Pots and Pins

Books...

My book club met the other day to pick books to read this year, it's always a great meeting with all kinds of books discussed and argued over, hoping for our favorites to make the cut!  I spent a good bit of time this past summer reading so I took in the books I read, not one of them was picked.  Not surprising, as I read mostly fluff and they read mostly non-fluff...I don't even know what to call non-fluff books, that's how steeped in fluff books I am!  I'm not sure why they let me into their book club in the first place, luckily they didn't give me an IQ test or ask for a list of books I've read...if I stacked up 10 People Magazines that would qualify as a book, right?  I'm not a deep thinker, I've proven that over the years to you many, many times, but every now I read something a bit outside my comfort zone and sometimes something sinks in and I walk around feeling rather smart, hoping to share my new found knowledge with whoever is bagging my groceries, hoping to remember what I learned for at least a week or two before it slips away to the nether regions of my brain...retention has never been my strong suit.  At our meeting yesterday one of the ladies mentioned a book was epistolary...(that should tell you something about the ilk of this group, they use words like epistolary) however I heard episiotomy...and that about sums up the vast difference between their brains and mine!

Here are the books that were picked for this years reading:

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel - This is about a pandemic that causes life as "we" know it to end...I live with a hypochondriac so if HE sees this book my life will definitely end!

Exit West by Moshin Hamid - This is a story about refugees - said to be both "terrifying and oddly hopeful"...pretty much what we see on the nightly news, but this is fiction, so unlike the news maybe there is a happy ending?

The Book of Joy by Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu - I brought this book to the group, not knowing how I got it or where it came from, I found it on our bookshelf and of course had not read it, not really my thing, and neither had anyone else so there was NO one to vouch for this book!    If I bought this book and just can't remember, then I'm sure it's because I do have a slight fascination with men who wear robes.

Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead - This is about slavery, pre-Civil War, this got a lot of votes, but not one of mine...I thought it sounded too depressing, but what do I know??  (I was saving my vote for Ruth Reichl's Delicious which never made the cut).

Empire of the Republic by Candace Millard...except there is NO such book on Amazon...however there is Hero of the Empire by Candace Millard, so maybe I just wrote the title down wrong?  It's about Winston Churchill...I love the man so this is a book I'm excited to read...wish we had a Winston Churchill in office instead of Bigly!

Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann - This is the true story of the Osage Indians who are systematically being murdered for their gold and the FBI who investigates and then they become targets...Amazon said, "...the tale is at once unsurprising and unbelievable, full of the arrogance, audacity, and inhumanity..." sounds like a page-turner to me!

Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben - Apparently trees know how to communicate!  I'm excited to read this book, I've always believed that inanimate objects can talk, Disney's Toy Story was proof of that!  So why not trees?!?

Being Mortal:  Medicine and What Matters in the End - by Atul Gawande - Look, it's all $#&%! and giggles until someone ends up in a box, and at my advancing age, I'm more than afraid of what's around the next bend but I suppose I'll read this in the hopes that someone finds a cure for death very, very soon!

Between the World and Me by Ta-Nahisi Coates - This book is about race in America...I know I will start to read this book thinking I'm not a racist and at some point, between the pages, I will realize that I'm so white that I don't even know what ecru is, let alone cafe au lait!  This will be a learning book for me, and with any luck at all, I'll retain something!

Those are the 9 books for our year of reading...below is the entire list that was considered...I'll let you guess which books I suggested...I should be embarrassed but if I wasn't because that would mean I knew better and apparently I don't!

Empire of the Republic—Candice Millard (/Non-Fiction)

A Gentlemen in Moscow—Amor Towles (Fiction)

Born to Run—Bruce Springsteen (Memoir of his life)

Shoe Dog—Phil Knight (Memoir of beginning of Nike)

First They Killed My Father—Loung Ung (Memoir)

The Underground Railroad—Colson Whitehead (Alternate History)

I Am Malala—Malala Yousafzai (Memoir)

Lucky Strikes—Louis Bayard (YA Fiction)

Between the World and Me—Ta-Nehisi Coates (Epistolary Memoir)

The Long Haul—Finn Murphy (Memoir)

You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me—Sherman Alexie (Memoir)

Station Eleven—Emily St. John Mandel (Science Fiction)

A Man Called Ove—Fredrik Backman (Fiction)

My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry—Fredrik Backman (Fiction)

The Keeper of Lost Causes--

Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End—Atul Gawande (Non-Fiction)

Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow—Yuval Noah Harari (Non-Fiction)

Born A Crime: Stories of a South African Childhood—Trevor Noah (Memoir)

Love, Loss, and What We Ate—Padma Lakshmi (Memoir)

The Heart—Maylis de Kerangal (Fiction)

A Full Life: Reflections at Ninety—Jimmy Carter (Memoir)

The Book of Joy—Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu

Delicious—Ruth Reichl

For The Glory: The Untold Inspiring Story of Eric Lidell, Hero of Chariots of Fire—Duncan Hamilton (Non-Fiction)

Before We Were Yours—Lisa Wingate (Fiction based on a true story)

The Street of Eternal Happiness: Big City Dreams Along a Shanghai Road—Rob Schmitz (Memoir)

Julius Caesar—Shakespeare (Play)

Animal Dreams—Barbara Kingsolver (Fiction)

Exit West: A Novel—Mohsin Hamid (Fiction)

Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI—David Grann (Non-Fiction)

Anything Is Possible—Elizaeth Strauss

The Hidden Life of Trees—Peter Wohlleben (Non-Fiction)

Killing Patten—Bill O’Reilly (Non-Fiction)

This Fight Is Our Fight—Elizabeth Warren (Non-Fiction)

Option B—Cheryl Sandberg (Memoir)

Behind Closed Doors—B. A. Paris (Fiction)

 

Pumpkin Creme Brulee...

The mister and I have been married for as long as dirt has been on the Earth.  You would think, after all that time, the mister would know a few basic facts about me, like I don't eat eggs, I won't watch horror movies and most importantly, I have an irrational fear of sharks...which means I don't like water, bridges, boats, swimming pools with dark bottoms, get my drift?  I have been very vocal about this over the years so he KNOWS I will not ever go on a cruise...every week when we get the Viking Cruise brochure in the mail (everyone over a certain age must get those things!)  the mister knows to toss it immediately, ain't gonna happen.  When my parents and siblings/spouses went on a cruise I opted to babysit my nieces and nephews rather than go with them!  That's right, I volunteered to stay with 4 teenagers rather than go on a shark-bait-boat.   Boats + water = sharks, it's simple math.  So imagine my surprise this morning when the mister, in all seriousness, asked if I wanted to go on a whale watching cruise off the cost of Hawaii.  Time for more math...Boats + WARM water = Giant MAN-EATING GREAT WHITE SHARKS!  I just stared at him, mouth agape as he pleaded his case..."I know a guy who owns the whale watching tour company over there, he would show us a really great time, probably give us a personal tour and everything..."  translation:  we would be on a small vessel that would capsize us right into the mouths of hungry sharks never to be seen or heard from again.  Not wanting to sound like Regan in The Exorcist, I took a sip of my morning mocktail, composed myself and in my nicest take-your-next-wifey-on-an-open-water-whale-watching-tour-voice said, "What in the Sam Hill are you talking about?!  Go to work you crazy man and don't come home until that thought is banished from your head!"  Godfrey!  It's so tiresome being the ONLY normal one in this house!

 

 Several years ago I clipped a newspaper recipe and stuck it in my "to make" pile.  As Autumn would roll around each year, I looked at this recipe, trying to find a good enough reason to make it...it seemed too fancy to make for an every day dessert and it would be a waste to make for Thanksgiving because that's all about PIE!  Finally, hosting my book club gave me an excuse to make this wonderful, silky smooth, richly decadent, subtly-spiced dessert...it's a keeper and while it won't make our T-Day table, it will definitely make a couple of appearances before the Fat Lady sings!

Like I said above, this is subtly-spiced...don't think of this as another version of pumpkin pie, it's not.  It has just a hint of pumpkin, and a pinch of nutmeg, cloves, ginger and cinnamon, just enough to give you a taste of the season and it definitely allows for a few Mmmmmmms.  This can be made a day ahead, or if you want to make it and serve it the same day, make sure you allow for at least two hours of time in the fridge for the brulee to cool.  Don't be an idiot like me and wait years to make this - make it this holiday season, you'll thank me!

Pumpkin Creme Brulee - From The Seattle Times Newspaper, 1997

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1/2 cup whole milk

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

2 pinches nutmeg

1 pinch ginger

1 pinch ground cloves

4 egg yolks

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup canned pumpkin puree

Topping:  1/3 cup coarse sugar or raw sugar, but you can use regular ol' sugar

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  In a medium saucepan, heat the cream, milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves over medium heat, stirring occasionally, just until it comes to a boil. Immediately turn off the heat and set aside to infuse at least 15 minutes.

 

In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the granulated sugar. Whisking constantly, whisk in the pumpkin puree and then the hot cream mixture.   Pour the mixture into 4 ovenproof ramekins and arrange in a hot water bath.  (Put ramekins into a large baking dish with side, like a roaster or a 9 x 13-inch baking pan and pour hot water into the bottom of the pan until it comes about half way up the sides of the ramekins.)

 

Bake in the center of the oven until almost set but still a bit soft in the center, 30 to 40 minutes. The custard should "shimmy" a bit when you shake the pan; it will firm up more as it cools. Remove from the water bath and let cool 15 minutes. Tightly cover each ramekin with plastic wrap, making sure the plastic does not touch the surface of the custard. Refrigerate at least 2 hours, and up to 24 hours.

When ready to serve, preheat a broiler to very hot (or fire up your kitchen torch). Uncover the chilled custards. Pour as much coarse sugar as will fit onto the top of 1 of the custards. Pour off the remaining sugar onto the next custard. Repeat until all the custards are coated. Discard any remaining sugar. Place the ramekins on a baking sheet or in a roasting pan and broil until the sugar is melted and well browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Let cool 1 minute before serving.  Top with a dollop of whipped cream, if desired and a ginger cookie.  This recipe makes 4 generous servings.

Our book club members go to great lengths to try to match the book with the food...the book we read was The Rent Collector, which is set in a dump in Cambodia.  (I loved this book and highly recommend it!)  I toyed with the idea of spreading garbage all over the driveway and the walkway up to our dump, but after the party was over, I'd have to pick up the trash...not really my forte.  While the characters in the book ate snails and rice and whatever else they could scavenge, I just couldn't bring myself to do that to people I care about...so I ignored the theme...It's Fall, Thanksgiving is just around the corner, so I went with that...I don't think they minded one bit!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Frankie At Home In the Kitchen - Cookbook Review...

For you locals, Frankie's Pizza and Pasta Restaurant in Redmond, WA, which has been a favorite around here for about 24 years, will be closing soon!!!  It's demise the result of more development - the corner where Frankie's is will soon be a new hotel...just what we need...sigh.  I had the pleasure of lunching there recently with a dear friend and while I was waiting for her to arrive (traffic was horrendous) I picked up a copy of Frankie's cookbook from a rack in the lobby to read.  I was immediately captivated!  His recipes are favorites from the restaurant and the photography, done by Frankie himself, is colorful and beautiful plus the cookbook lays FLAT so it will be easy to read those recipes in the kitchen while making them! 

This is a cookbook you will want to have in your collection...and you'll use it!  The recipes are easy to follow and having tried most of them over the years at the restaurant, they are dang delicious. Frankie has an easy writing style which makes this book a pleasure to read...you do read cookbooks, right?  But it's not just a recipe book because Frankie has included tips to make his recipes easy and a few suggestions for la dolce vita...living the sweet life!

If you're nearby, pick up a copy at Frankie's before they close, ($15.00) just a little bit of local history for your kitchen.  It would make a great wedding gift with a pizza stone, no? 

If you're not close by, not to worry, you can order from Amazon by clicking here.

Frankie's Italian Wedding Soup is a personal favorite, but his pizzas, which he gives step-by-step directions for, are worth every calorie.  And while all the recipes in Frankie's book speak to me, there are two recipes I''m dying to make...Frankie's Pizza Rustica - think deep-dish-Chicago-style-pizza - so thick, cheesy and rich you just know the scale will jump 5 pounds after devouring this ooey-gooey Italian favorite.   Then there's Frankie's Timpano.  If you've seen the movie Big Night, (and if you haven't then rent it immediately before you do one more thing!  Stanley Tucci is so fun to watch in this movie!) then you've seen a Timpano...a "kitchen-sink" Italian dish that will serve a small nation.  It's made in a big enameled bowl which has been draped with pasta dough so the filling of meatballs, hard-boiled eggs, sausage, cheese, more eggs, onions, garlic, etc.,etc., can be wrapped up and baked into the most delicious Italian conglomeration  you'll ever have and then it's all topped with Marinara sauce or as we like to say, Sunday gravy.  

In the 9 years I've had this blog - yes 9!, I think I've only done one other cookbook review - maybe two - so when I tell you this is a fabulouso Italian cookbook, and that you need it and will be so happy to be able to cook like Frankie at home, believe me.  And you're welcome.  

Tell Frankie Nan sent you! 

All The Light We Cannot See Luncheon...

If you haven't read All The Light We Cannot See, by Anthony Doerr, you should.  It's the perfect summer reading for someone at the beach, who needs to look up every 5 minutes or so to check on kids or slather on more sunscreen.  It's also perfect for someone with ADD/ADHD or the person who only has a finite time to read each day because every chapter is about 1 1/2 pages long!!!  Pick up, read, put down...it's a beautiful thing!  The chapters, while short, are anything but sweet.  It's the story of a father and his blind daughter, the story of a small walled city on the coast of France, the story of a German boy and his sister, of snipers and bombs and espionage and messages baked into bread and music and despair and hope.  It's one great ride!  We read it in our book club and I was lucky enough to be able to host for that meeting...which meant bringing to life the foods mentioned in the book so we could all have a taste of 1940 France.

The table was set with France in mind...blue, red and white.  Notice the centerpiece?  It's a metal WWII Ammo box - the mister and I found it in an antique shop!  I scrubbed it with bleach, washed it clean, lined it with red and white checked fabric and then filled it with baguettes.

 

 

 

A week before the lunch the mister and I set out to find whatever military/war relics we could...the ammo box and a box of bullets were about it.  I did find some white plates with blue rims that matched ones I already had - so that was a bonus! 

Since the girl in the book liked shells, I spread shells around the table - I have collected them over the years, lots of trips to Florida, that's where the best shells are.  I printed out a couple of pictures of German youth and put them in small frames, since part of the book was about a boy named Werner - he was also the inspiration for our dessert - but more on that later.  I also printed out a few pics of the picturesque town of St. Malo, France.  It's a walled city and this is where much of the story takes place.  If I remember correctly, St. Malo was almost destroyed, approximately 85% of all the buildings were hit with bombs/debris.  It's been rebuilt and restored now, but what a history this tiny city has!

The beginning of the book takes place in Paris, so I once again employed my many little Eiffel Towers...they sat upon a table runner made with French fabric, it has scenes of Paris on it - I had been looking for something to do with that fabric for years!  Notice the bullets?  That was the mister's touch - he was quite proud of himself for that addition!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The outside of the villa needed a few decorations, too!  My little girl statue donned a beret, I hung French flags over my porch and my big Eiffel Tower was standing sentry with a Boulangerie sign...(Too much?  In my defense, I had been cooped up for weeks with my shoulder surgery, unable to do anything but dream up things for this lunch, so when I finally was able to move around a bit, I sort of went nuts!)

 

 

My Sous Chef for the day was my cousin Marsha (Thank you Marsha!) who came ready to chop, slice and dice and she also brought this beautifully framed picture of someone on her side of the family (sorry, too many pills down the hatch, can't remember!) who served in WWII...click on the pic for a closer look, it's pretty amazing!  Above the frame is a quote from the book...Marie-Laure, the little blind girl, had been without food for a long time, she and her father were starving when they arrived at their great-uncle's home and were served omlettes and canned peaches...Marie-Laure called the peaches wet sunshine!  Of course, I served canned peaches!

I think you'll recognize the other picture - had to have a little eye-candy for the ladies...G.I. Joe on the right and Marine Corp Ken on the left...good ahead a take a minute to covet them...they are two of my most prized possessions!

Let's talk food, shall we?  I wrote the menu on a little ceramic platter - you don't need a chalkboard if you have a Dry Erase marker and a plate!  Make sure you have a fine tip Dry Erase marker...it will work much better than the big fat one I had!

I would have loved to have made an omlette for all 14 of us, but that doesn't really work when everyone needs to be fed at the same time...so I made Bacon and Triple Cheese Quiche.

I've already mentioned the canned peaches - and the ladies ate them...wet sunshine they were!

We enjoyed fresh melon slices and fruit and my favorite salad, which is very French...salad greens with every kind of fresh herb you can think of, chopped very finely, and artichoke hearts with a champagne dressing.

In the book, the French Resistance bakes loaves of bread with coded messages in them - so I did the same!  I baked little baguettes with quotes from the book baked inside!

For dessert we had Werner's Cake...the book talks about Werner being served a cake piled high with whipped cream, so in keeping with the French theme, I made Meyer Lemon Crepe Cake - vanilla flavored crepes with a light lemony-cream and fresh strawberries in between each crepe then piled high with whipped cream - it was a thing of beauty! (And this time I used a REAL crepe pan and all the crepe turned out to be the same size - funny how that happens!)

 

 

 

 

This was our last book club meeting of the year and I wanted it to be special - it was nice to end the year with a great book that everyone loved!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So what's on your reading beach towel this summer?  I've got several books piled up - I'll let you know which ones I like!  Happy Summer reading!

 

 

 

Everyday Slow Cooker...

Some people call this time of year Fall or Autumn or Pumpkin Season or Everything Pumpkin Season and  while some people hate this time of year (the mister), I look forward to wearing sweaters and boots, sitting by the fire wrapped up in a quilt and eating anything made in a Crock Pot.  So when I got the mail and discovered a new Slow Cooker cookbook, I was tickled pink!  I don't have a cookbook just for slow cooker recipes - and this cookbook has 245 pages of beautiful photographs and mouth-watering recipes for me to try!

While thumbing through the book, dog-earring pages of dishes I want to make, I came across a recipe for Creamy Garlic Lemon Chicken - which happens to be one of my family's favorite meals.  I looked at the picture, it looked absolutely delicious and just like I had made it myself...so I read the recipe..."I needed an easy way to prepare my family's favorite meal, lemon chicken, and this recipe is it!  My entire family loves this rich slow-cooker dish, and everyone who eats it asks for the recipe - it's a keeper."  REALLY?!?!  Doesn't that sound just like me??!!  Then I skipped and guess what?  IT IS ME!!!  I don't remember when I submitted the recipe or why or how or to whom...but there it is - in this beautiful book - our favorite family mea, Creamy Garlic Lemon Chicken!

Now don't take my word for it, or Taste of Home's word, make this and see for yourself why my recipe is worthy to be in this book - why it made the cut - and then, and only then, can you ask yourself why I have no shame whatsoever about bragging about this.  Then, if you're a glutten for punishment, you can read the post I wrote for Creamy Garlic Lemon Chicken waaaay back in 2008, just click here.

If you want to order your own copy of Taste of Home's 2014 Everyday Slow Cooker and One Dish Recipes cookbook, please visit Taste of Home, and click on their cookbook link.  If you're not familiar with Taste of Home, you should be!  It's a great resource for all things yummy!  (This book is not currently available on the website, but will be soon!  I was sent an advance copy for being a contributor - lucky me!)

Book Bags...

Maybe this has happened in your community...you go shopping and the cashier asks if you'd like to buy a bag for your goodies for an extra 5 cents?  Or maybe you're at Trader Joe's and the cashier asks if you brought your own bags because if you did you'll get a prize?!?  Or maybe when you say, "Oh, sorry, I don't have my own bags" the lady behind you tries to stare holes at you with her heat-seeking-missle-eyes and when you ignore her she says out loud, "We should all try to do our part and bring our own bags, I did and it's such an easy thing to do, would you like one of mine?"

I don't mind paying the 5 cents for a bag, and I don't mind being left out of the latest PC grocery store game, but what I do mind is the looks and comments from Birkenstock-wearing-soy-latte-drinking-granola-eating-save-the-spotted-owl-bleeding-hearts who assume because I don't have my own bag that I am not doing my part.  (I own Birkenstock, love soy lattes, make and eat my own granola, think the spotted owl is beautiful and my heart bleeds for people who think I'm not doing my part just because I'm forgetful!) 

Perhaps to avoid a guilty conscience, or because of one, I ordered some canvas bags from Bagiva...super cheap and light-weight.  I thought I would use them for my little jaunts into the PC market-places around me...but then I had another idea.  I was hosting my book club and thought I would turn my blank-canvas bags into book bags for the ladies.  

They turned out cute, no?  I took a bunch of Sharpies and killed an hour by writing quotes about books all over the bags.  I used them as placemats for our book club luncheon - they helped liven up my table!

The next time I go to the PC markets or to Issaquah or Seattle, where they charge for bags, I'll make sure to have one of these in my back pocket so I can fend off any environmental-do-gooder's-comments...or maybe I'll write some new quotes on the extra bags I have...I recycle my trash, ride my bike to work, take 3 minute showers, relocate bugs and spiders in my home to the great outdoors, use cloth napkins, turn hair from my brush into clothing for preemies, drive a Prius but only on odd-numbered days, pick up roadside trash as a hobby, will only eat dolphin safe candy, I USE MY OWN GROCERY BAGS!  Of course most of those are PC lies...who has ever heard of a 3 minute shower?!?

Passion for Pesto...

Listen up!  If you haven't made pesto, and you don't know what you're missing - let me tell you, you're missing a lot!  Pesto is great tossed with pasta, mixed into a salad, on top of bread, spread over fresh tomatoes...that's a real treat and it's SUPER EASY to make!

My good friend Karon of Larder Love has written this beautiful little book that can be yours with one click, well, maybe two, but you'll get it really fast because it's an eBook!  

There are so MANY recipes in her book (over 75!) that sound so good I've decided to try to make them all...and so far, every pesto recipe I've made has been out of this world delicious!

Before the sun sets, before Summer takes the last bit of sun and fun, before you forget, click here to get your own copy of this beautiful book (the above pics are from Karon, as you can see she knows how to use a camera! )...you know I wouldn't lead you astray, this one's a keeper!

Nibble Me This...

Friends, Enemies, Wannabeees, lend me your ears!  I want to tell you about my BFF's Giveaway and I want you to enter!  I've told you about Chris at Nibble Me This before - he is the source of anything and everything grilled - his recipes are spot on and they never disappoint!  He is giving away a great grill package and it would tickle me to no end if one of MY readers won!  So scoot on over to Nibble Me This and enter before June 23rd.  And then, check out his new book!!!

I have already pre-ordered my copy with Amazon and you can, too, by clicking here.  When is the last time you bought a cookbook for under $20??  Like NEVER!  Great price for a Great book!

Ya'll know I don't have a Kamado grill...a Big Green Egg...just a propane grill is all we use because the mister is afraid of setting the deck on fire - he said we can't have one because we don't have concrete to sit it on.  When I show him picture after picture of Big Green Eggs on wooden decks, he scoffs...but then he's nuts!  I have begged him for a Big Green Egg, pleaded, made promises that no self-respecting girl would make...but he refuses, so I can only surmise that he has some kind of irrational fear of Kamado's...but once he is institutionalized, you can bet I'll assuage my grief/guilt with a Big Green Egg purchase.  Would that be wrong?!?

Listen up - I ordered this book, even though I don't have a Kamado, because I know all of Chris' recipes will be worth 5 dangs...and you don't need a Big Green Egg to grill up something delish...just expert help from someone who will give you step-by-step-fool-proof-instructions, and that's Chris!

Congrats on the book Chris - can hardly wait to get my hands on my copy!

(Chris didn't ask me to write this, this is totally unsolicited but because I know just how amazing his recipes are, I know this book will be great and I wanted you to know!!)

Maple Cakelets...

First things first...Happy Veterans Day to my dad and the mister...Semper-Fi-do-or-die-Hooo-Rah!  The Marine Corp is celebrating it's 237th birthday this year, so we'll join in the celebration with a steaming hot plate of $*#t on a Shingle - to be bring back some cob-webbed memories for the mister.  Three years ago I posted the only pictures we have of the mister on active duty - all four of them...if you want to skip down memory lane, click here.   Thanks to the men and women who serve today...God bless them!

 

 Next, November is ticking along at a rapid pace - which means I've been busy sewing up more turkeys!  These were made for a special friend - I've lost count of how many turkey aprons I've made - but this "mom" apron is a bit different, it's made with waffle-towel fabric so it's the perfect thing for wiping sticky hands on!  My special friend happens to have a fabulous new cookbook - and if you haven't ordered your copy yet - what are you waiting for?!?  This one is a keeper - one you'll use over and over and over...and what a great gift it would make!

 

 

 

Like many of you, I've been a Smitten Kitchen fan for over five years - everything I've ever made from Deb has been absolutely delicious and one of my very favorite recipes is her Butternut Squash and Onion Galette (pic above right)...it is SO easy to make and would have any Foodie licking her plate!  I need to find some time to make her S'mores Cake, pictured above...I'm sure it's life-changing!

Deb stopped in Seattle on her whirl-wind book tour and I was lucky enough to get to see her at The Book Larder in Fremont (many strings were pulled to get me in - thanks so much to those string pullers!!)  The Book Larder is an adorable little shop -  a "Community Cookbook Store" with a full kitchen where they have cooking demonstrations and classes - you can check out their schedule by clicking here.  I already have several dates written on my calendar!  Back to Deb, she is charming, sweet, and every bit as interesting in person as she is on her blog...which is not always the case...some people only write well, some people only speak well...Deb can do both!

 

 

 

 

The very last thing I needed was another specialty bake pan...but I couldn't resist the Acorn Cakelet Pan from Nordic Ware...it spoke to me!  I made the yummiest maple flavored cakelets...every bite tasted like Fall...cinnamon, nutmeg and maple extract swirled into a moist, dense cake...it's kind of a cross between a cake and a muffin with a hint of Maple Bar!  Seriously good -and you don't need a fancy pan to bake these in - you can use a cupcake tin, which I did with half of the batter. 

So cute...but they taste even better than they look!  They are frosted with a maple frosting...because as you know, too much of a good thing is almost enough.  If you are a maple fan, these are for you...if you aren't a maple fan, with one bite you will be.  These get a resounding 5 dangs on the ol' Dang Meter...the are dang, dang, dang, dang, dang good!

Maple Cakelets - Recipe from Nordic Ware, Betty Crocker and Pots and Pins

1 1/3 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/3 cup milk

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon maple extract

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

2 eggs

Maple Frosting:

1 stick butter, softened

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon maple extract

2 to 3 tablespoons heavy cream

4 to 5 cups powdered sugar

To make cakelets:  Prepare baking pans.  If you're using a specialty pan, like the one I used, coat with grease and flour the pan.  If you're using a mini-cupcake tin, grease and flour or use cupcake liners.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt cinnamon and nutmeg and set aside.  In another small bowl, combine milk, maple syrup, vanilla and maple extracts; set aside.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter and brown sugar on medium speed, until light and fluffy.  Beat in eggs, scraping bowl often.  Reduce speed and blend in flour mixture, alternating with milk mixture; until all ingredients have been incorporated.  Mix until just combined, do not over mix.  Spoon 1 tablespoon batter into each of the wells in the prepared baking pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes, until toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Cool 10 minutes in pan.  Invert on cooling rack to cool completely before frosting. Makes 36 cakelets (mini-cupcake size) or 24 acorn cakelets (two frosted together to make one.)

To make frosting:  In a medium bowl combine all ingredients on medium speed, adding additional cream and/or powdered sugar as needed until frosting is light and fluffy.  Cover frosting until ready to frost cakelets.

 

 

 

 

Kara's Party Ideas - New Book!

You know me, I love a good party!  And my friend Kara loves them even more!  Most of you probably know Kara from her wonderful blog, Kara's Party Ideas - she posts fantastic pictures from her readers of parties they've done and she posts her own party ideas and pics...and let me tell you - they are out of this world amazing!

You can now pre-order her brand new book from Amazon for a special price of only $19.99!  Her book will hit nationwide bookshelves on October 9th.  Kara’s Party Ideas is full of never-before-seen parties and favorites - it's full of ideas that are displayed in remarkable detail through photos and descriptions...and I'm told some of MY work is in the book, too!  Yes, yours truly has been helping Kara behind the scenes with backdrops and tablecloths...Kara lives about 800 miles from me so I can't attend her parties but my tablecloths can!  AND...as if that's not enough...The Girl has photograhed many of Kara's parties over the years...and I'm guessing some of her work is in there, too!  Wow!  It's a family affair!!  

Kara’s Party Ideas also includes a CD containing printable invites and party decor to go along with many of the party themes!

If you have kids/grandkids/nieces/nephews, you're going to want this book...Kara really is a wizard when it comes to parties...so order this book or look for it in October - you'll be glad you did!