Juneteenth!

Congratulations to the USA for finally commemorating forever (as a Federal Holiday) Juneteenth!  It is the oldest national holiday commemorating the end of slavery.  For more information, visit www.juneteenth.com.

Mom's Recipes: Two-Egg Cake

 This weekend I tried out another inherited recipe from Mom's recipe box.  My selection was based on what I already had in the house, so the winner was:  Two-egg cake.

At the onset, it is simple enough.  Mix together ingredients, bake for 50-60 min, and finish with frosting if desired.

However, this simple process creates the most delectable and versatile dessert!  This is definitely going to be a regularly revisited keeper.

For variations, you could even do:

• 1/2 sugar for a less sweet bite
• add blueberries and bake in a cupcake tin for muffins
• remove vanilla, bake in a donut pan, and add frosting as desired for cake-donuts

I plan on also trying different variations to see if it can be translated into a chocolate cake option and a vegan option at some point in the future.  For now, it's gluten free and delicious!

Ingredients

• 10 tbsp butter, softened
• 1c sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 c milk (I used oatmilk and it was wonderful)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 3/4c flour (I used Gluten Free)
• 1/2 tsp salt (if you use unsalted butter)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Blend butter and sugar together until creamy
3. Blend in two eggs and vanilla until well-mixed
4. Slowly add in the milk to keep it well-blended
5. Mix dry ingredients and then add to wet ingredients
6. Pick your baking dish of choice.  Either line with parchment paper or grease thoroughly
• I used two small bundt pans
• You could also use one 9" cake ban or a 8x8 or 9x9 square pan
7. Bake 40-60 minutes, depending on the pan you chose.  (e.g. two small bundt pans in a convection oven took about 40 min)
8. Let cool completed before cutting or frosting

I did not add frosting to this cake.  I left it a stand-alone bundt cake, and it was devoured in 48 hours.  It keeps well in a cloche.  We put ours in our glass one on our counter and cut slices from it throughout the day to enjoy.  It is a little on the sweet side, though not so sweet it makes you pucker.  I tend to like desserts that are more buttery than sugary, so I might try it with 1/2c or 3/4c sugar the next time.  However, 10/10.  Absolutely wonderful.  Nicely done, prior family members!

Mom's Recipes: Dutch Crumb Cake

 So I realized the other day that we have gotten into an eating rut, where we just keep eating the same things over and over again, which ends up meaning that we just eat more.  I knew I needed to change something, so I started going back to the farmer's market.  Yes, I pay more for veggies, but they're fresh and I can get a variety.

But that wasn't enough.  I have this 'sweet tooth', and I use quotes because it's less like an "OMG FEED ME SUGAR" tooth, and more of an "I need something buttery and dessert-like" tooth.  That typically lends itself to home-baked cakes and cookies and the like.

So, I found my mom's old recipe box.  It's a precious moments box with all the recipes written on index cards that are now a solid shade of brown and smell like they've been forgotten for over a century.  I started looking through them to see if any caught my eye, and I realized that my mom never made any of these.  I recognized one or two from the whole bin and that was about it.  Even then it was "lemon chicken" and that was a recipe from our neighbors when I was growing up!

So I have decided I am setting out to "cook / bake my way" through the box.  I will re-write and keep the recipes I like, and I will graciously discard the ones that I do not.

And first on the list?  Dutch Crumb Cake

Two things I noted:

1. All these recipes used shortening, and I don't. So I had to look up a conversion chart for shortening-to-butter ratios.  It's basically "1-1 plus a little extra".  So in this recipe, when it called for 3 Tbsp of shortening, I used 4 Tbsp of butter.
2. The directions were awful.  The whole thing said:  "Mix like a cake."  I had no idea what that meant, so I mixed like ai was making cookies (in that order) and looked up how long to bake what I decided were going to bake cupcakes, and I crossed my fingers.

Luckily, they were AMAZING!  Pictures on pinterest: @sdcaprini.  Recipe below:

Ingredients: Cake

• 2 c flour (I used gluten free flour - like Cup4Cup or the like)
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt (or about 4-5 turns of the salt grinder, if that's all you have)
• 3/4 c milk (I used oatmilk)
• 1 egg
• 1/2 c sugar
• 4 Tbsp (=1/4 c =1/2 stick) butter - softened

Ingredients:  Crumble Top

• 4 Tbsp (=1/4 c =1/2 stick) butter - softened
• 1/2 c brown sugar
• 1/4-1/2 c flour (depending on how much crumble you will need.  I also used gluten free flour here, too)
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F (i have a convection oven, so cooking times may vary slightly)
2. Make cake
1. mix butter and sugar
2. add egg until well-mixed
3. add milk SLOWLY, stirring as you pour
4. add salt
5. pour in flour and baking soda and mix slowly (fold) until completely mixed together
3. Pour in preferred pan and make sure it is evenly distributed
1. I used a 12-cupcake tin, lining the cupcakes with paper
2. You can also use two cake tins or a 9x13 pan, but be sure to spray it before adding batter
4. Make Crumble
1. mix butter and sugar together
2. add cinnamon
3. add flour
5. Evenly distribute crumble over cake
6. Bake for ~30-35 min 
1. Again, I used cupcake tins.  This time may change if you use cake pans or one 9x13 pan.
2. Remove when a toothpick comes out clean after being stuck in the middle

I highly recommend eating it warm, but it is completely delicious after being cooled fully.

YUM!  Onto the next one!

Needed a Good Show

Recently my husband and I have felt a little underwhelmed with the available show options.  Some of it is the result of having gone through a number of "hit and miss" selections lately.  Other parts is that there are so many to pick from and we neither know anything about them nor feel captivated by the trailer or blurb.  

So the other day I was perusing through all the apps and all the shows and remembered "oh! I should check Apple TV."  And as I did, I noticed one of the shows in our menu was "Ted Lasso."  I have always enjoyed movies that Jason Sudeikis has been in, and, yes, many of them are on the sillier side.  But something about it intrigued me, so I tried it.  I figured if it were a dud, I would have only wasted my own time instead of both of ours. Yet, within the first eight (8) minutes, I was hooked, and I knew my husband would be, too.

We have enjoyed it so much we have had to force ourselves to only watch 2 episodes a day so that we actually have something to watch and even look forward to.  Tonight will be the last two episodes, and we are so excited.

So if you need a recommendation, and if you have Apple TV, let me (be the first?) to recommend "Ted Lasso".  It's amazing.

Quick Polenta Snacks

As you all know, my husband is vegan.  I am not, but I do prioritize eating well both because I know it's good for me and because, as I get older, my body can handle less and less unhealthy foods.  It must be nature's way of reminding you to eat right!

So one of my favorite "go to"s is baked polenta slices.  It's supremely easy to make, requires minimal effort, and turns out yummy bite-sized snacks (or side dishes) within an hour.

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Purchase the roll of polenta.  I like the Italian Herb and Sun-dried tomato flavored ones the best, but they have plain and other flavors as well
3. Cut the polenta into slices.  For firmer snacks, cut slices closer to 1/4 of an inch thick.  For chewier snacks, closer to 1/2 an inch.  I have not ever done full 1" slices, but my guess is they'd be cooked but crumbly when handled
4. Place slices on a baking sheet.  I recommend using parchment paper for easy cleanup.
5. Take your favorite cheese (we use vegan cheese - gouda or cheddar) and place a slice on each atop each slice of polenta.
• if you're using pre-sliced cheese, I can usually use one slice of cheese for 8 slices of polenta.  I don't use precise measurements.  Instead I just keep folding the cheese in half until I end up with 8 slices.
6. Bake for 30-45 minutes, until your preferred firmness is achieved.
7. Remove from oven, let cool for 1-2 minutes, and enjoy!

Because We All Love Free Kindle Books

 The spring reading and summer reading lists are about to come out.  And people are starting to think of what they can do when they take their "staycations".  If you need a book to read and you have a Kindle, enjoy a FREE book!  

The Summer of 3 is a great summer read, and the free Kindle download makes it so you can read it at anytime and take it with you anywhere!  It's a good "easy" read, perfect for being poolside, or looking for something that helps you escape from the craziness of Covid-life.

So start planning.  Enjoy a free download!  And read-on!

Friday Inspiration

 Need a pick me up on Friday mornings?  Save the Fearless Friday Quote blog site and check in for your Friday inspiration.

Chewy Cookie Secret (and they're GF)

 Alright, confession - I have the Nestle Tollhouse Chocolate Chip cookie recipe memorized.  Its the only version my mom ever made when my brother and I were growing up, and it became a staple not only in our house at the time by in my young adult life when I was battling bulimia.  Repetition breeds memory, I guess.

But that's not the point.  The point is, whenever I made them, people always asked me how they stayed so chewy!

Secret #1 - store in an airtight container.  I recommend a glass or tin container with parchment paper between cookie layers so they don't stick, but anything other than plastic bags should be fine.

Secret #2 - Add water!  It should be the same amount as the vanilla, and add it at the same time in the cooking process!  

It's that simple!

PS - if you're making them Gluten Free...

• Secret #3 - I like Cup 4 Cup GF flour most.  I also add an extra 1/8 to 1/4 cup flour to a standard recipe (standard calls for 2 and 1/4 cup flour).  If you don't add enough flour they spread and harden in the cooking process.

Also, one more confession...I like making a handful with just the dough.  No chocolate chips.  I use those a coffee-dunkers in the AM!

Enjoy!

Finding Joy in the Little Things

 Good morning, 2021!  As you may not have started out as we had hoped (some say it's just 2020 part 2), I have to admit, the continued work from home ability combined with the crisp chill of the winter has afforded me some time to realize how wonderful the little things can be.

Some of my favorites:

• Waking up to see the group in a beautiful frost (I now live south enough that we don't really get snow) and it reminds me how glad I am not to have snow anymore
• The warmth of a cup of coffee radiating through my hands
• Realizing that the days are inching towards getting lighter longer
• removing YouTube TV and swapping it for Disney+ and Discovery+.  I haven't missed the things on YouTube TV that I never watched in the first place
• Finding an organization to donate to, and realizing that I can continue to make a difference to animals beyond just the holiday season
• More FaceTimes.  I do love seeing people, even if i can't do so "in real life" in person.

Share some of your "favoring little things" that have brought you joy this year!  And may you continue to smile at all the little things.

Permanent Lines

 The holidays have come and as we continue to move through them, like many of the mountain of movies depicting the season suggests, many of us find ourselves facing them with some mixture of joy, happiness, loneliness, and, yes, even dread.

You see, the holidays come in like a two sided coin - one the one side is the excitement and joy, wonder and merriment that permeates the air and fills the every-wind with hopefulness, the idea that all that is good in us and others will take flight.  The other side is worry and fear, sadness and dread.  This side rumbles with the echoes that remind us that this year, like all the ones prior and since that fateful year, will never be enough.  The reason that the holidays change from unencumbered happiness to a two-sided coin is different for everyone.  Sometimes its a trigger, and sometimes it's a gradual shift in the landscape of holiday experiences.

What doesn't change are the permanent and dotted lines that connect us.  Someone explained to me the other day that it was hard for her to see her husband so sad at the holidays, but not surprising since he had lost his mother and his father wasn't in the best of health.  She said she had tried to explain to him that she was there and that they had lots of friends and her family to rely on, but I found myself full of empathy, suddenly explaining to her all the "others" were mere dotted line attachments to him and that the change in his permanent line attachments means that the holidays are never quite the same.  

You see, you only have a few permanent lines in your life - your mother and father (or mothers or fathers, perhaps), your siblings, and your children.  Spouses, relatives, friends...those are all dotted lines.  They have their own permanent attachments, and permanent attachments cannot be replaced, and the expectation is that they come first.  What causes the reality of the two sided coin is when the permanent lines in your life start disappearing, or the expectation of equal weight on both ends of the lines shift.  Permanency doesn't equate priority or equality, and that also gives heaviness to the shadowed side of the coin.

All this to say that emotions are complex, and they fill the holidays like one fills a bucket.  Some buckets are larger, some are smaller.  Some flexible, some rigid.  Some can expand, and some have holes.  We shouldn't be surprised by the manifestation of both sides of our coins at these times of years, or how facing them and our permanent lines can fill or drain our bucket.  Instead, we should appreciate them, treat them with grace, and remember to spend time with those connected to us with permanent lines because it's important to remind each other that we matter.

Dotted lines, too.

Wishing you the best of the rest of 2020.

The Humming of Stuck Tunes

 I don't know about you all, but I find that I regularly (and I really do mean regularly) have songs stuck in my head.  As luck would have it, the parts stuck in my head are more like 4-counts, or 8-counts, and on the rare occasion, and entire chorus.  More often than not, though, it is the same one or two lines repeating themselves over and over (...and over!) again on a loop.

And if that weren't enough, these symphonic one liners often arrive the moment I awaken.  I open my eyes and the melodic dancing of a few select notes starts piping itself loudly through my conscious mind.  

Today's "ode" of choice?  "Hail Holy Queen" from Sister Act.  I actually didn't know the name of it until I looked it up, but after watching the movie this weekend on TV, I found myself opening my eyes and the tape-recorder in my head immediately blaring "Oh-Oh-Oh Oooooh, Maaaariiiiiiia.  Mother of mercy and of Love/ Wah-Oh-Oh Oooooh Maaaariiiiiiia."  And then randomly I would get "Saaaaalve, Saaaaaalve, Salve Regina".

At least I like the song.  But we are now going on 8 hours of "Wah-oh-oh" popping in my head on a near 30-second loop.

I think it's about time I pulled it up on YouTube to try to give it the space it seems to demand so it might graciously clear out.

With luck, I'll have a new song tomorrow.

Mmmm Pot Roast

 Ok, so admittedly, it has officially been forever since I cooked a pot roast.  Why?  Mostly because I kept trying to cook it on a high heat quickly, and it always ended up chewy and tough.

Then I remembered my mom had this wonderful recipe, and it was our favorite meal growing up, so I dug into my mom's old recipe notes and found it.  

Ready for a truly delicious Pot Roast?  Want something that is more or less "set it and forget it" and still incredibly delicious?  Here you go!  Pot Roast a la Betsy!

1 Pot Roast (i usually pick 3-4 pounds, but there are only 2 of us)

1 canned condensed mushroom soup (though I'm sure regular soup would also work)

1 package French Onion Dip (if you don't have that, dried onion seasoning will work just fine, too!)

Combine all ingredients.  Make sure the soup and seasoning are evenly dispersed.  Wrap  / Cover in foil.

Set oven to 325 and cook for 3-4 hours (Depending on the size of the roast)

ENJOY!

An Open Letter to Change Presidential Debate Structure

 Dear CPD (Committee of Presidential Debates),

2020 has provided so many insights, challenges, and opportunities.  The presidential debate is another shining example, and in this open letter, I implore you to please consider changing the presidential debate structure beginning in 2024.  The American people deserve great candidates, and while you have no control over the candidates that are nominated, you do control the way they are presented in the debate structure.  As such, we implore you to drive a process and environment that minimizes sensationalism and gets back to focusing on the key issues:  Truth and Integrity.  Leadership and Ability.

How do you change a presidential debate to be more effective?  Here is my proposal:

Move to a 2-pronged structure, which is actually 3 "events".

• Prong #1 is "event" 1 and 2.  Event 1 is candidate A and Event 2 is candidate B.
• Candidates are pre-recorded answering a prescribed set of questions on camera in an interview format
• The event is 30 minutes long
• Between recording an air-time, fact-checkers work to check all the facts / statements made in the interview
• The interviews are aired back-to-back in a one-hour segment (i.e. two 30-min segments)
• As the interview continues, every time a statement was fact-checked, there is a sticker displayed on the screen.  It displays a Check or an X based on if the statement is accurate or false.  It also displays the Fact Check # so viewers can research later if they so choose.
• At the end of each contestant's segment, a total tally of "Checks" or "Xs" is displayed so the viewer can see a quick-glimpse of the candidate's ability to relay truth and fact in their session (or not).
• Prong #2 is "event" 3.
• This is a live debate
• It is only an hour
• it is on any key issues highlighted in the 30-min segments or other pressing matters that have arisen since those were tapped and thusly aired.
• When a candidate's time is up, their microphone is turned off.  Any candidate who cannot meet the guidelines or stick to the rules will be asked to leave until the next question is introduced.

The country continues to pull itself further and further into a divide, and so much of that stems from a lack of listening, empathy, and agreement that debate is not only healthy, but can be done with civility.  The presidential candidates and those who drive and control the debates help set that tone, and we, the American people, deserve more than sound bites and hyped-up sensationalism.  

And the best part?  These things are things you can control.  We implore you to do so.

Sincerely,

A Concerned American

Tea (and Spices) Please!

We made a quick trip to Hilton Head Island recently.  Because of Covid and despite the island saying that masks were mandatory (and literally no one anywhere wore them, unless in a store...and even then it was questionable), we didn't do much shopping or eating out or perusing.  We would have liked to and probably will in a post-Covid / future trip, but one stop we did make is worth sharing.

If you haven't yet been, a stop at the Spice and Tea store in Sea Pines on Hilton Head Island IS A MUST!  We spent almost $200 on spices, candles, and bags and bags of tea, and it has all been one-million percent worth it.

Some of our favorites?  Toasted S'mores black tea, Hazelnut black tea, Mystic Dragon green tea, Key Lime green tea, the pumpkin-spice candle, and the fiesta spices (for tacos and stuff).  I could go on and on, but if you love tea and spices or are curious to try some, try from the best!

PS - if you have any other flavor recommendations from this store, feel free to list them!  Happy tea time to all!

The Future of Education

 COVID-19 has created this new reality, literally thrusting us toward facing the things we consider normal to determine if they are, in fact, so and continue to be so.

One of those things is education.  Granted, I have some very strong opinions on the matter, but I'm not here to rant or rave or pull you onto one side or the other.  I'm simply here to state a few things that seem to genuinely need considering.

(1) If the world is becoming more digital and more global in how it connects and from where things can be done, why is education still so behind in this facet?  

(2) Higher education does not only mean college.  Labor forces, trades, and other skilled crafts are in just as much demand as they were in the past.  When your AC breaks, you still need someone who knows what they're doing.  If you're building a house or repairing plumbing, you still need a skilled plumber.  Just because the world is becoming more tech-heavy doesn't mean jobs don't exist in the skilled labor trade, and the lack of awareness and emphasis on these wonderful fields and careers has to be considered.  Diversity in skill is still important.

(3) Loans.  I know there is a lot of talk right now about wiping out loans.  As someone who has them, does the idea tantalize my spidy-senses in the hopes that maybe I'll be free from that debt?  Sure.  But i also know i actively chose to have that debt.  Choice is choice.  What's not choice is the debt demanding 6.5% or more in interest.  When you consider wiping out debt, how far back do you go?  And how far forward?  But if you reconsider the interest at which the debt is paid (say, maybe 1%, or 1/2% or whatever) the lender still makes a profit and the solution is scalable.

It's a conundrum I find exists in so many facets of the world - the view is on the band-aid fix and not the scalable opportunity.  Often it may come down to effort, cost, and timeline, but it's unfortunate so many discussions seem to shy away from effort, like effort or work is somehow the culprit or the deterrent.  

"Nothing worth doing is easy" or "if it were easy, everyone would do it", and yet, Easy seems to be the only thing in focus.  And while I have theories on why that may be, it is disheartening to think that seems to have become the new norm.  I have hope we can be better.