Snow Days ~ Over the Years

Who doesn't want to keep a few snowy memories accessible? Here's snow stuff from Queens, New York City, NY as well as some Ohio photos, complete with a tree-view from a condo window. The music iPhone provided, nice beat. Quickly presented and it may have been inadvertently edited. Perhaps there will be a Take 2. 

 YES -- let's try it HERE: https://youtu.be/EZFmDoNr8sU

 

Kiwanis, fried pickles and a Christmas Tree

Love synchronicity! After moving further east in Queens, with Christmas on the horizon, it was high time to retrieve my Christmas tree from my Jewish former neighbors' attic. My friend Dorothy offered to help and before she drove me and my tree to the new neighborhood we stopped at the Dog and Duck pub for a beer and Friday night supper. There were Sunnyside Kiwanis president Will Sadd and secretary Carol Masiello! Their fundraising  mixer was tonight though their email announcing it was not yet read (by me anyway). So dinner became a bit more expensive but it was fun AND I got to try the fried pickles special for half price. NYS Assemblymember Cathy Nolan stopped by and other nice folks too. The free mulled wine was sampled on the way out the door. It was a very festive evening! Tree and I are now safely in my "new" home and Little Christmas Eve is tomorrow! The holiday season has begun with tree, pickles, Kiwanis and friends!! Life is good!

Molasses Cookies

Another childhood recipe, this one is off the Brer Rabbit Molasses bottle, one my awesome mom made every so often. We would make these cookies small because then we could eat more of them. One time Mom and I were having one of our famous mother-daughter talks while drinking tea and eating cookies and looked down to find that we had eaten a couple of dozen!!! Call them molasses cookies or ginger cookies, just make these.

Mix together these ingredients:
3/4 Cup shortening (melted, cooled a bit) /
OR butter, softened
1 Cup sugar
1/4 Cup molasses
1 egg

Sift or whisk together in separate bowl:
2 t baking soda
2 Cups flour
1/2 t ground cloves
1/2 t ground ginger (or 1 t)
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t salt

• Add dry ingredients to wet mixture, a bit at a time.
• Chill for an hour or so (metal bowl helps).
• Roll into small balls and roll balls in sugar.
• Bake on greased cookie sheet at 375 degrees 8 to 10 minutes.
• Leave on sheet a minute or so then remove to wire rack to cool.

Made with shortening, the cookies may harden to ginger snaps after a few days but the butter version stays pretty moist unless you bake them longer. Storing in cookie tins works well.

I made these to give to folks stopping at our Kiwanis table at the Richmond Hill Park Fair.

Short Bread Cookies

My late great mother-in-law would make these for Christmas, but whenever you want a nice simple tasty cookie, make these.

Mix together these ingredients:
1 pound butter
1 Cup light brown sugar
4 Cups white flour

• Roll into 4 rolls and roll them in red or green sugar (for Christmas).
• Chill overnight.
• Slice off cookies and bake at 350 degrees 15 to 20 minutes until golden.

Hey, use organic ingredients and you'll feel better about the pound of butter, but each cookie is small. FYI, my ex said don't use whole wheat flour. He tried it and "blech".

PUMPKIN PIE CAKE

I've had this recipe for a long time and it needs to be accessible and not lost. Try it once and you will bake it again.

Take one yellow cake mix, reserving one cup for the topping, mix the rest with 1/2 cup of melted butter and one beaten egg. Line the bottom and sides of a 13x9 inch pan with this mixture.

Mix together:
1 large can pumpkin (28 oz. size, approx.)
3 beaten eggs
3/4 cup of sugar
2/3 cup of evaporated milk
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of ginger
1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon of salt

Pour into crust-lined pan.

Cut 1/2 cup of butter into the 1 cup reserved cake mix and 1/4 cup of sugar. Sprinkle this on top of pumpkin mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees for one hour and enjoy!! Reddi Whip or whipped cream is a nice addition.

Happy Halloween and/or Thanksgiving or TREAT Day to you and yours!

Barney in Connecticut

IMG_0754.jpg
Originally uploaded by Kate Anne

Barney Bear, my god-dog, welcomed my company over my Connecticut vacation.

I am blessed.

Fluffy Egg Dumplings

When in the mood for noodly carbs I will make a half batch of these on top of vegetable bouillon and deliberately undercook them. I will even re-heat the leftovers in the microwave. Cook them as directed and they are beautifully fluffy.

1-1/2 C flour
2 t baking powder
3/4 t salt

1 egg well beaten
2 T salad oil
1 C milk

Whisk or sift flour with baking powder and salt in medium bowl.

In small bowl, beat egg then add oil and milk. Pour all at once into flour mixture and mix only until moistened.

Drop batter by rounded tablespoons onto gently bowling stew or bouillon. Cook uncovered for 10 minutes, then cover tightly for 10 minutes.

Possible additives to flour: 1/2 t curry OR 1/2 t sage, OR 2 T chopped parsley or chives, OR 1 t caraway seeds.

07/06/13 UPDATE: I added some fresh rosemary and some corn just off the cob. Yum.

(For recipes like these, I keep my old stained McCall's Cookbook.)

Open Letter to Hallmark Cards

Dear Hallmark --

What has happened to your Made in America / Made in the U.S.A. box cards? I find very few available for purchase at my neighborhood Hallmark Gold Crown store and that is one of the major reasons I choose to buy more expensive Hallmark cards. I want my purchases to benefit American workers not merely investors. I am ready to start sending holiday letters and/or handmade cards in lieu of Made in China cards. Why don't you make at least some American-made box cards for people who believe in America and American workers and want their Hallmark Cards to say Made in the USA?

Thank you.

Respectfully, Kate Anne <--blogging this and also posting this on Facebook Message left at http://hallmark.custhelp.com/app/ask
Write yourself, and/or call 1-800-HALLMARK (1-800-425-5627)

Organizing for America 11-04-12

Organizing for America 11-04-12
Originally uploaded by Kate Anne

I was happy to join with other volunteers to make calls to Ohio in support of President Obama and Senator Sherrod Brown. Tony Smolenski (seen here with me) was one of the energetic organizers. I was so impressed with Tony and his great team. I truly enjoyed calling and spoke with some great folks. The photo here is from my Sunday stint at the Long Island City, NY, office but I worked about 8.5 hours (following voting in Sunnyside, which took over 70 minutes -- a record!) on Election Day. See Election Day Flickr photos.

More animals, less stress

From Twitter: Ladies Home Journal Editors -- @lhjHealthLadies tweeted:

Office dogs really can reduce stress! http://bit.ly/LJubGN Official LHJHealthGent Smuckers knows how to chill out. twitpic.com/aaz48c

Library Lion Patience says READ!

Love me the NY Public Library Lions and I don't want to leave Patience out of the picture -- or off the blog. The message is the same. Read books and support your local library. Fortitude was featured recently and it is Patience's turn:

Facebook Quick Take

Patricia [a Catholic school lay teacher]:

Why are we so judged when circumstances keep us from living up to everyone's expectations?

Kate Anne [moi -- and her girlhood friend]:

One of the nice things about getting older is that we become more lenient about expectations. Concentrate on the positive, where there has been success (probably lots of it), and let the rest go. Breathe, release, relax, and then as my sainted mother would say, "Let the asses bray."

Welcome, Elena Mary!

Congratulations to my nephew Christopher and his wife Ellie on the birth of their baby daughter, Elena Mary: Born on Friday, July 29th at 5:59 pm EDT, 6 lbs 13 ozs, 20 3/4 inches and a full head of black hair. Can't wait to meet her and see big brother Marco in person!

Unforgettable - Exclusive Preview

This video features my neighborhood in Sunnyside, Queens, NYC. The non-sister's body is found in a Sunnyside Gardens' walkthrough/alley and Bella's Pizzeria on 35th Street is really a pizzeria/coffee shop on Skillman between 46 and 47th. Marc Leavitt and Betsy Crawford's house/fence is by the crime scene. Enjoy. Our reward for losing parking for a few days.... And let's hope the show is as good as this preview.

Celebration!

Celebration!
Originally uploaded by Kate Anne

Celebrating March birthdays is done with flowers and a smile.

Playing tourist

Playing tourist
Originally uploaded by Kate Anne

With Kat here I get to play tourist :)

We went to Madame Tussauds at Time Square -- more pix to Flickr.com/kateannenyc before too long.

Snowiest NYC January on Record!

Photo0488.jpg
Originally uploaded by Kate Anne

Snow - view from kitchen window.

Kate and Agatha

Agatha has been a friend and a joy in my life but will be leaving town soon to be closer to family in Florida. I had to commemorate her with some final pictures. My nose is slightly red for a few tears but Agatha looks great so no biggy. Hugs to Agatha. You are sent off with love but you will be missed by your All Saints' family. (Thank God and the US Post Office for snail mail.)


FW: Kate and Agatha
Originally uploaded by Kate Anne

Imagine

Imagine -- finally, Central Park
Originally uploaded by Kate Anne

It took my son and his friends being in town for the Porcupine Tree concert at Radio City Music Hall for me to finally get to see the Imagine mosaic at Strawberry Fields in Central Park. How New York of me! Had to play tourist with my visitors :) FYI -- it is close to the Dakota where John Lennon lived. Enter Central Park at 72nd and Central Park West. Veer a little to the left and follow the crowd. (Great Porcupine Tree concert btw.)

Francis's Crowd Pleasing German Potato Salad

(When my dad gave this recipe to me years ago he neglected to put the amount of potatoes but he was making it for a family gathering so I think it was probably a five pound bag of potatoes, perhaps more, leave me a msg if you figure it out.)

Cook potatoes with skins in salted cold water. Cool-peel-cube.

1 quart of water
6 T cornstarch
1 C vinegar
6 t sugar or to pleasant sweetness

Onion larger than a golf ball, chopped very fine
Salt & pepper to taste

3/4 # of bacon chopped 1/2 " across, sauteed to pleasing brown, stirring occasionally till done. Remove bacon and set aside. To bacon fat add water mixed with corn starch, vinegar, etc. Heat for thickening. Add onions to cubed potatoes. Then add thickened sauce to potato mixture and stir lightly till well mixed. Heat slightly before serving. Add bacon and serve.

My dad would make the above and place it in a yellow insulated covered serving container and take it to family picnics and get raves. I no longer eat meat and I miss this salad. The memories, though, I still have. I give the recipe as promised to my bacon eating kids and friends.