If it looks like coffee, smells like coffee - it must be coffee. Pull up a chair. What's your favorite?
_________________ What is life? It is the flash of a firefly in the night, the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime. It is the little shadow which runs across the grass and loses itself in the sunset. With deepest respect ~ Aloha & Mahalo, Carol
Lynceus , Brookand Carol lovely to see you in the Lodge . I have got the apple pies and coffee ready . Now everyone take a seat and enjoy the company .
Anyone having a good story to share tonight ? Here is one from me ..
The Old Man and the Rose Heino Molls
During the mid 1950s when I was a kid, my dad worked in a furniture shop at Spadina and Queen in downtown Toronto. Sometimes, I got to go to the shop with him and I made a bit of pocket change running to the restaurant and getting coffee for everybody. I would pass the rest of the day away just hanging around the store, not doing much of anything and not paying much attention to all the hustle and bustle of people and things that were all around me.
One day, as my dad and I were driving to the shop, I looked out the passenger window of the car and I saw an old man standing at the street corner. For some reason, our eyes met and held for about twenty seconds as we went by the corner. There was nothing fearful about this man but it was a significant encounter for me. Up to that point in my life, I had given no thought to anyone I saw on the street, in stores or anywhere else. My life was my family and my friends on the block and that was it. I had no interest in anyone beyond that circle.
But I was intrigued by that old man. For the first time I had an empathy and an interest in what that person was all about. What kind of life had he lived? Where had he been in his time? How had he come to this corner just at the moment I was going by?
Over the years I had long forgotten about this old man, but he came to mind for me recently and I remembered those twenty seconds or so that I looked into the eyes of a stranger and wondered what he was all about.
It seems we are all so busy these days. There are so many details, so many calls to make and so many things to look after that we barely have time for sincere and genuine interest in others.
We are inundated by warnings from great thinkers in our society encouraging us to 'stop and smell the roses'. But I'm afraid it has taken me decades to really appreciate the wisdom of these words.
If I ever have the opportunity to speak to a young person today, I do my best to convey this message. But unfortunately, young people are too busy to heed good advice. Much like I was so many years ago. Youth indeed is so often wasted on the young.
If I had the chance, I would tell young people to stop what they are doing and look around. I would tell them to try as hard as they could to fully understand what is right in their line of sight, what is in the range of their hearing at the moment, what is in their immediate reach and grasp.
I would like so much to tell people, especially young people, that if you are thoughtless and indifferent to others on your road in life, then you are missing life itself. Do not be intrusive or tactless, for heaven’s sake, but take a moment and ask someone, how did you come here or how did you get into this business?
No matter what that person tells you, their answer will make you richer. You can grow emotionally, you can excel as a person and you can be wealthy by every measure if you just appreciate the gifts that people and life all around you are ready to give right at this moment just by their simple presence.
We should appreciate that great symphonies were written from only seven simple notes that God gave the entire universe. We should know that great works of art are measured by the emotions they evoke, not just how they look next to the plant stand.
We should never forget that heartache cannot be cured but can be eased by someone willing to give genuine sympathy. The true greatness of joy can only be known when it is shared with others.
Recently, I attended a trade show at the convention centre in downtown Toronto. During the lunch break I went to a book sale along the trendy Queen West area. I was thinking about returning to the show or carrying on my walk when I realized I was standing at the corner of Spadina and Queen. At that moment a car went by and I caught the eye of a young boy looking at me from the passenger window. We looked at each other for about twenty seconds before the car disappeared around the corner. I wondered if that boy was thinking about what sort of person I was.
And I realized that I was now an old man. Like the man I saw so many years ago.
I wondered if 50 years had just simply flashed by or whether that boy and I had just simply changed places in the span of 20 seconds.
Before I returned to the trade show, I stopped at a florist. I bought a rose and put it in the lapel of my jacket. For some reason, I felt it was the most important thing I would do for the rest of the day.
mudra, that apple pie looks so good that I'm drooling. Imagine that with a nice scoop of vanilla ice cream and a steaming cup of coffee. YUMMMmmm...
Thank you for bringing desert and the story. Big Hug
_________________ What is life? It is the flash of a firefly in the night, the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime. It is the little shadow which runs across the grass and loses itself in the sunset. With deepest respect ~ Aloha & Mahalo, Carol
Carol wrote:mudra, that apple pie looks so good that I'm drooling. Imagine that with a nice scoop of vanilla ice cream and a steaming cup of coffee. YUMMMmmm...
Hmmm yes Carol that would be really nice .. I think I better go and milk the cow for that vanilla ice cream ...
Tancoso promised to pass by and leave us some ambiant tracks .. has he arrived yet ?
Yippie..... the Avalon lodge is a nice place to hang out, hadn't seen it yet, ha! Am I too late, or does the Avalon lodge need a bit of dusting off?
As my introduction gift, I've placed a large steaming Polish apple-pie, round slices of apple in layers between dough and raisins, on the table. Be welcome and have a piece of it, it's yummy for your tummy! The receipt is posted here a bit further on.
On my way here to the clay-oven near the lodge, I've met Mudra and Brook, both their heads on eye level with the ducks at the Avalon pond, learning duck tale and sharing GFL messages with them, as a reward. The ducks were ruffling their feathers, mesmerized and diving down now and then.
They (meaning the ladies) eagerly approved of putting a bowl of whipped cream in the storage room underground. For a delicious extra on the pie, sharing with all of you! For an extra taste I used some plum-rum, the alcohol has vaporized, so I guess it's safe to every soul, if some of you decline eating it, due to religious or other rules.
Prrrrrr...prrrrr....mew mew, oh what's this? The cat comes in to greet me, I think I'll wait a bit before bringing out the cream
Much smiles for you today, B.B.Baghor.
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Tobias my former cat boyfriend
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Last edited by B.B.Baghor on Sun Apr 20, 2014 9:18 am; edited 1 time in total
Yum. A little cheddar cheese or raisin rum ice cream would go good with that pie too.
Ingredients 4 pounds Granny Smith apples, peeled, quartered, and cored 1 lemon, zested 1 orange, zested 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed orange juice 1/2 cup sugar, plus 1 teaspoon to sprinkle on top 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon kosher salt 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice Perfect Pie Crust, recipe follows 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash
Directions Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Cut each apple quarter in thirds crosswise and combine in a bowl with the zests, juices, 1/2 cup sugar, flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice.
Roll out half the pie dough and drape it over a 9- or 10-inch pie pan to extend about 1/2-inch over the rim. Don't stretch the dough; if it's too small, just put it back on the board and re-roll it.
Fill the pie with the apple mixture. Brush the edge of the bottom pie crust with the egg wash so the top crust will adhere. Top with the second crust and trim the edges to about 1-inch over the rim. Tuck the edge of the top crust under the edge of the bottom crust and crimp the 2 together with your fingers or a fork. Brush the entire top crust with the egg wash, sprinkle with 1 teaspoon sugar, and cut 4 or 5 slits.
Place the pie on a sheet pan and bake for 1 to 1 1/4 hours, or until the crust is browned and the juices begin to bubble out. Serve warm.
Perfect Pie Crust: 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) very cold unsalted butter
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1/3 cup very cold vegetable shortening
6 to 8 tablespoons (about 1/2 cup) ice water
Dice the butter and return it to the refrigerator while you prepare the flour mixture. Place the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse a few times to mix. Add the butter and shortening. Pulse 8 to 12 times, until the butter is the size of peas. With the machine running, pour the ice water down the feed tube and pulse the machine until the dough begins to form a ball. Dump out on a floured board and roll into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Cut the dough in half. Roll each piece on a well-floured board into a circle, rolling from the center to the edge, turning and flouring the dough to make sure it doesn't stick to the board. Fold the dough in half, place in a pie pan, and unfold to fit the pan. Repeat with the top crust.
_________________ What is life? It is the flash of a firefly in the night, the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime. It is the little shadow which runs across the grass and loses itself in the sunset. With deepest respect ~ Aloha & Mahalo, Carol
I've got no picture of the applecake I mostly bake, but here's the receipt:
Use a metal form that allows the outer ring to go off. About the size of 30 cm. diameter. Add oil to the inside of bottom and ring and add some flour to the surface, by sprinkling some on the bottom at various places Shake it loose by tapping with your flat hands on the outside, holding the form tilted toward you and turning it around in the process. Combine the work with the following you tubby. Try it... it's fun!
Ingredients:
I present these in organic quality but please choose them to your liking. Also I mention Dutch measures in cm.
350 gram of wheat flour, preferably the Lemaire version, with fibre. Is it called wholeflour in English? 175 ml. vegetable oil, neutral tasting, like sunflower oil or cornoil 3 free range eggs A couple of tablespoons of rum, to your choice and taste.
Several pinches of salt (more or less, depending on your salt intake) 200 gram of brown cane sugar (more or less, depending on your sugar intake) The grated skin of 1 orange and the juice of it. 3 flat teaspoons of cinnamon.
5 big apples (in Holland the apples for baking are called goudreinette) 2 flat teaspoons of cinnamon Salt and lemon juice, for rinsing the apple slices after cutting, to prevent them from turning brown. Some fineground sugar, if you choose the goudreinette apple. With any other race of apples, the taste is usually sweet enough already by itself.
1. Skin the apples as thin as possible and take out the cores. Cut the apples in round slices of about 1 cm. at 90 degree with the core position, so that each slice has a hole in the middle. Rub them with the salt, lemon juice and sugar (set aside for them) put them in a bowl, place a cloth or plate on it and shake the cinnamon through in order to cover the slices. Put the appleslices at the side for a couple of hours.
2. Mix the flour with salt, add the oil and rub it in thoroughly, with your hands. Add the eggs and the rum and some lukewarm water, to make a texture suitable to spread in the form. The dough texture should be as soft as your earlobe. If you've got them
3. Place a layer of dough on the bottom in the form, about 1,5 cm high Place 1 layer of apple slices on it and repeat this procedure until the top layer is a cover of dough.
4. Place the cake in the middle of the 10 min. preheated oven. Bake the applecake at 200 degrees Celsius. About 1 hr. depending on how hard your oven works.
When it's the first time, keep an eye on the baking process. When ready, take out the cake and leave it for 15 min. then take of the outer ring and.... hopefully you will enjoy a delicious portion of Polish applecake.