Easter (sort of) Cinnamon Buns... by Barbara (Ruth)

Forgive me dear readers, for I have sinned. It has been 5 weeks since my last blog posting! My blogging partner (Angela) Jean and I were out last night talking about our blog (which, by the by, celebrated its one year blogiversary on March 6th), and about how we have been remiss in our regular postings lately. (Angela) Jean has a great excuse in the form of a horrible 3 week flu followed by a family vacation. I, however, have no excuse. In the absence of her posts I simply forgot! I have been quite taken up with my new business, Whiteboard Consulting, but that's no excuse.

Anyhoo, I'm back.

Last year at this time I made hot cross buns and posted (here) about why they are part of my Eastertide celebrations. I thought that today I would write about another sweetbread that my Mother often made around the same time. (To be honest, she made them all year round, but baking seemed a great way to get me back into the blogging frame of mind.)

I have a recipe that is so special it's written down in several places - all on scraps of paper covered in drips of oil and egg. The recipe is simply "Muzzer Rolls" (as a kid we called my mother Muzzer), and is incredibly easy and tasty. She used to make them to go with "Muzzer Soup" (also written on scraps of paper) to feed the hungry teenagers on school nights. I've made them for dinner parties and usually there are no leftovers!

One of the variations is to turn "Muzzer Rolls" into cinnamon buns, and that's what I did today. I'm headed to a friend's family cottage north of Kingston, Ontario tomorrow, and the cinnamon buns are part of my contribution to the Easter treats. Baking them was almost as much a treat for me, as I think of my Mother every single time I make these. Also, the house smelled terrific!

I hope you enjoy these. They aren't at all healthy, but man they are delicious!

Ready to go in the oven...

Fresh out of the oven...

Turned out, gooey, warm, and delicious!

Muzzer Cinnamon Rolls

1. In a mixing bowl, stir together 1C warm (not hot) water, 1 tablespoon yeast, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 cup white sugar, and let it bubble.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup warm water, 1/4 cup canola oil, and an egg.
3. Once the yeast mixture has bubbled, stir in the egg mixture. 
4. Using the dough hook attachment, stir in about 4 cups of white flour, and allow the dough hook to mix thoroughly (about 10 minutes on slow). The dough should be sticky but not wet.
5. Turn dough out onto floured countertop, and knead by hand for 5 minutes or so, until the dough is smooth. 
6. Shape into a ball and place back into the bowl. Cover with a dishtowel and let rise until double, about 90 minutes.
7. Melt a stick of butter, and pour half into a 9x13 baking pan. (I use a glass pan so I can tell if the sides and bottom of the bread is done before taking it out of the oven.)
8. Use your finger to grease the sides, bottom, and corners of the pan. There should be lots of butter left in the bottom of the pan.
9. Pour a healthy amount of corn syrup over the bottom of the pan. I can't tell you how much - just drizzle it all over. It depends on your sweet tooth, I guess.
10. Put the dough back on the shelf and punch it down, then knead for a few minutes. Use a rolling pin to roll it out into a rectangle, about 12 inches wide, and about 1/4" thick.
11. Use a pastry brush to spread melted butter all over the dough. Pour any remaining butter into the pan.
12. Sprinkle brown sugar, raisins, and cinnamon over the buttered dough. Again, I can't tell you how much - it depends on your taste. The more the better, in my opinion.
13. Start at a long edge of the dough and roll it up into a long cylinder shape. Using a serrated knife, cut into 12 equal pieces, and place into the pan.
14. Cover with a dishtowel and let rise for about an hour.
15. Bake at 350F for about 15 minutes. 
16. Check the rolls and if the tops are browning quickly, cover with tin foil.
17. Bake another 5-10 minutes, checking to see if the sides are cooked.
18. Turn out onto a cooling rack covered with tin foil.
19. Best served warm, but also terrific heated up the next day!

When I Am Queen... by Barbara (Ruth)

When I was little, as with all small children, I used to have my fair share of moments when things did not go my way. Often, my Mum's response was something like, "wait until you're the Queen". Sadly, I am still waiting, and on my walk today I noticed all the Christmas decorations that were still up (it's +12C today, so weather isn't even an excuse!), and I started thinking of things that will be different when that day comes.

Note that this list is not exhaustive, nor is it designed to solve the world's financial, political, and socio-economic problems. No, it's just designed to address those pet peeves of mine which, if they were fixed, I'm quite sure would make the world just a little bit better.

1. It will be illegal to have external Christmas decorations up past January 15th. Fines will escalate each week, culminating in jail time by Valentine's Day.
2. Women's sizes will be aligned - a 10 will be a 10 no matter the designer. And, there will be no size zero (which by definition implies a woman has no size! It's ludicrous!)
3. People will be able to perform citizen's arrests for certain public offenses, including:
• spitting
• shouting on the cell phone (it's not a tin can, people)
• letting doors slam in someone's face
• failing to scoop your dog's poop
4. Likewise, positive reinforcement will be encouraged. People will be able to reward perfect strangers for good behaviour, including:
• holding the door for people
• being polite and/or pleasant to strangers
• handing you the correct change when you're fumbling in your wallet at the cashier because you're 6 cents short
• Correcting grammatically incorrect signage ("A dozen rose's for sale". Good grief.)
5. Spandex will be outlawed outside the gym.
6. Patchouli will be outlawed inside the gym, particularly in a yoga studio.
7. Power naps will be reintroduced at the workplace. (This is very important and will lead to a kindler, gentler society.)
8. The network of bicycle lanes will be expanded, as will the laws governing bicycle use within city limits. 
9. There will be no reward for showing up at work "like a trooper" when you're sick. In fact, it will be illegal to do so.
10. Milk delivery in those fantastic (and recyclable) glass bottles will make a comeback.
11. The ubiquitous (GW) plastic water bottle will be outlawed. (Especially Dasani, which I'm pretty sure isn't even water.)
12. A person won't be able to be famous for being famous. (i.e. there will be no Kardashian or Paris Hilton or Tori Spelling reality shows).
13. Hollywood won't be allowed to remake movies that were done perfectly well the first time.
14. Lights in change rooms will be replaced to maximize a flattering effect on the buyer.
15. And there will be world peace.

Dad Remembers, Part 2... by Barbara (Ruth)

Winter has always been a celebrated season in my family. We Hendersons are fond of shovelling and carving perfectly smooth snowbanks, making forts, skating, skiing, and hiking. We get this from a long line of hardy Scotch, Irish, and English descendants, used to cold winters and "making the best of it". My Mum and Dad grew up in Ottawa and Moncton, respectively, and both of those cities are known for fantastic snow and serious winters.

Me, outside our home in Hawkesbury, ON. c1967

Grampy (Dad's Dad) with my three sisters, most likely in Hawkesbury, ON. c 1960

Elizabeth, skier extraordinaire. c 1967

My sisters and I skate on the pond in Monroe, NY. Check out my ankles - to this day I can't skate!
Oh, and Janet is the one posing. c. 1972

My sisters making a fort in Monroe, NY. c 1970

Elizabeth looking wintry cute in Hawkesbury, ON. c. 1960

A few months ago I posted (here) a story my Dad wrote about Remembrance Day. Today I'd like to share with you his recollection of the joy of the first snowfall when he was a boy.  From this recollection, you'll understand the love of winter that my sisters and I inherited.

Written in 1994, this story takes place when Dad was 8 or 10 years old (1936 or 1938). Before the ravages of dementia robbed my Dad of his skills with the spoken and written word, I think he was almost poetic in his style. If you've ever read (or better yet, heard) Dylan Thomas' "A Child's Christmas in Wales", you'll see similarities in descriptive style. (Thomas' famous short story is one of my Dad's and my favourites - you'll find it here.)

I hope you enjoy this memory on this wintry February day.

In Toronto, or perhaps more accurately here in Mississauga, winter usually comes shyly, advancing and retreating, and when it does come, the snow raises havoc and tempers. It is not often a respectable snow that swirls at your feet, that can be shaken off your coat or stamped off your boots and shaken out of your hair. Rather, it lies heavy and sodden on the road and sidewalks, often quickly becoming either a sloppy sodden mess accumulating in the gutters, or at the corners of the street where passing cars can be sure to splash it up and drench the people waiting to cross the street or board a bus.


By contrast, I remember in November or December, how winter always seemed to come when I was a boy in New Brunswick. There was nothing timid about THAT snow - no sir! Sometimes it came in great storms, blanketing the frozen ground with heaps and mounds of beautiful shapes that kids could explore and create all kinds of possible structures - forts, and caves and slides, or traps carefully constructed to capture your dog.


Chum, my dog, was always there watching you and he always seemed to be able to avoid, or if he didn't, to unpack the carefully packed dungeon as he tumbled down the slide and then ran over and licked your face, often so hard I generally fell over and ruined the whole affair.


We never did catch the truant officer.


My friend Art and I never found out why the truant officer - a big tall, thin, severe looking gentleman - always on the lookout for misbehaving school boys - was never seen walking out in the field where the snow was deep, and where our trap lay, and never seemed to be after us anyway. Well, we were ready for him.


The first snow was more apt to be less boisterous, but not timid. I remember clearly my first recollection of winter coming. It was on a dark gray afternoon. It must have been cold, but I was not. I had gone on an errand down to our corner grocery store for Aunt Jean who lived in the flat upstairs in our house. I walked home across St. George street, up through the girls' playground of the King George School. The snow began. It was getting dark, and the single light bulb, with its flat green reflector over the door of the school, cast a light which seemed to make the tiny flakes into swirling sparks, silently and swiftly covering the sidewalk and me. 


It seemed that in only a few seconds, the bare, drab street was covered with sparkling white, and my footprints were the first! I passed the school through the lane-way behind Mr. Leblanc's shed, and emerged into the boys' playground. It was smaller than the girls'. I could look up and see my cousin Muriel getting supper in their kitchen, then on to Mountain Road, around the corner a couple of hundred feet, and I was home. 


"Mother, it's snowing fast and soon we won't be able to see the sidewalk." I don't remember what she said. Parents weren't generally excited by snow, as I remember. Anyway, Dad wasn't home just yet, so the supper wouldn't be ready until later. I delivered the parcel of groceries to Aunt Jean and hurried downstairs into the snow.


Some time earlier, Dad had made me a snowplow. It was a marvellous affair - two pieces of rough-sawn board, nailed together in a V with a cross brace on the top and a stout cord nailed on so you could plow the deepest snow. I took it off the veranda, put it on the walk, and began to clear the sidewalk of snow, now over 1/2 inch deep. I traveled back with the plow almost to Robichaud's Grocery, clearing a nice path as I went. 


On my way back, I found the sidewalk totally covered again with the new snow coming down faster than ever. It was illuminated by the streetlights making cones of yellow light agains the black sky. The plow worked well - but I could see that it couldn't make much of a difference in this snow. When I got home I left the plow on the our narrow completely snow-covered lawn, and went inside. I guess we may have had nearly a foot of snow by morning, and we cleaned the walk with shovels the rest of the winter. 


I never did find my plow again until spring.

How Far Have YOU Been?... by Barbara (Ruth)

It's an interesting question, and reminds me of a question my Dad used to ask to see if I was paying attention: "Is it faster to New York or by bus?"

The question "how far have you been" of course lacks some relativity, for it all depends on where you started.

I love to pop this question out at dinner parties, usually with the variation "how far north, south, east, and west have you been?" I've been challenged just about every time with "what's your starting point?", and so I've now added "using zero degrees longitude and latitude as starting points". (I hang out with some very picky people.)

It's a pretty neat exercise, and may just help you decide where to go next. I've had the fortune to travel to many wonderful places, but I have never been south of the equator. I came pretty close when in Uganda, but still I was "north".

Go ahead and get out your atlas. Or, check out this site to type in a city and find out the latitude and longitudes. I'd love to hear "how far you've been". Here's my list:

North: Helsinki, Finland

60° 10' 32" N / 24° 56' 3" E

Me with my nieces Marjorie (L) and Jennifer, in front of Tuomiokirkko, the Lutheran cathedral. (2008)

The bustling, busy, and beautiful city centre.

The Sibelius monument (tribute to the composer of Finlandia), appears to resemble
organ pipes. It is said on a windy day it makes different sounds.

South (and East): Entebbe, Uganda

0° 3' 51" N / 32° 26' 48" E

Entebbe is the city in which the airport is located. My colleagues Russell, Cathie, Michael
and I stayed in Kampala, which is still at 0 degrees N, but 18 minutes vs. 3 in Entebbe.
SO close to being south of the equator. (2009)

With a local shop-girl in the Kampala market.

With my process improvement class.

With my colleagues Athar and Cathie, and the executives of the
Uganda Public Service.

East (2nd place): Kritsa, Crete

35° 10' 0" N / 25° 39' 0" E

I felt the need to include Kritsa, not only because Crete is one of my very favourite places I've visited (I posted about it here), but also because it seems unfair that Uganda claimed two titles: South AND East.

Kritsa's market.

The nearby town of Agios Nikolas. 

Every staircase and doorway was picture perfect.

West: Maui, Hawaii

0° 48' 0" N / 156° 20' 0" W

The sunsets of Maui beat out those of Santorini, IMHO.

Mele Kalikimaka! (Dec 2011)

The big waves at the north shore.

Wardrobe Wednesday... by Barbara (Ruth)

This is a silly post, designed to help brighten your winter Wednesdays.

(Speaking of winter Wednesdays, do you remember this?)

Anyway.

Last year it occurred to me that the uniform in my office had become somewhat weary, composed of shades of black, grey, or, on a colourful day, brown and navy. And so, being the somewhat wacky boss I was, I instituted Wardrobe Wednesdays from January through the end of March.

The idea was simple: on Wednesdays you got points for every bit of colour you were wearing that wasn't black, grey, navy, brown, beige, or white. (There were half points for shoes and accessories.) The only rules were that clothing had to be seasonal (i.e no sundresses in February!), and of course office appropriate. I was the judge (ah, power), kept track, issued special bonuses and challenges, and awarded gift cards at the end.

Here's a picture of the group when I issued a group challenge to wear the colours of the rainbow.

We got all kinds of wonderful comments over those three months. One day the bonus colour was red, and I remember watching a group of about 5 head to a meeting all decked out in fabulous red attire - it made quite an impression!

We were accused of being crazy, fun, and our favourite - "Fancy". In fact, "Step Up the Fancy" became one of our mottos as the year progressed, and I even found a poster with that motto and hung it up outside my office later that year.

Here is the photo of the winners:

You had to be bold and well, just a "little" competitive to win this thing. My blogging partner, Angela (on the left), snatched victory from Nicole's (on the right) hands by a narrow margin. And Carolyn (centre) wowed everyone on the TTC that day by being bright in yellow on a gloomy March day. She claimed third prize.

It's Wednesday today, and I'm wearing brown and grey. I'll have to do something about that next week. In the meantime, I hear the team is starting up another silly winter-blah-busting contest back at the office even though I'm not there anymore. What will you do to be wacky and add a little colour to your winter??

Comfort Food for January... by Barbara (Ruth)

This posting is in honour of a number of my friends and family who had a rotten day today. I wish I could have them all over for dinner in my cozy house, because tonight I'm serving comfort food with a twist.

There are so many good reasons for comfort food in the wintery greyness of January: it's cold, it's dark, it's rainy and/or snowy, there are pot holes everywhere, cold and flu viruses run amok (GW) at work and/or at daycare, it's tax season, the stock market is nutters, commuting sucks out your soul, or you just had a rotten day.

(I should say that I can list an equal if not larger number of things that are awesome about winter, but that's another post entirely.)

The thing about comfort food is that it usually involves serious caloric intake: macaroni and cheese, meatloaf, beef stew, grilled cheese, shepherd's pie, and lasagne, for example. And in January most of us are trying hard to "be good" and get back to healthy eating habits after the gluttonous sins of December.

And so I bring to you my January-friendly Comfort Food. Delicious, nutritious, and sure to make you feel warm, cozy, and wrapped up in a big hug.

The Menu

• Real Cream of Tomato Soup
• Sesame Grain Bread

Total calories for this meal? 315. It also has 10g of protein and 6g of fibre, not to mention Vit A, Vit C, calcium, and iron. And it is REALLY good. 

With that kind of low calorie count you can add some butter (although fresh bread doesn't need it), or a nice piece of cheese. I'd say you should add a green salad, but that goes against the principle of comfort food, really. As for dessert? Well, there you're on your own - I think that dessert-y comfort food can not and should not be healthy.

Whether or not you had a rotten day and are in need of some healthy comfort food, I hope you enjoy these two recipes. They are guaranteed to be heart-warming, and heart-healthy.

Real Cream of Tomato Soup

This recipe comes from "50 Simple Soups for the Slow Cooker". I'm experimenting with my slow cooker more and more these days, as I find I'm inspired to cook early in the day, and not so much in the evening. It's important to practice, because slow cooker meals can end up mushy and resembling dog food, but if you pay strict attention to the directions then it can be a real life save at dinner time.

This recipe is ridiculously easy. 

 

1. Put 2 to 3 lbs of tomatoes (quartered) in the slow cooker, along with a half a chopped sweet onion (like Vidalia), and 2 or 3 cloves of garlic. 
2. Cook on low for 4 hours until the tomatoes are soft and falling apart.
3. Using a handheld immersion blender, puree the mixture until the desired texture is achieved, Stir in one cup of cream (I used milk) and add salt to taste. You can also add chile flakes for some kick.
4. Garnish with fresh basil leaves or fresh ground pepper.

Sesame Grain Bread

If you're a regular reader then you know I love to make bread. I've posted about it here and here. More often than not I turn to the book "Great Breads", by Martha Rose Shulman, and I always have success. The recipe is pretty straightforward, and slightly adapted to my own bread-making methods which are not quite as picky as Martha Rose Shulman's (in other words, I don't do everything by hand, I use my KitchenAid mixer with the dough hook).

When I made this one today I was out of sesame seeds, so I used flax seeds - just as delish! Each slice has about 262 calories (based on cutting each loaf into 10 slices). It's very dense and very hearty, and chock full of nutrients.

1. In the mixing bowl, combine 1 T yeast, 3 C lukewarm water, 2 T honey, 2 T molasses, 2 C white flour, and 2 C whole wheat flour.
2. Blend using mixing paddle, cover with a tea towel and set in a warm place to bubble (about an hour).
3. Using mixing paddle, add in 1/4 C canola oil, 3/4 C sesame seeds (which you should either pound with a mortar and pestle, or do what I did and pop them in the blender for a few seconds - not too long), 1 T salt, 3/4 C rolled oats, and 1 C cornmeal.
4. Switch to the dough hook and add 2-2 1/2 C whole wheat flour, and let the dough hook do it's thing until the dough forms a ball and is slightly tacky to the touch.
5. Turn out on to lightly floured surface and knead for about 5 mins until the dough softens. Form a ball and return to the mixing bowl. Cover with the tea towel, and set aside to allow it to rise double in size.
6. Turn out onto the floured surface again and divide the dough into two. Knead each part for several minutes and shape into loaves.
7. Put loaves into oiled loaf pans (I spray with Pam, and I use glass pans so I can see whether the bottoms are cooked), cover with tea towel, and let rise one last time.
8. When the loaves have risen above the edges of the pan and look like bread, pop into a 350F oven for 40 mins.
9. At 40 mins, check the bread - if the tops are browning too much, cover loosely with tinfoil.
10. Leave in the oven for another 10 mins. Loaves are done when they sound hollow.
11. Turn out and cool on racks.

EXTRA! EXTRA! Read all about it!... by Barbara (Ruth)

There's a basement reno going on (and on and on) at my house, and the noise that emanates (GW) from below alternates between migraine-inducing jack hammers to pounding hammers to silence broken only by occasional whistling.

Yesterday was a noisy day - all I heard was drilling, banging, and the creaking and groaning of old boards as they were ripped out of the ceiling. I went down to inspect in the evening, as I am wont (GW) to do, and found a huge pile of garbage in the corner of what used to be my "creepy cold room"(used only for storing gardening tools, outdoor Christmas decorations, and my bike). A closer look revealed insulation material in the form of dozens of old newspapers dating from late 1936 through the winter of 1937, and I had a bit of fun looking at all the pages. What an interesting time that was, with strikes, shipwrecks, the rumblings of war, Edward & Mrs. Simpson, murder, mayhem, and always, helpful tips for ladies.

Sadly, none of the pages was really salvageable due to damp rot, mouse droppings, and the careless handling of the construction workers. However, I did take some pics I thought you'd find interesting.

NEWS OF THE DAY

EDITORIALS

Wow, didn't I read something like that just last month? Some things never change...

An annual payroll of $150K for 200 people? You do the math.

HELPFUL ADVICE

Shame on those brides who are "too careless or too ignorant or too lazy to have
ever taken the trouble to master their profession."

I beg to differ! Ahem.

'

This is an ad for a laxative. Apparently you needed to use this so you could
avoid dieting during the holidays. So eating disorders aren't new then...

FASHION

I love this ad because not only is this shoe pretty much in style again, but it proclaims the
benefits of the fur being on the "outside" of the boot so as to avoid "seaming against your
stockings and causing a ring". 

Although I wouldn't call these attractive, they certainly do hide figure flaws.
Let's bring 'em back

ENTERTAINMENT

Madeline de Charpin was an actress in the '30s, and was declared the most
beautiful woman in Paris and in all of France.

How classic is this? 

SOCIETY & SCANDALS

Now this is fascinating... Gloria Hollister was famous for being a fearless explorer in the '30s. Among
other things, she set a record for ocean diving in a bathysphere, and discovered 43 waterfalls in
British Guinea (now Papua New Guinea). Read more about her here.

Mrs. Farrington (centre) was the housekeeper for Walter Fetter of Elmira, ON. She was tried
for his murder and is shown here accompanied by a warden and a guard as she leaves
Kitchener jail.

This was a front page update on the hearing of the mysterious disappearance of
Ambrose J. Small, owner of a number of theatres who vanished in 1919. His disappearance was never solved,
and his wife said only that she was sure he was "in the arms of a designing woman."

A shout-out to my own neighbourhood here in the Toronto beaches - Bobby Porter was a well-known athlete who played football with Balmy Beach club for 17 years. He also played junior hockey,and professional baseball. This is his
wedding picture to Dorothy McKean. The wedding took place here in the Beach, and the bride wore brown brocade.

BREAKING NEWS

I just think it's interesting that the late race results are worthy of stopping the presses.

DEALS OF THE DAY

Flour, anyone? 7 lbs for only 27 cents. Take THAT, Costco!

NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL PHOTOS

Read the caption. Nothing like being noted for "picturesque working oxen". Go Nova Scotia!

This very somber picture was on the same page as the photo above, along with ads for skin
care and the like. I found that odd.

DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISM

I also found this interesting paper - a Finnish periodical mailed to one Emil Maki at
my address on September 19, 1936. I tried to find out more about him, and found his name
only on deportation lists. 

The banner translates (according to Google translate) as
"The only democratic socialism, the ideas driving the Finnish newspaper
in America." Perhaps this is why Emil Maki was deported.

I hope you enjoyed these 75 year-old snippets. Amusing, interesting, and darn good reading, they just prove that old saying, "plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose."