Starting Over: Sugar Standoff

I made it to Day 14 driving off the Sugar Road and then turned back on that sticky highway on Friday night......Dan's bday apple cake, recipe, scroll below for Nan*, contained very little sugar but perhaps even that amount, combined with being tired and running around all day and living with crazy vibes from people under this roof, including my own.....well, I ate 1.5 chocolate chip cookies and one of Punchy's snacks from the freezer, post birthday candles.

Saturday, I went to my book group and enjoyed the sweet, fresh mango and pineapple in the fruit salad Julie brought and did not have a slice of Karen's dessert. Karen's desserts are well-known and delicious; in fact, she gives piano lessons at her home and the children look forward to her baked treats every week. This one was a white chocolate/mascarpone cheesecake with dark chocolate cookie crumb crust, and raspberries on top.

The craving didn't overwhelm me. The fruit and coffee met my after-lunch needs.

But then: Punchy's friend came over Saturday afternoon. Very nice girl, strong athlete, aspiring singer--and the two of them love to bake/create together in the kitchen. It was okay when they made pizza with a ball of dough from the store for dinner. I planned on not eating it, because I'm avoiding pizza and pasta, but I eventually did have some, because Dan went to get dinner ingredients and didn't return until nearly 8 p.m. I have to learn to count on myself. He is too late too often.

Next, the girls invented a Nutella cookie recipe. They winged it, using a lot of Nutella, white flour, a stick of melted butter, some whole milk, a teaspoon of baking powder, a couple eggs, white sugar....and chocolate chunks.

Again, I didn't plan on partaking. I packed up two tins, one for pal to take home and one for Punch--who wanted to save the remaining dough for the block party, so we froze that in small balls that are ready to bake.

But I was upset over conflicts between Dan and Punch, and again ate sugar. I had some of the cookies and a little leftover apple cake and a spoonful of Nutella to top it all off.

So yesterday I started again on DAY 1 off the road paved in sugar. Clean slate. I went to a women's group [my weekend was overly busy] and did not have cannoli cake, blueberry tart, cookies or a pretty layer cake with strawberries and piped swirls of thickly whipped cream.

I had a mug of hot coffee with milk. I must say it's hard not to indulge as a matter of shared enjoyment in a group of women friends.

Anyway, here goes. Have to catch up on my money for Saturday and Sunday. I'm assuming zero for today as of now. Will update if that changes.

TCOY

1. Writing this post, looking sugar in the eye. Today is new Day 2.
2. Overnight oats for breakfast with toasted unsweetened coconut and chopped pecans, yum.
3. Red pepper, chicken sausage.
4. PLANNING on 7 a.m. support group and early yoga class tomorrow.

$ MONEY SPENT OUT OF POCKET/Saturday, Sunday

• Little Daisy Bake Shop, coffee for me and for Figgy, plus tip, about $6?
• Parking meter, $1.
• Whole Foods, 1 quart organic milk; 2 lbs. figs to make platter for women's group, $14.33.
• Kings, two 4-oz. packs prosciutto; two 8-oz. fresh mozzarella balls, both for that same platter; large bottle Italian olive oil; and 2 Hu chocolate bars on sale, $57.69.
• CVS, went for RXs, bought jar of melatonin gummies for Punch, half-gallon organic milk, small Dawn dish liquid, very large bottle Cool Mint Listerine, $29.54.
• Liquor store, 3-pack cute bottles of Rose wine to bring to Saturday book group, about $14 with tax.

TOTAL WEEKEND + MONDAY SPEND: $122.56.

RUNNING TOTAL FOR MONTH AS OF SEPTEMBER 16: $1,252.06

AVERAGE DAILY SPEND: $78.25.

Compare to last month:

TOTAL SPEND FOR MONTH OF AUGUST: $2,895.06. ⬆️

AUGUST AVERAGE DAILY SPEND: $93.39.  ⬆️

Big-ticket 🎟🎟 September spends:

🎟 Citarella at Hudson Yards, NYC, dinner; plus fresh fruit, etc. to bring home, $35.

🎟 Whole Foods, groceries, including present for Fig and big yellow mum plant, $84.

🎟 Whole Foods, groceries, including salmon for dinner and an iced coffee from the barista, $63.

🎟 ShopRite, groceries, laundry detergent etc., $50.

🎟 Sky Zone [worth it, Punchy went with her nice friends], $25.

🎟 Joyist, $29.

🎟 Kings, groceries, $46.

🎟 Piazza della Sole, comfy, high-end shoes, half-price, $90.
🎟 Gasoline, twice, $52.
🎟 Chinese lunch with Sis, $33.
🎟 Grocery shopping in Connecticut w Sis, $48.
🎟 CPAP dr. co-pay, specialist, $50.
🎟 Whole Foods again, including 3-pack soy candles, pound smoked salmon and Hydro Flask for Punch, $166.
🎟  Jackie's Grillette, casual dinner and soft drinks for three, plus tip, about $45.
🎟 Salon 212 blowout plus tips for job hunting Friday, $45.
🎟 Kings, prosciutto, fresh mozzarella for women's group platter, $58.
🎟 CVS, melatonin gummies, milk, Listerine, $30.

*FRESH APPLE CAKE* 🍎

This is from a 1990 calendar. I reduced the amount of sugar in the original recipe [for instance, 1 tablespoon of sugar vs. 2 tablespoons].

Makes 9 smallish servings. I recommend doubling the ingredients and using a larger, rectangular pan. Baking time is about the same.

1/2 cup chopped walnuts [optional--and I like big, coarse pieces, not finely chopped]
2 large red apples, peeled or unpeeled, finely chopped
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup all-purpose flour [this year, I used Cup4Cup gluten-free flour and it worked fine]
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt [excellent with French sea salt flakes; break them up with your fingers]
1/4 cup vegetable oil [or walnut oil]
1 egg, lightly beaten [this year, I used The Neat Egg powdered substitute and vegan Figgy and the rest of us loved the cake]
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8 by 8 inch pan with oil, butter or cooking spray.
2. Toast walnuts in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir often, watch carefully. Remove from heat after a few minutes or when they start to smell toasty and fragrant and are lightly golden brown. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, with a spoon, mix chopped applies with 1 T. sugar and the cinnamon. Let stand.
4. In a medium bowl, with a spoon, mix flour, 1/4 cup sugar, baking powder and salt; set aside.
5. Stir oil, egg and vanilla into apple mixture. Add flour mixture and stir just until all ingredients are moistened. Stir in nuts if using (mixture will be stiff). 
6. Spread mixture in prepared pan.
7. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes or until medium brown and apples are tender when pierced with a wooden pick. Serve warm or cool.

The original recipe says to cut into squares and serve with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce, which sounds delicious and over the top, but we have the cake on its own. ❤️👨🏻‍🌾 

My Sister on Her Birthday

Drove to Connecticut and went as Sis’s guest to a Stamford Senior Center cocktail party/fundraiser at the Sheraton. She and several other women and men were honored for their volunteer Med Assist work, helping seniors with health care/Medicare questions. I admire her; she has a good, true heart./She also requested a homemade lemon cake w frosting, so I baked her one. Good night. I’m sleeping over tonite!

Ed's Cheesecake for Moey's Birthday

I had to guard it while it chilled.

Today is my lifelong friend Moey's [Maureen's] birthday. Some years I am away on the Cape at the end of August--it all depends on when Will and Kelly are using the house there. When I'm home, I love to join Moey and her parents on her deck for pizza and cake. I wish I could go this year, but Dan drove Punchy and Nikki in our car to the shore for the day, and I have a big work deadline. That's one reason I stayed away from the ocean I love. I'm not sure when they will return, wrench themselves away from the water park, boardwalk and beach.

Fortunately, Moey was driving her cousin to Newark Airport, so they swung by and got the cake in case I can't make it to the deck in time. I first made this for my friend's 30th birthday. I have made it many times since. The recipe ran in Good Housekeeping Magazine when I worked there. My friend Ellen, in the Food Department, tipped me off that the cheesecake was really good.

It is rich and delicious, as decadent as any cheesecake you have ever had. I should be working but I will take 10 min to put the recipe here! I only have a KitchenAid handheld mixer, so I use that and a big bowl.

ED'S CHEESECAKE

Thank you, Ed, wherever you are.

From The Golden Apple Collection, White Plains Hospital Medical Center Auxiliary Cookbook, White Plains, NY.

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened   [I use unsalted butter]

1 1/2 cups superfine sugar [Domino's superfine sugar, quick dissolving]

4 8-oz packages whipped cream cheese

2 cups sour cream [full-fat is best, I have experimented with light]

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

5 eggs

1. With mixer, cream butter and sugar together until smooth. Add cream cheese, sour cream, cornstarch, vanilla and lemon juice; beat well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
2. Wrap bottom and sides [outside] of 10-inch springform pan with single piece of aluminum foil, overlapping and securing to make watertight.
3. Pour cheese mixture into pan; place pan in larger pan half-filled with hot water.
4. Bake in preheated 375 F. oven for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Test for doneness but do not remove from oven. [My friend Debby in the Food Dept. told me the cake should not jiggle too much when pan is gently shaken. I bake about 1 1/2 hours.] After top is browned, turn off oven; let stand in closed oven 1 hour.
5. Cool in pan at room temperature for at least 3 hours. Chill in fridge for 4 to 6 hours or overnight.
6. If you like, top with canned cherry-pie filling or sprinkle with confectioners' sugar before serving. [I do neither, but maybe place a pink rosebud from the garden on top.] Makes 12 servings.

Each serving: About 545 calories, 44 g fat, 188 mg cholesterol, 370 mg sodium.

8 Steps, Baby & Giant

Today was day 4 of the Whole Life Challenge, which goes til March 11. I've happily made some discoveries while attempting to crowd out chocolate, candy, white sugar, white flour, bread, pasta and cheese:

1. I have more energy.
2. I like steel-cut oatmeal. Of course, it's frigid out, and oatmeal is a comfort. This morning, after 8 a.m. yoga and meditation class, I had to drive past the Whole Foods in West Orange. I got the hot oatmeal with raisins and I added dried cherries, fresh blueberries, sliced almonds [all from the food bar] and a splash of cream from the coffee bar. It was delicious. I took home the part of the cup I hadn't finished and had it as a snack later. Yum.
3. Stonyfield Organic 100% Grassfed Yogurt is a rich find. Tangy and good. A six-ounce container of the plain white cream is 120 calories and very satisfying. Having one now for bedtime snack. Here's the label image: 
   
4. Baked sweet potatoes are my friend. And I can have with a pat of butter and a sprinkle of sea salt.
5. Journaling helps. My friend Sue told me to try first-person, positive affirmations. Did for the first time today. 
6. Weird shakes require bravery but are filling. That chocolate avocado kale smoothie I made on day 1 was--interesting. Here is the LINK. If I had the peppermint oil, I think it would have been much better. I might make tomorrow with orange extract from my cupboard. Good way to get your veggies. But much too filling before exercise class.
7. I can let it pour. I love milk, and on the Kick-Start level [easiest of the three], I can have my milk. Yum. A nice cold glass of organic low-fat milk is dreamy.
8. 77 oz. of water is a boatload. You calculate how much to drink based on your weight. It's hard to hit this mark. But today at yoga, I overheard one woman say to another that she drinks a gallon of water a day, especially in winter, to hydrate.

TCOY

• Yoga + meditation class. Teacher Julie Harris just returned from trip to India and is even wiser. Today's message was about how not knowing is the path/willingness to knowing.
• Healthy foods: Oatmeal, fruit, sweet potato, roast turkey, peanuts, hot tea, green beans, brown rice, tofu, leftover meat loaf, Stonyfield yogurt. Small amounts of sweets, such as a small macaron, free sample at La Maison du Chocolat.
• Figgy started classes today at Montclair State, and is fully moving back home by February 1. I made vegan dinner and dessert for her and her friend. Surprising, but even H. liked the baked ziti. Did a nice sauce with San Marzano diced tomatoes, and used vegan mozzarella-style shreds and Kite Hill ricotta made from almond milk. I just had a couple tastes, because I'm not supposed to eat pasta. Had leftovers of other foods.
• I made this luxe chocolate cake [in 13 x 9 inch pan] vegan by using egg replacer powder for the 3 eggs and almond milk instead of regular milk. I made a quick, shiny dark chocolate glaze from the tried-and-true Cake Bible, with semisweet chocolate but coconut oil instead of butter, and a little each of water, vanilla extract and corn syrup. Love this brand, below. I'm a cake snob, so if I'm not baking from scratch, I want a high-end mix. I ate a couple forkfuls of the cake. The girls loved it. So did our sitter, Elaine. Today is her bday and I sent home half the rectangle with her.
  
• 
  

Cake Talk

I'm not averse to brownies made from a mix. Some can be rubbery and taste fake, but others are fudgy and rich. [My favorite brands are Ghirardelli and newcomer Cissé.]

But most boxed mixes do contain artificial ingredients/preservatives, and none really compare to a brownie made well from scratch. Punchy loves my brownies stirred up from Baker's unsweetened chocolate, sugar, eggs, butter, a pinch of salt, a little flour and some vanilla extract.

Now I'm trying to bake less. My moods swing in an ugly way when I eat too much sugar. I never really noticed until the last year or so. Plus: Figgy, when home, is mostly vegan [no eggs or butter] and H. tries to avoid sweets. And too much sugar isn't good for Punchy, either.

Yet goodies and the fairy godmothers who bake them live on, like Santa Claus and Virginia. Last year, we happened upon Cakeaholic Obsession on Orange Road on the south end of Montclair, down near Punchy's school. I love looking in little bakeries, and am happy to suppport them, too.

The brownies! Punch loves the brownies, says they are just as good as the ones we make from scratch. And the adorable pink shop sells cupcakes in tempting flavors [like Lemon Drop and Obsession] that are wildly popular. They have kids' baking classes and camps, too; I thought I'd skip since I've already taught Punch a lot in the kitchen. But she and Miss Julie were talking yesterday and I think she would really enjoy it.

Julie Johnson, Punchy, a cup of strawberry lemonade and a brownie.
Note the hot pink KitchenAid mixer.

Julie hired an artist to paint the walls,
which display the names of all of the women who influenced her as a baker.

Somewhere on the wall is Mayme, Julie's name for her grandma, who lives in Georgia.

The Fresh Apple Cake I made for H.'s bday last night, using
his mom's favorite recipe and fallen apples from a Cape Cod trail.

Good night to you.

TCOY

1. Mass. A little quiet prayer.
2. We drove into NYC for lunch with Figgy & Florida Orange. It was good to see freckled, blue-haired Figgy and smiling F.O.
3. I was feeling like I needed support; texted a few friends from support group.
4. Took Sug for a walk and the night sky looked pretty.
5. I'm reading an old Nancy Drew mystery that I got when I took Punch to the Montclair Public Library yesterday.
6. When we go to Cakeaholic, we get one or two brownies. I save one in the freezer for Punch and try very, very hard not to chip away at it. Not always successful. 

A Lot Can Happen in a Day

Was up til after 2 a.m. watching "Men, Women & Children," rented On Demand. It stars Jennifer Garner and Adam Sandler in a story about the internet and its [constant] effects on teens and their parents. Follows five families in a small Texas town--though none of the characters have a Lone Star twang.

I'd heard about this film when it came out in October but couldn't find it in theaters. It addresses crossing lines, boundaries--the omnipresent texting, sexting, etc. One of the teens is anorexic, with help from cyber tutorials. It is a sobering film. I liked it. It spoke to me and answered some questions.

Then we were up by 7 to drive H. to the airport for a flight to Austin. Then we went to Whole Foods in West Orange to recycle our #5s [the town only collects 1s and 2s], get a hot breakfast, stock up on groceries and bath salts and spring bulbs and cards.

Then off to Bartlett's in Clifton to drop off a thank-you card, some birthday cupcakes and special cat treats for Punchy's furry friends there.

Then horseback riding lesson for Punch, booking a horse birthday party at the barn, walking Sug in the rain, doing dishes and laundry and chasing Punch and her pal [they like me to be a silly monster] for an hour or so. Roasting chicken and potatoes, serving dinner, cleaning up, taking 30 minutes to rest when sitter, Elaine, arrived at 7:30. Getting dressed--tights and a skirt, tank top and long silver link necklace--and driving to 50th birthday party in town for my friend Helen. It was so lovely! A touching toast from her husband, Steven, and a song he sang when they first dated, fancy hot apps, mini twice-baked potatoes, Dorothy Parker cocktails [so green and delicious], the requisite sheet cake, but this one very good from Helen's favorite place, Stuffed Cupcakes in Nutley. [Martha Stewart grew up in Nutley--just sayin'.]

Near midnight, a fire was laid and lit. Several of us left from the original party of 70 settled into the comfortable couches. I hated to go, just chatting and feeling the warmth, but headed out 12:45 a.m. to scoot to the ATM for the $75 I owed Elaine for the night. Money well spent for peace of mind and connecting with friends.

And now, it's almost 2 a.m. again. Wake-up will soon be upon us.

Good night.

British Book Group

I found this to be a page-turner in its own right.

The book we read this time round was the memoir Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? by Jeanette Winterson. It's about a woman who was adopted as a baby into a Pentecostal family in a poor, working-class part of England. It turns out she's gay, and that doesn't sit well with her religious fanatic adoptive mother.

Most of the eight of us really liked it--Julie, who prefers fiction, had a hard time getting into it and I think found the pace a bit slow. Karen was raised in a Pentecostal family, so we loved getting her perspective.

What a wonderful book. I couldn't wait to get back to it every time I put it down. I hosted our group tonight @ 6:30 and we had some themed foods. Since it's British, Elly brought a steak & ale pie from The Pie Store in town. It was delish, with a perfect pastry top. Anne Quinn brought excellent bean salad--the author talked a lot about beans on toast, but we didn't want to go that far. I made shrimp scampi b/c there's a reference in the book to going out for scampi. And Karen made a big, tender, buttery, pineapple-upside down cake from a Paula Deen recipe. OMG, it was so good. Chosen b/c when Jeanette comes back from Oxford on break--with a friend from Africa--Jeanette's mom serves pineapple everything. She heard that people from Africa eat pineapple. Turns out the friend doesn't like it at all. Not so with Karen's dream cake! We had squares of it with a pot of tea.

The book is a quick read, and beautifully crafted. Good night.

TCOY

1. Support group. Connected with someone whose thinking I like.
2. Walked Puff around the block.
3. Biked to Mass--Palm Sunday.
4. Really deep and restorative nap.
5. Laughed and smiled and looked around the table, so glad to know my seven friends. Seems somehow that we are growing up together.

Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake

Our book group met @ Karen's house tonight. We tried for a blood-red/blood orange theme, b/c the book was The Killing Floor by Lee Child.

I bought a bottle of blood orange olive oil at Olive That! in Montclair and used it in a multi-layer, gluten-free, dairy-free chocolate cake from the BabyCakes Covers the Classics cookbook. Anne Q in our group is gluten- and dairy-free.

The recipe was pretty involved, with brown rice flour, arrowroot, agave nectar, xanthan gum and potato starch, along with sugar, cocoa, applesauce and more. The layers were sliced crosswise and stacked with melted dark chocolate and raspberry jam. Anne Q said she loved it, and Figgy did, too. [The recipe made so many layers that I left one home.] One thing I noticed is that the cake is really filling--it figures that brown rice flour is more filling than white flour, just as brown rice feels heartier vs. the fluffy white stuff.

Karen's house looked so pretty, with a beautiful mantel and tree decked in red and gold, fire glowing, candles everywhere. We even had mulled wine and Christmas ham, and for more notes of red, Karen made cranberry sauce, Anne brought beets and Elly put pomegranate molasses [?] in her salad.

So lovely.

Good night.

TCOY

1. Caught the end of Mass, and liked it. Seemed like the priest was talking directly to me @ the end, when he said even though we are cooking and making cookies for Santa, we should allow some time to be quiet and spiritual and pray.
2. Made a healthy lunch--baked fish, plus sauteed spinach in a little blood orange oil with sea salt, garlic, red pepper flakes and cracked black pepper.
3. Book group with girlfriends. :)

Pink Birthday Wishes

Sis and Don came over for Sis's birthday dinner. Figgy and I made a Mocha Chocolate Chip Cake--a recipe from Alice's Tea Cup that Sis clipped from the NY Times months back, her birthday request. I also made a couple of dinner dishes from Fine Cooking CookFresh. It was good to sip bubbly, pour tea, dim the lights and sing Happy Birthday to my sister, as she blew out pink candles and wore a pink crown. Later, H. played guitar and Figgy, Sis and I danced. These are the moments to remember.

Good night.

TCOY

1. Walked to Iris Garden with Sis, H. and Sug. Some beautiful flowers in bloom--yellows, purples, lavenders, hybrids.
2. About to take two Nyquil and go to sleep now. Have terrible cold, caught from Figgy.

A Toast to H.

The flask is really handsome.

Too tired to write much. Had some white wine and a couple sips of fine Kentucky bourbon on the rocks from the elegant bottle of Labrot & Graham Woodford Reserve that H.'s friends Michael and John brought tonight for his 54th birthday. They came over with their families [my friends Anne and Barbara, and their kids], and Sis and Don came, too. I've really only had bourbon in bread pudding, I think, or maybe in barbecue sauce. I really liked the caramel color and rich fragrance tonight--better than the taste. I think it is acquired. The name, Woodford Reserve, brings back memories of freelancing at Cigar Aficionado Magazine, where topics include the finest smokes and most desirable spirits.

It was a busy day. Some work, some appointments, then a scramble for the right recipe in a tall stack of my cookbooks and a supermarket chase for ingredients for a lemon pie, H.'s favorite. Settled on a nice lemon tart from Ina's Barefoot in Paris--though I made a much quicker graham-cracker crust and fluffy whipped cream topping rather than meringue. Had no choice due to timing; started making it at 6:30 and guests were coming around 7:30. [Fortunately, it had time to cool in the fridge while we ate sandwiches.] I put all of my effort into the filling, with six lemons, squeezed and zested, a long stirring over heat with a wooden spoon and then a whisk once it was thickened. I do recommend it. Classic homemade pudding--I've made chocolate and lemon--takes patience but yields rich rewards when the spoon plunges in after cooling.

Birthdays dish up such old-fashioned beauty. The cake, the flickering colored candles in a darkened room, the china plates, the smiles, the off-key singing. The people you love gathered around you. Birthdays are good.

Good night.

TCOY

1. Walked Sug around block once.
2. A little rest.
3. Faced music with work.
4. Private Benjamin.

Baked Out, Caked Out

Tomorrow is the neighborhood bake sale I'm running--with the help of my friends--to raise money for Toni's Kitchen. It will be held at my neighbors' house. They have a porch, and we need that in case it rains.

I know I've hit my cake quota. I haven't spoken to Sis or Moey in two days [that's a lot] and I just spilled about one-third of my Nora Ephron cheesecake batter before I got it into the oven.

But it's all for the greater good. And you should see what's on the board: Elly's chocolate chip cookies; Sally's key lime pie and oatmeal chippers; Anne's tender, buttery cake from an Ina Garten recipe; Amy's famous scones [plus famous apple pie that we're auctioning off]; Lisa's chocolate-chip banana bread; Beth's summer berry bread pudding; teen Rena's Oreo truffles; goodies made by the two sweet Panucci teen girls and their mom, another Beth; my cheesecake, brownies and streusel coffee cake; and treats from Paige, Carol and Liliana. What a kind and generous neighborhood.

Link to article about bake sale:

http://montclair.patch.com/articles/not-your-average-bake-sale

Good night, sweet dreams.

TCOY

1. Biked to our friends' house for BBQ. Hard and hilly on way back.
2. Spinach salad.
3. Walked Sug around block once.

Sixteen Candles

Figgy and seven girlfriends went into NYC tonight in a pink stretch Jeep limousine!

The big present H. and I gave Figgy this year, for her 16th birthday, was a little money to buy a dress and then the splurge, a chauffeured ride to NYC with her closest friends....in a pink stretch Jeep. The stops Fig requested: Dylan's Candy Bar [owned by Ralph Lauren's daughter], where they all shared a giant sundae, with flavors like red velvet and coffee and donut; and Sephora in Times Square [where they went makeup shopping]. The traffic was thick going in and around Manhattan, so those were the only two destinations they went to during the four-hour rental [6 to 10 P.M.].

Seems like they had a lot of fun. Fig dreamed up the idea. Once the date was set and the deposit down, she sat at the kitchen table before she left for Greece, calling the seven girls, putting a check mark after she had reached each one. It somehow reminded me of The Devil Wears Prada.

Ariana? she'd say from her command in the breakfast nook. Are you free on Thursday, September 1? You are? Okay. Then be at my house by 5 P.M. And wear something black and dressy, preferably a dress. I can't tell you why. It's a surprise.

She asked the girls to all wear black--which they did, beautifully--and she wore pink. We served pink lemonade, hero sandwiches H. made, strawberries and raspberries. In the limo, which was hilariously, Austin-Powers glamorous inside, with black, white and pink seating, the driver [Michael] had iced tea, water, Sprite and Diet Sprite. Figgy popped her iPod right in, with a soundtrack they loved.

I called Fig's cell and Ariana's cell around 8, but no answer. Rather than going down the list of her friends on my contacts, I called Michael. They're fine, he said. They're having a blast.

Grateful for Fig's health and happiness--and for her fun-loving qualities, and her cherished friends. And though Figgy never met her, my mother loved NYC, her hometown. She must be beaming down to see how much her granddaughter loves it.

Nora Ephron's Cheesecake

Back to yesterday, the cheesecake from Nora Ephron's great novel Heartburn, copyright 1983. Here's the recipe in Ephron's words, attributed to Amelia:

Make a nice graham cracker crust and pack it into a 9-inch pie pan. Then mix 12 ounces [softened] cream cheese with 4 well-beaten eggs, 1 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Pour into the pie shell and bake 45 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove and cool 15 minutes. Then spread gently with 2 cups sour cream mixed with 1/2 cup sugar and bake 10 minutes more. Cool and refrigerate several hours before serving.

Notes: I make graham crust with 1 1/2 cups crumbs, 1/4 cup sugar and 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, mixed in a bowl. [I think if you use one of the store-bought crusts, you might have too much filling.] I also poured a little organic heavy cream into the filling, and always use pure vanilla extract. Bake until the center still jiggles a little bit when you gently shake the pan.

I hope you like it. Enjoy. Good night.

TCOY

1. Biked with Elly in park--eight loops around. We keep increasing distance. And biked a lot of the way back home.
2. Got my hair colored. Had inches of gray again. Feel younger.

30 Years of Cheesecake

Moey turned 50 today. I have been making her simple cheesecake pies or full-fledged rich cheesecakes almost every year for her birthday since college. Today, for the first time, I made the cheesecake out of Nora Ephron's wonderful book, Heartburn. This recipe is a keeper. You bake it in a pie plate, but it's rich and creamy--and pie seems too humble a word to describe it. Yet it's so quick to make. I can post the recipe if you want.

Moey, happy birthday, and many, many more. May the year be good to you. Smooth and rich and just what you want.

Good night.

TCOY

1. Boot camp in the park.
2. Ice water.
3. Late lunch, 4 P.M. Rushed in to grab slice of pizza. Stared down chicken parm slice and got veggie topping instead.

The Midnight Baker

Isn't this an incredible photo, milk bottle and all?
I'll attempt the cake tomorrow from a cookbook
called Dam Good Sweet, by David Guas [this photo is from the book].
I met him at the Hearst Magazines cafeteria,
where he was serving warm beignets
and signing copies, so I bought one.

I once interviewed the winner of a Good Housekeeping recipe contest, whose blue-ribbon entry was a decadent, chocolate-glazed cheesecake.

My friends call me the midnight baker, she said with a laugh, because she was often up in the kitchen making her treats after work.

I've been a midnight baker a lot, too. In my twenties, I used to drive to Pathmark in Bergenfield late at night to get my ingredients, sometimes after going out for the night with Moey and Debbie. Tonight, I got the butter, cream cheese, chocolate and eggs earlier, but am still in the kitchen now.

There's a fundraiser dinner for Toni's Kitchen tomorrow night, and I'm making a few desserts for it. My friend Anne has an important position at the Kitchen, and I am so happy to do this for a cause that is close to Anne. Raising money to help feed the poor, hungry and homeless is also of course a meaningful reason.

The White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake is chilling. Tomorrow I top it with fresh raspberries. The layered Baked Bars [with toasted coconut, toasted walnuts, graham cracker crumbs, and three kinds of morsels--dark, white and butterscotch] are still in the oven in a shiny silver pan.

Too tired to do the Red Velvet Cake now--the wings of my back hurt--but will tomorrow. Recipe sounds good--buttermilk and cocoa in batter, frosting rich with cream cheese.

Good night.

TCOY

1. Boot camp in the park. Hot!
2. Walked Sug around block twice.
3. Lots of ice water.
4. Nap.
5. Tried to speak clearly and truthfully--and calmly. Not always easy. But is a way to TCOY.

A Memorable Chocolate Cake



I hunted it down at Bergdorf Goodman's 7th floor chocolate alcove--
Seventh Heaven, for sure.



Our neighbor Lisa cooked up the idea of a Memorial Day barbecue, and our neighbors Peter and Sally offered up their yard, chairs and giant Weber charcoal grill. Everyone brought something. It was really relaxing and fun. Ping-pong, drinks, laughs, burgers, Peter's delicious pulled pork and pot of grilled onions. Little kids splashing in an inflatable pool. Figgy and her friend Emily came by, too. The kids roped Fig into a game of tag later.

I made the three-layer Love Goddess Chocolate Cake by Vosges--bought the mix a couple of months ago @ Bergdorf Goodman. Frosted it with homemade chocolate ganache and whipped cream, snuck a little raspberry jam between the top and second layer, and topped the whole affair with a Rio Samba rose. Pretty pricey [$12 for the mix, and I also used 1.5 pints organic heavy cream, a little confectioners sugar, 1.5 sticks butter, three eggs, vanilla extract and 12 oz. chocolate]. But very dark, very moist, very nice. And I love Vosges boutique treats! This was the perfect occasion to use my Vosges mix. And I really enjoyed the process this morning, beaters whirring, chocolate melting, cream thickening--even if I didn't let my ganache set long enough, and the top layer slid off in the fridge. I scooped it up and put it back on. The whipped cream on top was forgiving.

H. put up the A.C. in our room, thank God.

Good night.

TCOY

1. Iced coffee at Starbucks, no rich Frapp or whip.
2. Did not overeat @ BBQ, but enjoyed what I did have.
3. Walked Sug around block once.
4. Tracked my spending.

Days of Crowns and Chocolate

Things are looking rosy.

Gift #1 Morning yoga class at South Mountain Yoga in South Orange, a studio I've never been to before. Nicky and Maria were there, too. I really liked the music and the teacher's wise messages about how we have to decide we want something and then work hard to get it.

Gift #2 Got my hair colored and found out there's a 10 percent birthday discount. Yay.

Gift #3 Patsy and my boot camp friends hoodwinked me, surprising me with a birthday lunch at Toast in Montclair. I really can't put into words what these women [and the two men who signed the card but couldn't make it] mean to me. They inspire me, they motivate me, they give me spirit and strength. They're fast, fit, smart, funny, caring, kind. I had a yummy sandwich, we had modest slices of chocolate cheesecake, and they gave me a little gold jeweled tiara to wear and diva wand to wave.

Gift #4 Figgy made my birthday cake. H. and I sampled the crumbs; very good.

Gift #5 H. asked me if I wanted to do something tomorrow. Yes, for my 50th birthday, I would love to have dinner at Union Square Cafe in NYC! I've been there twice, once for lunch with Donna and Susan, my editors at Good Housekeeping, and once for dinner with H. I have never forgotten those wonderful meals, the last about 10 years ago. Since then, I've just occasionally passed the place with longing. So H. booked a table for 5:30; Figgy is coming, too. Check www.unionsquarecafe.com.

Gift #6 Combo: visit with Dad, watching "Royal Pains" on the couch next to Figgy, talking to Sis/Don, Moey and Anne.

I have to go to bed now. Rising at 4:30 A.M. for boot camp, because an appointment conflicts with the 9:30 class.

Good night.

At Loose Ends

A tempting slice from Old Irwin Lodge in Irwin, Idaho.
I found this randomly by googling.
Send me to Irwin pronto; http://www.oldirwinlodge.com/.

I have a few inches of gray, but getting my hair colored tomorrow and blown out smooth, which always makes me feel more in the driver's seat on life's rocky road.

For years, Figgy and H. made me a birthday cake together, but this year she wants to do it on her own. She asked me to pick a recipe. She is quite a good cook and baker. I've just chosen Cafe Annie's Chocolate Cake, a two-layer classic from Robert Del Grande, Cafe Annie, Houston, TX.

I've never been to Cafe Annie, or to Houston, but would love to go. [My dear friend Fritch lives in Austin, and Moey and I would really like to visit her sometime if we can.] I have the recipe on a photo card I pulled out years ago from Elle Magazine. I think I made it once.

Just googled and learned that Cafe Annie, a Houston landmark, moved to a new location and changed its name: www.rdgbarannie.com/. But I did check the desserts tab. The first treat listed is chocolate cake.

Good night, sweet dreams.

Little Girls at Their Birthday Parties

Check out the cake! Image from flickr.com.

I'm facing 50 this month.

Things have been rough for various reasons--none of us feels much like celebrating, I'm sure--but I've started hinting around to H. that I'm wishing for a good cake. You know, pink sugar roses, rich chocolate crumb, delectable filling, real flowers, whatever, as long as it's lavish and divine. By now, he knows my cake tastes.

My birthday is stirring up memories of childhood parties at our house in Dumont. They were simple and fun.

Our Figgy is an only child, and that may be one reason why we've had more elaborate plans--a small clutch of girls and a very special yoga teacher, Miss Wendy, leading them in a trip to the park and evening circle time, back when they believed in fairies; a sleepover for 14 in our small house; and last year's modestly catered boy-girl party in a room at a restaurant with chicken fingers, soda on tap, a sheet cake and a huge platter of chocolate-chip cookies, fresh from my oven.

Enough is Enough
My parties were all at home, and often involved my mother having us squish together on the couch for the mandatory photo. We had a mirror over the couch, so in the old black and whites, her reflection from the waist up shows, as she smiles over the old blue glass flashbulb. I think she is wearing a white polyester top. I know she is wearing a knee-length A-line skirt, because she never wore pants when I was young--except on Thursday nights, for bowling.

We played musical chairs or pin the tail on the donkey, wore paper party hats [the elastic hurt my chin] and sat at the dining room table for layer cake [generally from a Duncan Hines mix] with frosting [from scratch], ice cream, paper noisemakers and maybe candy. My mother was thrifty. I'm pretty sure she saved the candles after I made my wish and blew them out.

One year, I was so upset, because one of the game prizes was a hair clip that I really, really, really wanted. I didn't know about it till my mother presented it to one of my friends. It was a brand-new, cellophane-wrapped Goody barrette--light blue oval, with glitter.

I wanted it bad [my hair was parted on the side then, and it would sit nicely], and made that known. I think I cried. My mother would have none of that. The prize went to the party guest.

Bittersweet Life Lesson
Now I'm older. Wiser. I like to think I have a big heart. I know what really matters, and it's not a pretty hair accessory or the finest pink sugar roses. [I know all that, yet can't help myself from longing for them sometimes still.]

The things that really matter are the things money can't buy. And that's what I am wishing for.

Can you even believe these cakes from Sweet Sisters Cakes in Clifton? H. got me a beautiful cake from that bakery--topped with pink sugar roses--for my 40th birthday. But I truly don't expect anything like that this year, for many different reasons. Check www.sweetsisterscakes.com.

My Right Arm

My upper arm is a little tired, and it's not from boot camp, where Patsy has us lift weights and do dips. No, tonight it's because I made, for the first time, the flourless chocolate cake from Baked.

I wonder, could this count as a calorie-burning exercise?

I've made this type of cake before, but not the one from this book. What puzzles me is that you have to separate the seven eggs, beat the yolks into the batter, and whisk the egg whites separately until stiff peaks form. Then, you "fold" the whites into the heavier batter by hand with a spatula, turning the bowl as you go, and you're not supposed to rush the process. That's what made my arm hurt. Fold, fold, fold, turn, turn, turn. Flourless chocolate cakes are so rich and dense, why do you have to fold cups and cups of airy whipped whites in? It surely has to do with not breaking down the texture.

So what looks like a really simple cake on the plate [not a pinch of flour, after all] turns out to be quite a workout. And that doesn't count the chocolate ganache glaze I'll pour over it--with panache--tomorrow. 

This is the second Friday night in a row I spent baking a cake for a special occasion [last week it was the angel food for the block party, this week it's for our Montclair next-door neighbors, coming over for dinner tomorrow]. 

I kind of like this. I take such pleasure in baking--measuring flour, melting fine chocolate, cracking eggs. Smoothing the soothing batter. Sliding the cake into the oven and letting the appliance do its careful work, like a big stainless-steel mama, while I do the rest of mine [dishes].

And a once-a-week tradition would allow me to look forward to and savor one of my favorite sports, so I wouldn't feel deprived. I'd know that once a week, I'd have a slice of a kick-ass dessert I made myself. [On Wednesday, I'm bringing Sis her request when she comes to visit Dad--a very late butter birthday cake with whipped orange frosting.]

Good night.

Caked Out

Everyone who entered deserved a prize.

The block party was great fun!

Heather and Hallie won for best kids' desserts, with a pedestal platter of the "Owls of Panama." Panama is shorthand for our neighborhood [PAtton, NAssau and MAcopin streets], and the chocolate cupcakes looked like owls with big eyes made from Oreo halves [open halves, with the white frosting], topped with Junior Mints. Second place, Hannah's Crownies, a layered brownie/cookie bar.

Terry took home first prize in the adults category, with Deep, Dark Chocolate Caramel Cake--a layer cake with amazing chocolate leaves and caramel acorns on top. Amy entered an inviting Grandma's Apple Pie, with a tender, buttery crust, still warm from the oven. It took second place. Both of these desserts looked like they were straight from the pages of Bon Appétit. And all of the other entries were amazing, too!

I loved my panel of judges. They volunteered to step up to the plate for a challenging task--tasting 11 rich desserts today and giving each one a score of 1 to 10 in two categories: looks and taste.

There was George, who has a big finance job in NYC and tallied all the scores after judging; Evelyn, my friend Barbara's mother-in-law, who comes from Long Island for the party every year and always helps me with the bake-off; and Dean, who runs a hip kitchen products company in Soho.

For the young judges, we had Figgy; Luca, the boy across the street; and Austin, a boy from up the block.

I was touched that after all that tasting, my Figgy wanted to try a piece of my angel food cake, too [which I had not entered] before she left to walk uptown to meet her friend at the movies for a 4:15 showing of Social Network.

There's so much more to tell--about adorable babies, healthy sweet potato salad, pan-cooked greens [this is Montclair, after all], sack races, blue ribbons, horseshoes, tug of war [the boys against the girls], people gathering around the grills, and lots of us pitching in to clean up as the quiet darkness fell.

But I'm tired, and I just want to park on the couch and rest a little. Been standing up in black suede loafers with heels [they're Aerosoles, so they're pretty comfortable] for 6/12 hours straight today! Sweet dreams.

P.S. I saw Figgy taking some pictures. I think she may send them to a blog she loves:
http://boyfriendreplacement.tumblr.com/archive. Pretty funny idea--delectable food as sweetheart substitute.