This was the dessert I prepared on Sunday: Chocolate-Buttermilk Bundt Cake with Arctic White Icing, fresh whipped cream with vanilla sugar, and fresh red raspberries. All of this followed my semi-legendary Chicken Parmesan. You can see why I only go crazy making this particular dinner once a year.
Tonight, I came home to see that Lisa made these heart-shaped pizzas, which she served along with a bottle of Cristalino Brut (the wine we served at our wedding).
Happy Valentine’s Day!
This is a new discovery for me: Olivia Newton-John’s 1971 cover of “Love Song.”
For the longest time I was only familiar with Elton John’s version, which appeared on his Tumbleweed Connection album from the previous year. In later years I became familiar with the version recorded by Lesley Duncan, the person who wrote the song.
What I really like about this version is how haunting the arrangement sounds: it really adds another dimension to what’s basically a very simple love song. Also, this was recorded early in Newton-John’s career so she doesn’t quite have the confidence in her voice that we came to know later.
—
Love Song
(Lesley Duncan)
The words I have to say
May well be simple but they’re true
Until you give your love
There’s nothing more that we can do
Love is the opening door
Love is what we came here for
No one could offer you more
Do you know what I mean
Have your eyes really seen
You say it’s very hard
To leave behind the life we knew
But there’s no other way
And now it’s really up to you
Love is the key we must turn
Truth is the flame we must burn
Freedom the lesson we must learn
Do you know what I mean
Have your eyes really seen
© 1969
I know it’s kind of a 1990s thing to do, but I recently started collecting desktop wallpapers from Usenet. In a 21st-century twist, I started storing them on my Dropbox folder so they’re available on any computer I happen to use.
From time to time I’ll post some of the cooler ones here.
I’m re-posting this because it’s the time of year when a little comfort food can be appreciated, plus I whipped up one of these cakes for Lisa and Emma tonight. Here’s a link to the Hulu page for this episode of The Dick Van Dyke Show– the scene described below starts at 9:00.
In the episode “The Lady and the Babysitter” of The Dick Van Dyke Show, Rob whines about how Laura made a delicious “milk cake” yet there’s no milk in the Petrie house. He could have been referring to the cake I’m talking about here.
Yes, those are Hershey Bars laid across the top of the cake. Six of ‘em.
My mom made this cake many times when I was a kid. I used to refer to it as the “vinegar cake” because of the one tablespoon of vinegar that’s in the recipe, but don’t let that put you off– it’s all in the name of good baking chemistry.
Now, I admit I’m kind of a snob when it comes to chocolate bars, and Hershey’s is usually lower on the list than other brands. For the purposes of this recipe, though, the Hershey bars have the best shape, thickness, and melting point– plus, we’re talking about comfort food here, so let’s allow a little throwback to childhood, shall we?
The recipe is ridiculously simple and the result is simply amazing.
The cake lends itself to a tall, cool, glass of milk or even a nice cabernet sauvignon. It’s really moist, but you will want something to wash it down.
And now that I have your attention, check out the recipe:
Quick Cocoa Cake
(One layer, 8 inch square)
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cocoa
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
6 tablespoons oil
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup cold water
6 Hershey bars– the original recipe called for two, but trust me on this
Sift and mix all the dry ingredients into an ungreased 8-inch square baking pan. Level dry ingredients and make 3 holes or wells in the mixture. Pour oil into one hole, and vinegar and vanilla into the others. Pour cold water over the top. Use a fork to stir the mixture until it’s smooth.
Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes.
Unwrap all the Hershey bars, and when you remove the cake from the oven immediately lay the bars evenly over the top of the cake– break the pieces apart if necessary. (You can also make chocolate frosting, but why? 
Let the cake sit for about an hour before serving. Yum.
Note: if you decide to refrigerate the cake, be sure to let it warm to room temperature before attempting to cut into it. Those Hershey bars will revert to their original candy-bar-state when chilled, and make cutting the cake a challenge.
(This originally appeared on Crosswalks to Nowhere on November 4, 2008.)
…has been disconnected.
For the first time in my life, I do not have a home phone number.
Last week, we decided to drop our landline telephone service. We did an informal-yet-enlightening analysis of our home phone usage, and here’s what led to our decision:
Based on the first point alone, our decision was made. Once we looked at the cost, it made the choice that much easier: we were paying $85 per month for basic phone service and 8 Mbit internet. 15 Mbit internet-only service from our provider costs $52, which means we were paying $33 per month for the “convenience” of being hassled by people (and machines) we didn’t want to hear from.
I made the call Friday morning and by Monday afternoon the phone line was turned off. Oh, and this little bit of joy took only minutes to go into effect:
Before…
..and After:
We did not put a forwarding number on the account because the people who need to contact us know how to do so. So all you robo-dialing, political-office-running, lawn care-selling, survey-taking entities will have to find another tree to bark up. Or whatever it is that you do.
For the people and places with whom we wish to stay in contact but we’d rather they didn’t have our mobile numbers, we’re sharing our Google Voice number. This has the advantages of (a) not ringing a phone in our house (or pockets), and (b) providing a spiffy and occasionally accurate transcription of the voice mail that the caller can leave when they dial our number. And if, for some reason, we need to have the Google Voice forwarded to a “real” phone, it’s just a few keystrokes to make that happen.
Yes, we’ll have to keep our mobile phones charged and have a spare standing by in case one of them takes a dive into the Chicago River. We’ll also have to make sure the numbers for our local Police and Fire Departments are programmed into our mobiles. Done and done.
One more step at simplifying our lives is complete.
A couple shots of the legendary cheeseburger spot in Chicago, the Billy Goat Tavern on Lower Michigan Avenue.
Happy New Year!
This tree is standing in Arlington Heights’ Harmony Park as I write this.
On Christmas Eve, Lisa and I were leaving our Melancholy Tavern and we came across a mother-and-son team near the tree, and we offered to take their picture. It turns out they had donated the tree to the village– they planted it in their front yard twenty-something years ago, and now it was fulfilling the lady’s dream of being decorated for Christmas in a spot where everyone could see it.
We shared “Merry Christmases” and we were each on our way.
It was a very nice chance meeting for a Christmas Eve.
We spent a couple days in downtown Chicago, going “off the grid” and spending some quality holiday time together.
Here are some shots of State Street, Marina City, and the Wrigley Building that were taken late on Monday night. I especially like the Christmas lights on the balconies at Marina City.
Hope you’re all enjoying the holiday season!
Cool evenings, perfect for the holiday season…
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