Riding Out the Storm With a Friend

My experience of Hurricane Sandy was very different than it would have been because I had a guest.  My friend Caroline came from the Netherlands on the Saturday before the storm came in,  a trip long planned and unable to be changed.  So we rode out the storm together.

We were lucky in that I live on a ridge high above the Hudson River, so flooding was not an issue.  But we could see the lower ground by the river from the glass doors onto my balcony.  On Monday night, Caroline said to me, “I think the river is flooding!”  It was getting dark, and hard to see.  I peered as hard as I could, and said, “I think you’re right!”  The swell rose over 11 feet and washed the boat you see in the photo into the park.  The boat’s name was “Here, There and Everywhere.”

Caroline’s trip was very different from what she had planned.  But she was intrepid.  When bus and limited subway service was restored, she took the bus to the Bronx (1 hour 20 minutes) and then took the subway into the city.  Then after some hours she took the Harlem line train back to White Plains, and I picked her up.  The Hudson line train, which you can see from my window, was not fully back in service until today.

But the nice thing for me was having sympathetic company while the winds raged, the river rose and the rain poured.  We never lost power, there was no flooding on my ridge, and the tall trees did not fall down.  We were very fortunate compared to many.  My heart goes out to those on Staten Island and in New Jersey who lost their lives and their homes.

Things were approaching normal here last night, although there have been long lines to buy gasoline, and many people still do not have power.  I am very grateful that my experience was so easy, and I am glad that Caroline was a calm and patient presence while this amazing event went on.  We ended her trip with a rescheduled trip to the Great Jack-o-Lantern Blaze at Cortlandt Manor.  So she didn’t miss Halloween entirely, after all.

How to Carve a Pumpkin, the Old-School Way

My father was a quiet man, but he had firm convictions about the right way to do many things (see Father’s Day Special II.)  My view of pumpkin carving for Halloween is heavily influenced by his.

Every year just before Halloween we would go looking for a pumpkin.  Daddy felt that the proper shape for carving was the classic round, not one that was taller than it was wide.  It should be a good healthy orange, not pale.  The reddish-orange ones you sometimes see nowadays were not available back then in Tennessee.  We usually chose ours from a farm stand along 41-A, someone’s local produce.

The first step in pumpkin-carving was to spread a great deal of newspaper on the dining room table, covering the vinyl tablecloth so even it would not get dirty or be stained.  If the weather was warm sometimes we did this outside.  Step two:  Daddy carved a circle around the stem about six inches in diameter and pulled out this plug of pumpkin meat.  He cleaned off the bottom of this.  Then he scraped out the seeds and as much of the pumpkin meat as he could from the inside.

The next step was crucial, and this is where his opinions come in.  Daddy took a pencil and drew the face he wanted to cut onto the pumpkin shell, following these rules:   1) Halloween pumpkins should have triangular eyes.  2) They should have noses, either a triangle pointing in the opposite direction from the eyes, or two nostrils (some artistry permitted here.) 3) Their mouths should have teeth, either square and snaggled or pointed.  4) They should have ear holes.

So he carved according to these rules.  The pumpkin was lit by a stub on candle.  We would wait until dark, go outside and light the pumpkin, and stand in the dark admiring its eerie beauty.  Every year I was entranced with the result–old-school, simple, classic, and vaguely threatening.

This year I will have company for Halloween, and we will go to the Blaze in Croton to see thousands of carved jack o’lanterns, very fancy indeed.  But maybe I’ll carve an old-time one, in memory of Daddy.

Recipe: Gingerbread with Sorghum Molasses

Sorghum Molasses Pie

When I was a child we waited in anticipation every fall for sorghum molasses to come on the market.  Mother and Daddy were convinced the only appropriate sorghum molasses came from Benton County, Tennessee.  Even then, one had to read the label closely to make sure corn syrup had not been added.

Sorghum is a grain.  To make molasses, the canes are ground in a mill and the juice runs out.  In the old days, a mule walked around and around in a circle to make the mill turn.  The juice is cooked, not unlike maple syrup, and the byproducts skimmed off the top.  Sorghum-making is a skilled craft.  The byproducts used to be put in cattle feed.

But we wanted sorghum for two purposes:  Daddy ate it with hot biscuits and butter, and I made gingerbread.  How to explain how sorghum tastes?  It’s lighter and wilder than the only acceptable substitute, Brer Rabbit Molasses.  Dark Karo syrup is your syrup of last resort, too sweet, and it doesn’t have that wildflower/grain taste that sorghum does.  But these are dark times we’re living in, so we do the best we can.

Here is Mother’s gingerbread recipe with sorghum molasses.  Substitute as you must….

Ginger Bread

1 cup sorghum molasses

4 tablespoons shortening (butter or Crisco)

1 cup buttermilk

Mix together the above.

Sift together dry ingredients:

2 1/2 cups flour

2 teaspoons ginger (the dry powder, for you foodies who peel the root)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 3/4 teaspoons baking soda

Mix dry and wet ingredients together.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes.

Recipe: School Night Chili With Beans

This recipe is so easy you can even make it on a school night.  This is my go-to, make-a-pot-and-freeze-in-portions chili, which makes it great for 4-6 people or for one or two.  If you like it spicy, use hot chili powder or seasoning mix.  If you like it mild, use regular chili powder, and you can cut the seasoning to 1 tablespoon, but I think it’s too bland, myself, if you do that.  Nothing better than a bowl of hot chili as the nights get cooler!

School Night Chili With Beans

1 lb. (or slightly more) ground beef or turkey ( I do NOT recommend ground chicken)

1 can black beans (15 to 16 oz.), drained

1 can red kidney beans (15 to 16 oz.), drained

1 can diced tomatoes or whole tomatoes (16 oz.)

Optional:  1 small can whole kernel corn, drained

2 tablespoons chili powder, or packet of chili seasoning of your choice

Brown the ground meat in a large skillet.  Drain off any grease or water.  Add the seasoning to coat the meat lightly.  Add the beans and tomatoes (and corn if you are doing that), stir well, and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to a simmer and cover, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.

Ready to serve.  Can serve with shredded cheese if you like, or over spaghetti, or both.  I’m a purist, I just eat it plain.  Serves 4-6, depending on how hungry they are.

Out of a Clear Blue Sky

ImageThis time of year many of us around New York are haunted by the weather.  Not that it’s grey and spooky, or dreary with rain–just the opposite.  The skies are usually clear and blue, with a little drift of white clouds.  The trees have not yet begun to turn.  There’s a quality the light has that is almost golden, especially early in the morning.  The sunsets often are spectacular, purple and pink and orange, and the sky then darkens to dark blue velvet.

The days are very much like they were on September 11, 2001.  Each year on these lovely September days, I remember a day very much like this, bright and crisp.  I remember driving to work with my CD player going, so I didn’t hear the news on the radio.  I walked into the office where I worked in New Jersey, and noticed it was nearly empty.  Everyone was in the cafeteria, watching TV and buzzing, trying to figure out what had happened to the first tower of the World Trade Center.  Then the plane hit the second tower as we watched on TV.  And clear blue skies would never be the same again.

So I still love these beautiful days in September.  But in some ways I’m glad now that we are past the equinox and slipping into fall.  October does not bring back the sad visions of those days when we lost thousands of people, and our innocence.

Recipe: Fresh Tomato Sauce

ImageI think we’re down to the last tomatoes of the summer here.  As the days get shorter, it’s harder for them to ripen.  The ones on the vine right now may end up as fried green tomatoes or relish.

I was lucky enough to get fresh plum tomatoes from a friend’s garden last week.  They were starting to get a little soft, so I went in search of a recipe to use them, but uncooked.  I didn’t want to lose that fresh tomato flavor.

Following is one I found and used this weekend.  Everything depends on the quality fo the tomatoes!  If they aren’t ripe and flavorful, don’t use this recipe.  If they are, enjoy one last taste of summer.

Uncooked Tomato Sauce

Serves 4

6 medium-sized tomatoes, preferably heirloom, roughly chopped

4 large garlic cloves, finely minced

10 leaves of basil, cut into fine strips

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese for garnish (optional)

Place tomatoes, garlic, basil and olive oil into a large serving bowl.  Stir mixture until all tomatoes are coated with oil and garlic is evenly distributed throughout the sause.  Cover the bowl and let marinate for about four hours on the counter at room temperature.  Juices from the tomatoes will be released and flavors will meld.  However, if you can’t wait that long, it’s ok to go ahead and eat!  When ready to serve, add salt and pepper to taste.  Serve over hot pasta, and add Parmesan if you like. Can also serve over warm bread to make bruschetta.

Recipe: Baptist Pound Cake

Photo from Wikimedia Commons, Flickr upload
I was hunting for a topic to write about today and decided to look through Mother’s recipe cards for inspiration.  Baptist pound cake is a recipe I remember using when I was in high school, and as a fallback dessert when a pie wouldn’t do as I got older.  It’s similar to bourbon cake, but without the whiskey (hence Baptist!).   It’s moist and dense, and is super with fresh strawberries or other fruit.

The recipe card is pretty old.  It was nice to see Mother’s handwriting again–leans slightly to the right, not too loopy or feminine, very clear and easy to read.  As she got older her writing deteriorated.  Cursive writing is becoming a lost art.  At least the pound cake recipe still survives on its yellowed index card.

Baptist Pound Cake

1/2 cup shortening (Mother recommends Crisco–not sure what to substitute)

1 stick of margarine or butter

3 cups sugar

5 eggs

3 cups plain flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

Cream butter and shortening with sugar.  Add one egg at a time, beating well after each addition.  In a separate bowl, sift flour, add baking powder.  Add milk and the flour mixture alternately to the creamed mixture.  Pour into a prepared tube pan (use Pam for baking, or butter the interior lightly and shake flour to coat.)  Put into a COLD oven.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour 15 minutes.

 

The Guy With the Skirt

Photo by Oddman47. Not the guy in my post!
I live in a small town in the Hudson Valley, not in the big city, although it isn’t far away.  Most of the people who live here commute to New York City or work for a company nearby, and a few work for the people who live in the area.  It’s become increasingly more expensive over the years, both for real estate and the cost of living.  So the people who live here are less working-class than they were 20 years ago.

On the other hand, there is a wider variety of ethnic groups than there were several years ago–everybody isn’t Irish or Italian any more (although plenty still are.)  But people tend to be prosperous and suburban.  You don’t see women with multi-colored hair or men with multiple piercings.  We’ve started to see bushy beards and tattoo sleeves as hipsters have started moving in to raise families.

There’s one guy who is different.  He’s lived here for several years.  He is big, brawny, with long grey hair and a grey beard.  He looks like he ought to be riding a Harley.  Except he wears a skirt.

He is not the least bit effeminate.  He wears athletic socks and running shoes, flannel shirts in winter and voluminous dress shirts or t-shirts in the summer.  And he wears them with a pleated or gathered skirt, sometimes in denim, sometimes in a lighter cotton fabric.  Once I saw him in a wool kilt, but only the once.  His skirts generally come just below his knees, so he can walk along with an easy stride.  Sometimes in the summer he wears a broad-brimmed straw hat, like people wear in the tropics for sun protection.  So far as I can tell, he doesn’t wear jewelry or makeup.

I have seen him walking along the sidewalk with grocery bags, by the main road that runs through the river towns.  I saw him on a winter day picking his way along the sidewalk through the snow.  In a flannel shirt and a gathered skirt.

Every time I’ve seen him I was driving, so I’ve never had a chance to ask him what his story is.  I’m not sure I could be rude enough to do that, anyway.  Does he find pants constricting?  Does he sew his skirts himself?  They’re pretty big, like him, so I don’t know exactly where he could buy them ready-made.  Is this some kind of political stand against sex roles as defined by clothing?

Whatever his reasons, I admire the way he does what he wants without regard for public opinion.  I hope no one hassels him for wearing his skirts.  And I’d love to know why he does it.

One Giant Leap: Neil Armstrong

Photo from ohiostatehouse.org
I was very sorry to hear that Neil Armstrong died on Saturday.  I’ve had a number of where-were-you-when moments in my life so far, and most of the ones I remember most vividly are the tragedies, not the triumphs.  But the walk on the moon in 1969 was almost impossible to believe, even though I saw it with my own eyes, and was so inspirational!  I really felt there was nothing the American people could not do.

My sister Juanita and her family were staying with Mother, Daddy and me on the farm that July.  We had all been eagerly following the news as the Apollo 11 spacecraft reached the moon and went into orbit.  Juanita’s husband, Larry, was an Army officer, a helicopter pilot, and he was nearly beside himself with excitement.

The moonwalk was going to be later that night, and we made plans to stay up and watch it.  This was history being made.  And we could watch it on TV!  It was going to be a late night for me, as an early-to-bed teenager, so I was excited by that alone, much less for the first man to walk on the moon.

Juanita put her small sons to bed, and the five of us sat in the living room under the drone of the air conditioner, spread out on the couch, chairs and the floor (for me.)   We watched the blurry black-and-white video stream as the Eagle landed, and waited what seemed like hours for the walk on the moon.   Finally, at nearly 10 p.m. Central time, NASA Mission Control and the TV reporters announced that Neil Armstrong was going to leave the lunar lander.

Larry ran out of the living room and pulled the boys out of bed.  He carried them, clinging to him and full of sleep, and put them on the couch.  “What are you doing?” Juanita said.  “They’re too small to remember this.”

“They can say they saw it, even if they don’t remember,” Larry said.  The boys soon drifted off to sleep again on the couch.  Larry rode one of the couch cushions and punched it in his excitement.  Mother and Daddy seemed stunned.  That the world could hold this!

So today I am remembering Neil Armstrong and his “one small step for a man.”  He did not behave like a hotshot flyboy; he was modest, low-key, and a test pilot who changed history.

We watched the landing and the moonwalk on CBS, being loyal watchers of Walter Cronkite, but here is video of the original footage, from ABC News:

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/video/neil-armstrongs-steps-moon-17080303

May Neil Armstrong rest in peace, and may we return astronauts to space someday.

Small Pleasures, Summer Edition

Summer doesn’t officially end until the autumnal equinox on September 22, but for most of us Labor Day weekend spells the end of summer.  My teacher friends are already going back to work!  So this is a short recap of inexpensive summer pleasures.  I hope you’ve already enjoyed most of them.  If not, you have two weeks!

  • Pedicures.  There’s something about bright toenails that always cheers me up.  Getting your nails done is cheap in my area.  But I spent many a day in my youth with Revlon or Sally Hanson products, striving for the perfect red.  Boys, please don’t do polish unless it’s black!
  • Homegrown tomatoes.  The season is peaking here, but it won’t last much longer anywhere.  Get ’em from your neighbor, get ’em from a farm stand, but don’t miss that juicy flavor.  A childhood favorite:  Sandwich with toasted white bread, mayonnaise, thick slices of tomato, sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Add bacon to that, and you have heaven on earth.  Purely southern edition:  Hot biscuit with butter and thick slice of tomato, salted and peppered.
  • Re-read a favorite book.  Some of my friends think this is crazy, but I count a summer wasted that doesn’t include either Pride and Prejudice or Persuasion.  Romance novels and Agatha Christies count as well–whatever makes you feel relaxed and good.
  • Ride a bike.  Not a racing bike with all the paraphernalia, just a plain old bike like a beach cruiser with coaster brakes.  It’ll make you feel like a kid again.
  • See a movie in an actual movie theater.  Bonus points if you can find a drive-in and stay awake through the feature!
  • Go to one last free outdoor concert.  Especially since the heat has finally broken, it’s a great time to hear music in the open air.  This is a pleasure that definitely disappears when fall draws in.  It’s extra fun if you can bring a picnic, especially one that doesn’t take a lot of work.
  • Baseball.  They don’t call them the Boys of Summer for nothing.  If you’re not a baseball fan, then watch anyone do something that requires them to run around in the hot sun (and you to watch.)
  • Get one small thing that reminds you of this summer, whether it’s a photo, a postcard or a picture torn out of a magazine, and put it on your refrigerator or bulletin board.  Do not look at it until the first rainy day in November.

Let me know if there are any other pleasures I forgot.  Grilled hot dogs?  Watermelon?  Kickball?  And enjoy the remaining days before the leaves begin to fall.