Nostalgic Homemaking

My blog has moved!

2008-12-15T10:03:00.001-08:00

I've moved! The new blog (same gooey filling) is at Wordpress.

See you over there!

Random Recipe Monday - Snowball Potatoes

2008-12-15T08:23:00.000-08:00

Apparently, I laughed a little too soon about the snow. We had another two hours of snow in the afternoon, which didn't add up to much but which did add plenty of ice. The road is still iced up today and Mama doesn't drive in the snow/ice, so I'm homebound. No Donner Party moments ahead though; I have some stuff in the freezer. I think a nice meatloaf might be in order (much to NR's sadness, I'm afraid). But perhaps I can tempt him with some snowball potatoes.

I haven't made these before but they do remind me of the klub that I still need to make for Dad - although with cheese inside the potato instead of ham (and they are baked, not boiled - alright they are nothing like klub). Of course, NR doesn't love mashed potatoes or cheese so on second thought, he might not be a fan. Then again, he is a sucker for advertising. The chance to eat snowballs for dinner just might be too much to pass up.

Potato Snowballs (by Ingrid Hoffman)

Ingredients

* 4 medium russet potatoes, peeled
* 1 tablespoon salt
* 2 ounces Oaxaca or any other soft white cheese, cubed
* 1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
* Salt and pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Put potatoes in a large pot and fill with water until potatoes are just covered. Add the 1 tablespoon salt. Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are very soft, about 40 minutes.

Press potatoes through a potato ricer or pulse in a bowl with an immersion hand blender until they are mashed. Let sit for a few minutes until just cool enough to handle.

Cut the white cheese in 1/2-inch cubes.

Prepare a baking sheet with foil wrap and coat with vegetable spray or rub with oil.

Put bread crumbs in a small bowl.

While mashed potatoes are still warm, form into 2-inch balls and insert 1 cheese cube in center, then roll into bread crumbs and place on cookie sheet. Wash hands and dry after every third ball so the potatoes will form evenly and not stick to the bread crumbs in your hand. Quantity should make about 10 balls.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, serve immediately.

Recipe found at foodnetwork.

Oh the weather outside is frightful...well, no

2008-12-14T12:12:00.000-08:00

At last, the big snow of December 2008! It's come to our neighborhood at last. If you blink, you might miss it, so look closely.

Though it doesn't look like much, I must say that it is slippery enough for danger. We watched a girl sliding down the street (as if on ice skates) hurt her leg badly enough that the paramedics had to come. We also saw the dumbest woman in the world get out of her sliding and still in "drive" car to assess why she couldn't manage to get up the hill. Naturally, she fell and the car started rolling away. Luckily, she was unhurt and the car didn't careen into the injured girl, which seemed highly possible. But it was tense there for a few minutes. Oh and I forgot to mention: she was driving a four wheel drive Lexus wagon. I wonder if it is just the snow that brings out the silliest in people.

Bioluminescence, Tudor ghosts and Jane Austen the Sleuth - all before my coffee

2008-12-11T09:07:00.000-08:00

I tend to get up before everyone else in my house. No matter how late I go to bed, I'm up first and I usually have an hour or so to myself. Typically, I spend it on the computer, surfing. I follow up on random thoughts, check out obscure news, add books to my library "to read" list - the usual kind of stuff.

But today I was a bit weirder than usual. I started with checking airfare rates to London and tour packages - mind you, there is no way I'm going to be able to go any time soon, but what the heck, I can dream, right? BTW, British Airway has $1100 tickets if you are looking to fly in May. There are also some great tour packages to Derbyshire here.

Ok, so that little jaunt led me to reminisce about a family vacation many years ago to Hampton Court Palace (Henry VIII's old digs). So I pulled up the website and prowled around there for awhile. Interesting photos and articles about the palace and a reference to a recent ghost sighting. Wait, what? I didn't hear about that.

So, off to youtube to find the CCTV video of the ghost. . Even a guest at the palace that day saw it so it must be true, right?

A little more reading about other spots we saw on our family vacation (Tower of London, villages in Southern England, Stonehenge - it was an amazing trip) got me thinking about visiting Derbyshire - the gorgeous scenery in the latest Pride and Prejudice movie. Well, since I won't be traveling soon I thought I'd check the library for any books on the subject. That search found me a series of novels where Jane Austen is the detective in murder mysteries. Yeah, there really is no historic person left in the world who hasn't been turned into a sleuth. Ben Franklin, Elizabeth I, Jane Austen...I'm sure there is a Dolly Madison or Prince Phillip mystery out there somewhere in the world.

Ok, so at this point, I'm thinking about England, ghosts, Regency England and of course, Christmas. This leads me to do a little surfing on Christmas past and I read a little about the Twelve Days of Christmas (boy that song is annoying), which leads me to Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, which leads me to an article that explains how bioluminescence could be why his nose glows so bright. So I guess that magic that makes him fly can't handle glowing nostrils.

It's an hour later and I've seen Henry VIII's ghost, learned about glowing reindeer noses, added a likely cheesy novel to my "to read" list and planned a vacation to England. What did I ever do before the Internet? All I can say is God Bless Al Gore for inventing it.

Eggnog - not just for getting drunk anymore

2008-12-09T08:40:00.000-08:00

Have you tried eggnog? Of course you have. Everyone has, right? What about real, bonafide, full of liquor eggnog? It is potent stuff. I assume all the liquor is there to kill any germs from the raw eggs but still, a little dab will do ya. Personally, I'm more of a virgin eggnog drinker myself, though a tiny dash of rum is a nice addition. The grocery store variety is ok with me - no worries about uncooked eggs there - even if it does have a zillion calories per glass. It's still such a holiday drink that I can't help buying at least one quart.

Which, unless you drink it all, leaves part of quart hanging out in your fridge after New Years. So what to do with the stuff? I wondered that myself and here are some interesting alternatives to guzzling down the nog:

How about an eggnog cupcake with bourbon caramel cream cheese frosting? Or perhaps a stack of eggnog pancakes on Christmas morning or New Year's Day?

Had enough sweets? Ok, what about chicken with eggnog cream sauce or eggnog sweet potato gratin (same link). Perhaps a slice of eggnog bread would be good with the chicken.

But, in the end, if you just want to just drink your nog, and you are feeling extra friendly toward those kind folks at the liquor store, here's Martha Stewart's very own recipe. (Be sure to read the disclaimer at the top of the recipe; it does call for raw eggs.) You'll need plenty of bourbon, rum and cognac on hand.

Cheers, everybody!

Cranberry-Apple Crisp, why yes Mr. Darcy

2008-12-06T12:25:00.000-08:00

As much as I tout the wonderful taste that is pie, I have a soft spot in my stomach (one of many) for crisps. Crisps, crumbles, buckles, cobblers - all the fruity goodness that is covered with some kind of blanket of crust. Sure pie is popular, friendly, wonderful to dance with - like Mr. Bingley from Pride and Prejudice (ok, maybe not the dancing part) but crisps have more depth. They are crisp, tart, warm but with an outer layer to protect them, a Mr. Darcy of the dessert world. Ok, yes, I have been watching Pride and Prejudice and reading the book, what of it?

Not to lose an opportunity to find my culinary Darcy, I thought I'd give a cranberry-apple crisp a try. It was recommended by Cook's Country, which I'm always partial to, and it has cranberries, which I love. So why not?

The ingredients are in my fridge right now, waiting for me to get off this computer and get to them. I'm behind schedule today, what with watching the Keira Knightly P&P again this morning (no, it isn't the six hour Colin Firth splendor but it will certainly do). Right now, I have to run off to Home Depot for a reindeer for the front yard (NR's request) and search out some ham shank for the klub. But I swear, after that, I'm ready for Darcy...er....the crisp. Honest.

*

Wow, I need help.

*Photo found at the New York Times

Klub? Yep, klub.

2008-12-05T10:56:00.000-08:00

On Thanksgiving night, my father reminisced fondly of a dish his Norwegian uncle used to make - klub (sounds like cloooob). He remembered Uncle Oscar and Aunt Alma inviting the family over for a big batch, probably around the holidays. As with all Norwegian food, I was scared to ask what it was, but the two helpings of stuffing and gravy gave me fortitude. Klub, my father informed me, is a boiled potato ball/dumpling that has a bit of ham in the center. Nordic humbau, if you will. The potato isn't mashed or shredded, it is riced into tiny bits, to which a bit of Crisco or some other greasing agent is added. This mixture is wrapped around the ham bit and boiled slowly in a pot of water. Or that's the gist of it any way.

I told my dad that I would make some klub for him. Maybe it was my current Scandinavian Christmas fixation that pushed me over the edge or the Princess cake in Martha Stewart's December issue, but whatever it was, I agreed to give klub a whirl. Now, I must admit that this dish doesn't sound good to me. It has several strikes against it in my book, but I'm game to give it a whirl, provided I can find a recipe.

Now, you'd think finding such a recipe would be easy in this age of the WWW but those that I have found, I haven't liked the sound of. Some call for beef suet (no way) or pork hocks or salt pork (no thanks). I checked out a Scandinavian cookbook from the library, filled with just about every recipe known to Viking...except klub. Finally, I did find a recipe for Potet Klub that might fit the bill. It comes from the "Midwest's Number 1 Roadside Cafe" so how can you argue with that? I'll probably try it over the weekend and I'll let you know how it goes.

If anyone has tried this (Auntie R I know you have), please feel free to share your thoughts on what makes good klub. I hope salt figures into your equation.

Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies

2008-12-02T08:34:00.001-08:00

I personally have never had a sugar plum. I'm guessing they are dried plums dipped in sugar, but really I have no idea. I do like the sugar plum fairy, as in the ballet, The Nutcracker, but I don't know how similar the SPF is to the food.

Yesterday, I had a chance to see pint sized plums in action at my nephew's ballet class. He and the rest of the dancers (all girls) were rehearsing for their Winter performance. I should mention that they are three years old. Imagine an unruly line of tots in tutus and one strong boy in black tights and you can imagine how wonderfully fun it was. There was plenty of squirming and sillies while they tried to move into second position. Their upcoming recital is to the song What a Wonderful World (Louie Armstrong version) and it was absolutely precious to see them flapping their butterfly arms while they shouted out the words. They might not have been dancing to Tchaikovsky, but they were sweet nonetheless.

So these little dancers got me thinking about sugar plums. What are these elusive treats that inspired the ballet dance? I did a little recipe searching and wow, there are clearly no firm guidelines for what gets labeled a "sugar plum". I found pieces of candy mixed with chopped pineapple, cherries surround by oatmeal, breads and cakes. It's doubtful that most of these concoctions would have even been available in 19th century Russia. So what is the real deal? Well, I have found a recipe for drying and sugaring plums, updated from a 16th century version. For those interested in drying their own plums, check it out here. I also found an interesting discussion about a dried fruit and nut version, inspired by Turkish candies. Given that The Nutcracker has an exotic local, maybe this is what Tchaikovsky had in mind when he wrote the music.

So the dried sugared fruit or the nut/fruit concoction - I don't know which is the real "sugar plum" treat of Tchaikovsky and Twas the Night Before Christmas. I guess the only visions of sugar plums dancing in my head will be those little ballerinas/ballet dancer working on their pirouettes.

"You are a good housekeeper, Mommy..."

2008-11-30T12:05:00.000-08:00

"You keep the flies out of the house." High praise from my eight year old. I guess I should be glad that he notices anything that I do around the house.

Last night, we decked the halls (or started the process, anyway) and put up our tree. I'm still working on how to get the outdoor lights strung, but here are a few snaps from the living room:
NR's Candy Canes
Our kitty under the tree - love the green and gold eyes
Close up of the mantle
My Scandinavian heart garland

The girl's got it

2008-11-28T08:46:00.000-08:00

I've been a long time fan of Rosalind Russell. Ever since I first saw her in His Girl Friday with Cary Grant. She was the only Auntie Mame for me (forget the Lucille Ball version) and I absolutely loved her in Gypsy, even if her singing was augmented by another.

Yep, I think Roz was one class act - beautiful, hilarious, strong and sassy, and above all she had a spirit to carry through, in all her roles. Even in the comedic ones, maybe especially in the comedic ones, that spirit is there.

My sister reminds me of Rosalind Russell. Not only is she also beautiful, hilarious, strong and sassy, but most especially she has that same spirit. Nothing can stop her, nothing can hold her back or get her down. She is absolutely the embodiment of Auntie Mame's adage to "Live, live, live" and no matter what, that spirit will see her through.

Bee, I thought you could use a little lift to defy gravity. Love you.

Sailing, pillaging and baking - it's a viking thing

2008-11-26T08:36:00.000-08:00

Ok, so the Vikings weren't bakers; no room for a puffy hat on top of those horn helmets. But they did sail and pillage and generally roam the world, bringing back treasure to the Norse homeland. One of those treasures was cardamom. You know, the spice. You gotta hand it to those hearty seafarers that they managed to make it so far in their big dragon headed boats; depending on who tells the story, they picked up cardamom in India, Constantinople or somewhere in the middle east. And you thought they only discovered America.

So cardamom makes its way from Viking ships to Scandinavian bakeries. Quite an interesting tale, I'm sure, but we'll save that for another day. The point (and yes, I do have one) is that cardamom is a very popular spice in Scandinavia, particularly in baked goods. Myself, I really like cardamom. I'm not sure I could accurately describe the flavor to someone who hasn't tried it but think "sweet", "aromatic" and "pungent" (wikipedia's best description). Weirdly, it works in sweets as well as Swedish meatballs and even Indian curries (the land of its birth).

So, yesterday I baked up a coffee cake for breakfast, featuring cardamom. Inspired by my Scandinavian Christmas projects, I thought a wedge of this cake and some good coffee (thanks, Mom for the great "Royal Vinter") would start me off right. Sure enough, the cake was great from the oven but even better in the evening when hubby had it for dessert. I upped the salt in the recipe and I used ground cardamom, rather than pulverizing fresh cardamom pods, but otherwise I made it as is. If you need a nice coffee cake to take to the neighbors or when you go out pillaging on the seas, you might give this one a try.

Ya sure you betcha, it's Christmas (almost)

2008-11-24T09:02:00.001-08:00

I said this a few days ago but I'm excited to put up my Christmas tree. Some years, I really dread doing it and I put it off until the last moment. That's a stinky, Grinchy, Bah-Humbug kind of attitude, huh? Yeah, well, I have small streak of Grinch if I'm not careful.

But not this year. This year, I'm in the Spirit - spike the egg nog, Auntie Mame on roller skates, capital S kind of Spirit. I'm also inspired by those countries that know a thing or two about snow, the land of my forefathers/mothers - Norway. Yeah, the spirit hasn't completely made me crazy; I won't be sampling lutefisk or donning the St. Lucia crown of burning candles. But I will be adding some Scandinavian spirit to the festivities this year. What makes it Scandinavian, you ask? Plenty of red and white, heart motifs, snowy stuff and gnomes, of course. Well, that's my version anyway. I suppose someone in Stockholm might have a different perspective, but this is my interpretation.

I'll be conjuring up a few decorations and posting photos in December but I thought a little inspiration from Flickr was in order. There are some amazing (and mundane and weird) photos on Flickr, as well as some things that inspire me for Christmas. Here are some of my favorites:

2008-11-24T09:01:00.001-08:00

The gnome knows...
Originally uploaded by DesignMinistry

The gnome knows....says DesignMinistry on Flickr.

2008-11-24T09:00:00.001-08:00

heart
Originally uploaded by Ravenhill Designs

Handknit Norwegian sweater transformed into a felted heart. Look for Ravenhill Designs stuff on Etsy.

2008-11-24T08:59:00.001-08:00

Christmas in Sweden
Originally uploaded by Vif

"Christmas in Sweden" by Vif on Flickr.

2008-11-24T08:58:00.001-08:00

Spotty heart
Originally uploaded by cowshedboutique

A Beautiful Norwegian Christmas Garland, Posted by cowshedboutique on Flickr.

And have you met my house?

2008-11-22T15:08:00.000-08:00

Manderley, Pemberley, Twelve Oaks...Fictional houses (or more likely estates) have names. "Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again." is one of the best opening lines from a novel (Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier) in my opinion. Part of what makes that book so great is the personality of the home. Mr. Darcy has Pemberley and Ashley Wilkes has Twelve Oaks. People in fiction live in houses with character, full of characters, and I think some of it has to do with names.

Real people live in houses with names too, though they tend to be more of the Martha Stewart variety (her home, Cantitoe Corners, not only has a name (albeit less poetic than Manderley) but also a sycamore tree as her motif). I think it is safe to say that most houses don't have names, let alone motifs, and I think that is a shame. Why should only the rich, those living on estates and with multiple places to call home get the fun of naming their house? Why is a rambler or split level or condo any less worthy of a moniker? Probably because we the owners feel silly calling our home by a proper name. There seems to be something pretentious, something fictional in calling a house by a name, right? Maybe that is because the only houses we know of with names are either fictional or belong to people who might have a reputation of being a bit...well...pretentious. (Sorry, Martha, but you know it is true.)

And I say again that is too bad. For all that our homes do for us and mean to us, you'd think they'd rate something better than "the house" when we talk about them. Even cars often get names from their owners, but houses not so much. Well, why not buck the trend and find a name that really suits your place. You could go hog wild and pick out a motif and fix up some notepads in Print Shop - something goofy or silly or even serious.

Why on earth would I do that, I hear you saying, you curmudgeon you. And I respond with Why ever not? Lord knows the rich get to have enough fun as it is; we of the more modest incomes can have some freebie fun ourselves. Besides, with hard times showing us all just how important our homes are, making them just a bit more personal and a bit more welcoming is no bad thing. And just to help you out, here's a little list of names you can freely claim as your own (I'll tell you my choice at the end):

Miss Equity
Dorothy (there is no place like...)
Fawlty Towers
Hatfield (or McCoy)
Ramblin Rose
Ponderosa
Bedlam (sometimes that's the only name that fits)
Cozy Hole
Bag End (or insert your favorite literary reference)
FixerUpper
Sheetrock
Falcon Crest (or whatever 80s TV show floats your boat)

Me, I'm leaning toward Fanny. My house has a great fan window over the front door, but beyond that the name just makes me think of baskets of yarn, a fat kitty, books everywhere and a few cookies tucked away, just in case. That about sums up the house perfectly.

I knew there was a reason I voted for him....

2008-11-19T16:30:00.000-08:00

Glad to know the next Prez and I share a fondness for cupcakes. I wonder what kind they were...

Oh and speaking of pie (weren't we?), don't miss this great essay about pie at the Huffington Post. I love the phrase Sentimental Americanism. Who knew pie is the salve that can heal our wounded nation. Well, duh, right?

Isn't it December yet?

2008-11-18T11:11:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure what it is about this particular November but it feels like it has been exceptionally long. That's silly to say when today is only the 17th but it just feels like November has stretched out. Not that I'm bursting for December to come, I'm not. Don't get me wrong; I love December. Sort of. Preparing for Christmas is always a lot of work, especially when you are penny pinching. As much as I love enjoying Christmas day, the prep work leading up to it can be daunting. Especially when I put a lot of pressure on myself to get it right.

I always have this list of things I want to do, things that seem important and if I don't get to them, I'm disappointed. I wanted to make advent wall calendars this year for the kids; don't know if that will happen or not. I am still finishing up homemade presents, though I'm in better shape this year than I was last year. I want to really deck the halls outside with lots of lights but that is easier said than done when 1) you are afraid of heights and 2) you live in a two story house.

This year has an added challenge (or opportunity, if you have a good attitude) because I'm spending half of each day homeschooling NR. We're going to looking at different holidays, learning about Hanukkah and more about Christmas. We're going to talk about the winter solstice and Kwanzaa and just generally be really cognizant of each day during December and what it means to different people. That means I have to have my act together. Not only do I have to have the information but the activities, stories and songs that go along with it. Yeah, that's going to be challenging.

I could reduce the celebrating - forgo the Victorian high tea that I'm looking forward to, skip the local Christmas craft fairs, steer clear of the twinkling lights tours. Sure, that would free up a lot of time. But isn't it the special stuff that makes December, well, special?

So I'm not rushing toward December but I am looking forward to it. November has always felt like a placeholder month for me anyway. Sure, Thanksgiving is there for we Americans but as soon as Halloween is done, I start looking toward the evergreen boughs and Santa hats. Anticipation is 9/10ths of Christmas anyway, in my book. No, I won't get those stuffed "Twelve Days of Christmas" ornaments done in time for this year but maybe they'll be ready for next time. I just need to keep reminding myself that Christmas doesn't have to be perfect; we just need to be present and living in the moment.

Sunday Snaps

2008-11-16T10:30:00.000-08:00

A new tea cozy joins his owl brethren.

Meatloaf basics

The stock for French Onion soup to come

NR's "Lion and Camp Bufulo" reminds me of Picasso.

Everybody needs a hero....

2008-11-13T15:05:00.000-08:00

We all have people we admire, right? Sometimes for big things (Barack Obama) or smaller things (that nice lady who let you cut into line with just those two items). And sometimes, well...there's admiration that goes a tad beyond. I'm not talking stalking or channeling Buffalo Bill from Silence of the Lambs - nothing too nutball, you understand. But I admire just a tad beyond a wonderful blogger named Alicia Paulson. Alicia's blog, Posie Gets Cozy, has a zillion fans so I am just one in the crowd, but I really enjoy her point of view, her wonderful craft projects, her beautiful photography, and her way of making each moment seem special. I mostly lurk on her blog, but I visit often and I daydream about being able to sew like Alicia, take photos like Alicia and generally be like the Oh-So-Talented Ms. Paulson.

You can imagine my captured heart's delight when I saw months ago that she had her first book coming out in November (see my link in the widget below - it's been there since preordering). With much delight last night, I opened my copy of Stitched in Time, delivered from Amazon. You know how some things just take you away? Like good books, favorite movies or even a long soak in the tub? Well, reading through Alicia's book was a little mental holiday and I enjoyed every minute of it. It's packed with gorgeous photos, adorable projects and just the kind of domestic bliss that I crave. I've even completed one of the projects for a Christmas gift and I'm working on another.

She'll be in town in December for a book signing and I plan to go. I've never had (or wanted) a book signed before but I really would like her to sign this one. Yes, I know it is a bit weird to be so interested in a total stranger, but that is the great thing about blogging - you get to know people just by reading their posts and looking into their lives.

So Alicia, if you stumble upon this post, thanks for having such a great perspective and a fresh look at homemaking. Best wishes with the book.

Book Review: Martha Stewart's Cooking School

2008-11-13T07:52:00.000-08:00

Whatever your opinions about Martha, the lady knows how to cook. No flash in the pan is she; her many years in the culinary spotlight have proven her skill. Still, when I am looking for recipes, I don't usually check her website. I guess I have the impression that her food is fussy, that it takes exotic ingredients and that it is expensive to make. Martha's new book is changing my opinion.

Martha Stewart's Cooking School was just published in October, yet my wonderful library already has a copy. I'm glad it does because it has given me a chance to dig into this huge book without paying the list price of $45 (though Amazon has it on sale right now, so that's a good thing).

Written with an eye toward mastering the basics, the text covers the differences in certain chopping techniques (like what a medium dice really means versus finely chopped - yeah these things do matter if you want consistent results), when to use certain knives or herbs or kitchen equipment. The book begins at soup and each recipe is geared to teach you a different skill or to serve as a basis for moving on.

I made her version of beef stew (albeit with a little tweaking for family dislikes) and it turned out very well. Ingredients were added in stages, rather than all at once - which makes sense. The potatoes don't need to cook as long as the beef or they will get mushy. And true with all stews, it was even better the next day.

So if your library has this new book, I would recommend giving it a look. You might not take everything to heart but you might just rethink your take on Martha Stewart and her cooking.

Random Recipe Monday - WWII cake

2008-11-10T08:25:00.000-08:00

Veterans' Day is tomorrow. Right now, the population of new veterans seems to be growing and the population of old veterans declining. No matter the war front, we are grateful for their service and I hope everyone can thank their veterans or remember the ones that are now gone.

In that spirit, I thought a recipe from the past might be interesting and for those who are lucky to still have WWII vets in their lives, perhaps a bit nostalgic. I found this recipe at recipecurio, which is a new site to me but one I'll be checking out frequently - she has done a great job preserving older recipes.

This particular recipe was written in the time of rationing so you'll notice the absence of butter or shortening. Not such a bad idea from a cholesterol standpoint anyway. I think the "milk" should be whole milk though. The cake recipe is called "spring beauty" but lemon flavor in November sounds fine by me.

SWANS DOWN’S SPRING BEAUTY CAKE

1 cup sifted Swans Down Cake Flour
1 teaspoon Calumet Baking Powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons lemon juice
6 tablespoons hot milk.

Sift flour once, measure, add baking powder and salt, and sift together three times. Beat eggs with rotary egg beater until thick enough to stand up in soft peaks (5 to 7 minutes); add sugar gradually, beating constantly. Add lemon juice. Fold in flour, a small amount at a time. Add hot milk and stir quickly until thoroughly blended. Turn at once into ungreased tube pan and bake in moderate oven (350° F.) 35 minutes, or until done. Remove from oven and invert pan, 1 hour, or until cold. Remove from pan.

CCR and Chicken Fried Steak

2008-11-06T15:34:00.001-08:00

It is a rainy gray day here. Not the kind of oh-look-it-is-raining-let's-get-out-the-galoshes kind of day, but the man-is-it-pouring-where-is-my-teakettle kind of day. Days like this inspire the comfort food craving in me, but for some reason I'm also channeling a bit of southern drawl too today. I've had Creedence Clearwater Revival on the brain and a hankering (how's that for southern) for chicken fried steak, with gravy, thank you.

While looking for economical meals that aren't all casseroles (not that there is anything wrong with that, but sometimes a girl wants meat), I stumbled onto a country fried steak recipe in my favorite southern cookbook, Screen Doors and Sweet Tea (see widget below for the link if y'all are interested). The beauty of country fried steak is that cubed steak is cheap cheap cheap but tastes great. Throw on some mashed taters and white gravy - mmmmm, sounds like some fine eating to me.

So that's what's for dinner tonight. Unfortunately, I can't find a link to Martha Foose's great recipe (the benefits of buying the book, I guess) but I suspect that Paula Deen's version might just work as well. I'm using cubed steak in mine.

Here's a little CCR to enjoy while you fry up those steaks....how Fogerty found pants that matched the leather sofa he is sitting on is beyond me...

Taking the day

2008-11-05T16:08:00.000-08:00

I'm taking the day to just let last night's monumental results sink in. Amid the daily stuff of preparing math lessons, drying another load of clothes, putting away dishes and worrying about the thinness of my wallet, I find myself stopping to smile, to tear up, to remember some of the most amazing words I've heard from a politician.

I don't think there will be a more important election in my lifetime. I will not forget the images from last night and the pride on all the faces in the crowd. Whether you supported Barack Obama or not, last night was historic and has changed the history of America.

Oh look at me, getting all Olbermann on you here. So I'll hush up and get back to making my lentil soup. But really, let's all take the day to reflect on this. What a difference 24 hours can make.

Random Recipe Monday - American Pie

2008-11-03T08:25:00.000-08:00

Well, it is here. Finally. After the longest election cycle I can remember, election day is tomorrow and the choice will be made. I'm so nervous right now. Even back in the 2000 race I wasn't this engaged in the outcome, this worried about the future.

NR and I are having a civics lesson about it tomorrow. He will be coming with me to the polls, watching the process. We've been talking about voting already - he has filled out ballots for his dinner selection to see democracy in action - but he is still fuzzy as to what the heck the United States is all about. (So am I sometimes) I hope he'll get a better idea when he sees the big map for the election returns and we talk about which states voted for Obama and which for McCain.

So, rather than post a real recipe, I thought a little nostalgic pie would settle my stomach. A slice of Don McLean anyone?

Spooktacular Fun

2008-11-01T12:52:00.000-07:00

Ok, I couldn't resist the pun. But it is true - we had a very fun Halloween indeed. NR hosted his second annual bash and it was just the kind of party that I love - the kind where the guests bring all the food! Other than some cheesy brains and severed fingers (mac n' cheese with kielbasa), everybody else brought the goods. We had sticky bat wings and legs, lady fingers and men's toes, pumpkin dip, devil eggs, shrimp salad, pumpkin cake, popcorn balls and caramel apples, loads of candy and three rambunctious children. As guests, not on the menu.

Trick or treating, classic Scooby Doo and a rousing game of Betrayal on the House on the Hill - many highlights. But none higher than a performance by the ghost of Ben Cartwright himself...err...herself. So adorable that it had to go straight to YouTube. See for yourself.

I say pumpkin, vous say potiron

2008-10-30T08:43:00.000-07:00

I'm very fond of Ina Garten, as you know, but I must say this: she is wrong. At least about pumpkins in France. She said in her new book "Back to Basics" (Lord love the library!) that pumpkin isn't even sold in France. I couldn't believe that so I checked. It is. She said that while in Paris she had to make due with a squash called potiron instead. Not to be picky, but a pumpkin is a squash and the french word for pumpkin is potiron. I don't know what Ina's gourd looked like but it was likely a pumpkin.

Of course, for my research I didn't actually fly to France and check all the market stands but I did use my old friend Google and I found recipes a plenty from french folks using pumpkin. One thing I did discover though is that pumpkin is typically only a savory ingredient - pies, muffins, bread are probably not going to show up on a menu any time soon.

So Ina, dear favorite of celebrity chefs, you might want to scope out the markets next time you and Jeffrey are in Paris. Perhaps you'll want to try this Potiron rôti:

"Roasted pumpkin stuffed with bread and gruyère cheese, from The Great Little Pumpkin Book by Michael Krondl. I learned how to make this fabulous dish from Alain Senderens, one of France's renowned three-star chefs. If you can only find big pumpkins, increase the filling and cooking time proportionately. Recipe

1 cooking pumpkin of about 5 pounds

1/2 pound loaf of French or Italian country-style bread

1 cup crème fraîche

8 ounces grated Gruyère cheese

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Salt and black pepper

Rinse the outside of the pumpkin and wipe dry. Using a sharp knife and cutting at a slight angle so the tip of the knife is angled down into the vegetable, cut off the top quarter of the pumpkin to form a lid. Use a large spoon scrape out the seeds.

Cut the bread into thin slices and toast until golden brown. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Line the pumpkin cavity with one layer of the bread, spread with 4 tablespoons of the crème fraîche, a quarter of the cheese and a generous sprinkle of salt and freshly ground pepper. Continue layering (4 layers in all), finishing with the Gruyère. Set the top back on the pumpkin.

Cut a piece of aluminum foil large enough to wrap the entire pumpkin. Brush the pumpkin lightly with the oil. Wrap the pumpkin with the foil and place on a baking pan. Set in the oven and bake about 1 hour, 40 minutes. The pumpkin will be done when the outside skin has softened and a very sharp knife can easily pierce through to the interior flesh.

Remove from the oven, take off the foil and place the pumpkin on a serving platter. Carefully remove the lid and, using a large spoon, stir the interior mixture, making sure to incorporate the pumpkin into the other ingredients. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper if necessary.

Serve hot.

Serves 4 to 6."

What happens when you reach "good"

2008-10-29T17:47:00.000-07:00

Most people who cook (or basket weave, or skydive, or what have you...) have at least one or two recipes that they consider "good". They've mastered making a good spaghetti sauce, or a pie recipe, or egg salad - whatever. Something that they are known for making or at least that they and their friends/families really like. That's as it should be. You do something long enough, you ought to do at least part of it pretty well.

So what happens when you reach "good"? Does that recipe stand still and never get changed? Do you never look for a better pie crust or tomato soup recipe or glazed ham when you find something you really like? For example, I found an interesting recipe in Cook's Country magazine for the best roast turkey. Now I'm not famous for my turkey but the good cooks in my family have made turkey the same way for awhile and it works really well. Knowing that Thanksgiving isn't filled with angst of "will it be dry", I still decided to try the turkey recipe - partly out of curiosity (just how would salt pork figure into the equation) and partly to see if there is something better than really good.

The turkey was good - exceptionally moist and really easy (no basting at all). Was it better than the older version? No, not better, but equally good. Can two turkeys both be really good but different? Yeah. Will I make it for Thanksgiving? Yes, I think so.

I guess the moral of this story is that even when you have reached good - in whatever you do, it is still worthwhile to see how far you can stretch that label. Maybe the end result will be equally good, just easier or quicker; maybe it will be worse and you will reaffirm your old methods; or maybe it will be good - but in a different way - and there is nothing wrong with having more than one way to skin a cat...er...make that pluck a turkey.

Random Recipe Monday - Apple Cupcakes

2008-10-27T08:01:00.000-07:00

Ever buy an ingredient because you need one tablespoon and then you have a whole jar in the fridge, looking accusingly at you every time you get something out? Ok, maybe not looking at you, unless the ingredient was a fish head, but you get the idea. Mine is apple butter. I needed it for the apple cider doughnuts I made awhile back and unfortunately, it seems to only be sold in giant jars. Go figure. So I've tried to use it in my oatmeal but at that rate, it will be a moldy oldie before I go through it all.

I'm bound and determined to use up that apple butter. I don't want to waste the money and truthfully, it is pretty good stuff. Enter Apple cupcakes. Half a cup will be used in making these babies and heck, cream cheese frosting on an apply little cake sounds pretty darn good. Good for Halloween, good for Thanksgiving, whateva floats your apple boat.

Any other ideas for using apple butter? Mine is heavily spiced so I don't know how well it would work in something savory, but I'm willing to give things a try.

Sugar, ah honey honey

2008-10-23T08:37:00.000-07:00

Halloween is coming and candy is front and center, as it has always been with the second most popular holiday in the US (generating six billion in sales - that's a lot of candy corn folks).

Everybody has their favorites and we all have memories of going through our trick or treat bags, pulling out the good stuff and leaving the gum, dental floss and peppermint hard candies for siblings or parents. Me, I can't leave a Reese's peanut butter cup alone, though tootsie rolls are a good alternative. Almond Joy, Hershey's kisses, Snickers....wow, I guess the connecting feature here is chocolate. Now that's a surprise (yeah, not really).

As tasty as these confections are, have you ever wanted to make them yourself? Probably not, huh. Because it is easier to just pick up the package at the check out stand for a buck when your sweet tooth is acting up. But where is your innovating spirit, I say. Where is the famous American pluck and ingenuity (if you are American, if not - I got nothing) of your foremothers? Would Betsy Ross have just gone down to Wal-Mart to pick out a flag? Would Dolly Madison have let Washington's portrait burn rather than rescue it because she could just order another one from Art.com? Did Mimi Eisenhower tell Ike to get his fudge from the mall? I think not.

But how can I make peanut butter cups, you rightfully complain (really, the whining isn't necessary). Never fear. Ingenuity and a good internet link are here. Make your favorite candies with these recipes. Peanut butter cups, Almond Joy, Snickers....yeah, the good stuff. No hard candy or sweet tarts. Now go forth and create some candy magic of your own, my fellow American consumers.

What is the spanish word for "coincidence"?

2008-10-22T11:12:00.000-07:00

Paella isn't something that comes up often in conversation - unless you live in Spain, I suppose. As delicious as the dish is, it is something I rarely think about and even more rarely prepare. I'm not sure why that is because it does have something for everyone - seafood, sausage, chicken, saffron. Perhaps I don't make it because of the seafood; hubby just doesn't partake. I could omit it but that would be shame, so I guess that's why it doesn't come to mind. Until now.

Coincidentally, my sister and mother and I were talking paella just the other day. We talked about whether a special pan is needed, what we would substitute for chorizo, if we wanted to, and the price of saffron. Well, what should be front and center on Foodnetwork.com today as I started a little search for something interesting?

Yep, paella. I think I'll give it a try this weekend and see if I can make "with and without" versions for hubby and me. I'm a big believer in coincidence and clearly the food elves (or whatever else is in charge of such things) are pointing me toward paella. A few tapas wouldn't hurt anything either, and maybe a small glass of rioja too...hmmm, I smell a theme coming on.

Reading, Righting and Arithmatic

2008-10-20T10:04:00.000-07:00

Big decisions always seem to happen on weekends. Go figure. Over the weekend, I decided that the home schooling idea I've been considering finally needs to happen. NR, who has Asperger's Syndrome (a form of autism), has been really struggling at school and it just isn't getting any better. But since he was starting a new (and better) school, I put the home school idea on hold and agreed to give them until October 20th (our conference date) to see if school could make it work. Unfortunately, it just isn't happening.

So, a new adventure begins - for all of us. I feel pretty comfortable with 3rd grade material but the trickier part will be getting his focus and keeping it. We're going to try some new ideas and abandon the school model of sitting in one place for hours at at time; it doesn't work there so why would it work at home? I think our day will be broken up into short segments and "teachable" moments as they come up. I'll have to learn all about documenting our work and quantifying what we are doing so we measure up to the state's standards, but I think this is something that we can do - at least for now.

Yep, a big adventure - as NR always says each morning "So, what kind of adventure are we going to have today?" Indeed, I hope this adventure will be righting some wrongs and helping him get back his sweet and loving disposition. Wish us luck; we'll be posting some stories from along the road.

Take the Long Road Home

2008-10-17T09:45:00.000-07:00

Or alternatively titled "I'm a little bit country, I'm a little bit rock n' roll"

Our new house is in the rural suburbs. Not so very long ago, the area was all woods and farmlands. As the area has attracted more residents, outdoor shopping malls, drive-thru coffee stands and big box stores, the pockets of woods and meadow have dwindled but they are still nearby.

Dropping NR off at school today, I took a left instead of a right to go home. The long way loops through thickets of young trees changing colors, pastures with cattle grazing and houses dotted between acres of land. It's a far cry from the nearby enormous tracts of houses, in communities that could be named The Heathers at Golden River or Hidden Begonias or Spanish Bridle Trails or whathaveyou.

These mega-communities are all new construction, all painted in muted colors with faux stone fronts, with wide streets and sidewalks, carefully shrubbed common areas and bronzed lamp posts. I walked some of these neighborhoods yesterday, admiring the Halloween decorations and the neat planters of fall foliage that most everyone had displayed. None of the houses were shabby or ill-kept. The lawns were mowed and the driveways swept. It was a lovely, though homogeneous, neighborhood.

Unlike the long way home. Pastures saddled next to mobile home parks. Large homes surrounded by older trees and swaths of lawn. An espresso stand at the side of the road. There was nothing matching or planned on this route. Only the fall leaves and the pastures gave it continuity. The growth and development is ad hoc.

The new construction communities are the way of the future - at least out here in the burbs. And I can see why. It's comforting to see a community where all the homes are lovely and tended to. Nobody likes living next to the dumpy house painted bright green with the overflowing garbage bins and broken down cars. That's why people buy into planned communities in the first place - for that first-impression peace of mind, for stable property values, for trick or treaters and Christmas light displays.

I guess I'm lucky that I live at a cross-roads between planned perfection and country wild. Some days it is nice to put on my walking shoes and canvas the flat sidewalks and gently curbed roads. Some days it is nice to take a left instead of a right and watch bulls grazing on scrubby grass and piles of firewood stacked for winter heat. Each neighborhood has its downside, certainly, but on gloomy Fridays, it can be nice to have a choice on the journey home.

Show and Tell: Latest Crochet

2008-10-15T07:29:00.000-07:00

I've been in full on crochet mode lately. I had put down the hook for much of the summer (too hot to hold wool) and I was focused on other things. But the cold weather has brought back the urge to hook and I've been working on some things - some old, some new. Some of my current WIP (works in progress, for the non-crafter) are related to Christmas, so I won't be showing them, but if I stick to my schedule, I should be done in plenty of time for the holidays.

I'm hoping to have my hook available for some new projects in November; I'm a member of a Jane Austen Book Club for knitters, spinners and crocheters. Our first book, Sense and Sensibility, begins in November and we get extra points for prize drawings if we complete Austen-style pieces during the reading. I'm hoping to make a spencer - you know, one of those cropped jacket thingies that show up in the Austen movies. I've found a good candidate but I'm not sure I have the oomph to take on something that complicated. We'll see.

Anyhook, back to the show and tell. Here are some things I've been working on lately.

This is a scarf done in the Bruges style - a type of lace done in Brussels. The yarn is made of Bamboo.

I'm working on a blanket for Project Linus. This is a kitten pattern.

A gingerbread house for Christmas. I need to add a few more gum drops to finish it off.

For those who knit, crochet, spin or do just about anything else with yarn, I highly recommend joining Ravelry.com. This beta site is free and lets you track your projects, find great groups and forums, and access tons of patterns.

Substitute Blogger

2008-10-13T12:59:00.001-07:00

I had one heck of a lousy weekend (or lousy Sunday, to be more precise). So lousy in fact that I have nothing to say today and I just don't want to "phone it in" as it were.

Luckily, I read blogs that have exceptional authors and interesting stories. Today, I found a wonderfully poignant story at Buck's blog and I thought I'd share it with you.

I'll be back tomorrow but I hope you enjoy reading about the Ken Kream. I know I sure did.

Of wigs and hooks and lemon chicken

2008-10-11T17:19:00.000-07:00

Hubby and I are celebrating our wedding anniversary next week but sometimes inspiration just hits and I never look a gift blog post in the mouth. Love can be summed up neatly with a few examples:

a man who bravely dons a long blonde wig so I can work on creating a halloween costume like this:

a man who talks me down from the crochet ledge when my prized handcarved rosewood crochet hook snaps in the pursuit of the aforementioned wig.

a man who patches the aforementioned prized crochet hook with superglue

a man who already planned to give me two handcarved wooden crochet hooks to celebrate our fifth anniversary (wood, don't you know...)

a man who will brave lemon chicken when I make it, though citrus and chicken are not meant to be together in his world (Interestingly, I had chicken piccata on our first date...he should have known then.)

a man who will go out for take-out hamburgers when the flank steak didn't thaw for dinner

a man who will let me rant about politics and will help me see the humor when I'm raving mad at the current campaign

a man who tolerates (mostly) my yarn obsession and makes the right "oohs" and "aahs" over my in-progess Christmas gifts

a man who holds me up when I need it and doesn't hear "thank you" nearly often enough.

Thank you, hubby

Cook's Country

2008-10-09T07:42:00.001-07:00

Depending on my mood, I'm one of those people who enjoy watching cooking shows (no surprise, I guess). I don't watch many and they are usually just for favorite chefs (Ina Garten usually) or subject matters (Ace of Cakes because I wish I were a pastry chef). Generally though, I'm not into cooking as a contact sport (Iron Chef) or reality shows set in kitchens.

But I've found a new show that I've added to my PVR - Cook's Country. This PBS show is from the folks behind America's Test Kitchen - the group that tells us the best way to make a souffle, what brand of skillet or coffee maker is the best, and why baking powder works. The Test Kitchen's goal is to give viewers the best version of something, be it pancakes, risotto, or snickerdoodles. The cooks make many many versions (30 batches of cookies, anyone?), get tasting feedback and come up with an "ultimate" recipe or technique.

Well, Cook's Country is the downhome or "American home cooking" version of this rigorous testing. I think the differences between the shows are slight but Cook's Country does have a great companion magazine. Check out the November issue - chock full of Thanksgiving advice.

Contrary to the idea that such shows are elitist, they aren't for the "arugula middle class" - whatever the heck that insult means; they help you improve both your skills and your kitchen purchases as well as making the most of your food budget. Nobody wants to waste money on ingredients only to make something that really isn't all that tasty.

You can check out Cook's Country online, in the magazine or on PBS. They are even looking for recipe tester volunteers, if that is your thing.

For me, I'll be doing a little testing of my own from the magazine - I'll let you know how the cider-braised pork chops and mashed potato casserole turn out.

Onions - better than ogres

2008-10-07T09:32:00.001-07:00

For fans of the movie Shrek, you'll know that ogres are like onions (they have layers). And you'll also know that Shrek's pal, Donkey, would much prefer parfait layers to onion layers. But these days, I'm with Shrek; onions are just delicious.

Allodoxaphobia I don't have; I love onions in just about every form and variety. Cooked, raw, yellow, sweet, red, green. I also like them because you get a lot of flavor bang for your buck. Onions are typically inexpensive and can fill out a casserole, soup or meatloaf. But what about onions as the star attraction? Time for these wonders to take the spotlight, beyond the soup with the cheese and bread.

How about Sweet Onion Pie? True, cheddar and ham play a major supporting role here, but onions get top billing. Perhaps an Alsace Onion Tart, with bacon, cream and eggs would be better? Not exactly inexpensive. Ok, what about Sweet Onion Bread, using apple juice and ginger of all things? Maybe Sweet Onion Quesadillas would be more appealing. Me, I think I'm going with the Onion Muffuletta sandwich.

After all these onions, breath mints may be in order, but if you hang out with the right crowd, you can all be stinky together. Here's to having layers.

Random Recipe Monday - Sausage Manicotti

2008-10-06T08:11:00.001-07:00

Me and Italian food - we go together like rama lama lama
ke ding a de dinga a dong. Forget Sandy and Danny, me and marinara are the best couple around. I'm kinda of the mind that even bad Italian food is good Italian food, so it isn't surprising that we tend to eat a lot of it around my house.

I'd like to say that my efforts are like Chef Mario Batali. Unfortunately, I have to admit they are closer to Chef Boyardee - but again, bad Italian is good Italian, so I soldier on. Spaghetti is far and away the most often prepared, but lasagne makes a good second showing. Italian meatball subs, polenta, baked ziti - all good stuff that shows up periodically on my table.

Well, Saturday night another dish joined the ranks - manicotti. I've made it before but for some reason I never think of it. Hubby mentioned having some at work and it sparked my brain into making it at home. I'm glad I did because it was easy and tasty, plus it made a nice change from the spaghetti. I made it with Italian sweet sausage, lots of onion and ricotta for the filling - but there are tons of variations. The one downfall was using an "on sale" marinara sauce. Man, the sauce does matter; don't just grab any old cheapie thing. Normally, manicotti takes tubular pasta but I like using the big shells.

Here's my version for your reading pleasure:

1 box large shell pasta (I used Barilla - my usual pasta)
Olive oil
One jar of marinara (get the best you can find)
1 package of Italian sweet sausage
1/2 large sweet onion, finely chopped
Salt, pepper, nutmeg
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 egg
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Boil the pasta according to the package directions. Once they are done, drain and rinse in cool water.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Meanwhile, heat two tablespoons (or so) of olive oil in a large pan and saute the onions for about three minutes. Add the sausage, crumbling it up into small chunks as it cooks. Lightly pepper and salt the cooking sausage and onions. Cook until meat is no longer pink, remove from the heat.

Mix ricotta, beaten egg and parmesan in a large bowl. Add teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of pepper, and a couple dashes of nutmeg. Mix well. When the meat mixture has cooled slightly, add it to the ricotta mixture, blending well.

Pour approximately 1/3rd of the sauce onto the bottom of your baking dish, spread to coat. Using a large spoon, fill each cooked shell with a scoop of the sausage mixture. Place each shell in the dish, top the shells with the remaining sauce and mozzarella. Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes.

Chang chang chang-it-ty chang
shoo-bop
That's the way it should be
Wha oooh yeah!

A little oomph

2008-10-03T10:56:00.000-07:00

Some days just take a little more oomph to get rolling. Whether it is the blahs, the blues or the I-just-don't-wanna-get-ups, there are days that make you want to give up on the world - at least for awhile.

For those days, sometimes I make a mental list of things I'm grateful for; not "big" things like NR or a roof over our heads, but little things - things that make life infinitely more pleasant or a rotten job slightly less unpleasant. Today is one of those days and here is one of those lists:

salted caramel hot cocoa - a new cocoa at Starbucks that is so delicious that I broke my sugar reduction plan to have it. Now, darn it, I need to figure out how to make it at home on the cheap and without sugar.

disposable latex gloves - when you have to do the bathroom cleaning and you have two males in the house - enough said.

a fresh mop for cleaning the tub and the glass shower doors - something that keeps me from kneeling into a wet tub or shower, sniffing cleaner fumes? Yeah, that's good.

a nearby library with online browsing - wow, has this saved me money from the bookstore. Just the place to feed my mania...err...passion for new topics.

new authors of good fiction - better yet when the books are at the library. Check out Brunonia Barry's "The Lace Reader" and Laura Dietz's "The Tenth House" - good ones for October.

earl grey tea - some days just need tea with bergamot.

casseroles - for when dinner has to be hot, easy and comforting.

favorite movies on dvd - some days just need a viewing of Almost Famous or Emma.

a clean kitchen, washed and folded laundry, new rolls of toilet paper - fresh starts can be very satisfying.

What's on your list?

The reality of economics in your stomach

2008-10-02T07:15:00.000-07:00

We all know that prices are up for everything. Gas, heating oil, energy, the stuff traded on commodities boards. We all know (or at least have heard) that our economy is hanging by a thread, unless something is done. It's the something that has most people stymied.

I'm no economist but I've been noticing higher and higher grocery bills and I wondered just how much more I'm paying. Turns out, it is alot.

According to the Consumer Price Index (you can check it out at bls.gov), everyday foods are up from last year. Here are a few eyeopeners from the August report:

bread: this staple is up 16% from August 2007.
eggs: up 7%, nothing to cluck about for sure.
chicken: up almost 5% - a wing's worth.
ground beef: is up almost 8%
apples: up almost 19%, that's a serious bite.
potatoes: 29% more for your spuds

The list goes on and on, just like the grocery bill. So, to eat the same foods you ate last year, you have to spend significantly more money.

Well, we can all go on diets based up on the CPI and look for low cost foods (oranges and bacon are good choices - doesn't that sound yummy...) or we can figure out how to get our food for less. Just like dieting, these ideas aren't news - we all know that menu planning, eating home, using leftovers, shopping coupons and avoiding convenience food saves money. But with the new CPI report coming out in October, we might have even more incentive to put those good ideas into practice.

Here's one way (more to come) that you can save some cash on a convenience food. Make your own Biscuit/Pancake mix*:

6 cups all purpose flour
3 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
1 cup instant nonfat dry milk
1 tablespoon salt
1 cup vegetable shortening

Combine flour, baking powder, powdered milk and salt and stir until well mixed. Blend in the shortening until the mix resembles coarse meal. Put the mix in a self sealing bag, label, date and refrigerate for up to six weeks.

Now, use that mix for casseroles and other dishes that serve up some leftovers. Here are a couple to get you started.

*Recipe found in the book "Homemade" - see the widget at the bottom of the page for a link to it. There are other versions with variations; check Google.

Remember K-TEL?

2008-09-30T09:04:00.000-07:00

Back when music came on records, did anybody else buy those "greatest hits" compilations put out by K-TEL? I know that I had a few of them in the 80s, back when I was awfully fond of Lionel Richie, Thriller and Wham. Thank goodness tastes change. Although, strangely, I'm still usually listening to 70s and 80s music. Hmmm.

I mention K-TEL because my one year blogiversary is coming up in a couple of days and I thought that I would look back to what I posted way way way back last year (forever on the Internets, don't you know...). Unlike K-TEL, I don't know that I'd call these greatest hits, but it's fun to look through the bargain bin just the same.

For those who are long time readers (Hi, Mom and B) you might recognize my various fads; for the rest, I'm spinning some of the oldies:

My fascination with France: Onion Soup, scrambled eggs and a little peek into homemaking in la maison.

To Russia with love: a stew (see the comments for the recipe) and tea.

Waxing Nostalgic: brigadoon, June Cleaver, and aprons.

Thanks to all of you for visiting my blog and posting your wonderful comments. I really appreciate it.

Random Recipe Monday - Pumpkin Dumplings

2008-09-29T15:16:00.001-07:00

The word "dumpling" is so cute, don't you think? It conjurs images of "The Apple Dumpling gang" and big pots of chicken n' dumplings, and fat cheeked babies. It also makes me think of wonderful dim sum meals and things savory. That's good news because I'm trying to cut back on sugar. I know, no fun that's for sure. It certainly puts a crimp in my cupcake baking. But I can still make dumplings - especially savory ones.

"Pumpkin" is another cute word. My favorite word for adorable children, actually. It's also a versatile veggie that works for both sweet and savory dishes. So, just imagine when these two language lovelies get together. Voila, .pumpkin dumplings that work well with fall flavors.

More like gnocchi than your grandma's dumplings, the flavor is mild and more about the butter that the dumplings are sauted in, rather than a burst of pumpkin (I said no sugar, not fat...). You could amp up the taste by increasing the nutmeg but I like them a little more mellow, a little more of a background player to grilled kielbasa or pork chops. A little sage in the butter might be nice and I'll try that next time. But like all good dumplings, the pleasing and the plump goes hand in hand and that's what makes them good.

Whoa, Nellie

2008-09-26T10:51:00.000-07:00

My head is spinning. I'm listening to news, trying to get a handle on everything that is happening right now. WAMU, bailouts, debate on, debate off, debate on...everything is spinning.

My first thought was a song (which is usually the case - former singer). I couldn't stop thinking about REM's "It's the end of the world as we know it". I was going to link the video. But I couldn't. If ever we were in need of shiny, happy thoughts, it is now.

Hang on folks, there is a heck of a ride ahead of us. I don't like spinning rides but I fear there isn't much chance of this one ending anytime soon.

An apple a day...

2008-09-24T07:37:00.000-07:00

Have you noticed that apples don't taste like apples anymore? Though not a fan of the Wachowski Bros, I must say that the scene from the Matrix where the character Mouse says "You take chicken, for example: maybe they couldn't figure out what to make chicken taste like, which is why chicken tastes like everything" has been on my mind. That's how I feel about apples now.

Apples taste like each other or nothing, depending upon the apple. Sure, some are more sour - granny smith apples hit pucker sooner than golden delicious, but the quintessential appleyness seems to be missing from the fruit at the grocery.

And no wonder. Out of the 17,000 different kinds of apples recorded over history, how many are left? A handful, a basket full - not even a bushel. I bet the local grocery store has five or six, tops. Talk about disappointing.

So I'm on a quest. To find the apple. The real taste of an apple. Not the bland juiciness of a fuji or the mushy graininess of a red delicious. I want to find out what apples really taste like - the apples from the past, when apples had flavor. (You know, back in the same time when roses actually had a scent. When we hadn't bred everything away for perfection.)

This weekend, we'll be heading to the local farms to see what's out there. I don't expect really exotic selections like the Allum or the Arkansas Black, but perhaps we'll find some gravensteins or pippins. Something with some character, some flavor, some zip.

Foodhistory's chart of apples will be on my bookmarks for awhile while I scratch this apple itch. Maybe I'll even look for a variety or two to plant in my own yard. I can't help wondering when we all decided that blemish-free fruit was better than flavorful fruit? Is a year round supply of bland better than a few months of wonderful? I think not.

If you have any favorite apple varieties, please let me know so I can look for a local sample. I'd love to try them.

Oktoberfest, Ja ist es gut.

2008-09-23T07:46:00.000-07:00

I think I've mentioned before that I don't drink beer. It just isn't my cup of tea, as it were. Ahem. It certainly looks good - especially those pints of Guinness or the Sam Adams commercials with the frothy stuff and loads of talk about winter wheat, hops and ale. The closest I get is using it in cooking.

So why would I post about Oktoberfest? Well, I think there is more to this German celebration than drinking, right? Ok, well, there is more than just drinking, anyway. There is also eating. That I can get behind.

I don't come from German roots and I'm not always partial to things that end in -wurst or -braten. But there are plenty of other hearty dishes that go nicely with autumn and heck, I'm always up for a good pretzel.

So, donned appropriately in lederhosen - man, these shorts are chaffy - and empty stein in hand, I'm ready to try out a few favorites (or culinary knock-offs, either way).

My first stop is a Fried German Potato Salad. I've always loved fried potatoes and onions as a side dish and this is a variation on that theme. I think a roast pork loin with beer sauce would go nicely with that.

We could finish off with some more chewy pretzels but I'm in the mood for something sweet. How about lebkuchen? (Think gingersnap but chewy). That should go well with a mug of...cider.

Whether you make it to Munich or not, enjoy Oktoberfest. It runs until early October traditionally, so you have plenty of time to polish those steins or savor that sauerkraut.

Autumn Snaps

2008-09-22T09:21:00.000-07:00

Punkin at the State Fair
Black pumpkin table runner
A Vintage Halloween acquisition
Never going to turn red...
These either...
The moles are back...

Random Recipe Monday - Old Fashioned Chocolate Pudding

2008-09-22T08:01:00.000-07:00

I am sick. I have been all weekend, but it has really hit the heights today. I have a wicked sore throat and laryngitis, which I tend to get when I'm sick. Go figure. In fact, this blog is the most "talking" I've done in two days.

When I'm sick, I go straight for comfort food - who doesn't it? Last night, hubby made up a batch of biscuits and sausage gravy for dinner. Yeah, for dinner. It hit the spot. Tonight, we're having pot pie - and I'm not even going to make them from scratch. Nope, going with the frozen Marie Callender pies that I keep in the freezer for food emergencies (they are quite good, I must say).

But one thing I will be making is this chocolate pudding because that sounds soooooo good on my throat right now. I've been drinking tea with honey non-stop and I'm in desperate need for something else.

This is no way to start off the autumn season. Ah-choo!

Minestrone, anyone?

2008-09-18T07:39:00.000-07:00

Continuing with my veggie lust, I thought that a big batch of minestrone would fit the bill and get my family to eat some vegetables. Hubby and NR were both under the weather and I believe in the restorative power of soup. But neither guy is big on vegetables, so I knew the soup would have to have a bit more going on than just that.

Minestrone typically uses ingredients that you have on hand, whatever is in season. For mine, I used some zucchini, carrots, asparagus and some heirloom tomatoes. To make the dish a bit heartier, you could use potatoes or beans but I went with pasta and some meatballs. The veggies were prominent so it still is a minestrone in my book and it was tasty. Even if some of the veggies stayed at the bottom of the bowl, NR took in some, along with the broth, so the minestrone did its job. Plus, it made good leftovers. Here's my concoction:

Mama D's Minestrone:
1 sweet onion - coarsely chopped
1.5 cups chopped peeled baby carrots
2 cups chopped asparagus
1 cup cubed zucchini
4 cups chicken stock
salt, pepper, dried basil
1/2 package small pasta (I used orecchiette, but anything small would work) (approximately 8 ounces)
20 or so of your favorite cooked meatballs (your recipe or a good frozen meatball that has been thawed and cooked)
4 large heirloom (or flavorful) tomatoes, with juice

In the bottom of a heavy stockpot, over medium heat, add three tablespoons olive oil. Warm oil and add onions and carrots, saute for about five minutes. Add asparagus, zucchini, and stock. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add salt (about 2tsp) and pepper (about 1/2 tsp) to taste. Add 1.5 tsp of dried basil. Cover and cook 1 hour.

Prepare tomatoes by chopping into cubes, reserving any juice. Add tomatoes, reserved juice and pasta to soup. Increase heat to medium-high. Add cooked meatballs and cover pot for approximately 20 minutes. Check soup for seasoning (I added another 2tsp of salt) and pasta for doneness.

Fabulous Fifty State Tour - Oregon and Sour Cream & Raisin Pie

2008-09-16T11:19:00.000-07:00

I have always liked driving into Oregon. Sure, there is some gorgeous scenery, quaint towns and lovely coastline, but mainly because it means that I don't have to pump my own gas. Yep, you can't pump your gas in Oregon, and I find that very civilized. The state also lacks a sales tax, which certainly is appreciated by those folks who live along the southern Washington border and who don't mind committing a little fraud to buy big ticket items. Not that anyone from Washington would do such a thing.

The Beaver state has more than gas and sales tax going for it, though. It is the place for hazelnuts, peppermint and black raspberries - though I don't think I'll try them all at once, thank you. Lewis and Clark, the original road trip duo, explored there and who can forget the adventures of The Goonies along the coast near Astoria (goodbye, One Eyed Willie, goodbye). Matt Groening (Simpsons, Futurama), Ursula K LeGuin (fantasy author), Tanya Harding and Courtney Love have all called Oregon home - certainly all creative types in their own special way.

The state motto though has me puzzled: "She flies with her own wings". Ummmm...I don't get it. Maybe some savvy Oregonian can clue me in. And speaking of unusual, the state's official seashell is the Oregon hairy triton. Wow, that's something you don't hear about everyday.

So I guess this was a long way of saying that Oregon is a bit quirky - but in a good, wearing birks with socks, loving hiking and trail mix, we have 231 state parks, kind of way. And what better way to celebrate that off-beat spirit than a vintage sour cream & raisin pie recipe from Scappoose, Oregon. Nothing says off-beat like raisin pie to me.

Just a bit of harmless brain alteration, that's all

2008-09-14T19:03:00.000-07:00

"Wallace & Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit" is one of my favorite movies. Maybe it is the new-school-but-it-looks-like-old-school claymation or the voice work of Ralph Fiennes, but something about that movie just tickles my funny bone.

So much so, that when I get a craving for Veg (vegetables for you non-anglophiles), I naturally think of the enormous specimens in the movie and the rabbit...err..rabid townsfolk that love them. Who wouldn't love a pest control company called Anti-Pesto? I'm mean really, what's better than that?

Ok, so this digression does have a point. For the last couple of days, my mind has become a "rabbity mush" as Wallace would say and I can't stop thinking about fruits and veg. It started with a huge pot of corn chowder, with tons of fresh basil (the recipe is at one of my favorite blogs, Posy Gets Cozy) and moved on to a severe thirst for apple cider (see the earlier post about the doughnuts).

Today, at the store, I found myself strolling the produce section, lingering over the piles of peaches and stacks of squash. I came home with a huge bag of fuji apples and the blackest and biggest seedless grapes since a trip to Versailles. These local grapes were almost as good as those, albeit far less pretentious without the mini-berets and tiny cigarettes.

See? Mushy mind, for sure. AnyVeg, I finished my craving with a huge bowl of butternut squash soup, sprinkled liberally with Goldfish crackers. While hubby and NR scarfed down their homemade pizza, I slurped down the squashy soup. Something clearly must be amiss. Craving apples, eating veggies and dreaming of salad is not in my bunny nature, as it were.

Oh, I was going somewhere with this post...ah yes, the squash. I tried a pre-fab squash soup and it was pretty good, though fresh would have been (and will be) a lot better. I'm thinking of whipping up a batch, with a bunch of fresh sage and a drizzle of cream. Maybe a nice salad with cranberries, sunflower seeds and a poppyseed dressing to round things out. Hmmmm...sounds like I need to get down to the local farms and see what's available.

Oh, right. The recipe. This is the one I'll be tinkering with this week, with plenty of nutmeg and onion. Mmmmm...onions....

I guess there are worse cravings than vegetables. Like cupcakes, perhaps. Well, maybe carrot cupcakes wouldn't be too bad.

Apple Cider "Doughnuts"

2008-09-12T11:06:00.000-07:00

Apple cider is the quintessential autumn beverage. As hot cocoa rules winter and margaritas hold summertime, cider practically screams out "It's fall, everybody. Grab a mug and a sweater."

Drinking it, no sweat, but making it is another story. It involves multiple kinds of apples, an apple press and some patience - none of which I usually have when I want a mug. Thankfully, there are good brands out there for tasty cider and I don't have to worry about smashing apples in cheesecloth. For those who want to try it though, check here.

Almost as well known as the beverage, apple cider doughnuts are an autumnal favorite - especially in the northeast. I like doughnuts but not enough to contend with the frying; I avoid deep frying more for the mess than the calories. Luckily, a baked style doughnut (more a bundt than doughnut, but close enough) uses apple cider, so I can have my doughnut and eat it too. The recipe calls for a maple glaze, which I am normally all over, but I think that might hide the apple flavor. I'll test it with and without.

Sounds like a perfect pairing with a mug of cider.

Dear Representative...

2008-09-10T07:13:00.000-07:00

I'll bet you'll think I'm crazy. Or at least hopelessly out of touch. The country has so many problems right now - the economy, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, health care...the list goes on and on. So with all these big problems, I sent a letter to my local representative for our state government. I didn't ask him about our state taxes, traffic woes or any of the other local issues that get everyone so hot under their collective collars. Nope, I sent in a suggestion that he get the ball rolling for an official state cookie.

Crazy, right?

Wait, hear me out before you delete me from your blog lists. Or better yet, read what I sent him. Then tell me I'm crazy.

"TO: Representative XX

FROM: Ms. Kimberly Devlin

SUBJECT: Designation of an official state symbol

MESSAGE: Representative XX,

I realize you are busy with campaign season right now but I thought I would send a short note suggesting that you consider proposing a new state symbol - akin to the official fruit, flower, bird, etc. I propose that Washington adopt the Oatmeal Cranberry cookie as its official state cookie. Why would I suggest something so seemingly silly, you might be asking. First, let me say that both New Mexico and Massachusetts have official state cookies, so we would hardly be the first to do so, though we would likely make a bit of news with it.

Washington ranks 4th in the nation for wheat production (for flour) and 5th in the nation for cranberry production - an official cookie designation could promote those industries. Washington has previously designated a muffin as an official state symbol (blueberry) so this isn't uncharted territory. Primarily though, my suggestion for this comes from a feeling that local government isn't just there to take care of the difficult, taxing (and taxable) problems; local government is also about fostering community and civic pride. If having a state cookie brings people together and fosters local pride - albeit at a bake sale or coffee house, then it has done a good thing for the people of Washington. Sure, there are many more pressing issues, but recognition that there are sweet parts to life is important too.

I appreciate your time in considering my suggestion.
Sincerely,
Kimberly Devlin

RESPONSE: Ms. Devlin has requested a response to this message."

I'm not so loony as to expect that anything will come from this; I'm mostly curious to see if he will respond at all. I think he's running unopposed right now so odds are good he'll be back around in January. But I do believe that government can be more and do more than just tax us and fix bridges. That stuff is important, don't get me wrong, but recognizing two agricultural crops and fostering local identity isn't such a bad thing either.

Let's see what happens. Isn't democrazy...I mean democracy fun?

Swooning over Spoonflower

2008-09-09T09:48:00.001-07:00

Technology can just be too much fun. Really, there are some gadgets, gizmos and whatchamacallits that are plain fun to doodle with and let your imagination run wild. Sometimes, my computer is like that - when it is working and all the tech stars are in alignment. I like to goof around with Adobe Photo Elements and play with all the different ways to change photos, drawings and the like. Typically, these masterpieces of mayhem just hang out in a folder on my harddrive, never seeing the light of day.

But now, courtesy of another technological whirligig, my jpegs can become fabric. Spoonflower is a beta site that lets people register for their turn to take doodles, photos, artwork of all kinds and transform them into fabric. What's the point of that, says the uncrafty among us. Well, what about curtains for a kids bedroom featuring their own artwork? Favorite family photos transformed into wearable art or reupholstered pillows featuring your sketches or favorite quotes. Get where I am going with this? Nifty in a big way.

I finally got my invitation to join (I signed up earlier in the summer). There is no cost to register and once you get the golden email, you can just upload your jpegs and select the size fabric you want to purchase (from swatches to yards). The shipping is dirt cheap (one dollar) and the fabric prices aren't bad considering it is custom work. Until my own swatch arrives, I won't be able to comment on the quality, but I have a good feeling that the end results will be true to the visual.

Once my treasures arrive and I actually take the plunge and do something with them, I'll be sure to post photos so you can check out the results. I went crazy with a Russian nesting dolls theme-meets-Andy Warhol-Pop-Art-Wannabe so I'm anxious to see the finished fabric.

Whee! I love technology. Mostly.

Random Recipe Monday - Cabbage and Potato Bake

2008-09-08T09:13:00.000-07:00

I'm a fan of corned beef - when it is cooked in a crockpot all day and the fat just melts off the meat, leaving just the good stuff behind. Boiled corned beef rates zero in my book, but crockpot corned beef I can get behind. What I usually can't get behind is the cabbage that typically goes with it. A New England Boiled Dinner would have corned beef, cabbage, potatoes and carrots. I wanted that kind of meal but didn't want the veg messing up my beef.

Perusing FoodNetwork.com, I found a dish that seemed to fit the bill. Emeril's Cabbage and Potato Bake combined the named ingredients, onions and bacon, just for laughs. The whole thing bakes for a couple of hours, transforming the cabbage into a soft and pleasantly disguised veggie tasting of all the other ingredients too. For those not too fond of cooked cabbage, I'll bet you'll be reassured by the plentiful bacon (and drippings) added to the works - even if your cardiologist isn't.

Best of all, for the "I won't touch cabbage" eater in your crowd, the cabbage is at the bottom of the mix, so just scoop the other goodies off the top and peace will reign. It paired really well with the corned beef, and left just enough room for a brown sugar cake with butterscotch frosting. It was a good dinner (if I do say so myself) with even better company.

Happy Belated Grandparents' day to you all. Love to Grammy, Papa, Grandma T and Nana.

Fabulous Fifty State Tour - New Mexico and Bizcochitos

2008-09-05T08:10:00.000-07:00

"I should have taken that left turn at Albuquerque." Who hasn't heard that statement? Heck, I've even used it just to say that I've screwed something up. Well, while Bugs was tunneling his way to Pismo Beach and missing his turn at Albuquerque, he was missing out on the lovely state of New Mexico.

The Land of Enchantment should be called the "land of dinosaurs" because some of the dino all-stars like T-Rex, Triceratops and Torosaurus used to call the area home (though none of them are the state dinosaur; that would be Coelophysis - yes, I have a young son into dinos.)

Former Prez candidate Bill Richardson hails from NM and there are names o'plenty of folks that called NM home; Judy Blume, Georgia O'Keefe, Jim Morrison, Greer Garson, Billy the Kid, Kathy Bates and even John Denver (go figure).

Santa Fe, the capital, averages three hundred days of sunshine a year. Yep, 300. That's a bit too much cancer potential for me, but plenty of folks can rally around blue skies and sunny days for darn near the whole year. It's also the highest capital city in the US, so take that Denver. Plus, along the lines of "who is buried in Grant's tomb", Sante Fe is also the end of the 800 mile long Sante Fe trail.

You'd think with Roswell in its midst, I'd have looked for a sci-fi type recipe like green alien cupcakes or something, but nope, we have an official State Cookie to try: the Bizcochito.

This butter cookie is flavored with cinnamon and anise that is supposed to melt in your mouth. The "Mexican wedding cookies" that pop up from time to time are a version of bizcochitos, utilizing powdered sugar to give the cookies an all-white appearance. The traditional version uses lard, which I just can't get behind using it in my cooking. I know, it gives a flakier texture but I'll defer to Crisco, thanks just the same. What's Cooking America.net has a non-lard version to try or you can go old school and go with Cakespy's version.

I have to love a state that has an official state cookie. That's a place that has its priorities right. Insect? Gem? Flower? Forget about it - give me a cookie any day. Land of Enchantment indeed.

Autumn on the rise - a few favorites

2008-09-03T10:00:00.000-07:00

I'm not a fan of The Sound of Music. I know. As a musical theatre fan (notice I spelled it "theatre" and not "theater" - you know I'm a fan now), it is simply not done to say that you don't like The Sound of Music. It's like movie buffs hating Gone with the Wind or art history students shrugging their shoulders at the Pieta. Nope, everybody likes TSoM.

Except me. Well, I have to take that back partially - I like the song My Favorite Things. Oh yeah, I know it has been done to death, from everyone from Tony Bennett to The Supremes to Dionne Warwick to Miles Davis. But I still like it. Maybe because my sister used it as an audition piece when she was a little kid trying out for a musical or maybe just because I too like whiskers on kittens and warm woolen mittens. I don't know. But in any event, I like it because it takes ordinary, everyday things and elevates them to remarkable.

In a world often gone mad (by the way, movie trailer voice over artist Don LaFontaine just died, hence the dramatic beginning to this paragraph), sometimes it is only the simple things that make me feel grounded. I can't change the big stuff (not by myself, surely) but I can notice and remark on the small stuff, the stuff that makes life...well, life.

So, some things that I really enjoy about the beginning of autumn:

I love how the mornings are crisp but you can feel the heat of the sun coming through the nip in the air. It reminds me of some fun weekends in Whistler, BC or strolling around the streets of Leavenworth, WA.

Sweaters come back from the corners of the closet and there is something comforting about a good sweater. No horizontal stripes though, please.

Apples taste better - especially Jonathans, hot chocolate with whipped cream seems more appropriate and piles of knobby ornamental gourds start to appear in grocery stores. Good applesauce, warm zucchini bread and homemade mac n' cheese with slices of polska kielbasa - all things I like in the fall.

The smell of wood fires when it gets dark and that wonderfully toxic "new plastic" smell that can only be found on good Halloween masks. Lighting candles on my mantle, listening to moodier music (Loreena McKennitt and Kate Rusby are good celtic-style favs) and bringing out the photo albums.

I like that summer is still around but not as hot around the edges. Cool mornings, sunny days but shorter all the while, the windows still open but quiet without all those breeze boxes and fans going all night. Socks start returning, as do sleeves and even the occasional afghan for nights on the sofa.

It might not be brown paper packages tied up with string, but ordinary can be quite dandy, actually. I know that this particular autumn will be consumed with all the political drama of the presidential race, but taking just a few moments to appreciate the simple things seems especially timely right now.

First Day Jitters

2008-09-02T09:27:00.001-07:00

NR's back at school today - a new school, which is a lot to handle when you are little. The new school requires a uniform, so he picked out his navy polo and khaki slacks to wear (out of the red, white or navy polo options) and we found last year's backpack in the closet. His packed lunch was a special treat - pizza Lunchable (yuck, I say, but I'm not eight) and a homemade chocolate chip cookie. We left the house early so I could find my way there and get photos of him - in front of the school, while waiting in line and while he walked with the class to his room.

He looked so big and so small at the same time. Nervous but still a bit brave, trying to fit into a place that is completely foreign. I promised him a surprise when school was over today and that I'd be waiting for him - right there - when he came out. He smiled and followed the new teacher to his new desk, with the unknown classmates right behind him.

Life is scary for someone little. I saw younger kids wandering the playground, asking teachers where they were supposed to go. Kids carrying heavy backpacks and little slips of paper with a teacher's name on it. Is this really what we expect of our kids? Independence while they are still watching Sesame Street?

I get scared in new environments, in unfamiliar turf - I can only imagine what it is like for young kids. Oh wait, I don't have to imagine, I just have to remember. I lived through it. Thank goodness most of it is a blur, but I remember the jitters, the unknown of new faces and a new teacher. It was hard as hell but when you don't have a choice to get in your car and drive away, you stick it out. Eventually, it gets easier and you get into the groove - until summer vacation comes and you have to start all over again in the fall.

Maybe I'll have one of those cookies, download the pictures from the camera and just keep my eye on the clock until it is time to pick him up from school. First Day Jitters alright.

Random Recipe Monday - Loin of Pork with Green Peppercorn sauce

2008-09-01T20:05:00.000-07:00

This story has a happy ending. Even though it doesn't sound like it, it does - at least I think so. Saturday, we had company coming over; a first on two fronts. It was going to be the first dinner party in the new house and the first time meeting someone as well. Names are reserved to protect the innocent, but suffice to say that it was a big deal.

Ok, so rewind to Friday when I made the homemade applesauce and went shopping for the dinner. A Roast Loin of Pork with Green Peppercorn Sauce from Ina's new Barefoot in Paris cookbook, cauliflower gratin with gruyere (from same), the applesauce, a perky little salad, good wine and a granny smith apple pie with my favorite buttery pie crust.

Saturday came and I was busy most of the day - cooking, tidying up our fairly (for now) tidy house and getting some last minute touch up things done that you do when company is coming. Dinner was at six o'clock so we managed to get the lawn mowed (no moles!), new curtains hung up, china polished and even a couple of new plants in the garden bed. We were spit-shined and polished, candles lit on the mantle, food finished on time and warm in the oven - really, ready to rock and roll.

Six o'clock came and six o'clock went. At six fifteen I got the message from a couple hours earlier - our company couldn't come.

I said this story had a happy ending, and it does. The roast loin was delicious and I now have two recipes from the Paris cookbook that I've tried and liked. The pie was eaten up by visiting family and the wine didn't go to waste either - let's just say that I enjoyed myself tremendously with the Cellarmaster Riesling.

So, I can recommend this recipe and even tell you that if you can't find brined green peppercorns (as I couldn't) you can substitute dried ones soaked in hot water beforehand. It was quite a sight to see me picking them out of a peppercorn mix one at a time until I had enough for a quarter cup.

Enjoy the silver lining to this story and try the roast loin. It was quite tasty. So was the Riesling.

Labor Day - a national holiday for hot dogs?

2008-08-29T08:34:00.000-07:00

Like a lot of things, Labor Day has morphed into something else. Personally, I'm ok with that - families getting a long weekend to spend together before the school days of autumn begin. But I think it is also nice to remember why the heck we get that day off in the first place.

It started, in 1894, as recognition of the American worker, brought to the forefront by the helatious working condition in American factories and the ensuing riots and demonstrations against them. Child labor, seven day work weeks - this is the stuff that Congress had in mind when it recognized and created Labor Day.

A holiday that was born from marches in the streets, boycotts and riots - riots so bad that President Cleveland had to call in troops - has lost much of its original meaning to most Americans. That's probably because we don't have seven day work weeks for most folks anymore and child labor laws in the US are enforced. I don't know how much the holiday itself had to do with these changes but national recognition of the situation back in day must have meant a great deal to those workers.

Ok, have you duly reflected? Have you given a thought to those folks who brought you the holiday? Ok, good. We've honored the past, now it's time to eat and celebrate.

Burgers, hot dogs, steaks, ribs - it's like a beef council commercial on Labor Day, right? That's ok but there is nothing wrong with mixing it up a little too. Grilled Szechwan Shrimp sounds pretty good, or how about Cuban style Pork Burger? Creamy coleslaw is a good bet for summer's farewell. Toss back a few mojitos and that's a par-tay.

Perhaps mixing mojitos with horseshoe tossing wouldn't be a good suggestion, so how about badmitton? I'd like to get a bocce ball set, partially because it's fun to say "bocce". Yard games haven't been the same since they pulled yard darts from the mix, due to the deadly spearing tips but hey, there are other games. Surely the recent Olympics must have given you some ideas. Pole vaulting, anyone? (Is that still in the games? I don't know.)

So this was a very long way of saying "Have a happy Labor Day, everyone." Gather ye rosebuds (or blackberries, or whatever other summer item you want to substitute) while ye may and enjoy the three days. Tip your glass to the American worker and flip your steak on the grill. Anyone for bocce ball?

Fabulous Fifty State Tour - Colorado and Pumpkin Walnut Muffins

2008-08-27T08:32:00.001-07:00

It's off to the mountains this week in our continuing tour. Denver, the current host of the Democratic National Convention, is also the capital. The name of the state means "ruddy" or "colored red" in Spanish, which probably has something to do with the first Spanish explorers visiting there in the 1500s. Colorado was claimed by Spain but became part of the US in that great land deal, the Louisiana Purchase, so we now benefit from excellent skiing, omelets, stegosaurus remains and the pinto bean capital of the world.

With the Olympics now over, it is interesting to note that Denver is the only city to turn down hosting an Olympics. In 1976, the winter games were slated to be held there but the citizens of Denver voted to just say No and the games were relocated.

My grandpa would have appreciated the wild west history of Colorado; Doc Holliday ended his days from tuberculosis there and Kit Carson established the first military post.

So with a pedigree like that, I can hardly offer up the Denver Omelet as a taste of the Centennial State. Though Colorado produces the most lamb in the US and is famous for its beef and buffalo, I thought I'd bring the pumpkin to the table. Why the pumpkin? Well, a landmark restaurant in Denver named The Fort convinced me of the long long history of this veggie in Colorado history.

It seems that the pumpkin has been making appearances in Colorado since 400 CE, which is considerably longer than the state itself has been around. It was a tried and true food of the pioneers and was used in bartering for buffalo hides. If that isn't bona fides enough for you, fall is coming and we can always use another good pumpkin recipe, right? So, check out these Pumpkin Walnut muffins made at The Fort Restaurant in Denver:

"5 cups flour
1 cup sugar
2 1/2 cups dry powdered milk
4 tablespoons baking powder
3 tablespoons cinnamon
1 tablespoon salt
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
4 large eggs (size does make a difference!)
1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
1 1/4 cups water
2 20-ounce cans pumpkin (not pie filling)

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease 3-inch muffin tins or line with paper.

Mix all the ingredients together. The batter should be easily scoopable. If it is too thick, add a little more water. Fill the tins three-quarters full and bake for 40-45 minutes. Let the muffins cool before removing from the pan.

Because they are so moist, these reheat beautifully."

Spiders Three, Woe is Me

2008-08-25T08:52:00.001-07:00

I'm not big into superstition, though I tend not to walk under ladders or jump up and down on sidewalk cracks. But sometimes, I get a little fearful when weird things happen - you know, when bats fly into your hair (true story, it happened) or when you find a frog on your pillow (no, I didn't kiss it).

Now I am wondering if I need to be worried about spiders. In the last three days, there have been three large spiders making an appearance in my home. The first, especially weirdly, was in my bed when I turned back the comforter. Yeah, that's creepy. Number two was found downstairs, in a bedroom. And number three, the biggest and blackest and full on scariest of them all, was in the bathtub of the guest bathroom.

Now, I don't like spiders in the best of times - Charlotte is an exception but generally I find them to be like Shelob. So when I saw Number 3, there was a full freakout. Hubby was called and he handled the extermination. Sorry, no moving it outside on a broom to live in the wild. This thing could have worn a saddle, so out it went permanently.

But the bigger question is, what do these spider sightings mean? Yes, the weather is changing and fall is coming and the spiders are moving indoors. I get that. But three monsters in three days? It has an Ides of August feel about it or Something Wicked this way comes-ness that really makes me wonder what the heck is going on.

That or I just don't like spiders.

Book Review: Fortune Cookie Chronicles

2008-08-25T08:31:00.000-07:00

I'm a sucker for book jackets. I'm the person they wrote the old phrase "Never judge a book by its cover" for because that is exactly what I do. Browsing at the bookshop, I am drawn to the books with interesting covers, good photography, unusual fonts. Yes, even fonts.

Tragic, I know, that I miss out on good books with plain Jane fronts, but everybody has to make a choice somehow, and that's typically how I make mine. My success rate is about 80/20, which isn't bad. A new selection, titled Fortune Cookie Chronicles by Jennifer 8. Lee falls into the 80% good category - and it has a great cover to boot.

The book was prominently displayed on a table with cookbooks by Ina Garten and Bobby Flay, which is how I saw it in the first place. I think someone at Borders should have read the book before placing it there. True, the book's theme is all about Chinese-American style food, it really is more of commentary than cookbook. The author begins her story by relaying a strange occurrence in a multi-state Powerball lottery; all the winners used numbers they found in their fortune cookies.

Ms. Lee goes on from there, discussing lighter things like the origins of the fortune cookie (it isn't where or whom you think it is) and darker things like human trafficking in Chinese illegal aliens (who end up working in restaurants). It's a fascinating book about a topic that you might not know you are interested in until you read it. Her writing is informative and a bit irreverant, which made it great reading for a somewhat soggy Sunday (whew, talk about alliteration).

For those interested in it, or just the cover art, I've added it to the widget at the bottom of the blog. You may find yourself craving egg rolls when you are done. You've been warned.

Fabulous Fifty State Tour - North Dakota & Serinakaker

2008-08-20T14:49:00.000-07:00

NR would be right at home in North Dakota. Milk is the official state beverage. When I think milk, I don't immediately think North Dakota, but I guess I will now that I know that. I'll also think of North Dakota when I see sunflowers because this state produces more than any other in the US - go figure. Despite this fact, the state flower is not the sunflower but the "wild prairie rose", which I've never heard of and had to find a photo of just to know what the heck it looks like. (Thank you, Netstate for having such a nice photo.)

The Roughrider State (hey, I don't make this stuff up) was 39th to join the union. The capital, Bismarck, also is a great doughnut and no one has looked at wood chippers the same way since the movie, Fargo. It might not be too surprising that square dancing is the state dance but it ought to be ballroom dancing; Lawrence Welk grew up there. Peggy Lee, Louis L'Amour and Angie Dickinson all hail from ND, so there must be something to all that milk drinking.

Speaking of dairy, Cream of Wheat got its start in North Dakota (well, I eat mine with cream, so that's dairy...). We couldn't conclude our little sojourn without tasting a little something. How about some Hungarian style Spaetzle made with Cream of Wheat? No? Ok, for those not fans of farina, how about some Scandinavian cookies? There was a large population of Scandinavians that settled in ND and I'll bet some folks there are still making serinakaker (Serina's cookies - now you know the Norwegian word for cookie, and Serina.)

And since my great-grandma's name was Serina (well, Serene, but close enough) and she was Norwegian, these almond and butter cookies are a fitting close to a trip into North Dakota. Someone pass the milk. Wunnerful.

(If you don't know why I am doing this post, here's the first of the series.)

Political aside...

2008-08-20T08:44:00.000-07:00

I just have to comment on the pathetic 24% voter turnout in Washington State's primary. Come on, peeps. This is crazy.

Yeah, it's just a primary but come on - 24%? More people turn up for the opening of a envelope than this year's primary.

Let's hope November can do better. Sheesh.

/steps off soapbox, returns to kitchen to make a cake.

Sometimes you feel like a jar, sometimes you don't

2008-08-19T07:58:00.000-07:00

I don't have a problem with spaghetti sauce in a jar - red sauce, that is. By and large, the product is good and only requires a bit of doctoring; more herbs, garlic, pepper, whatever. I like red sauce in a jar because it is quick, consistent and easy to improve. Usually, I go with two jars of complimentary flavors - Newman's Own Marinara and the Garlic one, although I've been cheating on Paul with some Classico lately. A little Merlot or Cabernet added, some diced roasted red pepper - the possibilities are endless.

Not so with Alfredo. I don't claim to be an Alfredo expert; heck, I don't even really care for it, except on rare occasion. And on the rare occasion (which was yesterday), I went with a sauce in a jar, again for quickness. Never again. Maybe it was the brand, but I found the sauce to be disgusting, right out of the gate. Gloppy, flavorless, it practically dissolved the pasta.

I was at a loss for a remedy. It wasn't like the red sauce that can be enhanced, tweaked, even seriously re-flavored; this stuff was just a hot mess. I felt sorry for the chicken that went into it.

So, when the itch for Alfredo comes around again, I will take the time to actually make it, rather than open it. I'll trust some folks that know good sauce. I might even try one from Mr. Bam himself, Emeril LaGasse.

Or I might convince hubby that we really ought to eat out that night. Then I can get eggplant parmigiana instead.

The Fabulous Fifty State Tour - New Hampshire and Apple Crisp

2008-08-18T08:35:00.000-07:00

I haven't traveled to all fifty states, and truthfully, I don't want to. Oh sure, there are probably so many great things to see along the way; the largest ball of twine, maple syrup museums, places where George Washington's Uncle's Second Wife slept, etc. etc.

Nope, I'll never hit all the states, though I've been to a few of them and hope to do more. I'm really eager to see Massachusetts and I'd like to see the historical sights in Pennsylvania and Virginia. Of course, there is DC (not a state, but yeah, so what), which is my dream trip and I wouldn't mind getting to New York City some day. Oh and Savannah, Georgia would be a fun one too. Back to New Orleans, at least once more, and I hope to travel to Yellowstone and Yosemite some day too...

Ok, that's enough travel ideas to last far beyond my budget (and my husband's patience). And since I can't get to everywhere, I thought I'd take a little exploration here, posting some quintessential recipes from our sister states, for a little tastebud travel. In honor of this year's presidential campaign and Jed Bartlet from the West Wing, we kick off our tour in New Hampshire.

The Granite State apparently also has the nickname of "Switzerland of America" which I assume is from their great fondness of fondue and yodeling. I gotta love a state that has adopted the Ladybug as their state insect - I had no idea that insects rated high enough to be adopted by states, but the ladybug is a good choice. For those of you testing your high school memories, Concord is the capital and her native sons (and daughters) include: JD Salinger, Maxfield Parrish, Franklin Pierce, Robert Frost and Mandy Moore. Yes, the teen star.

Alright, enough trivia, on with the eating. New Hampshire lays claim to many of New England's foods and recipes including chowders and maple syrup, but the state also grows apples. The former Governor of the state, Jeanne Shaheen has provided a recipe for apple crisp and heck, that sounds like a pretty good source for a taste of New Hampshire. Fix up a batch, find a local ladybug and pull out your copy of Catcher in the Rye (or dvd of Princess Diaries, whichever you happen to have) and say howdy to New Hampshire.

Baby, it's Hot outside

2008-08-15T08:52:00.000-07:00

Ok, I know that I can't really complain about the heat, not when folks in Texas have gone through 200 degree days but still - it is really hot here. It's 9 AM and my house is already 80 degrees, with 95 degrees predicted for later in the day.

I'm a bit hard of hearing, what with all the fans blowing directly into my ears over the last few days, so I probably won't hear the tiny violins that you all will be pulling out for me. I know, I know, nobody likes a whiner.

I guess one good thing about the heat is that I don't sleep very deeply and I remember my dreams when I wake up. I had a great one last night about Bradley Whitford, from West Wing (my current crush du jour, move over Keith Olbermann) and some fine California cheese and Washington wines - it was a wine tasting dream, poolside somewhere in SoCal. Sadly though his lovely wife, Jane, was not in the dream. Oh Darn.

Alright, I digress. Seriously. But that's about as good as it gets with little sleep, high heat and a dream about cheese. What does any of this have to do with homemaking, you rightly ask? Not a gosh-darn thing. Oh, but Columbia Winery's Cellarmaster Riesling really is tasty and reasonably priced. Try it with some Monterery Jack.

Bring on the baby booties!

2008-08-13T21:03:00.001-07:00

I am so excited because my dear Sis and her hubby are expecting child number two! We found out today that she is due in April. I feel some crafting coming on - bet I have a pattern for booties somewhere.

Congratulations, guys!

Random Recipe Monday - Sourdough Bread

2008-08-11T13:42:00.000-07:00

I am in a Western state of mind lately. It probably got started with watching 3:10 to Yuma, which was a good movie once the thing got started. I'm also doing a bit of research into my great grandmother and her journey in a covered wagon to San Francisco. Add to that my wish to take a City Slickers-type vacation to a dude ranch, and well, you can see why Western stuff is popping up lately.

For the most part, I'm not a big fan of Western style culture. I don't own cowboy boots, I don't dig rodeos or even country music. Roping and riding aren't my hobbies and I wouldn't know a working end of rifle from the business end of a cow. All that said, however, I still find the lifestyle of the pioneers and those that journeyed out into the west to be fascinating.

I mean, imagine coming to a land with nothing but the provision in your wagon and your own self-reliance. No grocery stores, no mercantiles, no place to restock your food pantry. Hard enough to imagine baking bread on a daily basis, let alone needing to keep a starter going for the yeast. I find it amazing that people not only survived but thrived in this kind of environment.

So, as I just finished making a peanut butter sandwich for NR on grocery store bread, I salute those pioneer cooks who did it the hard way. Here is a recipe for a modernized sourdough bread. I think I'll mix up a mess of pork and beans, a loaf of this and rent a few more Westerns from Netflix. Yeehaw, everybody.

Of Moles and Men (or how I lost my sanity)

2008-08-07T08:47:00.000-07:00

*

The day we moved into the new house - the very day - molehills started appearing in the nice front lawn. Not just one, oh no, but several - every day. The absence of the realty sign must have given them a signal to go forth and destroy the lawn with their burrows and endless tunnels.

Every morning, I dutifully go out with a cardboard box and scoop up the dirt that the mole has expelled onto the lawn. I stuff some down the hole to close it up and give a little silent prayer to whomever is in charge of moles that these moles will move to the forest that is next door, literally, to my house.

Sometimes before the afternoon has even passed, there will be fresh holes in the lawn. Sometimes it takes until the following morning for the trail of molehills to wind through the grass.

Last week, I bought some mole repellent, which purports to drive them away with some scent they don't like. The idea is that each day you sprinkle another section of the lawn and thoroughly water. By the end of day four, they have been driven off the land to less stinky pastures.

By day three, they had circled the mole wagons and were back at the beginning of the lawn, making three extra big hills, just to prove a point.

And that, ladies and moles, is when I went crazy. Spade carrying, hose toting crazy. I scooped up the dirt but left the holes open. I turned on the hose and gave a good long squirt of water into each hole, hoping that a sudden wave of water might run them out of town for good.

No hills this morning. Not yet. Sure, my grass looks like swiss cheese at the moment, but there are no new hills. If a new one pops, I'm going to be forced to get a trap. I hate to do it, really, but this can't go on. I can't let them destroy the front yard and that's what they'll do if I let them keep burrowing under the whole thing.

I've heard bubblegum down the holes works, as does human hair. I can just picture a new hill with hairy wads of pink bubblegum poking out of the top like some gummy mount vesuvius. I've tried those sticks that emit sounds with no result. I don't want to use poison and the repellent did nothing. So that leaves traps. Unless, the sudden blast of water drove them out - at least for now. I'm sure this won't be the last encounter with a mole.

I've read an awful lot of kids' stories that have a Mole as a character (Wind in the Willows comes to mind) but somehow, I can't quite picture our moles hunkered down in their burrow, smoking pipes and sporting tweed jackets. I'd be more inclined to take tea with them if they were.

UPDATE: A new molehill is now right next to the old hole that I flushed with water.

*Photo found at
this site. Shudder

Blackberries are coming

2008-08-06T08:39:00.000-07:00

Late summer means blackberries. It's amazing that fruit that good can come from a Class Four Noxious Weed. Perhaps that's why those plants can cover so much ground so fast - birds can't ignore the berries (and their seeds). Of course, having rhizomes that travel under the ground and the fact that they can live twenty five years doesn't hurt either.

But, on the sunny side of things, you get lots of blackberries when you have blackberry plants. If you can pick them. Blackberry thorns are a deterrent but a good pair of gloves, some rolled down sleeves and jeans go a long way toward protecting from the pokes and scratches that come from reaching for that really good berry, just over your head.

There are different kinds of blackberries but most of us are familiar with Himalayan, which are the ones you typically see growing along the side of the road. True "wild blackberries" are smaller, have less seeds and, some folks think, a superior blackberriness to them. They are also a bit like finding Sasquatch in the woods.

But whether it is the common variety or a rarer species, the upcoming crop of berries holds all kinds of possibilities. Pies, cobblers, cocktails, barbecue sauce, muffins, cakes, smoothies, jam...oh the list is endless. Whatever you decide to make with the berries you bravely battle the stickers for, you'll have to do it fast because these berries won't last long once picked. Keep them dry - don't wash them until you are ready to use them and keep them in the fridge too.

Summer might be on the way out (pout) but at least she's putting on a good spread for her going-away party.

A Messy Kitchen is a Happy Kitchen?

2008-08-05T10:21:00.000-07:00

While wandering the aisles of a grocery store yesterday evening (sometimes you have to take what "me" time you can get), I saw a plaque that read "A Messy Kitchen is a Happy Kitchen". The sign had a grinning sow and a mock aged patina, clearly for the country kitchen fan. I looked at the sign, not with an interest in purchasing it, but rather to ponder the sentiment. Does a messy kitchen really mean a happy one?

I've had it both ways - messy and clean(er). For me, I much prefer clean. A messy kitchen just makes me feel glum. Nothing takes the wind out of my baking sails than walking into the kitchen and seeing dishes everywhere. Who wants to whip up some impromptu cookies if you have to wash two loads of dishes before you start?

Clearly, I look too deeply at things (sometimes a cigar is just a cigar) but is the message more about justification or explanation? If you hang that sign in your kitchen, does it give you an out when the dishes are everywhere and you'd rather just watch TV than wash them? I kinda give credence to subliminal messaging and I wonder if such a sign reinforces slacker impulses.

Hogwash, you say. I don't know if it is hogwash or not and maybe that's the point. Some people are disciplined enough to do what needs to be done and others can let a grocery store sign keep them on the couch (I'll scoot over, join me). For me, I'm trying to live by two absolute rules - I can't go to bed if there is clean laundry to put away and I can't go to bed if the kitchen is a mess. Yes, some nights I'm putting away the last of the towels at midnight but I sleep easier.

A spotless kitchen probably isn't too happy but I don't think a messy one is either. As the heart of the home (at least in my view), the kitchen needs a little more TLC than the mudroom or the basement or the den. Instead of the grinning sloppy sow, how about we take some inspiration from Charlotte's Web:

Arable: That's some pig.
Avery Arable: He's terrific.
Lurvy: He's radiant.
Mrs. Zuckerman: Well, he's clean anyway. That buttermilk certainly helped.

My kitchen might not be terrific or radiant but it's clean anyway. That's happiness I can get behind.

Ace of Cakes we ain't

2008-08-03T23:35:00.001-07:00

We had NR's birthday bash on Sunday and it was a fine day for it. Sunny skies, warm but not too hot, tables in the shade and family willing to travel to our house in the hinterlands - good times. We chowed on rootbeer glazed ham, curried potato salad and baked beans. NR had chosen "ham on a ham bone" for his meal, so I finally found a ham shank that would fit the bill. Finding a ham that isn't pressed meat with water added is not as easy as you would think.

He also did a look-see through my copy of "Hello, Cupcake" (see the widget at the bottom for info on this fun cupcake book) and selected bowling pin cupcakes (of all things). I expected him to pick the sharks or the horses or even the big alligator, but nothing doing - it was bowling pins for the non-bowling kid. Alrighty, that was what he wanted, so that's what I was going to make for him.

Or make that "we" were going to make for him. Hubby stepped up to the challenge and almost single-handedly crafted these towers of cupcakes and donut holes. All would have been well if I hadn't made a mistake on the frosting side of it. Truth be told, I don't often do canned frosting because I don't care for the flavor. I have in the past used a canned cream cheese frosting that tastes pretty good so when the recipe suggested canned frosting, I went with my whipped cream cheese. Bad idea. The frosting needed to be warmed to a melty goo consistency so the cupcakes could be dipped (think chocolate dipped ice cream cones) and the bowling pins given their white veneer. Unfortunately, the whipped cream cheese frosting decompressed and turned a strange yellowy-white.

Never ones to be defeated by confectioners' sugar, we opted to merely frost the pins with the frosting and omit the dunking. The end result was a bit more impressionistic than we might have hoped but NR liked them just the same. As the birthday boy, he ate the one bowling ball that accompanied the pins.

Worry-wart that I am, I decided to make a back up dessert to the cupcakes. I just wasn't convinced that they would taste alright (they did). Our back up was a 7-UP cake - NR is a big fan of lemon/lime sodas. I had never made one before but the ingredients were fairly straightforward, if laden with butter. I mixed it up, plopped it in the bundt pan and hoped for the best.

I think, in the end, the cupcakes were favored more than the 7-UP cake. The cake was fine, if a bit dense like a pound cake, but it didn't have a big lemon/lime taste. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but if I made it again, I'd add some additional zing to the mix.

So, this is all a really long way of saying that hubby and I are not Aces of Cakes yet, but we gave a good attempt with those cupcakes. They were fun to make (when we weren't freaking out over yellow frosting) and how often do you get to debate the merits of carved donuts with your spouse?

If you are interested in the vintage 7-UP cake recipe, check out this one. I used a version from America's Lost Recipes, but this one is pretty close.

How to make an American Pie

2008-07-31T08:38:00.000-07:00

It must a sign of aging. I was scanning through the 700 channels that show up on our Dish TV schedule, trying to find one worth watching, when I found a listing for "How to Make an American Quilt". I told hubby "Gee, let's record that because I've been wanting to see that since it came out in the 90s." A few days later, I sit down to watch it and as soon as the voice over begins, I realize that I have seen it - the whole thing - and I just didn't remember it.

That's weird for me because I usually can remember movies and actors really well. What is even weirder is that I liked the movie. Sure, Wynona Rider is her same, doe-eyed self, but Anne Bancroft and Maya Angelou, Ellen Burstyn and Kate Nelligan, Alfre Woodard and Kate Capshaw are there, so really, how can it not be good. It is an adaptation of the novel by Whitney Otto (thank you IMDB.com), one that I'll be picking up to add to my growing stack of reading. (Founding Mothers by Cokie Roberts is my current pick)

And yet, I managed to forget I had ever seen it. Old age - hmpf.

Well, I don't quilt (not yet, but it's on my list) but I admire the skill. The patience and precision seems limitless in the people who make large scale quilts. In the movie, the women who are making the wedding quilt for Wynona are trying to demonstrate "where love resides" and tell us their own stories in the process (stories far better than Wynona's to be sure).

I won't spoil the end if you haven't seen it but I suggest you rent this one (or find it on one of your 700 channels) and check it out.

I can't quilt, but I can make pie and I thought I'd bring back a post from last October that I shared with a great pie crust. This crust makes a humdinger of a pie, though it can be a bit persnickety to work with. But as the movie instructs, old lovers find the beauty in patches - so feel free to patch up any holes that you might get as you transfer the dough to the pie plate. As for a filling, apple would be a top choice, but this time of year has some great raspberries or peaches for consideration.

Biting into a big piece of pie might make you wonder if that is where love resides. It's as good an answer as any in the film.

An Inconvenience Truth

2008-07-30T08:14:00.000-07:00

Living on a food budget takes the whim out of whimsy. When you can't toss items willy-nilly into your cart, (and who doesn't like a good willy-nilly) then you must make a plan. That plan can't include too many "convenience" foods or the budget will be blown.

Convenience foods are the latest, greatest, add water and stir, microwave for 30 seconds and serve kind of foods that have grown exponentially in the last few decades. Used to be that Hamburger Helper was as convenient as you could get but no more. Now everything from "homestyle" chicken and biscuits in a box, precooked waffles, frozen bread dough, warm gooey desserts that take tablespoons of water (akin to your old Easy Bake Oven desserts) and pot roast in Styrofoam are ready for you to take home.

Grocery stores are getting to be more and more like restaurants; baked chicken and meatloaf under warming lights, hot french bread out at 4pm, fried chicken and deli salads at the ready. All of these things are there because people want them. Those on a 9-5 schedule like the convenience of picking up dinner partially (or totally) made for them at the store, leaving just minutes of cooking time when they get home. But with convenience comes a price.

A price I cannot pay on my new food budget. And so, I put into practice a rule I read somewhere that suggested only shopping the outer edges of the grocery store. The inner aisles are where all the convenient and expensive things reside - things like ding dongs, boxed casseroles, cake mixes, instant thai noodles. The outer aisles tend to be the dairy, meat and produce aisles. The stuff that you actually have to cook and the stuff that tends to be cheaper when you price it per pound. Now of course, one must foray into dangerous territory for staples; flour and sugar are neighbors to instant scone mixes, but going in and getting out seems to help curb the whimsy shopping.

So is convenience bad? No, just expensive. I would also say that most of the "tastes like home" stuff in a box tastes more like home siding than home cooking, but there are some good products out there. I can take a couple of hours to make dinner from scratch because I am home and can build that time into my day. For those folks working outside the home though, it doesn't have to be deli chicken either. There are tons of 30 minute meal ideas that don't use a lot of convenience food. The trick with them (and all recipes, really) is having a plan. Making a menu a week out, getting the groceries lined up, prepping what you can before you make it. Sounds harder than just picking up a pot roast in a box, doesn't it. But it is cheaper, tastier and probably better for you.

You can save your whimsy for shopping at the shoe store or hardware store, or wherever it is that makes your coin purse go pitter patter. Plus, think how proud Al Gore will be if you cut your carbon footprint by eliminating all those pizza boxes, plastic chicken containers and Styrofoam cartons. Bet Tipper cooks from scratch.

Bounce? Not so much

2008-07-29T07:47:00.000-07:00

I've always used dryer sheets. You know,those white slips you put in your dryer to keep the static off your clothes and add spring rain fragrance to your socks; those gossamer gremlins that end up stuck to a pant leg and unseen until you are at Starbucks for a mocha. Those sheets.

Always been a fan because heck, adding one of those is just what you do, right? You can't dry clothes in a dryer without one because...well, it just isn't done.

Until you move, and you don't have any, and you are drying a load of towels. Then you check out alternatives to your favorite chemical sheet. It came as a surprise to me that laundry can be static free without them. Surprising but true.

Adding just a splash of white vinegar to the fabric softener dispenser helps diffuse the static and nothing comes out of the dryer smelling like boiled eggs. I have a front loading machine, so I use about a tablespoon of vinegar in the dispenser. For top loaders, I have read that 1/2 cup of vinegar is needed, but I would test this out with a load or two.

I would not recommend this if you use bleach in your wash - bad high school chem lab experiments come to mind. But for normal loads, a little dab will do ya. I've washed towels, socks, everything that used to get a dryer sheet (heck, sometimes two sheets) and haven't noticed anything - no vinegar smell, no static. What I have noticed is less lint in the dryer, no annoying shriveled white sheets stuck onto socks and less money spent on laundry supplies.

So necessity was the mother of invention on this one (not like I invented anything, just searched out an option) and I'm sticking with it. A jug o' white vinegar is a dollar or so, versus four bucks for a small box of sheets. The jug will last for ages and losing the sheets might help prevent build up in the dryer lint trap, which could wear out your machine faster (some people think dryer sheets cause this). Vinegar might even help keep colors from running, so that's an added benefit.

I'll just gladly spend the four bucks somewhere else. Like on a mocha at Starbucks.

Random Recipe Monday - Gotham Cheesecake

2008-07-28T10:05:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, we went to see The Dark Knight. Hubby has been dying to see it and I was mildly interested too (I enjoyed Batman Begins, even though superhero flicks aren't usually my speed). Long story (two and half hours) short - all the talk about Heath Ledger is true; he was amazing. But that's all that was amazing, in my humble, non-comic book geek opinion. Don't get me started on the storyline. Really. Don't. (No hate mail, please. I know, I'm one of seven people in the whole world who think this way about this movie.)

What was interesting was our conversation after the movie, discussing choices Batman made that put him in the anti-hero category. Was using every citizen's cellphone without their consent justified? I won't spoil the story on this, but where have I heard similar things lately...hmmmm.

Anybat, we had a good time picking apart the Joker and Batman, delving into their motivations. We did this over a non-glamorous dinner of hot dogs and chili (for hubby) and nachos (for me). Sadly, neither of these dishes warranted a Monday recipe but I thought a little New York (er...make that Gotham) cheesecake would. Since Wednesday is National Cheesecake day (see my earlier post on this), here's another reason to give it a try. Emeril Lagasse offers up a cheesecake with a big apple caramel topping at FoodNetwork.

Nothing beats apple and caramel, in my humble, non-comic book geek opinion.

Adam and Eve on a raft....

2008-07-25T07:50:00.000-07:00

I'm a fan of old movies. TCM (Turner Classic Movies for the uninitiated) is on most days in my house and I spend a good deal of time in a black and white world. There are many reasons that old movies speak to me - the actors, the wardrobe, the storytelling - and sometimes just for the dialogue. I find the language of the early 20th century fascinating. Slang cracks me up, mainly when it is out of use and faded into obscurity. Every time I hear William Bendix call out that the guy was "a heel, a pair of heels" I can't help but smile. Boy, is that different than some of the things folks call each other today. Sure, the censorship in the movies of that time forced some creative writing, but I think slang was a bigger part of daily vocabulary than it is today.

Take as Exhibit A, the diner. Diner lingo is famous and sadly obscure. I always wanted to own a diner, a coffee and pie kind of place, and use the lingo (Order up: a Blond with Sand and Eve with a lid on - for some coffee with sugar and cream and a slice of apple pie, thank you).

I found a great page of diner slang that sadly only exists in Google's cache. The author, Dave Hutchins of Des Moines, Iowa, posted a laundry list of phrases, which I have copied here to preserve*. I don't know where he got all of these, many of which I recognize, but I'd love to know his source. Maybe he watches a lot of TCM.

Bubble dancer: Dish washer
Gallery: Booth
Crowd: Three of any thing (as in Two is company three is a crowd)
Bridge Party: Four of any thing from the bridge game
Eighty Six: The kitchen is out of the item ordered
Go for a walk or on wheels: it’s to go
In the alley: Served as a side dish
Lumber: toothpick
Chopper: Table knife
Blue plate special: a dish of meat, potato, vegetable (also daily special)
Sea Dust: Salt
Mike & Ike or the twins: salt & pepper shakers
Hemorrhage: Ketchup
Paint it Red: Put ketchup on it
Light House: Ketchup bottle
Mississippi mud or yellow paint: Mustard
Warts: Olives
Java or Joe: Cup of coffee
Draw one or a cup of mud: Cup of coffee
Pair of drawers: two cups of coffee
Draw one in the dark: A Black coffee
No cow: without milk
A blond with sand: Coffee with cream and sugar
Hot top: Hot Chocolate
Boiled leaves: Tea
A spot with a twist: Cup of tea with lemon
Yum yum or sand: Sugar
Gravel train: Sugar bowl
Sun kiss or oh gee: Orange juice
Hug one or squeeze one: Orange juice
Moo juice, Baby juice, Sweet Alice: Milk

Canned cow: Evaporated milk
Billiard: Buttermilk
Throw it in the mud: Add Chocolate syrup
Hail: Ice
Balloon juice: Seltzer or soda water
Belch water: Alka Seltzer
Hold the hail: No ice
Wind mill, Adams ale, city juice, dog soup: A glass of water
Shoot from the south: CocaCola
An MD: Dr Pepper
Fifty-five: A glass of root beer
Black and white: Chocolate soda with vanilla ice cream
White cow: Vanilla milk shake
Shake one in the hay: Strawberry milk shake
Break it and shake it: Add egg to a drink
Creep: Draft beer
Life preserver: Doughnut
Bird seed: Breakfast
Bailed hay: Shredded wheat
Burn the British: Toasted English muffin
Looseners: Prunes
Graveyard stew: Milk toast (buttered toast sprinkled with sugar
and cinnamon, dropped in a bowl of milk)
Cackle fruit: Eggs
Cow paste, Skid grease, Axel grease: Butter
Smear: Margarine
CJ: Boston Cream cheese and Jelly
Dough well done with cow: Buttered toast
Whiskey: Rye bread
Whiskey down: rye toast
Shingle with a shimmy and a shake: Buttered toast with jam or jelly
Fry two let the sun shine: 2 eggs with unbroken yolks
Flop two fry: two eggs any style
Dead eye: Poached eggs

Customer will take a chance: Hash
Sweep the kitchen: Hash
Mystery in the alley: Side order of hash
Adam & eve on a raft: Two poached eggs on toast
Cowboy or western: A western omelet or sandwich
Zeppelin: Sausage
Blow out patches: Pancakes
Stack or short stack: Order of pancakes
Vermont: Maple syrup
Machine oil: Syrup
Radio: Tuna salad sandwich
One from the alps: A Swiss cheese sandwich
GAC: Grilled American cheese sandwich
Jack Benny: Cheese with bacon (Named after Jack Benny)
High and dry: A plain sandwich with nothing on it
Rabbit food: Lettuce
Keep off the grass: No Lettuce
Breath: Onion
Pin a rose on it: Add Onion to a order
Burn one: Fry a hamburger
Hockey Puck: A hamburger well done
Two cows make them cry: two hamburgers with onion
Burn one take it through the garden: Hamburger with lettuce tomato, onion
Bow Wow, Ground hog: A hot dog
Blood hounds in the hay: Hot dogs and sauerkraut
Bullets or whistle berries: Baked beans
Million on a platter: Plate of baked beans
Bossy in a bowl: Beef stew
Frenchman’s delight: Pea soup
Frog sticks: French Fries
Bowl of Red: Chili con carne
Wax: American cheese
Put out the lights and cry: Liver and onions

Aren't these Jake? You certainly know your onions now. On the level.

*edited slightly for readability

Chocolate milk, lasagna and cheesecake - but not together

2008-07-25T07:16:00.000-07:00

I love to check those wacky calendars of obscure holidays that are a mere google away. You find out when Take your Pants for a Walk day is and that you forgot to observe Barbershop Appreciation Day (July 13, for those who missed it). But in the spirit of keeping everyone informed, you'll want to be sure to celebrate the next three holidays coming up on July 28, 29th and 30th. Now that sounds like a lollapalooza of celebratoriness, but I think you'll agree that chocolate milk, lasagna and cheesecake deserve the respect.

Monday, you can start off your half-week of excitement by pouring a big tall glass of the "chocky mulk" as my son used to say, made with your favorite source of chocolate (I'd have to go with Hershey's syrup on this one). You could always upgrade to a Black Cow later in the day (chocolate milk with a scoop of chocolate ice cream - see my upcoming post on diner lingo) but you might want to pace yourself.

Tuesday, the big dish is lasagna. Meaty or veggie, red sauce or bechamel, whatever floats your Italian boat, go for it. I'll be making up a big dish of it, likely with mild sausage and plenty of mozzarella. This will bake your noodle: lasagna appeared in the first cookbook ever written in England (that we know of) - from the 14th century. It was a layered pasta dish with cheese called loseyns. So offensive is the idea that lasagna is British and not Italian, the Italian embassy in London had to weigh in on the topic. Uh, couldn't the Romans have brought this little gem with them when they invaded Britain? Anychew, let's move on to our third day of feasting.

Wednesday rounds off our festival with cheesecake. Much like Donkey from Shrek and his observations on parfait, I don't know anyone who doesn't like cheesecake. Perhaps that is because there are so many variations that it really can be just about anything - chocolatey, covered in berries, topped with caramel, crunchy with coconut, smeared in lemon curd - whatever rings your cheesebell. Or, you can go very purist and eat it plain, which is just lovely too. For fans of the tv show The View, there was a taste-off recently between a plain cheesecake and a vanilla bean and lemon curd version (from chef Bobby Flay). You can have your own taste off with the recipes (listed under July 17).

Are you full? Stuffed to the gills, perhaps? Well, what else can you expect from such a dairy-filled trifecta. Grab your lactaid and gear up for National Raspberry Ice Cream day on August 1 and National Ice Cream Sandwich Day on the 2nd. Just kidding. Like those two things deserve holidays.

Be it ever so humble, the casserole

2008-07-24T08:08:00.000-07:00

We've been eating a lot of casseroles lately. I'm not sure why but for some reason my menus have gravitated to things like tuna casserole and mac n'cheese. Usually, I dust those off in colder weather but moving must have put comfort food on the top of my list.

The casseroles as we know them developed in the 1930s and 1940s. Before that, a casserole often meant a filling encased in pounded rice or some other type of coating. No doubt the Great Depression had much to do with developing ways to stretch expensive things like meat. Not only are casseroles budget conscious but they are fairly easy too. That makes them winners for folks looking for homey, hot food in a hurry (wow, that was poetic).

Tuna casserole, that staple of school lunch rooms in years gone by, really didn't catch on until the 1950s, even though canned tuna was around in the beginning of the 20th century. I would guess that it isn't the most popular food with adults; it can be awfully bland. My own attempt at this old school favorite actually turned out pretty good because it relied on a heavy dose of dijon mustard. The recipe came from a recent Better Homes and Gardens magazine issue. I omited the potato chip crust and went with bread crumbs instead. I also omited the celery (I know, sacrilage) and upped the onion, adding a bit of celery seed to the sauce instead. Hubby isn't a fan of tuna so it was a gamble and while he liked the sauce, he still would rather avoid the fish. So next time, we'll do it with chicken I think. But for someone looking for a meal that costs under $2 a serving, it is worth a try.

Macaroni and Cheese, for the last five years in our house, has consisted of one recipe - Alton Brown's version with plenty of chopped onion and powdered mustard. Yesterday, I tried something new; sliced tomatoes, gruyere and sharp cheddar cheeses and nutmeg. It made for a nice change and moved Ina Garten's version to the top of the cheesy pasta pile. To keep it a bit cheaper, I would bet that plain old Swiss could be substituted for the gruyere. It made a ton, so leftovers, that kindred spirit of casseroles, can do double duty for lunch or another dinner.

Six Degrees of Crispy Bacon - Tom Selleck

2008-07-18T20:44:00.001-07:00

Time for another installment of my fascinating game aka rip-off, Six Degrees of Crispy Bacon. This time, we'll see if we can connect 1980s heartthrob Tom Selleck to crispy bacon. Let's see:
Tom Selleck* was in a movie with Laura San Giacomo (Quigley Down Under)
She was in a TV show called "Just Shoot Me" with George Segal
George Segal and Elliot Gould played together in the Altman film, California Split
Elliot Gould was in Bugsy with Warren Beatty
Warren Beatty starred in a movie called Reds (not about baby potatoes, but still)
Reds star in a Roasted Potato Salad with Balsalmic-Bacon Vinaigrette.

*Chosen at random by hubby who had no idea that I was using his idea for this.

I hate it when facts screw up my rant

2008-07-18T20:34:00.000-07:00

Ok, I had this good rant about Comcast dumping MSNBC out of their line up. In fact, on news of this I called DirectTV and ordered some satellite TV because I can't imagine going through this election without my crush..err...trusted news source Keith Olbermann.

But it turns out that this only applies to non-digital subscribers....in Pittsburgh. That's what I get for listening to second hand info, sent via text message. My righteous fury has fizzled and my smarty pants post with it. Oh I hate it when the facts get in the way of my theories. Darn it.

But on the plus side, I'll have TV, Internet and phone next week now. Woohoo.

In my day, TV was called books....

2008-07-16T20:33:00.001-07:00

Princess Bride fans will catch that approximate quote. Here at the house that Comcast forgot, we are still living the simple life without tv, phone or Internet. Something that I've immediately noticed is my reliance on the Internet for everything, including my recipes. Over the years, I've collected tons of cookbooks - three from Ina Garten, a couple from Martha, new ones about cupcakes (of course) and tapas, celeb chefs like Bobby Flay, Alton Brown and Todd English have a spot on the shelf (though why, I don't know because I hardly use these books). I have a couple of "Lost Recipes" books, which have recipes that are anything but lost - you can't toss a WWII recipe card without hitting a version of mayonnaise cake or monkey bread.

Ok, so my point is that I have a lot of recipe books. But when it comes down to cooking, I tend to head to the Web and let my fingers do the walking. That's all fine and dandy until you are cut off from the streaming network and you must rely on yourself - and your library of friends. And so, I've been perusing my stacks, in between unpacking boxes, and discovering why I liked these books in the first place.

Ina's Tequila Lime Chicken really is wonderful and that banana cake recipe from Confetti Cakes that I've been wanting to try does make some tasty cupcakes. Martha Fosse's technique from Screen Doors and Sweet Tea really does make an easy to peel hard boiled egg and her egg salad recipe was pretty swell too. That UK book of Jams and Preserves had a great recipe for lemon and orange marmalade that simmered while I hung pictures and smashed cardboard.

And cooking hasn't been the only reading material I've checked out (Oh, for a close library...). My compendium of Homemade products provided a recipe for bathroom cleanser (we had none with us) and it did a good enough job that I just might switch. I've almost finished The Other Boleyn Girl (I'm a sucker for Elizabethan fiction) and I've cracked into Zen and the Art of Homemaking (yeah, I do read about homemaking, for fun).

Twice now, I've walked into NR's room and caught him reading - unprompted - from his own library. Of course, as soon as I notice it, he's done so I keep my thoughts to myself on this.

So does this mean that I'm calling Comcast and cancelling the TV service? Ummm, no. But it is nice to find some fun on our own shelves and to remember why we collected those books in the first place. I used to be such an avid reader but in the last few years, that has ebbed. Now I know what I've been missing.

Ankle bone's connected to the shin bone...

2008-07-13T09:44:00.000-07:00

I'm back - sort of. We still don't have Internet, telephone or cable. Like Robinson Crusoe, it's primitive as can be (with the exception of a blueray player and a library of dvds, so we're a step above Gilligan).

So how am I posting this, you might ask? Thank goodness for tethering, so I've learned. My laptop plugs into my cell phone, which does the connecting (at something less than dial-up speed). So, no uploading photos or heavy content sites (like Comcast, to chat with someone who can fix things) but I'll take what I can get.

The move went - not totally smoothly, but what move does? I've learned some valuable things in this process. First, I have waaaaay too much stuff. It's like living in that George Carlin routine about needing a bigger house because we keep accumulating stuff. How many candlesticks do I really need? Ditto on the turkey platters. Second, I am waaaay too out of shape. Our new place has stairs and plenty of them. Carrying all the gazillion (that's a techinical term) boxes of the waaaay too much stuff up the stairs was some hard work. Ninety degree weather didn't help but the stairs were the real culprit. And third, I really don't think I'll be moving again. Ever.

So, we have plenty of boxes left to unpack. I'm going to try to really plan out where the contents will go, rather than just stuffing things into places to get them out of my hair. Ask me after the last of the gazillion boxes and we'll see how it went.

Moving along

2008-07-09T07:37:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: Our new house is the only house in the whole wide world (aka our neighborhood) not to have cable accessible. So, it may be a couple of weeks before I'll be back online. For someone addicted to Internet that is some rough cold turkey time. Send me your good Internet vibes and maybe I'll be up and running soon.

For the next couple of days, we'll be moving all our stuff and I won't have any Internet access. But hopefully by Friday, I'll have pictures a plenty of the new house and the ability to load them to the blog.

Wish me (and my back!) luck! See you on Friday.

Stay-cations? Yeah, but....

2008-07-08T07:57:00.000-07:00

Like many folks, we're not going out of town this year for vacation. Buying a new house has certainly put a crimp in any travel, but more importantly, gas prices are keeping us near home. We're planning to take a jaunt to Bozeman, Montana to see some dino bones eventually, but that's as far a field as we are going. So, I guess that puts us in the group of those taking "stay-cations".

This phrase was coined recently and many folks are latching on to it as the perfect description for staying home and exploring their own neighborhoods during their time off. I'm all for the idea but I really don't like the term.

Why, you might ask. Well, I have never liked made up, cutesy words in the first place. But more importantly, "stay-cations" are a make-do solution to high gas prices and a bad economy and the term just makes it more palatable. Sure, make the best of a bad situation and find fun near your home, but there's no need to call it a "stay-cation".

Unfortunately, the reality now is that many people can't afford to travel to their favorite (distant) destinations. That's just how it is. The people that control our economy and the forces that make gas over four bucks a gallon are the primary causes of it. By all means, let's find fun things to do closer to home but by giving this (hopefully temporary) situation a term like "stay-cation", we signal our acceptance of the new reality and an embrace of being forced to stay home during time off.

Hello? Is this thing on? (echo echo echo) Ok, I'm in the minority on this, I'm sure. Me, Jon Stewart, and the guys who order kids to get off their lawns. But I'm a big believer in the power of words, so I'll stick to my vacation guns here and point out loudly that the Emperor has neither a Hawaiian shirt, flip flops nor a Speedo on.

Happy Vacation to you all - whether you are going to the beach, Disneyland, or your own back yard.

Veg update

2008-07-06T15:09:00.001-07:00

Here are some snaps of The Great Veggie Experiment.
The pepper plants are growing but will they ever develop peppers? Peter Piper wonders...

Here is our amusing corn which seems to like growing in a planter after all.

The yellow and red tomato plants both came back from the heavy duty heat from a week ago. But will they dig this new cooler weather?

Looks like some tomato flowers, with big maters to follow, I hope.

Oh and I couldn't resist throwing this photo on too because I can't say enough good things about Alabama Chanin. I used the stencil ideas from the Alabama Stitch Book and refinished an old Ikea cabinet top. Here's my book review of the Alabama Stitch Book.

What a peach

2008-07-06T08:22:00.001-07:00

*
“Life is better than death, I believe, if only because it is less boring and because it has fresh peaches in it” Thomas Walker

Fresh peaches taste like summer, without the sunscreen or bug spray flavor. They are perfection at their ripest and whether you eat them off the tree or in a pie, pudding or upside down cake, they are one of the best summer fruits going.

Now some folks are put off by the fuzzy skin. Not me, I find it part of the peachy experience. But for those who can't deal with it, there are a couple of ways to get rid of the fuzz. If you are eating only one, use a veggie peeler or a paring knife and just peel it off. But if you need to make a pie and you have a bunch to peel, get a pot of water boiling. Cut an X in the bottom of each peach, place the peach in the water for 15 seconds or so, remove the peaches with a slotted spoon and rinse them in cool water. Once they are cool enough to handle, rub them with a towel to peel back the skin. Read EHow for a more detailed version if you need it.

For those who love historic food stories, check out The Old Foodie's blog for the rumor about unpopular King John's death by way of peaches. Foodie reports that peaches were grown at the Tower of London in 1272 and provides a 16th century recipe for "Marmelet of Peches". Kinda puts my humble offering of Fresh Peach Coffee Cake (in honor of Rosemary) to shame.

So, fresh or cooked, I hope you'll give these in-season sirens a place in your kitchen. Let these sweet babies spark your imagination; some peach jam would be lovely in the winter, or some dried peaches would be great in a Waldorf salad, or a pitcher of mimosas with fresh peach juice, or...

*Peaches and Pewter by Pauline Campanelli. Check out Art.com.

We hold these hoecakes to be self-evident....

2008-07-03T12:27:00.000-07:00

*
Or something like that. The Fourth of July is upon us and everyone will be dressing their potato salads, grilling their hot dogs and adding blue and red sprinkles to everything that will stand still. I thought it might be interesting to eat something that was actually eaten during the time of our Declaration of Independence - something not cut into the shape of a flag or topped with redi-whip. I bring you the humble hoecake.

Ok, don't get excited. The daily breakfast of General George Washington is something to clamor about, but I'll give you the recipe, promise. I know, it's hard to contain the excitement for corn meal and honey, but a bit of back story first.

His devoted wife, Martha, actually had been married before she wed the General. George himself had no kids but he doted like mad on Martha's children. His step-granddaughter, Nellie, lived at Mount Vernon and recalled the ritual that began the General's day; he ate three of these hoecakes, drown in butter and honey, with three cups of tea (no cream, thank you) each morning.

If it was good enough for the Father of our Nation, by golly, it's good enough for me. Start your Fourth off right with Washington's favorite breakfast. Happy Fourth everyone!

Nellie Custis' Hoecakes (modernized, as found at MountVernon.org)
8 3/4 cups white cornmeal
1/4 teaspoons dry yeast
1 egg
Warm water
Optional: You may want to add salt to the batter
Shortening or other cooking grease
Honey
Butter

1. In large container, mix together 4 cups white cornmeal, 1 1/4 teaspoons dry yeast, and enough warm water to give the mixture the consistency of pancake batter (probably 3-4 cups). Cover and set on the stove or counter overnight.
2. In the morning, gradually add remaining cornmeal, egg and enough warm water to give the mixture the consistency of pancake batter (3-4 cups). Cover and set aside for 15 to 20 minutes.
3. Add cooking grease to a griddle or skillet and heat until water sprinkled onto it will bead up.
4. Pour batter, by the spoonful, onto the hot griddle. (Note: since the batter has a tendency to separate, you will need to stir it well before pouring each batch.) When the hoecake is brown on one side, turn it over and brown the other. Serve warm with butter and honey.

*Painting of the construction of Mount Vernon, as found at MountVernon.org

One person's graffiti, another's needle art....

2008-07-03T10:32:00.000-07:00

I'm curious about the line between public art and defacing property. There are those that feel graffiti is temporary public art and there are those (the majority, I think) who find it destructive and damaging to public and private property. I have to say that I have seen some lovely graffiti - way beyond the "Rulez 4 Evar" kind of stuff you see on stop signs and garage doors. But I must also say that such graffiti is few and far between. And even if something is lovely or powerful or thought-provoking, does that make it ok to deface someone else's property?

Now take this argument a step further, away from spray paint, and into yarn. There is a group in the Houston area that "tags" public places (think stop signs, basketball poles, tree limbs) with knitted pieces of fabric. The fabric is stretched around the object and zip-tied into place. The Knitstas that do this say that they consider it art and temporary. Imagine the pole of a stop sign swathed in multi-colored knit, like a big long sweater sleeve, and you get the general idea.

So is this an art installation? Is this something unique and special because it is yarn and not paint? Are the perpetrators artists or vandals? Honestly, I don't know how I feel about this. Generally, I'm anti-graffiti, again except when it is provocative and purposeful - I know that is a double standard. But in the case of yarn, I really like the idea. I like the odd mix of ordinary objects covered in knit. How eyecatching to be walking down the street and suddenly notice a telephone pole with a four foot long sock of knit wrapped around it. Eyecatching, puzzling, colorful, whimsical. A few snips of the scissors removes it and nothing is harmed.

But it is still vandalism, right? It is still someone else putting something that doesn't belong on to something they don't own. It is the next generation of the TP party, right? I supposed it is. I suppose it costs the city money to remove it, snarls up traffic when people stop to look, possibly harms the environment if the yarn gets all tangled up and into some animal's way.

But art has been tangling things up for a long time. Art doesn't have to be safe or sensible. It doesn't have to have a big message or a big purpose. It can be a simple as some knitted swatches wrapped around tree limbs, tagging the tree with color and pattern. Or can it?

Hmmmm...guess I'm on the fence on this one, a fence swathed in yarn to be sure, but a fence nonetheless.

How I roll, Pin

2008-07-02T09:30:00.000-07:00

Most people, at some time in their lives, own a rolling pin. Whether you cook or not, you seem to have one in your drawer. Likely made of wood, with little handles on the end, your pin languishes in that drawer until you drag it out to make a pie at Thanksgiving or sugar cookies in December. That's a lot of prime drawer real estate taken up by something not used that often. So should you ditch the pin? Nope. These babies have history and style. Put that pin to greater use.

Word around the web is that the Etruscans (those folks that were around pre-Rome in the future Italy) invented the pin. There are artifacts that show cooks proudly brandishing their pins.

Time moved on and with it, pins changed. Marble, clay, wood, glass, and porcelain were all options. Glass and porcelain had the advantage of being hollow so cold water could keep the pin cool while working with pastry. Heck, I'm going to find a porcelain one to try out on pie dough.

The trusty old wooden pin with the handles, the one your grandma probably used and you probably have in your own drawer, came about in the 19th century. The evolution of the pin hasn't changed much since then but new ideas are coming around. Chrome and silicone coatings are things that are making a showing in the world of pins.

Ok, so now you know the 2 minute history of rolling pins. And so what, you may be thinking. Well, there is no necessity for pins in this modern world - unless you count really good tasting things as a necessity. You can buy ready-made pie crusts at the store, you can buy frozen cookie dough and pre-rolled slabs of sugar cookie dough too. So, technically, no one has to have a pin to make their bread, to make their pastry, to live. But the same can be said for every appliance in your kitchen. Just because food exists in some ready-made, pre-packaged, pre-measured, pre-digested form doesn't mean it is any good or any good for you. The old pin, hopefully worn from some use, is your ticket to some tasty food and a hand held reminder of centuries of cooks.

Ok, so some of you aren't buying that argument. Well, if all else fails, you can also collect them. There are some gorgeous examples out there that make some lovely decorative objects. Painted porcelain, cherry wood, decorative handles. Much as with aprons, pins can be collected rather than used. Personally, I say collect and use them. Become the preeminent pie maker in your family. Wow the PTA with your astonishingly thin cookies. Pound those cutlets to within an inch of their meaty lives. Obliterate those crackers for that cheesecake crust. Get that pin out of the drawer and into your hands. You'll never go pre-fab again.

For advice on picking out a great pin (and yes, the kind of pin makes a difference) here is a place to start. For the expanded history of rolling pins, check out Answers.com.

Random Recipe Monday - Dinosaur Egg Meatloaf

2008-06-30T08:28:00.001-07:00

NR's been loving dinosaurs lately (check out the details of our visit to the museum here) so I thought I'd give a shout out to the would-be palentologists in the crowd. Here's a meatloaf, shaped like an egg, with a surprise "yolk" inside (cheese, naturally). Nothing says dinosaur liked ground and pressed meat. Rawr.

Three tickets to Paradise...

2008-06-30T07:55:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was hot here, what folks would call a scorcher. It was hot on Saturday too and we had already gone to a movie (Wall-E) and a swim then, so Sunday was a day without air-conditioning on the horizon. Our house, mid-century wonder that it is, gets hot and stays hot, so the family concocted a plan for keeping cool. We'd spend the day doing stuff somewhere else.

Now, that might sound like a basic plan, but when pressed to find places to go to stay cool, it isn't as easy as you'd think. Who wants to spend all day in a shopping mall? The library was an option but not a good one for a seven year old - too many Shhhhs. We decided to take a jaunt to the local Natural History Museum in Seattle to check out dinosaur bones. NR's been really grooving on them lately and I was fairly sure that the museum would be a cool place we could hang out and get into Triceratops. I was partially right. The museum had Triceratops and other interesting specimens (NR loved the mastadon skeleton) but it lacked AC. It was just slightly warmer in the building than the 90 degrees outside, so we wandered the marble halls and were mindful not to slip in our sweat.

An hour or so later and we were back outside, in the shank of the heat. What to do now, we wondered. We could go to Ikea, I suggested, half-heartedly. Nope, let's go to Mount Rainier, Hubby said. Sure, why not, said I.

Off we went, slurping Slurpees (all road trips require Slurpees) and rocking out to The Eagles, Don McClean, S&G (Simon and Garfunkel, to the uninitiated). We figured we dash on into the park and head up to the summit area called Paradise. Well, the dashing lasted as long as the highway to the US National Park entrance. Funny how both Hubby and I had forgotten that the road up to the summit winds through the forest. Gorgeous forest, with snow melt waterfalls, gushing rivers, pinky-purple flowers on the rocks, but curves nonetheless. Let's just say it took some time to get to the top. But once there, we left the heat and entered snow - melting snow with plenty of dirt streaks, but snow that folks were playing in and tossing about in their shorts and sandals. Once at the top it was well passed four o'clock so we had just enough time to stretch our legs, walk in the snow, toss some snowballs, hit the bathrooms in the lodge, and head on back down the mountain. Unfortunately, we took a wrong turn and started to go the very long way back, around the rear of Rainier, which would have added another hour or more to our drive home. Luckily, only twenty minutes into that faux pas we discovered our error and hurried back.

The curves at dusk, behind pokey cars, give plenty of time to examine the old growth trees and the green that is everywhere. It really is a gorgeous place, one that local folks should check out again if they haven't been in awhile. Once back out on the highway, we made the long trek home, listening to NR belt the chorus to Slow Ride (by Foghat, courtesy of Guitar Hero) for twenty minutes or so. [Click on my Podcast button on the right to hear a sample.]

We arrived home just in time for his bedtime and a nice 85 degrees inside. Such heat requires three things - a dish of ice cream, a circulating fan pointing inches away from you and back to back viewings of the West Wing. Yep, Paradise. Rainier View from Paradise

Rebel without a pin

2008-06-27T08:02:00.000-07:00

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I've been thinking about installing a retractable clothesline when we move to the new house. I know that I won't use it all the time; northwest weather is just too unpredictable and wet for that, but on sunny days, I thought I could save a little energy and get my towels and sheets dry in the sun. My idea has met with some skepticism.

The first thing mentioned was "crunchy towels". It's true that towels get stiffer and scratchier on the line than in the dryer, but for me, that doesn't seem like a big deal. I don't wear the towel, after all - it just sucks up water, so the stiffness doesn't seem like a big deal.

Lugging wet towels outside and making sure they don't get rained on was also a concern. I agree the rain might be an issue and lugging towels isn't anyone's idea of fun, but the new clothesline won't be that far from the dryer and Lord knows I could use some exercise.

The skeptics also mentioned how the clothesline will look like the Clampetts (a la The Beverly HillBillies). The line will be in the backyard, so I don't think the neighbors will care - but that argument has some legs. Apparently, there is a legal controversy over home associations that have banned clotheslines, presumably for lowering property values. Some courts have ruled that these restrictions are illegal. The humble clothesline appears to be a line drawn in the air for some folks. Project Laundry has a place where you can register if your community won't allow clotheslines, as well as advocacy information.

I pick my battles and taking on my HOA over a clothesline probably isn't one I would launch, especially since my use is something that would have to be seasonal. I just find it interesting that something as simple as drying clothing in the sun can be an issue that folks have to fight for and about.

Hmmmm...well, we'll see if I get the line or not (and if I use it or not). I'm still researching the crunchy towels angle. Anyone using a radical, rebellious clothesline?

*Another great photo from the Library of Congress collection on Flickr

Homemade Carnival

2008-06-26T10:22:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was good and bad. Mostly good, I'm glad to report. The bad came early though when my sister and I tried to take our kids to a place we had known in our childhood called Enchanted Village. Back in the day, it was a place with kiddie rides, storybook shaped buildings, cotton candy and mini golf, all tucked into a cute woodsy area. It was a year-round attraction and a fun place to spend a day. Many years ago, the park had added on a water slide park. Over time, the water slides became the big deal but the rides and kiddie stuff was still available when the water park was closed.

Fast forward to now. We pulled up to the park and noticed that only the "Wild Waves" sign remained. The roller coaster track was there but no cars were moving on it. The Hansel and Gretel shaped rooflines were still visible from the trees but that side of the area looked run down from our street side view. We paid our ten dollars to park (!) and stood in line for admission. The signs only mentioned Wild Waves and the prices were sky high (it would have been over $120 just for four of us). We made it to the counter and asked about Enchanted Village. Could we just go to the rides? We didn't want any of the water attractions. Nope. The parks had merged and it appeared that Wild Waves had pulled a Tsunami on the Enchanted Village. The kiddie rides and play areas of the past appeared to have been swallowed up by swimming pools and water slides.

Back into the car we went - two sad kids and two sadder parents. I was really disappointed at not being able to share those same rides with my son. My excitement at seeing the boys go down the big slide on a potato sack or ride the mini coaster was even stronger than their desire for cotton candy.

Not to be defeated, we hatched a plan to create our own carnival at home. Fueled mainly by cotton candy, kettle corn and sno-cones, our carnival would feature a world-class slip n' slide, a swing set and icy water from a garden hose. A few stops on the way home found us loaded with our carnival treats and our slip n' slide. We set it all up and let the kids eat their fill of the treats. Slipping, sliding, running and getting muddy were all on the menu, as were carnival hot dogs and chips for dinner. The carnival wound down when the sun set with two tired, happy, and sugar-fed kids wanting to know when the carnival would be up again for business.

Our next carnival will have some midway games - sack race, egg and spoon, wheelbarrow race - and will likely come to town again on the Fourth of July. We'll get some prizes, some tickets to redeem for treats and yet more cotton candy. My son will be tasked with drawing our carnival poster and perhaps a dip in a wading pool will be featured this time. At our carnival, the crowds are small and the service is personal.

So, like I said, it was a good and bad day. If Enchanted Village had been there, we would have had some great Kodak moments, but we wouldn't have figured out our own carnival and made our own fun. All in all, the homemade carnival had all the fun we wanted. We didn't recreate memories, we made new ones.

Paper Dolls

2008-06-24T08:19:00.000-07:00

Photo from Liverpool museums

My husband sent me a nifty link to vintage Consumer Report photos. From the 1930s through the 1970s, you can see such forward thinking (or "what were they thinking) products as a record player for your car, motorized scouring pads, instant button on, and radio sunglasses. But the thing that caught my attention was the photo of a Paper Dress. Yep, a garment made of paper (more like the texture of a dried out baby wipe actually) by the Scott paper company (yes, the paper towel people).

Now, believe it or not, I've actually owned a paper bathing suit. That sounds ridiculous (and it was to some degree) but it was like a waxed tablecloth - something water resistant but meant for only one wearing. I bought it on a vacation when I had forgotten my suit for the pool (or rather, my mom bought it - I think I was about 12 or so). I remember that two piece; it was blue and white houndstooth pattern and I thought it was so funny (and somewhat novel) at the time.

Apparently, novel is another term for space age. At least that is what Paper Dress makers thought in the 1960s. Shift dresses were available for a dollar from Scott Paper. Designers actually were working in paper and large department stores like Sak's, Gimble's and Lord & Taylor had Paper departments. Paper hats, dresses, slippers, earrings, wedding dresses and pillow cases...nothing was off limits.

Now, wearing paper would certainly cut down on laundry and facing a big stack of washing makes that idea seem a bit appealing, but I can't really imagine how this fad ever took off. Paper costumes are noisy, drafty and can tear so easily - not to mention the risk of fire. In the end, according to a Collector's Guide to fashions from the 50s and 60s, it was the flammability that was the demise of the paper dress - not any of the other drawbacks.

Still - I wonder how long it will be before these disposable garments resurface as the latest and greatest. They'll be made from recycled materials, no doubt, and the inks will be made from soy or something else earth-friendly. They will be sturdy, reusable and cheap - the perfect outfit for the common (wo)man - or so the advertisers will say.

Actually, this probably already exists. I'm probably just behind the times.

Random Recipe Monday - Black Bean and Mango Dip

2008-06-23T08:26:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, my sister hosted a party celebrating my brother-in-law's graduation from college. It was a nice affair, with family and friends, and tons of Caribbean-themed food. My sister made enough chicken and shrimp kabobs to feed all of Jamaica, I think.

I like dip so I offered to bring one. In my usual fashion, I try out a new recipe and take my chances on whether it will be any good or not. I know, kinda risky when it is for an occasion, but that's how I roll. Using Google, as always, I found a Caribbean Black Bean and Mango dip. The recipe called for layering it in a pie dish - I'm sure for a more picturesque presentation. I said phooey to that and mixed it all together. I'm glad I did because I liked the flavors melded together. I made it early on the day of the party and that worked out just fine.

The recipe called for some chopped tomatoes, which I omited so as to not freak out the guests (some people are still worried about the recent salmonella scare). Now that I've tried the dip, I wouldn't use them anyway. I think I'd use corn kernels instead. It was fine as is, but the corn might add a bit extra to the mix.

So, give the dip a try if you have a bit of sour cream, cream cheese, black beans, mango, jalapeno, cilantro and various spices on hand - and heck, who doesn't always have those handy, huh? (yeah, right)

All Around the Kitchen

2008-06-20T07:59:00.000-07:00

I could resist. I found a video on Youtube for one of NR's favorite songs when he was a few years younger. Dan Zanes (of former Del Fuegos fame) has made a new career doing children's music. This song for some reason just stays in my brain and I find myself humming it in odd places - sometimes even in the kitchen.

Happy Friday!

If you find yourself strangely attached to this, check out House Party and his version of Waltzing Mathilda.