Week 125, May 13, 2018

Thoughts and Quotes: “If you treat an individual as he is, he will remain how he is. But if you treat him as if he were what he ought to be and could be, he will become what he ought to be and could be.”

This quote has been attributed to Wolfgang von Goethe (more here) and also to Ralph Waldo Emerson (more here). Since Goethe was born more than sixty years before Emerson, we'll give him credit. I simply say, "As you see a man, so he shall become".

And I believe this to be true. It worked for Don Quixote de la Mancha (The Man of La Mancha). Remember how Aldonsa became Dulcinea?

Let's assume that Kim Jong-un read The King and I, and has decided (like the King of Siam) to bring his country forward to catch up with the rest of the world. And let's see him as having turned over a new leaf, wishing more for his people than what they're experiencing now. Maybe he's been following in the footsteps of the leaders before him, but has now realized they were wrong. I think our policy should be trust, but verify.

And let's all pray that this year will bring peace, harmony, and prosperity to a divided Korea, making it one nation again so their people can visit relatives, travel freely, and trade with each other. No more fear of crossing a border which divides north and south. Hold that thought.

I have now kicked my soap box aside and we shall move on to -

Tasting: Thursday was VECC day, with lunch at Bev's.

VERY EXCLUSIVE COOKING CLUB

May 10, 2018, at Bev’s

THE TABLE

THE MENU

Ham-Swiss-Pineapple in Rye Cups

Tuna-Macaroni Salad

Deviled Eggs

Olive and Gherkin Garnish

Almond Tarts

Almond, Chocolate, and Raspberry Mousse in Chocolate Cups

THE FOOD

Party Favors: Boxes of goodies and a garden ornament

THE RECIPES

Ham-Swiss-Pineapple in Rye Cups

Rye bread

Butter, melted

Mayonnaise

Deli-sliced ham

Pineapple tidbits

Sliced Swiss cheese

Heat the oven to 350°.

Flatten the bread slices with a rolling pin. Cut desired number of “cups” with a 4” flower-shaped cookie cutter.

Brush the flowers on both sides with melted butter.

Gently push the flowers part of the way into the cups of a muffin tin.

Bake until crisp, 15-17 minutes. Cool completely.

Brush the insides of the cups with a dollop of mayonnaise.

Fill with cut up ham and pineapple tidbits.

Put a piece of Swiss cheese on top.

Place the cups in the microwave for a few seconds to melt the cheese.

TUNA-MACARONI SALAD

2 cups of elbow macaroni

1/2 cup chopped celery

3 scallions (green onions), thinly sliced

7 oz can of tuna in water, drained

15 oz can of peas, drained

1/2 cup mayonnaise or Miracle Whip salad dressing

2 Tbs sugar

2 Tbs milk

Salt and pepper to taste

Cook the macaroni according to the package directions.

Mix macaroni, celery, scallions, tuna, and peas.

Mix mayonnaise, sugar, and milk and stir into macaroni mixture.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Refrigerate to chill and blend flavors.

Serve on lettuce cups.

DEVILED EGGS

12 eggs

1 scant tsp dry mustard

1/2 tsp garlic powder

4 scallions (green onions), thinly sliced

Miracle Whip salad dressing.

Salt and pepper to taste

Boil eggs and cool in cold water. Peel just before stuffing.

Slice eggs in half the long way and scoop out the yolks into a mixing bowl.

Mash the yolks with a fork to a smooth consistency.

Add dry mustard, garlic powder, scallions, salt and pepper.

Mix in enough Miracle Whip to achieve the proper consistency for filling the reserved whites.

Garnish with bits of chives, parsley or a sprinkle of paprika.

Cover and chill until serving time.

ALMOND TARTS

Almond tart pastry:

1 cup sifted flour
6 Tbs (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
3 Tbs powdered sugar, sifted
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg yolk
1/4 cup finely ground and sifted almonds
1/2 tsp vanilla
Few drops of almond extract

Put flour into food processor; add butter, sugar, and salt and pulse into paste.

Add yolk, vanilla, and almond extract and continue to pulse.

Gradually add ground almonds until it makes a firm ball.

Gather dough from processor and flatten into a disc. Wrap tightly and refrigerate at least two hours. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead)

Almond Pastry Cream:

1 cup milk
1/4 cup sugar, divided
1 egg plus 1 yolk, beaten together
1-1/2 Tbs cornstarch
1/8 cup butter
1 tsp almond extract

Heat milk with half of the sugar (1/8 cup), stirring until sugar dissolves.

Increase heat and bring to simmer.

Whisk remaining sugar, egg and yolk in medium bowl until lemon colored.

Add cornstarch and whisk to dissolve.

Whisk in about half the hot milk, and return mixture to saucepan.

Increase heat and boil until pastry cream thickens, whisking constantly until smooth.

Strain into medium bowl and whisk in butter and almond extract.

Press plastic onto surface and refrigerate until pastry cream is well chilled. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead.)

Divide pastry in half. Roll one piece out on lightly floured surface to thickness of 1/8”.

Refrigerate the second piece.

Cut dough into shapes one inch larger than tart pans and transfer to pans/molds, pressing gently to fit.

Trim and finish edges.

Repeat with second piece of pastry.

Pierce dough with fork. Arrange pans in freezer for at least 5 minutes (can be prepared 1 day ahead.)

Bake at 400° 14-15 minutes, depending on size of tart pans.

Bake until shells are brown and crisp.

Cool completely on rack.

Optional: Whisk one half tablespoon Framboise (French raspberry eau-de-vie), or Kirsch into pastry cream and fill tarts.

Arrange assorted fruit (hulled strawberries, green grapes, raspberries, pineapple slices, orange segments, halved kiwi slices) decoratively on top of pastry cream.

Brush red fruit with warm currant jelly and light-colored fruit with warm apricot preserves.

Can be prepared 6 hours ahead and refrigerated.

Travel: Let's continue our Elderhostel trip to the Northern California National Parks.

Saturday, September 30 (Lake Tahoe)

A bagel for breakfast and off to Tahoe.

Our first stop was Taylor Creek, where we saw fresh water salmon going upstream to spawn. They were rather small and very orange. The name starts with a C but not Coho, of course. I couldn’t understand the guide. Their stream was very shallow. We walked over boardwalks with nice benches and then down a concrete ramp with rock walls on either side. We ended up in a big underground room with beautiful murals on three walls of local scenery and animals and a third wall of glass so we could see the underwater world of the salmon, trout and other fish. A giant fake tree was in the center surrounded by big boulders. The entrance to the trail has a visitor center with rangers and nice restrooms. The sidewalks had been patterned with leaves, pinecones, pine needles and animal tracks while the cement was wet. Your tax dollars at work. I was not traveling with headless people. I've blanked them out as I do not show people in my blog posts.

We took another trail over to the Mt. Tallac Historic Site. A little compound sits on the shores of Lake Tahoe. The buildings are dark wood to fit into the natural setting. There are two large houses, guest cottages, servants’ quarters, a fountain, a trout pond, rock-lined dirt pathways, a few green lawn areas and a great view of the lake through the pines with a path to walk to the water’s edge. These were vacation homes of Lucky Baldwin and someone named Pope (more research – it never ends). The houses weren’t open to tour because of the end of the normal summer season here. Like a lot of other houses belonging to the super-rich, they’ve been turned over to the state. More of your tax dollars at work. Lucky Baldwin built a Queen Anne bungalow in Arcadia, California, near a lake with some jungle. It's now part of the arboretum. If you remember Fantasy Island from TV, Tattoo called out "da plane, da plane" from a tower of this bungalow. You can see it HERE. The lake and the jungle were used to make Tarzan movies.

We’d had a nice jaunt through the pinecone-strewn woods, and we were ready for lunch. Picnic again. We went to the picnic grounds near the boat landing, and I opened the overhead compartment and no lunch. The whole thing disappeared into thin air. Not a trace of the box, the chips wrapper, the Subway napkin – nada, a total mystery. The plan was to eat lunch and then walk over to the landing to board the boat, which looks like all the other tourist paddle wheelers with the red paddlewheel and the twin smoke or steam stacks or whatever they are. I wasn’t thrilled about floating around on Lake Tahoe for two hours and thirty minutes. There was a constant wind with a definite bite to it, so I’d have been inside, trying to peer out and the houses are set back in the trees and so what’s to see? Just water. I wasn’t sure how long it would take me to find a place to eat, order, eat, etc., so I told Pete and Darlene that I was skipping the boat ride. I never did find out who shagged my lunch.

I found a little walk-up eating place where I picked up a barbecued chicken sandwich and a bag of chips and found a picnic table on the beach, right in the sand. There were tables with umbrellas and chairs scattered over the upper beach, a deck with tables and chairs overlooking the beach and off to the side, a volleyball net where a lively game was in progress. My sandwich was really big and really good. I was soon joined by several yellow jackets, so I put a bait piece of chicken on the table, and when they landed on the chicken, I’d flatten them with my notebook. I kept scraping them off the table, but finally left a few. A new one landed and started working over his buddy. I started to feel a little guilty about whacking him and here was his poor friend or relative trying to minister to him – I thought. After a bit, the “friend” sawed off the dead guy’s head and flew off with it. The dirty little cannibal.

After my lunch and my killing spree, I walked around (it was getting chilly outside) and found a restaurant with a general store which was also the receptionist area and lobby for the rentals. I had the lounge all to myself, so I sat and caught up my journal and directed people to the restroom through the restaurant because the ones in the lobby were out of order.

I went to the general store and got some lifesavers (onions on my sandwich) and walked back toward the bus. The door was open – goody. Bob the Busdriver was there so I climbed aboard, read a little, discovered my phone worked and called Michelle.

The boat finally returned and most people agreed that it was just something to fill the time – nothing to see.

We had a reservation for buffet dinner at Harrah’s. There are huge buildings now at the state line and more on the way. The buffet was varied and delicious, but it wasn’t long since I’d eaten that big sandwich. I decided on an international plate. I had some Cajun jambalaya, a piece of pizza, some sesame chicken, two fried wontons with crab filling, some wonderful stir-fried greens I didn’t recognize (big leaves) and a little slice of coconut pie. That didn’t take long, so I still had time to go play the penny slots. Oh, dear, I think I’m addicted. I did well. By the time we left, my gambling money was up to $35. Casinos do not allow photos, but I got a couple from the restaurant. Some more faceless people.

I learned from one of our group that if you go to the bell captain and ask for cards, they give you the ones from the poker tables but just like new except that one corner has been snipped off to identify them as used. He gave me a deck with a black pattern and one with red, but both say “Harrah’s”. I've since learned that some casinos drill a hole through the cards. It's just a little hole. The cards are still usable. They pull them out of play when they're still like new.
Ask for them at the Players Club.

We arrived back in Carson City before 9:00 p.m., so I went across the street to the little casino at the Best Western. I had picked up a flyer at the front desk of our hotel which said they’d give you $5 free slot money. I asked the cashier who sent me to the gift store which doubles as the players club. They took my information from my driver’s license and gave me a card to use in the slot machines, and I had $15 to spend - $5 for the flyer, $5 because I was a new “member of the Players’ Club” and $5 because it was ladies’ night. Wow! They also gave me a book of coupons for two-for-one entrees in the restaurant, lots of drink coupons, discounts in the gift shop, etc., which I passed on to some locals. I used their money and ended up over $15, but then played it back to $15 and cashed out. I now have $50 in my gambling fund to take home with me – all their money. They can afford it.

I didn’t leave until midnight and got back to an icy room. I forgot I’d turned the air conditioner on when I went to the casino. Served me right.

Sunday, October 1 (Lassen Volcanic Park)

I cut up half an apple I’d saved from a lunch to put in my instant oatmeal, which I had with an English muffin. Everyone wanted to know where I got the fruit. Our last of these pathetic breakfasts, I hope.

We had a stop at a Wal-Mart, where I picked up a coke and my souvenir of the trip – a pack of five pairs of socks which are nice and thin. If my feet swelled in high altitudes (which they’ve been know to do), my shoes wouldn’t be too tight.

We were off to Lassen Volcanic National Park. We stopped en route at a nice park with a clear, gurgling stream – very pleasant. We had great Caesar salads with grilled chicken breast, chips and a cookie the size of a saucer. I chose sun chips (new to me and with a good grainy taste) and a Heath Bar cookie.

We met an off-duty lady park ranger, who took us on a tour of Lassen. It’s a mini-Yellowstone on hillsides instead of level ground. I didn’t see any thermal ponds, but I saw several fumaroles and saw and heard a bubbling mud pot. It was too high on the hillside for a peek into it. I could see splashes of mud five feet from the mouth, so I wasn’t going to get near. Then we traveled to an area where huge boulders had been floated on lava and interspersed among the trees. The big rocks were different sizes, shapes, textures and colors. The tour guide tried to explain why they were different, but she jumped around, started, backtracked, stopped and paused so much, I couldn’t understand any of it. Oh well, do I really need to know? Probably not.

When you're traveling and taking lots of photos, an easy way to keep track of where you are is to snap a photo of signs which identify the location. It's surprising how confusing photos can be once you're back home.

Check out the tiny white van on the road by the trees to see the perspective.

Notice the snow already because of the altitude.

This will give you an idea of the size of these "hills".

And now you don't have to make a trip to Lassen Volcanic National Park, and thankfully I don't have to go again. Cross that off my list.

I don't even remember the name of this dam. The best part was the photo I took inside.

We had lots of driving through evergreen forest and high scary mountains. We finally reached flat land after leaving the park, and we saw lots of cattle and a few llamas on our way into Redding.

We had dinner at the Hometown Buffet, and I told one of the managers I really missed their restaurants and when were they coming to Missouri. He asked if we had a Ryans where I live. I told him that we have two, and he said, “We just bought their chain”, and I said, “Goody, I’ll be one of your first customers”.

We made a stop at the Sun Dial Bridge, which is totally unique. It’s very long with strips of metal alternating with glass panels where you walk. It’s illuminated from underneath with pale green lights and it spans the Sacramento River – no cars, only foot traffic. At one end is a tall structure with evenly spaced cables anchored on the bridge. It really is a sundial – we just couldn’t figure it out because it was dark. There were steps going down below with access to the river, a café, an open auditorium for entertainment events and a nature exploration park. Very nice.

The river is pretty shallow in some places. Notice the fisherman below the rock on the left.

But these guys used a boat.

We were late, arriving at the hotel after 8:30 p.m. By the time I reorganized my luggage and caught up my journal, it was 10:30, so I didn’t even read. Just wanted to get a good night’s sleep after my late night casino run the day before.

I slept like a baby until the sprinklers came on at 5:00 a.m.

(To be continued)

Thrifting: I bought two teapots from Martha's yardsale. My niece and her roommate have Auntie-Niece Weekends with their nieces, so I thought they might like to have a tea party. The rabbit teapot looked just right for little girls, so I took them a tea party in a box.

I have some dinner plates and salad/dessert plates which will be perfect with this one.

It's called Summer Chintz. Now I have to chase down some cups and saucers. Check it out HERE.

Thank yous: Then Martha gave me another teapot (which I've coveted for ages).

and also a pretty cake plate

And Thank you to Nancy for my Mother's Day flowers to perk up my front porch.

And to my kids for my grapefruit and avocados which will arrive tomorrow. Carrier is late. Nothing beats tree ripened grapefruit. They have to send the avocados when they're green, but they're still ten times better than from the market.

The Pepper and Pals Report: No one can take a Sunday afternoon nap like a cat can.

Sometimes Stormy looks like she lost her head.

Pepper still has some bald spots, but they're not raw like before. Dr. says the hair on his leg might never fill in completely, but it's so much better than when he was first hurt.