Dear friend Nan McGinnis treated Tom to a meal at The Old Spaghetti Factory in Fairfield yesterday. We arrived just as they opened at 4:30 PM.
We've been there several times and always enjoy the atmosphere. We had a waiter this time who was exceptional.
Here's Tom and I on his 66th birthday.
Every year I make a Coca Cola cake for Tom's birthday. This is a popular item at Cracker Barrel and Tom often orders it when we're there. Recently, though, he was a little disappointed.
I like the recipe at Just A Pinch. Click here.
We bought a high-quality vanilla bean ice cream (Breyers) to go with it and enjoyed a slice last evening. It's just delicious (if you can avoid thinking about the calories).
Once it cools somewhat the frosting may be poured on. It'll seal the cake to the edges in a 13x9" metal baking pan.
Now for my notes:
1. Instead of buttermilk I use regular milk to which I add a tablespoon of lemon.
2. I found the frosting to be a bit too liquid for my liking (though it may have set if I'd have given it the time) so I added additional powdered sugar (perhaps an entire cup) and then added a couple of teaspoons of corn starch. Neither may have been needed but I liked the result.
3. And as noted above, a 30 minute baking time was needed in my oven.
This is quite a lovely cake and is certainly as good as the best Cracker Barrel offers.
Our hosts for our week in Michigan like wine and I decided early on that a couple of bottles from the nearby Mari Vineyards would be a good choice for a thank you gift. We drove to the location north of Traverse City on the Old Mission Peninsula on Thursday (07/14/22).
The vineyard is owned by Marty Lagina, He's noted at Wikipedia as an "engineer, vintner and a star and producer of The Curse of Oak Island" which airs on the History Channel.
Tom and I traveled to Michigan from July 11 through July 16, enjoying a home base near Northport at the home of a friend and making mini trips from there. Here's some on the photos I took that week ...
During the week we traveled about 500 miles in each direction and probably as many while we were there. I checked the mileage on my Cruze and got 50 mpg on the way up.
On Saturday (05/22) - almost precisely at 5:15 PM - I was sitting at my desk on the second floor when the thunderstorms in progress sent down a lightning strike that I thought surely hit the house. It was one of those simultaneous flash/booms. And the snap was so loud I thought surely we had taken a direct hit.
And yet the lights didn't flicker, my PC didn't reset. I quickly went downstairs and began checking things. Refrigerator: OK. Lights: OK. I even switched the HVAC to "fan" to make sure it worked. I then walked into the living room and sat down on the sofa and decided to take a quick round of the house to make sure the roof wasn't on fire. Nothing was obviously wrong so I decided to wait a few minutes until the rain subsided a bit.
As I sat there I realized I smell smoke. It was not the scent of a wood fire but of an electrical one. The smell was strongest in the living room.
When the rain lessened enough I made a wide tour of the house, getting far enough away to have a good view of the roof. All was well as near as I could tell. While out there I checked the garage and barn, too. Everything seemed fine.
Sitting back down on the sofa - the smoky smell just as strong - I realized something was clicking in the basement. A relay? My first thought was of the water heater. I went down the steps and looked at it. All seemed well. The pressure gauge on the holding tank was normal, too.
Then the click. But where was it coming from? I walked to several spots, stopped and listened. I soon realized it was coming from the top of the furnace. The thermostat was turned off for several days - but it would have been set to A/C had I needed it. I felt the top of the furnace. It was hot.
I sent a text message to Dave, our local repairman and asked if he'd check it out the first of the week (Sunday rates were not an option unless necessary). He said he's stop by on Monday.
Monday, 05/23: Late in the day Dave stopped by and saw that the "Emergency Heat" on the heat pump was being turned on. It may have been erratic but we were using heat on days when we might have used the air conditioning.
Dave said the main circuit board was probably damaged by the close lightning strike. The two occurred at the same time. He ordered another.
Tuesday, 05/24: Dave called. The circuit board wasn't in but it was expected in the morning.
Wednesday, 05/25: Mid afternoon Dave called. He had the circuit board. Would I be home in 30 minutes? I would. He came and replaced it.
Bottom line: the HVAC still doesn't work. The Emergency Heat is still on. By the way, Dave checked the thermostat on Monday and found it was not calling for heat (white wire). He's stumped but figures it might be a relay. Thus another part is being ordered and he'll try again tomorrow.
The replaced circuit board is in the upper right and is mounted upside down. This is a Westinghouse electric furnace.
And here's a wider view of where he's working.
So what began on 05/22 is finally fixed on 07/05. It's been a long process but at least we had a/c while the analysis was being done. And though I won't post the price I paid for the repair, I'm very happy with it. One project is finished.
We had our first zucchini in the form of fritters last week and I told Tom we had another zucchini coming on. How about cooked? He would tolerate it but it wasn't something he wanted to have very often. So I started thinking of other ideas. Zucchini casserole? Yes, that would be good.
Mom made a delicious - and simple - casserole from a recipe Lois Masters gave her. I didn't have everything she used but I figured a few changes wouldn't hurt.
The casserole makes a delicious combination of fresh zucchini, tomatoes, onions, melted cheese and bread crumbs. Here's Mom's original handwritten recipe:
We only had cherry tomatoes ripe so I used them. Full-size tomatoes sliced are a better choice. And rather than Colby cheese, I used shredded sharp cheddar. And I distinctly remember Mom using cut up slices of packaged American cheese on this dish.
Mom always made her own bread crumbs but I used Panko. Also she lightly salted and peppered the layers as she went and I just added pepper stop (Tom does not want salt used when I cook). All in all, it's not quite as good as Mom's but it's definitely a satisfying dish.
