One of my friends was curious about the quilts that my mother made for the cats. Ask and ye shall see…
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2021/02/14/cat-quilts/
Jan 30
Rest in Peace, Mom
My mother died on January 28 at age 88. She collapsed at the nursing home where she lived. She was revived and taken to a nearby hospital. She had low blood pressure that couldn’t be stabilized, kidney failure, possible pneumonia, and extensive blood clots in her legs. The prognosis was grim, so my sister had her taken off life support. My sister and niece were able to be at her bedside when she passed.
Rather than give a traditional biography, I’ll give a few episodes to illustrate the woman Mom was. She practically earned a nursing degree from her years caring for my brother, who was born with spina bifida. As a result, Lyle lived to be 45 – no mean feat, since most kids born with spina bifida in 1960 didn’t make it past 7. He was able to live at home his entire life. In his last years, he had nurses’ aides to help when Mom couldn’t maneuver him. She was at his bedside when he died of kidney failure in 2006.
Mom got into crafts in her 50’s. She started out making Cabbage Patch-like dolls. My niece got an early version, which my sister named the Onion Head Baby. I got one, which I named Libby. Later on, she started making quilts for family, friends, and patients at the Veterans’ Hospital in Syracuse. One day she was describing the quilt she was making for somebody’s baby when I asked, “What about my babies (the cats)?” A package arrived on my next birthday, containing two cat-sized quilts. Our current pair of felines sleep on them all the time. I also have queen size and lap quilts that she made. Her final craft obsession was adult coloring books. When she first moved into the nursing home, Terry had to bring many of her books and marking pens down. As certain colors ran dry, Terry had to deliver fresh pens to the nursing home.
One memory that sticks in my mind was the cookout we had the day after my nephew’s wedding in 2014. My brother-in-law’s dad (Stan Sr.), sister, nephew, and nephew’s girlfriend were there along with my family. Mom’s first job after high school was at the Birdseye plant in Fulton, and Stan Sr. was her boss. They had a blast reminiscing about that summer. A great many guys were quite interested in the new girl in the lab – one of whom became our father.
The pandemic and resulting lockdown affected Mom’s cognitive ability, as it did many others in long-term care facilities. I bought her a simple cell phone the last time I was in New York. She’d forget to recharge it or fail to answer it. Terry then got her a land line. She’d never answer it, either. On the occasions that we could talk to her, she mentioned that her parents were there. She never gave up on the idea that she’d get a car and an apartment in Hannibal again.
Was her death due to Covid-19? Not sure. The nursing home tested residents several times a week and she’d always tested negative. She got her second vaccination a week before she died. The blood clots in her legs were probably due to not moving around much, although some people infected with the virus develop blood clots. I’d say that Covid-19 contributed to her death rather than caused it.
Be at peace, Mom.
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2021/01/30/rest-in-peace-mom/
Jan 27
Cincinnati Chili
[You were probably wondering when I’d get back to posting about food. Here you go.]
When I was cooking for myself, chili was my standard Sunday dinner menu item. It was cheap and provided leftovers for lunch. Chili was also adaptable to whatever meat or beans I had on hand. (Yes, Texans, I usually made chili with beans when I lived in Dallas. Deal with it.) These days I don’t make chili very often. Julian prefers the Texas all-meat-all-the-time recipe. However, every so often we make Cincinnati chili.
The Cincinnati variant of chili has a unique set of ingredients and structure. The recipe in the latest edition of Joy of Cooking includes allspice, cloves, cinnamon, and unsweetened chocolate. All well and good; however, the Joy recipe calls for boiling the ground meat. We do not boil hamburger in this home. I wound up browning the meat and adding the spices, onion, garlic, and tomato sauce. That was left to simmer. As dinnertime approached, I grated cheese, cooked up some spaghetti, and chopped some more onion. I also microwaved some canned red beans.
For an authentic five-way Cincinnati chili, one ladles chili on top of the spaghetti, tops that with beans, then sprinkles the top with onion and cheese. Some versions also put oyster crackers on top, but that’s something we never have in the house. A fine weekend dinner.
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2021/01/27/cincinnati-chili/
Jan 22
Stain Removal
I consider the last four years as analogous to a stain on a vintage patterned rug. (Choose your nastiest stain.) At first the stain is obvious and disgusting. However, with time and aggressive scrubbing, the stain blends into the background. You know the stain’s still there, but it’s not as overt as it was in the beginning.
In the case of the previous administration, it was a succession of stains on our body politic. The Russia-coddling and Ukraine-bribing. Appointments of incompetent and sometimes corrupt toadies to government agencies. Family separations and child imprisonment at the southern border. The botched response to Covid-19 that’s resulted in the deaths of over 400,000 Americans. Finally, the denial of the election results and the insurrection on January 6.
Fortunately, the stain is beginning to lift. An experienced, empathetic man was inaugurated as President on Wednesday. His Vice President is a woman who’s proven herself in California and national politics. The cabinet appointments are diverse and highly qualified for their positions. Although it’ll take a while to scrub the worst stains of the previous administration out of our national life, we’re on the way to restoring the fabric of America.
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2021/01/22/stain-removal/
Jan 16
Can’t Drive Twenty-Five
The city of Seattle has imposed a 25 mph speed limit on most arterials (main drags) and 20 mph on side streets. While the goal of reducing pedestrian and bicycle fatalities is admirable, the speed limits will be almost universally ignored.
We have firsthand experience of the futility of 25 mph speed limits. Our cul-de-sac empties onto a street with that limit. It’s a de facto arterial because many people use the street to avoid driving on Western Washington’s Longest Parking Lot (alias I-405). The speed limit is flouted by nearly every car on the street. One crosses the street at significant peril to life and limb. The city put a “Your Speed” sign on the street for a few weeks some years ago. It didn’t work, except when a Bothell Police car was stationed a block up the street in plain view of the speeders.
If Seattle is serious about the lower speed limits, it should back them up with aggressive enforcement. Given the dire budgetary straits due to Covid-19, speeding tickets could be an untapped source of funds. Something to consider.
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2021/01/16/cant-drive-twenty-five/
Jan 01
Another Closure
The New York Times published a list of restaurants nationwide that had closed because of Covid-19 closures. The list was, naturally, East Coast-centric until the last few entries. The one that really hurt was Pok Pok. We made that restaurant a regular stop on our trips to Portland. We even went to their outpost in Las Vegas. All of the branches, alas, are no mas. Andy Ricker, the owner, has moved to Thailand. I plan on making a variation of Pok Pok’s chicken wings in its memory in the next few days.
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2021/01/01/another-closure/
Dec 31
An Alternate New Year’s Eve Drop
New York has the ball at Times Square. Key West has the giant high heel shoe containing a drag performer. Given the year we’ve had, I propose that we drop a giant model of a coronavirus. To be more physiologically and aspirationally correct, the spike proteins should have antibodies stuck to them. As midnight approaches, the virus heads for a white blood cell. At the stroke of midnight, the white blood cell eats the virus. A very fitting ending to 2020.
Happy New Year.
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2020/12/31/an-alternate-new-years-eve-drop/
Dec 26
Lab Stuff that Should Be in Kitchens
I spent much of my adult life working in research laboratories. While some of the equipment and supplies have no use in home kitchens, others would be perfect additions. Here are a few that I’d love to see sold at the supermarket or kitchen supply store.
Parafilm. This is what plastic wrap wants to be when it grows up. It stretches to form a nice seal over your beakers or bowls. You can buy it in different sizes so there’s less waste. It can be reused a few times.
Magnetic stirrers. I thought these were magic when I first saw them as a kid. Some of the stirrers have heating blocks as well. This would make candy- or roux-making much easier if you had a large enough magnet that was relatively heat-proof. Some stirrers look more like propellers and are suspended into the liquid.
pH meters and test strips. The pandemic brought on a new interest in canning and preserving. The problem is that if you’re not careful, whatever you canned could be contaminated with nasty bacteria if the acidity isn’t high enough (as measured by a pH less than about 5.5). The key is finding pH test strips that don’t leach stuff into your food. A pH meter would only be for the truly geeky among us. The detector can be a bit fragile, especially if you get it too close to a stirring magnet. (Been there, done that a few times.)
A table-top incubator. You can get big ones for cell and bacterial cultures, but one the size of a dorm fridge would be handy for making yogurt or kick-starting bread dough. It would hold the temperature at a balmy 37° C (99° F) to make the Lactobacilli and yeast very happy.
I could get even geekier, but that would venture farther into molecular gastronomy than I’m comfortable with. I prefer my food to resemble food.
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2020/12/26/lab-stuff-that-should-be-in-kitchens/
Dec 26
A Little Christmas
I was not in the mood for Christmas this year. I didn’t bother decorating. Shopping for presents in person was not a pleasant idea given the rising number of Covid-19 cases and the possibility of encountering infected virus deniers. I did do a quick dive into two stores for presents for my sister’s grandkids – and sent them off at the last possible minute. I was in full bah, humbug mode.
We had one semblance of normal in a virtual white elephant exchange with our friends on Christmas Eve. The Lizards on a Stick made a repeat appearance. Fortunately, we didn’t get them. I got an unopened Ancestry DNA kit. Julian got a pandemic survival kit containing more hand sanitizer, N95 masks, and Lysol.
Christmas started out on a bad note when I managed to spill Julian’s coffee on the white living room carpet as I was wrestling a large package. A half hour of rug cleaning ensued. (Why does anyone put white carpeting in homes? Three places in a row that we’ve rented have had white carpets.) We’d assumed that the package was from Back East. It turned out to be a 12-pack of tissues that Julian had ordered a couple of weeks earlier. We broke down laughing. The rest of the day was much more relaxed, with a walk in the park just before it started raining again. We also finished off the Christmas Eve duck for dinner.
Hope you managed to have a merry little Christmas. Next year, virus permitting, we should have a more normal celebration.
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2020/12/26/a-little-christmas/
Dec 25
Pecan Pie
The Lord and Master decreed that we shalt have pie for our Christmas Eve dinner. Since I’d just bought some pecans on sale, pecan pie it was. The filling recipe came off the pecan package. It was identical to the recipe on the corn syrup label, although it used about 50% more pecans. (Gee, I wonder why…)
Pie crust is the weakest link in my culinary chain. I tried to avoid making pie crusts for years. I’d make crustless quiches and pies with graham cracker crusts, anything to avoid making pastry crusts. Some of it is my aversion to shortening, for nutritional and taste reasons. Shortening is partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, which contains trans fat. Trans fat increases the LDL “bad” cholesterol and decreases HDL “good” cholesterol, which is why food companies tripped over each other trying to get it out of their products as a marketing tool. However, if a product contains less than half a gram of trans fat per serving, it can be labeled trans fat free. Butter is my solid fat of choice for baking.
Several years ago I found a food processor recipe for pie crust, which works quite nicely. I fired up the food processor this morning. I think I added too much water to the dough, which made it way too sticky to roll out at first. I added a little more flour and re-rolled it successfully. I worried that the resulting crust would be too tough. I tucked the crust into my largest pie plate, poured in the filling, and let it bake while I did some work.
The result was tasty and not too cloyingly sweet. I’m still no pie crust expert, but it passed the test.
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2020/12/25/pecan-pie/
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