Tag: birthday

Baking

Peach Pie: Summer in every bite

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peach pie with decorative sugar and chicken cookie cutter outline on top crust

I finally added that quintessential summer dessert, the peach pie, to my baking repertoire. Other than disliking the tactile feeling of peach fuzz when eating this fruit whole, I am not sure why I avoided making this delicious blend of fruit, sugar, and cinnamon.  An omission now rectified using Momma’s recipe via Betty Crocker.

I have fond memories of Momma buying fresh Colorado peaches by the crate; each precious, ripe orb wrapped in soft pale-yellow tissue paper. Those delicate papers (in my doll playing days) were transformed from protective practicality to fairy fluttering doll dresses.

Each crate provided a sufficient quantity of ripe fruit that a portion could simply be eaten.  Tasting as if fresh from the tree and bitten into like an apple, we leaned forward slightly to allow plump juices to inevitably dribble down our chins and drip on the concrete. But a large portion filled double crusted pies. Some of the pies were baked in the cool morning hours and then enjoyed in the early evening with vanilla ice cream and others, oven-ready, were frozen. These Momma retrieved on harsh winter days, and they served as memories of summer warmth.  She always saved one for Dad’s February 16 birthday when it became a birthday pie complete with candles.

Bon Appétit!

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100 years ago, today…

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black and white photo of a young girl
Emma Kuster in 1931
white haired older woman
Emma Barnett in 2023

This story began long ago, 100 years ago today, when Momma was born on December 29, 1923, in a little house on 8th Avenue in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.  It had been the caretaker’s residence for the big house next door.  It did not have running water and Grandpa had to go to the big house with a bucket.  He always talked about how tiny she was and how cold it was that day – so cold that ice formed overnight on the water in the bucket.

The changes in those 100 years are so numerous as to be impossible to inventory.  Momma remembers riding in Grandpa’s Model T and there is picture proof; their family got their first phone when she was eight, a party line when each household had its own set of rings.  (Not unlike today’s customizable iPhone ringtones – the same but different.)  A time when train travel was the norm, and it took 400 minutes from Chicago to St. Paul.  Men on the moon and women in space.

A grand adventure took her to Washington, DC as a “war girl”.  She lived with seven other young women all working for the war effort.  It was while living at the 5506 House that she met a sailor from Alabama.  Dad was stationed at Patuxant River, Maryland and while on switchboard duty he called the cousin of a friend.  Instead of the cousin, Momma answered the phone and that serendipitous conversation became a lifetime.

If I give into the temptation to chronicle her life this will appear more like an obituary rather than a simple celebratory blog post – so just some highlights that will bring us to today.

Two children – My sister Mary Pat (1962) and me (1952); one grandchild, John Lac, a lovely assortment of nieces and nephews now counting into the greats, great-greats, and even the great-great-great generation.

Four houses – 1226 Vine, the red brick house on 14th Street, The 40 (now owned by good friends) and the lake house, Inseli.

Travel that took her to foreign places – Australia, Egypt, Greece, New Zealand, Switzerland, Venice, and the Virgin Islands.  Visits from Swiss cousins brought family connections to Wisconsin.  The first two to visit arrived in 1972, not speaking any English, and just last summer, we hosted ten cousins, all of whom spoke English which made easy laughter.

This weekend there will be a party but no ballons.  The students at St. James School, where she volunteered in the library for 57 years, sang a birthday blessing; there are jars of Smuckers seedless raspberry jam customized with her picture; and there has even been TV coverage!

Happy birthday, Momma!

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Tea For Two (or now 14)

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white china cup and saucer decorated with yellow flowers
pick and blue china cup and saucer on a wooden background
white china cup and saucer with small pick flowers decorating the border and edged with gold

I am not sure if the hobby of collecting fine porcelain cups and saucers was limited to Midwestern women of a certain age during the 1950s and 60s or a pastime enjoyed over a greater geographical area, but my mother collected a lovely assortment of 12 cups and matching saucers.  She used them when serving dessert and coffee to her friends making up the three card tables for 500.  To showcase the cups, she set her table with complimentary clear glass plates.

In 1986, while on a trip to Toronto for the United Brotherhood of Carpenters’ quadrennial convention, she purchased a delicate cup graced with yellow coneflowers for me.  For a short time, I used it for my morning coffee at work, but it was a bit small when I needed caffeination for the day and I carefully packed it away.  I never acquired any more.

Then came an event at church – an English high tea complete with cucumber sandwiches, scones, clotted cream, and a delicious assortment of sweet and savory delectable treats.  In striving for the proper ambiance, a call went out for pretty cups and Momma’s dishes went into service.  They never made a return trip to Eau Claire and my collection of one grew to 13.  I have considered adding to my selection, if only as insurance against breakage, but there is something special knowing all 13 cups and saucers came from Momma. 

During World War II, she worked in Washington, DC as part of the war efforts.  In 1943, she made the bold purchase of a complete set of dishes, which were shipped to Eau Claire for Mother’s Day.  Throughout my childhood, these dishes were on Grandma’s table for every special dinner until she died in August 1970.  They moved to my childhood home when my grandfather came to live with us in January 1971. 

As she nears her 100th birthday, Momma has begun giving away items she no longer uses.  Before Grandma’s good china is donated to the thrift store, I commandeered a cup and saucer which rounds up my collection of cups and saucers to 14, all gifts from Momma.

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Birthdays & Gotcha Day

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For 18 years (and then another 62) we celebrated our birthdays together. Me on May 7 and Grandma on May 8.  Some years, like this one, Mother’s Day is also in the mix. Twenty years ago, May 2 became our very own Gotcha Day and thus, with this celebratory triumvirate, John Lac and I continue the long tradition of angel food cake with pink buttercream frosting.

May 1955

Being part of that generation that took up the mantra to never trust anyone over 30 I had trouble in the weeks leading up to that birthday but Richard (already in his fourth decade) smoothed the rough edges for me.  Fifty was fun and 60 even better as I knew retirement was close and within a year I developed a detailed four-year plan outlining major tasks to be accomplished before May 2017.  But 70 is being a bit of a mental challenge as I keep wondering how I suddenly got so old.  I may just need more pink frosting.

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Burn Pits

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Leave it to Jon Stewart to tackle the tough topics and shed light on injustices.  Just as he advocated for the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund, even going so far as to lambast Congress in a 2019 impassioned testimony on Capitol Hill for a woeful response to health care for emergency personnel, he is now shining a light on the traumatic impact of Burn Pits.

Never heard of Burn Pits?  Neither had I.

During Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) government contractors burned TONS of hazardous waste using jet fuel.  Think about a micro-minute of annoying smoke when you’re roasting a marshmallow over a campfire and now multiple that irritation by an incalculatable number with acres of fires raging 24/7.  Military personnel breathed contaminated air day and night as fires consumed the products of everyday life – plastics, rubber, human waste, all mixed in with war waste – amputated body parts, ammunition, and chemicals.  The resulting exposure to this toxic cocktail has wounded thousands of veterans.  But just as it took decades for our government to acknowledge the long term effects of Agent Orange, there is only minimal recognition that breathing this bad stuff is bad for your health.

In his new series, The Problem with Jon Stewart, Jon does what he is famous for – shares a hard truth encased in humor to make us think.  We hear his opinion but, more importantly, we hear from people impacted by the problem.  And, not just “Wendy Whiners” but people offering solutions to affect change.  His first episode introduces the viewer to veterans and their families facing life threatening health challenges as a result of Burn Pit exposure.

As we celebrate Veterans Day and Richard’s 75th birthday, on this day commemorating the end of World War I on “the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month” and honoring all U.S. military veterans, we are making a contribution to Burn Pit 360, a 501(c)(3) “dedicated to improving post-deployment health outcomes.”  Join us in supporting our troops and veterans – for real.

Baking

Happy Birthday!

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This was a kitchen day from mid-morning to mid-afternoon while prepping Richard’s simple birthday celebration requests.

Chocolate Amaretto Cheesecake – Modified from one large springform pan to four small 5-inch silicone & glass bottom pans since there are just the two of us celebrating together in these Covid days.  The topping is still to be determined.  Do I go with simple fresh whipped cream, the recipe prescribed Amaretto flavored whipped cream, or a decadent chocolate glaze for a chocolate-on-chocolate birthday treat?  (Decisions.  Decisions.)

Barbecued short ribs – In the slow cooker after modifying Mom’s c. 1940 rib recipe from the Good Housekeeping cookbook she received as a 1945 wedding present.

All to be toasted with Glenlivet 15 Year Old French Oak Reserve, his early morning present.  Additional packages mailed to Eau Claire to ensure secrecy will have to wait as we opt back into semi-self-quarantine with Minnesota and Wisconsin experiencing pandemic spikes.

Happy 74th Birthday, Richard!