Postcard-1953 Eventide Miami Florida-Float Plane, Blimp

This postcard is a win in so many ways.  Water, sunset, boats, a BLIMP, pretty colors, linen, vintage, and check out the float plane!

It is interesting to consider the evolution of transportation – from water to lighter than air to aircraft.  Then the aircraft encompasses both modes – using water as a landing and takeoff platform.  I love the detail in the postcard – another great window into history!

It can be yours – ebay item 400037093173 or you can click here

My new Pet: Amish Friendship Bread

It is called Amish Friendship Bread.  The idea is you keep this sweet bread starter in the fridge, feed it every 5 days and squoosh to mix the contents of the zippy bag each day.  On the 10th day you feed it again and pull out four cups and put in separate bags to give to four friends.  The remainder can be used in a quick bread or cake recipe.

It is kind of like Tribbles.  You feed them and they multiply.  Every 10 days you have to find another four friends willing to accept this gift of a new pet.  Then 10 days later they are trying to find four more friends, and the gift goes on.

None of my friends OR family were willing to accept this fertile pet so I have lots.  I do not need to add a whole cake every 10 days to my diet. Neither does the cat, and he is not even interested.

So I turn to the internet and Google found a lot more recipes than the cake that was provided with the starter instructions.  There is also a method of birth control for the AFB to freeze by the cupful then thawing to use in a recipe.  I like the freedom that provides.  My cat is more self-sufficient than the AFB…

The pet owner of the mother of my AFB and it’s siblings were happy to receive the additional recipes – especially the waffles.   Here at the Dustbunny Palace we don’t have a lot of dried fruit and nuts sitting around – they tend to be consumed so I was particularly interested in the basic batter recipes.

The original recipe has pudding mix and a LOT of oil – one cup for two loaves. I left the oil out by mistake and the cake turned out OK but awfully dense and I really didn’t like the flavor with the pudding. The off flavor may have been the ultra cheap pudding mix with artificial vanilla.  I read that sprinkling the greased pan with cinnamon sugar is nice, so I did that and will do that step again!

Next time I tried another recipe,  making it in my bread machine on the quick bread option.   Turned out AWESOME but way over-browned.  If I use the bread machine again I’ll remove the quick bread before the end of the cycle.  While that was baking I made some pancakes.  Now THAT is hard to resist!  They were so good I didn’t even use any butter or syrup.  Eating leftovers I got the brilliant idea to spoon pineapple over the top.  Perfection!  No, not perfection – that would only come with the addition of ice cream, but pretty close.

The Tribble has turned into a cherished pet.

The Pancake recipe – I find my starter is very thick and I added more milk to make the batter thin enough to pour

Amish Pancakes & Waffles found at http://www.armchair.com/recipe/amish/amish013.html

Pancakes
Combine in large bowl:
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda

Combine in smaller bowl:
2 TBS oil
2 cups Amish Friendship Bread starter
1/2 cup milk (plus/minus 1/4 cup)
1 egg

Add ingredients of smaller bowl to ingredients of large bowl and mix on medium speed.
Spoon batter onto greased griddle.

Waffles
Prepare batter for pancakes except increase oil to 1/4 cup.

The following is the recipe I used for the bread machine.  I halved everything so it would make the amount for a single pan full.  Next time I want to do this in the oven.

This is the “Herman” Sourdough starter recipe – I have this around the house somewhere from long ago…(hey, the grey hair is not noticeable yet, or my friends are just being kind to me)

http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/7418/amish-friendship-bread-recipe-deviation-puddingless

Friendship Cake with Herman Sourdourgh Starter

3 eggs,1 teaspoon vanilla, 1 cup sugar, 2/3 cup oil, 2 cup flour, 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon.

Beat until smooth.  Add your choice of raisins, chopped nuts, dried fruit, chopped apples, cherries, pineapple, etc.  Pour into tube or bundt pan and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.  (start checking after 40 min.)

My variation for a smaller amount:

1 egg, one half teaspoon vanilla, one half cup sugar, one third cup oil, one cup flour, three quarters teaspoon baking soda, one teaspoon baking powder, one quarter teaspoon salt, and no cinnamon.

I didn’t add the cinnamon as I wanted to see what the flavor was without any additions other than vanilla.  It is awesome, and very tender and light.  Next time I am going to bake a whole recipe and use two small loaf pans in the oven.

So K, thanks for my new pet!

71 Years

June 71 years ago our Daddy graduated from High School as one of a class of 36 (well, it was a petty small number and I am probably off a bit).  If I remember correctly, about 8 members or honorary members have survived.  Each year they meet at the Golden Corral in our home town on a certain day and Daddy was joined by two of the surviving members.  I’ll call them “Miss L and Miss S.”  Here in the south you are permitted to call elders by their first name if you add a “miss” in front of it, whether married or not.

Miss L is a tall, perfectly groomed lady, still vital and involved.  She
told a story about a gator – she remembers when a group of men in a Model T
Ford brought a gator back to her house.  For some reason they had been out
poking a stick at a gator and he grabbed the stick and wouldn’t let go.
They drug the gator back to the car and lifted the stick and he climbed up
on the running board to keep hold of the stick.  Some intelligent member of the gene pool lifted the gator’s hindquarters up on the running board and the men drove back into town with the gator propped up on the side of the car.

Everyone came out of the house to look at the idiot men and their gator and
then went in to eat supper.  The gator wandered off to find the nearest lake
or pond…never to be seen again.

Miss S, is  a tiny, petite woman and no slouch in the fashion department.  She and her rolling walker did a good job hitting the buffet at the restaurant.  Not to be topped, she pulled up a gator story out of her childhood.  Apparently she found a baby gator, brought him into the house and bathed him in the tub, dried him off and put him in her bed, then pulled up the covers.  Mom came to find out what she was doing (it must have been one of those mom moments…) to find her small daughter patting the covers over this LIVE gator!

One of the tourist hotels in town (Its was a popular resort for the yankees) had a small “zoo” with a gator pen and she and mom took the baby gator down to the pen and turned it loose with the big gators…

They also talked about going to a local drug store with a soda fountain and
ordering a “glop”.  You would pull up to the drug store, and someone would
come out to take your order.  A Glop was an ice cream sundae, two scoops
with chocolate sauce served in a tiny coca-cola glass (Miss L held her
hands up with her fingers about 3 inches apart).  All this for a NICKEL!

I remember Daddy telling us about going to town to get a “dope,” their term
for coca-cola…and about the neighbor that grew poppies each year to make
medicine for her family.  She sure couldn’t do that today!

I love these stories and respect that these are people that graduated from a small school, survived wars, economic downturns, built successes and overcame failures.  It is an honor to celebrate each year with them.