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Tag >> Gold Country Families
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Posted by Specialtslisa in trauma resolution skills, Roseville, Rocklin, recreation, recipes, placeropolis, photography, parents, parenting, life, leisure, kids, human potential, holiday specials, hobbies, growth, grandparents, grandparenting, grandparent, Gold Country Families, fun, food, feeling good, family-oriented, family, families, entertainment, enjoyment, dining, Community, children, blogs, blog, auburn, Arts
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With the fourth of July approaching the planning is underway for a family get together and for me this means great food which equals lots of play time in the kitchen for chefs of all ages. We have much to celebrate, and some wounds to lick as well. So, I am going to soak up all the baking therapy that I can. Here are a couple of our favorite recipies. These are great for little helpers as well. Before the baking can begin We will set the mood. I like to make the kitchen as bright as possible, letting in lots of sunshine. In the background low up-beat music on. I have a table in the sort of breakfast nook where I put out any pictures and momentos along with all the material for scrap booking. I also place lots of disposable cameras around the area so eveyone can join in. (I really love the candide shots that get snapped this way) With the stage set these are a couple to the recipes we will be making this year. Grandma's everyday cake, with a fruity 4th inspired topping and Pineapple and Cake kabobs. Grandma's everyday cake. 1/3 cup Crisco Shortening 1 3/4 cups Sifted cake flour 3/4 cup sugar 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon Salt 1 egg 3/4 cup milk 1 1/2 teaspoons real Vanilla Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees Place Shortening in mixing bowl. sift in dry ingredients. Add egg and half the milk; mix till flour is moistened. beat 2 inutes at medium speed on electric mixer. Add remaining milk and vanilla; beat 2 minutes longer. Bake in greased and lightly floured 9x9x2 inch baking pan at 375 degrees for about 25 minutes. Cool on wire rack. While the cake is cooling it is time to mix the topping. clean and rinse all fruit under cool running water. Add 1 cup slice strawberries, 1/2 cup blueberries, 1/2 cup rassberries and 1 meduim slice banana. gently toss in large mixing bowl with 1/4 cup sugar. place mixing bowl into refrigerator. Make sure the cake is fully cooled and then cover with enough whipped topping to completely cover cake in about 1/2 inch of whipping. gently fold fruit mixture on toppin. serve imedietly. This next recipe is fun for younger cooks to assemble Pineapple and Cake kabobs. Cut one meduim fresh pineapple and 1 pound cake into 1 1/2 inch squares. Marinate the pineapple in 1/2 cup maple syrup and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. set aside. melt 1/2 cup currant jelly, dip the pound cake cubes in melted jelly and then roll in flaked coconut until fully coated. assemble on skewers in everyother fashion. (one cube cake, one cub Pineapple) Toast over very hot coals until turning often until golden brown. Do not forget this is the perfect time to talk and laugh, to cry and hug, or just stop the hustle and bussle of modern life and enjoy some quality family time. Have a happy and safe 4th of July everyone. Lisa Sabrina Fults Special Ts and Sports.
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Posted by Specialtslisa in wine, Roseville, placeropolis, life, inspiration, growth, Gold Country Families, fun, food, feeling good, dining, culture, Community
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This Journey of re-awaking my senses is starting to push the limits of my comfort zone. After all at 39 my tastes aren't going to change, are they? My trepidation began this morning when I listened to my partners voice mail. You see I like to be in control, and today he gets to chose which direction the journey winds. In a voice that sounded all most gidy he tells me "to get ready for a day of sweet wine and stinky cheese." So, you see this is where my goose bumps get goose bumps. I have a very sensitive olfactory organ. I have never been one to try and get past the smell of something. Oh yeah and about sweet wine, I am more of a Merlot or Cab kinda woman. At this point I am starting to wonder if he even knows me at all. After all these years together did he ever notice that I have never ordered a port or willingly drank a glass of white wine? Could it be he has no clue from the overwhelming supply of air fresheners, order guard garbage bags, and deodrants in our cupboards that I am sensitive to smell? Well, in the spirit of adventure, I did not make up an excuse to work late. Joining my partner in a culinary vacation to a small granite ensconced mediterranean isle. We are going to dine on "shepard's cheese". With a smirk, almost as if he knows something I don't, my partner begins to unpack our feast. Little did I know I was about to be amazed by the rich historical insights my partner had made. He proceeded to educate me about how shepard's cheese came about.How the monks being diligent washed developing mold spots from their young cheeses for the sake of purity and cleanliness, only to find an unusual sticky, bright orange surface layer develop. Unbeknownst to the well meaning brethren, they had cultivated a bacterial culture on their cheeses, known today as Brevibacterium Linens. The fact that they used the only sanitary liquids around, booze or boiled salted water, and the regimented way they organized their day further served to consistently select these ripening microbes – which prefer the resulting pH and salt level. The particle cheese he has chosen for today was Tomme du Berger, this cheese is made from raw sheep and goat milk products and aged up to 4 months. The sticky rind barely contains a bulging, intensely fatty paste. For all its buttery richness, salty assertion and animal aromas, the cheese is mercurial, and remarkably fruity. (I really did taste the ripe pears.) The pefect pairing for this cheese according to Chris Munsey or Murray's Fine cheeses in New york, ("The wine to pair up with this pungent farmhouse fromage is an equally vivacious and original partner, an Alsatian Gewürztraminer "Harth-Cuvee Caroline" 2005 from Bernard Schoffit. Schoffit's tiny 10 hectare vineyard is perched delicately on a slope so steep it had been abandoned as impossible to harvest, until he came along. This master winemaker has managed to wring an unctuous, heady perfumed gem from the unforgiving slate, a Gewürz with rich linenol, gardenia and honeysuckle aromas, a wonderful concentration of fruit and well-balanced acidity.") So that is exactly what we did. Finding the right wine to pair with strong, stinky washed rind cheese like Tomme du Berger is difficult. Typically dry wines are overpowered by the strong salty flavor disappearing completely after the first bite. Not so with this match, which finds a dynamic combination of salty and sweet, barnyard funk tamed by the flowery aromatics of the wine. I would especially recommend this wine and cheese pairing for those who think they don't like sweet wine and stinky cheese - you will be converted! I have been!!! Feeling full and wonderfully aroused, I looked over at my partner and thought maybe he knows me in a way I have yet to know myself. Find out what he made me eat for dessert next time. Lisa Sabrina Fults Special Ts and Sports Custom Screen
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Posted by Specialtslisa in self-care, Roseville, Rocklin, Placerville, placeropolis, Placer County, Placer, parenting, Nevada County, Nevada City, Grass Valley, Gold Country Families, Gold Country, food, family, dining, Community, children, camping, camp, blogs, blog, backpacking, auburn
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Food-borne illness is no joke. over 5,000 people die each year from food-borne illness. Do not let common myths make you or your family sick. Three myths that make consumers sick. "If it tastes o.k., or smells o.k. it is safe to eat" Fact : If you trust your taste buds to detect unsafe food, you may be in trouble. The CDC estimated as many as 6.5 million to 33 million illnesses yearly are food related. Taking even a tiny bite to test the saftey of a questionable food can be very dangerous. "We have always handled our food this way and nothing has ever happened" Fact: Many incidents of food-borne illness went undetected in the past. Food-borne illness signs and symptoms of vomiting, cramps,and diarrhea were often still blamed on the "flu." Also, both the nature of our food supply and the virulence of food- borne pathogens has changed. "I sampled it a couple of hours ago and never got sick, so it should be safe to eat." Fact:Food-borne illness may develope with-in a half hour to a few days: some may occur as long as 2 or more weeks after a contaminated food is eaten. Another consideration: While you might safely consume a food, someone with a weaker immune system could be more susceptible to a food-borne illness. Young Childern, older individuals, pregnant women, and persons with an illness are more vulnerable and would be more likely to get sick. Coming soon highly effective tips for safe handling of food products in the home. To safe and happy summer, Lisa Fults, Special T's and Sports Custom screen printing
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Posted by Specialtslisa in Roseville, placeropolis, Placer County, Placer, life, leisure, kids, holiday specials, hobbies, Gold Country Families, Gold Country, fun, food, feeling good, family, families, entertainment, Community, children
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My quilty pleasure........ Ever since I can remember the process of baking cookies made it all better. If I was sad, heart broken or lonely my mom would bring me into the kitchen and we would bake. We sometimes did not even talk. My mom did things from scratch. I love organizing the bowls, spoons, all the ingredients. Feeling the oven warm. By the time the mixing started whatever was weighing my heart down do not seem so big. Our favorite Cookie Reciepes : Spicy Hermits: 1/2 cup crisco shortening, 1 cup brown sugar (firmly packed), 1 large grade a egg, 2 tablespoons water. cream shortening and sugar, mix in egg, then water, set aside. 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour, 1 tablespoon instant coffee powder. 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teasoopn ground nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves, 3/4 cup raisins, 1/2 cup broken walnuts. pre-heat oven to 375, sift together dry ingredients, add to creamed mixture, stir in raisins and nuts, Drop from teaspoon 2 inches apart on lightly freased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Make about 40 cookies. Our kitchen was a focal point not just for bad or sad times but celebrations as well. Ever year my Dad had Pie frenzy. He would bake so many flavors all from scratch. all pie dough had to be done by scratch. Apple, pumpkin, chocolate, pecan, peach, banana cream, and on and on. We had so much joy in that space, the gang all chipped in. Neighbors, family, friends from near and far. My Dad past away in 1991 and my mom moved to O.K. to be close to her sister, my brothers and sisters are all scatter about , even my kids are grown and off doing thier own thing. So now it is just me, but I still bake. My sister, Sheila, has kept the pie frenzy going but she renamed it pie fest and all the nieghbors in Scottsdale can't wait to dig in. Coming up next issue our favorite fourth of July cake and drinks. Lisa Sabrina Fults Special Ts and Sports
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Posted by abuzzwitz in vacation, traveling, Travel, theater, restaurants, recreation, parents, leisure, Gold Country Families, families, entertainment, e-zine, Community, Bed and Breakfast
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Webster's College dictionary's describes travel as: To go from one place to another, as by car, train, plane, or ship; a journey. Currently that journey is going to be expensive with fuel at new all time levels. Pessimist or optimist; is that gas tank half-empty or half full? As I see it, one of two things is going to happen: 1) People are going to stay home; or 2) The travel industry is going to offer enticing discounts to draw customers to their destinations. I don't know about you, but option "2" sounds a whole lot better then pulling garden weeds, mowing the lawn, and chemically attacking and scrubbing multi-colored allege from my opaquely winterized pool!
May is noted as the official beginning of travel season, and I was surprised to learn that May was full of travel related firsts. The first passenger railroad service in the US began in 1830, and the first transcontinental railroad was completed in 1869. How about the first US Post Card issued in 1873, and New York's pride and joy, the Brooklyn Bridge, opened to traffic in 1883. Then there was the first transatlantic flight in 1919, followed by the Golden Gate Bridge opening to the public in 1937. Let's not forget the first tubeless tire introduced 1947; and we celebrated the first manned space flight in 1961...now that's a lot of travel related firsts! Moreover, I'm sure I'm not the first to say shop for deals on travel and use your economic stimulus tax dollars to enjoy domestic travel opportunities to ensure those monies aren't sent out of the country purchasing foreign manufactured goods.
There are also a few wonderful holidays to celebrate in May: May Day, Mother's Day, Armed Forces Day, National Maritime Day, and Memorial Day. However, in my zeal to find May information, I came across a bizarre calendar made by a couple high school students. Allow me to share a few of their "newly" created American holidays...I'm sure some of you can relate and would love to have reason to celebrate: "International Tuba Day"; "No Socks Day"; "National Hoagie Day"; "Worthless Penny Day"; "National Waitresses/Waiters Day"; "Eat What You Want ‘Cause Calories Don't Count Day", and my favorite, "Visit Your Unknown Relatives Day." Therefore, remember your mothers, nautical explorers/entrepreneurs, and celebrate the lives of those who have gone before us. Rasp the rust off the ol' BBQ then invite a few friends over to commemorate your own special life's accomplishments holiday..."All About Me Day." (Hint: just don't tell your guests what you're celebrating until they walk through the door with their bounty of fruits, cheeses, and salads...it's much more embarrassing and difficult to leave immediately carrying a full bowl.)
This month's edition of Gold Country Families E-Magazine features some interesting domestic travel destinations, a wonderful cruise, additional local theater productions, and a few more humorous or touching reader's stories. We wish everyone a magnificent May.
Ciao, (Italian Good-Bye)
Patrick Witz
Writer/Editor/Publisher/Photographer
Gold Country Families E-Magazine
A FREE Internet Travel, Entertainment, & Leisure Magazine
editor@goldcountryfamilies.com
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