Making Ourselves Useful

Life continues to be unsettled and semi-sucky, so I’m not going to talk about things in general. But, I can report that we’ve been making ourselves useful. Well, this weekend, at least. We volunteered for a massive humanitarian effort coordinated by our church. We worked through Stop Hunger Now, a nonprofit that provides food for people in developing countries. The results of our efforts are destined for Haiti.

My daughter and I have a bit of connection to Haiti. She participated in a missionary trip there when she was in high school. My connection was somewhat shady, but it involved getting needed medical supplies to some desperate doctors during the 1990s embargo. Humanitarian supplies were supposed to get through, but…I guess the black market took care of THAT! Anyway….

This weekend we and 800 or so members of our diocese showed up to package bulk grains, dried veggies and vitamin supplements into meal packets. My daughter and I worked the weighing/sealing line. Here we are…ready to go!

The effort was incredibly well organized, down to the smallest detail. Before we knew it, we saw completed meals leaving by the pallet-load. Here’s a picture of the same group, immersed in their work!

It was fun, but it was hard work. After a few hours, we welcomed the news that the supply of bags was dwindling. We could smell success!

We were done by 3:30 – a half-hour sooner than we expected. They announced at church yesterday that we packaged 142,000 meals on Saturday! Is that amazing, or what? We’re ready to do it again!

Yet Another Form of Madness!

Life’s been more off-kilter than usual these last few weeks. There has been life-changing “stuff” going on – some of it good…some of it not so good. The most important issues are still unresolved, so I’ve been avoiding discussing what’s going on. I’ll continue to take that approach until things feel a little more settled.

In the meantime, I’m resurrecting an old hobby. Machine embroidery. It combines several of my loves – art, needlework and computer graphics. Designs are created/tweaked using specialized software. They are then transferred to an embroidery machine – in my case via a card – and the design is stitched onto an article of clothing, bag or what-have-you. The feathers are a close-up of my latest embroidered project. Here’s the entire shirt, to give you a feeling for scale.

Here’s another design I worked up on Friday night. It’s done on the front of a tuxedo shirt. I’ve always loved tuxedo shirts and especially like them all duded up with various kinds of embellishments. I think it’s a Texas thing.

And, again…the whole shirt front.

I’ll be madly pursuing this diversion until something else captures my imagination. And it always does. I think I need professional help.

Chocolate Salted Caramel Cake!

Now, that’s what I’m talking about! Chocolate cake. With caramel. And salt! You either hate it or love it. In my family, we love it. At least most of us do. We do have some haters in the crowd, however!

My sister saw just such a cake at a Chattanooga bakery shortly after she moved to that city. She asked the clerk behind the counter to tell her about the cake. The woman responded, “I could talk about that cake alllllll day long!”

It’s deep chocolate layers, with silky dark chocolate ganache between each layer (and on the top and sides). On top of each layer of ganache is a layer of caramel, which is dusted with fleur de sel. We both agreed that it was a to-die-for concoction, and I began to look for the recipe. It didn’t take long to turn it up. It was featured on the Bon Appetit website.

The cake in the photo is a half-recipe, baked in an 8-inch pan. When I made a full recipe, I baked three 8-inch layers, rather than slicing and dicing two, as the recipe directs. I modified the recipe in other ways, too:

I knew I wanted to pipe the ganache, but as directed…it was just too thin. So, I kept adding more melted bittersweet chocolate. I ended up adding 1/3 again as much chocolate – and had way too much ganache. The flavor was pretty good, though. Next time, I’ll use half bittersweet and half semisweet – and reduce the cream by 1/3. That should do the trick.

I thought the caramel was too runny. On the bakery cake, it stays put when the cake is sliced. As you can see, it runs when sliced on my cake. Next time, I will eliminate the 1/4 cup of sour cream called for in the recipe. That might do the trick. If not, I’ll cut back a bit more on the cream.

The layers took a bit longer to bake than anticipated – 35 minutes to be exact. The first time I tested one, it was nowhere near ready and deflated a bit. So, be forewarned about that!

The Bon Appetit cake included sliced almonds on the side. Our bakery cake doesn’t have almonds on it, so mine didn’t either. My chief recipe tester thinks salted peanuts would be good on the side. Might try that sometime!

All in all, this is a great cake. People literally licked the platter clean when I took it into work. If you like salty and sweet together, you will love it!

For Cathy

Cathy of Noble Pig wondered if my new cake pan would release the cake cleanly. I’m reporting back in with a resounding “YES!” The pan has a nonstick coating of some sort (not exactly Teflon). I added a smear of Crisco and then dusted with cocoa powder. The cake almost fell out of the pan. The edges are sharp and crisp. Couldn’t be better.

Based on the test cupcakes I baked along with the bundt cake, I’m not going to be crazy about this recipe. It’s just not very chocolatey. (It’s the chocolate poundcake recipe from Warren Brown’s book, CakeLove.) So, I figured a little window dressing was in order. There’s nothing that a little ganache and toasted hazlenuts can’t fix!

Next time I use this pan, I’ll opt for something that can go un-embellished – so the beautiful design can shine through.

This should be a big hit at the office in the morning!

Still Alive….

I have been distracted – a good kind of distraction – for a couple of weeks and thought I’d just do a quick catch-up post.

As you might deduct from the photo above, we spent the Labor Day weekend in Chattanooga. We didn’t do a lot – and for me, that’s good sometimes. We ate out one night – at a local brewery. Good beer – edible food. It was next door to the ChooChoo, which we did NOT explore, because it looked like there was an admission fee, and I wasn’t that interested. Other than that, we shopped a little (spent WAY too much money on things I didn’t really need), hiked a little, cooked a little and did a lot of visiting with my sister. The perfect weekend, actually!

I’m still in a baking/cooking mode. I didn’t do anything for MmmmMonday this week, due to the holiday, but next week there will be chocolate poundcake. All done up in a brand new whiz-bang bundt pan. Is it just me, or is this a to-die-for pan? I had to have it.

It’s from Williams Sonoma. And the thing is, their website says it’s “Internet Only.” I loved the look of it, so I plunked down cash for the pan and shipping…only to discover last night that our local Williams Sonoma has the same dang pan! Rats! I could have saved all that shipping cost! Oh well…it’ll be a big hit.

The following week’s MmmmMonday (there’s nothing like planning ahead) will be a chocolate cake with salted caramel and ganache. My sister has been buying such a cake from a Chattanooga bakery for several months…and I think I found the recipe. We’ll soon know.

Tuesday was the first day of single ticket sales for our venue. It had been subscriptions-only up until that point. We have several “hot” shows this year, so business has been brisk. It feels good to hear those phones ring so steadily!

And, finally…tonight a few of us are going to The Sound of Music at one of the local theaters. My boss is in it, so we’re especially excited. But, for me, the best part is I get to go with the Object of My Affection. Those of you who have been reading for a while know I’ve had a “thing” for a coworker since back in the winter. Well…turns out he likes me, too. Sometimes I feel like a preteen – and that includes both the ups and downs and all the emotional turmoil that comes with it. The reality is dating in ones sixties is…well…unique…but it’s good. I’m happy.

So, that’s it from the Memphis Outpost of the Girls From Texas.

It’s a beautiful day. I wish the same for you, wherever you are.

You MUST taste this!

I never would have believed it! Had you told me a month ago that I would forsake my long-time love, i.e., Key Lime Pie, for a new kid on the block, I would have said you were crazy! But, it’s true. I have found a new love. And it is GOOD!

Meet Dorie Greenspan’s Creamiest Lime Cream pie -er, uh – tartletts. The filling for the tartletts is the silkiest, smoothest, tastiest stuff you can imagine. In addition to oddles of fresh squeezed lime juice and grated lime zest, it’s got a chunk of fresh ginger which gives the best little kick to the final product. If you don’t have Dorie’s book (you really should get it – it’s wonderful) you can find the recipe here: http://tendercrumb.blogspot.com/2009/08/creamiest-lime-cream-meringue-pie-twd.html

I followed the recipe to the last detail, and I recommend you do, too. My filling came out perfect, but several people had difficulty with it. I didn’t cut any corners or make any substitutions. I made the tart shells using the cream cheese crust from my Piroshkies recipe (two posts below) – tripled. Aren’t they pretty?

I cooked the filling in a double boiler made with a saucepan and a stainless steel mixing bowl. I cooked it over gently boiling water, not simmering water, as the recipe states. I whisked aggressively and constantly. It worked. And don’t skimp on the butter. Yes, it really does take 2.5 sticks of butter. I tasted it at several points during the cooling/finishing process and truly wasn’t satisfied until the last bit of butter had been incorporated. These are absolutely wonderful, even without the whipped cream or meringue topping – so add it or not…as you wish.

I may never make Key Lime Pie again. I wonder what I’m going to do with all of that sweetened condensed milk in my pantry!

Applesauce Spice Bars

This is the first Tuesdays With Dorie recipe I’ve done. It’s a week late, but…better late than never. Actually, lagging behind a week is a good thing. I’ve had time to read everyone else’s comments and adjust accordingly. I suspected I would want to double the glaze amounts, since so many people complained about not having enough. I was right. Double the glaze, if you make these – especially if you make them in a 9 X 12 pan as suggested. I made mine in a 7 X 11 pan, since I wanted them to be more cakelike. Because my bars were thicker, I increased the baking time by 5 minutes. I should have made that 10 minutes. While they are absolutely scrumptious, they were a little on the moist side for me (although they did TEST done). But the flavor! Did I mention that they are scrumptious?

A few notes: The recipe calls for light brown sugar. I had dark brown. That made for a very intensely caramel topping, which I like…but not everyone is a caramel nut like me. Choose your sugar accordingly. The recipe calls for a tablespoon of brandy, applejack or rum. Since I make my own vanilla out of bourbon and vanilla beans, I chose to substitute an equal amount of my bourbon vanilla. That was a very good choice! I did not pour the glaze on the hot bars. Too many people complained about the glaze sinking in too much. So, I let both the bars and the glaze come to room temperature first. I like the way that worked out!

The great thing about this recipe is that it’s done in a saucepan and is started on the burner. Once things are melted together, the dry ingredients are stirred in by hand off the heat. No mixer needed.

I highly recommend buying Dorie Greenspan’s book, Baking: From My Home to Yours. But, if you’re just itching to give these a try right now, here’s a link to the recipe.

These are so delicious, even my skinny, carb-hating daughter had good things to say about them. Give ‘em a try. You’ll love them!

Issues. I’ve got issues.

I’ve been a little bored with life lately. Same ol’ same ol’. Y’know what I mean? I guess most people get there now and then. Dealing with this frustration has led me to want to do more cooking. Or, more specifically, more baking. I love to bake. I love to eat baked goods. That’s primarily why I have 40 more pounds to lose!

So, last week I made the prune pastries outlined below. Sunday I made a wonderful pound cake from Warren Brown’s cookbook, Cakelove. You may remember Warren from the Food Network’s show, “Sugar Rush.” He was in the process of opening his Silver Spring (MD) store just a block from my old office about the time I was moving to Tennessee. I never got to try his goodies, and probably because of that, his work has always intrigued me. The cake was a little fiddly to make – but totally worth it.

And, I’ve been cruising the Tuesdays With Dorie participating bakers’ sites. I don’t want to be an official TWD baker. There are some pretty intense membership requirements, and I’m not sure I can keep up. But, I ordered the book, and I may just follow along and be a lurker-type TWD baker. That works for me.

I’m still planning to resurrect my old recipes from the previously mentioned cookbook. I’m actually thinking of redoing it – with photos this time – and redistributing it to relatives (who claim I never gave them a copy in the first place) and new friends. I am NOT, however, planning to cook my way through “Mastering The Art of French Cooking.” I did see “Julie and Julia” on Sunday, and now I want to make wonderful French dinners. Not so much the aspic thing, though.

While thinking about all this, I suddenly realized that I could easily turn into a food blogger. I’m not sure I really want to do that, because I have nothing innovative or particularly original to contribute. But, then again, a lot of food blogs consist of the writer’s personal experience with TWD or the Baker’s Apprentice or a similar “cook-along” approach. Some of those bloggers include nothing else but those group efforts. So, maybe I’m not much different from other people. Maybe I’ll do this cooking stuff while it still interests me – and then move on to something else when it doesn’t.

Oh, and then there are the feet. Now, THAT’s a real issue. I walk four miles several times a week. I’m addicted. Four miles isn’t a terribly long trek. But, you’d think I had asked my feet to walk across the whole dang country! They are rebelling. Fighting me every step of the way. I had to skip the entire week a while back. I hated that! I’m almost back to that point this morning. I have a friend who is a podiatrist. Must…go…see…Paul! Plus, I need to get myself over to the running shoe store and see what they can do for me. The pain is serious and getting seriouser.

In order keep some level of exercise going, I am planning to drop over to the health club, which is RIGHT NEXT DOOR to my office and get the grand tour. Hopefully after work today. Y’see…I get a free membership in said health club, and I have never used it. Except for maybe three times when I walked the track on a rainy day. But, the other stuff….nope. I’m an idiot sometimes.

And, oh yeah….my hair is fried. Totally fried. I’ve been coloring my hair for over 30 years. Blonding it for the last 15. I’ve been using L’Oreal Preference, for the most part. The color’s nice, and my hair usually feels even better after coloring it. For some unexplainable reason, I decided to try L’Oreal’s Feria color this time. BIG mistake. Huge! That stuff is evil! I can hardly get a brush through my hair. It is all crackly and hard. I’m UPset! So, as soon as possible, I’m getting in to see my hairdresser and will start snipping off the burnt stuff, a half-inch at a time. Grrrrr!

With all this stuff whirling around in my brain, I’m wondering why I think I’m bored. ??? I think it’s just that I’d rather think about fun stuff – like unicorns and rainbows.

Nah!

I’ll just sort through things, one at a time. And eat.

Private Stock – Piroshkies

Maybe twenty or more years ago I assembled a cookbook that contained my favorite recipes. I called it “Private Stock.” Somehow, over the years, I’ve strayed from cooking a lot of the tried and true favorites in the book. I realized that my daughter probably hadn’t even tasted some of my best treats. So, I decided to start cooking my way through my own cookbook once again. Today’s post is the first of those trips down memory lane.

My high school Russian teacher gave me this recipe in 1966. I thought these little morsels were the most delicious things I had ever popped in my mouth. They immediately became a family favorite. They are a type of piroshki. When I gave the recipe to my aunt, I wrote the name across the top of the recipe card in Russian. She thought the strange letters looked like they spelled “Tuppawok.” So, on that side of the family, that’s what they’re called. Tuppawoks. You’ll call them scrumptious!

Before I get into the recipe, please know that I totally understand that my food photography leaves a lot to be desired. I get so busy and absorbed, I forget to take photos…and a lot of steps get left out. I promise to get better at this!

Anyway….

The day before…or at least six hours before…make the crust:

6 Ounces Cream Cheese
2 Sticks Unsalted Butter
2 Cups All Purpose Flour
1/2 Teaspoon Salt

Cream the cream cheese and butter until light. Stir in the flour and salt until evenly mixed with the cream cheese and butter. Form into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and chill at least six hours – overnight, preferably.

For the Filling:

1 1/2 Cups Pitted Prunes
2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
Grated zest of 1 Lemon
1/2 Cup Finely Chopped Walnuts
1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar
2 Tablespoons Prune Juice (I use the water from cooking the prunes)

Cover the prunes with water and simmer until tender. Drain, reserving a bit of the cooking water to add to the filling ingredients. Chop the prunes and combine with all other ingredients. Cover and cool to room temperature. It is OK to refrigerate the filling. Using it cold is not a problem.

When ready to assemble….

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Remove a small portion of dough and return the rest to the fridge. This dough needs to be cold, or it’s difficult to handle. Roll out quite thin – 1/16 of an inch isn’t too thin – on a lightly floured surface. I like to do this on waxed paper for even more stick-proofing.

Cut the dough into squares or rounds. Place a small amount of filling in the center of each dough cut-out. (I was a little too generous with the filling in this photo – they’re easier to fold with just a tad less in ‘em.) Bring the edges together and crimp with a fork. Place the sealed pastries on an ungreased cookie sheet. They don’t spread, so you can put them fairly close. Pop into the preheated oven for 16 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown.

Place on racks to cool. While still warm, dust with powdered sugar.

Helpful Hint: Don’t tell anybody what’s in these goodies until after they have said, “Ummmmm…yummy!” People are weird about prunes, but once they admit how delicious they are…there’s no turning back.

Try ‘em. I know you’ll love ‘em.

Porkchops and Dignity

Like most churches, I guess, my church scales back its usual activities during the summer. Fellowship events and Christian education are put on hold. This summer, however, we are trying something new. Summer in Service gives parishoners the opportunity to sign up for service projects in the community. I signed up for 3 meal services for disadvantaged people.

I had never done anything of this sort and didn’t know exactly what to expect. I anticipated being somewhat saddened. I worried that I wouldn’t know what to say to these people who had no place else to go – people who entered the room in a real state of hunger, down on their luck, and with little or no hope for a better future. It seemed like what I needed to be doing, however. So, I dove in. And I’m so glad I did.

My volunteer opportunities occurred at two different kitchens, both run by ministries. The setup was similar in both. Those being served came into the dining hall, just as if they were going to a restaurant. Banquet tables were set up. At the last kitchen, flowers and placemats were present on each table. Rather than asking people to file through a buffet line, we invited them to be seated. Plates were filled in the kitchen and served to the diners. When seconds became available, volunteers circulated among the diners and took their requests, bringing their second helpings back to them a few minutes later. Finally, dessert trays were circulated so that each person could pick just the right sweet ending to their meal. As they finished, nobody bussed their own table. That was a volunteer job, too. It struck me while doing all this that we were providing much more than a filling meal, because we treated folks like we would want to be treated – with dignity and respect.

I wish I had signed up for more of these events. Next summer I will be sure to do so. If ever you get an opportunity to do something similar, I urge you to go for it. Porkchops and dignity can really fill you up!

Join the Navy – See the World!

My goodness! What a ride this has been!

My beautiful, smart daughter found out yesterday that she has been selected for the Navy’s Officer Candidate School. We are over the moon!

She was in the Navy previously and loved it. Unfortunately, she got sick. She started having migraines, and they were interfering with her ability to do her work. After quite a bit of effort, the Navy docs tried a drug on her that is typically used for seizures but has proven to help with migraines, too. It worked! Suddenly, she was free of the pain and stress of the headaches. But, it was not to last. Months went by, and she got sicker and sicker and sicker…to the point that she had to leave the Navy and went on full disability with the VA. And got sicker and sicker and sicker. Nobody could figure out why – nor could they figure out exactly what it was she had. Finally, after several years of this, she took matters into her own hands and started researching. It was then that she stumbled on the class action suit against the manufacturers of the drug she had been given. When she read the details of the suit, she recognized her own symptoms among those of the complainants. She was being poisoned! That’s what it amounts to.

So, she took herself off the drug, immediately started feeling better, and 3 months later was pronounced fit for active duty again. She told them she preferred not to go back to doing her old job. She wanted to be an officer this time. So, she enrolled in college (all officers must have degrees) and started the process. She’s got a 4.0 average in Professional Aeronautics. I’m so proud of her.

The paperwork and process to apply for OCS hasn’t been easy. Sometimes I think that is part of the deal…they weed out those who are less dedicated by making it as difficult as possible. But, finally, this week, the word came down. She’s in!

Now, she’s got to pass a physical (which has me really spooked, considering her medical history) and a physical fitness test, which shouldn’t be a problem at all. Then, she takes the oath, finishes that degree, and about this time next year, she will be off on her most excellent adventure.

I can’t stop grinning. Just had to share!

Squirrel Porn

Fourth of July weekend was a tad on the laidback side. On Saturday morning, we entertained ourselves by watching the squirrels raid my sister’s bird feeder. Things got more entertaining when we realized Mr. Squirrel was VERY excited about this activity. I would show you the uncensored photo, but I don’t want to get kicked off of WordPress. Trust me when I tell you it was very funny. Either that, or we were really bored. Maybe a bit of both.

That afternoon, everyone pitched in to pull our dinner together. I contributed by shooting photos of our food.

I include this one for those of you who are into photography. I am so proud of this bokeh! I never get good bokeh! If you don’t know what bokeh is, don’t worry – it’s a Camera Nerd term. Just enjoy the condensation on the beer bottle.

Before the pineapple and pears were tossed on the grill, I took their portrait, too.

I was so much help!

Dinner was a delight. It looks a little crispy in this photo, but trust me…it was delish! (I can’t believe I used that term…yuck!)

Finally, late that evening, we moseyed over to the country club to watch the city’s fireworks display. We COULD have gone down the mountain into Chattanooga, but due to a lot of issues, we opted out and just took the path of least resistance. The city has a population of 6,000. The fireworks were not the biggest display I’ve ever seen, but the traffic “jam” afterward was probably the lightest. Some trade-offs are worth it.

This was the first time in a long time I’ve been someplace where fireworks were legal. Everyone was having loads of fiery fun – including this family near us. I hope they don’t mind that I put them on The Internets. I couldn’t resist.

I hope you had a bang-up holiday with people you love. I sure did!