Measuring Our Day

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What a day! Perhaps we’re a bit odd, but we measure our days in mochas. When it’s been a particularly harrowing day, IZ and I tend to look at each other and say, “It’s a two mocha day!” We start our morning together with one of his great Mexican Mochas and if the day spirals into chaos, we reconnoiter in the afternoon in an attempt to slow our day down just a bit. It doesn’t always work, but the effort is valiant. Besides, we enjoy the company. Reason enough, in my world!

Our scale could be worse, I suppose. I’m Southern, and I’m pretty sure most of my ancestors measured their days in moonshine and cigarettes. I’m not far behind though, because on a day like today, the mocha number might easily reach double digits. It’s just been that kind of day.

My mind feels a little like what our dinner table looks like! I’m scattered and jumpy and yes, that’s probably the caffeine talking. I’m just not a fan of pressing deadlines, either. We are at the end of the school year with Boy Wonder and of course cramming is in order. Must. Finish. Now. It wouldn’t be school without a cram session at year end. Would it?

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This would be the scene of our crime, one last push to finish the State Report. Boy Wonder works much like his mother, in the midst of chaos. The paper on the ground is our research, dropped on the floor during our last minute fact checking spree. Don’t worry, it will all be recycled as packing material for Thrifty Goodness. I suspect that some other 5th grader is doing a report on Washington, since our library was picked clean for references. The lack of printed material meant we were compelled to use mostly web sources. While most of it we were able to read through and incorporate without printing, there were a few subjects that needed a print job to absorb! Anyhow, the pile looks far worse than it is.

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As I released the boy out to play at 2:30, IZ thumbed through the masterpiece and then said those magic words, “This is a two mocha day, isn’t it?” This is the upside of working at home; you get to take breaks with your sweetie at will. And then the phone rang. Which would be the downside of working from home. Sometimes the phone preempts the best of plans.

Listening to him field phone calls it was clear that I’m not the only person juggling disasters in the making. Every phone call he fielded ended with his assuring the person on the other line that he would call someone else and straighten up the mess. Our two mocha day was quickly becoming a three mocha day—and we hadn’t even sat down to drink a second.

You will note that my coffee cup is missing something. I have a tiny collection of red transfer ware cups but they are missing saucers. I do know better, I honestly do, but I just adore drinking coffee out of these cups. I swear to you, coffee tastes better out of this cup! Any regular reader of this blog will also note that the beverage in my cup is not one of IZ’s famous mochas. Sadly, the stream of phone calls never let him go, so I did what any compassionate spouse would do: I baked!

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Scones, I tell you, they’re the answer to all that ails you. Especially if they’re paired with piping hot coffee. I don’t make mochas anymore, having passed off that job to IZ years ago (he’s particular about measurements and I’m, uh, not so particular). But I do make coffee. Mercifully, the phone stopped ringing long enough for us to sit down and measure our day. It could be worse, this life we live. Even if it is a two mocha day.

Recipe on the flip.

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Just Have to Try

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It’s well known that the stove is my nemesis. For the safety of all who live in my home, I tend to avoid it with exception to boiling water for tea. However, the oven and I get along just fine. Lately, I’ve been hanging out on Heidi Swanson’s 101 Cookbooks. I admire her cooking and her photography even though I know better than to attempt any of it. Heidi is a goddess at the stove!

However, Heidi is no slouch with the oven either and it’s with these recipes that I feel like I can dive in and try. Last week, I whipped up her baked doughnut concoction. And by whipped up, I mean I spent the glorious three hours required to make those things happen. We were munching on amazing doughnuts into the wee hours, since I didn’t get an early start. When sunlight finally made an appearance the next day, the doughnuts had done their own disappearing act; nowhere to be seen for a close-up. Wonder how that happened?

The thing about finding a good recipe source—you know, one where the directions are clear that even I can follow them without injuring myself and the results actually look like the photos in the sample recipe—is that it tends to inspire you to try more. The inverse is also true. I once chucked a Frugal Gourmet cookbook after attempting a simple caramel sauce three times only to meet utter failure each time. The author had neglected to point out that you shouldn’t stir your sauce and of course, I did. Stir and stir and ooh, stuck. Can’t remove stirring utensil. Solid brick of sugar. Wait, now burning sugar!! Three spatulas later I chucked the smoldering brick of sugar and the book into the garbage and sat down to have myself a good cry!

With age comes experience I guess. I know NOW that you leave candy alone to bubble and bubble—but it wasn’t Graham Kerr who told me! At the tender age of 22 I had no idea and the complete frustration of trying something over and over BY. THE. BOOK. only to fail leaves a girl questioning her sanity along with her domestic skills. Of course, it probably didn’t help that I chose Thanksgiving morning to attempt that recipe for the first time ever. . . but that’s a different warning to the wise.

Anyhow, last night’s journey into 101 Cookbooks led me to a recipe from David Lebovitz’s Great Book of Chocolate for Chocolate Chip cookies. Oh my. Oh. My. There are no words—despite evidence to the contrary on this present page!

I’m not going to print the recipe here, because I don’t have permission and it’s copyrighted. Copyright should be respected, no matter what those loony libertarians suggest! Not to mention, bad karma might take the edge off these marvels. That would be, well, bad! However, Heidi has permission and you can look at it on her site.

And look you should! I did substitute fake egg for real egg but I doubt it made any difference in taste. We’re not walnut fans around here, so I used pecans. In my convection oven, this amazing cookie took at least 24 minutes to bake, with a few extra minutes baking out of the oven on the hot sheet. That may seem like a long time, but at least you’re not hovering near the oven every 3 minutes worrying that your chocolate fix is going to burn. Anything to keep you from obsessively flicking the oven light on and off. What? You don’t do that?

I have to say, I’ve found my chocolate chip cookie recipe of choice. You know, until Heidi puts up another one I just have to try!