Monday, December 28, 2009

Movies I Have to See


 For those of you who have not see Avatar, get off your computer and go see it. Right now. 





Friday, December 25, 2009

Fritzi Lou's Peach Cobler




Earlier this year my Grandma Frizi passed away. It wasn't until her memorial that I began to understand how little I knew her. To me she had always been the big, boisterous, baking grandma who made a mean peach cobbler and made sure there was steamed broccoli on the table just for me.

As it turns out she sang opera when she was younger--they played a song she recorded for Mesiah in her youth that literally moved most if not all in the room to tears. She also was a poet. Fritzi wrote the kind of poetry that, like her peach cobler, stirs the soul if not the heart.

My cousin and his wife were kind enough to compile a booklet of some of her poetry and recipes for all of us (a daunting task, I'm sure) for Christmas.  So here is a tidbit for you.

Peach Cobbler

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.


You will need:
1 cube butter OR add 2 tb olive oil and grease the pan
1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
3/4 cup milk
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. baking powder
2 16oz. cans of peaches, with juice

Place the butter in an 8" baking pan. Put the pan in the oven as it preheats to melt it.

In a bowl mix the dry ingredients together then add the milk and mix thoroughly.

Remove the pan from the oven and pour the batter evenly over the butter. DO NOT STIR!!! With a slotted spoon place the peaches evenly across the batter then pour the juice over the top.

Bake at 375 degrees for 35-45 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

For an extra delicious dessert sprinkle one cup of huckleberries over the peaches before baking.

Poetry and Peach Cobbler

These two poems were written by my grandmother. I couldn't decide between them so I put them both. 

Reincarnation (1963)

I have loved you through
the endless corridors of time,
as far away as memory can reach.
Measureless, eternal beatings
of some ancient heart are binding
each to everlasting each.

And when the white-capped waves
have ceased to hurl themselves
against the shore,
my immortal self will love you
still the same,
because I cannot love you more.


What does God Do? (1938)

What does God do
during the day?
He counts his silver
and stores it away.

What does he do
all through the night?
He counts his gold
and locks it up tight.

What does he do with
his silver and gold?
Why, he gives it to you
all you can hold.

He counts it all out
day by day and gives
it to angels to
scatter away.

To ripen the fruit
and richen the soil,
to gladden the hearts
of men who toil.

To urge all the buds
to hurry and bloom,
to stream through the window
of a poor garret room.

To nourish the wheat
into ripe golden grain.
It streams down the mountains
and floods on the plains.

And deep in the shade
helps the grasses grow taller.
On each leaf in the forest
shines one silver dollar.

Sunday, December 6, 2009

My Lack of Bloggage

I haven't blogged in almost two weeks. No, I wasn't in a turkey coma [long] I just haven't been feeling very inspired.

It's been f-f-freezing here in Spokane. I've spent most of my time huddled under blankets reading/knitting/watching t.v. I can't go out without wrapping up in several layers because I'm a sissy because it's c-c-cold. I don't want to go anywhere because I'm usually halfway to my destination before the car heater is working and it's hard to drive when you're all wrapped up like Randy from A Christmas Story.



I'm just thankful there's been very little snow. I got my fill last year.

Random Fact: By March 30, 2009 the National Weather Service in Spokane had recorded a seasonal snow total of 93.6 inches at Spokane International Airport, besting the previous record set in 1949-50 by a mere tenth of an inch.