Tag Archives: Margarita Cake

Peesmo and Other Famous People

Weather in the Tries: I thought it was going to start to cool down a bit, but no, we’re still getting uber warm temps, and now we’re getting high numbers on our AQI scores. Like up in the 170s- Unhealthy for children and other living things!

Public Service Announcement #1:

If you’re going to bake, using flour, do not wear a black tee shirt.

Public Service Announcement #2:

If you’re going to be sifting powdered sugar to get all the lumps out, do not wear a black tee shirt.

Public Service Announcement #3:

If you’re going to insist on such foolishness in the heat of summer—make it good and have fun creating it!

Peesmo and Other Famous People:

I love British humor, and British TV. Several years ago, we imported a Brit to run a talk show on CNN, I think he took Larry King’s place. Now, Larry King was good at what he did, but I didn’t particularly care for him. But I didn’t dislike him, I just preferred his competition, but I was eager to see his replacement as I’d heard a lot about him, Piers Morgan. So, when I remembered, I tuned in to watch. As luck would have it, Morgan wasn’t there, but some guy who would introduce himself as Pees Mo, except he said all together and it sounded, to me, like Peesmo. (I did wonder if he had a prostate problem or UTI, but not my worry.) Anyhow, I didn’t care a lot for this guy, so I would quit watching after a few minutes. It took me quite a while to figure out it was Piers Morgan! He’s an Other Famous Person. I truly don’t understand why. But then, I never understood the Kardashians, either.

Enter Simone Biles. Now THAT young lady Has my respect Seven ways to Sunday! She suffered with the “twisties” so withdrew both for her own health, and for her team. That had to have been a difficult decision, but a necessary one. Uh, what are “twisties”?

After reading what I could find, I think it’s a form of vertigo. If she’s doing stuff, especially in the air, that could be not just dangerous, but lethal. She had worked hard to get where she is, she is no slouch, and I commend her for having both the self-awareness and the courage to withdraw, but to remain and cheer her team on, and to share in their accomplishments rather than to suck it up and go out and drag the team down with her, or worse. What a shame Peesmorless didn’t do a bit of research before opening his racist and ignorant mouth and inserting both dirty feet.

She is a consummate athlete, highly trained, extremely skilled. She’s been working for this her whole life. If she withdraws, people should listen to her, and support her, not make stupid remarks that border on racism, and proudly show their ignorance of the sport of gymnastics and the athletes who perform it.

Cheers and gold medals to Simone Biles for being in tune with her body and listening and having the guts to do what’s right for her and her team.

A muzzle on Peesmo.

Photo of the Week:

Before
After

It was a Margarita Cake. It was triple digits outside when I made the lime curd, the candied limes, and the icing. It was triple digits outside when I baked the cake. In my black tee shirt. It was worth it. The group loved the cake.

I’m excited:

I think I’m excited, but I’m trying not to be at this point, but I think Cyberwit.net is going to publish my book, The Bride’s Gate and Other Assorted Writings: An Eclectic Reader for Eclectic Readers. They at least asked to see it 😉

Quill and Parchment, an online literary ‘zine, has done me the honor of publishing another of my poems, Pilgrimage to Cuba, New Mexico. You may read it at: http://quillandparchment.com/archives/August2021/pilg.html then go in and check out the rest of the magazine.

Entertainment:

Netflix: I finished Sense8. What a story! What a roller coaster ride! Like a really good who done it, we don’t find out what’s really going on until the last episode, and then all is made clear. There is a lot of nudity, sex—heterosexual and homosexual, violence—very improbable, some suicide, language bombs, and many laughs. I mean really good belly laughs

Books:

Not much reading this week, working on my own projects, though I have started Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut. So far, I’m enjoying the heck out of it. Wonder why I haven’t read it earlier…

Quote of the Week:

“It’s not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are.” – Roy Disney

And so another week has passed. It’s been busy, and warm, and warmer, but Sammy Brave Dog and I have made it through, and hope you have, too. And I apologize for you not getting notices the last two weeks. I didn’t realize the notification wasn’t working, but once I found out, Web Mistress Barb went to work and got it fixed. We hope. 😉

So, what’s gone on this week?

Weather in the Tries:  

Hoo Boy! According to my phone (would my phone ever lie to me?) we’re headed back to the triple digits this week, with Thu, Fri, Sat being 104, 106, 106 respectively. On Fri and Sat I have to bake a cake, &c and have it ready to go first thing Sunday. Now, if it was just any cake, for any book group, I’d go to Desserts by Kelly and call it good. But this is a long-promised Margarita Cake with tequila (not baked, added later), lime curd (cook it on the stove) and cream cheese icing. And it’s for my book group, and they’re special. One even donated the tequila with plenty left over for the baker! And, yes, there is salt on top of the icing.

So, what’s gone on this week? 

Lots of stuff, and not much.

My Sister of Choice and her husband who just happens to be my Brother of Choice (SOC n BOC) live in Seattle, and drove to Walla Walla for a wine tour, they stopped on their way to WW and took me out to dinner at the 3 Eyed Fish. A nice wine bar and bistro, then off they went. 

My friend, Mary Curry, who proofed the final version of The Bride’s Gate and Other Assorted Writings: An Eclectic Reader for Eclectic Readers finished and returned it, and I got all the wee nits taken care of that a fresh set of eyes caught. I then wrote a short synopsis (how the heck does one write a synopsis about a book of discrete poems, stories, and memoirs/opinions?) and sent it, the first 40 pages of 170 pages, and the cover art to Cyberwit.net who published Marking the Hours in December. I’m now waiting on their response. In the meantime, I’m working on other writings.

On Saturday, my SOC n BOC stopped on their way home, and we went to brunch before they continued their trip to Seattle. Lots of good gossip, good food, and plenty of oh-so-good laughs!

Today, Sunday, I watched this week’s episode of Hospital Playlist and two episodes of Sense8. I still don’t really understand a lot of Sense8, but it’s one heck of a ride. I trust the writers/directors. Kind of like I don’t have a clue how a roller coaster works, but I trust the builders and the operators and the mechanics, get in, sit down, buckle up, and scream like hell all the way to the end when I get off with a face split in half by the biggest grin I can manage! (Yes, I love things like roller coasters, but will never, ever again, go on a Ferris wheel. I’m terrified of them, thanks to my dearly beloved ex.)

And I got a bit more house rearranged since getting all of my mom’s stuff. I do fairly well at stuffing ten pounds of stuff in a five-pound sack, if I do say so myself. 😉

Photo of the Week:

A very cold winter shot. That’s ice on the Columbia. It was cold, foggy, icy. And, did I mention it was cold? A perfect foto for a hot summer day, eh?

Entertainment:

Netflix: Am getting very frustrated that Hospital Playlist is releasing them one episode a week. Though I must admit this last one was the saddest I’ve seen. I’ve become very invested in the characters.

Sense8 is the roller coaster ride of series. Get in, buckle up, and scream like hell.

Next up: I’ve heard good things about Good Omens. I think it’s on Prime TV.

Books: Many years ago, I read a marvelous book, The Unredeemed Captive by John Demos. A history/biography of Eunice Williams who was taken by the Native Americans when she was eight years old, along with many of her village. Later, when she had the opportunity to return to her father (a minister) and family, she refused. She did, eventually visit them with her Native husband, but had no reason to return to the stifling life of a Puritan woman. I read several books in that time frame of white women who refused to ‘redeem’ themselves back to the European community for a variety of reasons.

My friend, Gayle Lauradunn spent several years researching and writing a book of poems, All the Wild and Holy: A Live of Eunice Williams 1696-1785. I received my copy, and devoured it in one sitting. I have yet to write my review, but hope to have it up soon. If you are at all interested in history of that time, get a copy and read it. It’s wonderful. ISBN: 978-0-821053-28-6, published by FootHills Publishing.

I’m also reading a marvelous book of poems, An Insomniac’s Slumber Party with Marilyn Monroe by Heidi Seaborn. Great fun, as the title suggests.

Writing: I’m working on a long poem, working title is Black is… and have written a few shorter pieces, including another poem about Daddy. I have written about 160 poems since 1 Jan 21.

Quote of the Week:

“To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people just exist.” —Oscar Wilde

Sammy Brave Dog is loving this heat. He is, after all, from the Chihuahua desert. I’m not complaining, but admit I like the warmer days when we actually have cooler nights. The cool of Fall and the cold of Winter will be here soon enough. So Auntie Lenora and SBD wish you a most wonderful week, full of good friends, good food, and funny jokes!

Let’s Bake

Note: our temperature today is scheduled to be 105 degrees. I am NOT baking this day!

My close-out, or ‘outro’ in podcast parlance, always invites you to stop by for coffee and homemade biscotti. Too few of you live close enough to stop by, and in this day and age, we’d have to socially distance, but it could be done. However, I usually have breakfast about ten a.m. Pacific Daylight Time, feel free to join me with biscotti and coffee at that time, at your own table or desk if you can’t make it to mine.

At any rate, I thought I’d share a couple of links for biscotti and cake that I’ve tried and love. If you’ve got cooler weather, or air conditioning, you can make your own, and we’ll socially distance by miles. 😉

From Giada De Laurentis: Holiday Biscotti. I’m always leery of professional chefs who are skinny, and when they are beautiful on top of it, I’m really suspicious. What kind cooking do they do? And, if you don’t know who she is, she’s part of the movie De Laurentis family. Anyhow, a couple of years ago, I wanted a holiday biscotti, and made this one. Holy Moly Guacamole! This is one of the bestest biscotti I’ve ever made. I do tend to put in closer to a cup each of pistachios and cranberries, but you have permission to make it to your liking. I’ve also made it with almonds (I had them on hand) and one time, I had about a cup of mixed nuts from a biscotti baking marathon, and about the same of leftover dried ginger and other fruits, as well as cranberries. Too many to throw away, not enough to keep separate. Yep, I threw them all into this recipe. I also divide it into two loaves, thereby having shorter cookies. By the way, the ‘leftover’ biscotti were the biggest hit.

I usually make at least five batches of biscotti for the holidays, mix several from each batch into tins and give as gifts. Most of my recipes come from cookbooks, and are copyrighted, but a little judicious searching can find you recipes closely resembling what I make. Or, perhaps a kind email?

As I said, I make several for the holidays: coffee biscotti, triple ginger, white chocolate and macadamia nut, and I like to try one new one I’ve not tried before. My ‘go to’ books are: The World Encyclopedia of Coffee by Mary Banks, Christine McFadden, Catherine Atkinson and Biscotti by Lou Seibert Pappas. The latter is a fun book chock full of biscotti recipes.

The other thing I love to bake is cakes. 

King Arthur Flour’s Farmhouse Buttermilk Cake. For some reason I don’t remember, I bought a half gallon of buttermilk a few years ago. Now, buttermilk is the only milk I like to drink (I know, I’ve never claimed sanity as my strong suit), but that was too much. I wanted to use it before it went bad and went in search of a buttermilk cake recipe. Most called for anywhere from a half to a whole cup of buttermilk. Nope, I wanted to use more. And because I love King Arthur’s site, I checked there. The Farmhouse Buttermilk cake calls for 2 cups of buttermilk—2.5 if you forego the butter! Oh, joy of joys! The absolute best 9×13 cake ever, and perfect for potlucks and social gatherings! In fact, I took it to a potluck and one of the gentlemen who attended was a visitor from the Dakotas, a farmer. It was a ‘cut your own slice’ affair and he had two huge ones. When he discovered I’d made it he asked if I’d give the recipe to his wife. I did, and presumably she’s keeping him happy with it. Made it a while back for a friend who celebrated his 80thbirthday, and he and his girlfriend loved it. They got the recipe, too. As well as a whole left-over cake.

From My Recipes: Margarita Cake.  This one is a tad more labor intensive, but not all that difficult. I made it for a bunch of us gals who got together for ‘happy hour’ — their verdict: I had to bake and BRING IT EVERY TIME! This cake contains unbaked tequila, so be aware before you let your kids help and cut their own slices ;-). When complete, this is to die for. It also contains homemade Fresh Lime Curda delightfully easy recipe, and simply wonderful to use as cake filling or with cookies or to just sit and eat. And, last but not least, we cannot forget the candied lime slices. Also, easy to do, and oh, such a treat. I admit, it was difficult to not just eat the batch myself, but that would have meant another trip to the store for more limes. Sigh.

I swear (or affirm if you prefer) the icing recipe (at bottom of the cake recipe) made twenty pounds, easy. However, there was no booze in it, and my neighbor (who LOVED the cake) had two starving teenage boys. She took the left-over icing and put it between graham crackers. They ate it for a month. They were and are still starving.

I have several other recipes I dearly love to bake, and I follow my cardinal rule when baking them. I MUST make them for a social gathering that I will attend, eat ONE SLICE, or maybe two biscotti, AND LEAVE THE REST! I only bring home empty plates, containers, or cake pans. (I was at a potluck one time, and there was left over Arctic Chili left that I brought, and I told everyone if they liked it, to take it home, or I’d throw it in the garbage. Three guys fought for it. When I brought the buttermilk cake, there was about half a cake left, and I said I was ready to leave, if anyone wanted the leftover cake to get it before I scraped it into the garbage. I went home with a pan so empty I almost didn’t have to wash it! Now I live in an apartment complex, and before we were in lockdown, I’d bake and take it to the office.) And all those leftover crumbs from sweet things? Don’t throw them away, let them dry out, store them either in a jar or the freezer, and use them on ice cream, or hot cereal. Let them eat cake!

These Canada geese are dabbling for baked goodies. They’ve heard of them, and want to try them, but they aren’t good for geese (or ducks, or any fowl), so they’ll have to settle for salad—or fish—all the more for us!

Did you know if geese and ducks get enough bread they will starve to death with full bellies? Feed them grapes cut in half, find out what kind of seeds, or meal worms they eat (Google is your friend!) and if you’re really into being nice to ducks, get some duck chow, but please, Mother Nature and Auntie Lenora, will bless you if you DON’T FEED THEM BREAD!

Entertainment:

Neflix—binged on another Korean 20-episode drama. Great fun, a lot of humor, but definitely more drama than the last one. Immortal Classic loosely follows four generations of a well-respected family and one not so well known or respected. As www.asianwiki.com says, “There are two families, one family runs a restaurant and the other family are acknowledged master chefs. The drama” depicts relationships, misunderstandings, and forgiveness through these families. We have heroes and villains, and some great acting. It’s a modern story, but many of the women wear traditional dress. I wonder if they do in Korea, or if that was thrown in for people like me who love to see it. Food plays an integral part throughout the series, and I am now sooooo hungry for Korean food. We have a couple of Korean restaurants in town ;-). I am now on the search for a good Korean cookbook. In English. Did you know there are about 200 varieties of kimchi, and they are not all hot? I’ve eaten sweet kimchi, mild kimchi, and hotter than… kimchi. I’ve never met a kimchi I didn’t like, and most I love. Of course, every family has their own recipes. 

Books—check our Rainy Day Reads for the new book reviews.

Show your love; wear your mask. Show you care for your family, your friends, and your neighbors. Show those nasty old flowers you don’t care for their pollen. And y’all come back next week, same baked time, same baked place. The coffee is always on, the biscotti are home made, and we’ve always got time for a coffee break and a visit. (And, we’ll be socially distanced, so you may remove your mask. 😉

Auntie Lenora