Cholesterol on the Menu

Have you ever had cheese curds? Do you know what they are?


We were first exposed to these little delights in Wisconsin in raw form. The are little chunks of cheese that squeak in your mouth when you eat them. The dictionary says they are: a soft, white substance formed when milk sours, used as the basis for cheese.


When I first had them a few years ago, I thought they were among the more disgusting things I've tried. So when Brian and Patience said we "must try the batter dipped, deep fried, cheese curds" I thought they were nuts.


OK, it is good these are not in San Diego! The cheese melts in your mouth and you can almost feel the greece cling to your arteries. Good thing I have those statin drugs to take :) If I liked beer, what a great combo it would be.

The Cake Baker

This is Patience our talented daughter-in-law who lives in Chicago. She has begun baking cakes for friends and relatives. She has taken classes and spends a lot of time researching recipes that would be a perfect fit for each client. She gave me a couple of good baking blogs to check out like: lickthebowlgood.blogspot.com.

I took this in her kitchen as I watched her create a 4 layer, rich chocolate cake with a very vanilla flavored butter cream, coconut filling. The top was the same frosting without the coconut. The outer sides were coated in toasted coconut to give it a real fall look. This particular cake was for a very good friend's birthday. She put little fall leaves on it too. How did it the frosting taste so good? Vanilla beans! Real beans~no liquid stuff.

I did not get to eat this cake, but I did lick the bowl of the remaining frosting. She had a bit of leftover cake mix and baked them into whoopee pies and added some of the frosting. OMG! It was one of the most amazing desserts I have tasted. If you would like to know more about her and the things she has designed, check out her blog at: battersplatterandbake.blogspot.com.

Want to know the best news? I got the recipe!! Now we just need an occasion, but don't expect the 4 layers. Sorry, I am not that talented.

Wedding Cake Shocker

As you know, Heidi and Jay were married in July. Heidi wore a white dress with bridesmaid's dresses in navy with pink accents. They had one of the most beautiful cakes I have ever seen. It was simple, yet elegant and tasted wonderful. It was white with a blue grosgrain ribbon around the base of each layer. White flower petals surrounded the cake as well as piled on top. Finally, a diamond-encrusted "P" was placed on top. It was just lovely!

Well, off we go to Ohio to our nephew's wedding. Eric and Kelly had a rather formal wedding.  Kelly's dress was an antique white (well, tan actually) and just lovely. The bridesmaids wore reddish color dresses and the flowers were fall hues of red, orange and gold. Very nice. Eventually we made our way to the dance floor area and off to the side was the wedding cake. Now check out this cake! Almost exactly the same~ just square and orange/red flowers! Even the navy ribbon was the same. The insides were different however. This cake was VEGAN. Tasted good though. Have a red-velvet flavor, then a white, and a chocolate. Frosting was sort of a butter cream, but for the life of me I don't know how they made it vegan!

Hallo-weiner Again

Once again, Jay has used his creative talents to design a jack-o-lantern~dachshund style! In 2010 we saw a close-up view of Danny Boy. This year we have a look at the free-spirited soul of Danny flying through the air. Jay doesn't use any special carving tools. He said just a sharp knife was all that was needed. Do you think this means that when they have a baby, they will carve its face on the pumpkin?!

Last week Danny Boy was able to have his mommy and daddy buy him a Halloween costume. As you can see it is a jail-bird outfit. Makes you wonder if he feels like he is in jail when they cage him up in the kitchen when they are gone. Now if he would promise not to leave presents in the house he wouldn't have to stay in a cage. Actually, he is very good and has never left a present, but thanks to Auggie's reputation, Heidi and Jay are not taking any chances.

For those of you who remember Auggie, this is our first year without him. He passed away at Thanksgiving a year ago and we are grateful for our "grand-dog," Danny when he visits.

A New Look

Things are quiet and peaceful on our vacation here in Ohio.  Dan and his brother Dave are golfing. My niece and nephew are still at school and my sister-in-law is at work. I took the afternoon nap (because I could) and I am sitting here looking out their bay window looking at the wind blowing the fall leaves on the trees. It is just beautiful. The sun is dancing in and out of the clouds...we just don't have this season in San Diego!

You may have noticed that the blog has a new look! Just click on a  picture and the box will flip around and you get the full story. I don't know how long I will keep it this way, but I sure thought it was fun. Send me your thoughts on this dynamic look of the blog.

On The Road Again

Dan and I took off again on what seems like an annual fall trip to the mid-west. Gosh we love the fall colors and the chill in the air. The rain put a huge damper on the golfing-as in it didn't happen while in Chicago or Indiana. The drive between IL, IN, and OH is fairly easy and with the navigation system, it was a breeze.

On the first leg of the journey we landed in Chicago and made record time from Midway Airport to the kid's home during rush hour traffic no less! One hour and two minutes. Our first night we walked to a great little hole in the wall restaurant called Acre and had an appetizer compliments of the chef that Bri and Patience know well. It was tender, succulent, beef tongue! It was actually quite good, but I just could not get past the idea of what I was eating.

Dan and Brian are becoming beer connoisseurs and we brought some good beer that you can only get in California to Chicago. In Chicago you can BYOB to many restaurants. So, we took a beer with us to Acre and while Patience and I walked home after dinner, the boys sat and drank designer beers at the bar! Not my idea of a fun evening, but they liked it I guess.

The next day Patience and I ran errands and she baked a cake for a friend of theirs. She is turning into a wonderful baker and has started her own business baking cakes. Not only do they look good, they are delicious. I think her blog is called Splash batter and bake (no spaces) dot blogspot dot com.  Then more beer tasting with their friends later that night.

We left there on Monday to drive to Indiana and had a wonderful visit with my aunt and uncle and cousin. Super great visit despite the rain. My aunt cooks great comfort food and it was just like being at home with mom and dad again. Of course, my uncle looks just like dad, so that kinda sets the tone. We look forward to our visit again next year.