13 Things I'd Want in a Kitchen

Thursday Thirteens are a fun day of lists.  Today I am thinking of the kitchen I'd like to have someday.  What cook doesn't?  Of course, there's wishing and there is planning for the future.  Some of the things on my list I will most likely never have, but a few of them are definitely possible with a little saving on my part.  Some I already have and would never want to have to give up!

1. Kitchenaid kfp720 Food Processor (mine old processor died before my move to AZ)

2. Kitchenaid 600 series Professional Stand Mixer (I call her Ruby...notice how the food processor would match her!!)

3. Wolf Dual Fuel Range (Just saying that gives me chills; what a wonderful combination.)

 

4. Bamboo Spoons (See, all of my list isn't so far-fetched)

5. Beautiful Pie Plates and Bowls, oh, and platters (especially Polish Pottery, I have a weakness for patterns)

6. Subzero Refrigerator/Freezer (preferably one that blends with the cabinetry)

7. Crockpot ( I told you before that mine was too hot and didn't survive the move.  I want one that is simple to use with a knob for low, high and maybe warm)

8. One piece silicone Spatulas (I have some, but I am thinking I can't have enough)

9. Grain Master Whisper Mill (My grain mill sounds like a jet engine has entered my kitchen.  I have seen these in action and they do their job well without necessitating earplugs)

10. Oven Mitts (This falls into the never enough category, too.  I am not coordinated enough to be able to use the squares, so only mitts will do)

11. Cast Iron ( I have these, but they are packed in boxes in the garage.  I look forward to using them; someday)

12. The Best Rated Over-the-Stove Microwave at the time I make my purchase. (Hey, I know things change, so I am not going to lock myself into anything!)

13.  This one is for The Good Guy, who thinks that if we had this, no one would ever have to put dishes away, they'd simply just swap from the clean drawer to the dirty.  I personally don't think that idea would work, but am willing to put this on the list for his sake.

Drawer Dishwashers

What would you have in your "someday" kitchen?

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Hot Cross Buns

Here is a traditional British Easter bread for you.  There is quite a history behind Hot Cross Buns.  Apparently, they have been baked since ancient times and served as a spring treat to represent the equal day/night of the Equinox.  The Christians didn't like reminders of any pagan religions  It was Queen Elizabeth I that made a law that these little treats could only be made on religious holidays, thereby "converting" them to an acceptable goodie.  See, if you rotate it, it changes the whole thing!

 The cross on top suddenly represented the cross of the crucifixion and these buns became most popular on Good Friday.

Regardless of their history, they are delicious!

Hot Cross Buns:
3/4 cup evaporated milk, warmed
3 Tbsp butter, softened
1 egg
1 egg white
3 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp yeast
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup currants
3 cups flour
1 egg yolk
2 Tbsp water
2 Tbsp butter, softened
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp water
Put the evaporated milk in the microwave for 30 seconds to warm.  Combine the milk, butter, sugar, salt, yeast in a mixing bowl and let work.  Add the egg and egg white and mix.  Add 1 cup of flour, currants and cinnamon.  Mix in the rest of the flour.  Knead, cover  and let rise until doubled.  Form into 12 buns and place in a greased baking pan.  Keep them far enough away from each other that they won't stick together as they rise.  Cover and let rise 1/2 an hour.  Combine the egg yolk and water.  Brush the buns with the egg mixture and bake 20 minutes at 375 degrees.  Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack.  While they are cooling, make the glaze in a bowl.  Combine the butter and powdered sugar with the back of a soup spoon.  Combine the water and vanilla and add slowly to the powdered sugar mixture, stirring until smooth.  It should be thick, but spreadable.  Put it into a sandwich size plastic bag.  Seal and snip one corner.  Pipe the icing onto the buns ONLY after the buns are mostly cooled down (you don't want the icing melting and falling off!)

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Homemade Tartar Sauce and Homemade Costco Copycat: Make Your Own Monday #13

I am combining two "make your owns" this week, because I don't think either is enough on its own to be a post...but both are fun.

First of all, let me tell you something I have observed.  Tartar sauce seems to be different in different parts of the country.  In a very broad generalization, I will say that the East Coast likes it sweeter and the West Coast likes it dillier.  My husband was born and raised in the Seattle area and has a fond love for Ivar's.  It is their tartar sauce by which he judges all others.  Luckily for me, most of the grocery stores in the Puget Sound area sell it in jars.  So for the first 18 or so years of my marriage, I didn't have to worry about tartar sauce.  Now that I live in Arizona, however, I have (or had) a problem.  I should also note that The Good Guy puts tartar sauce on all fish, no matter how it is cooked.  I could make a beautiful baked fish in a sauce or grill a salmon in foil and he'd still desecrate it with tartar.  Feel my pain!

(note: I discovered it's about a 4 to1 ratio of mayonnaise to relish)

Homemade Tartar Sauce: 
1/2 cup mayonnaise (homemade here)
1/8 cup dill relish (homemade here)
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
Mix in a bowl and serve.  Refrigerate any leftovers.

Now for my Costco copycat recipe.  I love the spinach ravioli that they sell.  In fact, I would have had to declare a personal state of emergency if they stopped carrying them.  It's not the actual pasta that I love, it's the garlicy cheese and herbs that come in the little packets with the pasta.

And now I can replicate it myself.  

In this case, I used tortellini.  (Buy it dried in 2lb bags for a quick pantry meal)

Boil 1 pound of any stuffed pasta as directed on package.

In a serving bowl, combine the following: 

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

Put the drained pasta in the bowl and toss until all of it is well coated.  Sprinkle liberally with grated Parmesan (fresh is best, but you can use the other stuff).  Toss once more and serve.  

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Saturday Stories: Stories I Found Out Along the Way

When I started out to record the stories of my family, I mainly wanted to get down the stories of my direct ancestors.  I suppose it's a natural thing to do; to concentrate on your line and let of the branches of the family slide.  Interestingly enough, though, as my I was going through the pictures left in my maternal grandparents' estate, my mom started telling me about her dad's brother and sister.  And the stories were just too good to not record.

My grandfather's parents only had enough money for their oldest boy and their oldest girl to go to college.  That was the way it was.  Period.  The other three surviving children didn't even think about going....well, they may have thought about it.  In fact, they may have resented their birth order or their parents' lack of funds or the Great Depression which ruined things for them....that I don't know for sure.  

Wesson was brilliant.  Are there smart genes?  Does intelligence follow blood lines?   All of the kids in that family were smart.  Wesson was the only one who really got to show it, though.  He went to RIT and then was hired by Eastman Kodak as an engineer.  He married a girl from Wales and they had two children.   When he was 48, he started having some stomach and bowel problems.  After two weeks, he went to the doctor and found out he had colon cancer.  He died soon thereafter.  My mom didn't get to see those first cousins much after that.  

Beulah went to business college and became a legal secretary.  She fell in love with a man of whom no one approved.  There was mental illness in that family.  Everyone advised her against the relationship, but she went ahead and married him anyway.  For the first few years of their marriage things seemed okay.  They had a little girl and then a little boy.  But sometime thereafter, things went wrong.  James ended up being committed into a state mental hospital in Rochester.  Beulah was faced with some awful decisions to make.  She ended up leaving her two young children with her parents.   She moved into a small apartment in Rochester and got a job.  She chose her husband over her children.  She visited him every weekday  until he died in the 1960s.  That was almost 30 years!  I don't know what was wrong with James.  I don't know how they treated him.  It was a scary time to be a mental patient.  Lobotomies, electric shock treatments, experimental drugs; once you were in an institution, who knew what would happen to you.

On weekends, Beulah would drive to her hometown to visit her kids.  It was awkward for everyone.  Monday through Friday, Nonny was the parent figure.  Then on weekends, Beulah expected to arrive and be the mom.    I think there were probably sometimes when the kids didn't know who was in charge.  Because Mom's two cousins were living at Nonny's house, they grew up really close to my grandfather and his twin brother.  My mom was over ten years younger than the boy, but she really liked him.  He was another smartie.  In school, though, his teachers didn't know what to do with him.  He failed English and hated to write, but in math he was a whiz.  He ended up getting a degree in engineering and going to work for National Cash Register.  

He was, in fact, the engineer who invented the scanners on all of the cash registers that we use everywhere.  He laughed about it because he got no credit...intellectual property and all, but now you know.  Every time I go to the store and watch the clerk swipe the UPC code over the scanner, I think of him.  You can, too.

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*** CLOSED *** Another Giveaway: $25 Safeway Card + Goodies

The winner is #12 Wendy P.

I hope having two giveaways going at the same time works.  For those of you within shopping distance of a Safeway (or any of it's family of stores: Vons, Randalls, Tom Thumb, Dominick's, Genuardi's, Carrs and Pavilions), here is an opportunity to win a $25 gift card and some Betty Crocker gadgets for your kitchen.  I received mine this morning and was very pleased with the quality.  The round silicone pan is Wilton and the aluminum bowl is very sturdy.  Being a lover of the color red, I couldn't help but enjoy getting a red spoon and baking mitt.  All of these are brought to you by MyBlogSpark, Safeway and Betty Crocker.  Oh and for all of you, regardless of whether or not you win, from now until April 6th, the stores have Betty Crocker cake mixes and Traditional brownie mixes on sale for $.69 when you buy 4.   I can't remember the last time I saw them that cheap.  It may be time to make some Homemade Warm Delights!  Or you could go to the Betty Crocker website Bake Sweet Memories and see some really cute Spring treat ideas.

To enter, please leave a comment.  Make sure you leave a way for me to contact you if you win.

This giveaway ends Tuesday, March 30 at 8pm PDT.

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*** CLOSED ***Yogurt Maker Giveaway

The Winner is #6 k...mom

Earlier this month, I was contacted by the CSN family of stores and was given the opportunity to review a product and offer you all a chance to win one of the same.  Because this is my year of making my own, well, everything, I chose a yogurt maker.  I was not disappointed.  I had a ball making it and doing all sorts of experiments with the results.  You can check out the specs on this product here.

SO.  To enter this giveaway, tell me your favorite flavor of yogurt.

The giveaway will end on Monday, March 29, 2010 at 8pm PDT.

This giveaway is open to residents of Canada and the USA only.

For an extra entry, tweet or blog about this giveaway and then comment a second time telling me you did so with a link I can check.

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Polish Easter Bread

 This bread is called Babka which means "Grandmother" in Polish.  Supposedly, these breads look like the traditional skirt grandmas used to wear in the Old Country.  Often they are baked in fluted pans, this recipe is baked in a springform pan.  It is a traditionally rich bread filled with raisins or orange peel.  Sometimes it is topped with a light glaze.  This one has a brown sugar/butter mixture on top.

It whips together quickly in a mixer.  It rises twice and then bakes for 45 minutes.  Count on about 3 hours from start to finish.  Don't count on it taking that long to eat!  It is really yummy.

Babka: 

1 cup evaporated milk

1/4 cup warm water

1 1/2 Tbsp yeast

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter, softened

4 eggs, beaten

4 1/2 cups flour

3/4 cups raisins (I used golden)

topping: 

3 Tbsp flour

4 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

4 Tbsp butter

Combine milk, water, yeast, salt and sugar and let the yeast form a sponge.  Add the eggs, butter and raisins. Add the flour and mix until the dough comes away from the sides.  Cover and let rise until double (about an hour).  Place into a 9 inch greased springform pan and let rise again until it's about 1/2 inch from the top of the pan.  (about another hour)  Mix the topping ingredients with a pastry blender.  Sprinkle over the bread and bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.  When cooled, cut into wedges and serve.

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Homemade Yogurt: Make Your Own Monday #12

A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned that I was getting a Yolife yogurt maker from the CSN family of stores and that one of you was going to get to win one, too.  Well this is the week - the giveaway will start on Wednesday.

I received my yogurt maker last week and was very excited to try it out.  You must remember, however, that I live in Nowhere, AZ, so I had to call quite a few stores and drive a bit to buy some yogurt starter.  There are other alternatives; I could have used a store bought yogurt as my starter, but I like options.

The nice thing about this yogurt maker is that it comes with two lids.  Can you see them on the box?  The small lid fits over the seven 6 ounce jars that come with the maker.  The larger lid allows you to make much larger quantities of yogurt using mason jars up to 1 quart in size.   I chose to make mine in pint jars.

Here is what I did:

Homemade Yogurt: 

64 ounces milk

1 ounce yogurt starter (or 1/2 cup plain yogurt with active cultures)

Bring the milk to 180 degrees (use a candy thermometer to measure the heat).    Allow the milk to cool to 110 degrees.   Take 3-4 Tbsp of milk out of the pan and mix it with the starter in a bowl until smooth.  Add the starter mixture back into the milk and stir until completely combined.  Pour into your clean glass jars and place in the yogurt maker.  Leave it in the maker 4-12 hours depending on the size of your jars and the kind of starter.  (note to self, do not start at 2pm if it's going to take 12 hours!!).

There is a nifty clock dial on the top of this yogurt maker's lids that allows you to indicate when you started so that you can better keep track of the time.

Now that I had four pints of plain yogurt, what was I to do?  Can you see it in the jar?   That's the amount I saved to make another batch.

I took one pint and made yogurt cheese by placing it in cheese cloth within a strainer over a bowl.

After a 15 hours, it looked like this.  Then I added 1/2 tsp stevia and 1 tsp of strawberry all-fruit jam.

It made a great spread for bagels and french toast.  

I tried adding regular jam to another pint.  My sons, the Yoplait lovers, thought it was too tart and too flavorless.  Then I had an idea.  I am a little ashamed to tell you what I added to the rest of the yogurt, but it worked.  All five of my kids slurped up the remaining yogurt in 60 seconds flat.  I added strawberry jell-o (about 1/3 of a big package to 1 1/2 pints).

 Look at that artificially dyed and flavored kid heaven.

I am still working on a healthy concoction that the kids approve.  I will let you know.

Now, I know that there is a way to make yogurt in the crockpot.  My problem is that the milk has to be kept at a fairly low constant temperature and my crockpot was always too hot.  It burned things on the low setting (and has since earned a place in the world's landfills).   I know that there is also a way to make yogurt in a towel wrapped cooler.  I don't happen to have one small enough.   

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Saturday Stories: An Inevitable Part of Life

Death is a part of life.   Sometimes it comes like a thief, striking suddenly when life is just beginning.  Sometimes it comes like a welcome visitor, taking the pained or feeble to a welcomed rest.  How it comes often determines how we deal with it and what happens in our lives afterwards.

My grandparents, Mamie and Bumpa, had four children.  Marilyn was their first.  She was the apple of Bumpa's eye.  Both of her parents doted on her.  Next came a little boy named Kirk.  He had problems from birth.  The hospital gave him oxygen in a tent which caused him to be blind.  He later got sick with pneumonia and died before his second birthday.  Two years later, Dan was born.  He too was blind and died before he was three.  My mom was born six months before Dan died.  When my mom was eleven, Marilyn was killed in a car accident.  Mom, who had started as the youngest of four, became the only child; the protected last hope of my grandparents.  They didn't let her swim, they didn't let her go anywhere.  How could they?  What if something had happened to her, too?   At the same time, they withdrew from her, too.  In protecting themselves from the anguish they had experienced, they went about their lives without pouring their affection into their remaining child.  She grew up feeling hurt and resentful of both her sister for dying and seemingly taking with her her parents' love and of her parents for insulating themselves from further hurt.

One summer night in 1959, my dad and his friends decided it would be fun to sleep out in the middle of the alfalfa field on his property.  They went to his house to ask and stood in the kitchen and dad said loudly, "Aw, my dad never lets me do anything.  I'll have to ask my mom."  He then went into the other room and asked his dad and was given permission.  They slept in the field with their camping gear.  The next morning, they heard ambulance sirens, so they got up and followed it.  They caught up to it and the driver, recognizing dad yelled, "go home and wait there!"  Dad didn't know what was going on, but obeyed.  Soon neighbors started showing up.  Dad thought it was really strange.  One of the ladies asked him for a drink of water and asked him if he knew what was going on.  He replied, I think maybe something has happened to my dad."  She said, "Yes, he has been in an accident.  He's been killed."  Dad thought, "Oh NO!  Not my daddy!"  He was fifteen.

I have a little brother buried in Michigan.  My dad was stationed there with the Air Force.  I had been an only child for thirteen years when mom had my brother, John.  He was healthy and beautiful and we were all adjusting to a baby in the house when mom got pregnant again.  This time, the pregnancy didn't go well.  Mom had all sorts of complications.  At around 24 weeks, she had James.  Technology hadn't gotten to the point where micro preemies could be saved.    There was no NICU in the small base hospital.  The doctor didn't even try to save him.  He lived for twenty minutes.  Mom didn't see him, but he changed her forever.  He left behind a hole in her heart.

No matter what our philosophies or religious beliefs, death comes.  No matter how we look at it in the abstract, it comes.  No matter how prepared we think we may be, it changes us.  We are left behind.  We have to keep living without our loved one.  We have to find within ourselves the courage, the strength to go on without the person we loved so much.  How we react affects the rest of our lives, our relationships, our peace.

My great grandmother spent her last months at my great-aunt Eileen's house.  Near the end, Eileen wouldn't let her siblings in to see their mom.  That act forever damaged the sibling relationships.  There was a resentment that was never forgiven.

There is so much to be learned from family stories.  Recipes passed down from generation to generation bring fond memories.  Stories told about children's antics bring smiles for decades.  There are also lessons to be learned about what not to do.  Perhaps that's what I was trying to get at with this post. Tweet

Mexican Chicken

This is a very moist, subtly flavored, wonderful way to make chicken.  My entire family loves it.  When my kids take big mouthsful and then halfway through chewing start saying things like, "MMM, this is really good, Mom,"  I know the recipe is a keeper and I don't even mention the talking-with-their- mouth-full thing.  In fact, they get away with all sorts of atrocious manners when they compliment my cooking.  Luckily, they haven't figured that out yet.

I always serve this chicken with Tomato Herb Pasta.  My friend, MaryAnn, gave me both recipes and they go so very well together.

 

 Mexican Chicken:

3/4 cup dry bread crumbs

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp seasoning salt

1/8 tsp paprika

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

1/2 cup olive oil

4 chicken breast halves (I usually cut these in half again)

Mix bread crumbs, seasonings and cheese together.  Dip chicken into the olive oil and then into the breading.  Turn to coat well.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. 

 

To fancy this meat up further, serve on a bed of shredded lettuce and top with slices of avocado, sour cream, salsa or fresh diced tomatoes.  Garnish with fresh cilantro.

 

 For those of you who enjoy my "Recipes From Long Ago" feature, this week I am posting  a recipe from 1950 (Deep South Caramel Cake) over at Our Krazy Kitchen.  It's a delicate white cake frosted with a penuche type frosting. Look for it Friday morning.   

 

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Update on Life

Periodically, I will either keep your interest or bore you to death by telling you about my life away from the stove.  Life is the reason I blog.  That probably doesn't make sense, but it would if you knew me.  It stems from the fact that I wasn't really prepared to adopt.  Oh, I thought I was.  I was desperate to have kids.  I knew I was meant to be a mom and because my body wasn't cooperating, I was sure adoption was the way to go.  And it was.  I am not in any way sorry that I did, it's just that all the preparation in the world couldn't really prepare me for parenting children with mental illness or baggage from poor prenatal care. 

Anyway, lest you think that life is all sugar and kumquats, I'll let you in on what's up with my life these days.

1. It's Spring Break.  All of us are enjoying the opportunity to sleep in past 5am.  The boys fight a lot when they are home togethers, though.  The Musician believes he is king of the castle and that his brothers are the peasants who must serve his every whim.  Too bad no one sent them that memo.  The Thinker absolutely will not do anything his older brother says.  I can see their chests puff out a bit as they circle each other like roosters fighting for supremacy. 

2. The Musician is playing a piano/organ duet with a friend for a special musical number in church soon.  I took  both boys over to the church to practice this week.  I had a hard time convincing the organ player to be quieter and the piano player to be louder.  After an hour or so, they had a really nice sound.  I am pleased to see teenagers sharing their talents.  It seems like my generation of friends and I were more excited to sing and play in public than my kids' group.

3. This year, the Musician was accepted into a program called Upward Bound.  I think it is basically a way of helping underpriveledged kids get into college.  The leaders of the program are affiliated with a local university and bend over backwards to make sure the kids in the program are getting good grades and have  opportunities to grow.  He will get to tour all of the state universities, see plays and operas, do community service and get extra help in subjects that challenge him most.

4. Last update on the Musician: his school particiapates in a lot of great extra cirricular programs.  He was able to be a part of both a mock congress and a mock trial competition last grading period.  Despite the fact that he told us that he needed a suit at 8:30pm the night before the mock trial (which resulted in a frantic drive to 3 stores), he learned a lot from both competitions.

5. The Thinker is a miliary geek.  There is no other way to descibe his passion.  This week, his scout troup went to Luke AFB where they were given a full tour.  He got to see planes taking off, drive a bomb squad robot, see a room full of every kind of shell, bomb, etc, see a guard dog attack a man in a pink fat suit and then got to go shooting at a range.  It was a great day for him.

6. The Thinker has also joined the Civil Air Patrol.  I didn't even know that the CAP existed for kids.  It's an off-shoot of the Air Force.  They perform search & rescues, transport blood and teach kids leadership, responsibility and order.  For the Thinker, who with ADHD struggles with organization and follow through, but dreams of military glory, this could be a great opportunity.

7. The Thinker has also started therapy to learn to deal with his anger issues.  After he lost control and pummeled the Comedian's face with his fists, we knew it was a problem that had to be formally addressed.  I wonder how much of it is nature or nurture.  All of my boys' birth-fathers are felons.  How much of that miscreant behavior is genetic?

8. The Engineer.  This year, I finally got a teacher to agree that he is dyslexic.  Mrs. P has gone the extra mile to help him improve his handwriting, his organization and his math skills.  We had him evaluated by the school reading specialist, but she couldn't help him.  I am discovering that dyslexia is too broad of a term.  In the Engineer's case, he flips bs and ds, qs and ps, he flips numbers like 14 and 41, he switches words like deal to idea.  When I found an expensive reading program that might help, he absolutely refused.   I told him I'd do it, that it would be just between him and me, but nope.  He doesn't want anything to do with it.  I wonder if because he was in speech therapy at school for a few years if he just doesn't want any more stigmas attached to his school work.  Maybe he is too young to realize how much it could help him.  I am stumped.

9.  Now that the weather has turned warmer (fingers are crossed that it's real), the boys have gotten out their roller blades.  The Engineer and the Thinker are really good.  They race around the block or play street hockey almost everyday.  I love to see them whooshing by with great big smiles on their faces.

10.  I think we are going to have to adjust the Comedian's meds again.  He is spacing at school and not completing assignments.  He is at the max for his ADHD meds.  He cannot take stimulants because that sends him into strange psychotic episodes.  His bipolarity isn't completely stable.  I can tell that some days he is manic.  He acts super hyper and goofy.  Then, with no warning, he will get mad...really mad.  He isn't as dangerous as he was before Depacote, but I watch him.  I don't think I will ever trust him completely.

11.  On a good note, the Comedian has learned to do his homework by himself.  I cannot tell you how happy that makes our entire family.  I blame myself for his bad learned behavior.  When he wasn't stable, I felt like I needed to help him.  As he actually learned his math and writing skills, I started to wean him off of my help and that made him mad.  It wasn't until this year that I could finally see that he could complete his work alone and that he just wanted me to sit next to him for hours.  It was like getting a baby to stop using a pacifier, though.  He cried and yelled and swore that he was never going to do his homework, but when he realized that I really wasn't going to hold his hand, he stepped up to the plate and did it himself.  We still battle over big projects like state reports, but for the most part, he is doing his work and getting decent grades on his own.

12. Princess Pat has been a gift.  She is able to cajole her brothers out of bad moods.  She has softened them as no one else could.  Oh, she still bugs them, still gets into their stuff; but her presence brings more smiles than anything else.  She is learning her letters now.  Her drawings have gotten to the stage where there is a great big head with big eyes, a line for a mouth and long lines descending out of the head for legs.  She likes to grab a piece of paper and pen and go up to all of us and ask us what we want to eat.  She will scribble down what we say and then return with any toy of her choice and designate it as the food we ordered.  She prefers to watch Food Network over most others, excepting PBS Kids, of course.  Although she doesn't look much like me, she is a mini-me in all of her mannerisms.

13. I'd like to thank you all for your comments and emails.   When you tell me I am doing something right, it makes up for the "I hate this family, why did you ever adopt me"s that I hear more often than not.  Because I grew up mostly as an only child, I have no clue what to do with sibling rivalry.  Because I grew up in a calm, quiet house, I have no clue what to do with yelling and fighting.  Thank you for giving me a break.  Thank you for half an hour or so of sanity every day.

  Thursday 13

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Cinnamon Twists

 This recipe came to me via a college roommate.  She was two years older than me and seemed so much more ready to settle down and be a homemaker.  While I was cowering at the very thought of using yeast, she was fearlessly whipping up homemade bread, rolls and these lovelies.  Now, a few decades later, I have conquered my fear of yeast and can confidently make these myself.  I still hold Margene on a homemaking pedestal, though.

  

Cinnamon Twists:
2 cups warm water
2 packages yeast
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup melted butter
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 beaten eggs
6 1/2 cups flour
filling: 1/4 cup melted butter
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup sugar
glaze: 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup powdered sugar
1-2 Tbsp water or milk

In a large bowl, combine water, yeast, sugar, butter, salt and cinnamon.  When the yeast begins to bubble, add the eggs and then beat in the flour.  Knead with mixer or by hand.  Let rise in a warm place until doubled (about 45 minutes).  Roll into a large rectangle.  Pour 1/4 cup melted butter all over the rectangle.  Combine cinnamon and sugar and sprinkle over the butter.  Fold the top third of the dough over the middle.  Fold the bottom third over the middle.  Cut into 1/2 inch strips.  Twist and place on greased cookie sheets.  Cover and let rise another 30 minutes.  Bake 375 degrees for 14 minutes.  Combine glaze ingredients and frost OR serve with a little cup of glaze to dip!

 Tasty Tuesdays

Tempt Your Tummy Tuesday

Tuesdays at the Table

Yeast Spotting

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Homemade Candy Bars: Make Your Own Monday #11

Here is an easy way to make either a Snickers, Mars Bar, Milky Way or any other variation on a caramel/nougat/nut candy bar at home.  I started this project by watching Todd Wilbur make a Snickers blindfolded on YouTube.  He made it sound very easy, but he also left out amounts and ingredients to protect his royalties.  I fiddled around with it and here is what I came up with (with some notes about my mistakes at the end).  My kids all said that the results were definitely close to a snickers.  By changing the nuts to almonds, you will have a Mars Bar.  By omitting the nuts altogether you will have a Milky Way.  By leaving the peanuts whole, you can make a Baby Ruth.  By substituting almond butter for the peanut butter in the nougat and adding chopped almonds, you will have a Toblerone.  There may be another variety using hazelnuts...it sounds like it should be a candybar if it isn't already.  Anyway, you get the idea.

 

Candy Bar:

Nougat:

1 Tbsp water

1/3 cup honey (you can use corn syrup, but I wanted it to be slightly healthier)

1 tsp vanilla

2 Tbsp creamy peanut butter

3 cups powdered sugar

Beat all of the above ingredients with a hand mixer until just combined.  Knead the nougat until completely combined.  Pat it into an 8X8 pan and refrigerate while you get the remaining ingredients ready.

Caramel Layer:

1 package caramels (about 40)

2 Tbsp water

Melt the caramels in a saucepan over low heat.  You don't want to super heat these guys or you will end up with a very hard layer of caramel.  When the caramels are melted and smoothly incorporated with the water, addd 1/2 cup chopped nuts if desired.

Chocolate Coating:

12 ounce package chocolate chips (either regular or milk)

2 Tbsp butter or shortening

Melt the chocolate and butter in a microwave bowl for a minute, stir and microwave for one more minute.  That should be enough time to get it smooth.

Spread the caramel layer on top of the nougat.  Cut in the square in half and then cut into 1 inch candybar shapes.  Dip into chocolate and refrigerate until you serve.

 

 So, as you may have figured from the instructions to not heat the caramels too fast, I did.  The caramel layer was crunchy instead of chewy.  I also had a problem with shape.  I think because the caramels were so hot, they melted the nougat layer and everything went south from there.  In the end, I still pronounced the candybars a success and I will make them again.

 Homemaker Monday

Mouth Watering Monday

DIY Tuesday

Slightly Indugent Tuesday

Make It From Scratch Carnival

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Saturday Stories: The Rest of My Trip to Ireland

 In 1991, my husband and I had the opportunity to go to Ireland, he was there on business and I was able to tag along.  I kept a journal of the trip.  Last week, I shared the beginning of the journey.  Here is the rest:

Tuesday, March 19, 1991

The Good Guy got up and called Microsoft, Ireland to report that he was here.  He left at 9:30 and I headed out to find a bank.  I exchanged $95US for 57.05 Irish pounds at the Bank of Ireland. I came back to the hotel room and watched the maid clean and then headed across the green to the Genealogical office/Heraldic Museum and saw the crests and artifacts of old clans.  The man there said I had to make an appointment for 10 pounds to talk to a researcher.  I guess I need to go to the National Library (next door) to do some of my own research tomorrow.

I stopped at a sandwich store on the way back and got a pint of milk, a chicken sandwich, 2 golden apples and a package of cup-a-soup for 2.35pounds.  That was a much better deal than a pub or Cafe Stephen at the hotel...and the food was delicious (of course, by then I was starving).  The Good Guy will be hungry  - I hope the people at work will help him find a place to eat.

He came "home" at 3:30.  He had stopped at a market and gotten 2 apples and 2 oranges, 1 can of soup, 1 can of beans, 1 loaf of bread, 2 carrots and 3kg of potatoes.  We went to a walking street (Grafton St.) and bought another loaf of bread for 65pence.  We went to a hardware store and bought a potato peeler.  That store was amazing - such clutter!!  We stopped and got a pound of margarine for 48p, too.  By this time, it was pouring rain.  I looked like a drowned rat.  We went home and ate.  By 8:30 we couldn't keep our eyes open anymore.

Wed., Mar 20

We slept in!  I don't know how business travellers manage jet lag.  I am doing very poorly adjusting.  We got up and I made Texas toast with milk for us to drink.  The Good Guy left at 9:30 again.

I went to the Library at 10:30 and it wasn't open!  I had misread the times.  Tomorrow it opens at 10am.  So, I went to the National Museum and saw the artifacts from the Vikings, Dublin and a section on New Zealanders.  I didn't go up to the 2nd floor.  I thought I'd bring the Good Guy back to see it sometime.

After that, I went to Grafton St again and browsed through some shops.  I bought some coursemeal bread for 74p.  I almost got a scone, too, but decided against it.  I bought another sandwich for 1.20pounds.  When the Good Guy gets home, hopefully, we will go to a market.

I have failed to mention that we are staying in Stephen's Hall, which has one of those famous Georgian doors.  We are situated kitty-corner from St. Stephen's Green, a 4 acre park that is simply beautiful.

Thurs, Mar 21

The Good Guy and I went to a mall this morning to get a Dublin street map.  He is sick of getting lost 2-4 times each way to work.  I went to the National Library afterwards.  I found the Journal of Cork Historical and Archeological Society.  I read an article called "The Origins of the ____ Family in Country Cork."  It convinced me that I have to go to Cork and then to a certain town to see where my ancesters lived.

I next went to the Museum of Natural History.  It was 4 floors of stuffed dead animals.  On the 2nd floor, I got the heebee jeebees amongst those huge animals.  Water buffalo heads were inches above my own.  Rhinos were posed to attack.  It was fascinating, though.

Then, I went to the National Gallery of Art.  It wasn't as wonderful as I'd hoped it would be.  There were paintings and busts from Italy (1500-1600) and Irish painters (1700-present).  There was a restaurant as well, but that was it.

I finished my day back in the mall.  I went into a store like a Target.  The linen tablecloths were 35 pounds and lower.  I can get a 72" white one for 14 pounds.  Hopefully, Cork will be cheaper.  Everything here is so expensive.  Sweaters are 30-60 pounds, Levis are 20 pounds and food is expensive, too.

Friday, March 22

At 10am, I went back to the National Library.  I looked through tons of books and found the crests of many of our families.  I had some pages copied and then I looked for the RC parish records from that town in Cork and started looking for my family....and I found them!!! I found the baptismal records for my great-great-great grandfather and all of his brothers and sisters. And then I found his parents' marriage record!!!  The records only went back to 1817, so I couldn't find their baptism records.  As it is, I am afraid the records don't help much in putting generations together.  Now we need to go south.

I got to the hotel at 2:40 and had to run down the street to the bank to exchange more money (it closes at 3)  Tomorrow, we are going to Galway for sweaters.  Galway is where one of my mother's great-great grandfather's came from.  I haven't had much luck finding anything on that line, but it will be fun to see the area.

Saturday, March 23

The alarm went off at 4:35, but I couldn't make myself get up until 5:15.  We were on the road by 6.  It was an easy drive over.  No one, apparently, gets up that early on Saturday mornings.  The countryside was beautiful.  We passed many manor houses and tons of sheep.  The lambs had been born just a few weeks ago.  They were so cute!

In Athlone, we crossed the River Shannon and took pictures of an old castle and library.  We got to Galway at 9am.  The crystal store was just opening.  We went in but things were just too expensive.  We went into the city center tourist information office to get directions to the various sweater shops and the Royal Tara china factory.  We went to the china factory first.  We got The Good Guy's sister a clock - it's beautiful.  I sure wish I had lots of money.  I'd have gotten my mom and myself some shamrock china. 

We went on a wild goose chase next and ended up on Galway Bay.  We could see the three Aran Islands in the distance.  It was breath taking.  We were in Spiddal, another town and bought a sweater at a shop there.  Then we returned to Galway and bought 7 more sweaters.  It wiped us out for money until we can get to a bank again.

We ate lunch at Supermacs, a hamburger/take away (not take out) joint.  We bought way more food than we could eat: 4 hamburgers, 4 fries and a large Club Orange fizzy.  We had to get our daily Cadbury candy bars, too.  We are totally addicted to British chocolate.

The road back to Dublin was quick.  We got really, really lost and short tempered as we tried to find the hotel again.

Sunday, Mar. 24. 

We attended a local church and then basically stayed home all day. 

Monday, March 25

I am afraid I have run out of things to do.  At least I have covered the walking radius around the hotel.  I went to the Library again and had the rest of a family article copied.  I looked for the Galway family and had no luck.  At noon I came home (bought milk on the way) and washed some clothes in the sink.  I made my own sandwich for lunch and saved a pound.

I think I need to address my new chocolate addiction.  I absolutely love the Dairy Bars.  The Good Guy loves every variety he has tried.  I cannot believe the difference between a Cadbury bar in the States and one here.  It's like the difference between wax and cream. 

The weather has been beautiful for the last few days.  No Rain!  Everyone has been out in the Green lying on the ground.

Tuesday, March 26

I left the hotel at 9:30 and went to Grafton Street again via St. Stephen's Green.  That park is so much fun.  There is a giant jungle gym in one section for kids.  There are two fountains with cattails painted where the water comes out.  There is a stream in which ducks, geese and swans swim.  This morning a rooster of all things was crowing there.  There is a big statue of three people at the Leeson entrance, but I haven't figured out who they are and what their significance is.

At Grafton, I bought 20 postcards and a finemeal pan (bread) at the bakery.  I went into the mall at the end and bought an Irish cookbook and apron for my mom.

We went out for fried chicken last night.  We were going to go to an Irish food place, but it ended up being too cold to walk that far and we knew we'd get lost if we drove.  We will try again later in the week.

I need to describe the National Library building.  You walk into a great circular hall.  A man checks your ticket to let you in and then another man puts your bags and coats into a locker and hands you a key.  Next you climb up a great stone circular staircase to the Reading Room.  In this round room are tables with banker's lamps.  The walls are lined with books.  The ceiling goes way up to sky windows and a wonderful dome.  There are cupids looking down at the patrons.  If you want to look at something that is not on the shelves, you fill out a slip with your table number on it and the library aide brings it to you.

Today is overcast.  It hasn't rained yet, but I think it will soon.  I suppose if I weren't from Seattle, I would think it dreary.  It is just like home.

The Good Guy is making a presentation today at work.  He has been amazed at the difference between Microsoft US and Microsoft Ireland.

Wed, Mar 27

I went for a long walk today.  I walked around Stephen's Green, through the streets around Grafton Street and then by Trinity College.  I stopped off in a few book stores and found myself a little cookbook for 60p.  I went back to the National History Museaum again and saw the top two floors this time.  It seemed more interesting.  Maybe it's because I am over the jet lag.  The animals there are up to 130 years old.  They just don't shoot and stuff animals like they used to.

Thurs, Mar 28

I went to the National Library one last time today.  I copied a long list of our family names.  Someday we may know how everyone fits together.  I spent a few hours staring at microfilm.

We went to the supermarket and bought lamb chops, milk, eggs, cereal, 7 candy bars and 3 boxes of biscuits.  We had potatoes and lamb chops for dinner.  The potatoes here seem extra starchy.  I wonder if they grow a different variety in Ireland?

Tomorrow is Good Friday, which means it's only a half day of work for the Good Guy.  We are planning on site seeing when he gets home.

Friday, Mar 29

Today is known as Black Fast Day here.  No one is supposed to participate in any frivolities.  I went to the Green for a stroll.  The weather is sunny and warm.  I watched the ducks and pigeons for a while.  It's spring, but the males aren't having any apparent luck with their wooing.  It was funny to watch them try to attract the females.

The daffodils are in full bloom everywhere.  As you drive down the roads, you find them in the middle of fields, randomly blooming with the sheep.  It's hard to imagine them being planted there.  In the Green, however, they are planted in specific places.  The tulips are budded and anxious to open, too.  Hopefully next week they will open before we go.  I am already missing the ones at home.  It's a peaceful day.  Not many people have to work, so everyone seems to be taking it easy.  I talked to one of the desk clerks and he suggested we go to Cork today to avoid the traffic.  This weekend may end up really boring if everything is closed for the holiday.

Saturday, March 30

We ended up taking a really long walk after work yesterday.   We woke up late this morning and hurried through getting ready.  By 6:30am we were on our way south.  First we drove down to the coast of Wexford.  It took us 2 1/2 hours.  We went grocery shopping at a place called "Crazy Prices"  There seems to be no order to the stores here.  Things are shoved everywhere.  The aisles are not even parallel!  We bought bread, milk, butter, apples and of course chocolate.

We went to the tourist info office and got directions to Johnstown Castle.  We went there next and saw the beautiful house.  It was closed, but we took some pictures. 

We drove through Waterford and saw the world headquarters of the famous crystal company.  We crossed a few bridges and saw wonderful scenery.  It was terribly foggy in the distances, so some of our photos will be hazy.  We arrived in Cork at 1pm. The streets were crowded.  Easter weekend is a big one here.  We decided to go to my ancestors' town before it got too late.  It took us another hour to get there.  The old parish church was gone and the cemetery was disasterous.  The headstones were little more than crumbles.  Father Murphy, the parish priest, was too busy getting ready for Easter to help us (duh!  I wish we'd taken that into consideration before we made the trip).  We took pictures of the town and then went to a market and got directions to a possible cousin's house.  She was very sweet and had pages and pages of family history, but none of it appeared to tie into our line.  We left at 5pm and drove back through Cork.  We saw the cathedral and then went north through Tipperary to Dublin.  We arrived home at 9pm, very tired.

Easter Sunday, March 31

Unbeknownst to us, Ireland went to Daylight Savings last night. 

Waiting for us outside our hotel room door was a wonderful Easter egg, compliments of the management.  Here in Ireland, instead of baskets of candy, everyone gets a giant egg that is filled with little candies and prizes.  It was, of course, divine chocolate.  We bought some meat pies at the corner store....ooooh! They were so good!

Monday, April 1

We went first to Limerick today and decided to visit Blarney Castle.  It cost 2.5pounds each to get in.  We walked up a trail to an impressive building.  We looked in the dungeons and tower.  People were certainly a lot smaller back when that castle was made.  The passageways were very narrow and short.  Next, we walked through a garden that had been a Druid's cave.  There was a staircase carved into the wall of the cave and another cave that was called a witch's kitchen.  We walked around the lower end of the castle and then entered the main part.  We walked up a ton of narrow stairs.  The rooms were damp and tiny.  The floors to the chapel and banquet hall were gone, so the family rooms were open to the sky.  We finally reached the top floor after looking everywhere for the Blarney Stone.  There it was...on the top.  Over 150 feet above ground and on the outside of the castle wall.  In order to kiss the stone, you have to lie on your back and extend your body out over the expanse of nothingness and kiss the outside of the stone.  Suddenly, I had no need to kiss the stone.  In fact, I wondered what made anyone want to!

We left the castle and headed to the Blarney Woolen Mill.  It was cheaper than Galway, but we had already made our purchases.  We ate lunch in Blarney.  I had Irish Stew.    We had planned to go to the coast to see the cliffs, but The Good Guy was beat, so we headed back to Dublin.

Tuesday, April 2

After pricing linen all over the country, it turns out that the linen tablecloths at the mall nearby are the cheapest.  I bought a 54 X 90 cloth for 14.95 pounds. 

The days are winding down.  We are ready to go home.  Irish television is pretty bad.  Between 1970s and 1980s US programs and Gaelic channels, we have been pretty bored at night.  We have watched the entire mini series "V."  We also watched the Irish/English football championships, dog obedience tests and the news.

Wednesday, April 3

I packed up everything today.  It is going to be hard to get to the airport from Euston station with 5 bags.  We have bought sweaters, table linens, a clock and some little touristy things.  Maybe we should have shipped it by post home....Live and learn.

Thursday, April 4

Tonight the Microsoft people took us out to an Indian restaurant.  It was simply delicious!  We had course after course of wonderful food.  As usual, my favorite was the bread (naan). 

Friday, April 5

We checked out today.  We drove to a store and stocked up on chocolate.  We ate a lunch of fish and chips.  We cashed The Good Guy's paycheck at the Bank of Ireland and exchanged it into dollars.  I had on a big sweater with a fanny pack underneath and we put the money into that.  No one should suspect I am carrying money on me.  We drove a little to the north of Dublin and saw another castle and a park.

We turned in our car and at 7pm we took a taxi to the train station.  We were in Dun Loaghaire by 8.  We boarded the ferry, but forgot to do our VAT's so the Good Guy had to find the customs office really quickly and have our receipts stamped.  We need that so we can get a refund on the taxes we paid here.

The weather was very windy, but the ferry crossing was smooth.  We watched Fletch Lives and Field of Dreams.  We also bought a pizza for dinner.  We had the choice of ham & mushrooms, ham & pineapple, or tuna fish for toppings!  It was 6pounds for an 8 inch pizza.

Saturday

We arrived in Holyhead at midnight.  We got on the train in a nonsmoking car, full of smoking drunk people.   We would have moved, but with all of our luggage, we'd have made an awful noise.  The train didn't leave for 2 hours and finally arrived in London at 7:30am.  I tried to sleep on the train, but was not very successful. 

Getting through customs was another adventure.  The first man asked us whose luggage we had.  Of course it was ours, so we acted surprised that he would ask.  That made him all the more suspicious of us.  Then we went to get the luggage x-rayed and that darned clock made them think we had a bomb.   We had to unpack it and show it to them.  They wanted to break it and look inside, but we finally convinced them that it was simply a gift.  The Good Guy was then frisked at the metal detector. 

We got on the plane at noon.  We fell asleep right after lunch.  When we arrived in Canada, we went through US customs.  They didn't like my estimate of how much everything was worth, so we had to unpack our suitcases one more time.  It was quite a hassle and both of us were cross for a while after that.  Our plane back to Seattle was bigger than the hopper we'd rode getting to Vancouver.  Our ride was late picking us up, but it didn't matter.  We were home!

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