Adventures in Baking

Yesterday, I decided to do something I hadn't done in a long while, but had been thinking about doing recently--I baked a layer cake. Oh, not just a boring, regular 2 layer cake. Oh, no. I baked no less than three layers! Problem was, I decided to do this at the last minute. Never a good idea.

The cake layers came out beautifully, and I set them on a rack to cool. Then I immediately started mixing up homemade chocolate frosting. The frosting was too thin, not sure why. I added more powdered sugar, and glanced at the clock. My dinner guests would arrive shortly, and I still had to finish this, and get pizza (homemade, of course) in the oven. So I hurried. Bad idea.

With a bowl of grainy, thin frosting in hand, I started frosting the warm cake. My daughter, Cat, wandered into the kitchen, stuck a finger into the frosting, and said, "Aren't you supposed to let that cool before you frost it?" "It's cool enough", I told her. I placed one warm layer on the cake platform, and started to gently dump frosting on it. This went smoothly. I glanced at the clock, grabbed the next layer, and placed it on top of the glistening frosting. Wait. Frosting isn't supposed to glisten. The second layer slid ever so slightly to the left. Oh, no. I smooshed it back on top, and glancing at the clock again, dumped frosting on top.

Again, the frosting seemed to slid right onto the warm layer. I snatched up the final layer, edged the listing second layer back on top, and placed the third and final layer on top. As I tried to gently frost this last, top-most layer, I had to continually push the layers back on right. They kept sliding off to the side. I hollered for Cat to come help. After reminding me about the 'should have waited til they were cool' so very helpfully, she helped try to smoosh the listing layers back on top, as I frantically frosted the sides, hoping this would somehow glue the layers together.

Our hands coated with glistening frosting, we watched in amazement as a small crack appeared in the topmost layer, right in the middle, slowly widening and lengthening... a chocolate San Andreas fault line. Our eyes met above the disintegrating cake. I grabbed the cake container lid, and slammed it home onto the cake base. Cat opened up the fridge, and I shoved it none-too-gently inside.

After several minutes trying to clean the frosting off of our hands, the counter, the fridge handle and the floor, I finally gathered the nerve to look. Opening the fridge with much trepidation, I peered within. The cake was still contained within the clear sided container, but the damage was complete. The top layer was now in four pieces, one stuck to the side of the cake container. The second layer had slid partly off the bottom. And the frosting had finally set.

Cat dumped some sprinkles on it, and we hacked off pieces. It tasted fairly good... but I have absolutely no urge to bake a cake again for quite some time.

Living without red meat, well, almost

When my daughter was young, she would periodically get these unexplainable stomach pains. I took her to doctors again and again, but they couldn't figure it out. Once we ended up in the ER, as her pains seemed to indicate appendicitis. It wasn't.

Fast forward many years, and one suggestion by her grandmother, and we found out the trouble. Red meat. She cannot eat it. We eliminated it from our diet, and she has been fine since.

So, how do I cook dinner without red meat? It wasn't easy at first. We ate a lot of chicken. That got boring after a while. We tried veggie meals. Interesting, to say the least. But in the last year or so, we have come up with a workable (and tasty) variety.

I make meatballs, meatloaf (yay! mini cheddar loaves!), 'hamburgers' and even lasagna can all be made with ground turkey. So can tacos, spaghetti sauce and grammommy nachos. I tried it in chili, but didn't work. (that's okay..she doesn't like chili, so when she's gone for a few days, I make chili the regular way).

We do make a few veggie recipes, including a great veggie lasagna, and black beans over rice.

When I have a desparate craving for red meat, I cook up a steak (hey, why not), and she cooks up some fish (bleh), and we share the side dishes.

So, problem solved, deliciously!

Second Life

When I was a kid, I imagined that when my kids were all grown, that my life would be fairly quiet. Just a time for quiet reflection, and preparation for the day when I'd have grandkids to spoil. (and I will...spoil them, that is!).

However, now I am there..at that point at my life when my kids are all adults, and beyond the occasional reminder, and copious batches of cookies & banana bread, don't really need my help. So, where am I now? Seated in a rocking chair, quietly reflecting on my life, as though it were over? Nah.... not happening here.

Instead, I find myself at a time in my life wherein I have been reinventing myself. Oh, as my best friend Connie would say, 'don't get me wrong', I thoroughly enjoyed my time as a mother. And I really & truly miss sitting on the couch with my three kids, reading to them....

However, now I find myself with time. Time to explore other interests, other sides of myself. Two seasons ago, I became a Grid Goddess at Waterford Hills racetrack. My dad used to take my siblings and I to watch the races. Now, I get my dad (and mom) into the pits, right into the midst of the action. I get to harass drivers, er, check safety equipment, and I love it. The sound of a open wheel car rumbling it's engine goes straight to my soul!

I am also spending time, nearly daily (tis my goal), writing. I am writing articles, my father's stories, and even working on a book (over 25000 words!). Granted, some times getting my backside in the chair to start is the hardest part, but once I'm there...I'm in heaven.

This may not seem like much, working at a racetrack, writing, hanging out with friends, but it's only the start.... and I'm happy, really and truly happy. I still get to see my kids, not as often as I'd like, but they are still in my life. (thank God for cell phones & texting & computers!) But this second life of mine is just getting started. Wonder what will happen next?

Uninspired

Hello all. I usually post on this blog on Tuesdays and Saturday. Today, despite having a great day at work, I had a bad afternoon. During a conversation with someone important to me, I mangage to, well, see if I could put both feet into my mouth. Bleh... I've always believed that words are very powerful. They can uplift, push down, and affect relationships. Well, I used the wrong ones today, and hurt someone, insulted his pride. I know he'll eventually forgive, and maybe forget... but for now, I'm in the valley of discontent.

Thus, I'm feeling less than inspired....

I'm off to bake something as an apology.

What is it about Farmville?

The other day, my son Ben called, and asked what we were doing. I told him that his sister was hard at work on her math homework, and that I was playing an online game called Farmville. The poor boy thought he was in the Twilight Zone.

I have never played video games, much less online games. Oh, there was the occasional game of Pac Man and Galaxia when I was a teen, but I never really got into it. And I've played solitare on the computer, but not often. But now I find myself logging on daily, heading straight to Facebook, in order to go harvest trees or milk cows on Farmville.

For those few that have never heard of it, Farmville is exactly what it sounds like: an online game wherein you manage a farm. You are given a small plot to start with, a few coins, and 4 plowed spaces. You plant seeds from a limited selection, and wait. As you wait, you can send gifts to other players, and help on their farms. These gifts are in the form of farm animals, trees, and decorations, like fences. You become 'neighbors' with other players.

Why am I nearly obsessed with playing this farm game? For one, it feeds my gardening urge buy letting me watch crops grow, and most especially, have an entire forest of trees-apple, banana, walnut, plum, olives, and more. The game is customizable. Me, I love trees...so at least a third of my current large plot is covered in a forest. Others have a few trees squished together, and a lot of crop land.

The other reason is for the social aspect. I first got on Facebook because I discovered that many people from my church were on it. Many of these same people are now my neighbors on Farmville. It's fun to kibitz about the game. I often chat with my best friend Connie, while we both play the game. We help each other build barns, send Valentines, and help on each other's farms.

Now, I'm off to play Farmville. My chicken coop is nearly done being expanded to hold more, and I have grapes to harvest. And if you stop on by, I'm always looking for new neighbors!

Valentine's Day Aftermath

Well, I survived it. Another Valentine's Day... my least favorite holiday of the year. From when I was a kid and joy on Valentine's Day was measured in whether or not you got the nifty valentines with candy attached, to now, when if feels like Single Awareness Day, I have never enjoyed the day. When I was a kid, I did everything I could to avoid being at school on that day. My mother was a nurse in training, so it wasn't easy. I'd have to start nearly a week in advance with the sniffles, and slowly, day by day, add symptoms to my growing condition. Some how, she never caught on that I was faking it...in fact, I often really did get sick. Murphy's Law, I guess. (on a side note, I finally confessed my fakery to her this year. It's good to confess.)

This year, I actually enjoyed a few things about the day. First, I play Farmville (which my son Ben is still in shock over... his mom, playing a computer game.) Well, on Farmville, my mailbox is overflowing with valentines... and they are still coming. Then at church, I got to see my other son, Robert, and his long-time girlfriend, Lauryn, at church. They gave me a picture, a beautiful picture, of the two of them together. (so beautiful, I'm going to have to buy a special frame for it...none I had seem worthy). Then, I got a great gift from my secret pal, including dark chocolate! Yum. (Thank you, whomever you are!)

Then it happened, the one gesture that warmed my heart, and made my day. I walked out of the sanctuary, and into the foyer, and saw Robert holding a gray woolen coat. It didn't register. I turned to go get my coat. He smiled, and walked up, holding out the coat. Then I got it... I know, helping me on with my coat may seem like a simple thing, but it made my whole day. It was sweet, and caring, and made me smile.

So, I guess this Valentine's Day was, well, okay. Wonder what next year will bring?

My daughter's new obsession

My daughter, Cat, who is almost 20 years old has a new obsession. Actually, it's not that new really. She's been obsessed with anything Japanese for many years now. My kitchen cupboards are filled with ingredients I can't pronounce, much less understand what are. There are books in our bookcases (I'm a readaholic, I've bookcases everywhere), that have symbols instead of letters, and are read back to front. Many icons on this computer are labled with words I don't know. She cooks Japanese, speaks rudimentary Japanese, and hopes to go there someday (perhaps to live!)

In high school, she discovered a Japanese passion... collecting, customizing, painting, sewing for, and talking about Ball Jointed Dolls. The dolls come in several sizes, including an 18" one. They remind me of marianettes without the controlling strings. And with elf ears.

Well, Cat saved up for one, and finally, via the magic of pay pal and our computer, ordered from an American company who gets the parts from Japan, and assembles them here. Then the wait began. Every day for months, I was informed of the progress of the delivery of the parts to that company. Then the long wait until those parts were assembled, stuffed in a yellow silk-like sack, put in a box, and shipped here. She agonized, complained, chittered with excitement, and finally, her ball jointed doll arrived here. I thought things would calm down then.

Not a chance.

Then she had to order hair for her bald doll. And make clothes. After all, you can't carry around a naked doll! My creative daughter decifered directions from a site, and made jeans and a top for Chi, her doll. From keychains, she created tennis shoes emblazened with Hello Kitty.

Then Chi started coming everywhere with us. To the movies. To the store. To school. To church, where our beloved greeter, Janet, declared jokingly, 'get that ugly kid away from me!' Now I find myself often standing at a checkout, holding Chi, like she was a grandchild or somesuch, while Cat rifles through her purse.

Now I find that the doll is growing on me. Hey, this hobby got Cat learning to sew, use a sewing machine, measuring tape, and my material.... If possible, she's even more outgoing, happily explaining about her doll (and why the blasted wig keeps falling off), and her obsession.

I guess this is a good thing... and it's definately here to stay! And it's far better than those octopus meatballs!