Cake on the Brain

I seem to have boxed myself into a rather nasty habit of only having cakes for special days. The simple Orange cake from the Winn-Dixie purchase for no other reason that it looked good reminds me of my childhood, when my Mother made cakes all the time. This Sunday is my daughter's birthday and rather than buying a cake, I thought I'd make one.

My dream cook book to own is Rose Levy Beranbaums' The Cake Bible. I had a friend who owned it, and I would sit at her kitchen table reading it. It's pretty much the holy grail of cakery.
I was hunting around for a recipe and lo and behold, Ms. Beranbaum has a site on cakes called Real Baking With Rose Levy Beranbaum.

Julie Carter, an author and writer for the Ruidoso NM newspaper (and a prolific Facebooker) was nice to give me this recipe, which I'll use for Sunday:

Lemon Pound Cake (Lemonade Cake)
1 box White Cake Mix
1 cup sour cream... Read More
6 oz. frozen lemonade (thawed)
1 3 oz. package Cream cheese
3 eggs

Combine all ingredients on low speed. Mix 2 minutes on medium speed. Bake in a bundt pan 50-60 minutes at 350°. Cool 10 minutes, turn out of pan and top with a lemon glaze if desired.

(Lemon Glaze- Powdered sugar and lemon juice)

Life, Spirituality, Ocean, Cake & Fruit.

It was always too hot to venture out in the day. So we'd wait until 6:00 and spend the evening at the beach. The water was warm, the air was damp and hot. But still, it was so nice to sit and feel the water lap at our feet and take in the sunset. At 9 p.m. we'd go home and eat something light.

Though there was a 2 day stretch where all we ate was fresh fruit (watermelon) and cake. And if you must know, it was something called an "orange" cake from Winn-Dixie. It was an indulgence and I loved every bite.

There's something deeply spiritual going on right now. There is light and a sense of deliberateness, and I don't feel rushed. I'm very grateful for this.

Maps, A New look

"Ever since India, I've had a map of Central Asia hanging about. Now there is one of the Middle East. A map of Afghanistan is taped in the kitchen. There are dog-eared books, well thumbed over. I've read about Alexander, The Turks, Genghis Khan, The British and The Soviets."
Read the rest at
The Kitchen Dispatch: New look

It must be age, or maybe it's life....

Damn! My eczema is back.
I didn't have any problems with it in Georgia, where the humidity is an insane level. Is this the writing on the wall?
Is "itching to move" a literal saying?
In the meanwhile, I have to figure out which soaps and shampoos I can't use. Whether or not the investment in Weleda oils will work. I have to cut out acidic foods (strawberries included) and focus on green leafy vegetables (I love them, but they do get boring). One thing for sure, at this point I can't figure out who itches more: me or the dog.

(TriDerma Psoriasis Control works on the face, especially)

Cats, Dogs and Sundry from the Sandbox

Cats, Dogs and Sundry from the Sandbox

For The Weekend

St. Simons Island, GA.
A really great place, just my style...

Concerns: Choosing A Lifestyle over a Life

A few weeks ago, I gave my son a savings bond that his late grandmother had bought for him the year he was born. The bond was worth $135. My son decided to buy another bond with some of the money. I think he's got an understanding of the importance of saving. I've never hid from our kids that we have bills. When I wrote checks, I'd get all the bills out and pay them in front of the kids as they did homework or watched TV. I'd post electric bills on the fridge, and even weigh buying or not buying something.

I really admire Angry Parsnip who made the difficult decision to leave her beloved home in Laguna Beach and move to the desert of Tucson so she could live more easily. Not an easy decision, but an honest assessment. I also admire Hope, whose mastery with solicitation of dollars, along with couponing has made it possible to send goods to soldiers. I enjoy the creativity of Howie and Tawny, who are genius at stretching pennies stretch while still having fun and friends.

I'm mindful that a lot of people are in debt because of low paying jobs and not being able to afford basic necessities. Not every person in debt is there because of greed or keeping up with the Joneses. Some had a downturn in business (I've been there) or just plain bad luck. Others got sick and had a high deductible or no coverage. But there were a lot of people the last decade who put their priorities on having a lifestyle straight out of a movie, or a mail order catalog. And who could resist, with credit cards coming in the mail everyday?

This reminds me of the day I was at the bank, and started to talk to the gentleman behind me. Turns out he was a well-dressed repo man. He was making a fortune picking up luxury cars. He told me that every day, he picked up Mercedes, Lexus, Porsche, and often the people would chase him down the driveway. He said most of them were beyond broke, and that once they lost their cars, their homes were next. I guess it's a pattern of loss he sees time and again.

I worry that the pursuit of a lifestyle over accepting an affordable life by my generation and below might have the net effect of their offspring not having a clue about savings. I'm worried that the debt we've already incurred as a nation will only get larger when the economy picks up again. Instead of saving, they'll start spending again. Credit cards will be sent by the load through the mail. Ultimately, since one day they'll create policies in government, their spending may be no better than it is today. And who knows --perhaps they'll buy that other 40% of GM, and just start making Yugos.

What do you see? Are you concerned?

Life In The Stupid Zone

When I'm tired, I should just go to bed. Rather, I am in the twilight zone.
I've started yoga, and I'm feeling the effects of having sat out for over a year. I'm not limber and I swear, my tendons and muscles and bulges are rebelling. In my twenties I took ballet, and every dance exercise class you could imagine. I rowed and ran. And now, help me, a downward dog is a trial. But if Fred Astaire could make the Daddy Long Legs at 56, then at 49, I should be able to do yoga.

I crashed the family car today. Rather, the only car.
A lady and I were backing out of spaces at the same time. I couldn't see in back of me very clearly because the sun was coming in at a bad angle. And the lady had a truck full of cabinets. It's not major, but still, I feel rather ridiculous. We both agreed to just let it go rather than talk to our insurance companies. Gahhhh............ I figure the only way hubby will find out is if he reads this blog. But compared to what he's seeing, I'm sure he'd just laugh.

I'm just going to order the tail light online, and put it in myself. The bent tail gate can stay as it is. It's a 1998 Volvo, with 174,000 miles, not worth much. I'd get a new one, but that would require too much dedication.

and here's Michael Jackson who took a lot of cues from his idol Fred, down to the tie used as a belt: