Tell Me A Kid Story

[SusanNorton]

There was a miniature golf course two blocks from my house. It was called Goofy Golf or Gooney Golf, and the highlight was the giant dinosaur - it was impossible to get a hole-in-one because of his legs. One summer day I, my brother, and a couple of my male cousins decided to walk over and play a game - I rode my bike and they followed. We were probably a pretty rag-tag group of kids. I live in southern Louisiana, where the intense heat and humidity can really knock you out. So, we were about three quarters through the game when I started feeling nauseous and dizzy. This caused a great deal of excitement - my cousins went into "emergency mode" and dragged me into the shade of the dinosaur. My brother ran to the vending machine and bought a can of Mountain Dew, but by this time I was seeing black spots in front of my eyes and fell backwards onto the hot pavement - I remember seeing the sun glaring off of the banana seat of my bicycle. I wouldn't drink the Mountain Dew, so they decided to pour it onto my forehead. For some reason, this is now one of my favorite childhood memories. I am strange.

 

[Blake]

Two incidents: one around 1975, I was outside our house in Darlinghurst, and I was lying down having an icy-pole, and kid ran over my leg on a push-bike so I punch him in the jaw. Harold Reilly, who lived down the road and who played reserve grade for the Eastern Suburbs Roosters saw it and said I should become a boxer.

 

[Doc Creed]

There was a miniature golf course two blocks from my house. It was called Goofy Golf or Gooney Golf, and the highlight was the giant dinosaur - it was impossible to get a hole-in-one because of his legs. One summer day I, my brother, and a couple of my male cousins decided to walk over and play a game - I rode my bike and they followed. We were probably a pretty rag-tag group of kids. I live in southern Louisiana, where the intense heat and humidity can really knock you out. So, we were about three quarters through the game when I started feeling nauseous and dizzy. This caused a great deal of excitement - my cousins went into "emergency mode" and dragged me into the shade of the dinosaur. My brother ran to the vending machine and bought a can of Mountain Dew, but by this time I was seeing black spots in front of my eyes and fell backwards onto the hot pavement - I remember seeing the sun glaring off of the banana seat of my bicycle. I wouldn't drink the Mountain Dew, so they decided to pour it onto my forehead. For some reason, this is now one of my favorite childhood memories. I am strange.

I love it, lol. I can picture it so clearly. For some reason I think of that Billy Swan song called I Can Help.

 

[Dana Jean]

Great kid stories. I love to hear these little snippets of the little humans we were.

 

[Doc Creed]

All of my adult life I've been searching for an elusive recipe for a walnut apple spice cake with maple cream cheese glaze. I associate this cake with a certain time, fraught with Pavlovian triggers, when nights are cooler and friends don their favorite hoodies and brandish Yetis around a bonfire. It's a time when streamers festoon homecoming floats, candy corn appears in drug store circulars, and drums and woodsmoke accentuate the cheers at football games. Besides internet searches, I've haunted potluck suppers in church basements, family reunions, and even carnival cake walks: all in vain. This year I know my white whale will surface and it will be with a twinge of sadness and satisfaction, as I cut my first slice, that I realize my quest is over. I jest, of course, but do we ever truly replicate our favorite foods from the past?

Spoiler

 

[GNTLGNT]

All of my adult life I've been searching for an elusive recipe for a walnut apple spice cake with maple cream cheese glaze. I associate this cake with a certain time, fraught with Pavlovian triggers, when nights are cooler and friends don their favorite hoodies and brandish Yetis around a bonfire. It's a time when streamers festoon homecoming floats, candy corn appears in drug store circulars, and drums and woodsmoke accentuate the cheers at football games. Besides internet searches, I've haunted potluck suppers in church basements, family reunions, and even carnival cake walks: all in vain. This year I know my white whale will surface and it will be with a twinge of sadness and satisfaction, as I cut my first slice, that I realize my quest is over. I jest, of course, but do we ever truly replicate our favorite foods from the past?

Spoiler

View attachment 22132

....Doc Creed IS The Cakemuncher......

 

[Doc Creed]

....Doc Creed IS The Cakemuncher......

What have we learned so far this year boys and girls? Doc is a book sniffer and a cake muncher...

 

[GNTLGNT]

What have we learned so far this year boys and girls? Doc is a book sniffer and a cake muncher...

 

[Dana Jean]

All of my adult life I've been searching for an elusive recipe for a walnut apple spice cake with maple cream cheese glaze. I associate this cake with a certain time, fraught with Pavlovian triggers, when nights are cooler and friends don their favorite hoodies and brandish Yetis around a bonfire. It's a time when streamers festoon homecoming floats, candy corn appears in drug store circulars, and drums and woodsmoke accentuate the cheers at football games. Besides internet searches, I've haunted potluck suppers in church basements, family reunions, and even carnival cake walks: all in vain. This year I know my white whale will surface and it will be with a twinge of sadness and satisfaction, as I cut my first slice, that I realize my quest is over. I jest, of course, but do we ever truly replicate our favorite foods from the past?

Spoiler

View attachment 22132

I just gained 5 pounds.

 

[SusanNorton]

I love it, lol. I can picture it so clearly. For some reason I think of that Billy Swan song called I Can Help.

I love that song! It may have even been playing on the transistor radio hanging from my handlebar while I was being baptized with Mountain Dew.

 

[swiftdog2.0]

....Doc Creed IS The Cakemuncher......

You said "cakemuncher", heh-heh-heh....

 

[mjs9153]

All of my adult life I've been searching for an elusive recipe for a walnut apple spice cake with maple cream cheese glaze. I associate this cake with a certain time, fraught with Pavlovian triggers, when nights are cooler and friends don their favorite hoodies and brandish Yetis around a bonfire. It's a time when streamers festoon homecoming floats, candy corn appears in drug store circulars, and drums and woodsmoke accentuate the cheers at football games. Besides internet searches, I've haunted potluck suppers in church basements, family reunions, and even carnival cake walks: all in vain. This year I know my white whale will surface and it will be with a twinge of sadness and satisfaction, as I cut my first slice, that I realize my quest is over. I jest, of course, but do we ever truly replicate our favorite foods from the past?

Spoiler

View attachment 22132

This may be the best single thing I have read in months..

 

[staropeace]

All of my adult life I've been searching for an elusive recipe for a walnut apple spice cake with maple cream cheese glaze. I associate this cake with a certain time, fraught with Pavlovian triggers, when nights are cooler and friends don their favorite hoodies and brandish Yetis around a bonfire. It's a time when streamers festoon homecoming floats, candy corn appears in drug store circulars, and drums and woodsmoke accentuate the cheers at football games. Besides internet searches, I've haunted potluck suppers in church basements, family reunions, and even carnival cake walks: all in vain. This year I know my white whale will surface and it will be with a twinge of sadness and satisfaction, as I cut my first slice, that I realize my quest is over. I jest, of course, but do we ever truly replicate our favorite foods from the past?

Spoiler

View attachment 22132

• 
  FOR THE SPICED APPLE CAKE:
• 1 1/2 cups (187 grams) all-purpose flour
• 1 cup plus 2 (215 grams) tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup (180 ml) vegetable oil
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups peeled and coarsely grated apples (about 2 large apples)
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
  FOR THE MAPLE CREAM CHEESE SWISS BUTTERCREAM:
• 5 ounces (140 grams) egg whites (from whole eggs or a carton)
• 5 ounces (140 grams) light brown sugar
• 8 ounces (226 grams) unsalted butter, softened but still cool and cut into chunks
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup (80 ml) maple syrup
• 8 ounces (226 grams) cream cheese, softened
• cinnamon for dusting

INSTRUCTIONS

1. 
   FOR THE SPICED APPLE CAKE:
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit and grease and line 2 8-inch pans with parchment paper.
3. In a large bowl,whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, pepper, and salt.
4. Add the oil, eggs, and vanilla extract and stir until combined.
5. Stir in the grated apples and walnuts.
6. Divide the batter between the 2 pans and bake for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcakes comes out clean.
7. Cool the pans on a wire rack for 15 minutes.
8. Turn the cakes out onto the wire rack and cool completely.
   FOR THE MAPLE CREAM CHEESE SWISS BUTTERCREAM:
9. Wipe down all of your tools with vinegar or lemon juice to remove any traces of grease.
10. In a large bowl (I used the bowl of my stand mixer), combine the egg whites and brown sugar.
11. Place the bowl over a pot of simmering water and whisk often. The water should not touch the bowl, since it's the steam that will be heating the egg whites. If they heat up too fast, you'll end up with scrambled eggs.
12. Using a candy thermometer, heat the mixture to 160 degrees fahrenheit while continuing to whisk the mixture. 160 degrees is for food safety issues. If I use pasteurized egg whites (which I do often), i generally stop heating around 140 degrees until the sugar has dissolved.
13. Remove the egg white from the heat and use a whisk attachment to beat the egg whites on medium high until stiff peaks form and the meringue has doubled in volume (about 8-10 minutes). At this point, the meringue should look stiff and glossy, and the bowl should be neutral (not warm) to the touch. If your meringue is still warm, you'll run into problems later.
14. Turn the mixer down to low and mix in the cubes of softened butter, one at a time until they become incorporated into the mixture. If it looks curdled, keep mixing until it comes together. If it still looks curdled after 5 minutes, place the entire bowl in the fridge for 15 minutes and mix it again until it becomes fluffy.
15. Add the vanilla extract and maple syrup and beat to combine.
16. Once the frosting has become light and fluffy, transfer it to a separate bowl.
17. Add the cream cheese to the mixer and beat it until it is smooth.
18. Add the finished frosting to the cream cheese a little bit at a time until it has all become incorporated and the frosting is smooth.
    TO ASSEMBLE THE CAKE:
19. Place one layer of the cake on an 8-inch cake board.
20. With an offset spatula, spread some of the frosting on top. I like a thick layer of frosting, so I used about 2 cups.
21. Place the other layer on top.
22. Put the cake on a turntable, and apply a thin layer of the frosting on the sides and the top of the cake to lock in the crumbs.
23. Let the frosting set up in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
24. Apply the remainder of the frosting to the sides and top of the cake, using an offset spatula and a bench scraper to smooth out the sides.
25. Dust the top of the cake with cinnamon.

Cake recipe adapted from myrecipes.com

 

[Doc Creed]

This may be the best single thing I have read in months..

Thanks, Mikey.

 

[danie]

All of my adult life I've been searching for an elusive recipe for a walnut apple spice cake with maple cream cheese glaze. I associate this cake with a certain time, fraught with Pavlovian triggers, when nights are cooler and friends don their favorite hoodies and brandish Yetis around a bonfire. It's a time when streamers festoon homecoming floats, candy corn appears in drug store circulars, and drums and woodsmoke accentuate the cheers at football games. Besides internet searches, I've haunted potluck suppers in church basements, family reunions, and even carnival cake walks: all in vain. This year I know my white whale will surface and it will be with a twinge of sadness and satisfaction, as I cut my first slice, that I realize my quest is over. I jest, of course, but do we ever truly replicate our favorite foods from the past?

Spoiler

View attachment 22132

For a minute there, I was 17, on my way to a high school football game, and all was right in my teenage world.

 

[mjs9153]

Thanks, Mikey.

My dad used to call me Mikey.. I can still feel his big hand on the back of my head ruffling my hair.. Adults were so big and all-knowing and wise back then, or so it seemed.. forgive me for being nostalgic.

 

[fushingfeef]

So many stories, I'm terrified to even start.

 

[GNTLGNT]

My dad used to call me Mikey.. I can still feel his big hand on the back of my head ruffling my hair.. Adults were so big and all-knowing and wise back then, or so it seemed.. forgive me for being nostalgic.

 

[Spideyman]

My dad used to call me Mikey.. I can still feel his big hand on the back of my head ruffling my hair.. Adults were so big and all-knowing and wise back then, or so it seemed.. forgive me for being nostalgic.

 

[mal]

Tell me a story about you from your childhood. Do you have a favorite? Something that sort of sums you up, even as an adult?

I've told this before, but here is mine. Kind of lets you know I've always loved to learn new things.

When I was little, a movie came out called Harry In Your Pocket.


James Coburn ...
Harry
Michael Sarrazin ...
Ray Haulihan
Trish Van Devere ...
Sandy Coletto
Walter Pidgeon ...
Casey


It was about Van Devere and Sarrazin, two-bit pickpockets who are discovered by James Coburn. A more professional and slick con artist. Great movie.

Now, in this movie is a scene where Coburn is teaching the two to be better pickpockets. He does this by hanging a men's suit of clothes suspended from the ceiling and he puts a man's wallet in the breast pocket. He then places a bell on the lapel. If the bell rings, they didn't do it right. So they practice over and over again.

Well, I went to my dad's closet, took out a suit, hung the hanger on a line from a light in the ceiling and placed a bell on the lapel. (one of those bird seed shaped bells that had an actual bell hanging from the bottom. Minus all the bird seed.) I put an old wallet in the breast pocket and started practicing.

Why? I don't know. I was intrigued. And I don't remember my family asking me once what I was doing.

I was a quirky kid and they just let me be. To this day, I am full of quirk. And for the record, I didn't grow up to be a world-class pickpocket. Damn.

Hi Dana Jean, Even though you didn't grow up to be a world class pickpocket, were you ever able to pick someone's pocket without their knowledge? I remember that movie and it inspired me as well.