The Birthday Angels Strike Again

When I got up early, I looked outside to see the tree in my front yard holding 80 balloons.  My two daughters had gotten together at 11 PM last night after I went to bed and taking the dog with them so he wouldn’t bark, hung 80 balloons in my decorative pear tree.

They also put up a sign announcing my 80th birthday.  Now, any of the neighbors who might have wondered about the age of the old woman who walks her dog 3 times a day up and down the street will know.   The 80th birthday is off to a good start.

The Birthday Angels

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Pause and Remember – 9/28/2012

On Friday, I pause and remember a single moment from the past week – inspired by The Warden’s Log.

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1970s Memory Quilt

Last summer, my youngest daughter asked me to make a beach-themed wall hanging for her family room.  Now that summer is over, she thought she’d like to have a quilt representing her favorite era – the 1970s – with photos of her two kids in 70s-style clothes.  She chose the fabric and pictures, my oldest daughter worked with the pictures to make them suitable for printing on June Tailor Sew-In Colorfast Fabric sheets and I set to work to make the quilt.

The centerpiece is a photo she took of David Cassidy in concert – her favorite singer from the 1970s.  He’s surrounded by fun pictures of the kids ….

…and even one of their Build-A-Bear cheetah in 70s garb.

I used a block called “Sugarbowl” in the 4 corners …

…and otherwise used 6-½ inch blocks with sashing around the pictures.

I used up all of the fabric to make the backing and binding.

Quilting was very simple machine stitching.  It was a fun and easy project.

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Apple Goo

I found this recipe in an old cookbook, Favorite Recipes of Indiana.  It makes a very good suppertime dessert – easy and quick to make.

APPLE GOO

• 2 medium tart apples, pared and diced in small pieces (Golden Delicious, Granny Smith)
• ½ to ¾ cup granulated sugar (depending on tartness of apples)
• ½ cup chopped nuts
• ½ cup chopped dates
• 2 Tblsp. all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 egg, beaten

In a medium bowl, combine apples, sugar, nuts and dates.  Mix flour with baking powder and salt; blend into apple mixture.  Stir in beaten egg.

Place mixture in a greased 8” baking pan.

Bake @ 350 for approximately 30 minutes until apples are done and top is golden brown.

Serve with whipped cream or topping.

Good warm or chilled.  4-6 servings

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It Was a Very Good Year – 1996 – 2002

On July 13, 2012, my two daughters surprised me with a big box of wrapped gifts, informing me it was exactly 80 days until my 80th birthday and I would be able to unwrap one gift a day.  The gift items would commemorate a year in my life in some way.  This is what I received this week.

1996 – Two 1996 note cards by one of my favorites – Tasha Tudor.

1997 – My youngest daughter knitted 3 beautiful washcloths from a 1997 pattern – too pretty to use for washcloths.

1998 – A 1998 cookbook by Florence Henderson – Short-Cut Cooking.  This was intended as something of a gag gift from my youngest daughter who is still a huge fan of Mrs. Brady and The Brady Bunch (and I‘m not), but actually there are some good recipes in this book.

1999 – 1999 was an important year for all of us when my youngest daughter’s son was born.  The gift is an amazing fold-out picture book of photos of my grandson accompanied by his notes and sketches – priceless.

2000 – A beautiful Lenox Holiday Silver Millennium Ball.  It’s designed to hold a small gift, potpourri or small treasures.

2001 – A set of coasters knitted from a 2001 pattern.

2002 – Lynette Jensen’s 2002 edition of Cozy Cabin Quilts.

All of my posts on this wonderful celebration are listed in Family – My 80th Birthday in my index on the
right.

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Look What I Just Found at the Antique Mall

Today, we went to one of my favorites – The Covered Bridge Antique Mall in the Mt. Healthy suburb of Cincinnati.  This darling 1930s-40s era metal table and chair set in depression green was marked down from $70 to $35.  I have no idea where I’m going to put it but it had to come home with me.  The table is 3 inches tall and the chairs, about 3-1/2 inches tall.  There is a darling graphic of a sunbonnet girl on each piece.  The color is a little off in this picture.

Now, I’ll have to be on the lookout for a vintage doll or two and some dishes.

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Chicken Imperial

I found this recipe in an old Southern Living Dinner and Supper Cookbook.  I adapted the recipe to make a smaller amount and to omit some items I didn’t have on hand.  A note in my cooking journal says:  “First made 1/9/98 for Nancy and David (daughter and husband) – both loved this.  I especially liked it.”

Allow 2-3 hours to marinate the chicken.

CHICKEN IMPERIAL

• 2 chicken breast halves, boneless, skinless
• 1/4 cup dry sherry
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
• Dash of salt
• Grating of black pepper
• 3 Tblsp. grated Parmesan cheese
• ¼ cup slivered almonds
• 1/4 cup melted butter

Place chicken breasts in a glass bowl, pour sherry over, cover and marinate in the refrigerator  for 2-3 hours, turning occasionally.  Remove from marinade and pat dry.

Combine crumbs, salt/pepper, parmesan cheese and almonds.

Dip chicken in melted butter then place in bowl of coating mixture, pressing down on both sides.

Arrange in Pam-sprayed pie plate.

Bake uncovered  @ 350 degrees F for one hour.

2-4 servings

My daughter and I like small servings of meat or chicken, so I divided one breast between us and have one to put in the freezer for another day.  I served it with Yukon Gold potatoes which had been microwaved and then browned in butter along with some mixed vegetables with some added butter and a sprinkle of Goya Sazon seasoning for each dish.  We also had some cherry tomatoes and basil from my garden marinated in Italian dressing.  It was a good meal.

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It Was a Very Good Year – 1989 – 1995

On July 13, 2012, my two daughters surprised me with a big box of wrapped gifts, informing me it was exactly 80 days until my 80th birthday and I would be able to unwrap one gift a day.  The gift items would commemorate a year in my life in some way.  This is what I received this week.

1989 – A small spoon commemorating the 1989 “Breakup of the Berlin Wall”.

1990 – A 1990 edition of The “Late Night with David Letterman” Book of Top Ten Lists.

1991 – Two copies of 1991 Queen City Heritage magazines – The Journal of the Cincinnati Historical Society

1992 – A Helen Steiner Rice Daily Devotional Calendar.  Helen Steiner Rice is famous for her verses for Gibson Greeting Cards in Cincinnati.  In 1992, my oldest daughter was a writer for Gibson Greetings.

1993 – A 1993 Cat’s Meow rendition of Aglamesis Bros. ice cream parlor (est. 1908), Oakley Square, Cincinnati.  My future mother-in-law introduced me to Aglamesis in 1951 and said they had the best ice cream and chocolates in town, and she was right.  We still take the grandchildren to Aglamesis Bros. for sundaes.

1994 – A 1994 edition of Dave Barry’s Gift Guide to End All Gift Guides.  Dave Barry was always a favorite of mine and this is one of his books I’ve never read.

1995 – A crocheted piece from a vintage pattern that includes a locket heart with a picture of my youngest daughter and me on her wedding day in 1995.  The small heart is made from a scrap piece of velvet from my oldest daughter’s Maid of Honor dress.

All of my posts on this wonderful celebration are listed in Family – My 80th Birthday in my index on the right hand side of the page.

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Autumn Has Come to my September Kitchen

It seems that almost every decorative item in my September kitchen was made by my oldest daughter…she carved and painted the pumpkin with a crocheted rose that hangs by the window…

…she painted the beautiful door crown….

.  she painted the plates and pitcher on the large shelf…

…in fact, she painted and distressed the shelf itself.

Also on the shelf is a miniature house and figures that the two youngest grandchildren always loved. They liked peeking in the window and seeing Grandma and Grandpa peeling apples.

My favorite of all is a piece that is up all year round in the kitchen.  My daughter painted an old dresser drawer depression green and used it to house a tiny 1930s era kitchen with vintage Tootsie Toy stove, sink, refrigerator and table.  She added so many details which I love such as a clock, a calendar, light fixture  and sink skirt.  There’s a tiny dishcloth on the sink, a grease jar on the stovetop and canisters on the shelf.  I use the bottom section of the drawer to store some 6 inch quilts.  I smile whenever I look at this little kitchen.

Now, I’m ready for bright blue skies, changing leaves, and cooler weather outside with a lot of baking inside in my September kitchen.

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Frontier Bread

I first made this bread in 1989 and for some reason did not make a note of the source.  It won a ribbon at the county fair that year and is a good, hearty bread – wonderful toasted.

This recipe will make a 9 inch loaf.  Since I wanted two large rolls for another dish, I used 1/3 of the dough for the rolls and the remainder for a 7-½ inch loaf.

FRONTIER BREAD

1 cup whole wheat flour
¼ cup yellow cornmeal
1 Tblsp. fast-acting dry yeast*
1 tsp. baking powder
¼ cup dry buttermilk
1 tsp. salt
3/4 cup water (130 degrees F)
2 Tblsp. canola oil
3 Tblsp. honey
1 egg plus one egg yolk, room temperature  (reserve egg white for topping)
2-3 cups all-purpose flour, divided

1 Tblsp. cornmeal for sprinkling in pan
Reserved egg white mixed with 1 tsp. water
1-½ Tblsp. sesame seeds

*I use Fleischmann’s Instant Dry Yeast, “Quick Rise” in Canada.  This yeast is especially formulated to be used mixed with the dry ingredients and can withstand the hot water.

In large mixer bowl combine 1 cup of whole wheat flour with cornmeal, yeast, baking powder, dry buttermilk powder and salt until blended.

Heat water and oil to 130 degrees F and add to dry mixture along with honey and egg plus egg yolk.  Beat 3 minutes with a paddle beater at medium speed.

Insert dough hook and beat for 6-½ minutes longer, gradually adding all-purpose flour until dough is elastic and smooth.  It will still be a little bit sticky because of the honey.

Place in a greased bowl …

… cover and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.  Punch down dough and let rest for 10 minutes.

Form into loaf and/or rolls and place into greased pan which has been sprinkled with cornmeal.

Cover and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

Brush the top of the loaf with the egg white/water mixture.  Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Bake @ 375 degrees F 12-14 minutes for the rolls, approximately 30 minutes for the 7-½ inch loaf and about 45 minutes for the 9 inch loaf.   Remove from pans to a wire rack to cool.

Delicious fresh and warm with a dab of butter or toasted to enjoy with your morning coffee.

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