Scandinavian Apple Cake

Halloween has certainly changed since the days of my youth. As a little kid, we'd hit the neighborhood with our brown bags. Later, we transitioned to pillow cases. There were 50 houses per block - 25 on each side - and the majority of them handed out something. We scored big-time. We needed to score big because we had to give up half of our haul for the kids at the local orphanage. Yeah... the folks were adamant that we share our good fortune with those who were not as fortunate. And we couldn't just give up the stuff we didn't like - we had to part with some of those coveted Hershey bars, too. And that was before San Francisco was liberal!

I guess at another place in time I would be at a party bobbing for apples, tonight. Instead, I made an apple cake. I have a vague memory of bobbing for apples once, somewhere, but that's all there is - a vague memory. The only part I do remember is that it wasn't easy.

Baking a cake is infinitely simpler.

And the porch light is out. We do NOT want Trick-or-Treaters ringing the bell, driving Blanche crazy, and waking Nonna. We put a basket of candy and glo-sticks on the front walk with a nice note asking folks to not ring the bell.

If someone is dumb enough to do it, Blanche may just have to go out and explain the errors of their actions.

Our little girl is not vicious but she is protective. Seeing a bunch of people in strange outfits at her door is not going to make her all warm and fuzzy.

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So we have a blissfully quiet house and cake for dessert. Life is extremely good.

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The recipe comes from my mom's cook book. I have no idea what makes this Scandinavian, but it's really good!

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Really good.

 

 


Oatmeal Cookies

Last night Victor mentioned that we hadn't had any cookies in a while. Of course he was right. We hadn't. No particular reason... neither of us had made any. We tossed around a few ideas from double chocolate to pistachio biscotti - Victor stated the pistachio biscotti were Christmas cookies - but didn't decide on anything.

This morning I went looking around at old recipes and found one I haven't made in a long, long time. I have a file folder of clipped recipes from who knows where that one day I have to deal with. I guess. It sits on a shelf in the office and I just add to it when I see something that looks interesting.

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I keep adding to it, not really making anything. But I will. I'm sure of it. Otherwise there would be no reason to keep collecting them, would there?

There's no source for the recipe. Something like where it came from would only make sense - and lord knows I can't do that. That being said, a large amount of the recipes came from Bon Appetit, and a few other food magazines heading back 25 or so years. I've gone through and culled a few times, but at any given moment there are probably 300 recipes that I'm holding on to...

I'm glad I held on to this one! These are a soft cookie - not a crisp one. I think I like them better than the crunchy variety - and Victor said they were the best cookie I have ever made, so who am I to argue?

Oatmeal Cookies

  • 1 cup butter
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tbsp vanilla
  • 2 tbsp molasses
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 3 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3 cups rolled oats
  • 1 cup raisins
  • 1 cup walnuts

Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C.

Cream butter and sugars together until light - about 2 minutes. Add eggs 1 at a time and mix well. Add vanilla and molasses and mix well.

Blend together flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon. Mix into butter and eggs. Blend in walnuts and raisins.

Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop 2 tbsp balls onto pans about 2" apart. Don't flatten.

Bake about 12 minutes, flipping pans halfway through.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

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I didn't have any raisins - what a shock - but I did have some whole dried cranberries, so they went in. The molasses and all of the vanilla really make these. Don't skimp.

These should keep us going for a few days...

 


The Importance of a Well-Stocked Larder

I threw out dinner, tonight. It's something I haven't done in years, but it needed doing.

We cleaned out the last of the garden this morning. The stuff that was hanging on we looking pretty anemic. Lots of green tomatoes, but nothing ripening. The eggplants had just stopped doing anything but hanging there - same size as when we got back from vacation, and the peppers were gasping. It was time to say goodbye. We had a bumper crop of produce and learned a lot about what, where, and when to plant things. I already have seeds for next year from the Seed Savers Exchange and will draw out a plan before we plant anything. A little planning and organization will go a long way.

But I digress...

We brought in probably 20 pounds of green tomatoes and maybe 3 more pounds of peppers to add to the 3 pounds already picked. My thought was to can a bunch of chow chow or green tomato relish, but I thought I could simmer up some with some pork and some other veggies and mix in some fava beans I had soaked over night. Perfect time for a nice fall stew of sorts.

I had a green tomato recipe where everything is ground together, so I thought I'd grind some stuff and cook it all off in the oven, shred the pork back into it... Pretty basic stuff. I browned the pork pieces, simmered them in some red wine, added broth, and ground up green tomatoes, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, mushrooms, and 1 hot pepper. After a while, I added the cooked fava beans. The smells of the cooking pork and the drying rosemary in the kitchen were wonderful. The house smelled great!

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I pulled it out to taste and almost died. The one little pepper was screaming hot - and the favas - the favas totally sucked!  They were absolutely horrible. Gawd-awful-inedible-horrible. I think I could have handled the heat on its own, but having it coupled with the disgusting favas was too much. I don't generally buy dried fava beans, but I saw these and thought they would just be perfect for fall and winter soups and stews. And I paid way too much money for them - or, at least, more than I should have for dried beans. And they sucked.

The entire pan went down the garbage disposal and I threw the second package of favas in the trash.

I nonchalantly mentioned to Victor that I had just tossed dinner and we'd be having pasta. With a dozen or so quarts of sauce downstairs and a half-dozen varieties of dried pasta at any given moment, pasta is always a possibility.

He laughed and said it must have really been bad for me to toss it. I can usually make do with just about anything. No big deal - ya win some ya lose some.

About 15 minutes later I'm in the office and new, wonderful smells start permeating the house. Victor decided to up the pasta with a little eggplant lasagne.

Be still my gastronomic heart!

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We had 4 or 5 eggplants that also needed using up, so away he went, layering fried eggplant with ricotta and sauce and cheese... Having the right ingredients in the kitchen is key. It was just stellar.

My philosophy in the kitchen is the worst thing that can happen is you throw it all out and call for pizza. It tends to put everything in perspective. Really. The worst thing that can happen is you toss it out and have something else.

From dinner to disaster to fabulous dinner, we did it all, today.

And there's a coconut cake for dessert... There's a story behind that, too...

 


Celebrating the Anniversary We Don't Celebrate

I guess most folks celebrate their actual wedding anniversary. Ya meet, get engaged, get married. Very basic.

We never thought we were going to be able to get married, so we kinda skipped the whole engaged part and went right to living together without legal benefit.

That was just how it was until 2008 when California legalized marriage equality. We were all set to get married in San Francisco when they unlegalized marriage equality two weeks before our wedding date. Back to simply living together without legal benefit.

In 2010 - when New Hampshire legalized marriage equality - our friend Marlene said she would marry us up there. And on October 14th of that very year, we were standing in a gazebo in Stark Park in Manchester New Hampshire saying our I Do's.

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Since we had forgotten our suits, shoes, and all our dress things, we made it a really casual ceremony. I mean, hell... we had already been living together for 14 years at that point. It was a beautiful fall day - perfect for getting married in blue jeans and red sneakers.

We had one of the smallest weddings imaginable. After our California let-down, we decided simple was best. It really was a perfect day.

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October 14th became the day we were married, but it still wasn't recognized in Pennsylvania - nor was it recognized by the Federal Government. It was four more years - May, 2014 - before Pennsylvania recognized us, and another year - June 26, 2015 - before the Supreme Court ruled that we were really married everywhere. Dates Dates Dates. Do we celebrate when we were married but weren't back home? When we were finally married back home but not everywhere else? When we were finally recognized everywhere? Or just keep that original date that seemed to work just fine before legalities started clouding everything? We opted for the latter.

That doesn't mean that October 14th doesn't hold significance - it most certainly does - but it sounds a lot better to say we've been together for 22 years than married for 6.

So it's a quiet celebration. Fun pasta - Fusilli Capri, a thick, twisted foot-long pasta from Naples - on our Florentine plates. Can't say we're not wild and crazy!

22 down and 28 more to make 50.

I'm ready!


Stuffed Eggplant

That one little eggplant just keeps on giving. I pulled six more off the plant when we got back from California and there's probably another six that are ready, right now. Who knew one plant was going to be so prolific.

It's good that we like eggplant - and it's even better than Nonna has decided she likes it, again. She went through a period of a couple of years where she wouldn't touch it. Now she's asking Victor to make Eggplant Lasagne!

Go figure.

We have enough eggplant canned downstairs to last us through winter and I really am looking forward to a nice snowy day, baking some fresh bread, and having Victor make some homemade pasta.

Have I ever mentioned that we tend to eat well around here?

But future meals aside, we had eggplants here and now that needed cooking! And that's where Victor came through with Stuffed Eggplants. He had been thinking about this most of the week so I was pretty stoked to come home and see them ready to go into the oven. It's so nice being married to a man who can cook!

As with much of what we cook, there really wasn't a recipe, per se. It was more just following instinct and creating.

Stuffed Eggplants

  • Eggplants
  • Ground Beef
  • Carnaroli Rice (Italian short-grained risotto-style rice)
  • Carrots, diced
  • Celery, diced
  • Garlic
  • Pasta Sauce (Victor's homemade)
  • Bread Crumbs
  • Pimentos
  • Olives
  • Sun-Dried Tomatoes
  • Shredded Cheese for topping

Cut eggplants in half and scoop out flesh. Finely chop. Saute the chopped eggplant with garlic, carrots, and celery until vegetables are soft. Add pasta sauce and rice and simmer until rice is tender.

Cook ground beef. Add to eggplant mixture along with the pimento, olives, and sun-dried tomatoes. Stir in some bread crumbs.

Stuff eggplants with filling and top with a few more bread crumbs and some shredded cheese.

Cover and bake in a 350°F oven about 45 minutes. Remove cover and continue baking another 15 or so minutes..

This really was outstanding. Easy to pull together and really versatile. If we made it, again, it would be similar, but different. Might or might not have pimentos, type of olives could change, fresh tomatoes might stand in for the sun-dried...

You get the idea. The basic concept is there - the minute details change according to what's in the larder. And since we keep a pretty well-stocked larder, anything is possible!

We seldom let the lack of a specific item keep us from making something. A little fun and creativity is a good thing.

 

 

 


California Dreamin'

Yes, we did. We rented a convertible. Fire engine red. It's fun to be in your '60s.

One of the many many fun things we did in California these past two weeks. And it really was a fun time. Family weddings are always a blast - and my family really does know how to have a good time. No angst, so drama, just lots of laughter. And alcohol. And food. And fun.

We took an early flight out of PHL and arrived in SFO at 9:30am. A full day to play after a long flight. And play, we did. First stop, Ocean Beach.

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I grew up two blocks from here. I really do miss it - even the damp. cold fog. It's a local thing. We headed down to Pacifica with my brother and took a hike along the ocean there - and then drove through the new Devils Slide tunnels and stopped at the old highway that is now a hiking path. More great ocean views.

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But we weren't out here to see the ocean, we were here for a wedding. It was off to Clear Lake.

Clear Lake is a couple of hours north of San Francisco. Lots of roads with 15mph hairpin turns. Great in a Mustang.

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I hadn't been up to the lake in years but my sister has been going up there with her husband's family forever. They just bought a house on the lake a couple of years ago. It's also where Maggie is from and where Sean and she met. It's stunningly beautiful.

Their house is great. It looks like a Tuscan Villa out of Architectural Digest, but it's a cozy, comfortable place built for relaxing and having fun.

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Modern kitchen with all the amenities...

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A dining table to die for...

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Little details...

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And an a backyard to end all backyards...

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A really fun thing about the house is the Guest House - a cabin that was brought down from the Sierras.

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It's rumored to have been built with wood from one of the Donner party cabins, but there's no official documentation. It doesn't matter. It's really cool.

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And with all the modern conveniences...

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Plenty of room to cook...

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And roomy enough for two... We stayed in the main house but I could move in here in a heartbeat!

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There are other really cool things on the property, including a little Hobbit Tree. There had been a fire in the base many years ago and a previous owner decided something whimsical was needed.

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And then there's the lake.

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The views constantly change, the colors constantly change. The only thing that doesn't change is the comfort.

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Looking straight out the back at dusk.

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That's Mount Konocti. It's a volcano that hasn't erupted in a few thousand years and is a part of the Clear Lake Volcanic Fields. It could happen.

But while I could wax poetically about Clear Lake for hours, the reason we were there was for a wedding. Little baby Sean - now 30 years of age - got married to one of the sweetest girls on the planet.

Maggie is from Middletown which is on Cobb Mountain - the largest of the two local peaks. The area has been devastated by fires - an arsonist was finally caught after setting at least 17 different fires and causing millions upon millions of dollars in damage. This is just outside of Middletown.

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And this is on the main street of the town of Lower Lake - not far from my sister's home. This was an auto repair shop. It's a miracle - and a testament to the people who fought these fires - that the entire town wasn't devastated. My brother-in-law and nephews were up here fighting the fires.

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But this wasn't about fires, it was about love - and the wedding was perfect.

My bother-in-law, Mike - the father of the groom - officiated. Here's Mike with the groom, Sean, and big brother and Best Man, Michael.

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Maggie and her dad... a totally stunning bride!

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And Sean with his mom - my sister, Eileen.

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The reception was a blast and went on until 10pm - and then it was back to the Twin Pine Casino for more outrageous fun. We all stayed at Twin Pine because it's the only hotel in the area large enough to handle all of us.

One fun tradition in our family is no one is officially married until YMCA is played. This wedding was no exception. I could post lots of blurry dancing pictures or just post the video of YMCA. And here it is:

 

 

That pretty much is my family in a nutshell.

And here's a flyover video of the wedding!

We spent the next few days on the lake - and some of it, literally.

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Mike took us out and we completely circumnavigated the lake. It's the largest natural lake in California and geologists think it may be the oldest lake in North America - more than 480,000 years old.

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Much of the shoreline is built up. Boat docks everywhere. But then there's just water for as far as the eyes can see.

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It truly is beautiful. Mike got the boat up to 65 mph at one point. We were flying across that water! It was insanely fun

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At some point, all good things must come to an end. Back to San Francisco and the ridiculous traffic.

Traffic. OMFG Traffic. It was bad 15 years ago when we left. It's gotten a thousand times worse. I wrote this on a San Francisco board I frequent - Western Neighborhoods Project:

Just got back from The City By The Bay...

We flew in September 20th, picked up our 2016 bright red Mustang Convertible, and headed right over to my brother's on 31st & Santiago.

We had landed by 9:30am and at 10 were on the road. 380 /280 /Brotherhood/ Lake Merced Blvd /Sunset. The traffic was horrendous.

Stayed local until Friday when we headed up to Clear Lake for the wedding. Traffic. Freakin' ridiculous.

Stayed with one of my sister's in Clearlake. They have a nice little lakeside place. Came back down Wednesday. Flippin' gawd-awful traffic.

Wednesday evening went down to The Old Clam House for dinner. Another sister works there as bartender. Traffic everywhere.

Thursday, headed over to Oakland to see an old friend. Ridiculous traffic.

Friday morning, headed to the airport. Flippin' cars everywhere.

In every traffic scenario, almost every car was a single driver. Ludicrous traffic.

Bumper-to-flippin'-bumper-traffic everywhere we went. The avenues, Sunset, in the Park. Bumper-to-flippin'-bumper-traffic.

Looking at the monstrosities being built on Brotherhood, counting no less than 20 tower cranes downtown, and hearing about plans to redevelop some retail parcels with shopping on the bottom and multi-story housing on top left me dumbfounded. The streets can no longer handle the traffic that is there right this minute. Adding thousands of more units of housing and millions of square feet of office space is only exacerbating the situation.

This trip finally cured me of missing San Francisco. The city of my youth no longer exists and I finally had to admit to myself that nostalgia is great - but longing for what once was is a losing proposition.

Of course, the irony of being a part of the traffic mess was not lost on us. We definitely would have taken MUNI/BART to Oakland,for instance, but we wanted to stop on Treasure Island on the way home to take pictures. There's no way to get to Treasure Island from Oakland. If we lived there, we'd do things differently, but with limited time, it was out into the foray.

Fortunately, I was able to keep my humor, take my time, and act like a civilized human being behind the wheel - being in a cop-magnet car helped.

But geeze, louise - traffic is bad.

But for every bad traffic day, we had great food days! I was seriously remiss in food-photography. In fact, the only picture I took was in a small restaurant called Mary's Place in Novato on the way to the lake.

It was a California Crepe - Bacon, Avocado, Green Onions, Scrambled Eggs, and Jack Cheese. I ate a lot of avocados while I was home.

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The whole trip was wonderful - traffic, aside. The downside was not being able to see any friends or family other than the immediate ones. We get our Facebook time and get to keep up with what's going on, but damn, I'd love to be able to sit down and really have some fun talks over dinner.

I keep saying "next time" and really hope next time becomes a reality.

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This is a poster by cartoonist Bill Bates who died in 2009. I'd love to have a copy - so keep your eyes out! This copy is at The Parkside Tavern.

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