Happy As Kings

Handi-Foil

Dear Handi-Foil,

I appreciate the holiday gift-giving convenience of baking fruitcakes in single-use aluminum foil pans.  What I don't appreciate is the glue you use to stick your label onto the bottom of the pans.  The glue sticks so well that, in removing the label, the bottom of one pan of each set is deformed -- the glue is stronger than the pan.  I understand the need for a label, but I don't appreciate almost ruining one pan in three.

Also, it is a bit of mental whiplash to find that you have a website, but that your "contact us" information is only a street address.  My concern about the stickiness of your label's glue would have remained only between us had you included an Internet-accessible email address on your Internet-accessible website.  Trying to write an email to try to counsel you regarding my 'customer satisfaction' was an inconvenience; having to find paper, envelope and stamp to do it would have significantly diminished what is left of my satisfaction.

Now that I've straightened out the bottoms of two pans, expressed the irritation caused by the glue & the straightening-out, and found a workaround for the need to pay even more if I want to tell you directly that your technique almost ruined my purchase, I will return to my fruitcake-making.

Regards,

V. Moon

Aga

The picture at Gurney Journey has piqued my latent desire for a kitchen upgrade, to include an Aga stove.  I don't know if the house my parents rented in England was equipped with an Aga, but for me, that stove looks like 'home.' 

The downside, at the moment, is that having a continually-heated stove in a kitchen that sits at a 39°latitude makes for a too-warm house in the summer.  Still, I'd like to try it out.

Now all I need is a spare $10K (plus a little extra for the kitchen remodeling needed to put in an exhaust fan to vent that heat).

Maybe someday.

Dad's birthday cake

He's 39 -- again.

   

   

   

Also, what to watch while eating rum cake -- but don't try it after.

Treadmill Dance

Happy Rockin' New Year

Keep this where I can find it

German Grocery 

Many thanks to Eldest Daughter for calling me up and telling me about it.

Her Brother's bread recipe

Elder daughter called and requested the popular-within-the-family bread recipe her older brother had copied down from the chalkboard in the 4th grade, about a year before she was born.  The younger kids can't remember not ever having this bread.

So, for her, and for anyone else who likes tasty bread, here's the recipe.  (my adjustment is 1/2 white flour, and 1/2 whole wheat because 100% whole wheat takes so long to rise)  The original recipe makes two loaves, and my halving it (on the right) makes just one.  Instructions for making rolls are on the 2nd page below.

(all the splotches are from using the recipe in the years before I had plastic protector sheets in my 'recipe clippings' binder)