Traditions like birthday cake and candles have been around for as long as any of us remember. We don’t think about it; it’s just always been so. Every party has it’s cake. The cake is the spotlight of the birthday celebration. What’s a birthday party without cake?
As I thought more about it, I started to wonder–why cake? Why not bread? Or steak? Or lobster? Why specifically is it cake? Made me curious, so I went on the hunt for the origins of the birthday cake.
Cake Goes Waaay Back
Celebrations of birth began in ancient Egypt, but in a different way than we do today. When a pharaoh was crowned, it was considered the “birth day” of them becoming a god. The coronation was celebrated with festive food and drink. A special cookie known as Khak was made with butter, honey, flour, milk and warm spices like cinnamon and nutmeg. The general population celebrated their own birthdays in honor of the sun god Ra, as it was one more trip around the sun. Khak cookies are still made today for birthday and holiday celebrations in Egyptian households.
In ancient Rome, cakes were made to celebrate birthdays and weddings. The cakes were round in shape and made with flour, yeast, nuts and sweetened with honey. The 50th birthday was the one mostly celebrated. (Women’s’ birthdays weren’t celebrated until the 12th century…but I bet they baked the cakes..)
In ancient Greece, moon shaped cakes were made to honor the goddess Artemis, Goddess of the Moon and the hunt. The cakes were brought to her temple and were lit with candles to simulate the moonlight. It is believed this is where the tradition of birthday candles started. Pagan religions also used candles, and believe the smoke warded off evil spirits. The smoke would carry your wishes up to the gods, hence the “make a wish”tradition when blowing out the candles.
In the 1400s, birthday cakes were becoming commonplace in Europe. Germany began making birthday cakes specifically to celebrate a child’s birthday. The parties were known as “Kinderfest” and the cakes were called “Geburtstagorten”. These cakes were exclusive to the wealthy, as sugar was not readily available and very expensive.With the advent of the Industrial Revolution, sugar was more affordable and cakes were seen at all levels of income. During the 1700s candles were added to the cakes. The candles totaled the child’s age, plus one year. This was to ensure a healthy and happy new year to come.
Birthday cakes are seen all around the world today. They are as varied as the individuals who are celebrating. Multiple layers, frostings, fruit and elaborate decorations make for a festive occasion. Pretty much everyone loves a birthday cake.
Except for me. Yup. I am not a fan of birthday cake. I am, however, a huge fan of pie. So every year, I make myself a Strawberry Rhubarb Birthday Pie. This is my favorite pie, and was the subject of one of my early blog posts which you can read here.
So enjoy your cake, pie or whatever you choose to celebrate you! Another trip around the sun is always a reason to celebrate. Happy Birthday!
I’m going to be adding posts here and there about names of foods and their origins. Today is the first- Coleslaw.
Since it is barbeque and picnic season, I love to make this staple side dish. Crunchy, cool with enough sweet and savory flavors to balance out any main dish. We all have had it for years, whether purchased at a deli or made from scratch. As I was making it for one of the summer dinners, it occurred to me:
Why is it called that?
So I did some quick poking around and it turns out that the name comes from the Dutch word “koolsla” meaning “cabbage salad”. When the Dutch settled in New Amsterdam in the late 17th-early 18th century, they brought their recipe for a chilled cabbage salad with a mayonnaise and vinegar based dressing with them. Over time, “kool” became anglicized to “cole”.
Coleslaw has turned into a side staple in the summer. We all have our own versions, whether cabbage, broccoli or the more exotic kimchi slaw. If you are looking to mix it up, try this link for a bunch of variations:
On to the dressing. For years, I would buy the Kraft bottled coleslaw dressing. It was what my Mom did, and I went along with that. I would open the bottle, use some, and then the remainder would sit in the fridge….for a while. While it sat, it got thick, sticky, unusable and took up space in the fridge. I hate food waste, so I looked for a coleslaw dressing recipe.
Turns out, the dressing is super simple to make. It takes like 5 minutes, and it is fresh and delicious. No more bottles! See the link for the recipe I use from Allrecipes.com. I add 1/4 teaspoon of celery seed, just rounds out the flavor.
It’s 2021 and I’m not going to belabor the point that 2020 was an epically horrible year. We all know it. We are all tired of talking about it. And we all want life to get back to whatever normal will be. During this lockdown, all of our norms have and will continue to be challenged and challenging. Since my blog is about ritual, I’m highlighting what I kept doing and what I did differently.
Experimenting Out of Complete Boredom
I think most people tried recipes or skills that they hadn’t done before. Everyone was baking bread. I have made bread in the past, so I got on the bread wagon, too. My husband loves semolina bread, so that was my first attempt. And it came out great!
Semolina bread-first attempt, not too shabby!
My second bread attempt was a rye bread. And it was an epic fail. Turns out, rye flour is waaay different from regular bread flour. The gluten is stubborn and you have to knead it for what felt like a year until the flour stops being sticky. I don’t have a mixer, so no bread hook. Now seeing where that would have been handy.. It ws a dark rye and the recipe called for molasses and orange zest. Sounded questionable but, okay, let’s give it a go.
Horrible. The loaves came out like flat round disks and the molasses and orange did not translate well into a rye bread. So off it went to the chickens. Who didn’t eat it either.
The takeaway :
-kneading dough is very therapeutic. Working with your hands and watching something change form , texture and shape is very gratifying.
-breadmaking does not always go according to plan. Hence the rye bread. But that shouldn’t stop you from trying new things.
Out with the Old
My husband and I have been married for 15+ years. But we still had dishware and place settings from our previous marriages. Everything was now chipped, mismatched and worn out. We love to entertain-when we could actually entertain- and so we took the plunge and ordered all new dishes and flatware. We are into the mid-century modern look for our home so we went with Fiestaware. A mix of colors, from orange, turquoise, yellow and chartreuse.
So…many…colors!
The takeaway :
-leaving the old behind can be very cleansing. While there was nothing wrong with any of it, none of it worked together. And it was fun for us to buy something together.
-just because something is still good or serviceable, doesn’t mean it’s good or serviceable for you. We packed up all of our old stuff and drove it to a vendor who will sift through it and buy what he wants. The remainder will get donated. Things can still be of service, but to someone else. It’s okay to move on.
Routine Creates Structure-a Double Edged Sword?
2020 blew our routines out of the water. We couldn’t go to our favorite restaurants. We couldn’t get ingredients because of panic buying. We couldn’t invite people over. I now worked from home, so no lunches in Center City Philadelphia. Forget holiday celebrations. I initially felt like I was floating in the sea with no sails or oars. Humans are creatures of habit, and our routines give us comfort. I mean, my blog is all about ritual and tradition, so this was a huge upset. Or was it?
Routines can become ruts. And ruts can get very deep, which makes them hard to get out of. And they are sometimes so ingrained in us that we don’t even know we have been locked in to a routine until the floor is swept out from under us.
So what to do? Many people found new ways of keeping engaged-hello, Zoom Happy Hour! We used to go to a restaurant every week with friends to play trivia. Instead, we did Zoom trivia. Still fun, and we got to see our friends, even if it is on a screen.
This was also the time to support local restaurants. So many people have been helping our restaurants stay open. We order take out weekly from our favs to help keep them open.
We also vowed to try a new recipe every week. We have a ridiculous amount of cookbooks that were seriously under utilized. Our new ritual is we go through the cookbooks and select our menu for the week. We then create the shopping list. Date Night is now Friday night at the grocery store (less crowded than on the weekends).
But the best change up in routine came from my son. He made the request that we don’t buy Christmas presents for each other. He wanted to just do stockings and then spend time together. Initially, I wasn’t enthused about the idea. But think about it. We give each other lists of what we want, then we get those things, then we open gifts pretty much knowing what they are. So I got on board.
And you know what? This was so much fun! Instead of working off of a premeditated shopping list, I had to go find things that he and his fiancée would enjoy. Shopping became an adventure, and it forced us to really think about who they were and what they would find delight in. Christmas shopping is very stressful for me, and I do not find pleasure in it. This was like a treasure hunt, and each and every small gift had a thought behind it. Really, best Christmas in a long time. So thanks to my son, this will be our new Christmas ritual. We do, however, need to invest in large capacity stockings…
The takeaway :
-take a look at your routines. Are they adding to your life or are they stopping you from being creative?
-nothing is permanent. Be open to creating new experiences.
-keep your routines, but add a new twist. Like our new holiday tradition, you can find delight in a variation on a theme.
There is No “Normal” Anymore
It’s now 2021. And things are still going to be hard for a while. Hope is on the horizon, and I am feeling optimistic for the first time in a long while. I know people want to get back to “normal” but that has all changed. And while there is so much to be sad about, we also can celebrate what we have discovered about and within ourselves.
The takeaway :
-working from home has made people realize that our workplaces and ourselves have been giving lip service to the term “work/life balance”. Companies were forced to realize that a majority of the workforce can work from home and still be productive. And employees have now really seen what they were giving up, with long commutes and daily grinds into offices. I foresee this way of working continuing in some form, and people will be more productive and happier. I know for me I can now get a walk in first thing in the morning. And I can throw a load of wash in during the day between Zoom meetings.
-the pandemic has -hopefully- shone a light on our humanity. There has been so much mobilization to help with food insecurity. Groups have donated meals to our frontline healthcare workers. Food bank usage is at an all time high-so donate when you can.
-Enjoy the small things. A walk in nature, time with your children, hanging out with your pets. Lots of little things add up to a big pile of good things.
Onward
To my readers and followers, I wish you all good health and new opportunities. I hope you find solace and joy, and I that you have found some delight amidst the chaos.
I have always been fascinated by the tradition of Dia de los Muertos-the Day of the Dead celebration. Held on November 1 & 2, this festival is held primarily in Mexico. It is a time to remember and celebrate your ancestors that have passed. October 31 to November 2 are sacred days in a number of religious and pagan traditions. It is believed that the veil between the worlds of the living and the dead are the thinnest on these days, enabling the spirits of the deceased to communicate with the living. November 1 is known as the Day of the Innocents, and celebrates children that have passed. November 2 is All Souls Day, when all of the adults that have passed can reach back to their living family members. Graves are cleaned and decorated with candles, brilliant orange marigolds and offerings of favorite foods and drinks are left on the graves. Alters known as “ofrendas” are also built in homes, and photos of family members are placed on the alters.
Skulls are a major icon of Dia de los Muertos. Participants wear elaborate skull make-up and costumes, and skulls made of sugar are part of the offerings. They are highly decorated and extremely beautiful. I have always been captivated by them.
So when November 2 was on a Saturday this year, I decided to hold my own celebration. Guests were instructed to bring a photo of their loved ones and to make a dish that was their favorite. I asked everyone to bring their recipes, and I would compile the recipes into a cookbook from the party. I set up an ofrenda for everyone’s photos, and decorated with sugar skulls and paper marigolds.
The ofrenda adorned with the guests’ photos.
Everyone visited while the food was being set out. Then we all gathered around the food, and people were invited to share the story of their loved ones. I started with my family, as I have lost my father, my sister and my mother. November 1 was significant to me, because that is the day my mother died. She passed peacefully in bed, and I am convinced that my father and sister came to her and took her back with them. She was 93.
Each person then shared their photos and their stories. I expected some tears and some laughs, which there were.
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The telling of the stories
What I didn’t expect was the powerful impact that the TELLING of the stories would have on all of us.
We learned that one friend had lost her father when she was only 7 years old. We learned about a new friend’s roots in the Caribbean. We learned about people who were integral to their communities, who were artistic, and who were really terrible cooks. We heard about loss, but we also heard about the love and power of family.
But for me, the most powerful moment was that the TELLING bound all of us together as another type of family. The sharing of food and story is a strong and binding ritual. And a number of guests thanked me for holding the party and allowing them to tell their stories. It was cathartic and uplifting. In fact, we all got so involved in the stories, that the food started to get cold! (Next year, stories first, then the food goes out.) So it looks like I will be adding this celebration as an annual event.
So much food!
Our past and our heritage is important. All of our stories need to be shared and remembered. Passing down your history to friends and family is what keeps your stories alive and vital. So next November 1 and 2, think about celebrating your past. Share your food and stories with your friends.
Memorial Day weekend was coming up and I was looking for something to do. On my way to work, I heard about a festival that sounded perfect for my Regional Ritual type of blog post.
The Taylor Pork Roll Festival. For those of you from Jersey and the southern Pennsylvania area, you get it. For those of you who aren’t from here, let me give you some history.
Taylor Ham, as it was originally called, was made by John Taylor in 1856. He kept the recipe a secret, but was force to change the name to Taylor Pork Roll in 1906, as the product did not meet the definition of ham in the new Pure Food and Drug Act. It was made in a cloth sack for easy transportation, and was rumored to have been a provision for soldiers in the Civil War. Production was set up in Trenton, NJ, where it remains today, made by Taylor Provisions. It still comes in the sack, but also come pre-sliced and ready to fry or grill. Tradition dictates that you cut a slice in the the edge of the round pieces so that it will stay flat when you cook it. Looks like PacMan…
So what is in it? The recipe is still secret, but it is similar in consistency to SPAM. A blend of herbs and spices, and ground pork.
Whether you call it Taylor Ham or Taylor Pork Roll depends on where you are from. Central and northern New Jersey tend to call it Taylor Ham, but South Jersey and the Philadelphia area call it Taylor Pork Roll. You can check out the divide here.
So, off we go to Trenton, NJ. The Taylor Pork Roll Festival is sponsored by Trenton Social , a bar and restaurant who has been hosting the festival for 5 years. The festival invites local vendors and food trucks to set up and offer their specialties, but they must include pork roll. My first stop was a Bloody Mary, with a tiny pork roll sandwich as a garnish. Great way to get started!
Off to what looked to be all thing pork roll, The Pork Roll Store located in Allentown, NJ. I met Robbie, the self proclaimed “Pork Roll Princess”. Her family has owned their store for 98 years. Robbie is a bubbly ambassador of pork roll, and will gladly tell you all about her family’s business, which she now runs. They were grilling up Pork Roll kebabs, which consisted of pork roll, pineapple and a cherry. The combination of the salty pork roll with the caramelized sweetness of the pineapple is quite a taste treat.
Delorenzo’s The Burg food truck was offering the traditional tomato pie (another food ritual I will save for another blog post) with pork roll included. If you read the Stephanie Plum book series by Janet Evanovich, you will understand the reference to “The Burg”. The Burg is the nickname of the Chambersburg section of Trenton. A diverse neighborhood, it was home to Poles, Slovakians, Germans and Irish before becoming predominately Italian.
For the classic pork roll sandwich, it has to be Johnny’s Pork Roll. Johnny’s has your pork roll, egg and cheese on a hard roll, but also offers variation on the traditional, like the PBLT-pork roll, bacon, lettuce and tomato; The Western-pork roll, provolone, pepper and egg; and The Reuben-pork roll, kraut, Russian dressing on rye bread. Johnny’s embodies the story and the love of pork roll. Check out the video here.
There was also pork roll versions by the Bacon Broads, and all types of hot sauce to try on your pork roll by Dirty Sexy Sauce.
But you have to have dessert, right? Go for the Pork Roll Ice Cream. Yup. Made by Jake Hunt of Windy Brow Farms, the ice cream had a bourbon-y-caramel-y base with chunks of pork roll in it. Salty and sweet, it was delicious! Don’t knock it until you have tried it.
This had everything a food festival should have. Recipe contests, music, and the crowning of the Pork Roll Queen. What’s a festival without a pageant? Oh and every festival needs a mascot. Not sure what he was called, but Trenton Social is located near the courthouse, so hence the”Meat of Justice”.
So why does pork roll rate a festival? South Jersey and Philly folks are passionate about their food products and sports teams. We are a scrappy bunch. We love our pork roll and our Eagles. Any reason for a party. Super Bowl win or Pork Roll Festival, we are there!
The summer is still young, and there will be more food festivals to attend. Check out the link here in the Philly area.
Which food festivals are in your area? Go check them out, and post about them here! Would love to see what is your favorite.
Sidenote: We had to try the pork roll kebabs ourselves, so here is a picture of our version. We still had the pineapple, but added yellow pepper, and mushrooms. It is brushed with a Mandarin Orange Ginger salad dressing while grilled, which added a sweet and tangy punch to the kebab. Grilled eggplant was the side.
We recently took a trip to New Orleans. I had never been there, and it was on my list of places to go. I had heard many wonderful things about the city, and finally made time visit. So glad we did.
What struck me almost immediately was the vibe of this city. It has a very weathered, grimy feel. There is a feeling of old memories and a veneer of wisdom. In the French Quarter, the buildings are old and open, with high ceilings, peeling paint and cracks in the stucco. It is romantic and alluring. History oozes out of every crack and chip. It is seductive.
And the food.
I went off of my vegan regimen (see previous post on that story…) and took in all that the city offers. First, to get the beignet. We went to Cafe’ Beignet, as it was near our hotel. Ordered our coffee and beignets, and had a seat in the courtyard. It’s around 9:30 AM and there is live music playing. An awesome jazz/blues group at breakfast. The beignets were good; I confess, I’m not a big sweets person, but you have to try them, right?
On to oysters. Damn. They were perfect. Raw oysters tell the tale of the ocean like no other shellfish. Briny, but sweet and tender, they bring alive all of your taste buds. The gentleman shucking the dozen shown here has shucked over 3 million oysters, give or take. For real.
On to the best meal of the trip. We went to GW Fins, in the French Quarter. Known for its seafood, I had one of the best meals I have had in years. No joke. A delightful salmon carpaccio as an appetizer had the perfect blend of acid with the fish sliced paper-thin. My main course is a specialty known as “Scalibut”. It is a combination of scallops and halibut with lobster risotto, snow peas and pea shoot butter. This was outstanding, cooked to perfection. The pea shoot butter added an earthy softness that pulled all of the flavors and textures together. Divine.
The service here was also the best I have seen in a long time. Nick knew the menu inside and out, and recommended the perfect wine pairings. He is spot on. This place is a do not miss; make sure to try it. (Dare I say, went we to Emeril’s and I think GW Fins is better..)
But on to my favorite ritual.
Absinthe, aka “The Green Fairy”.
Absinthe is a spirit that has its roots in Switzerland and was made in the early 17th century. The mystique of absinthe was that it had hallucinogenic properties, which caused it to be banned for sale in many countries in the 1920s. Favored by artists, poets and writers, it was the signature drink amongst the Bohemian set. Toulouse-Lautrec, Degas, and Ernest Hemingway all imbibed. Oscar Wilde stated about absinthe:
“After the first glass, you see things as you wish they were. After the second, you see things as they are not. Finally, you see things as they really are, and that is the most horrible thing in the world.”
Absinthe does contain thujone, a chemical in the plant wormwood, the main floral in absinthe. But you would have to consume enormous quantities for it to have any effect. The more likely cause of seeing pink elephants is the high alcohol content, up to 138 proof. It has a licorice taste from anise, along with other botanicals. I’m not a huge licorice fan, so I drink the “Mata Hari” brand, less licorice, more florals.
But one of the best things about absinthe is how you drink it. There is a ritual around how the spirit is prepared. The ritual conjures up images of bistros in France, with artists romancing show girls. Decadence, bawdiness, and passion. The ritual itself is as intoxicating as the spirit.
First, you need an absinthe spoon. (These are really cool, and I want an antique one!)
Place the absinthe spoon over the glass and place a sugar cube on the spoon.
Pour the absinthe over the sugar cube into the glass. Take a moment to appreciate the beautiful green color.
Light the sugar cube so that it melts into the glass.
Add cold water to create the “louche”, the cloudy appearance the absinthe takes on when the water is added.
Sip and experience “The Green Fairy”.
My absinthe experience was in the “Jean Lafitte’s Old Absinthe House“, a bar that is over 200 years old. The bar is like a stage set, with peeling paint and old carved woodwork. If you are going to try absinthe, this is the bar to try it in. With over 20 types to choose from, you will find one that suits your palate.
I was captivated by New Orleans. It is a magical, mysterious place. And you need to walk through it, to experience all of the sounds, the fragrances and to feel the pulse of the city.
I am currently consulting for a really nice company. The people are very nice, and the place is not overly corporate. We just finished a large project and the executive wanted to thank the team for a job well done by taking everyone out to dinner. We went to a wonderful restaurant, the food was great, and we had a room to ourselves. The whole evening was right on point.
Here’s the thing.
I just don’t like corporate dinners.
I know, I sound ungrateful. But I find them awkward and uncomfortable, even with the best of company relationships. For me, it is still work. And at night, after working all day, I just want to go home. I commute in, so I had to take a train ride that got me home late, and then I had to get up the next morning and go back to work.
I see the evening after work as my time. When I was younger, I enjoyed these events more. But now I feel like it is an infringement on my time. I want to be home with my husband, or to go see my kids, or to walk my dogs. I spend enough time at work, well, working.
So here is my solution.
The long lunch.
Instead of asking people to give up an evening, take your team out for a long lunch. A two-hour lunch isn’t going to make or break the business day. And since people are already there working, they aren’t giving up any of their personal time.
A smaller segment of our team did go out to a lunch. And it was perfect. A fixed price menu with several selections was prepared in advance, and the meal was delightful. We all had a good time, relaxed and enjoyed each other’s company. And then we went back to the office. No muss, no fuss. I didn’t have to give up any of what I consider my personal time.
I used to work at another company, and our department would do a holiday dinner. I was a single parent, and that meant I had to leave work, get my son home, get a sitter, and then meet them at the restaurant. Not only did I have to run around, but it also cost me money to hire a sitter. Another person in the department was a single parent as well, so we approached our boss and asked if we could make the celebration be a lunch instead. It had never occurred to them about us needing child care, and they gladly changed the party to a lunch. So much better. We still had a nice time, and I didn’t have to run around and be out-of-pocket for childcare.
So if you are the one organizing a corporate team celebration, consider the long lunch. It’s still a generous event, and you aren’t asking your team to give up any of their personal time. Your team will be grateful, not just for the thank you, but for not infringing on their personal life.
It’s autumn and that means all thing apple. I was just at a pumpkin carving party and brought an apple crisp for dessert. It was a huge hit, so I thought you all should have the recipe as well. I got the recipe when I bought a piece of stoneware from the Pampered Chef, so credits to them. It is super easy and always a crowd pleaser.
I am not a fan of the one-use kitchen gadget, but I do make an exception for the apple peeler/corer/slicer. It take no time at all to get your apples ready, and that is the hardest part of this recipe. So go ahead and invest in one.
Use the curly peels as a garnish for Apple-tinis.
Quick Apple Crisp-courtesy of The Pampered Chef
5 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, sliced
9 ounces of yellow cake mix , approx. half a box
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon good quality cinnamon
1/4 of butter, melted
1/4 chopped nuts are optional
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Cut the peeled and cored apple slices in half and place in a 9″x 9″ baking dish.
Combine all of the remaining ingredients and mix until crumbly. Sprinkle the mixture over the apples.
Bake for 35-40 minutes or until apples are tender. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
Yield-10 servings. This recipe also doubles easily, just use a 9″ x 13″ baking dish.
I found this recipe in Country Living magazine and it is my go-to cocktail at any autumn party. Last Thanksgiving I made these as the welcome cocktail, serving it to my guests as they arrived. Again, super easy and just delicious.
Apple Cider Mimosas
Prosecco or other bubbly of your choice
Fresh apple cider
good quality cinnamon
sugar
Champagne flutes
Mix equal parts sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Wet the rim of the Champagne flute and rim the glass with the sugar and cinnamon mixture.
Fill the glass with half Prosecco and half fresh cider.
Garnish with an apple slice.
Toast your friends and family!
If you have any recipes that you would like to share, let me know.
Bring Something to the Table 