Auburn Avenue Bread [Variation on Sullivan Street Bread]

Having eyed with envy and hunger the homemade breads of, first James', and then BoPop's, Grumpy concluded that, if James and BoPop could make good bread, then he "could do that, too"! The taste of a loaf of James' bread sent home when Grumpy last visited Fort Straw, was the "last straw" (pardon the pun) and so with no trepidation at all, but to the great consternation of the Grand Mother, whose fears of a messy kitchen aftermath were soon realized, Grumpy forged ahead.

Instead of following the Sullivan Street recipe exactly, Grumpy ventured into some exotic variations, including the addition of some brown sugar and a cup or so of various nut meats. The Grand Mother and Grumpy both like the coarseness of the whole wheat bread with multiple nuts that we currently purchase at Safeway. And instead of mixing for only 30-60 seconds, Grumpy used a fancy serving fork to "pull" the dry ingredients together with the liquid for about 5 minutes, or until the dough achieved a definitely "stringy" appearance due to the gluten being "activated" by this vigorous working of the dough.

The results of this, Grumpy's third loaf, is shown in the photo. Notice the fine, even textured bubbles and the nut meats that were sliced as this first piece was cut from the main loaf. Grumpy brushed some Sesame seed oil on the top surface of this loaf when it came out of the oven. After tasting, Grumpy recommends "sticking" with Virgin Olive oil instead!

Last Great Flying Adventure; Part VI -- Last Flight Leg

10 October 2009; Alta Floresta to Ribeirao Preto --

As had become our modus operandi on this and previous flying adventures, we arose early (the flying is best in the cool of the morning (denser air = more power from the motor; cooler land = less turbulence from cumulus clouds). And the Piramide Palace Hotel always has the bountiful breakfast buffet set out by 5:30 each morning.

This morning another hotel guest noticed a pair of parrots (or macaws?) in a nearby tree. Grumpy tried to get the best telephoto shot he could from our second floor vantage point. I think the birds were a mated pair.

At the airport, yet another unusual (to Grumpy) bird had become "attracted" to Grumpy! On previous days, Grumpy had deigned to be so bold as to walk up to the nest "hidden" (in plain sight and obviously located by the protective "hen" who walked right over to it when I approached, rather than try to lead me away like a Killdeer will do).

In the meantime the two (presumed) males flew at me and then turned just a moment before they collided with my head! Twice one of them struck my back when I was turned the other way.

I was told that these birds are called "Quero quero" birds. I noticed that they had long legs (like a wading bird). Their very aggressive attitude towards Grumpy persisted up to the day I left, although they would totally disregard other, regular employees who walked past!

With those happy events in the early morning and all of the happy memories of the preceding days, this morning now became the saddest moment of this entire "Last Great Flying Adventure". As Grumpy was saying his goodbye to his now-good friend, Tony excitedly said, "You'll have to come back soon and we'll go fishing in the river and show you some sights like a waterfall that not very many people see!" Grumpy acknowledged the invitation, but couldn't show his face down which tears of mourning were flowing. I had come to think of Tony as a very much younger brother or a son -- more than just a very good and trusted friend. Grumpy was deeply saddened by knowing that he would never again see this young technical genius of the jungle; this was, indeed, the "Last Great Goodbye".

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Bob and I had determined that the straightline distance from the Alta Floresta airstrip to the airport at Ribeirao Preto was 838 nautical miles. On a previous flight, this last leg had taken over 7 hours. We estimated, with semi-unfavorable winds it could take 7 and a half. So, providing for an extra hour of fuel to allow us to divert to an alternate landing place, we decided on 8 and a half hours of fuel. This meant that we needed to add some more fuel to our reserve tank; on this leg we would completely empty the reserve tank early in the flight, after emptying one wing tank during climb and beginning of cruise. By this procedure we would know exactly how much fuel (and flying time) we had left in the remaining wing tank (over 3 hours), and could plan on a diversion at that time if our estimated time to our destination was more than about two hours. This is the type of carful planning and strategy that Bob and I used throughout the years on these long flight legs.

When we reached our cruising altitude after a little over an hour of steady climb, we flew over the tips of the cumulus clouds that were building (and might become one of many thunderstorms by mid- to late-afternoon) for a smooth and uneventful flight into our landing at the Ribeirao Preto airport. We were aided the entire way by a light to brisk tailwind, making this, the longest leg of our journey (838 nm), in a record time of 6 hours 55 minutes! Adelaide met us at the airport and we enjoyed a fine meal at a local Churrascaria where all kinds of meat is served at your table from "swords" held by the carver who cuts your choice of the cuts he has to offer.

Tea and Tofu in a Liberal Venue

A Clark County Hangout --

Having arrived here early enough on this Thursday afternoon to be enslaved, by the Tall Grandson, to assist in unloading and unrolling about a ton of used conveyor belting around said Grandson's Castle, a monstrous appetite was whetted. You know the kind: Rare beefsteak with smashed potatoes and gravy, homemade biscuits on the side with plenty of butter and stromberry jelly!! Oh YUMMMM!!!! Whoo-oops!! Wrong address!! Grumpy found himself invited for dinner at none other than Ms. Liberal, that Tree-Hugging Vegetarian Hippie Freak of Clark County herself, the Height-Challenged One -- the Adopted Swede Granddaughter!
No, there would be no beefsteak, rare or cooked tonight -- nosirree Bob!! No smashed 'taters 'n gravy either, Buddy! Nope, just good old nouritioning Tofu and Tea for supper tonight! And if you don't like it, then "go take a hike!"

Supper consisted of spaghetti with Tofu substituting for cubed venison, Chinese egg-rolls -- with Tofu in lieu of chicken, and Chinese pot stickers stuffed with Tofu and rice. Now, if the reader thinks that this was not a delicious dinner he (or she) has another think coming!! Not only was the meal very tasty, but the company was uncommonly delightful (possibly excluding Grumpy himself) with the conversation and the entertainment provided by two inquisitive Great Grandsons named Jamey and Arthur.

After the strenuous afternoon, Grumpy was glad to retire to the roost normally occupied by Arthur.

Cold, Snowy Weather Has its Rewards

From the Hill Country -- 22 December 2008:
While Darrell and Grumpy were busy pushing snow around, the Grand Mother was in her kitchen conjuring up delicious treats to be consumed later with a hot cup of coffee, tea or cocoa. From the very first taste these little squares (right) were unanimously declared "a winner". The surprising mixed-flavors of spices, and other aromas that did not trigger a memory, resulted in some questions to the Cook.

"They are a gingerbread dough, with added orange juice (one of the unremembered aromas) and the rind of the orange, -- and a secret ingredient," announced the Grand Mother.

• "Oh, then the chewy things are the rind?" queried Grumpy.
• "No. That's the secret ingredient," responded the Grand Mother.

Grumpy decided at this point that it was best if he didn't pursue this interrogation further, lest he lose more privileges -- if he has any remaining, that is! Grumpy believes, however, that the No.1 son would develop a strong aversion to this orange-flavored gingerbread treat if he figured out what the secret ingredient was.

At least no legs were found.

Summer 2008: Day 4

This morning, after awakening at sun-up, we drove northeast from Mobridge to the little town of Eureka SD. An article in the South Dakota magazine about a restaurant there, serving old-fashioned German sausages, had sparked an interest in Grumpy. He wanted to see if his memory of the delicious taste of German sausages was correct. Eureka was some 30 or 40 miles off our short/fast route to Olivia, but the Grand Mother concurred with Grumpy's crazy idea and so we went.

The restaurant, City Cafe ("right on Main Street") was little more than a hole in the wall; long and narrow, with the kitchen and dishwashing facilities down one side and a row of assorted tables and booths stretched down the other. The menu said, "1 pancake (flat) -- $1; 2 pancakes (short stack) -- $1.50; 1 egg -- $1; 2 eggs -- $1.50; 1 sausage -- $2". The Grand Mother and Grumpy each opted for the one pancake, one egg and one sausage [the latter, the main purpose we came here in the first place!].

The pancake was about six or eight inches across [wise judgment #1], the egg was normal but the sausage was about the size of the palm of a man's hand and 5/8 ot 3/4 of an inch thick!! When we were done eating, we knew we had been fed!!

From Eureka, we drove west until we came to a main north/south highway leading into Aberdeen [used to be the second or third largest city in SD!], where we topped off the gas tank after some 440 miles, then got back on US-12, our main route to Olivia. This took us around the south end of Big Stone Lake, which forms part of the border between MN and SD. The Grand Mother declared that she was hungry by this time [nearly noon], and Grumpy thought he could use a cup of coffee, so we stopped at the Cottage Inn a hundred yards or so before we crossed into Minnesota. After sloshing down a delicious roast beef sandwich with a cup or two of coffee, Grumpy discovered that the cook was renowned for her pies!! Today was rhubarb pie day. The Grand Mother and Grumpy were both stuffed, but just had to have some of that pie. It was actually Rhubarb Meringue pie!! Sure was good!

Since our route went through Renville, to our motel destination in Olivia, we stopped for a couple hours visiting with Aunt Margaret before checking in. More visits with Margaret in subsequent posts.

Posted here are photos taken of our motel. Ordinarily such photos would be unnecessary, but some comments about the name of the motel by a certain Philosopher in a recent post, requires that these photos be posted -- if for no other reason than to relieve his anxiety over what he may have been thinking about the way his Grandpa Z treats his Grandma Z. [I think he is perhaps just "buttering her up" for some Ginger Snap cookies, or something. At any rate he sure does get his Grandpa in a heap of trouble!].

A Sunday Afternoon with Some Great Grandsons

It has been awhile since Grumpy posted anything new. Mostly it's because he had nothing that he thought was sufficiently interesting and new to post. But recently, the Grand Mother and Grumpy journeyed up North to visit a couple Great Grandsons -- their Mom and Dad and Grandpa and Grandma were there too, but Grumpy didn't get any interesting and "new" pictures of them. While we were there, we enjoyed a scrumptious meal of lasagna, fresh kernel corn and garlic toasted French bread. (The lasagna was so good that I asked the Grand Mother if she had given Amy her recipe! (She hadn't, so Amy is henceforth to be known as a Super Chef Lasagna maker!!)

This first little boy, Amos, was a little reticent to be completely at ease on his Great Grandpa's lap. But he condescended to sit long enough for this picture, and that made Great Grandpa pretty happy. Hopefully, he will become more at ease with Great Grandpa in the future.

The older boy, Malachi, was extra-ordinarily anxious to sit with Great Grandpa and look at pictures of Peuguot's dating back to the early 1880's. (Did you realize that Peuguot built "cars" that many years before Henry Ford had to knock down the wall of his basement shop to get his prototype on the street? Here I thought Henry practically invented the "Horseless Carriage".) Malachi was so anxious to get into the armchair that he jumped up on the cushion and then, to get out of Great Grandpa's way, he jumped again and went headfirst right over into the corner against the wall. He came back up looking a little bent out of shape, pridewise, but otherwise amazingly seeming none the worse for wear. Great Grandpa had a most pleasureable afternoon sharing this book about automobiles with Malachi.

Well, it wasn't too long before Amos toddled over and climbed up onto the arm of the chair so he could look at the Peuguot's with Malachi and Great Grandpa. (Ooh, I hope those boys don't get infatuated with Peuguot's -- the two Grumpy and the Grand Mother had were the bane of Grumpy's existence, what with their odd wrench sizes and their "tinny" doors.)

Now, Grumpy wasn't the only one who was popular with the little boys! Great Grandmother got lots of opportunities to hold each of them and give them Great Grandma hugs. Here, it looks like Great Grandma is giving Malachi some advice on how to avoid going head-first over the armchair into the corner! He was smiling broadly before this scene was over, though! I think he likes his Great Grandma Z.

Celebration Day in Maryland Part Two (The Best Part!)

The combined celebration of the birthdays of Grumpy (the Elder) and Ward (Not-so-Old) was the occasion for which this event took place. As told in an earlier post, much careful preparation had taken place, what with the emergency trip to the grocery store for needed supplies and the lighting of the charcoal pyre over which to "cook" (or incinerate) the meats from three of four different animals (apologies, again, to my vegetarian readers -- if any are still reading my posts!).

It is time now for the good parts: viewing the cooking meats and of the assembled guests; all of them Zimmerman's, as you may observe from looking closely at their facial similarities. As the careful observer will note in this next photo, there was a certain degree of domestic rebellion and some apparent collusion going on by the lucky wife of Not-so-Old when it came time for the photos to be taken of the wives who were lucky enough to be chosen by the afore-pictured Zimmerman men. One (namely, the Grand Mother of several), was particularly rebellious! But more about that later.

The meats on the grill were more appetizing than could be imagined by viewing the photo; some were treated to a special coating of a secret not-so-old family recipe mixed up for the occasion by none other than Not-so-Old himself.

The meats are identified as: two pork loins (perhaps both from one animal), two whole chickens (most probably two different-, i.e., not Siamese-chickens) and one whole bottom round beef roast (part of only one animal). [Editor's note, for the benefit of those who may have never seen such huge pieces of meat: the whole chickens can be identified by the fact that they have appendages called "legs" and "wings" attached; the pork loins can be identified by being long and slimy-looking -- not to be confused with "fish" or "snake"; the beef bottom round roast can be identified by its being HUGE]

Now, since this was a "Birthday" celebration, obviously there had to be "Birthday" cakes, so here is the one custom designed for Not-so-Old. As the reader may note by careful observation, the number inscribed thereon in green icing indicates that Not-so-Old, is actually "quite" old, indeed! (58?? Can it be that long since Grumpy was kept awake all night the first night he was brought home by the Grand Mother?!) Ah, pleasant memories.

Since the assemblage included those who prefer "yellow" cakes as well as those who prefer "chocolate" cakes, there had to be two more, shown here in color. The "yellow" cake was ostensibly in honor of Grumpy's 80th birthday and the "chocolate" cake was in honor of Not-so-Old's 58th. The wording on these two cakes ("Happy Birthday Ward") was duplicated because it cost less to have the same on both cakes rather than have them different. Or so we thought!

Now to the matter previously mentioned concerning the rebellion of a certain member of the Zimmerman clan. As can be seen in this photograph, some disciplinary measures had to be taken to overcome this short-lived rebellion. The reader is directed to the lucky wife on the left, who it is sad to say, appears to be considering rebellion in the future -- her husband is urged to watch for further signs and to take necessary measures to insure that this does not progress. (His penalties for doing so, however, will be his own responsibility -- Grumpy will not assume any blame for difficulties a certain Grandson finds himself in!)

Also, it must be added, "certain" penalties were incurred by Grumpy -- the exact identity of which shall remain undisclosed for the time being, but it involves the use of lemons and eggs and certain other secret ingredients known only to the Grand Mother, but allegedly including Worstershire sauce and vinegar.

Due, we think, to the uprising promulgated by the Grand Mother and her female gang of co-conspirators, photos of the Great Grandsons aligned in the traditional fashion were not possible at this time. Hopefully they will appear in a later posting.

Celebration Day in Maryland with Ward the Not-so-Old

Saturday morning found a much-rested Grumpy arising with the sun and amazingly cheerful for not having all his luggage delivered. But this was to be a festival day: a big barbeque was to be lit and much meats and other delicious foods would be prepared, and all the Zimmerman's in the eastern half of the United States would be present, with their kids, to celebrate a couple old duffers' birthdays.

Ward the Not-so-Old and Grumpy left shortly after breakfast for an emergency run to the nearest grocery stores to purchase needed supplies for the big day. There was 40 pounds of charcoal and a large container of some kind of flammable liquid, as well as meats from three or four different animals (vegetarians, skip this part). Of course, we went in the Jeep Rubicon -- this was an emergency run, remember!

Preparation of the grill, being a job for the professional, was performed by Not-so-Old. As you can see in the photo, Not-so-Old had calculated that the full 40 pounds of charcoal was required for the masses of meat to be cooked (Grumpy thought that maybe there was enough fuel for a full and total incineration!).

After adding precisely the amount of flammable liquid necessary for adequate ignition of the huge pile of charcoal, (note five gallon can of gasoline!) Not-so-Old lit the fire! The wives, who had heard the explosion from their comfortable perches in the kitchen, wisely investigated the scene before alerting the local volunteer fire department that the fire-ball would soon dissipate and that the smoke was not toxic. At least not yet.

A later report is planned to describe the taste and texture of the food. Photos of the honored guests are also planned. Stay tuned.

The Grand Mother and the Great Grumpy Z Celebrate their 59th!

Yesterday (Sunday the 17th of June 2007) the Grand Mother and the Great Grumpy Z celebrated the 59th anniversary of their marriage. We were married in Rapid City SD on a rainy Thursday morning, leaving on our honeymoon for Central Nebraska that afternoon. We went to Nebraska to visit my Grandfather Zierlein, who was too ill to attend our wedding -- he died later that same year.

Yesterday was similarly rainy, but we persisted to go to Windmill Gardens Restaurant in east Sumner where Grumpy had made reservati0ns a week or so earlier. We invited Margaret Mitchell to go with us, as we had often celebrated our wedding anniversaries together over the past 53 years since have known each other.

Hoping the sky would clear so we could enjoy the view afforded by the route through Black Diamond and Enumclaw, the Great Grumpy took the long way to get to Sumner. Alas, no clear opportunity for a glimpse of Mount Rainier was to be had this day, even though we drove up onto the plateau a few miles east of Enumclaw.

The food and entertainment at Windmill Gardens was enjoyed by all and after a stroll through the nursery, where there are more exotic plants than Grumpy has seen in these parts, we took the direct route back to Kent to drop Marg off and then on home in the early evening.

The Lemon Meringue Pie

As the reader will no doubt remember, the probability of a Lemon Meringue Pie (hereinafter, LMP) appearing in the castle of the Great Grumpy Z was forecast recently as "never again". Now this would probably be to the longer life benefit of the Great Grumpy, but tastebuds never forget that delicious aroma and the mouth-watering flavor of the Grand Mother's (aka, First Wife's) LMP. So any reprieve is always welcomed by the Great Grumpy!

It was therefore somewhat of a surprise to the Great Grumpy, when he noted the preparations for making of LMP in the Grand Mother's kitchen this past Saturday. Unwittingly, the Great Grumpy uttered some phrase or word which instantly illicited the Grand Mother's infamous pronouncement: "OK, that's it!!" (Ed.Note1:--This phrase usually means that a penalty is about to follow.) She continued, "I was going to make you a LMP, but now you can forget it!!" (Ed. Note 2: -- Forget it? Forget it? How could anyone forget the LMP of the Grand Mother!?)

But, with all the cleverness developed through my vast experience in understanding the Grand Mother, the Great Grumpy meekly acknowledged his wrong-doing (unintended though it was!), pleaded for forgiveness (which was summarily rejected, as usual) and stood by to assist the Grand Mother in anyway she might desire.

Her first request was to be taken to the grocery store for "some supplies, and I'm going to get what I want and I don't want any comments out of you!", she stated emphatically. As I always(?) try to do, I obeyed immediately, opening the car door and holding it as I "usually" do, but this time making a special effort not to slam it closed until she had her leg inside.

As I was helping put away the groceries upon returning home, I noted three (3) lemons. "What are the lemons for?" I asked, smugly aware that three lemons happens to be the exact amount required to make the famous LMP. I had her trapped! I had won!!

Her reply, however, shocked me out of my sensibilities, "I'm going to bake a LMP for Harry!"

Now I was aware that our oldest son, Ward Harry, was to be in the Pacific Northwest the week of 9-12 July 2007. I also was aware that a LMP does not keep well -- at least around here! -- for more than three or four days, at the most. I rather haughtily explained this to her, with the added comment that "they don't keep in the freezer, either!"

Undaunted, the Grand Mother put me in my place with, "Just you wait and see!" I retreated to the background while she wielded the rolling pin -- she was using it on the pie dough, but you can never tell what might happen if a Norwegian with a rolling pin gets upset at you!

I tried to soothe her hurt feelings and get myself back in her good graces by de-zesting the lemons and squeezing the juice from them. I even rinsed and drained the juicer, and, as is my habit, more or less followed her instructions as to how it should properly be done.

A couple hours later, the Grand Mother called me to the kitchen. She pointed to the two pies which had been out of the oven just long enough to cool down sufficiently to cut a piece. I thought she was going to forgive me and beg me to eat one of them right then and there! I was elated.

Instead, she asked, "Please, could you get a picture of these pies? I think they are especially beautiful, don't you? See how that meringue stands up! Don't you think that one on the left looks like a flower?" As I was taking the pictures, the Grand Mother was getting out the dessert plates and glasses, and the milk to drink with the LMP.

What a memorable day!!

But what a miserable night -- note the vanquished pie -- it was a two-Tums stomach ache that night. The Great Grumpy can never exercise moderation when it comes to eating the Grand Mother's Lemon Meringue Pie.