I know, I know…
What could apple cider donuts, high school memories, and voting possibly have in common?  Well…nothing, really, and there is no seamless way to weave these three diverse topics into one cohesive blog post.  With that being said, I just wanted to chat about all of these things with you today. So, it is a “Fruit basket upset” (Do you remember that game?) of topics that greet you ahead.  :o).

Do you remember the child’s game “Fruit Basket Upset”?

Why not, take a couple of relaxing minutes out of your day, grab a cup of tea/coffee,
and read along with me?

Here we go…

Apple Cider Donuts

Nothing says autumn like the sweet bite of an apple cider donut! YUM!  And the best apple cider donut that I have ever eaten was found at an apple orchard in northeast Ohio.

This is the jewel of Apple Cider Donuts.
October 2014

 I had hoped to share that recipe for these apple jewels with you here.
( I acquired the recipe from the orchard owner, a few years ago.) But, after attempting to make these donuts on three separate occasions, I can not recommend this recipe. All three of my donut attempts were subpar.

And, unfortunately, the apple cider donuts that I purchased the other day from my local grocer’s bakery, were equally disappointing. (That is the donut that I hold in the photo above.)

My favorite apple cider donut sits next to an equally delicious apple cider slushie.
August 2011

 Maybe the secret to creating a delectable apple cider donut comes from the magic of being created on apple orchard premisses?  Oh well…

High School Memories

 Baked Alaska

Another recipe for which I had high hopes, but ended up in the
“I won’t be sharing this recipe with my readers.” category,
was for Baked Alaska.  I had volunteered to test out this opulent dessert for my
British penpal, Jenny’s, new, upcoming Murder She Wrote Cookbook.  

Jenny is currently working on writing a Murder She Wrote Cookbook.
Jenny’s blog,  Silver Screen Suppers, is filled with movie star recipes!  
You can take a peek, here.

Let’s back up a minute.  I need to start from the beginning…  

You see, Baked Alaska and I have somewhat of a history.
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away… (to borrow from Star Wars),
I was in a high school home ec class.  For some reason our teacher thought it would be a good idea for a class of high school students to make Baked Alaska for one of our cooking projects.  

For some reason our teacher thought it would be a good idea for a class of
high school students to make Baked Alaska!
(I am the cook on the far right, in that high school home ec class. 1973?)

If you are not familiar with Baked Alaska, it is essentially a sponge cake, layered with a dome of hard-frozen ice cream, and sealed with a coating of meringue.  This meringue-coated dome is then thrust into a hot oven, just long enough to cook and brown the meringue.  It is a recipe, a recipe for disaster!  

Meringue in the making

Needless to say, my meringue that high school day must have not totally sealed in the ice cream.  When I checked my baked creation toasting in the oven, my Baked Alaska was more like an errant iceberg that had floated out into the ocean and melted.  My oven was filled with a massive mess of melted ice cream.  My teacher was not amused. 
But in my defense, did she really think that not one of her students would meet with such a disaster?! What could she have been thinking?! As I remember, it took me quite some time to rid the oven of every last remnant of my molten Baked Alaska mishap, but the memory lingers on.  :o)

A recipe from that high school home ec class.

Thinking older, but wiser would prevail this time, I believed that this was an opportunity to redeem myself from that long ago Baked Alaska disaster, I told Penpal Jenny that I would attempt the Baked Alaska on her list.  It did not melt all over the place this time around (as evidenced by the photo below), but I do not believe that it was worth all of the work.  I think a slice of cake, ala mode, with a dollop of whipped cream, would have been better, and easier. So, I will not share this recipe, either.  

My Baked Alaska attempt did not melt all over the place, this time around.

Miss Teen-ager Pageant 

Thinking back to high school, and ahead to next week’s Voting Day, the patriotic part of me is reminded of the time, in 1974, that my friend, Karla, and I entered our state’s Miss Teen-ager Pageant.  (Did you notice how I segued my way to this next topic, sort of?) 

The program from my Miss Teen-ager Pageant.

All contestants were asked to write a short essay on the topic “What’s Right About America”.  With the help of our high school English teacher, Karla and I worked diligently to construct the perfect patriotic essay.

My second place trophy for the essay contest.

It was a fun pageant week-end, and although neither of us won the state’s pageant, Karla and I did place first and second in the essay portion!  :o)

Karla was the happy winner of the essay competition.

I proudly hold my second place trophy for my essay.

Voting

A reminder to vote on Tuesday, if you have not already done so.  
I bought this inexpensive “VOTE” necklace to commemorate the occasion.  :o)
Michelle Obama wore a similar “VOTE” necklace, although much more upscale,
a few months back, and now knock-offs can be found everywhere (Think Amazon.)!

My ( inexpensive knock-off) Michelle Obama “VOTE” necklace, 
purchased in honor of November 3rd, Voting Day.

For the next few days, I will be tuning into a few of my favorite “Voting Day movies”.
  Included on the list is Judy Garland in Meet Me in St. Louis (1944). Why?, you ask.  Because it was on an election night in the 1970’s, that I first saw this film, thanks to PBS.  It has been a favorite of mine ever since!

 I first saw Meet Me in St. Louis, thanks to PBS, on election night in the 1970’s.

Other films on the list include Kisses for My President (1964), The Farmer’s Daughter (1947),  Dave(1993) PG-13 and currently on HBOMax, and My Fellow American’s (1996) PG-13.  You can find more information about my Voting Day film suggestions, here.
Happy Voting Day!

Cooking with Gammy

Birds’ nests

Cardinals were th object of study on “bird day” with the “grands” (grandchildren) when we made these chocolate birds’ nests.  This no-bake treat was a hit! (These are also sometimes called “Haystacks”.)

Ingredients

1 (11 ounce) bag chocolate chips
(I use Ghirardelli 60%.)

1 (11 ounce) bag butterscotch chips

2-3 ounces Chinese/chow mein noodles

Regular m & m’s

Directions

Prepare a large cookie sheet by covering with wax paper.

Melt chips slowly in microwave, about 30-45 seconds at a time.

Stir in Chinese noodles.

Using a cookie scoop, or spoon, drop blob onto wax paper,
shaping into bird nest shape by hollowing out center.

Place m & m’s onto “nest” for eggs.

Put in the refrigerator to set.
(I store these in the refrigerator.)

Princess Wands

These princess wands were a big hit to make and eat on this Gammy Day.
A big bonus is that this was a healthy treat, too!

Star- shaped Watermelon
Cut out stars with cookie cutter

Green grapes

Strawberries

Blueberries

Directions

Place cleaned fruit carefully onto Shish kabob skewers.

Princess Pretzels

Also popular with the grandchild crowd, were these princess pretzels.  :o)

Ingredients

White baking chips, or almond bark

Small pretzels

Pink sprinkles

Directions

Place wax paper onto baking sheet.

      Caramel Corn

Caramel corn and autumn seem to go hand -in -hand.  
I have been using this recipe for years,
including when I used to teach a preschool parent and child cooking class.  
This recipe never disappoints, and my grandchildren agree. :o)

Made Me Smile :o)
Sharing things that put a smile on my face. :o)

Enjoying Autumn Walks

An array of colorful trees great me on my daily walks, plus a few other surprises along the way.

Red leaves frame this tranquil autumn view.

This street is lined in orange and gold.

I spotted these cute painted rocks while walking, too.
According to a Martha Stewart article, painted rocks like these,
are “a nationwide scavenger hunt meant to promote positivity and kindness. …”
Read the article about them, here.

This Halloween lawn display made me giggle.
It reminded me of the tombstones displayed at 
Walt Disney World‘s Haunted Mansion.
To see a photo of the Haunted Mansion, go here.

A neighbor is happily getting their Covid Candy Chute ready for Halloween night.

Out and About

A new cereal on the grocery shelves!
Guessing it might not be that great for your dental work. haha

Previous Related Posts 

Movies to Vote By

Movies to Vote By, November 2016, here.
Need a few fun movie flicks to get you through election night? 
Or how about a presidential endorsed cookie recipe?  
This blog post is for you!

Time to Make Some Caramel Corn!

Time to Make Some Caramel Corn! , October 2015, here.
My tried and true caramel corn recipe is here! 
This is the same recipe that we used (above) in the “Cooking with Gammy” section. :o)
Warning, once you start munching on this yumminess, it is difficult to stop!  :o)

Dracula!

Dracula!, October 2015, here.
It was fun seeing the original Dracula for the first time, and on the big screen,
and it provided a good excuse to gobble up some popcorn! :o)

Autumn is the Mellow Time of Year

Autumn is the Mellow Time of Year, November 2014, here.
A scenic photo montage of scenes from my 2014 autumn.

O-H-I-O, February 2016, here.
Northeast Ohio, including the recipe for The Lodge at Geneva’s delicious
Breakfast Pinched Redskin Potatoes. 

Swapping Recipes Across the Big Pond

Swapping Recipes Across the Big Pond, May 2020, here.
Testing out some recipes for my cookbook writing, blogging, fun penpal from England.

May your days be blessed, and your taste buds happy!
Thank you for reading!

 

 

I’m Annette Stuff

 

 

Look for my next post on, or around,
December 10, 2020.

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