Storm of Thoughts

Happy birthday, Mom!

October is the month of birthdays. To celebrate the first, I bring you birthday quotes, birthday astrology, and, of course, a picture of the birthday girl.

A diplomat is a man who always remembers a woman’s birthday but never remembers her age.
~Robert Frost

The secret of staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly, and lie about your age.
~Lucille ball

It takes a long time to grow young.
~Pablo Picasso

Libras born on October 6 are dreamers who need to express their inner drives through imagination and creativity. They are lovers of fantasy and illusion — what appears true is more interesting than what actually may be true. They are idealists who love beauty in all its forms.

Friends and Lovers

October 6 natives can be helpful to the people they care about, but they generally seek out people who can provide them with emotional protection. There are few people more romantic. They perceive all intimate relationships through the prism of romantic idealism.

Children and Family

October 6 people are sensitive and vulnerable and rarely look at their childhood without misgivings. Because of their background, it takes commitment and much love from their spouse for them to seek parenthood. Once they do commit, they usually resolve their childhood issues through their love for their kids.

Health

October 6 individuals are basically healthy but may have a variety of nervous disorders. While the symptoms are real, they are usually the result of feelings of unfulfillment. Exercise is the best way these moody individuals can shake the blues.

Career and Finances

Individuals born on this date usually gravitate to a career in the arts; these talented men and women have an unfaltering concept of beauty and harmony. Money isn’t usually important to them, except to provide them with the beautiful things and luxurious surroundings they desire.

Dreams and Goals

All October 6 individuals want to leave the world more beautiful than it was when they arrived. They try to bring positive energy to everything. They will make their choices according to the level of beauty and harmony they bring into their life and the lives of others.

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Cupcake Recipe

Obviously, a lot of the fun in making my Chrysanthemum Cupcakes came in decorating them. (And you can find a lot of great decorating ideas, including the mums, on Wilton’s website.) That is, of course, unless you count eating them! The recipe is one of my favorite cakes, which I adjusted to turn into cupcakes. It’s from Martha Stewart, which means there are a few extra steps, but, as usual, Martha knows what she’s doing.

White Sheet Cake or Cupcakes

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more to grease baking pan
3 cups flour, plus more for baking sheet
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup milk
8 egg whites

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 12-by-18-by-1-inch rimmed baking sheet or muffin tins, tapping out any excess flour; set aside. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt, then set aside.

Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and 2 cups of sugar until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla. With mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the milk and beginning and ending with the flour. Beat until just combined, then set aside.

In a clean bowl of the electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or with a hand blender, beat the egg whites on low speed until foamy. With mixer running, gradually add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and beat on high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 4 minutes. Do not overbeat. Gently fold a third of the egg-white mixture into the butter-flour mixture until combined. Then fold in the remaining egg-white mixture.

Transfer batter to prepared baking sheet or muffin tins and smooth batter.

Bake until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 35 minutes for sheet cake and 20 minutes for cupcakes. (Keep an eye on the cupcakes, as timing could differ in your oven.) Transfer to a wire rack and let cool 10 minutes. For cake, invert onto rack, then turn over and let cool completely.

For Icing: Martha Stewart’s Meringue Buttercream

Makes about 10 cups (can do half of the recipe)

3 cups granulated sugar
12 large egg whites
2 pounds (8 sticks) unsalted butter, softened and cut into tablespoon-size pieces
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Whisk the sugar and egg whites in a large heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water until the sugar dissolves and the mixture registers 140 degrees on an instant read thermometer, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Then remove from heat and beat the egg-white mixture with a hand blender on high speed until it holds stiff (but not dry) peaks and the mixture is fluffy and cooled, about 10 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-low and add butter several tablespoons at a time, beating well after each addition. (Note: the meringue will deflate slightly as butter is added.) Add the vanilla and beat until the frosting comes together, 3 to 5 minutes. Then beat on the lowest speed until air bubbles diminish, about 2 minutes. Finish by stirring with a rubber spatula until the frosting is completely smooth.

You can refrigerate the buttercream in an airtight container up to one week, or freeze it up to one month. Before using, bring it to room temperature and stir with a rubber spatula to smooth.

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Wordless Wednesday: Chrysanthemum Cupcakes

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My Favorite Things About Fall

Fall is my favorite season. And, although people keep telling me it isn’t exactly fall yet, unofficially, the season has begun. Kids are back in school, football season is here, the weather is cooling down, and it’s only a matter of time before leaves are changing and Christmas items start appearing inexplicably early on store shelves. Here are my ten favorite things about fall:

1. Birthdays - Obviously, all of the most important birthdays are in the fall. (Mine especially!)
2. The Outfits - I would wear sweaters and jeans every day of the year if I could. Boots are another fun benefit.
3. The Food - I love fall produce in everything from soup to scones!
4. Pumpkins - Whether decorating with them or eating them, pumpkins epitomize fall.
5. The Colors - Who would think red, yellow, and orange would go together? In the fall they’re the perfect combination.
6. Candy Corn - Although I’m not the biggest fan of Halloween, I’ll never turn down candy corn!
7. The Weather - Although summer heat is fine for awhile, I would prefer if it was 70 degrees (or even 68!) every day.
8. Thanksgiving - The food, the family - a great holiday all around.
9. The Sports - While football is the most traditional fall sport, baseball is winding down and hockey is on its way in, meaning there’s something for everyone.
10. Did I mention that my birthday is in October?

What’s not to love about fall! What are your favorite things about the new season?

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Wordless Wednesday: Rainy Day

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Mangia Monday Recipe: Pizza on the Grill

While I had my house guest recently, we did plenty of eating out. But, since we both also like to cook, we figured we should spend at least one night eating in. And what we decided to make was both easy and delicious - pizzas on the grill. At home, my visitor Jen has a big gas grill, on which she cooks several pizzas at a time. At my parent’s house, we make pizza on the grill on a specially made bbq pizza stone. But here, in my little backyard, we had only a small charcoal grill. Although it took awhile to get the coals ready, the finished product was fun to make and came out perfectly crisp - albeit a little misshapen. You can top these with anything you want; we used tomato and basil on the one in the photo, although we also made other pizzas with ham and ricotta, olives and mushrooms, and fried eggplant. The recipe can obviously be changed a million different ways, but the real secret is in the technique.

Caprese Pizza on the Grill

Pizza dough, store-bought, homemade, or purchased from your favorite pizzeria, divided in four
1 cup Marinara sauce
2-3 tomatoes
Fresh basil, torn into into pieces
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Olive oil

Divide the dough into four pieces, then roll out to form circles. If the grill isn’t ready, leave the dough in the fridge until you’re ready to put it on - it’s easiest to handle when it’s cold. Have all of your ingredients ready to head out to the grill; in this case, that involves shredding the cheese and slicing the tomatoes. Lightly brush one side of the pizza dough and place it (oil side down) directly onto the grill. After the dough has started to cook and gotten grill marks, lightly oil the other side and flip it over. (This can take anywhere from 4-5 minutes up to about 10, depending on the dough and the heat of the grill. It will be easy to flip when it’s ready!) Then, start topping with the rest of the ingredients. If your grill is big enough, do several at a time; otherwise, you’ll have to do them one at a time (as we did).

And that’s it. It’s as simple as making pizza inside. And, generally, much faster. Plus you feel a lot more like Bobby Flay.

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Wordless Wednesday: Here’s to Good Luck

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A Tour of Boston

Having a visitor in town is a good excuse to get out and do things in Boston (even if the temperature happens to be stifling and the weather is humid). Which is exactly what happened this past weekend. I was lucky enough to have a house guest for a few days - my godparents’ daughter, Jen (or, as she likes to call herself, my “cousin.” With the air quotes.)

And what did we do? Nearly everything!

We ate sausage and pepper sandwiches and Italian ice as we walked through the Common and watched kids splashing in the Frog Pond.

We visited the Public Garden to see the swan boats and take pictures of flowers for a design project Jen is working on.

We went to Harpoon Brewery, but, unfortunately, missed out on a tour.

We went to the movies, walked around Boston, and shopped on Newbury Street, at the Pru, and in Copley Place.

We ate in the North End and at Top of the Hub. (Look at Fenway on the left!)

We also walked around, shopped, and ate in Cambridge.

And now, of course, we nap.

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Murphy’s Law

Many of you are familiar with my mouse problem. I spent far too much time and money trying to get mice out of my apartment. Pete and I tried everything and, after his departure, I carried on the crusade. All to no avail.

Which is when I decided to turn to cats.

Now, I’m not really a cat person. First of all, I’m allergic. Plus, cats and I don’t understand each other. It’s no one’s fault really, but cats and I are not meant to be together. We’re all better off this way.

But, even still, a cat is better than a mouse, right?

Well, that’s what I thought. Which is why I started trying to convince my cat-loving friends to come over for mouse hunting adventures. One of them finally did, bringing with her a not very experienced but young and energetic cat that I assumed would solve all of my problems. In fact, as soon as the cat showed up, she went right to all of mouse “hot spots.” I was encouraged. At one point, she was even laying, alert, under Kitchen Mouse’s counter; we all agreed she seemed to be waiting for something. But, alas, the mouse hunt was unsuccessful.

You probably already know what happened next. Not five minutes after my friend and her cat had left, a brand new mouse (I assume the offspring of Kitchen Mouse and Living Room Mouse) appeared in the kitchen. I’m not sure, but I think he was sticking out his tongue.

Obviously, the cat visits weren’t going to work. But, luckily, a girl I know had a new litter of kittens at home and offered to let me take one - temporarily, at least. I was wary, but decided it was worth a try. What could go wrong? (Ha, famous last words.) Despite my aversion to cats, this one was actually kind of cute - orange, with white in her face and little white legs that looked like tube socks. And, even while I spent far too much money gathering the necessities for a new kitten, I kind of got caught up in the fun. (I mean, a little pink carrier? How cute is that?)

Finally, the day arrived that I picked up the kitten. She was scared, but calm, and seemed excited to arrive at my apartment. Everything was all ready for her - she had a soft little bed, food and water bowls, her litter box, and plenty (plenty!) of toys.

What happened next surprised even me. Although I mean, really, it shouldn’t have. I should have seen it coming.

I ended up with fleas.

Yes, the small, adorable, trembling little kitten was carrying fleas. And do you know the only thing worse than having mice? Yup - it’s having fleas. Besides just being disgusted by the idea of it, I came to find that fleas are hard to get rid of, and there was a constant fear of fleas invading my furniture. When battling the mice, I could find hundreds of things in corners, under beds, and near the stove that looked like they could be mouse droppings. Do you know how many things look like a tiny flea? Practically every piece of dirt and lint I could find.

The cat stayed with me for two and a half days. (In fact, that picture is taken from my phone because she wasn’t even there long enough to inspire photos.) And then, after several more days of vigilance, money for flea treatments, 8 loads of laundry, and hours spent cleaning, I can now report that I am flea free.

Unless, of course, any happened to latch onto some mice. Mice with fleas. With my luck, you never know.

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Wordless Wednesday: “Summer is Beginning to Set

(…like the sun!)”

A Wordless Wednesday contribution from some parents vacationing down south.

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