Book Review 2013... #10 Mourning Song by Joyce Landorf

I am not going to do a review of this book using my "usual" format.  It really didn't lend itself to that, more because of the subject matter than its structure.

This was a very difficult book for me to read largely because it was written about the author's experiences with her mother's death.  That is a difficult subject for me and, frankly, I just didn't want to visit those emotions this past summer. 

There are 2 primary reasons why I will not be recommending this book.
#1  I found some of the author's insights to be a bit too simplistic.  Grief is so complicated.  Perhaps I felt that way because of my own resistance to  go deeper into it, but that is my impression.
#2  Near the end of the book the author suggests that the only way to complete our healing of grief is to forgive God for allowing our loved ones to die.  Everything in me rejects that!  God cannot do anything that is unrighteous that needs to be forgiven!  

So there you have it.  I'm sure there are much better books than this on dealing with grief.  If I stumble upon one, I'll let you know.  The good news is that now I have a book that I can use the pages to practice some of those nifty book page crafts with!

Spicy Pickle Dip

 

I like dill pickles.  I like moderately spicy stuff.  I like dippy stuff.  So when I stumbled upon a recipe for spicy dill pickle dip I said to myself, "Self, you must try this."  I don't really call myself "Self".  But I do talk to myself.  But that isn't the point.  The point is, I knew immediately that I wanted to try this stuff.  ON stuff.  Stuff on Stuff.  MAH FAVORITE! 

The recipe looked too creamy for my preference and the type of pickles it used are unavailable in this area, so I made an executive decision and scrapped it, creating my own.  I'm not usually such a rebel with recipes the first time I make them but since I would be serving this to guests, I wanted it to be as more to our liking.  So I tested small batches and came up with a good pickle-to-creamy ratio.

I served Spicy Pickle Dip at an Indoor Picnic with chips.  It was a hit with those of us who like dill pickles.  Not so much for the ones who don't.  And that is a fair assessment.  You really do need to like dill pickles to appreciate it. You can read about the Indoor Picnic HERE. 

As I said, I served the dip with chips.  I don't eat chips on a regular basis so I knew I would be trying it on other stuff... and had great results.  I hope you make it for yourself.  You know, if you like pickles.  Feel free to hack it and tell me what you think! 

 

SPICY PICKLE DIP

yield: approximately 3 cups

 

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

8 oz. sour cream

24 oz. baby dills, drained, juice reserved

2 heaping Tablespoons diced jalapenos (from a jar, not fresh)

1 teaspoon garlic powder

 

Grate dill pickles or otherwise process 'til finely chopped.   Add cream cheese, sour cream, jalapenos, and garlic powder.  Mix well.  Add enough reserved pickle juice to make desired consistency. (See note**)  Chill for several hours.  Serve with assorted dippers:  potato chips, fried pork rinds (chicharones sounds so much better!), various raw veggies, fried chicken wings, etc.

 

**The first time I made this I stirred it together.  I needed to add juice to make it dip-ish.  The second time I made it I processed it all in my food processor and didn't add any and it was a little on the runny side.  Perfect for a thick salad dressing!

 

  

Odds & Ends in July

I am publishing this a day late because I forgot to have my husband read it last night.  He likes to be the first person to read everything I write so he gets the final read-through before I publish.  He's a polite critic!

I can hardly believe that it is July 31st already.  Where has the time gone?  It has gone so fast that it completely slipped my notice and I had to throw this together last minute.   

If I had to sum July up in one word other that "fast", it would be "rain".  Rain, rain, rain.  So much rain that huge portions or our lawn are brown from being boiled to death (it was HOT).  So much rain that a minor malfunction in our sump pump cause our basement to flood.  We had about a half dozen fans going in our living room and guest room to dry out the carpet.  So much rain that some of my potted plants actually drowned.

One plant that thrived with all the rain... my hydrangea.  Its blooms range from almost white to purple to blue.  Here is a pretty pink one.

A friend and I went to get pedicures together.  This is only the second one I've ever had done professionally.  It was nice!  Yes, I have a tattoo on my foot.  Poor quality, I know, and I may get it fixed one day.  Or I may just leave it as is.  The guy doing my pedicure was rather curious about it and asked me if I regret getting it now that I am "older".  I remember laughing because I got it when I was "older" (40) but I don't remember what I said.

 

 

I make sun tea almost every day for both my daughter and me.  She changes up the flavor of hers, currently lemon, but I use a mixture of hibiscus and green.  Hibiscus is shown to lower blood pressure.  In just 4 weeks mine went down by 9 points (bottom number).  So I'm sticking with it!

This is a picture of me and my twin grandsons, Levi and Liam, at a church function.  Those little guys bring me so much joy!

 Liam wearing Auntie Bia's glasses...

Summer bring the bugs!  I used to love these snapping bugs when I was a kid.  I let it snap at me a couple times, then out the door it went!

 

 I've done a bit more glass etching but it is so hard to see in the pictures I take.  I need photography lesson, I suppose.  This green olive oil bottle has 4 flat sides on which I etched these small embellishments.  Perfect to display dill cuttings.

 

 We had a crab feast when we had a guest staying with us.  He wasn't overly fond of the "ripping them apart" process but gave it a good try!  My son made up for it by picking 24 of them!  Since we bought a bushel of them, we had plenty left over to make crab cakes a couple nights later.  Bless my husband's heart, he did all the leftover picking.  He earned a big 'ol "Attaboy!" for that one.

These are my 2 puppies.  I call them puppies even though they are 13 and 14 years old. Maggie (short hair) is the older sister.  Penny is the younger.  They are full sisters from separate litters but that is where all similarity between them ends.  They began their life together hating each other.  Maggie now just tolerates the indignity that Penny forces her to endure.

 
So that's my July.  As always, the Odds & Ends of pictures barely scratch the surface of the Odds & Ends of life.  Beginnings and Endings.  Ups and Downs.  They are all there.  All these things add up to make my life.  And I am content.

S'mores Cupcakes in a Jar

**CAUTION**  Take caution when using a kitchen torch!!  We used Ove-Gloves.  Thankfully!  Without them, we would've had a disastrous occurrence.

I love S'mores.  I only eat them once, MAYBE twice, a year but they are one of my favorite treats of all time.  I was so excited that Dairy Queen would be featuring a S'mores Blizzard this summer but was terribly disappointed by the lack of similarity in taste to the real thing.  Too sweet and no char.

So when we decided to have an Indoor Picnic (read about it HERE), I knew I wanted to have something S'mores-related for dessert.  My daughter was helping plan the menu and we went round and round about dessert then decided to just make regular S'mores using a kitchen torch to give them that toasted flavor that we like.  And then I saw these cupcakes... click HERE to view the original recipe.

I showed them to Amelia and we both knew that we had to do cupcakes instead.  Enter Pinterest...

I remembered a Pin that I had pinned when I first started my addiction to using Pinterest.  Cupcakes in a jar.  Probably passé by now, but I've never done it and finally had a good enough reason to try it out.  I have a habit of testing new recipes on other people.  I don't know why.  Just roll with it, m-kay?

So spring boarding off the above recipe I came up with the following recipe and method.  It looks very complicated but it isn't.  Just a little time-consuming.  But sooooo worth it! 

S'mores Cupcakes in a Jar
makes 12 jelly jar desserts

Cake Layer

1 cup butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
6 eggs, separated, room temperature
2 cups cake flour
3 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 teaspoon baking soda
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

1 cup heavy cream

Bring all ingredients to room temperature.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line 2 cookie pans with Silpat mat or parchment paper.  If using parchment paper, butter or spray it so that it comes away neatly from cake. 

Crush graham crackers into as fine a powder as you can.  Sift.  Sift and mix remaining dry ingredients into the crumbs.  Set aside.

Stir milk and cream together.  Set aside.

Beat egg whites with electric mixer until very foamy but before soft peaks form.  Set aside.

In large bowl with electric mixer, beat butter til light, about a minute.  Add sugar and beat together until light and fluffy, about 10 minutes.  Scrape sides of bowl as needed.  Don't shortchange yourself on time here!  It will be worth it when your cake comes out light and moist!

Add egg yolks one at a time to butter mixture, beating 30 seconds between each one.

Add 1/3 flour mixture to butter mixture.  Stir until well combined.  Add 1/2 the milk mixture.  Stir until well combined.  Add 1/3 flour mixture. Stir.  Add remaining milk mixture. Stir.  Add remaining flour mixture. Stir. 

Fold in egg whites until just incorporated.  Keep it as airy as you can!

Divide batter between the 2 lined cookie pans, spread with off-set spatula, bake on middle rack for 15 or so minutes til lightly browned.  I baked mine one at a time.  I'm sure you could bake them both at the same time if you rotated them halfway through, but since there isn't a long baking time, I went with one at a time.  Remove from oven and cool for 15 minutes on wire rack.  Lift cake from pan and continue cooling on racks until completely cooled.

Marshmallow Filling Layer 
2 cups Marshmallow Fluff
1 cup vegetable shortening
1 cup powdered sugar
4 teaspoons vanilla

Beat all ingredients together til light and fluffy.  About 5 minutes.

Chocolate Layer
2 cups dipping chocolate, melted (I used Ghirardelli's)

Assembly
Using a jar that you are using to contain your cupcakes as a cookie cutter, cut 36 rounds of cake to make 12 desserts.  There will be some cake left over.  I crumbled up the "scraps", put them in the freezer, and am planning to make something scrummy with them.

Lightly press 1 round of cake in each of 12 jars.  Pour a thin layer of chocolate over the cake rounds and let harden.  Spread a layer of marshmallow filling over chocolate and spread out to sides.  Brulee marshmallow filling with kitchen torch.  Use hand protection!!

Repeat layers, then add a cake round to the top.  You'll have 3 cake layers, 2 chocolate layers, and 2 marshmallow filling layers.  At this point you can put on the lid and decorate the jars however you choose.  At serving time, open the jars and top with a layer of plain Marshmallow Fluff.  Brulee this at tableside or let your guests torch their own.

Dig in with a spoon!  Enjoy!

Provide hand protection for everyone!!!  The jars can get hot and, if you aren't careful, 1st degree burns could happen.

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