Ramblings of a Menopausal Broad

Tag: Baking (Page 1 of 2)

Seven Things I Love 9-12-2022

September 20, 2022 / / 0 Comments

Sorry I’ve missed a few weeks.

1. This Video Showing What Life is Like for a Grown-Up Matilda – Of course Matilda became a librarian when she grew up.

PERFECTION!

[Found on the Milwaukee Public Library’s Instagram]

2. These Tributes for the Passing of Queen Elizabeth – I’m worried for the UK. From what I’ve read, the new Prime Minister is like Margaret Thatcher on steroids. That is the last thing they need right now. And they don’t have the EU to keep things from going off the rails and now they don’t even have the Queen. Guess we’ll see what mettle King Charles is made of.

3. This TikTok Filter – Every Gen X-er will love this (and apparently now Millennials and Gen Zs too.) I me, a-ha’s ‘Take Me On‘ is a classic.

[Posted by my friend Ann on FB – thanks Ann!]

4. This Rousing Speech by Michael Sheen – If you ever doubted Sheen’s talent, you won’t after watching this. If he had been born 100 years ago (or more) he’d have ruled the world. Hell, he could rule the world today if he wanted to.

Michael Sheen’s theatrical performance is in a league of its own from nextfuckinglevel

This was posted by a friend of mine on FB and one of her friends posted a comment saying here’s evidence that this speech is completely spontaneous –

As a Welshman I’d like to explain a few things for those that might not know:

Spirit of ’58 – This is referring to the last time Wales got to the World Cup – 1958. The teams have been pretty poor between then and until the last 5 or so years so it’s seen as a massive achievement just to get to the finals.

Rob’s page – This is referencing the current Wales manager Rob Page who has been somewhat of a really good stand-in after Ryan Giggs, the previous manager, was removed after assault allegations surfaced.

Yma o hyd, you sons of speed – This is two references, the first is a very popular Welsh language folk song called Yma O Hyd, which has been co opted recently by the Welsh fans and Welsh FA to stir support. It’s a song about although being invaded and ruled by the English and despite their best efforts, the Welsh language and the Welsh people / culture are ‘still here’ (yma o hyd in welsh).

The other reference in this is to Gary Speed, a Welsh football legend who sadly committed suicide in 2011 that was adored by Welsh football fans.

[Shared with me by Angela G., Thanks Stasie!]

5. This Video Showing a Cartoonist Creating a Work of Art – MESMERIZING!

6. This Artist’s Drawings of the Queues Waiting to Say Good-bye to the Queen – Beautiful art illustrating an historic moment.

7. This Lumberjack Cake – Anyone else unable to hear the word lumberjack and not think of this?

[Found on Twin Peaks Festival 1993-2019 via Eclectic Ladyland via Messy Nessy Chic]

Word of the Week

Quote of the Week

Song of the Week

Seven Things I Love (6-6-2022)

June 7, 2022 / / 0 Comments

1. This Overlooked Female Artist – Hilma af Klint. Have you heard of her? I’d never heard of her. But last week I was visiting with friends and we watched a fantastic documentary called Beyond the Visible: Hilma af Klint (you absolutely need to watch it) and whoa.

There’ve been many visionary women who have been overlooked in history simply because they were female. It seems this may be particularly true in the world of art.

And in fact, some of the “firsts” that have been attributed to white males were not actually done first by these men.

One person whose story fits into this category is Hilma af Klint.

Miss af Klint was born in Sweden in 1862. She exhibited artistic talent from an early age and even studied art at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts. Though she chose not to live the “traditional” life that was expected of her – to get married and have children – she did take a more traditional route with her professional art career while she was alive.

But privately she was painting magnificent abstract art, some pieces being enormous and in large series.

Another mark against af Klint was that she was a spiritualist, which led to her being called a “crazy witch”. It gave people, particularly men, an excuse to dismiss her work as being frivolous.

In 1908 af Klint met Rudolf Steiner, who was a noted occultist and clairvoyant. She asked him to visit her studio so she could share some of her private work. It did not go well. He told her he was unimpressed with the work and that it wasn’t appropriate for a theosophist. Fortunately for the world this didn’t stop af Klint from continuing her painting but it is mostly responsible for why no one saw any of her works until decades after her death.

(Side note: Wassily Kandinsky has been dubbed the “Father of Abstract Art.” Kandinsky claims to have created the first abstract painting in 1911. As noted above, af Klint was showing her abstract pieces to Steiner in 1908. Also, Kandinsky was a follower of Rudolf Steiner. Coincidence? Of course not.)

As a result of Steiner’s dismissal of her art, af Klint continued to hide her abstract paintings. When she passed away in 1944 she left all her art to her nephew – all 1200 pieces of them! She requested he keep them for at least twenty years before doing anything with them. Her nephew barely was able to store them and frankly, it’s a miracle they survived.

After that he tried donating them to the Moderna Museet but they declined (I bet they could kick themselves now.) Finally a foundation int he artist’s name was created an accepted the paintings in the 1970s. It took nearly four more decades before the world finally appreciated Hilma af Klint’s work and even today the art world has not given her the status she deserves.

One last thing – this artist paints pictures of people looking at other people’s art.

I love this….

2. This John Oliver Piece on School Safety Officers – There are many reasons why we need to get police out of schools. We have the data. Use your vote wisely in November.

3. This Cheeky Actor – Ian McKellen, age 83.

4. This Video of the Queen Having Tea with Paddington Bear – There is so much to love about this video. I know that people have opinions about the monarchy and historically, the rulers of England have done some horrifying things, but Lilibet has always tried to do the right thing for her people. She may have been more willing to remain within the formal confines of tradition than Diana, but in a lot of ways they were more alike than people are willing to recognize.

[Thanks for the link Meta!]

5. This Glass Artist – I mentioned I was visiting with friends last week. One of them, the place where we were all staying, my one friend Dawn has an art studio and makes beautiful things there.

Don’t worry, I didn’t buy all of them, but I did buy the necklace showing below.

In fact I bought most of these pieces, which is why I chose them to show you.

You can visit her shop here.

6. These Cookies – I think we can all agree that pretty much everything at Trader Joe’s is wonderful but some items are simply supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. These madeleines fall into that category.

7. These Pastry and Confectionery – Jules Gouffé, a renowned chef during the middle of the 19th century, was nicknamed l’apôtre de la cuisine décorative (or, The apostle of decorative cuisine.) Chef Gouffé had a huge influence on French gastronomy and published four books that were even translated into English by his brother Alphonse, who was the head pastry chef to Queen Victoria.

Clearly this man did not believe that less is more.

Nougat Vase Filled with Strawberries on Nougat Stand
Moorish Stand
Italian Villa Made of Nougat
Gingerbread Rustic Summer House
Fountain Stand

[Found on Gjenvick-Gjønvik Archives]

Word of the Week

Quote of the Week

Song of the Week

Seven Things I Love (4-11-2022)

April 12, 2022 / / 0 Comments
  1. 1. This Winslow Homer Painting – I just think it’s an incredible piece of art but if you want to read an in-depth analysis of the piece, you can find that here.
“Dressing for the Carnival” by Winslow Homer, (1877)

[Found in The New Yorker]

  1. 2. These Easter Bonnets – You know what they say, GO BIG OR GO HOME!

3. These Cookies – Too cute to eat! I-N-C-R-E-D-I-B-L-E! (But did she sterilize that date stamper?)

@paintedladiespastry

Cookie Library Card decorated with royal icing and edible ink #cookiedecorating #isitcake

♬ Tom’s Diner – AnnenMayKantereit & Giant Rooks

[Found by Ann L. – thanks Ann!]

4. This Lip Balm – I had been using the same lip balm (Sugar Advanced Therapy Treatment Lip Balm) for some time but found that whenever I carried it in places where it could get warm it got melty. Kiehl’s has a similar product that is better but I’m not sure they are making it anymore. I haven’t been able to find it for a while and their website shows it is out of stock in all colors (though they do have a “notify me” option on the page.)

They both lasted longer than most lip balms I had found but I still have to re-apply throughout the day. That is when I found this product. Well, technically I found this first, but it’s a bit pricey. So I looked for something similar that wasn’t going to break the bank AND that was an all natural product.

And I found it. Lather lip conditioning balm is $11 per tube and it lasts for hours. No more peeling lips! I also fell in love with the Sweet Almond Face moisturizer ($26) and the Rose & Shea Hand Therapy ($16).

5. This (AWESOME) NPR Tiny Desk (Home) Concert – at the Los Angeles Public Library!

[Found on Uproxx]

6. This Banned Book – Which resulted in a non-fiction graphic book about its banning to be published in fall of 2023.

Jarrett Dapier was a library science graduate student in 2013 when he filed a Freedom of Information Act request that resulted in his uncovering a Chicago school district’s attempt to remove Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi without following the formal book challenge process. Once the information became public there was an outcry from both students and parents.

The book, called Wake Now In The Fire, is written by Dapier and illustrated by AJ Dungo, and tells the story of a group of high school students who are trying to push back against censorship at their own school.

[Found on Book Riot]

7. These Two Friends – Denise Mercedes and Maria Castellanos like to show how clothes look on bodies of different sizes. I would give anything to have had more body positivity growing up.

[Found on My Modern Met]

Word of the Week

Quote of the Week

Song of the Week

I thought I’d add a new section to the blog. Am I taking requests? We’ll see.
Either way, hopefully you’ll discover something new or reminisce on something old.

Click on the image to go to the video to hear the song.

Natalia Lafourcade – Alma Mía (En Manos de Los Macorinos) ft. Los Macorinos

Seven Things I Love (12-7-2020)

December 8, 2020 / / 0 Comments

How is it already DECEMBER????

1. This Tea Party – Truly amazing. I belong to the Facebook group called ‘The Gilded Age Society.’ The Edwardian Era has always been my favorite time period, even before ‘Downton Abbey’ was a thing. Recently a young person name Paul Ryan T. Co, who is also a member of the group, posted these photos. He recreated a most magnificent Edwardian Era tea. I wrote to him immediately and asked if I could share the photos and he said yes so here they are.

An Edwardian Tea created by Paul Ryan T. Co

Here are some of the details included in Paul’s description:

The menu includes fresh fruits, dried fruit with nuts, chicken truffle quiche, scones with clotted cream and jam, and the pièce de résistance is a Lady Baltimore cake, which is a white cake filled with nuts and figs and then frosted with a fluffy marshmallow meringue icing. THAT sounds divine!

Paul used the original 1906 recipe which was copied in several newspapers, including Harrisburg, Pennsylvania’s Daily Gazette and Bulletin, The Columbus Journal, and The Washington Times.

There is a fascinating history of the cake on this site.

I myself might try a more modern recipe and am thinking of giving Martha’s version a try.

Additionally, the service is traditional to the period. It’s made up of an American sterling tea set by Gorham from the 1880s, a set of monogrammed sterling cutlery by Watson from 1902, a silver cake server by Whiting (from their King Edward pattern introduced in 1900 to commemorate Edward’s accession to the throne, which makes it rare), a Ridgeway dessert service, a Minton cake pedestal, a double-handled, molded Prussian cake plate, and a trio of Coalport tea cups (all produced from the late 1800s to early 1900s.) This guy needs to be hired by a production company, STAT! He’s a true artist.

Tell me you wouldn’t pay beaucoup bucks to attend a tea at this place!

2. This Governmental Body – The Irish Parliament discussed the “Santa Claus Issue” and formally announced that Santa is exempt from their national quarantine, that he will indeed still be visiting homes in Ireland, but social distancing should still be practiced and people should remain 2 meters away from him. Gotta LOVE THIS!

3. This Xfinity Short Film – It’s not really an advertisement. I saw a brief clip of this on television and it was so intriguing I wanted to watch the entire thing. Steve Carrell is a fine Santa Claus!

4. This Video on Mourning a Relationship You Never Had – I love Anna Akana so much and I really wish that she could time travel back to the early 80s and tell me exactly what she says in the video. Course I’m not sure if I would have been smart enough back then to listen to her.

5. This IG of Chris Evans Playing the Piano! – just when you think he can’t get any more adorable/perfect/wonderful….

and then watch Jimmy Fallon’s response to Chris’s piano playing viral video, it’s HILARIOUS.

6. These Recipes and Tips for Roasting Chestnuts – unless you live in a pretty large city (with lots of pedestrian traffic) you probably don’t run across many places selling roasted chestnuts during the Christmas season (despite what Hallmark movies makes Christmas look like). Myself, I’d actually never had them until well into my 50s.

I don’t have a gas stove so I have two options – one is two use my gas grill and the other is to roast them in the oven. I prefer them on the grill because they’re on an open flame but when it’s too cold (doesn’t happen much anymore with climate change) or when I’m visiting family and it’s too much of a hassle, the oven method works just fine. Especially when I use them in recipes, with, oh, for example, Brussels Sprouts with Chestnuts and Bacon.

In fact, last Christmas I tried to make the above recipe at my sister-in-law/brother’s house. In the notes it says, “If you prefer to roast fresh chestnuts instead of using vacuum-packed ones, cut a slit in the shell of each chestnut with a serrated knife.” I’m going to tell you something – a freaking serrated knife will not slit the shell of a chestnut. I mean, it will, but it’s like trying to saw wood with a butter knife.

Recently I ran across this nifty gadget and now I know that next year I will be completely prepared! It will score the chestnut so that it doesn’t explode while roasting (after all, that’s the primary reason why you’re cutting it.) Once you roast it, it should be easy to peel.

Bring it on Christmas 2021! I’m ready for you…

Chestnut Nutcracker

7. This Search Result When You Google Alex Trebek – SO sweet!

Before I get to the Word and Quote of the Week I strongly recommend that you watch these two movies before the end of the month. They are very different films but there’s one major similarity – you will figure it out quickly.

What I couldn’t help but think while watching both of them is how much better the world would be if people weren’t so judgmental and how so much bad behavior – masculine toxicity, repressed emotions, abusive tendencies, the list is endless – are passed on from generation to generation.

The first movie is Uncle Frank – amazing cast.

The second is The Happiest Season and it’s on Hulu (Dan Levy not surprisingly steals every scene he’s in.)

Word of the Week

Quote of the Week

Never Forget…

Seven (+2) Things I Love (11-30-2020)

November 30, 2020 / / 0 Comments

1. This Discovery of the Fountain of Youth – Scientists in Israel claim they have been able to reverse the aging process simply using oxygen. GIMME SOME OF THAT!

2. These Cardamom Cookies from Unna Bakery in New York – I found these locally a while back but couldn’t remember where I bought them. Damned menopausal brain fog. I checked to see if I could order them online and yay, I could! LOVE these cookies. They are my favorite treat to have with a cup of tea in the afternoon. A box contains five packets of two, all individually wrapped, so you don’t have to feel obligated to eat the whole package just to keep them from going stale (which is what I tell myself when I do that.) They are just the right amount of spice and sweet. In my opinion, the perfect cookie. The Swedes do so many things right and baking is on that list to be sure.

There are other flavors to choose from too. I ordered some Coconut Oat Cookies to try and they were different but equally good.

3. This Recipe for Sweet & Sour Brussels Sprouts – thanks to my brother Chuck for sending this to me. I’m a big fan of Camila Styles and I’m subscribed to her e-newsletter, but lately my inbox has been inundated so I’m missing a lot.

This girl (me) can’t get enough Brussels sprouts. Sadly, this girl also is on a blood thinner which means she has to pace herself. Well, you know what Julia Child says, “Everything in moderation.” (FYI, the full quote is, “Everything in moderation… including moderation.”) You can find the recipe by clicking on the photo or here.

4. This Book Review (and Interview) of Henry Winkler’s Newest Book by Master Crocheter Jonah Larson – they are all so damned adorable! Note Henry Winkler’s pillow behind him – love it! And Jonah Larson is a wunderkind! You can read more about him here and here.

5. This Cookware from GreenPan – I’ve bought all my GreenPan Cookware from Food52 but it’s available in many places including World Market, Kohl’s, and Amazon. One of my favorite pieces, which I use ALL the time, is the 12-Inch GreenPan Venice Pro Nonstick Ceramic Everyday Pan (pictured right). It’s no longer available at Food52 but they still have it at World Market. And there is a slightly smaller 11-Inch version called the Chatham Nonstick Ceramic Everyday Pan at Kohl’s for significantly less.

From the GreenPan website:

GreenPan is a Belgian brand with an international reputation. It’s the brainchild of two school friends: Jan Helskens and Wim De Veirman.

Upon discovering that traditional non-stick pans released toxins when overheated and used PFOA during the manufacture of the coating, they set out to create a new alternative.

After a long search, they found the perfect material for their range: a ceramic coating called Thermolon™.

With the biggest challenge out of the way, the duo put an expert team together and had a lot of pleasure in designing cookware that looked beautiful, performed brilliantly and made cooking even more of a joy.

10 years later their pans are loved around the world.

6. This Test Flight – I may not be a fan of Elon Musk (I think he ‘s batshit crazy) BUT I cannot deny he has vision and his company is achieving astonishing things. Besides, my nephew works at SpaceX so as long as he’s there I know that they they must be cool!

7. This Music Video (and tweet) – Daniel Stewart is Patrick Stewart’s son. The music video is awesome!

8. This Virtual Chess Game Against Beth Harmon (at four different ages!) – I ADORED ‘Queen’s Gambit’ (along with everyone else) and now I’m obsessed. Chess.com has developed this clever online experience tied in to the hit Netflix series. I finally got brave enough to try to play 8 year-old Beth. It was a draw because we ran out of moves. I thought my brain was going to explode though it was working so hard.

9. These Edible Christmas Ornaments for Outdoor Trees – I’m a Hallmark (and now Lifetime too) Christmas movie junkie. This year Hallmark has an incredible number of new movies. One of my favorites is called, Christmas with the Darlings. In addition to the usual christmas cookie making/baking scene that occurs in every Hallmark movie, in this one they made animal-friendly ornaments and I thought it was brilliant. I will definitely be doing this next year! There are two different links. The link on the photo below will take you to a recipe for the birdseed ornaments pictured. The link at the beginning in bold takes you to an article with a variety of ideas and links.

Word of the Day
(is actually the Merriam-Webster Word of the Year for 2020)

If you click on the graphic below it will take you to an analysis of the use and significance of the word pandemic for the year.

Quote of the Day

I hope you had a nice Thanksgiving and stayed safe!

And I don’t want to rub it in so I’ll let Charlie say for me what I can’t say myself….

Gramma Celeste’s Drunkin Pumkin Pie

November 28, 2020 / / 2 Comments

Recipe as written by Jean Stoltz in the cookbook she made for her daughter, Jennie.

Makes two 9” pies

Ingredients

  • 2 c. brown sugar
  • ¾ c. butter
  • 1 c. PET (evaporated) milk
  • 4 eggs, beaten
  • 4 c. pumpkin (note from Jennie, or 2-15 oz. cans of pumpkin)
  • 1 tsp. each cinnamon, mace & nutmeg
  • ½ c. whiskey (bourbon) or to taste –  (plus a ½ c. for Gramma – WHOOPIE!!!)

Cheat – 2 frozen deep-dish pie shells, thawed (another note from Jennie, or if you are looking to make a pie crust from scratch and need a recipe, I love this one.)

Directions

Cream together butter and sugar.  Add beaten eggs and spices, PET milk & pumpkin and mix well.  Add bourbon and mix well.  Pour into pie shells and bake at 400 º F for 50 minutes.

Recipe History

This recipe was given to your great-grandmother Canepa by Mrs. T. G. Breant in 1898.  Grandma was the head housekeeper at Selma Hall * outside of Festus, MO.

Added this history of Selma Hall….

* Selma Hall, or “Kennett’s Castle”, is located four miles south of Festus and one mile east of Highway 61. Selma Hall, its formal name, is a house patterned after North Italian Renaissance country houses. It was designed by George I. Barnett, English-trained St. Louis architect, for Ferdinand Kennett, Mississippi River steamboat operator. Probably the finest antebellum home in Missouri, it was built in 1854, at a cost of $125,000, and was called Kennett’s Castle by river men who have persisted in calling the mansion this name. Its gray limestone walls and square, four-story tower crown a succession of terraces, which to the east overhang the Mississippi River, and to the west overlook landscaped grounds which include a formal garden. The house was gutted by fire on March 13, 1939, during the ownership of William O. Schock of St. Louis, but has been restored by the firm of Nagel and Dunn to approximately its original appearance.

Selma Hall was built on land given Mrs. Kennett (formerly Julia Deadrick) by her grandfather, John Smith “T”, an expert marksman in duels, and one of the largest lead-mine operators. The castle was occupied by the Kennett family until the Civil War time, when the castle was frequently fired upon from boats on the Mississippi. The family fled to St. Louis for safety. Tradition says that Union forces stabled their horses in the stone mansion, and this magnificent and historic structure, like many others of the antebellum period, was left in ruin. The home was eventually restored to its original impressive elegance. Selma Hall and its imported furnishings were indicative of the wealth and tastes of two aristocratic families – the Smith “T” and Kennett families – both prominent in early land development, lead mining, and other business activities of early Missouri.

from Historic Sites of Jefferson County, Missouri (Eschbach, Walter L.)

Sadly in 2018, Union Pacific, which had acquired the property from Missouri Pacific in 1986, decided to close Selma Hall (or Selma Farm as it is also known) as part of their cost-cutting measures. There is a fantastic article in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch about the history of Selma Hall with a lot of photographs. I’ve included the dining room photos with this recipe for obvious reasons. If you click on any of them you’ll pop over to the article.

The dining room featured murals on the walls in 1934. Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress
A view of an arched bay window in the dining room in 1934. Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress
A view of the dining room in 1940, after reconstruction work. Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress

And, in February of 2020, I found a listing for Kennett’s Castle (yet another name for Selma Hall/Selma Farm) for the mere price of $24,750,000.

Bon Appétit!

Seven Things I Love (10-26-2020)

October 26, 2020 / / 0 Comments

1. This Short Film, The Magic of Chess – The Milwaukee Film Festival is running from October 15-29 and this year, for obvious reasons, it’s gone completely virtual. Frankly, I’m thrilled because it’s giving me the opportunity to see a lot more movies than I normally would be able to see. Because of that I bought a pass (and I’m a Milwaukee Film member so I got a really good deal 😊.)

I usually see all the film short collections and this year is no different. I also usually start with the kids film shorts. I have about a half dozen favorite short films so far, this is one of them. There is something about all these kids going on and on about chess, with such passion and enthusiasm – it’s amazing!

2. These Cakes, designed to look like shag rugs! Created by a baker in Los Angeles named Alana Jones-Mann.

3. This Fashion Line that used Puppets for a Socially Distanced Fashion Show – Moschino’s Creative Director, Jeremy Scott, is responsible for using marionettes dressed in doll-sized versions of the garments. I’m sure it was a tremendous amount of work but wonder, now that they’ve done it, will it get easier from this point forward to do it with puppets and less expensive than a show with live models? People do love things in minature too!

4. This Letter written by the Attorneys for the Lincoln Project (one of my two favorite Republicans against Trump groups right now) to Jared Kushner & Ivanka Trump’s lawyer. It brings me such joy! The Trump family (as has many other of their ilk) has gotten away with “having their cake and eating it too” for far too long. I hope that their stint in the White House was the straw that broke the camel’s back and that after the election everything crumbles. (November 3rd is ONE WEEK from tomorrow – EEK!)

5. These Photos of Birds in Motion by photographer Mark Harvey – you should click on the photo below or this link to see all the rest. Simply breathtaking!

Blue Tit by Mark Harvey

6. This Recipe for Bread of the Dead – super clever, easy and realistic way to make skulls from mushrooms! I’ll have to remember this for next year when I can actually entertain again.

7. This Bronze Sculpture inspired by the legend of King Arthur for Tintagell Castle, Cornwall by Rubin Eynon

Word of the Day

Did you know there was a word for this?!?!

Have a GREAT week!

Seven Things I Love (10-5-2020): Gastronomical Edition

October 7, 2020 / / 0 Comments

Okay guys, so I was collecting thing for my upcoming blog post and not only did I have WAY too many but a lot of them seemed to be food related so this week I’m posting two blogs simultaneously. Don’t worry, I don’t think this will be a regular thing.

1. This video showing How they make croissants at the Le Marais Bakery in San Francisco. Mesmerizing. And man, they look so good. Dammit, how much longer until we can freaking travel. Or at least leave our homes? My state unfortunately is becoming a new hotspot. Some hospitals not too far north of where I live have had to start wait-listing or transferring patients. I’m going to go watch this video again….

2. This Black Forest Piecaken – my friend Kathy made this! You’ve probably heard of a turducken, which is a deboned chicken stuffed into a deboned duck, further stuffed into a deboned turkey. Well a piecaken is a pie baked inside a cake. You can make it with pretty much any kind of pie and any kind of cake but this is a cherry pie baked into a fudgy chocolate cake. Only in America!

I’m not sure if this is the same recipe my friend used but the photo is mighty close to the end result so it could be. OR if you don’t want to put as much work into it, you can use this boxed cake recipe but that’s not going to be as good.

3. This pizzeria – Vinnie’s Pizzeria, that has added “Comforting Words” to its menu at the low cost of $1! 2020 has a silver linings here and there.

4. This Australian tradition – “Democracy Sausage” or another reason why the rest of the world is superior to America. Oh em gee, why aren’t we doing this???? Because most countries don’t try to discourage voting/making it difficult to vote and actually try to lure people to the polls, in Australia at many elections they grill these sausages, called “snags” and offer them either for free or to raise money for local causes. I realize during a global pandemic this may not be a good time to start this (and I’m sure they won’t be doing it in Australia for the next year or so either) but we really need to try harder.

5. This Snow Globe Gin from Harvey Nichols – two of my favorite things in one package. Pinch me. They’ve used edible gold flakes for the snow. It’s times like this that I ask myself yet again, why the hell am I not living in the UK? (You can’t see it on their website until November, not that they can ship it to the U.S. Trust me, I’ve tried to have gin shipped here.)

6. These Tips for tidying up your kitchen — I’m obsessed with Food52 and this article had some amazing tips on how to clean up your kitchen quickly and easily. I particularly liked the part for keeping an “orderly fridge.” Genius.

(bonus – before and after (mostly after) photos of junk drawer makeovers…)

7. This article about how the Irish Supreme Court ruled that Subway Bread is too sweet to be bread. Yes, it’s official, Subway bread is not bread. FINALLY!

After all, we all know that we should all be eating bread like this on a daily basis. Mmmmmm, Irish Brown Bread. There’s nothing better. This photo is from the website Hungry Enough to Eat Six and they have a dandy recipe for Irish Brown Bread here.

Have a WONDERFUl week!

Five Things I Love (5-11-2020)

May 11, 2020 / / 0 Comments
  1. Kimmy Schmidt is coming back, couldn’t happen at a better time!!!

2. Angela Lansbury – a friend of mine told me about this marvelous twitter thread – Angela Lansbury as Teapots. Ms. @Pandamoanimum (I’m assuming this is a woman, which is completely sexist I know, but I feel fairly confident that I am correct) is super clever & creative. She’s taken a series of fabulous photographs of Angela Lansbury, some from her later Murder, She Wrote days, some from her early film career, and paired them up with perfectly matching teapots. The result is, well, see for yourself.

After looking through all the wonderfully imaginative match-ups I felt challenged and decided I had to give it a whirl myself. Here is my first attempt, what do you think? (The photo of Angela is from the film, Samson & Delilah – was she a babe or what?)

While searching for photos of Ms. Lansbury to use to pair with teapots I ran across this fabulous article – Living My Life Like Angela Lansbury. The author of the article, a HUGE fan of Murder, She Wrote, decided to spend a solid day following the advice found in Angela’s book (photo below.) I was astonished to see that what Lansbury recommended in a book nearly thirty years old is exactly what health experts are telling people to do today. It’s no wonder she’s lived so long! SO, I found a used copy and ordered one for myself.

3. Elephant Feet – truth be told I am generally grossed out by anything anatomical but sometimes the wow factor overcomes my squeamishness.

Elephants foot compared to humans foot from woahdude

4. Corgi-butt buns – this Japanese bakery, the Utiwapayna bakery, creates all sorts of delightfully designed treats but these custard or apple jelly filled buns are by far my favorites. How cute are these???? If you have been to Mitsuwa Marketplace in Arlington Heights, they have a Japanese bakery, the Pastry House Hippo, that makes some adorable delicacies.

5. Composite Photos of the Moon by astrophysicist Andrew McCarthy (not to be confused with the actor.) These images are AMAZING. McCarthy has given the world the most extraordinary and clearest photos of the moon ever seen.

And remember, wear masks, stay home, and practice physical distancing. Here’s a wonderful drawing from another favorite artist of mine, Linzie Hunter.

Five Things I Love (4/27/2020)

April 27, 2020 / / 0 Comments
  1. 1. Stanley Tucci making a Negroni – if you haven’t seen this video yet, you have to watch it. It’s true, I could watch Stanley Tucci reading a phone book (there’s a handful of actors that I can say this about and he’s one of them,) but this is entrancing.

2. The Film Short made while isolating by one of my favorite history buff/film makers. I love her sense of humor.

3. Children’s Book Emoji Pictionary – how many can you figure out? I managed to get 15 out of 15 (yes I’m bragging, but full disclosure I was a Children’s Librarian for 12 years before becoming a library director so I have a bit of an advantage.) I’ll put the answers at the bottom of the post.

4. Gabe Kaplan beating the pants off of Robert Conrad in a race from the Battle of the Network Stars. Raise your hand if you remember this show! I do, I do!!!

https://twitter.com/super70ssports/status/1222315769981218819?lang=en

5. This video of Mr. Rogers & Julia Child cooking together. I would have given anything to meet Mr. Rogers but I can say I got to meet Julia Child back when I worked at Schwartz Bookshop in Milwaukee during her ‘The Way to Cook’ book tour. She’s as fabulous as you would hope she’d be and so wonderfully tall. As a tall person myself I was overjoyed about that.

6. This article on ‘5 Reasons to Bake Pretzels with Walter the Baker‘ – yesterday was National Pretzel Day and when I think of pretzels I can’t help but think of the book Walter the Baker. For those of you who haven’t read the book, here is a lovely video story time. Walter the Baker is one of my favorite Eric Carle books. It may be because it’s about pretzels. It may be because it has a Duke & Duchess in the story, (good or bad I’m partial to stories that include royalty.) It may be because I love all Carle’s books.

Anyway, being in isolation, pretzels are the perfect thing to make at home, assuming you have flour – I hear it can be difficult to find in some areas. How yummy!

7. Last but definitely not least, these Coloring Sheets inspired by WES ANDERSONS & HAYAO MIYAZAKI films. O……M…..G, I’m in heaven!!!

And the answers to the Children’s Book Emoji Pictionary are:

  1. Green Eggs & Ham
  2. Charlotte’s Web
  3. The Very Hungry Caterpillar
  4. Good Night Moon
  5. One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish
  6. Cat in the Hat
  7. Rainbow Fish
  8. Stone Soup
  9. Three Little Pigs
  10. Alice in Wonderland
  11. Charlie & the Chocolate Factory
  12. If you Give a Mouse a Cookie
  13. Goldilocks & the Three Bears
  14. The Giving Tree
  15. Where the Wild Things Are

How’d ya do?

« Older posts

© 2023 Ramblings of a Menopausal Broad

Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑