Update - February 10 to February 16, 2019
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| Testing for flavor |
-- Nana and Lucy Make Valentine Cupcakes
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| Lucy cracks eggs |
On Valentine's Day, it seemed appropriate for Patti to give Lucy her first baking lesson. Cupcakes seemed a good place to start. Lucy selected yellow cake and then everything got going right away. Together, Nana and Lucy gathered the baking pans, the mixing bowls, the utensils and all the ingredients they would need. This included the baking mix, oil, eggs, etc. After everything was on hand they got started. The first thing Lucy did was insert a paper cup for each cupcake. The plan was to bake 24 cupcakes. Then she poured the mix, added the water, eggs, and began the stirring. Nana helped with the mixer after Lucy stirred everything together. Then it was time to start pouring the batter into the cups.
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| Lucy adds oil |
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| Paige observes mix |
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| Pouring batter |
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| Adding Sprinkles |
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| Frosting was added |
-- First Baking Lesson a Success
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| Volunteer to taste |
The first 24 cupcakes certainly came out well. They were light and fluffy and the whipped cream frosting was the perfect complement to yellow cake. With the generous pour of sprinkles, the cupcakes were remarkably tasty. Papa was in charge of the actual baking in the oven, and according to taste-tester Lucy, they were fine.
Some were enjoyed right away and others were packed up later for folks to take home. Next week, Nana wants Lucy to make chocolate cupcakes. That's not necessarily her favorite flavor, so we shall see what happens.
-- Valentine's Day Brings Greeting Cards
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| Val's for Dinner |
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| Card from Lucy |
Lucy handmade a valentine card for her Nana. It was displayed with other holiday items. Despite the big effort surrounding the baking lesson, it was agreed to dispense with candy and other sweets for the holidays.
Instead, Patti and I went out to dinner at
Val's Restaurant in Holden on Wednesday to celebrate Valentine's Day. A day early makes it less crowded; early in the evening means it's less costly too. Val's is our go-to for really good food and really reasonable cost.
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READING UPDATE: Not too many books stretch to 996 pages, even those of deep scholarship, but when they do it’s vital that they have the ability to make you want to turn the page. It’s probably not likely that you would believe it was disappointing to have the book conclude at all. I could have kept reading to learn more about Patton and his role as a warrior. Without a doubt, Patton, A Genius for War, by Carlo D’este is the most comprehensive and inciteful report and analysis of General George S. Patton, the famous leader of the US Third Army’s dash across France into Germany to finally put an end to the Second World War. What makes this book powerful now, given that many books have already been written about Patton, was that D’este had access to public and private papers and the Patton family that had not been previously available.
READING UPDATE: Not too many books stretch to 996 pages, even those of deep scholarship, but when they do it’s vital that they have the ability to make you want to turn the page. It’s probably not likely that you would believe it was disappointing to have the book conclude at all. I could have kept reading to learn more about Patton and his role as a warrior. Without a doubt, Patton, A Genius for War, by Carlo D’este is the most comprehensive and inciteful report and analysis of General George S. Patton, the famous leader of the US Third Army’s dash across France into Germany to finally put an end to the Second World War. What makes this book powerful now, given that many books have already been written about Patton, was that D’este had access to public and private papers and the Patton family that had not been previously available. 