busy busy busy
I know, I know, I haven’t posted in awhile. What can I say? I’ve been busy and there’s lots to tell. (Sarah—is that better?) I’ll do like Maria von Trapp and start at the very beginning. One afternoon a couple of weeks ago, I picked tony up after work and we drove out to Lorain County to Spiegelberg Orchards. Now this is not a fancy, new-fangled orchard like Patterson’s, where I had gone in September. There are no tours, there’s no giftshop or bakery and there's no fancy signage. Just a hard-working German family selling their produce out of a converted barn. The backyard of their house was full of pumpkins in three piles: small, medium and large. Up at the barn, there were big bins of apples sitting out: red delicious, golden delicious, jonagolds, macs, empires and granny smiths. There was also a table with ENORMOUS cauliflowers, as well as squashes: buttercup, butternut and acorn, plus some pie pumpkins. Inside, there were a few tables set up with bags of apples, plus concord grapes, grape juice and cider, honey and apple butter, jam and pickles, some Indian corn and a few bags of bosc pears. It was for these last that we had made the trek. They were beautiful pears, with green and gold russeting. I picked one sack out, along with a half-peck of apples and some squash. It was a quintessentially autumnal experience—one that I had missed for most of the years I lived in the city. Our drive back gave us a chance to view the fall foliage in some gorgeous, golden, sunset light. Plus, we got to stop at the Hometown Buffet, which always makes tony happy. What a wonderful afternoon!
The following weekend a co-worker had a birthday party at her home, which is just 5 minutes drive from here. Normally, when I have an 8 or 9 hour turnaround between shifts at work, I don’t agree to such events. Given the proximity, though, I decided to make an exception. It was a great party. It was just on the edge of chilly, so we were able to sit in her backyard, next to her outdoor fireplace thingy (I know there’s a name for this…?). The food was yummy (chicken satay, veggie samosas, black bean salad, mojitos) and I have to say that I really like the people I work with, who comprised the bulk of the guests. They are people I would choose to be friends with even if we didn’t work together. I stayed less than an hour, but it was a lot of fun and I’m really glad I made the effort.
The next night was dinner with the Canadians and the Floridas. It was the weekend of Canadian Thanksgiving. Every year this group of guys descends on the home of our friends M & D, who live over near tony. Six of them drive down from Toronto and two of them fly up from Tampa. On alternate years, the weekend is held in Toronto. They do the whole turkey dinner production on Saturday night, which I missed because I was at my other party. Then on Sunday they go out to dinner. This year we ate at Castaldi’s in Tower City. There were 14 of us all told and we had a great time. Our waiter was a big queen and he had loads of fun with us. The food was only okay, but that was not the focus of the evening so it was not a big deal. It was just good to be out with such a nice group. Afterwards, we went back to the house for chocolate cake, as it was the birthday of one of the Canadians. We got to sing and have dessert and then everyone settled in for an evening of cards and cocktails. These two activities are the thread that holds these weekends together (aside from the eating, of course). Tony and I slipped out quietly, as I had to work early the next morning. Most of these folks were off because of the Columbus Day holiday.
My niece was in visiting from college at the same time all this was going on. I got to see her on Monday evening, when my sister made dinner for us all. She seems very mature and grown up now, even though she’d only been gone about 6 weeks. I think you undergo a major transformation in those first few weeks and months of being away from home that is unparalleled at any point in your life. You see what it is possible to do and think and feel and accomplish; things you might never have seen otherwise. Plus, you can stay out as late as you want! She’s a beautiful young woman and she is going to succeed at whatever she puts her mind to.
My kitchen has been a busy place, too. I made some incredible beef goulash from a Tyler Florence recipe I saw on the tv (thank god for the food network); some baked beans from the aunt of scott at sardonic bomb; vegetable soup with my homemade chicken stock and some tiny little acini de pepe; a roast chicken, marinated with soy and hoisin and ginger; blueberry scones and individual ginger walnut coffeecakes; an apple lattice pie and an unusual chocolate cake from julia’s second volume of Mastering the Art of French Cooking. This is technically not a cake, but rather a dessert. It involves egg whites and egg yolks, each beaten separately with sugar; then folded together with a combination of chocolate melted with milk and grated stale cake crumbs. It’s a great way to use up old cake (I had a bunch of trimmings from a cake I made weeks ago) and no one is ever the wiser. I have made it many times over the years and it is always a hit.
The other thing I have produced is canned pears. I put up seven pints of the boscs I bought last week. I made a syrup with some honey I had gotten down in amish country this past spring, as well as a few cloves in each jar. They are a beautiful color in the jar and they should taste great in the dead of winter. As a bonus, I have a favorite pear cake recipe that starts with canned pears. It has always seemed a shame to me to use del monte canned fruit for such a great cake, so now I can make it with my own product. I think the honey and cloves will lend just the right aroma to it.
Whew! Is that enough activity for two weeks? The next few weeks also promise to be chock-a-block. In addition to my anniversary with tony, I have to go to boston for a couple of days at the beginning of next month for some work training. I have never been there, so I look forward to seeing the city, as well as getting the training. They fly us in and put us up in a hotel and pay for our meals…the whole nine yards. I have never worked for any sort of operation that was this organized before, so it’s actually exciting to me, rather than something to dread. There are also two other work-related events that I have to attend in the coming weeks. That and the arrival of my friends L & P from Chicago next weekend are going to make for a very busy time from here forward. I am trying to get all my laundry caught up and house cleaned, etc., during these mornings off here, so I can be prepared. BUSY, BUSY, BUSY!
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The following weekend a co-worker had a birthday party at her home, which is just 5 minutes drive from here. Normally, when I have an 8 or 9 hour turnaround between shifts at work, I don’t agree to such events. Given the proximity, though, I decided to make an exception. It was a great party. It was just on the edge of chilly, so we were able to sit in her backyard, next to her outdoor fireplace thingy (I know there’s a name for this…?). The food was yummy (chicken satay, veggie samosas, black bean salad, mojitos) and I have to say that I really like the people I work with, who comprised the bulk of the guests. They are people I would choose to be friends with even if we didn’t work together. I stayed less than an hour, but it was a lot of fun and I’m really glad I made the effort.
The next night was dinner with the Canadians and the Floridas. It was the weekend of Canadian Thanksgiving. Every year this group of guys descends on the home of our friends M & D, who live over near tony. Six of them drive down from Toronto and two of them fly up from Tampa. On alternate years, the weekend is held in Toronto. They do the whole turkey dinner production on Saturday night, which I missed because I was at my other party. Then on Sunday they go out to dinner. This year we ate at Castaldi’s in Tower City. There were 14 of us all told and we had a great time. Our waiter was a big queen and he had loads of fun with us. The food was only okay, but that was not the focus of the evening so it was not a big deal. It was just good to be out with such a nice group. Afterwards, we went back to the house for chocolate cake, as it was the birthday of one of the Canadians. We got to sing and have dessert and then everyone settled in for an evening of cards and cocktails. These two activities are the thread that holds these weekends together (aside from the eating, of course). Tony and I slipped out quietly, as I had to work early the next morning. Most of these folks were off because of the Columbus Day holiday.
My niece was in visiting from college at the same time all this was going on. I got to see her on Monday evening, when my sister made dinner for us all. She seems very mature and grown up now, even though she’d only been gone about 6 weeks. I think you undergo a major transformation in those first few weeks and months of being away from home that is unparalleled at any point in your life. You see what it is possible to do and think and feel and accomplish; things you might never have seen otherwise. Plus, you can stay out as late as you want! She’s a beautiful young woman and she is going to succeed at whatever she puts her mind to.
My kitchen has been a busy place, too. I made some incredible beef goulash from a Tyler Florence recipe I saw on the tv (thank god for the food network); some baked beans from the aunt of scott at sardonic bomb; vegetable soup with my homemade chicken stock and some tiny little acini de pepe; a roast chicken, marinated with soy and hoisin and ginger; blueberry scones and individual ginger walnut coffeecakes; an apple lattice pie and an unusual chocolate cake from julia’s second volume of Mastering the Art of French Cooking. This is technically not a cake, but rather a dessert. It involves egg whites and egg yolks, each beaten separately with sugar; then folded together with a combination of chocolate melted with milk and grated stale cake crumbs. It’s a great way to use up old cake (I had a bunch of trimmings from a cake I made weeks ago) and no one is ever the wiser. I have made it many times over the years and it is always a hit.
The other thing I have produced is canned pears. I put up seven pints of the boscs I bought last week. I made a syrup with some honey I had gotten down in amish country this past spring, as well as a few cloves in each jar. They are a beautiful color in the jar and they should taste great in the dead of winter. As a bonus, I have a favorite pear cake recipe that starts with canned pears. It has always seemed a shame to me to use del monte canned fruit for such a great cake, so now I can make it with my own product. I think the honey and cloves will lend just the right aroma to it.
Whew! Is that enough activity for two weeks? The next few weeks also promise to be chock-a-block. In addition to my anniversary with tony, I have to go to boston for a couple of days at the beginning of next month for some work training. I have never been there, so I look forward to seeing the city, as well as getting the training. They fly us in and put us up in a hotel and pay for our meals…the whole nine yards. I have never worked for any sort of operation that was this organized before, so it’s actually exciting to me, rather than something to dread. There are also two other work-related events that I have to attend in the coming weeks. That and the arrival of my friends L & P from Chicago next weekend are going to make for a very busy time from here forward. I am trying to get all my laundry caught up and house cleaned, etc., during these mornings off here, so I can be prepared. BUSY, BUSY, BUSY!
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