A Fling for Spring

We had a fling this weekend. Jeff came for a good time and it was had by all. He drove down on Friday, joining me at work for the last few hours. He came to the temple on Saturday morning and we loved being there again. The rest of the weekend was made of quality time: long walks (day and night), church fun, and eating. In fact, he told me when he called on the drive home last night that the meals were a highlight. In addition to the other stuff that is. One of my favorite moments of the weekend was when he described to Cami how easy the apple pie was to make. Clearly, neither of them had ever made an apple pie and I chortled without ceasing. He lamented how long dough takes to make (I tried the TJs pie crust and recommend emphatically) and proceeded to list what goes in the pie, stopping after apples. Quite the time, my friends, quite the time.

Saturday saw us making meatloaf sandwiches. I will again state I am not a carnivore. But, I had made Lenny Schwartz's Market Street huge meatloaf on Thursday and had always heard tell of the appeal of a sandwich. I ended up using whole wheat kaiser rolls, havarti, and spreading mayo and mustard. We (ok, I) heated the loaf slices in a pan to warm and brown. Taken with Lay's Kettle Chips and veggie sticks. On Sunday morning we made sour cream pancakes (two pans going . . . it was fast and fun). Sunday evening we shredded pork from the daylong simmering crock-pot for Chile Verde. We were true to form, using a tortilla. The blessed tortilla. It is so precious.

Private View of a New Collection

A number of years ago, I planned a soiree. It was to be an Art Salon. Set off by the art show invitation in Oscar Wilde's An Ideal Husband, I set to work planning a small group of artistic friends who would create original art to be displayed against a backdrop of canapes and gougeres. The occasional man would sport an ascot. All men would wear jackets. The women in black and pearls or silk.

As this evening has not yet occurred, I have no doubt it will in future. Invitees will send the title, artist name, media, date of the art piece previous to the evening. A Q&A would ensue for all the artists.

Menu: nuts, olives, cheese plate, coconut chicken balls, and the gougeres.

I have doubt that the right people can make an evening.

Muffins: Back on Top

In the early years of college, I went through a muffin baking period. It lasted about a year. Since, I rarely bake muffins and avoid commercially baked muffins as I would a plague. I have a healthy fear of oil and that's what they taste like to me. The only muffin I have entertained in the last few years is a large muffin at Pannikin featuring nuts and dried fruit. It is a meal in itself. I couple it with euco-mint tea.

As our weather has been rainy these past few weeks, I've baked two kinds of muffins. One was for a luncheon with Simone. She had a field day with them. The topping is fun. I have written elsewhere that coconut will make anything better. She vowed to make the recipe that day after a trip to the store and make housecalls to her friends. I encourage this kind of enthusiasm. That's what an applesauce oatmeal muffin will do to a nice person.

Today I made spiced yogurt muffins from Food and Wine. I clombed onto this during a search for something else. I use plain yogurt for just about anything I can. And, again, the applesauce. I would still like to try the applesauce cake in Mrs. Piggle Wiggle.

But, I will include here the recipe for Rachel Broadbent's Mookies, featured in Sunset. They are the best oatmeal cookies you will eat, and have place here for their likeness to muffin tops. Thank me later.

Mookies
Makes 16 giant cookies

1 C butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 C firmly packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 t vanilla
3 C rolled oats
1 C flour
1 t salt
1/2 t baking powder
1 C chopped walnuts
1/2 C sweetened shredded dried coconut
1/2 C raisins

Mix butter and brown sugar until thoroughly blended. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Combine oats, flour, salt, and baking powder. Blend oat mixture with butter mixture. Stir in walnuts, coconut, and raisins.

Pack cookie dough into an ice cream scoop (4-oz. size) or 1/2 C measuring cup, scrape dough level with rim, and empty onto lightly oiled baking sheets, spacing dough about 3 inches apart.

Bake in a 350 degree F oven until cookie edges are golden brown, about 20 minutes (if using one oven, switch pans halfway through baking). Cool cookies on a rack; serve, or store airtight up to 2 days.