A New Day

Well, my older "baby" is off to Kindergarten. The first afternoon, her first words when she got home were "Mama, Kindergarten is looonnng!" Today she was much perkier and announced that the day was indeed shorter, as her Daddy predicted they would become. I'm just happy she wasn't the little boy who made a break for the door because he was NOT going to school...felt very sorry for that teacher!

Other changes around here: I actually got a job (woo-hoo!). After resigning myself to not finding anything and deciding to just sub at Little Bit's preschool as often as possible to earn a little extra moola, I got a surprise call yesterday. Seems the preschool I had interviewed for before had an assistant opening for the three-year-old class and the director wanted to offer me the job! Even better, there is an opening for Little Bit in the two-year-olds. Even better better, I will have the same hours she will. The only downside is I won't be able to send her to the preschool I had hoped to. However, I believe this is a really good school and it's perfect for me in just about every other way!! I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this works out for all of us.

Another washout?

My procrastination has paid off once again. My morning walk was washed out yesterday and I kept fiddling around this morning until it's raining again! FYI, I didn't see this much rain the whole three weeks I spent in England even though I'm told they've gotten a lot there lately.

Thirtysomething is awfully quiet lately. I guess with getting Roo off to "big girl" school, she's feeling a little overwhelmed but maybe she will share something soon. I know Little Bit gives her a lot of material, especially when she "uses her head."

I suppose I could use some of this indoor time to catch up on my writing but if I put it off long enough, perhaps I will find a good excuse for not doing it! Maybe I'll find some inspiration soon but am not holding my breath for sure.

I might even mop the kitchen and bathroom and dust the furniture. Fat chance of that today!

Excuses, etc.

I'm still trying to get myself motivated to finish up the series on England but it isn't easy. If procrastination weren't so darn much fun, maybe I could get done with it. I just finished one full article on it and think I can squeeze the rest into one segment. Or not. Just have to see what comes out when I start typing.

Thirtysomething had open house for Roo's kindergarten this afternoon. I sure it went well but I haven't heard from her yet. I know she is dreading tomorrow as much as her daughter is looking forward to it but it's just another step in growing up and growing away. Emotional but exciting too.

As for me, I'm ready for Mr. Murphy of Murphy's Law to move on. About the time I think everything is on track, he lowers the boom again. Now it's a darn sinus infection despite the high powered antibiotic I took earlier. Leave it to me to be different!

On a side note, son # 1 took me to dinner last night at Fox Brothers Barbecue. They had a full house in the dining room and on the patio and we wound up sitting by a window inside. It turned out to be a mixed blessing. While we were there, it started storming so at least we didn't have to rush inside. However, the window was covered with plastic and the rain was blowing and swirling so much that it began to come in around the plastic and soon water began to cover our table and puddle on the floor as well as spraying on us. There were no tables left so we had to move ours over to keep from getting any wetter than we already were. At least the food was good and the storm let up enough for us to get to the car without getting soaked. A "sunny" ending.

Journal, Part 7

Excerpts from an English Journal,

Part Seven

Saturday, March 14: We’re planning a quiet day today. I promised to make a dessert after we come back from shopping, a decision I may well regret before the day is over. Cooking here is a bit different from the way I do it.

We drove into Chelmsford to Sainsbury’s this morning to shop for ingredients to prepare chicken and fresh salad for lunch as well as several things to serve when Richard’s family comes over after his formal birthday celebration at Channels’ Golf Club tomorrow.

I prepared oven-baked chicken and fresh salad for lunch and while these dishes turned out nicely, unfortunately, the Chewy Cake didn’t fare as well. It would be a kindness to call it a total disaster as far as I’m concerned. We got the measurements and temperatures converted but unfortunately, we didn’t get me trained to use this stove. I either turned a button wrong or turned the wrong button or something. Whatever it was, the stove went off during the time the cake was supposed to be baking without my realizing what had happened.

By the time Richard wandered back into the kitchen and asked why the oven wasn’t on (I didn’t know what that little light was for!), it was almost cool. I had to guess at cook time and this cake that is almost foolproof turned out to be too chewy, i.e., sticky. The flavor was okay but it looks a complete mess. I think I need to stay out of the kitchen the rest of my visit!

Evening: We went to quiz night this evening. It was an affair held to raise funds for a cancer charity. I told them not to count on me but surprisingly, there were several American based questions in the mix. I was the only one there who knew what Americans would “put their weenies in.” (Their official answer was “roll” but they accepted my answer of “bun.”

Other than the “weenie” question, the most amusing (and frustrating) thing to me all evening was when it turned out I was the only person in my group who knew which British property has its own postal code. The monitor in charge of our group would not accept my answer of Buckingham Palace, using Scotland Yard instead. When the correct answer of “Buckingham Palace” was announced, I really, really wanted to say, “I told you so” but I diplomatically refrained. It was strictly a guess on my part but as a former American postal employee, I thought it was the most logical one. (I was considering the huge amount of mail that is likely sent to and from there.)

Sunday, March 15: Kevan and Joseph were a little tardy because Joseph had an early football (soccer) game but all the children and grandchildren all came over this morning to deliver birthday cards and even more goodies to serve this evening when everyone comes back here after the celebration. They are a lovely family and the grandchildren are very polite and well behaved.

We left for Channels Golf Club about 1:00 p.m. We had a room reserved for the party but got there early and had drinks and socialized while we waited for everyone else to arrive. (Still no Margaritas!) Some guests had fairly long drives to get here, one reason for waiting until later to host the luncheon. The table was beautiful and food and service were excellent.

The Chicken Caesar Basket, salad served in a cheddar bowl, for a starter and Seafood Medley Caprice for my entrée were fantastic. The seafood medley was sea bass, cod, scallops and prawns in a cream sauce with white wine and grapes: beautiful as well as delicious. They, as other good restaurants, have a wonderful dessert menu but after that feast, I had no room for anything else! I have to confess that one item was so unusual sounding that it piqued my interest: Spotted Dick. I was glad the gentleman seated to my right ordered it so my curiosity was satisfied without my having to break down and order it just to see what it was.

The weather has been beautiful all day and the grounds were safe enough for the children to run off some energy before heading back to the house. All the guests reassembled at Richard’s home and after a champagne toast, gifts were presented and Kevan surprised his father with a slide show he had put together from old photos Joanne and Justine had smuggled out of the house a few weeks before. It was well done and Kev’s narration was amusing. The granddaughters put on a little impromptu show too. K**** and K******* (my granddaughters) would have a ball with these girls. So lively and creative and so much alike!

Afterwards it was, you guessed it, more food! And of course, birthday cake. The cake was Richard’s favorite, a celebration fruitcake from Marks & Spencer. It was covered with pure white marzipan and decorated with fondant icing. It looked like a gift-wrapped package done up with gold ribbon. It was beautiful and better than any fruitcake I’ve ever tasted before.

It’s been another long day, albeit a fun one, and both of us are tired. The last guests left not too long ago so I’m headed off to bed. I desperately need a long walk tomorrow to work off some of this ton of calories I consumed today.

**********

Spotted Dick Sponge Pudding

2 oz plain flour

1 t. baking powder

1/2 t. cinnamon or spice of choice

Pinch of salt

2 oz. shredded suet

1 oz. white or brown sugar

4 oz. currants

2 oz. fresh breadcrumbs

1 egg, beaten

4-5 T. milk

Butter a 1.5-pint pudding basin (ramekin). Sift flour, baking powder, spice and salt together into a mixing bowl. Mix in suet, sugar, fruit and bread- crumbs. Stir in the egg and sufficient milk to produce a soft consistency that drops off the spoon in 5 seconds.

Pour mixture into baking dish. (It should be two-thirds full. Cover with greased foil or a snap-on lid (the plastic container from a 2 lb Christmas pudding is worth saving for this purpose.) and steam for 2 to 2-1/2 hours. When it has finished cooking, remove the cover and allow pudding to shrink slightly. Cover the basin with a hot serving plate then and hold it firmly and invert. Lift off the basin to leave the pudding on the plate. Or just buy the microwavable version in a can at World Market or most Krogers.

Serve hot with custard. (You can buy custard mixes at specialty stores but it is easier to make than the sponge pudding.)

Custard

3 egg yolks

1 T. caster sugar

1 c. whole milk

1/4 t. vanilla extract

Whisk the yolks and sugar together in a bowl. Scald milk in a saucepan and whisk the hot milk gradually into egg and sugar mixture. Put the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (or in a double boiler). Cook and stir until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon.

Do not use direct heat, as it will make the custard curdle. Stir in vanilla extract and add more sugar if desired, according to taste. Strain and serve hot over Spotted Dick or other sponge puddings or any other dessert you prefer.

Cheese Baskets

A cheese basket is a bowl or dish made out of cheese that can be filled with pasta, fresh fruit, risotto, gnocchi, salad greens or anything without an overly liquid content. My cheese basket contained Chicken Caesar Salad and was made of cheddar but you can use other cheeses. I’ve only seen cheddar and Parmesan but there’s no reason other firm grating cheeses won’t work as well. What is most important though is for the cheese not to be overly moist or filante, i.e. a cheese that strings out when heated like Mozzarella, Jack or Fontina. Grateable goat's milk cheeses work especially well because of their high fat content. You can also add flavorings to the cheese if they are not too moist: Poppy seeds, red pepper flakes or even finely minced parsley are good examples.

Cheese baskets make for a beautiful presentation and are surprisingly easy to make. To make a basic one, you only need a heat source, cheese, a clean unscratched non-stick frying pan about 9 inches in diameter, a pair of non-stick tongs that won't scratch the frying pan and a cup or bowl to lay the cheese over. If the pan is pristine, you won't need either butter or oil to keep the cheese from sticking.

You will need about 1-1/4 cups of grated cheese (65 gm) or a couple of handfuls. After you've made a few cheese baskets you'll be able to judge simply by eyeballing it.

Heat the skillet over a medium flame for 2-3 minutes. Let it get hot but not searing. Sprinkle cheese evenly over hot pan and by the time you’ve finished sprinkling the cheese, it will have begun to melt, especially around the edges.

Use the tongs around the edges to separate the cheese a little from the sides of the pan. In another few seconds, the cheese in the middle of the pan will begin to tan. Do not let it brown. When it colors just a little bit, tip the skillet so the cheese flows out as a sheet and drape it, tan side up, over a bowl or cup.

You can use a round straight-sided cup about two inches in diameter and about the same height or you can use any shape you want. It will set in about 15 seconds and you can lift it off the cup and start the next basket. It takes 3-4 minutes per basket.

Horses and a few Jack****es

Just back from a quick run to McRae to get my hair done. Should definitely have not planned that on a Friday! The drive down was uneventful but I think it was just prep for northbound Friday afternoon traffic etc. The first "event" wasn't exactly traffic related but could have resulted in a terrible traffic accident.

About 20 miles into the drive home, a horse grazing beside 441 turned out not to be tethered and lunged out into my lane about the time I got abreast of this errant creature. Luckily, no one was coming and I was able to swerve and miss him/her (didn't have time to check which). I thought after that, the rest of the drive had to be easier. Wrong!

In addition to normal Friday bedlam as well as a few accidents, I don't think I've even seen as many stalled/broken down vehicles on the road in that short a drive. Does anyone check their cars to see if they're road worthy anymore?!?

Finally got past those backups but one final accident had the shoulder blocked and traffic crawling just before my exit and I wound up taking an alternate one. Got home and caught my breath before heading out again to fill a prescription for eye drops. Had to go three places to find them and am feeling a bit wrung out. I'm definitely staying in for the foreseeable future!

I had to get back to prepare refreshments for Sunday School class this weekend so at least the apartment is smelling very good right now. Banana bars with black walnuts have a very enticing aroma!

Which one?

Can't decide if you mean Alan Jackson, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Y4NTXT96EM, or the other song the name of whose artist escapes me right now.

Birthday Blues

Well, tomorrow is DH's birthday, number 35. The girls are so excited, they've been running around and stuffing their toys in gift bags to "give" him tomorrow. Little Bit even offered up her beloved froggies, which shows how much she loves her Daddy! I so remember "when 30 was old," and can't believe we're in our mid-thirties already. Remember that show "Thirtysomething"? I still remember thinking how annoying those middle-aged whiny people were; I hated that show. Now I suppose to conjure it back up, all I have to do is look in the mirror!!