Wedding Cakes, Sugar Lace, and Jane Austen

Jon and I didn't have a wedding cake. We had Elvis, singing Klingons and a really great seafood buffet, but I just couldn't arrange a reasonably priced cake in Las Vegas for our wedding. The hotel where we had our reception (in that we ate the seafood buffet that was already there) wanted a cake cutting fee of $10 a slice! Um, no. Thus, for our 20^th anniversary (geez, really?!), we want a proper wedding cake. That means making our own. I thought we'd make some small cakes in various flavors and styles and see which one we like best. I also suggested that Jon take some of the cakes to his job to share so our apartment wouldn't be full of cake all summer. You'd think I'd suggested he gut the office cats. I suppose that means there will be a lot of cake in the house. Maybe we'll get visitors. Special visitors.

Sugar lace and its mold.

Aside from a wedding cake, I'm not sure how else we'll mark the occasion. We'd love to go to Philly if only for a few days. That is something we're looking at closely. If we stay here, it's a conundrum. Our place is way too small for a party. There is still time to figure something out. Right now, we this cake to figure out.  I'm going to learn a few new skills. There is such a thing as sugar lace, and it can be made at home – allegedly. Fortunately, we live steps away from a lovely Cake and Candy supply shop called Gloria's https://www.gloriascakeandcandy.com/. Thus, we can easily ask a lot of questions and shop for everything required.

Ours will not have the chocolate on top.

Our first candidate will be a Tiramisu-layer-cake https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/tiramisu-layer-cake-3612574. We've had such a cake from the local supermarket and liked it. However, I'd need a frosting that could stand up to decorating. The recipe I found on the Foodnetwork has a buttercream frosting made with mascarpone cheese. I could decorate that. Don't worry. There will likely be photos. There may even be a video!

Personal Updates

Since the Month of Fun, I've been busy running around to the quarterly medical appointments. There isn't anything dire afoot. However, my docs are finally looking into two painful problems that have bedeviled me for a few years now. I don't understand why all of these places I need to visit are as spread out as they are. But I'm glad to finally have these issues addressed. I'm not complaining. These physical limitations have made me somewhat frustrated that I can't do as much cooking in one go as I'd like. I still have a list of dishes from the Southern cookbooks that I want to try. And my friends keep sending me new cookbooks to look at with many tempting things. So many mouth-watering goodies. Some of them will even appeal to Jon. Sigh. Still, I am determined to get to them all. This may take a while. Yes, there will be photos. I really have to get better about showing the stages. These problems have also made long-distance travel challenging. And I have many places (and people) all over the world I'd love to visit or re-visit. I shall not be deterred!

Writing Updates

I feel like I'm back in high school. My essay for Jane Eyre is overdue, and I'm hip deep in Jane Austen research. Though vexed at my tardiness, I am enjoying the work with these texts from days of yore and researching the lifestyles of the real people from that era. The documentaries can get to be a distraction, but I think it is having a positive influence on the pieces I'm writing. The artwork has had a vast improvement with the latest version of Photoshop. It has a feature that literally will not let you draw a shaky line. I've been able to do the line work on my sketches in minutes. Whoa! That is quite a breakthrough. All in all, I can say that all of my planned works for this year are progressing though not as quickly as I would like. My apologies for being so vague. It is difficult to talk about my work and have it free of spoilers. More details to come. Stay tuned!

Month of Fun 2018 Plans, Schemes, and Recipes

Mint Julep(center) Meyer Lemonade and
Sweet Tea.

There is something about a mint Julep that makes a body feel good. I can only have one of them though. Those things pack a punch. I still don't get how those people at the Derby can drink cup after cup. I'd be out cold until the following Wednesday. One was enough to spur me on to make a small batch of fried chicken for the occasion. Jon thinks I made it rather than order it (KFC delivers through Grub Hub don't you know) is to use this nifty product I saw on a Japanese cooking show. It hardons pots of hot grease into a disposable disc. That merely was a happy accident. And it was freaking awesome! I don't have a before shot so just picture a big pan of hot Crisco that was clear. After the magic power, it doesn't even jiggle. Simple pleasures! For anyone interested, I found it online using the search phrase Japanese oil hardener. Don't judge me! (See Photos at the end of the blog).

Right Books at the Right Time

I was watching an episode of CSB this Morning Saturday when a chef named Scott Peacock was being interviewed about his work and his collaboration with a well known Southern chef named Edna Lewis for a book called  The Gift of Southern Cooking. The dishes on the table looked so delicious, I had to look up her cookbooks. In those books, I found many wonderful recipes for foods I'd heard of growing up but had never eaten. I also saw recipes for foods I remembered my grandmother serving me as a child. Many of those recipes were vegetables. This is very hand as Jon is not easy to cook for where healthy things are concerned. I have to admit that I was growing bored with the limited selection. I shall go forth to the next farmer's market with renewed excitement and inspiration. Several recipes for indulgent snacks that go well with wine or cocktails will turn up during the Month of Fun 2018. I am still thinking about what kind of cake to bake for the birthday itself though I do know what the rest of the day's menu shall be. I've been waiting to make this for a whole year! Of course, everything will be documented. One awesome by-product of this new interest in old Southern recipes that actually began with my interest in Vivian Howard (A Chef's Life and the book Deep Run Roots) are some fantastic chats with my father about his vegetable garden and how he uses the veggies.

MoF2018 Adventures

Alas, I will not be in France this month. I remain bitter each May that I fail to be in France. However, I plan some outings beyond the new pool at the YMCA. Of course, there be movies like Deadpool 2 and Solo: A Star Wars Story to see. Deadpool is our special date movie. I also plan to make a trip to the new Cat Cafe Lounge and get some long needed cat cuddles. I'm also hoping to get some company to go to the Original Farmer's Market near the Grove Shopping center. While there, I want to visit the French Patisserie and the World Market. The former is personal pleasure while the latter is a reconnaissance mission for Holiday gifts. That is, I searching out nifty jars for special homemade gifts I found in a Nigella Larson Christmas cookbook. As always, I plan to go to Penzey's Spices in Santa Monica. Since there is now a train that can get me there incredibly quickly, it's rather disgraceful that I don't visit that gorgeous town more often. I'm also leaving room for unplanned adventures. We'll see!

Writing Updates

I am one of the few writers I know that isn't having trouble with ideas. I have enough story ideas for two years worth of titles publishing at one a quarter or more often. The problem has been in execution. Sadly, most of that problem is physical. My 'New Normal' is very delicate and ridiculously easy to derail. Currently, I'm working with a stiff neck and headache that has been with me for nearly two weeks. The doc says it's neck strain that seems to have started with a protracted and uncomfortable dentist appointment. Sigh. The other issues arise from creative curve balls. Those are to be expected. The surprises happening while writing the latest Rent Boy have been a lot of fun and quite satisfying. The characters are evolving in surprising ways and the crazy storylines are making thematic sense. That's been lovely. Better still, I'm almost finished with this sucker. The next new series will be a surprise to my readers though its origins are very much how my writing happens – Jon makes a witty observation about something we're watching and I find that I have to run with it no matter how incongruent it seems. I'm also developing a way of both continuing and promoting my ongoing works more effectively than social media has been of late. Neither Amazon nor Facebook's evil algorithms with thwart this writer! I also think my regular followers will love all of it! An aside to my readers and followers – thank you for all the incredibly kind notes and steadfast support. It really does keep me going during the bleakest of times.

Stay tuned!

Photos

Hardened Grease and Japanese
Grease Hardener

Corn Pudding from Edna Lewis' Book

Solo - A Star Wars Story