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Saturday, May 04, 2002 ( 11:49 AM ) MB It's sunny and warm today, perfect for a day at the track...for those lucky enough to have real seats anyway. I'm not young enough or crazy enough to want to brave the infield, especially with three kids in tow. The infield can be fun if you don't mind never seeing a horse all day long. Still, there can be plenty of amusement watching people there. My recipe for today is Strawberry Shortcake, a southern tradition. This uses real shortcakes, not those nasty sponge cake things you get at the grocery. 2 1/3 cups Bisquick Original baking mix 1/2 cup milk 3 tablespoons sugar 3 tablespoons margarine or butter, melted 2 pints strawberries, sliced 2/3 cup sugar whipped cream (optional) Sprinkle strawberries with the 2/3 cup of sugar; let stand 1 hour. Heat oven to 425 F. Stir baking mix, milk, 3 T. sugar and butter until soft dough forms. Drop by 6 spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Split shortcakes, put the bottom half in a bowl. Spoon on some of the strawberries, add the top of the shortcake and more strawberries. Top with whipped cream, if desired. Serves 6. Permalink Friday, May 03, 2002 ( 2:41 PM ) MB Pat Day, having lost his mount, Buddha, will now be aboard Blue Burner. With Buddha out of the race, I'm switching my pick to Saarland...I think...but I'm no expert at picking horses. My 6-year-old daughter can pick them as well or better and she just goes with the one whose name she likes best. She's picked Harlan's Holiday (a favorite). Her pick for the Oaks (today's race for the fillies) is Take the Cake. I'm leaning toward Take Charge Lady. I really prefer to wait until I see the horses on the track just before the race to make my final choice. Permalink ( 10:16 AM ) MB An absolute necessity for Derby Day, this needs to be started the day before. Mint Julep: 1 qt. bottle Kentucky Bourbon 2 cups sugar 1 cup water fresh mint leaves mint sprigs shaved ice julep cups or Tom Collins glasses straws cocktail napkins (the glasses get very cold) Wash and pat dry the mint. Pick mint leaves from the stems (about a quart, loosely packed). Put the leaves in a large bowl. Make a simple sugar syrup by combining two cups of sugar with one cup of water. Heat (over medium heat) until sugar dissolves, but do not allow it to boil. Pour the simple syrup over the mint leaves and allow it to steep for about 15 minutes. (Can be left longer for stronger mint flavor.) Pour syrup into a container, straining out the leaves. Pour a quart of bourbon into a large container (one that holds more than a quart). Add 4 ounces of the mint flavored syrup and stir well. Pour back into the bourbon bottle. You will have an extra 4 ounces...nothing left to do with it but pour it over crushed or shaved ice and drink it now. Refrigerate the bottle for 24 hours. Next day, pack the cups or glasses with shaved ice. Insert a plastic straw and then remove it. Place a mint sprig in the hole you just made. Fill the cup with the julep mix. Re-insert straw, the top of the straw should reach just a couple of inches over the top of the cup. Trim the straws if necessary. Sip and enjoy. The mixed up julep can be refrigerated for up to a year, and the syrup can be refrigerated for three or four months. Permalink ( 9:21 AM ) MB The horse I had picked to win the Derby was scratched from the race this morning. Buddha won't be running due to an injured foot. He probably won't be running in time for the Preakness either. This will be the first Kentucky Derby in 18 years that won't include Pat Day as a jockey during the Run for the Roses. Permalink Thursday, May 02, 2002 ( 6:23 PM ) MB Just before the Run for the Roses, they play My Old Kentucky Home. It usually sounds something like: "mumble, mumble, mumble, WEEP no more...". Seems most people are only familiar with the chorus. If you want to be able to sing along, here are the lyrics (by Stephen Foster): The sun shines bright on my old Kentucky home 'Tis summer, the people are gay The corn top's ripe and the meadow's in bloom While the birds make music all the day The young folks roll on the little cabin floor All merry, all happy and bright By 'n by hard times come a-knocking at the door Then my old Kentucky home, good night. Chorus: Weep no more my lady, oh weep no more today. We will sing one song for the old Kentucky home, for the old Kentucky home far away. They hunt no more for the 'possum and the coon, On meadow, the hill and the shore, They sing no more by the glimmer of the moon, On the bench by that old cabin door. The day goes by like a shadow o'er the heart, With sorrow where all was delight. The time has come when the people have to part, Then my old Kentucky home, good night. The head must bow and the back will have to bend, Wherever the poor folks may go A few more days and the trouble will end, In the field where sugar-canes may grow. A few more days till we totter on the road, Then my old Kentucky home, good night. and here's the music . Permalink ( 6:08 PM ) MB What could be better than sitting back and watching a parade unless it's watching a parade and snacking on cookies? Butterfinger Cookies 1/2 c. butter, softened 3/4 c. sugar 2/3 c. brown sugar 2 egg whites 1 1/4 c. chunky peanut butter (smooth works fine too) 1 1/2 t. vanilla extract 1 c. flour 1/2 t. baking soda 1/4 t. salt 5 Butterfinger candy bars (2.1 ounces each), chopped Cream butter and sugars. Add egg whites; beat well. Blend in peanut butter and vanilla. combine flour, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in candy bars. Shape into 1 1/2 inch balls and place on greased baking sheets (I used parchment paper instead and highly recommend it over greasing the pan. The cookies come off the paper without any problem and you don't have to wash crusted-on cookie bits from the baking sheets.) Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire racks. Permalink ( 6:01 PM ) MB More thunderstorms and tornado warnings last night. We had a lot of rain and wind, but didn't get the worst of the weather. Some places in Kentucky had large hail (tennis ball size or bigger.) The threat of severe weather shortened the Steamboat race yesterday afternoon. This is a riverboat race that is held the Wednesday before the Kentucky Derby. The first race was held in 1963 and has been a Derby tradition since then. It's one of the most popular pre-Derby festival events and is as slow a race as the Run for the Roses is fast. The Belle of Louisville was declared the winner this year. She was racing the Belle of Cincinnati (most races have been against the Delta Queen). The Pegasus Parade, another pre-Derby event is going on this afternoon. This is one of the largest parades in the country. The theme this year is "The Thrill of the Game" and the grand marshals are the bronze-medal-winning Olympic bobsled team that includes University of Louisville assistant track coach Doug Sharp. See news coverage of all the festival events here. Permalink Wednesday, May 01, 2002 ( 9:55 PM ) MB One of the best desserts is the Derby Pie. The original comes only from Kern's Kitchen, but this is a pretty close copy: Pastry for one crust pie 1 cup light corn syrup 1/2 cup sugar 1/4 cup butter, melted 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips 1-1/2 cups pecan halves Prepare pastry for 9" one-crust pie. Heat oven to 325 degrees. In a large bowl, combine corn syrup, sugar, margarine, vanilla and eggs; beat well. Stir in chocolate chips and pecans. Spread evenly in pastry-lined pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 55 minutes to an hour, or until deep golden brown and filling is set. Cool completely. Permalink ( 9:48 PM ) MB Kids' projects for school, thunderstorms, and tornado warnings...it's been a busy day. Permalink Tuesday, April 30, 2002 ( 10:26 AM ) MB The Kentucky Derby is about more than watching horse races, it is an excuse for women to wear hats. Even a woman who wouldn't wear a hat any other day of the year will begin hat shopping months ahead of time and might spend several hundred dollars. Others design their own to match their personality as much as their outfit. Some go with the theme of the day and have horses on the brim or other decorations, trying to design a hat that is fun and unique. A good craft project for next Saturday would be to let kids design their own hats. This site tells you how to make a hat with paper and masking tape. Although the page says it's for ages 8 and up, much younger children can do the decorating if someone else has made the basic hat for them. Permalink ( 9:55 AM ) MB Test what you know about the Kentucky Derby with this quiz presented by Learning Network. This site also has sections for parents, teachers, kids, and teens. Permalink Monday, April 29, 2002 ( 6:51 PM ) MB The birthday party yesterday went well. It was sunny and warm (but VERY windy.) The kids had a great time watching the game, playing on the playground, and riding the carousel. I thought one of the best parts was Jake the Diamond Dog. He acted as bat boy, delivered water to the umpires, signed autographs (paw prints), and caught frisbees. Unfortunately though, the Bisons beat the Louisville Bats 12 - 2. I'm still worn out from yesterday, so it's going to be a no-cook dinner. I learned how to make this sandwich years ago when I worked at a Deli. Silver Morning For each one you need: 2 slices of bread (rye or whole wheat is good) 2 ounces of sliced turkey 2 ounces of sliced roast beef cole slaw Russian dressing Put the turkey and roast beef on one slice of bread. Top with cole slaw. Drizzle with Russian dressing. Top with the other slice of bread and cut in half. Wrap it in a paper towel and microwave for about 1 - 1 1/2 minutes until hot. This is very good served with fries or chips. Permalink Sunday, April 28, 2002 ( 10:31 AM ) MB Perfect for a Sunday morning: Kuchen 1/2 c. milk 4 Tbls. butter 1/4 c. sugar 1 tsp. salt 1 pkg. yeast 1/4 c. warm water 2 eggs 3 1/2 c. flour Butter Topping: 1 stick butter, (1/2 c.) softened 1 c. sugar 3 eggs 1/2 tsp. vanilla 1/4 c. chopped pecans (optional) Cheese Topping: 8 oz. cream cheese, softened 3 eggs 1/2 c. sugar 1/4 tsp. cinnamon Mix together milk, butter, sugar and salt. Dissolve yeast in the warm water. Add yeast mixture to the milk mixture. Beat in eggs and then beat in flour. Cover and put in a warm place for one to 1 1/2 hours. Turn out on a floured board and roll to fit a large greased cookie sheet or two greased 9" cake pans. Pinch the edges to form sides. Put in a warm place again for 45 minutes to one hour. Meanwhile, choose wither topping. Mix the topping ingredients well and pour on crust after the second rising. Bake at 350 degrees fro 25 to 30 minutes. Permalink |
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