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Back in a Kayak Again

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When I lived by the ocean, I used to go kayaking several times a week. I had two kayaks and even built a customized trailer to haul them around. When I moved to the desert, I got rid of my kayaks and all the accessories.

But here in Nevada, I actually have access to a lake less than 10 minutes away. I’ve joined a “country club” for the summer and they offer kayaks for free as part of the membership. This morning I went kayaking for the first time in 15 years or so.

I was really nervous about getting on the water again: new place, unknown equipment, and a body that is 15 years older. I was also afraid that the experience couldn’t live up to the joyous memories I had from years past.

I needn’t have done all that fretting: I had a glorious time this morning. I spent a half hour paddling and can’t wait to go back and do it again.

Paddling in northern California years ago required dressing for a possible dunking in cold water. Here the sun is the main source of worry: I have to completely cover up or I’ll be seeing my dermatologist even more often than I already do. Hence this très chic outfit:

Palm Desert Trip

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Took mom on a trip back to our old stomping grounds in Palm Desert last week. First time we’ve been away for a night since we moved here to Henderson in April 2019. Brindy (our dog) was dismayed when I brought the suitcases out; I think she thought we were done with that kind of foolishness!

It’s about a 4-1/2 hour and 275 mile drive from here to there along very monotonous back roads. The kind of roads that remind me there is no way I will ever consider an electric car as my main vehicle. From Needles to Indio is about 130 miles with exactly two gas stations along the way: Needles to Vidal Junctions is about 50 miles; there is one station there. Then it is 90 miles or so to Chiriaco Summit to another station. The route is empty enough that they still have call boxes because cell phone service is very hit and miss. Certainly no charging stations.

Technically, it’s a few miles and a few minutes less if I were to take I15 out of Vegas and go through the Cajon Pass. But the traffic is the pits and there are often massive traffic jams. I just don’t enjoy that kind of driving.

We both got to see good friends. For mom, it was a chance to say a real good-bye. When she left to come over to Henderson to sign the escrow papers, it was with the idea she would be going back before we actually moved. Then her hip broke here and she didn’t get a chance.

Besides seeing friends, another highlight of the trip was getting a private tour of the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens. Mom is a life-time member and long-time supporter of this organization and they are doing some incredible work there. If you’re ever in the area, you should check them out: Wonderfully Wild | The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens

We also visited several of our favorite restaurants: Impossible burger at Paradise Cove; chocolate chip waffle (for mom) and Efrain’s Chicken Sandwich (for me) at The Palms; and most importantly, since we still haven’t found any pizza near as good, Thai Chicken and ground beef pizzas from Billy Q’s.

All in all, a very successful trip.

1950 Ladies Luncheon

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I had a few women over for lunch Sunday and decided my theme for the day would be the 1950s. I love any opportunity to use my mom’s glass flower plates, but they aren’t large enough for a regular dinner. I have used them before at mother’s day brunches and such things.

Each plate and glass has a different flower design on them; here are two of each:

These were a wedding present to my mom, so date from the 1940s; she still has the full set of eight.

All my recipes were dishes common in the 1950s:

  • Chipped Beef on Toast
  • Pea and Peanut Curry Salad
  • Mint Icebox Dessert

We all had a good time and several of my guests had never even heard of some of the dishes.

Here’s the recipe for the dessert:

16 marshmallows
1/2 c milk
1/2 pint whipping cream
12 chocolate wafer cookies
red or green food coloring
mint flavoring to taste

Melt marshmallows and milk in top of double boiler. Whip cream and add marshmallow mixture when cool. Add flavoring and coloring. Pour into ice box trays line with crushed cookies. Sprinkle crushed cookies on top of dessert. Place in freezer for at least four hours. Serves 4.

Hot Weather Is Here and I’m All Broken Out About It

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As expected here in the desert, the days have been getting warmer and warmer. Yesterday it was about 96° when I went out at 5:15 pm to get the mail. Nice breeze, so it didn’t feel too uncomfortable in the shade.

The real signal to me that the heat has arrived, however, is when I start to break out in hives as happened yesterday for the first time this season. It’s a condition called heat urticaria.

Cold urticaria (essentially meaning cold hives) is a disorder where hives or large red welts form on the skin after exposure to a cold stimulus. Heat urticaria is similar but much less common. I’ve had a mild case of it for years. Anytime I’m subjected to a 20°+ upwards change in temperature, I break out in hives.

In winter this means I break out when I come in from 45° weather to a 70° house. In summer, it means I get it within a few minutes when going from the 78° house to the 95°+ outside. Fortunately I have a very mild case: I do get itchy, red hives over a lot of my body, but as long as I don’t scratch any of them, they’re gone in 15-20 minutes. It could be much worse: as with any allergic reaction, it can cause swelling and breathing trouble.

I just realized this is probably why I’m not a fan of hot tubs. I have to ease into them very, very slowly; I literally just can’t take the heat!

Small Return to Normal Activities (with Recipes)

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Last night I had 3 fully vaccinated people over for dinner. What a delight to finally be able to cook and share a meal with some neighbors!

I had been looking through my cookbook last week trying to decide what to make for this occasion. I ran across a recipe I hadn’t made for years: Beef Birds with Bacon. This is the first recipe that I ever read and proceeded to make on my own. I was in high school at the time and, if I am remembering correctly, it was from Seventeen magazine. I made it several times for my family and then it somehow dropped off my rotation.

Here’s the recipe:

  • Step 1
    4 Pounds, top round sliced 1/2 in. thick and pounded flat
    2 teaspoons unseasoned meat tenderizer
    1 pound. beef bacon
    1 or 2 cups minced onion
    2 garlic cloves
    6 or 8 ounce. can chopped mushrooms
    1/2 to 1 cup chopped fresh parsley
    2 cups packaged seasoned croutons
    1/2 cup water
    1 teaspoon salt
    1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • Step 2
    1/4 cup flour
    1/2 t salt
    4 t monosodium glutamate
    1/4 to 1/2 cup olive oil
    1 onion sliced
    1/4 cup tomato paste
    2 cans consommé
    1 t oregano
    1 t basil
    4 bay leaves crumbled
  • Step 1
    Cut meat into pieces about 4 in. square. Sprinkle meat tenderizer over all surfaces of meat, pierce with fork, let stand at room temperature for 1/2 hour.
  • Prepare stuffing–fry bacon until crisp; remove and drain on paper towel. Pour off bacon drippings and measure 4 tablespoons. In this sauté onion, garlic and mushrooms until golden. Remove from heat, add parsley, croutons mixed with water, crumbled bacon, salt and pepper. Mix well; put about 2 tablespoons of stuffing on each piece of meat. Roll up, secure with toothpicks or string.
  • Step 2
    Mix flour, salt, pepper and mon. glutamate and use to coat beef birds. Brown birds on all sides in olive oil (Do not skimp on this, the browning is really important.). Remove from pan and add sliced onion. Sauté onion until soft. Stir in tomato paste and add remaining ingredients. Simmer 5 min. Stir frequently. Place birds in casserole, add sauce, bake at 350° for 45 to 60 min. or until tender. Makes 14 to 16 birds
  • Good served over noodles or rice.

I made a few changes like cooking the bacon in the oven and using fresh mushrooms, but, on the whole, the recipe has stood up quite well over the last 50+ (!) years.

I also made a Pecan Pie Cake. It’s very good!

Here’s the recipe if you want to try it:

  • 2 Tbsp cornstarch
    2/3 cup water
    1 large egg yolk
    3/4 cup chopped pecans
    1/2 cup light brown sugar (packed)
    1 1/2 Tbsp unsalted butter
    1/2 tsp vanilla
    2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
    2 tsp baking powder
    3/4 tsp salt
    3/4 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
    3/4 cup light brown sugar (packed)
    3/4 cup granulated sugar
    3 large eggs (room temperature)
    1 1/2 tsp vanilla
    1 cup milk (room temperature)
    5 large egg whites
    1 2/3 cups dark brown sugar
    2 cups unsalted butter (room temperature)
    2 tsp vanilla
    2 cups pecan halves
  • Pecan Pie Filling:
    • In a medium pot, whisk together water, egg yolk, and cornstarch. Add in brown sugar and chopped pecans and whisk to combine.
    • Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Boil, whisking constantly for approx. 1 min.
    • Remove from heat and whisk in butter and vanilla. Cool completely before using on cake.
  • Brown Sugar Cake:
    • Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour two 8″ cake rounds and line with parchment.
    • In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt until well combined. Set aside.
    • Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars on med-high until pale and fluffy (approx 3mins). Reduce speed and add eggs one at a time fully incorporating after each addition. Add vanilla.
    • Alternate adding flour mixture and milk, beginning and ending with flour (3 additions of flour and 2 of milk). Fully incorporating after each addition.
    • Bake for 35-40mins or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean.
    • Place cakes on wire rack to cool for 10mins then turn out onto wire rack and cool completely.
  • Brown Sugar Swiss Meringue Buttercream:
    • Place egg whites and sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk until combined.*
    • Place bowl over a double boiler on the stove and whisk constantly until the mixture is hot and no longer grainy to the touch (approx. 3mins). Or registers 160F on a candy thermometer.
    • Place bowl on your stand mixer and whisk on med-high until the meringue is stiff and cooled (the bowl is no longer warm to the touch (approx. 5-10mins)).
    • Switch to paddle attachment. Slowly add cubed butter and mix until smooth.**
    • Add vanilla and whip until smooth.
  • Assembly:
    • Place one layer of cake on a cake stand or serving plate. Pipe a dam of buttercream around the top and fill with approximately 2/3rds of the pecan pie filling.
    • Place second cake layer on top and apply a thin coat of frosting all over to crumb coat. Chill for 20mins.
    • Frost & smooth the top and sides of the cake. Do a rope border using a Wilton 6B piping tip. Chill for 20mins.
    • Fill the middle between the rope border with the remainder of the pecan pie filling. Decorate top and bottom with pecan halves if desired.
  • Notes
    *Ensure there is NO trace of egg yolks in your whites and that your mixer bowl and whisk is completely grease free or your meringue won’t stiffen.
    ** The buttercream may look like it’s curdled at some point. Keep mixing until it is completely smooth.
  • Source: livforcake.com

March End Notes

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The last few weeks here have been very quiet. I did get elected to the board of our homeowner’s association. Ended up with the secretary position. Funny how the person with the longest name ends up being the one who has to sign every thing!

Mom and I both got our second Covid shots on Saturday. I haven’t had any problems at all; I don’t even think my arm was as sore as with the first one. Mom has had a couple moments of dizziness and nausea, but nothing bad at all. Looking forward to getting out just a bit more and worrying a bit less in two weeks.

Put some of the flowers I had made last month into a bouquet for spring. One of the fun things about paper flowers is that you can always be mixing and matching them up in different ways. Here’s what this month’s bouquet looks like:

I also made some Easter Lilies. These are made out of glossy, text-weight paper so they are a bit more stylized as opposed to the more realistic look of crepe paper:

I posted a few more pictures of each over on my Paper Flowers page.