When Did "Indie" Become Synonymous with "Vanity"?

   

When I was in my early teens I remember hearing Independent filmmakers being heralded as "groundbreaking", "bold", "daring", "pioneering", "trail blazing", "fresh", "confident", and even fun adjectives like "cheeky" and "spunky". Indie Rock Bands were often described the same way. They were beheld with a certain amount of, well, if not exactly respect, admiration perhaps, for getting out there and doing what their art dictated.

These people didn't wait for The Man to decide whether or not he would grant his Divine Approval on their talents and deem them fit for the masses. They had faith in themselves. They had a voice that cried out to be heard. They let the people decide for themselves if their art spoke to them. And while not all of them were successful, several were.

If not for Independent Film we would never have had Quentin Tarantino's "Reservoir Dogs", David Lynch's "Eraserhead", James Cameron's "The Terminator", Terry Jone's "Monty Python's the Life of Brian", Bryan Singers "The Usual Suspects" or Martin Scorsese's "Mean Streets" just to name a few.

Without Indie Rock the world would not have R.E.M, The Smiths, Pixies, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, Oasis, and The Strokes. Maybe not everyone's cup of tea musically, but important bands in their own rights none the less.

But when an author decides to take their work and publish it themselves rather than be at the mercy of the big publishing machine, they are termed "vanity projects". Huh? Wait a minute. If I create a film and go outside the studio system to create it I'm "bold" and "groundbreaking". If I create music and choose not to battle the recording studios to get my music to the people I'm "fresh" and "trail blazing". But if my art is in the form of crafting stories from thin air; of creating characters and situations that touch and entertain people, and I make the difficult decision not to spend years hoping for the benevolence of a publisher somewhere to buy my story and instead elect to go through the cost and constant effort of self-publishing to get my art to the people, I am merely engaging in a "vanity project".

NOT! Perhaps there are some people with an awful lot of free time and expendable cash who might publish a book just to be able to see it in print, but they are most certainly the exception, not the rule. Authors are just as much artists as filmmakers and musicians. Without authors, what would filmmakers make movies about? If there were no stories, how limited would be the world for other artists to draw inspiration.

It is hard to put yourself out there and say "here's my book, please read it." You'd have to be a real egomaniac to do that just to satisfy your vanity. Self-published authors are just as much an Indie Artist as any other creative person who works outside the system to bring their creations to life for the entertainment of others. So why aren't we considered as such?

It should be that way. From now on, I am not a self-published author, I am an Indie Author. I am an artist. Damn it.

Kerry Rockwood White

Author of the Fair Hero Series

Banana, Peanut Butter and Bacon - Cupcakes Fit for a King!

My nephew Billy just loves bacon! Who doesn't?  But he is seriously crazy about bacon. So for his birthday party this year I made him some special cupcakes.  Roasted banana cupcakes with creamy peanut butter frosting and candied bacon! You can almost hear Elvis singing, can't you?  They were a hit.  I was skeptical about the bacon - but it was actually good.  I love me some bacon - but I was leery of having it with something sweet (other than maple syrup). But it was really tasty.

Banana Cupcakes with PB Frosting and Bacon

(shown with chocolate cupcakes with salted caramel)

Roasted Banana Cupcakes: (I doubled this recipe)

Ingredients:
3 ripe bananas
2 cups cake flour, sifted
(I always use cake flour which would be 2 cups plus 4 tbsp)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
3 large eggs, separated - room temp
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Directions:

1.Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place 3 whole unpeeled bananas on a baking sheet and roast for
15 minutes. The peels will darken (black!).   Remove from oven and allow to cool before
peeling. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F.

2.Line a regular muffin tin or two with 16 paper liners. Sift together cake flour, baking soda,
baking powder and salt. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream the butter and sugar
until pale and fluffy. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add roasted bananas, and beat to combine. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of sour cream. Beat until just combined after each. Beat in vanilla.

3.In another mixing bowl, with electric mixer on medium speed, whisk egg whites to soft peaks
(about 5 minutes); fold one-third whites into batter to lighten. Gently fold in remaining whites in two batches.

4.Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins
halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 18-20 minutes.
Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before frosting.

I frosted with peanut butter frosting - recipe below

Peanut Butter Frosting:

Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 heaping cup creamy peanut butter (I used Peter Pan - but any good PB will do)
3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
pinch of salt

Instructions

1.In the bowl of your stand mixer, cream together the peanut butter and butter for 2-3 minutes. You want the color to lighten by a few shades.

2.Add the powdered sugar, scrape the sides of the bowl and mix until combined.

3.Pour in the heavy cream and beat until smooth. Scrape the bowl again.
4.Mix in the salt.

5.Beat on high for 3-4 minutes or until the buttercream has become light and fluffy.

6.Use immediately.


We also candied some bacon to crumble on top. My nephew just loves bacon!  To do this, we sprinkled brown sugar on a foil lined cookie sheet. Then laid out several strips of thick cut bacon and sprinkled more brown sugar on top. We baked it at 400 degrees, turning once, until the bacon was well done.  Lay it on parchment or wax paper or even a rack to cool. Do not put it on paper towel - it will stick.  When it's cool, crumble or cut into pieces and sprinkle a few on each cupcake.

Zucchini Cupcakes Recipe

I've been making a lot of cupcakes lately. My daughter, Julia, and I have discovered Cupcake Wars and have been having a great time watching it together and we have enjoyed baking together for a few years now.  We have both been inspired by the show, and of course, now that summer is here, we love making cupcakes to take to parties, cookouts and when we're just visiting.

Julia and Auntie Julie

(Photo by Diane Gillet)

My older sister, whom my daughter is named for, isn't much of a cake eater. So I asked her, what type of cake could I make to tempt her? She said she loved zucchini bread and hadn't had it in years. Well, not my cup of tea, but that's ok - glad to make them!  And that's what we did! Zucchini cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and pecans on top.

I know these look like they are still in the pan but they are actually in a carrier I just bought

Zucchini Cupcakes Recipe

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, (I always use cake flour - which would be 1 1/2 cups plus 3 tbsp)
1 cup packed dark-brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts
1 zucchini (10 ounces), coarsely grated (1 1/2 cups)
(squeeze with paper towel to get some of the excess moisture out of the zucchini)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Step 1
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cups of a standard (12-cup) muffin tin with paper or foil
liners. Set aside.

Step 2
In a medium bowl, mix together flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Mix in
nuts.

Step 3
In another bowl, combine zucchini, oil, eggs, and vanilla; add to flour mixture, and mix just until
combined (do not over mix).

Step 4
Divide batter evenly among cups. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake
comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes.

NOTE: The original recipe said to bake for 40 - 45 minutes. Fortunately, I checked at 35 and they were definitely done. I wished I would have checked a minute or two sooner.  Perhaps they did not squeeze the excess water out of their zucchini and that's why it took longer. I don't know.

Step 5
Let cool and frost with your favorite icing. (I used cream cheese icing)

Coq Au Vin - Chicken in Red Wine Recipe

I have been wanting to make this recipe for ages but thought it was too complicated. After recently finding the original The French Chef episodes on Amazon Prime and having a great time watching Julia Child make this recipe in her electric skillet, I decided I had to try it. I have such great memories of watching this show on PBS with my mom when I was very little.

Now, I absolutely hate mushrooms.  Hate them. Yes, I've tried them - again and again, various kinds prepared in various ways. But I hate them. Not just dislike - I hate them. Even the look of them grosses me out. But, my hubby loves mushrooms and even though neither of my children has ever liked mushrooms, there's always the chance that they might like them in this recipe. (they didn't, but they tried. My daughter did like the onions though)  So, I included the mushrooms. They are cut big enough to easily pick out, so if you have someone who is finicky like me, tell them to chill because you can pretty easily avoid dishing them any onto their plate.

Unlike Julia's, I added carrots to my dish so I would have a veggie that I knew everyone would eat. I can say that I have never enjoyed carrots so much in my life! Next time, I'm adding a few more carrots.

A few other notes before we begin: You want chicken with skin on and bone in - the recipe needs to have the flavor you can only get from the skin and bone in slowly cooked dishes. I'm a big fan of boneless/skinless chicken breast, but this dish would not taste the same if you used that. 

This dish can be messy, especially for kids if they aren't used to eating bone in chicken. We took the chicken off of the bone and served each person a plate with chicken pieces, veggies and sauce over white rice (as pictured below).  We found that the dish cooled off very quickly. The next time we will remove the chicken, remove the skin and bones and put the chicken meat back into the pan the reheat a bit before serving to help keep it hot as long as possible.

This makes a lot of sauce. You may want to cook some extra chicken in a separate batch and perhaps a little extra veggies to put aside for a second meal or for lunches the next day. It's too good to waste.

I know this looks like it's hugely complex, but it's really not. Don't be put off by the long list of ingredients or the directions. It's really not a hard dish at all. And it is SO yummy!

Cooking in the electric skillet

In the serving bowl

 

Served with rice, the chicken has been pulled off the bone

 

 

This recipe is adapted from Julia Child's.

 

Ingredients

3 to 4-ounce chunk lean bacon  (I used Irish bacon)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 1/2 to 3 pounds frying chicken, cut into pieces  (I used 4 leg quarters)
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus additional for seasoning  (I used kosher salt)
1/8 teaspoon pepper, plus additional for seasoning
3 cups young, full-bodied red wine, such as Burgundy, Beaujolais, Cotes du Rhone, or Chianti

(I used Pinot Noir)

1 to 2 cups brown chicken stock, brown stock or canned beef bouillon (I used beef stock and beef consume)
1/2 tablespoon tomato paste
2 cloves mashed garlic
1/4 teaspoon thyme leaves  (I used several sprigs of fresh thyme)
1 bay leaf  (I used 2 fresh bay leaves)
12 to 24 Brown-Braised Onions, recipe follows (we're not big on onions so I used 12)
1/2 pound Sauteed Mushrooms, recipe follows (I used a little less)

Approx. 8 fresh carrots peeled and chopped to large pieces

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons softened butter
Fresh parsley leaves

 

Brown-Braised Onions:

1 1/2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 tablespoons oil
18 to 24 peeled white onions, about 1-inch in diameter (again, I used 12)
1/2 cup brown stock, canned beef bouillon, dry white wine, red wine, or water
Salt and pepper
Medium herb bouquet: 4 parsley sprigs, 1/2 bay leaf and 1/4 teaspoon thyme tied in cheesecloth

(I tied the bouquet together in cooking twine)

 

 

Sauteed Mushrooms:

2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon oil
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, washed, well dried, left whole if small, sliced or quartered if large
1 to 2 tablespoons minced shallots or green onions, optional (I used shallots)
Salt and pepper

 

 

 

DIRECTIONS:

 

Remove the rind and cut the bacon into lardons (rectangles 1/4-inch across and 1-inch long).

 

In a heavy large heavy bottomed casserole or Dutch oven, saute the bacon slowly in hot butter until it is very lightly browned (temperature of 260 degrees F for an electric skillet). Remove to a side dish.

 

Dry the chicken thoroughly. Brown it on each side in the hot fat in the casserole. (360 degrees F for the electric skillet.)

 

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Return the bacon to the casserole with the chicken. Cover and cook slowly (300 degrees F) for 5 minutes, turn the chicken, season the other side and cook for 5 more minutes.

 

Pour the wine into the casserole/skillet. Add just enough stock or bouillon to cover the chicken. Stir in the tomato paste, garlic and herb bouquet. Bring to a simmer.

 

Add carrots. Cover and simmer slowly for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the chicken is tender and its juices run a clear yellow when the meat is pricked with a fork.

 

While the chicken is cooking, prepare the onions and mushrooms. (see directions below)

 

When the chicken is cooked, remove the chicken to a side dish.

 

Simmer the chicken cooking liquid in the casserole for 1 to 2 minutes, skimming off fat. Then raise the heat and boil rapidly, reducing the liquid to about 2 1/4 cups. Correct seasoning. Remove from heat.

 

Blend the butter and flour together into a smooth paste (beurre manie). Beat the paste into the hot liquid with a wire whip. Bring to the simmer, stirring and simmer for 1 to 2 minutes. The sauce should be thick enough to coat a spoon lightly.

 

Arrange the chicken in a casserole, place the mushrooms and onions around it and baste with the sauce.

 

If the dish is not to be served immediately, film the top of the sauce with stock or dot with small pieces of butter. Set aside uncovered for no longer than 1 hour or cool, cover and refrigerate until needed.

 

Shortly before serving, bring the casserole to a simmer, basting the chicken with the sauce. Cover and simmer slowly for 4 to 5 minutes, until the chicken is heated through.

 

Serve from the casserole, or arrange on a hot platter. Decorate with sprigs of parsley.

 

DIRECTIONS - Brown-Braised Onions:

When the butter and oil are bubbling in the skillet, add the onions and saute over moderate heat for 10 minutes, rolling the onions about so they will brown as evenly as possible. Be careful not to break their skins. You cannot expect to brown them uniformly.

 

Pour in the stock, season to taste, and add the herb bouquet. Cover and simmer slowly for 15 to 20 minutes until the onions are perfectly tender but retain their shape, and the liquid has evaporated. Remove herb bouquet. Set aside.

 

DIRECTIONS - Sauteed Mushrooms:

Place the skillet over high heat with the butter and oil. As soon as you see that the butter foam has begun to subside, indicating it is hot enough, add the mushrooms and finely chopped shallots. Toss and shake the pan for 4 to 5 minutes.

 

During their saute the mushrooms will at first absorb the fat. In 2 to 3 minutes the fat will reappear on their surface, and the mushrooms will begin to brown. As soon as they have browned lightly, remove from heat.

 

Set aside with the onions until ready to add to rest of dish.

Rhode Island Clam Cakes Recipe

Last night I tried making these delicious clam cakes. They were pretty easy to make and my hubby couldn't eat enough of them. Even my finicky son liked them.  Recipe below.

RI Clam Cakes
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk or beer
1 (6 ounce) can minced clams, undrained
1 teaspoon onion powder
pepper to taste

hot oil - 350 degrees

Mix all ingredients together until well combined. Batter will be thin.

I used corn oil to fry them in because it's what I had, but you can use any oil of your choice.  How much you use depends on the pot/pan you are using to fry the cakes in.  You want enough for the cakes to rise in and float freely.

The pic above is a Revere pot that was approx half filled with oil then preheated to 350 degrees.
Drop by soup spoon or cookie scoop into the hot oil. Let the batter drop down into the oil in a straight line. You will get odd shapes. It will hit the bottom of the pot, form up and then float.  The batter is runny so you won't be dropping dumpling like scoops into the oil.

Use a slotted spoon to get out any little bits that form.

Do not over crowd the pot. Just do a few at a time.

As the cakes turn golden on the bottom side, turn them gently in the oil and let them brown on the other side.  Remove to a bowl lined with paper towel to drain.

When you are done you can sprinkle salt on them if you like, or leave it up to your guests to salt their own. Serve with lemon and/or tartar sauce/cocktail sauce.

TIP: This recipe makes a very subtle clam flavor. If you want to amp up the flavor you may consider substituting clam juice for the milk/beer.  You can also increase the amount of minced clams.

TIP: Make to many or want to serve for a party?  Left overs can be reheated in hot oil. Or if you make the day before a party, heat up a fresh pan of oil and reheat the cakes for a few seconds each in the hot oil.

TIP: Cooking burns off the alcohol in the beer, so it is ok to use beer in the batter if you have people who don't drink or minors/children eating these cakes.  Consider using a special brew for your recipe. We used Sam Adams Porch Rocker.

TIP: This same batter would also be great for chicken or small bite size pieces of fish.

Southern Sweet Tea Cupcakes with Lemon Buttercream Recipe

Made these yummy cupcakes with my daughter Julia today :) Recipe below.

 

SOUTHERN SWEET TEA CUPCAKES - makes 24 cupcakes

 

1 cup whole milk

10 black tea bags
3 1/3 cups plus 1/2 tbsp  Cake flour
2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup canola oil (or veg oil)
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 eggs
Pinch of lemon zest

 

 

Preheat oven to 350

Heat the milk in the microwave for 1 minute. Stir

and heat for another 30 seconds. Add teabags to

milk and allow to steep for at least half an hour

until it's nice and strong.

 

Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt. In

the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a

paddle attachment, mix the granulated sugar, oil,

vanilla and the eggs, 1 at a time until fluffy.

 

Alternate adding the flour and most the tea until

incorporated. * Add a pinch of lemon zest and

incorporate.

 

Fill the cupcake liners and bake for 15 - 18

minutes.  Allow to cool completely before

frosting with lemon buttercream.

 

*After removing tea bags you will have a little

less than 1 cup.  Add as much as you feel you

need for batter to be correct consistency. 

Batter will be thin and runny.  I added approx 3/4

cup

 

TIP: I wanted a really strong tea taste so I

added approx 2 tbsp of ready made sweet tea

(Arizona brand) and a few squirts of MIO Sweet

Tea drink flavoring. You could also use ice tea

mix crystals, Crystal Light or any other

flavoring you choose to bump up the flavor, but

don't skip out on the genuine tea in the milk.  That

gives it the genuine tea flavor and smell.

 

 

LEMON BUTTERCREAM ICING

 

1 cup of salted butter

4 cups of icing sugar

2 tablespoons lemon zest

3 tablespoons lemon juice

2 teaspoons heavy cream or milk

Whip butter with mixer until fluffy

 

add sugar 1 cup at a time

 

add zest and add lemon juice to taste (I used

zest of whole lemon and juice of 1/2)

 

add cream to thin

 

beat until light and fluffy

 

We decorated them with straws and lemon jelly candies.

Other tips:  I don't have a zester so I used the fine edge of a cheese grater and got the zest off with a pastry brush (because it's damp it will stick to the grater). Also, when squeezing the lemon to get the fresh lemon juice, cut the lemon in half and wrap a piece of clean paper towel around the lemon. The juice will come out, but the pulp and seeds will stay behind the paper towel.

A lot of times flavors will bake out of cakes so what might seem like a good amount of flavor in batter might be missing when it's baked. You want to make sure it tastes strong of tea before baking or you'll have a nice tasting cake - but it won't really taste like sweet tea.