99 Things About Me

Instead of making  New Year’s resolutions that we all know I’ll forget about after January, I decided to post 99 things about me. It was more difficult than I thought it would be! But. It was easier than keeping New Year’s Resolutions!

1. I blog about food because I like to cook.
2. And eat.
3. I was born in Des Moines, IA at Methodist Hospital
4. All three of my children were also born in Des Moines, at Methodist Hospital!
5. My first car was a 1966 Chevrolet Impala.
6. It doubled as a boat when necessary.
7. The best place I ever spent New Year’s Eve was Brussels.
8. I have two siblings, an older brother and sister.
9. I have road rage.
10. But, I’m discreet about it.
11. I love Keith Richards. His attitude, his dedication, his music.
12. My favorite kitchen tool is my Kitchenaid mixer.
13. I make killer chocolate chip cookies
14. I’ve seen the Atlantic Ocean from both sides.
15. I would fly to Belgium just for a waffle from a street vendor.
16. I could drink when I was 18, and was grandfathered in every year after that.
17. My favorite ice cream is strawberry.
18. I think Diet Coke is the best invention ever.
19. I’ve been kissed under the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
20. I’m a reformed Catholic (that is… Lutheran).
21. My children are all girls.
22. Their ages are 32, 26 and 11.
23. I wore Earth Shoes.
24. I like Spam. And Velveeta. Preferably, both at the same time!
25. I have driven a tractor.
26. I’ve had my gall bladder removed.
27. My very first friend was Leisa Porter.
28. She still is (my friend).
29. My childhood home is gone now.
30. I bake better than I cook.
31. I love the outdoors.
32. I was almost always outdoors as a child
33. I have freakishly small hands.
34. I’m part Irish, part Scot.
35. The first boy who loved me was Bill Connolly.
36. The Scot part of me is frugal; bordering on being cheap!
37. My childhood church was burned down.
38. It was a hate crime.
39. The church has been restored.
40. It is now a center for religious tolerance.
41. I’m a Baby Boomer.
42. Dwight Eisenhower was president the year I was born.
43. I once saw Robert Plant in the skywalk in Des Moines.
44. I’m an obsessive knitter.
45. I like tinsel on my Christmas tree.
46. If I could only have one food, it would be pizza.
47. My favorite movie is It’s A Wonderful Life.
48. I love the show Law and Order SVU.
49. At Christmas time, I have to drink Coca Cola in little glass bottles.
50. My first dog’s name was Boots.
51. I was scared of geese as a child.
52. They hissed at me.
53. I love photography.
54. My first driver’s license was paper.
55. My mother is an immigrant from Germany.
56. I’m rather independent.
57. Some people would call that, “stubborn.”
58. I know how to drive a stick shift.
59. I have helped bale hay.
60. And walked beans.
61. My father-in-law was an influential person in my life.
62. I love clocks and watches.
63. The first boy I kissed was Ronnie Zenor.
64. I don’t like shopping.
65. My first memory of cooking is stirring pudding on the stove.
66. I had an Easy Bake Oven.
67. I’m left-handed.
68. I prefer pencils to pens.
69. I once got a live rabbit for Easter.
70. I sewed many of my daughters’ dance costumes.
71. I have had photographs published in a national magazine.
72. My favorite place in the world is Paris.
73. I attended Drake University.
74. I really don’t like washing dishes.
75. I would rather dry.
76. Pet peeve is people who don’t know the difference between “it’s” and “its.”
77. I wish I could still buy Lemon-Up shampoo.
78. I love to polish metals – silver, copper… anything.
79. I think Gene Simmons is a genius.
80. I flunked high school biology.
81. I got an A in college biology.
82. I hang on to sentimental items.
83. I love jewelry.
84. I especially love sparkly jewelry.
85. My first real job was stocking grocery shelves.
86. I’m not fond of being on large bodies of water.
87. I don’t even like baths… would rather shower.
88. I’m a smart-ass.
89. My favorite scent is Joy by Jean Patou.
90. My daughter is getting married in my old childhood church.
91. One of my great-great uncles was a moonshiner.
92. In Missouri.
93. When I was younger I looked a lot like Drew Barrymore.
94. I took shop class in high school.
95. For two years.
96. I still have my stuffed puppy dog named Harry.
97. I was never in band.
98. I delivered papers on a blue Schwinn bicycle.
99. My favorite flower is the rose.

Honey White Bread

I love making this bread because it smells so beautiful, and because it tastes really good too!

Normally I wouldn’t do something like bread for a New Year’s Eve recipe, but since Madison county is covered in ice, and it’s now snowing, I decided that a nice homey bread-baking recipe is in order.

What really makes this smell so wonderful is when you scald the milk with butter, honey and salt. I like to use desert honey because it has such a wonderful taste and smell, but any honey will do. (List of ingredients plus all instructions are put together at the bottom of this post.)

Ingredients –

2 cups milk
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1 cup honey
2 tsp. salt
2 cups water
11 cups bread flour (approximately)
2 pkgs. active dry yeast

1/4 cup lukewarm water, 110 degrees F
1 tsp. sugar or honey

Grease four 9-inch loaf pans.

Combine milk, honey, butter and salt in a saucepan.

Bring to scalding temperature – nearly to a boil, at 185 degrees F.

Put the scalded mixture into a bowl and add the 2 cups water. Add 1 cup flour. When the mixture has cooled to lukewarm, dissolve the yeast in 1/4 cup water with sugar or honey. Let sit to proof, approximately 5 minutes. When the yeast is foamy, it is ready to add to the lukewarm milk mixture.

Add the rest of your flour, or enough to make a workable dough and knead for 10 minutes, or five minutes in your stand mixer. Both are pretty satisfying… if you have a stand mixer, it means you don’t have to do the kneading yourself. If you don’t have a stand mixer, or if you truly enjoy the process of kneading, then you get the pleasure of taking out your frustrations on bread dough!

Place dough in a large bowl which has been greased or sprayed with PAM. turn the dough over so that the top of your dough has a slight coating of grease or PAM, then allow to rise in a warm place until approximately double in size. I put mine in the oven because I have a “proofing” option.

When the dough has risen, punch it down. Trust me, it’s very satisfying. Let it rise again. Evidently I had some pretty active yeast, because my second rising worked remarkably well!

After your second rising, divide dough into four loaves, placing the loaves in your previously greased pans. Again, allow to rise until nearly double. While the dough is rising preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. When your loaves are ready, bake in preheated oven for approximately 1 hour until they are a crusty brown and sound hollow when you tap on the top of the loaf. Remove the loaves from the pans and cool them on racks. Enjoy your beautiful homemade bread!

HONEY WHITE BREAD

Ingredients –
2 cups milk
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1 cup honey
2 tsp. salt
2 cups water
11 cups bread flour (approximately)
2 pkgs. active dry yeast
1/4 cup lukewarm water, 110 degrees F
1 tsp. sugar or honey
Grease four bread loaf pans.
Combine milk, honey, butter and salt in a saucepan. Bring to scalding temperature – nearly to a boil, at 185 degrees F. Put the scalded mixture into a bowl and add the 2 cups water. Add 1 cup flour. When the mixture has cooled to lukewarm, dissolve the yeast in 1/4 cup water with sugar or honey. Let sit to proof, approximately 5 minutes. When the yeast is foamy, it is ready to add to the lukewarm milk mixture. Add the rest of your flour, or enough to make a workable dough and knead for 10 minutes, or five minutes in your stand mixer. Both are pretty satisfying… if you have a stand mixer, it means you don’t have to do the kneading yourself. If you don’t have a stand mixer, or if you truly enjoy the process of kneading, then you get the pleasure of taking out your frustrations on bread dough! Place dough in a large bowl which has been greased or sprayed with PAM. Turn the dough over so that the top of your dough has a slight coating of grease or PAM, then allow to rise in a warm place until approximately double in size. I put mine in the oven because I have a “proofing” option. When the dough has risen, punch it down. Trust me, it’s very satisfying. Let it rise again. Evidently I had some pretty active yeast, because my second rising worked remarkably well! After your second rising, divide dough into four loaves, placing the loaves in your previously greased pans. Again, allow to rise until nearly double. While the dough is rising preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. When your loaves are ready, bake in preheated oven for approximately 1 hour until they are a crusty brown and sound hollow when you tap on the top of the loaf. Remove the loaves from the pans and cool them on racks. Enjoy your beautiful homemade bread!

adapted from a recipe by Tasha Tudor

Honey White Bread

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New Year’s Eve Menu – Cafe di Scala

Cafe di Scala, located at 644 18th Street in Sherman Hills, is planning a special four course Prix Fixe Menu this New Year’s Eve, complete with a toast of Adami Proseco for $60. These spots fill fast, so call for reservations at 515-244-1353 to save your spot!