Doughnut Birthday Cake (for Officer Mike)

     It would have been too easy and cliched to put candles atop a box of doughnuts for Officer Mike's birthday. This cake, decorated to look like a box of Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, was definitely more fun to create and not overly time consuming. A simple 9 x 13 inch cake was placed on a serving platter and frosted with white buttercream icing. The mini-doughnuts, from three snack-sized packages, were sliced in half and arranged on the cake top. Instead of piping the trademark label, I cheated a bit and cut some out of a real box of Krispie Kremes (bonus was a fattening, non-nutritious but tasty breakfast), and attached them to the cake with a cement of icing. Finally the signature green dots were applied with a piping bag. This cake was fun to present to good-natured Mike, and the kids at the table requested a doughnut on their dessert plate instead of a piece of cake.

And so Fall Begins

     The dark greens and heavy boughs of summer are being infiltrated by the slightest indications of autumn. The season is most welcome this year and it is fun to notice the clues - I saw a couple on my walk yesterday. A small branch of brilliant yellow leaves suggests a promise of more to follow.

The first flicker of "fire" from a burning bush, anything but inconspicuous, peeks from beneath a cluster of green leaves. Others have just a blush of autumn color.

Rice Salad with Broccoli and Cranberries

     I found this recipe in a pile of papers (that have been waiting quite a while to be filed) on my desk. It was printer-generated with a  handwritten annotation about the dressing. Unfortunately I have no clue who gave it to me - fortunately the salad was excellent! The ingredients are somewhat nontraditional, at least in my circle of family and friends -  rice is supposed to be a warm side dish and cranberries belong on the Thanksgiving table in a relish (although the little red fellows are tasty in Hooteycreek Cookies).

     Anyway I combined cooked brown rice, wild rice, broccoli, celery, and green onions in a big bowl and stirred in a homemade sweet-n-sour dressing. Allowed to marinate several hours before dinner, the salad had a wonderful texture and taste, and it served as both side and salad to our oven-fried chicken.

Autumnal Equinox Rolls in with the Fog

    An equinox occurs twice a year, when the tilt of the Earth's axis is inclined neither away from nor towards the Sun,* however, this morning during my daily walk, no sun was in evidence! An eerily beautiful fog enveloped the neighborhood and nearby park, transforming the landscape and creating totally different gradients of light than usual. The trees seemed to take on an altered life form, appearing and disappearing as I passed through the park - an exhilarating change to an extremely familiar terrain.

*Wikipedia

Adventures with Sourdough - French Bread

     This time of year, when there is no need for the house to be cooled by an  air-conditioner or heated by a furnace, is when I like to keep a sourdough starter active for my weekend baking. Created from flour, sugar, yeast and water, the original starter was ready after several days of sitting on the kitchen counter. Removing some to use for a loaf of French bread, the starter was then replenished with more flour and water and placed back in its corner spot on the counter. The bread recipe called for just a few more ingredients: additional flour, salt, baking soda and oil. After kneading and shaping, the loaf was placed on a cornmeal-sprinkled baking sheet and allowed to rise before baking.

Upon removal from the oven, the loaf was brushed with melted butter which produced a softer crust. Since dinner was served later in the day, the slices were warmed before serving and were surprisingly tender-crumbed for French bread. The subtle but unmistakable sourdough flavor was good with a little butter but especially tasty with strawberry jam.

Molly Goes Fishing

     Our small backyard pond is home to several koi, goldfish and an occasional tadpole. Frequent wildlife visitors include various thirsty birds and squirrels. Two domestic types also rendezvous near the water hole - Nikki, the husky, who prefers the pond to his water bowl, and Miss Molly, who is entranced with the movement of the fish. To my knowledge she has never caught one but will watch their shimmery activity for hours.

Vintage Linens

     Perhaps I was Bohemian in a prior life because vintage linens, fabrics and notions hold a singular appeal, especially those of pristine white or pastel colors. These two favorites, embellished with dainty lace and precise embroidery, are purely feminine and striking against the dark wood of the antique dresser. I can imagine the satisfaction of the original owners as they ironed  the snowy linens to a crisp finish and then spread them over furniture to brighten a room.

Tomato Hornworm

     It is no pleasant thing to be picking handfuls of lovely cherry tomatoes and find the huge ugly larva of a spotted hawkmoth, better known as a tomato hornworm, lurking on a stem. Bad enough that this squishy fellow was as big as my pinky but he was also covered with what I assumed were white eggs. Alarmed, I disposed of him as quickly as possible. That was a mistake. Later I learned that the white "eggs" were actually the cocoons of the braconid wasp, parasites that would have destroyed the worm. I have found only one more hornworm in the past week and he also was infected with the parasite. I placed the worm and a tomato plant branch in a big jar and donated it to the local science teacher!

Radish Cucumber Salad

     Radishes seem to be an overlooked vegetable. It may be the fact that if not picked and eaten at a particular time in their growth, they can be bitter and/or woody. However at the right stage, they are tasty and have a tender crunch. Tossed with cucumber, sweet onion and a vinaigrette, the simple but colorful combination makes a wonderful chopped salad to complement a grilled entree.

Nine Eleven

I give only a single sentence of remembrance on this day of reflection.

Football Boy to Man

     When does a boy become a man? Football padding and a helmet surely foster the metamorphose, even slightly before the chronicles of age and experience. Young Vinny heeds a pep talk from his dad before a recent game. Nearly the same height now and capable of almost the same strength, the boy is eager to brandish his new-found maturity and the man is proud of the same. While the stance appears quite serious, their faces belie affection and humor.

A New Light on the Subject

     This ell in our house was originally intended for a dining room, and indeed for several years it contained a table and chairs, but because of non-usage it was repurposed and became a library. I designed a wall of built-in shelving to reach from floor to ceiling, which was constructed with the help of a carpenter friend. Painted white to complement the airy lightness of the room, the shelves are filled with books, plants and framed portraits, all reflected in the antique arched mirror on a side wall.

     However the chandelier began to bother me - while beautiful it was meant to illuminate a meal on a dining table. But it took me quite awhile to decide on an alternate until I saw this variation of track lighting at a local home-improvement store. The look was current with a traditional touch and the lights can be directed to specific areas. A dimmer switch alters the mood of the lighting, from a bright working/reading strength to an atmospheric glow. The price was right too so I am pleased that waiting and watching paid off.

Celebrating Summer's End with a Summer Memory

     Today is Labor Day, summer's last holiday which to most Americans means no work and no school, a day to enjoy picnics and barbecues. (The holiday actually celebrates worker's rights attained through decades of efforts by the labor movement.)  Labor Day also denotes the symbolic end of summer, and in a time not too far in the past, school began the following day, white purses and shoes were put away, and the pool was taken apart and stored for the winter in the garage.

     As children, our summers centered upon this small square wading pool. On the first warm day of early summer, in almost a celebratory manner, its aluminum legs were slid through the vinyl pockets and then bolted together at the corners. A tarp was spread on the ground (presumably to protect the lawn), the garden hose dragged out, and someone was designated to spread out the vinyl evenly as the pool filled (to prevent wrinkles on the bottom). This was a ritual to be repeated almost daily throughout the summer, as the pool was moved to a different spot in the yard. Although a large metal tub, also filled with water, was used to clean feet before entering the pool, seven pairs of feet inevitably tracked in grass clippings and other various flora, so we used a metal sieve (dented from years of use) from Mom's kitchen to skim out the debris.

PS: I love this c.1962 photograph for all the minor details: the little girls with pixie haircuts who had no need for fashionable swimsuits, the patch on the side of the pool, the webbed aluminum chairs and the distinctive bicycle.

The Wicked Web of Our September Spider

     We share the exterior of our home with a resident we call "The September Spider". Her distinctive circular web appears without fail every September somewhere near the house. For several years, we had to be careful exiting the front door in the morning because she seemed to prefer using the eaves there as an anchor, along with either a shrub, a porch column or even the truck as an opposing anchor. But this year, the web began appearing in the back yard and the early morning sun recently highlighted her handiwork.

    

     A little research provided some enlightenment on the garden spider. The female spins the web, eating the center every night. After a male approaches her and mates, he will die. She produces egg sacs containing thousands of eggs and guards them until she becomes frail, dying with the onset of a hard frost. The spiderlings hatch in the spring and some will stay while others scatter in the breeze. So I guess our yearly resident is actually a daughter of the previous year's tenant, a continuation of generations.

The Lovely Peppers

     Surprises are delightful, and nature is always full of them, even in unexpected places like the inside of a sweet green pepper. Upon removing the top of this pepper I found an intriguing six point star that resembled the form of a snowflake. In fact all the peppers pictured below were quite beautiful, even before cutting. The lovely green color and smooth blemish-free surfaces just begged for an artful arrangement.

When I finished playing with my peppery still-life compositions, it was time to blanch and fill them with a Hungarian-inspired mixture of cooked ground beef, rice, and spices, top with a seasoned tomato sauce, and then bake in the oven. Mozzarella cheese was sprinkled over each pepper ten minutes before baking was finished. The stuffed peppers were so large and filling, that little else besides a loaf of warm crusty bread was needed to complete the meal.