Inspiration

Looking for inspiration.

People seem to have a desire, a craving actually to see some wildlife. I notice it at Greenleaf State Park where 25 people will gather to view wild turkeys or deer. There were a hundred folks trying to glimpse the black bear silently ambling through the woods at Mendenhall Glacier with bus loads more coming. Twenty-two hundred people on the cruise ship looking for a whale, a sea otter or other wildlife. Everyone looking for inspiration.

This seems a huge disconnect somehow. I'm torn between sadness and appreciation of this human desire. My mixed emotions compounded by the sense that if the observer didn't get a photograph it didn't happen. As the family and I sat and watched the sea on the promenade deck people would pop-out and ask, "Do you see any whales?" One lady asked so many times I finally told her, "It takes patience to whale watch." Other people would pop-out, ask about wildlife and then tell you about the "shot" they got. So: wanting to see a wild animal, compounded by wanting a photograph to prove it, compounded by a lack of discipline to sit and wait for it, results in my semi-sadness over the disconnect -- somehow.

I wondered about the ports we stopped at with their Alaskan charm and wondered how hard the locals had to fight to protect that charm. Do they have to fight off condo and resort builders or is it recognized that it is the low key charm that produces more tourist trade, more tourist trade stability, more success catering to all us lower 48 inhabitants looking for inspiration.

Other inspirational charms: Jean and Cathy.

Jean is busy "flying mercy missions" once again, for Roger and Stephanie, for Janice, for Jan. Jean found discounted tickets for the Carrillo Clan. Jean arranging oxygen concentrater for Janice, it seems it won't be delivered to the State Park anymore. Jean changing Jan's airline ticket so she can fly home with the afore mentioned Carrillo Clan. Jean rearranging cabins and reservations. Whew.

Cathy arranging for a cabin and a car for Roger and Stephanie. She traded the smaller cabin that Jeff was holding for me, so they could have the larger cabin with a view that she was holding for herself. Plus she will supply the vehicle for them to travel in and drive for the duration. Whew.

How to inspire, nurture, and enrich children, lifted from The Sno-Isle Library home page; Talking, Reading, Playing, Singing, Writing. How simple is that?

Also lifted from The Sno-Isle Library home page; Celebrate Banned Books Week. In 2013 there were 307 challenges to books, everything from 50 Shades of Grey to The Hunger Games, with "The Captain Underpants" series for kids leading the list, along with the other characters Poopypnats and Tinkletrousers. Go be naughty, read a banned book.

Inspired Cookery; if you are like me sometimes cooking inspiration is low to non-existent. Well I have stumbled on a magnificent cure. I was looking for a few certain recipes and started going through fifty years of clipped, written, scribbled, tore out, or jotted down recipes. It was a gold mine of inspiration, now I just hope I live long enough to cook a portion of these forgotten treasures.

I also culled out a grocery sack of garbage and my kitchen is lighter and better for it. Several categories emerged like; still interesting but I will never make it -- into the trash. I did keep my Turducken Recipe Janice sent me in 1990. Then there was the "What in the hell is this and why did I keep it?" catagory -- into the trash. Although Jane and Julia I still have the recipes you guys sent me once: Fladchensuppe (pancake soup) and Leberklobchensuppe (liver dumpling soup), after all you never know. I couldn't get rid of those. And I kept the recipe Amber so kindly clipped for Sweet and Sour Liver. Thanks Amber, not the gem I was looking for, but I couldn't throw it away. Another category was the recipes I had eighteen copies of because I love them so much, like my 1966 Magic Bar Cookie recipe that I think I re-clipped every year at Christmastime since about 1966. Most of the copies went into the trash, but I couldn't toss them all. I also kept recipes in the handwriting of ones I loved; Mom, Aunt Josephine, Aunt Imo, Ms Carrillo. Lovely handwriting and lovely recipes given with love.

Heritage recipes is what I was looking for and I found a bunch that I will start including in future blogs. If anyone wants mom's recipe for lye soap or her egg noodles they are coming. But for today:

Aunt Nadine's Fresh Coconut Cake

1 box yellow cake mix, 2 8 or 9 inch round pans, baked and split
filling between each layer, reserve some for top
1 box (8 oz) sour cream
1 box (16 oz) powdered sugar
12 oz fresh coconut shredded, can use frozen
1 teaspoon vanilla
frost
12 oz cool whip
add reserved filling mixture on top


Jean I didn't find the recipe I thought I had for the fondant filling to stuff Christmas dates with. I think it is this one but I'm not 100% sure now, after all I am almost as old as you.

Grandmother Gilbert's Caramel Cream

2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup cream, the real stuff
1/3 cup Karo syrup
1/2 cup butter, the real stuff
2 Tbls flour
1 Tbls cornstarch

Boil sugar, half of cream and syrup a few minutes, then add rest of cream slowly so as to keep the mixture boiling. Boil until thick then add butter, flour, and cornstarch that have been creamed together. Continue to boil until thick again then add vanilla and nuts. No amounts for vanilla and nuts were included.

Version A. add 3 Tbls coco with sugar to make fudge, use pecans
Version B. In the white fudge add 1/2 cup black walnuts or 3/4 cup roasted peanuts. I hope you don't have to pick the black walnuts, there was a job I hated as a kid.
Version C. Substitute 1 cup brown sugar for one of the cups of white sugar use English walnuts


 Date Loaf Candy 

3 cups sugar
1 cup milk
1 package dates
1 cup nuts
1 Tbls butter

Cook sugar and milk to soft ball. Add dates and cook until medium hard. Remove from fire and beat until stiff. Pour into large wet towel, roll to shape. Slice. Soft ball is about 235 degrees, hard ball about 260 degrees. I can't do it by feel or dropping in cold water like our ancestors did, I need a candy thermometer.


...and Two cookie recipes for Jane, better then liver soup I bet.

Single Chocolate Chip Cookie

1 Tbls butter melted
1 Tbls white sugar
1 Tbls brown sugar
3 drops vanilla
teeny pinch salt
1 egg yolk
1/4 cup flour
2 Tbls chocolate chips

Microwave 40-60 seconds in cup or bowl


Peanut Butter Cookies  

1 cup peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg

Bake carefully because they burn easily
10 min @ 350 degrees

"To meet, to know, to love -- and then to part, is the sad tale of many a human heart." ST Coleridge

I'll see what you are cooking soon. Hey, are we still going to do the Bacon Fest on Friday morning at 11 am at Kathy and Mike's campfire?

Be inspired -- Love to all