recipe. Thanks for sharing your book with us today!