Lovely Night for a Stroll

Welcome to Upstate.

We may not have electricity; we may not have running water; and, we may not have a toilet.  But, what we do have is the makings of a home and lots of fun and frustration ahead.

A Monkey Bread Christmas

Husband and I had our own little Christmas celebration yesterday.  In celebration, I decided to make something that I hadn’t before for brunch–and, to do so from scratch, which I am only apt to do on the weekends.  Also, in celebration, dinner included a dry Riesling, pork pate, greens, dried olives, jam, crackers, fresh grapefruit grenata, and the secret Slatton family recipe Chocolate Bread.  In between these two meals, Husband and I enjoyed coffee, present opening, the record sounds of the Beach Boys, egg nog, cookbook reading, and a lot of down time together.  So nice.

While the highlight of the day was quiet time with Mr. Man, the monkey bread held the title for Best Food I Had Not Previously Made And Should Have.  (Again, I must thank my amazing food friends over at Apartment Therapy’s The Kitchn for this wondiferous concoction of mmm.  I will not add the recipe below, because other than adding a few spices and substituting 1% milk and some soy milk, the recipe was too good to mess with.  But, I will tantalize you with a picture….)

Dinner with Friends

Dinner with friends requires a tasty cake.

A good tasty cake recipe come from a good friend of friends.  (One of many thank you’s to The Kitchn at Apartment Therapy, and another one to Gourmet via Epicurious.)

I give you the Lemon Olive Oil Cake, a lovely winter treat, that will hopefully go along with tonight’s kinda-hard cider, seasonal veggies, and I-wonder-what-it-is southern entree.

Lemon Olive Oil Cake
(Serves 8.)

Apparently, the April 2006 Gourmet was debating the appropriate choice of olive oil: “Using extra-virgin results in a fruitier, more pronounced olive-oil flavor, while regular olive oil yields a lighter taste.” I say, you are silly, food editors; just let them eat cake!

- 3/4 C olive oil (extra-virgin if desired), plus additional for greasing pan
- 1 large lemon
- 1 C cake flour (not self-rising) (You can substitute 3/4 C of sifted white flour with 2 T cornstarch added.)
- 5 large egg yolks and 4 whites (Do what you will with the extra one.)
- 1/2 t salt
- 3/4 C plus 1.5 T sugar
- Powdered sugar, for dusting (optional)

1. Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.  Line bottom of 9″ springform pan with parchment paper, and grease with some oil or spray.  (You can set the pan’s side on top of the paper and trace the inside to do this easily.)
2. Finely grate enough lemon zest to measure 1.5 t, and whisk together with flour. Halve lemon, then squeeze and reserve 1.5 T fresh lemon juice.
3. Beat together yolks and 1/2 C sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until thick and pale, about 3-4 minutes.
4. Reduce speed to medium, and add olive oil (3/4 C) and reserved lemon juice, beating until just combined (mixture may appear separated). Using a wooden spoon, stir in flour mixture (do not beat) until just combined.
5. Beat egg whites (from 4 eggs) with 1/2 t salt in another large bowl with cleaned beaters at medium-high speed until foamy, then add 1/4 C sugar a little at a time, beating, and continue to beat until egg whites just hold soft peaks, about 3-5 minutes.
6. Gently fold one third of whites into yolk mixture to lighten, then fold in remaining whites gently but thoroughly.
7. Transfer batter to springform pan, and gently rap against work surface a few times to release any air bubbles. Sprinkle top evenly with remaining 1.5 T sugar.
8. Bake until puffed and golden and a wooden pick or skewer inserted in center of cake comes out clean, about 45 minutes.
9. Cool cake in pan on a rack 10 minutes, then run a thin knife around edge of pan and remove side of pan.
10. Cool cake to room temperature, about 1 1/4 hours. Remove bottom of pan and peel off parchment, then transfer cake to a serving plate. If preferred, dust with powdered sugar.

I’d serve this as is, or add some sort of freshly made, warm berry compote/syrup made with lemon, lime, or orange juice to complement the lemon cake. But, really, don’t ruin the lemon taste by overpowering it, or adding spices. You just need a quality coffee…which is why I am now taking this to my coffee roasting friend’s house to be served good food, great coffee, and fantastic fellowship!

Perry’s Christian campaign ad ‘a new low’: Pastor

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/Religion/post/2011/12/rick-perry-obama-god-election-gop-campaign/1

My Earliest Christmas Ever

I used to make fun of people who unearthed all of their decorations out in November.  Those People.  Now I have become one of them.  Kinda my people.

I could blame it on the recent move, where the infamous nutcracker boxes were already out and too heavy to lug, so that it was just easier to go ahead and take them out for holiday festivities.  Or, I could explain how it was actually Husband’s idea to get the tree the first Saturday after Thanksgiving this year.  I could even keep believing that I really have very few decorations in total; in fact, almost no decorations for any holiday except this one.

Who am I kidding though?  Even on a sixty degree day in November, I am ready for the hot chocolate, wafts of pine, and twinkling lights.  I really do hope to make an American pilgrimage to see the mother of all trees at Rockefeller this year; I’ve been practicing battling the tourist crowds by not avoiding 40th and above, while also choosing to go by Macy’s on the way to the PATH at 33rd.  I. Have. Contemplated. Going. To. The. Radio. City. Music. Hall. Christmas. Spectacular.  (Rockettes and all.)

I have become my mother.

It’s not so bad.

(Hi, Mom.)

She is actually pretty cool.  It just took me a few decades to figure that out.

Thus, I must not be so bad myself.  This is good.

So, now that I’m in the spirit and aware that both my mom and I are cool people, here’s a peak of recent events, which have included a tree hunt with the awesome Noirs in Connecticut, Home Depot adventures, old and new lights, and a beer or two:

I Work Hard.

Can’t you tell?

Also, I am not a boy.

Vermont!

Rachel got married in a fabulously fun wedding, Vermont was beautiful–especially after being hit with a snowstorm during our short stay–and I’m wondering when I can go back for some snowshoeing….

NYC Rainy Days

As I walked from the train station to a conference this morning, I kept noticing how interestingly different New York looks when it rains. The landscape in this populous area is really about buildings and people, and the latter is greatly highlighted when there’s a sprinkling. It’s just a sea of bobbing and weaving umbrellas–mostly black–and it just looks…neat.

To Me, Pumpkins = Halloween

For those of us who can get over the whole pagan/evil/scary thing, there are lots of things to like about Halloween. Candy. Autumn hayrides and corn mazes. Cider. More candy. Costumes (or, for me, enjoying others’ costume creativity). Apple picking and pumpkin finding. Did I mention candy? Scary movies. Haunted houses. Hanging out with your husband, drinking root beer and real beer (respectively), and carving a pumpkin.

Man, do I love carving pumpkins. Getting the pumpkin from somewhere fun–in this case, from a farm stand in Ithaca, NY, where we love spending our free time–taking it home, carving it, looking at it all lit up, harvesting the seeds for both sweet and savory concoctions are all part of the mystique.

Last year, Husband and I didn’t get to purchase a pumpkin; he’s not the fan that I am. This year, we got one, which I carved and did the seed roasting, while he got a beer and watched. Next year, two pumpkins will be purchased and carved…by both of us. I like to think that I am easing Husband into the awesomeness that is Halloween. I mean, who can’t resist this?

Only killjoys.