Friday Funny

 As we are heading home.

E: I’m going to make a recommendation that when you get to the golf place, you turn there instead of taking the way with the bridges and all the traffic.

*My little back seat driver.*

22

We celebrated our 22nd wedding anniversary over the weekend.

Justin started off the day taking Ellie to an AHG badge event.

Then he brought me these beautiful flowers.

I made dinner for these guys before we headed out.

I picked out an Irish pub that had a band playing.  We got the last table in that room.  It was such a treat.

We didn’t stay out late: we only have Katie occasionally right now, and got to tell all the kids good night before the went to bed.

We were also very thankful we weren’t on our way home a few seconds earlier.  Two cars crashed right in front of us, one spinning through our lane and up on the shoulder right in front of us.  Everyone seemed to be shaken, but safe.  We were so grateful to have only been bystanders.  Justin checked on everyone, and having not seen who was responsible for the accident, when it was safe, we went on home.

Old Recipes

I never could get my Grannie to write down a recipe for her fried apple pies.  I could watch her make them, she told me.  I did, and in the fall, I make them—still without a recipe.

We have some of Grannie’s old recipes here, and in the hunt for something to make yesterday, Gabby pulled out the cards. She happened across a recipe for jam cake—it’s one of the few in the box that I actually remember her making, most of her recipes were of that fried apple pie variety.  She often jotted down recipes that she must have only tried once or didn’t make for the family dinners on Sunday afternoons.

The ingredients list wasn’t a problem, so Gabby got to work.  Then she came to me with a question, “It says bake in a cool oven.”

There was no temperature and no time.  I had her set the oven to 325* and check it after 45 minutes—it wasn’t long enough.

Later she came back with a question about the filling/glaze.  It called for ‘butter the size of an egg.’

I guessed 4 Tablespoons, reasoning that is about the right size.  I assume Grannie had been scooping butter or margarine from a tub instead of using sticks.

It was fun to see the recipe and Sherlock Holmes the meanings.

It turned out well too.

Cake:

2 cups buttermilk 

2 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup butter

1 cup jam or preserves 

1 cup raisins (Gabby subbed coconut, as we had it on hand)

2 teaspoons (baking) soda

1 teaspoon nutmeg 

1 teaspoon cinnamon 

1 teaspoon allspice 

2 teaspoons cocoa

2 cups of sugar

Cream butter and sugar.  Add buttermilk, soda, spices, and jam.  Add flour a little bit at a time.  Stir in raisins. Bake in low oven. (Gabby did 325* for about an hour)

Filling (Glaze):

1 1/2 cups sugar

6 Tablespoons coffee

Butter size of eggs (4 Tablespoons)

Boil until thick.  May add nuts & raisins.

Summer

We’ve been on break for awhile, but summer is in full swing now.

This gal headed off to be a summer camp counselor.

‘The Thinker’ passed the swim test

And so did Nate—on a chilly pool day.

Ellie was tired out from her swim.  She’s close to passing the swim test too.