Grasmere Apple Cake

When Grandma was visiting a few weeks ago, she reminded me about her favorite cake recipe. She's been making it as long as I've been around. It originally was published in our home town newsletter and then reprinted as my contribution to Mrs. Ferraro's third grade class' Mother's Day cookbook circa 1979. Oh, the things I have to look forward to when the girls are in school, like receiving my own recipes in a kid-decorated leaflet as a gift.

We had just gone apple picking and had 25-ish pounds of fresh McIntosh, Cortlands, Empires, Galas and Honeycrisps sitting on the kitchen counter. Mom got right to work cutting the apples and removing the cores in preparation for grating them into the cake. We used Empires, McIntosh and Cortland but you can use your favorites. When I made the cake again a few weeks ago, I was lazy and didn't cut and core the apples first. It was actually easier to hang onto them when they are whole and you end up with a tidy little core at the end. Sorry about that, Mom!

I gathered the rest of the ingredients and started putting the dough together. As always, I used the recipe as written but substituted my favorite gluten-free flour.

It is delicious when still warm, and (according to my husband) even better when chilled. I left off the glaze because I didn't have any lemons and didn't miss it, though it is apparently my mother's favorite part. It's a crumb cake and the gluten-free version is excellent even after several days in the refrigerator.

Grasmere Apple Cake

4 c. flour (I substituted the Gluten-Free Pantry All Purpose Flour)

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 c. sugar

3/4 lb. butter

2 eggs, beaten

6-9 apples, washed

3/4 c. sugar

1/2 tsp. ground cardamom

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Mix dry ingredients and cut in butter until mealy texture achieved. Add beaten eggs and blend with your fingertips. Divide dough in half, pat into bottom of a 9x13 inch pan (I lined mine with parchment paper). Grate apples over bottom layer. Spring with the sugar and spice mixture and pat remaining dough on top. Bake 325 degrees Farenheit for ~55 minutes, or until golden brown.

Cool, then glaze if desired with the following:

1 c. icing sugar

juice of 1/2 lemon

A Cautionary Tale (with pictures)

Our desktop computer is starting to show signs of age. It makes horrific noises upon start up. It also will randomly shut itself off, typically in the middle of an e-mail the dudely has spent all morning trying to compose. It had me worried and I started thinking about moving all my pictures to my laptop. Then it died and I panicked, convinced I’d lost everything I’d been too lazy to back-up. Miraculously it came back to life three days later. That’s when I got to work moving files and taking a walk down memory lane.

That’s my rather lengthy way of saying, “Hey, take a look at these really cool pictures I found from my trip to Geneva in 2005.”

Now might I suggest you take my story to heart and back-up your really cool pictures? They’re too good to lose.

Christmas in July

Not really, I just couldn't figure out how to tie in a photo of me opening my Christmas stocking in 1972 to Bastille Day. I happened to be in New York City for July 14th a few years ago and had dinner with some friends at a little bistro that was quite festive. We drank Lillet and ate moules frites and even managed to order in French which was slightly thrilling.

Any-hoo, back to my toddler days and point of this post. My mom sewed a lot for us when we were kids; clothes, costumes, curtains and even doll clothes as evidenced here. I loved my dolls and loved their pint-sized outfits, accessories and furniture. I still have my mom's doll trunk from when she was a little girl packed with what remains of my doll wardrobe. Most things she made but I did find a couple of items that still have their "Made in Hong Kong" tag on them. I've posted them all to the Vintage Doll Clothes Flickr group and to Craftilineage which is an awesome collection of photos of things made by family members prior to 1980. Check them out, there's some awesome stuff there as well as a few cringe-worthy photos of 1970s fashion.

They say it's your birthday, and your birthday too

Today is my youngest brothers' birthday. Here is a picture of a cake I baked when they turned two (I was nearly nine). It was the Circus Cake from a cake decorating book I got through my school book sale. Evidently we had a Polaroid camera at the time.
N is the older twin. It looks like he's on his second piece of cake. He grew up to be a fireman and a real estate mogul. Who would have guessed? Note the bibs that my mom made out of old towels.
T is the younger one. He turned out to be the tallest and very good with money. Many a girl has fallen prey to those dimples. Hmm, we usually had chocolate cake for birthdays, but this one looks like it was chocolate chip.
And here we all are, including the woman who used to babysit us, but minus Mom who is taking the picture.

Happy Birthday N & T!

Made for Mom

When I was visiting my mom this past August she gave me a patchwork calendar that I had given her for Christmas the year I was 12. I made it from a kit bought from Canadian Living Magazine and it was my first attempt at quilting. The kit came with pre-cut fabric pieces, batting, a diagram of what the finished calendar should look like and very basic instructions.

It took me at least a week of evenings to finish. How I struggled to figure out the puzzle of fabric strips. There didn't seem to be enough seam allowance. The pieces didn't quite fit and I couldn't ask my mom for help since I was making it for her. I finally ended up slightly overlapping the pieces and zig-zagging them onto the background. In hindsight I realize that the main picture could have been constructed using the foundation piecing method, but at the time I didn't know better.

My mom saved everything my brothers and I made for her. Not to say she's a pack rat. To the contrary, she prefers her living space to be uncluttered and well-organized. She's tried to give us our boxes (contents sorted, labeled and carefully packed of course) at various times, but until recently we've all felt too unsettled to accept them. Personally, I think the burden of caretaking all our stuff is starting to wear on her in the same way that carrying the ring got to Frodo by the beginning of the third book.

For 25 years this calendar hung in my mom's home because I made it for her. This summer she moved into a condo with a tiny galley kitchen that has no wall space for a calendar. While I think she was secretly relieved to have a legitimate excuse to take it down, she expressed the concern that doing so would hurt my feelings. Um, Mom? After a 300 months of looking at the same calendar, I think you deserve a new one.

Sidelined

I have lots more to show you guys. More smocks, patchwork scarves, hair pins and some fabulous new-to-me vintage brooches. Unfortunately everything is "almost done" but not yet ready to photograph. And, I had minor surgery on my right shoulder this morning which has pretty much ruled out sewing or crafting of any kind that involves lifting my arm up for the next day or two. Frustrating, not being able to finish projects when I am so close. Fortunately there are many, many projects in my past that I can talk about in the meantime.

Take this sweater, for example. Adorable, isn't it? I gave it to my nephew for Christmas two years ago. However, I actually started making the sweater years before for another child. To be honest, I started it so long ago that I don't actually remember who the original recipient was supposed to be. My nephew wasn't even a glimmer in the eyes of my brother and sister-in-law when the yarn was purchased and the knitting began. It took me so long to knit, that by the time I had all the pieces finished the child it was intended for had to have been in kindergarten. So I didn't even put the sweater together; I just tucked the pieces away and forgot about it. The storage box survived seven moves in two countries (it now has a green card).

Then my nephew came along and I remembered this pattern and decided to dig it up so I could make him a "hands up" sweater for Christmas. Was I surprised to find a nearly completed sweater in the right size! An evening or two was spent sewing the seams and adding a rolled edge at the neck and waist. Good thing, too, as I didn't actually look for the pattern until early December. And you know what? There was another partially knit sweater in the box with this one, same pattern, different colors. I'm sure someone will come along in a year or two who needs a sweater. By golly, I'll be ready.