Road Trip

Every now and then I find it so rejuvenating to leave my everyday existance and take the drive east to Hatfield, Massacusetts to spend some time with my friend Jan.  That's where I am right now, sitting on her cozy couch in her beautiful condo, three floors of rustic ambiance in part of a restored barn.  I'm using her laptop to write this post.

Jan and I met almost thirteen years ago, just after I started dating her brother-in-law Russ.  She was going through her divorce and I'd been there, and we formed a fast friendship.  We didn't commiserate so much or wallow in our misfortune as enjoy each others' company.  Jan has a very positive and energetic outlook on life.  We found we think the same way about a lot of things.  She's raised two great kids.  Like me, she works in an academic setting and she is a writer.

Here for just an overnight visit, yesterday we had fun enjoying a casual lunch at Panera and then shopped at my favorite place, Trader Joe's.  I stocked up on things I can only get there.  I've written to the company and begged them to put a store in Saratoga Springs, but got a post card back from "Joe" saying that wouldn't be happening any time soon and to please visit their stores in other locations.  The challenge to that, though, is that the closest TJs to my home is in Amherst, Mass., two hours away.

Last night we ate in.  Jan made a salad and baked a Rising Moon Organics Margharita pizza.  Our "formula" is to spend a day like that and then watch a movie.  We saw "Hurt Locker" which clearly deserved all the accolades it has received.  The acting was incredible, and Kathryn Bigelow deserved Best Director at this year's Oscar Awards. It was a hard movie to watch, but one that shouldn't be missed.

I woke up this morning while Jan was out walking her pretty Golden Retriever, Leila, one of the sweetest, most gentle dogs I've ever known.  Zeke, Jan's aging and pretty white cat, provided the wake-up call.  My accomodations are in Logan's room on the top floor, and Zeke came to visit me and I let him out on the balcony just off Logan's room where he spent a few minutes investigating the goings-on outside.

When she got back,  Jan made us a breakfast smoothie with berries, bananas, a whey protein powder, and yogurt. She'll be going to the barn soon to visit her horse Desi, and I'll get in the car to head home.  I don't know when I'll be back this way again, but I hope it isn't too long, and I hope we do exactly the same thing again.  I love my friend Jan, and I love it here.

Carrot Cake!

Carrot Cake

The very thought of it makes people smile. This weekend I attended a graduation party in Hatfield, Massachusetts for my good friend Logan (UVM ’09), where wonderful foods were served. Her dad John manned the grill with offerings of steak, chicken, burgers, veggie burgers, etc., but when I got there I had just one request – a burnt hot dog. I don’t know what it is, but I just love a charred hot dog on a toasted roll with mustard and relish. I know the carcinogenic dangers of such foods, but one, once in a while, kicks off summer for me like nothing else. Once that was out of the way, there was a wonderful salad (dessert, really) of green grapes in vanilla yogurt sprinkled with cinnamon. It was so simple and so refreshing that I could have stolen the bowl and hid around the corner, but I controlled myself. My contribution to the evening was not to be shared by all, and was not on the table. It was carrot cake, in the form of cup cakes, and Logan’s personal favorite which I kept in the car and presented to her after the party, to make sure she and her college room-mates had them all! Her father cornered me and asked “Where are the cupcakes?” so we made a personal trip to the car (in pouring rain) where he scored his cupcake, and he almost convulsed in happiness as he shoved the whole thing in his mouth! Anyway… I make a loaded version with raisins, walnuts, crushed pineapple, and coconut. This much personality is over the top for a lot of people, so for the less adventurous the recipe gets toned down a bit with just raisins and walnuts, or just raisins. Rarely is carrot the only textural component in my carrot cake. The topper is a cloud of cream cheese frosting. This is a softer version of the same frosting used on the cinnamon rolls of a previous post. A generous dollop spread with the back of the spoon, exposing a bit of cake at the cupcake’s rim, is all it takes to transform carrot cake into a devine dessert.

A carrot cake recipe can be very much like a zucchini cake recipe, with lots of shredded veggies, a cup of oil, the standard dry ingredients and lots of cinnamon. There’s a short-cut that I’m sharing with you today. It uses a carrot cake mix. One made by Duncan Hines is great, with a recipe for the loaded version on the back of the box, and the results are spectacular. If you’re short on time, or don’t feel like shredding carrots, and can handle rave reviews, this recipe is for you:

Carrot Cup Cakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

1 carrot cake mix
1 cup water
4 eggs
½ cup oil
8 oz. crushed pineapple in juice
¾ cup raisins, tossed in 1 tbsp. flour
½ cup chopped walnuts
½ cup shredded coconut

Mix all ingredients together very well and fill paper-lined muffin cups half full. Bake at 350 degrees F until they are dry on top and bounce back when pressed in the center, about 22 minutes.

When cool enough to handle, remove from pans and cool completely on wire racks.

Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz. cream cheese, softened
¼ lb. butter, softened
1 tsp. vanilla extract
½ tsp. lemon extract
1 lb. confectioners sugar
Up to 1/4 cup milk, a little at a time

Beat cream cheese and butter together. Add extracts and mix well. Slowly add confectioners sugar all at once, and milk, a little at a time, until you reach the perfect consistency.

Drop a generous dollop of frosting on center of cupcake. With the back of a spoon, spread almost to edges.

photo credit of Logan's cupcake: Jeannie O'Farrell Eddy

Tomorrow's Blog: contribution form Claire ~ Bitchin' Bette's Blueberry Pie!