Turning Down the Volume in 2020

What am I missing?  

Nature whizzing by as I fly past a neighbor’s yard, her azaleas in full glory.  No time to stop.  A beautiful full moon peeking from the trees as I hurry to a meeting, always running late.  Maybe next month. 

The frogs, the cicadas, the lonely horned owl, all lost to my ears, singing and calling out in vain as I leave my car and hurry to the back door.  Oh, how lovely to sit outside for a few twilit moments, but the patio chairs are covered in pollen. 

Hours pass, another dawn, the morning chorus of songbirds drowned by the alarm on my phone and then the TV news.  An absolutely beautiful morning, I might think, yet I hurry to feed the feral cats before returning to my windowless den for coffee and Kindle. 

No time to prepare the porch for a long morning of reading a dog-eared book with the sun moving closer and warmer, or for sitting still, with that mysterious calm descending at dusk… the hypnotic quality of day becoming night felt by every living creature to walk the earth who was not too busy to notice. 

And what of those first days of warm weather?  Those days that arrive without pretense and do not wait for me to finish my scrolling, my texting, my driving here and there to purchase this and that, made in a distant land. 

Six weeks into confinement now.  First went the purchasing, then the driving.  Then I just got tired of looking at a screen all day. 

What am I missing?  

I discovered what I had forgotten.

Mid-Mystery Sleuthing

“Where did you say we were going?”  Lydia had barely closed the passenger side door and belted herself in before she grabbed the rearview mirror and adjusted it to frame her lower face.

“I didn’t say.  Yet.  And I’m going to need that mirror.”  Della felt a hot rush of blood to her face, so she took a long breath and tried to think about that intriguing book she had glanced at while waiting for Mr. Webster to come out of the attic with the Castleton Dolly Madison dessert plate the day of the murder.  Or death, if it wasn’t a murder.  A bizarre title that promised to explain the mysteries of the universe.  Everything is vibrating.  Yes, the theory of relativity is outdated and now we have strings and vibrations and… what was the word? 

But the diversion didn’t silence the pawing sounds coming from her friend’s purse as Lydia searched for her lipstick.  Della couldn’t bring herself to look over and check if it was just lipstick lacking or the whole masterpiece, the beautiful masque.  The jealousy was unwelcome.  I have a right to be upset.  I’m not the selfish one here.  And I would never get in someone else’s car and just take over the driver’s rearview to apply make-up!  

“Sorry.  I was on the phone with Jake and then I had to feed Hadley and Zelda and—”

“It’s okay.  Look, I’ll fill you in and you can let me know when you’re done.”  Della had softened at the mention of the feral kittens.  “How are the babies?”

“I think they’re going to make it.  Zelda is still a bit thin and Hadley is skittish, but they’re on solid food now.  I don’t know if I can part with them, but I really do need to find homes.”  Lydia paused.  She had made the transformation from girlfriend to friend.  But the work of art was in progress and must be completed.  The eye liner came out of the handbag.

“Well, that’s good to hear,” Della said.  I will not be guilted into taking on two more cats!  “So to fill you in.  We’re going to upper Cantrelle to talk to Tabby’s niece and to some of the others on Parish Road 15.  You’re the one who said we needed to do that, remember?  That they may know something about the deal Sandra was trying to make to sell the old Gautreaux mansion?”

“Yes.  I want to know who lives in the house right across from the turn-off to Sandra’s.  You said it was an old lady?”  Lydia was becoming even more beautiful with the application of mascara.

“She’s in her nineties, but still lives on her own and still drives,” said Della as she wondered how many women put their lipstick on before doing their eyes.  Was there a reason?  Della wanted to know but couldn’t bear to divert the conversation now that she had it back on the mysterious death of the stranger at Tabby’s Kitchen last week.  Would their sleuthing pull up anything worthwhile?  As Lydia returned the crème blush to her make-up bag, and Della took back the rearview mirror and tried to put it back the way it had been, a heavy silence descended on the women.  Della felt a slight queasiness and wondered how the two of them would be able to spot anything nefarious behind them on the route.

and later, in another dimension...

Lydia:  Well?  How’d we do?

Della:  Not sure.  I can’t see her anymore.  She faded out.  Last I saw she was looking up whether it’s ‘passenger side’ or passenger-side.’  Or ‘passenger’s side.’  At least that’s an easier problem to solve than whether the punctuation marks go inside or outside the apostrophes and quotes.

Lydia:  Whatever.  That’s HER problem.  And remember she decided I’m a French teacher and not an English professor.  Dieu merci!  So... if I’m not needed for the time being I’ll just go home and get ready for Jake.  He just texted he’s leaving the hospital. 

Della:  Yes.  Well.  I can’t tell you when you might be called back.  I’ll have to wait till I can see her and right now she’s got the news on. 

Lydia:  Have you figured out what year it is?

Della:  No, it fades in and out, just as she does.  There’s some sort of virus spreading over the planet and they all have to stay indoors and wear masks when they absolutely must go outside.

Lydia:  I did not sign up for this!!  You told me this woman was attempting to write a cozy mystery set some time in the recent past.  I hate science fiction and you know it!  I don’t need to know where she is now, just get me out of this woman’s mind!  I have a whole life to live.  I’m going to be so happy if I ever get out of here!  What’s wrong?  Why are you biting your lip?  What do you know that I don’t know?  Is it about Jake?  Don’t look away!

Della:  I’m so sorry Lyddie.  Don’t cry.  I’ll make us some tea.  We can go to Tabby’s for scones.  Won’t that be nice?

Lydia:  Don’t condescend to me Della Francis!  I am a real character, even if I don’t have a last name. 

Della:  Of course you are real.  I can tell you this.  Might make you feel better.  I’ve seen some notes for the next story in the series, and YOU are the main character.  In other words, you’ll have to solve the murder, uh, and I hope you don’t mind, but Jake will not be in the rest of the series.

Lydia:  (!!!!!)

What is a Marlboro Cake???

Well, the recipe was in the Houston Chronicle this week, and it looked so easy and so decadent that I just had to try it.  It's not very often you can say something is both easy and decadent.  The easy part:  you just mix everything together in a 9 X 13 sheet pan.  The decadent part:  well, the Marlboro part is the decadent part, right?  This recipe is apparently from a cookbook put out by Marlboro, the cigarette company.  I'll have to look up more about that, as it's just crazy.  But it sure has "1950s" written all over it, so is probably true.  Maybe there is a Lucky Strike candy recipe?

Anyway, said cake is in the oven and I shall return with a photo and critique....

Butter Crunch Toffee

Coconut Pound Cake..... well, with a little variation

I just made this cake for a church picnic tomorrow.  The problem with cakes is that you can't taste-test until show time.  I hope it's good.  It did turn out of the pan nicely.  This recipe came from the March/April 2011 issue of Southern Lady magazine.  What did I change?  I used vanilla extract instead of coconut flavoring (in both cake and glaze), and I used half a package of Baker's sweetened coconut instead of a can of flaked coconut.

Well, it looks like we'll have to wait for the photos until I can get back on my computer.  See you later.

Back on 9/16 to add the photos.

Pralines aux Amandes

I had some ingredients I needed to use up, so I concocted this variation yesterday, using Mother's tried and true praline recipe as a guide.  What I changed:  almonds instead of pecans (and I had about 1 1/2 cups total - mostly blanched and chopped but some blanched and slivered mixed in); a few drops of almond extract instead of the teaspoon of vanilla; and almost two cups of super fine sugar in the milk and sugar mixture - the rest was regular, and I used regular to caramelize.  I also, and this might have been my downfall, added a pinch of soda right after (or was it right before??) I added the caramelized sugar.  Boy did it boil up!  I had to turn the heat down so low to keep it from coming out of the pot that I ended up putting my computer chair in the kitchen so I could sit and relieve the back pain that, strangely, only comes when I cook.  But then I decided I didn't want to spend my Labor Day watching the candy pot, so I divided it - put maybe less than half in the pot with the glass lid.  I cooked this new mixture a little less - and used the old-fashioned drop in a cup of water to determine soft ball stage.  These actually turned out quite well.  They look creamy, but I wanted to get them dropped before the other pot turned too hard, so I poured part of it in an aluminum pie plate (I'll call this 'caramel almond fudge').  The first pot I cooked to nearly 234 degrees, but I guess there was more of it (?) and it took a long time to harden.  But it did harden before bedtime, and this morning it all looks pretty good.  So far no white spots that are the bane of the praline maker.

Note the swirly rivers of (I'm guessing) butter?  Milk?  Yes, nice rivers of cream rather than those vile splotches I usually get.  Maybe I can remember and repeat, but you know I always want to change multiple things.

The taste is another matter.  I think it might have been better with vanilla extract instead of almond.  But I'm really eager to try almond liqueur, if I can just find a very small bottle.  And next time I should toast the almonds a bit.

Just wanted to get this down so I'll know what I did when I want to do this again.

And while I'm here.... I really want to learn to make - is it called couverture?  The chocolate covering for truffles.  I bought some hatch chili truffles at CM and so now I'm back on truffles...

Update at 5 pm.  They really taste pretty good.  Maybe the flavors just needed to meld.  Or maybe I just needed to be hungry and in need of a sugar fix.

This was fun.  I hope to see you again soon....

Blondies

I made some of these for the book club tomorrow night.  I used a 9 x 13 Pyrex and lowered the oven to 325 degrees.  It took a little longer than the twenty minutes the recipe calls for.  I used blanched slivered almonds instead of pecans.  Verdict to come later.

This is my aunt's recipe.

Blondies

3/4 stick butter
1 c brown sugar
1 egg, beaten well
1 c flour
1 t baking powder
pinch of salt
1 t vanilla extract
1/2 cup nuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Melt butter and stir in sugar.  Allow to cool, then add egg and vanilla, and then remaining ingredients.  Stir until smooth and put in dish and bake 20 minutes or until done.

Verdict:  Very good, and the texture was fine (not too crisp, but cooked enough).  It might need a little more flavor, though - maybe next time I'll add a little almond extract along with the vanilla.  (They are all gone now, so I guess others liked them too!)

And another pecan pie, different recipe

This morning I tried some roll-out pie dough from CM (called Wholly Wholesome) and I used the recipe on the Karo bottle.  It's almost the same as the one we always used at home, but with a little butter and more pecans.  I used smaller pecans this time, but didn't chop them.  I think it looks nicer with the whole pecans, but it sure is hard to cut.

I won't have an opinion until tomorrow when we cut it at work, but it looks good, though a bit too brown.  The recipe said it had to be 200 degrees in the middle of the pie, so I used a meat thermometer (?) and tested it.  But long before that, the crust was looking a bit burned.  So we'll see.

I took pictures but it's already 8:25 pm and I'm ready to slow down.  I did a lot this weekend.  Right now I'm listening (for a second time; it was on last night, too) to a report on FoxNews about Charles Krauthammer and his new book, Things That Matters.  The library has it on order - I placed a hold.  This has nothing to do with baking, but everything to do with conscience, so I'm slipping it in.

French coconut pie with bought crust

Yesterday I made a French coconut pie, since I had some coconut left over that I needed to use.  I remember Mother used to make this, but I don't seem to have her recipe here.  I used Mrs. Taylor's recipe from the church cookbook.  I wanted to compare a bought crust with the one I made last week, so I used Marie Callender's. 

The recipe was easy and it cooked well.  The crust was fine, evenly browned on the bottom, though a bit tough on the crimped part. 

Taste test:  Love it.

French Coconut Pie

1 1/2 c sugar
1 1/3 c coconut
1 stick oleo (I used butter)
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp vinegar

Melt butter and add sugar; beat eggs and add to butter and sugar.  Add vinegar and vanilla.  Pour into unbaked shell (I used 9-inch) and bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until set.

And on to pies

I've been meaning to tackle pies for a while.  I made a pecan pie today, but I haven't sliced it up yet, so I'll have to come back for the verdict, and the photos as well. 

Well, it wasn't as bad as I'd imagined it might be.  The dough held together fairly well, stuck only a little bit, and covered the pie plate without having to be stretched.  This, in spite of my mistake of forgetting to chill the dough before rolling it out.  (There had to be something I did wrong.) 

Notes for self:  I baked it for 15 minutes at 400 degrees and then turned the fire down to 350 for another 35 minutes.  I shifted the pan for the last five minutes.  I'm pretty sure I used Lily White flour for the crust, and that could make a difference.  The flour and shortening were chilled in the refrigerator.  I'll add the piecrust recipe later, if it turns out well.

This is my mother's recipe, and as with most of her recipes, I don't know where it came from:

Pecan Pie

1 cup sugar
2 t flour
1 cup light Karo
3 eggs, beaten
1 t vanilla extract
1/4 t salt
1 cup pecans
1 9-inch pie shell, unbaked

Beat eggs, then add all other ingredients and mix well.  Pour into pie shell and bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue baking for 30 to 40 minutes more or until set.  Cool before slicing.

Flour and shortening

Authentic... but not pretty

Not bad for a first try

I was thinking: Pancakes

After all, it's autumn and we can imagine it's crisp and cool outside even though it isn't.  I have nearly a full bottle of ($$) maple syrup left over from the praline exercise of yesterday.  I love maple syrup almost as much as the pure cane syrup I grew up with when it's drizzled over homemade pancakes. 

But then I saw this recipe for maplesnaps on butter me up, Brooklyn and realized I had all the ingredients on hand.  Well, not exactly true.  I'll have to substitute potato starch for the corn starch.  Back later...

 

It's done.  They look and taste great to me, but the final verdict will be returned tomorrow at work.  To be continued...

Back in the kitchen

I made some of my mother's pralines a couple of weeks ago for a family reunion and was really pleased with how they turned out.  I decided to see if I could work the magic here in my apartment - with a different stove, pot, and candy thermometer.  And I have walnuts on hand, so I wanted to try a new variation and use maple flavoring instead of vanilla extract  >  maple walnut pralines.  But no luck finding any kind of maple flavoring or extract at CM, so I bought maple syrup instead.  Caution:  We are veering way off course.  I always get in trouble doing these things  Why can't I ever just follow the recipe?  But it's been a while since the cakes of winter (see earlier posts) and I'm up for another kitchen misadventure.  And maybe the results will be good enough to eat, if not pretty enough to leave home.  Back later.

It's done.  Did I mention I couldn't find the recipe?  I guess I had it memorized correctly because these pralines turned out pretty well, though at first I thought the syrup was not going to get smooth - really it did not get smooth until it was thick enough to pour up.  I omitted the vanilla and added 1/4 cup maple syrup to the sugar and milk mixture before I added the caramelized sugar.  (Maybe it was the syrup that caused the grainy, lumpy look?)  I also omitted the pinch of soda that I've been adding lately, thinking the maple syrup would act as a deterrent to crystallization.  I toasted the walnuts for one minute in the microwave before adding them.

There were 52 pralines in this batch, from thin to thick.  I've given up trying to make them look uniform.  It's just part of the authenticity of homemade candy. 

This was fun! 






I love how sugar turns to liquid gold in an iron skillet.

Ready to pour into the large pot and cook to 234 degrees.





Finally looking like candy. 



Is it art?



And here's the recipe:



Maple Walnut Pralines

4 cups sugar
1 12-oz. can evaporated milk
pinch of salt
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 cups walnuts, lightly toasted
2 T. butter

Prepare counter space by spreading out newspapers covered with foil or waxed paper.  Combine 3 cups sugar, evaporated milk, salt and maple syrup in a large, heavy saucepan and set on medium heat just until sugar dissolves.  Do not let it reach a boil.  Meanwhile, caramelize 1 cup sugar in an iron skillet.  When it turns to liquid, carefully pour it into the other mixture.  It will lump up but that is okay.  Cook slowly on medium heat until it reaches 230 degrees on a candy thermometer, turning down heat if necessary to prevent scorching on bottom.  Stir in walnuts and continue cooking to 234 degrees.  Remove from stove and add butter and allow the mixture to cool slightly, then begin beating by hand until it begins to thicken (10 minutes or so).  When mixture loses its gloss, work quickly and drop by spoonfuls onto foil or waxed paper spread over newspaper.  Let the pralines set and when completely cool store them in an airtight container.  Makes about 50 pralines. 






 

 

 

 

 

More cake misadventures

I made the LCD pound cake from Cakelove (mentioned in the last post), and I followed the recipe except for substituting rum for the other alcohols (not including the vanilla extract, which I don't consider alcohol).  I'll have to wait until the program tonight to find out whether it's good or bad.  But it's hard as a rock, which tells me something.  I did also add a rum glaze, and this was from the old Duncan Hines rum cake recipe that's been circulating for decades, the one that calls for an 18 1/2 ounce package of yellow cake mix that they don't make anymore.

I also made the no-mixer cake with the spice cake variation from the same book.  It looks a little better, so we'll see, and while I'm not crazy about spice cakes, it does have spices native to Jamaica which is the country we're showcasing.  My trusty old-fashioned aluminum cake pans may have helped, as did using a parchment paper lining instead of spray.  Hey, maybe it's the bundt pan that's the culprit.  I sprayed with baking spray like the author says to do, but then I seem to remember reading somewhere in the book that spraying a non-stick pan or using too much spray can cause the batter to run down the sides of the pan - exactly what happened with the pound cake.

Post-program critique:  Both cakes were delicious and all the comments were very positive.  Over the course of a day of being enclosed in a sealed cake dome, the pound cake moistened up and even the crust was not too hard.  I'm so glad this was a success!

To try next:  One of Mother's recipes without any alterations and good old shortening and flour for the pan.  I think I'll make my grandmother's pound cake.

It's been a long, long time...

Hi, there.  Anybody out there?  I'm just checking in again.  It's been a long time, but I really do want to start writing again.  I'm really rusty and it just doesn't flow anymore.  Maybe it's like a muscle I need to work on.  We'll see.

Bye for now.

Just have a minute...

I'm on a lunch break, but I wanted to check on my blog. I didn't follow through so well with the challenge, but I'm still wanting to do this. And, actually, I have been doing much better, and have been experimenting with various things and making more on my own than I used to do.

I cooked vegetables while home for Thanksgiving, and all were delicious. Turnips cooked with a bit of salt, sugar, and seasoned with a bit of butter and crumbled bacon and fresh chives. Turnip greens (or were they mustard greens?) sauteed in bacon fat, with a little lemon juice. Fresh carrots with butter and fresh parsley. Asparagus barely cooked and seasoned with olive oil, lemon juice, and fresh parsley, thyme and chives. And I changed the Spanish rice recipe to use the fresh herbs and a can of plain tomatoes - delicious, as I said. I guess I could call that Riz Provencal, since it was with thyme.

Well, this is not the ideal place to write. I'm glad I checked in, though. I have been keeping a food journal (the old-fashioned way), and I also intend to start yet another blog. More about that later.

A bientot.

"If I don't make it, I don't eat it"

This is the challenge I'm setting for myself for the next twelve months. Anyone want to bet on how long this will last? Only kidding. I know no one is reading anyway. It doesn't matter. This is for me. So on with the challenge. I have every bit as much chance at succeeding at this as at anything else I've ever tried. Why not? I've got to start believing there can still be a life worth living out there somewhere.

I'll make up the ground rules later. Obviously, I'll have to have some exceptions built in for eating with other people, eating out occasionally, and for those times when I'm really, really hungry, blood sugar dropping, and need to get some food in me. Staples will be okay - like the cottage cheese I'm going to eat for lunch. But no frozen dinners, and not even canned soup. No bought granola bars. No deli chicken or salmon. No ice cream unless it's plain ice cream used in a dessert I make.

Oh and that reminds me. The reason for this challenge is to see if I lose weight by eliminating fast food (which I don't really eat that much or that often, to tell the truth) and convenience food (which I do eat, most of the time and in greater quantities than I should).

I'm glad I'll be off for three days. I can ruminate on what to fix for supper, even go to the store tonight. But if I want to eat, I have to make something myself.

Sounds fun, doesn't it?

Later.

About to get out of Dodge

So of course I'm running around thinking I have to do everything before I leave, like check to make sure this blog is still here. I am going to have to regroup, to say the least. More later. Yes, I promise! More later. There is something different about my brain, when will I ever learn? When will I ever learn! At least this is another Day 5.

Bye.

Mesmerizing Moon

It was so full and bright and beautiful tonight as I was driving home. One of those nights I have to make myself pay attention to the road, because my eyes just want to stare at the moon. I missed the eclipse last night, but I don't really think it would have been visible anyway, even if I had gotten up and gone out on the balcony.

Sat in my car and went through my sack of mail on my lunch hour. How pathetic is that. Got some things done at work. Not much to say, really. Just have tomorrow, then off for Christmas, then back for four days, then New Year's. Then a brand new year, with so many possibilities. I want to be in a very different place (in my head at least) by this time next year.

I had two pieces of rosemary toast with olive oil and V-8 juice with salsa and a grapefruit for breakfast. I had a granola bar for a snack. I had a cherry yogurt and ten whole wheat crackers and some walnuts and a small piece of dark chocolate for lunch. I'm drinking a Chardonnay and will soon have an Amy's dinner and an arugula and tomato salad and three small ice creams (vanilla, chocolate and dulce de leche).

Maybe there's some point to this. I hope so. At least I'm writing (sort of).

Bye.

Winter Solstice, Full Moon, and Lunar Eclipse

We're having a rare eclipse on the same day as the solstice. It starts around 12:30, but we're supposed to have cloud cover and anyway I think the moon is still going to be in the other part of the sky (not visible from my balcony). But still...it's pretty cool. Last one was in the seventeenth century and the next one is I think 2094.

Today was your typical Monday. But I did get my car's oil changed on my lunch hour. I had oatmeal, a grapefruit, and V-8 juice with salsa for breakfast, and granola, yogurt, and brown rice with herbs for lunch, and ginger green tea with honey when I got home, then a Kashi pasta dinner and salad for supper. That's the last TV dinner. From now on I will make my own food.

Don't really feel like talking. Work just takes the breath out of me. But I'm glad I checked in at least. See you tomorrow.