by jphilo | Jul 29, 2016 | Family
This Fantastic Friday post was selected for one simple reason. I like stories that show off the wit that once defined Dorothy (a.k.a. Mom). Our lunch date at Chili’s was in July of 2014. Two years later, Mom can’t count out her own money, but her sass still makes an appearance on occasion.
Dorothy and the 5 Little Red Hot Chili Peppers
Okay, so neither Dorothy (a.k.a. Mom) or I ate red hot chili peppers on Tuesday for lunch. But Mom reminds me often that The Five Little Peppers and How They Grew was her favorite book as a child, so I threw that in. The “red hot” bit just sounded good, so I threw it in, too. But, we did eat at Chili’s, and the weather was hot. So hot that Dorothy, in an impressive break from tradition, ordered iced tea instead of coffee.
Yes, it was that hot.
It was so hot that young moms galore, along with their young mom BFFs, and the small fry that made them moms decided to eat lunch at Chilis. As did some families with two parents accompanying their kids and a few grandparents with little shavers in tow.
That made for a plethora of children.
Beautiful children, all with summer tans and sun-streaked hair. All wearing bright sun dresses or bright, baggy shorts and tank tops, sporting flip-flops, sun glasses, colorful hair ribbons, and gap-toothed grins.
They were well-behaved, too.
I’m not kidding. Mom and I both remarked upon how well the children listened, stayed in their seats, and talked quietly. At least as quiet as kids can talk, that is. We also remarked upon how we weren’t the only ones who decided to beat the heat at Chili’s.
“And the food’s good, too,” Mom said.
Then we eavesdropped on the people in the next booth. “Keep your coupons,” the waitress told the young mom and her young mom BFF. “Today, kids eat free.” The moms tucked the coupons back into their purses while a light bulb appeared over Mom’s head.
“That’s why there are so many kids here,” she said. “KIds eat free.”
Just then the waitress came by with our bill. Mom examined the slip of paper, sighed deeply (as she does every time forking over money is required), and counted out her money. Soon after, we stood to leave. On the way out, Mom actually went a few steps out of her way to address the hostess. “Ma’am,” she said sweetly. “Do kids eat free today?” The waitress nodded. Mom pointed at me.
“She’s my kid.”
The hostess stood, open-mouthed and staring, as Mom smiled innocently. She walked slowly to the door, which I held open. She looked at me and winked. “Well,” she explained with a shrug and a twinkle. “It was my money. It was worth a try.”
Gotta love that woman.
by jphilo | May 16, 2016 | Family
When I walked into Mom’s room last Wednesday, she was sitting in her favorite chair reading a book and munching on Russell Stover’s chocolates.
“Did my little brother give you those for Mother’s Day?” I asked.
“Yes,” she replied and, with a twinkle in her 87-year-old eye, held out the box.
“No thanks,” I answered.
“Oh, I forgot,” she replied, still twinkling as she flashed a mischievious grin, “you’re allergic to chocolate.” She took another bite. “Yum!”
We played a few games of Rummikub and went to Chili’s for supper. We ordered a fried pickles appetizer, a classic 6 ounce sirloin for her and margarita grilled chicken for me. While we waited for our food, we read the dessert menu to pass the time. When our food arrived, we both ate our fair shares of the fried pickles and dug into our entrees.
After 2 bites of mashed potatoes, 3 bites of meat, and not a speck of her steamed broccoli, Mom laid down her fork and declared, “I’m full.” Then she flagged down the waitress. “Bring me one of those toffee brownies,” she said.
Full as she was, she managed to down the ice cream, the caramel sauce, the hot fudge sauce, and over half of a good-sized brownie. “Mmmm,” she exclaimed and held out a spoonful of ice cream in my direction. “Want a bite?”
Some days, I thought while declining the offer and reflecting on Mom’s agenda for the day–reading a good book, eating chocolate for an afternoon snack, going to dinner with her darling daughter, eating fried pickles, ignoring green vegetables, and eating more chocolate for dessert–87 looks really good.
by jphilo | Sep 9, 2015 | Recipes
Another year, another tweak for the non-dairy version of German Chocolate Cake. As always, I began with the original German Chocolate Cake recipe which you can find at this link. Last year’s tweak used soured coconut milk to replace the buttermilk. This year, I put 1 tablespoon of vinegar in a measuring cup and added Coffee Rich (original, not fat free) to the 1 cup mark. As always, I used Earth Balance vegan buttery sticks in place of the butter.
The biggest and best tweak of 2015 was made to the frosting. Last year, I used coconut milk in place of the evaporate milk, and it was an improvement. But the frosting taste thin, not as rich and creamy as I wanted. So this year’s substitute was coconut cream for the evaporated milk, and it made all the difference. (Coconut cream is a little harder to find than coconut milk, but higher end supermarkets and ethnic Asian and Mexican grocery stores stock it.)
The cake was served at Mom’s 87th birthday bash alongside the dairy version to the delight of myself, my daughter, and her husband since we all have issues with dairy. We couldn’t do the ice cream, but the frosting was so creamy we couldn’t have cared less. The frosting recipe is below, and again you can find the original German Chocolate cake recipe here.
Easy Coconut-Pecan Filling and Frosting
3/4 cup canned coconut cream 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup Earth Balance vegan sticks
1 teaspoon vanilla 3 egg yolks, slightly beaten
1 1/3 cups shredded coconut 1 cup chopped pecans
Combine milk, sugars, butter and vanilla in a sauce pan. Bring to a full boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. (Mixture may appear curdled.) Quickly stir a small amount of hot mixture into the egg yolks; then pour that mixture back into sauce pan. Return to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add coconut and pecans. Cool to spreading consistency, stirring occasionally.
*Cookbooks tell you to frost between the layers and on the top of a German chocolate cake, but not on its sides. Mom always frosted the sides (it’s a little tricky) to keep the cake moist.
by jphilo | Aug 23, 2013 | Out and About
Camp Dorothy’s doing a road trip this weekend. The camp director is taking the camp’s namesake to Pipestone Minnesota for….are you ready for this…her 67th high school class reunion.
While the camp director is game to go, Dorothy’s been raising objections since the invitation arrived in the mail 6 months ago. The most consistently-voiced objections are:
- I won’t remember anyone. To which the camp director responded, “Since everyone there will be 85, you’ll all be in the same boat.”
- My high school experience wasn’t all that fun. Camp director countered with, “Maybe after 67 years, it’s time to change that.
- I don’t want to go. To which the camp director said, “You’re alive. You’re able to go. You’re going.”
Yes, the camp director is on the hard-nosed side, but believe me, she learned the skill from a master. But the camp director is not heartless, so she’s arranged a Thelma and Louise kinda road trip over the weekend. No encounters at seamy, roadside bars, mind you. But there will be stops at Dorothy’s niece’s house in Storm Lake, an overnight stay with her sister in Le Mars, and a night at the home of a Pipestone nephew.
However, an attempted car leap over the Pipestone National Monument quarry has been forfeited in lieu of the reunion dinner Saturday night and a brunch Sunday morning. Following the brunch these two Thelma and Louise wannabe’s will make the 5 1/2 return trip home, just in time for Wheel of Fortune.
Now does that sound like a hard-nosed camp director to you?
by jphilo | Jun 10, 2013 | Current Events
photo source
Our cousins across the pond held a big party last week to celebrate the 60th anniversary of their monarch. Queen Elizabeth. The media was full of the event. Factoids about the queen’s life were everywhere.
But one important fact escaped the media circus. My mother considers Her Royal Majesty as a constant entities in her life. So this weekend, I did a little pictorial research to see why Mom regards HRM as almost a friend. What I discovered confirms a suspicion I have long held. Though Queen Elizabeth was raised in the lap of luxury in an English palace and my mother was raised in poverty on a Minnesota farm during the Great Depression, the two women led parallel lives. Here are a few pictures to prove the point:
Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret in the 1930s
Photo Source
Mom (right) with her sister Ruth during the 1930s
Princess Elizabeth in the 1940s
Photo Source
Mom in the 1940s
The Queen at the 60th Anniversary Celebration wearing fancy hat
Photo Source
Mom at family celebration wearing fancy elf hat
I know.
Parallel lives.
Sends shivers down the spine, doesn’t it?
So I’m praying that some Tuesday in the future, when Mom and I go out for lunch together, she will be at the center of a huge, fawning media circus. ‘Cause in my eyes, her life is every bit as remarkable as Queen Elizabeth’s, and I’d like the world to know it.
