Editor's Pick
AUGUST 10, 2010 12:19AM
Rate: 13
yes, the movers might just pack these
Having moved 16 times over the past 37 years, there but for the grace of sanity goes our stuff is the notation in ink I wrote above the list of mover phone numbers; just a small reminder of those good old days when our family summer adventures involved 347 mystery boxes packed with our favorite things.
Most Americans think summertime means vacation, great summer fruits, garden veggies, and extra large mosquitoes. But for 38 million lucky Americans it is also harks the season of migration; family migration, that is.
While some people plan leisurely al fresco dinners during the long summer days, others are busy lining up burly guys named Bubba from WTF Moving Services and collecting brown boxes, industrial tape and giant magic markers. Rumor has it that even before moving vans were invented, summer was always the peak season to migrate with children to that new land called Far-Far-Away; if you can believe the data from the American Moving & Storage Association.
There is a little bit of science and a whole lot of luck in moving a household cross-country. In fact, it has everything to do with the quality of the packing tape, bubble wrap and the skill (face it, the goodwill) of Bubba, who is in charge of packing the kitchen; the same kitchen that also includes great Grandma’s china and the one of a kind art glass cake plate made in 1743. Our favorite mover, Milo, managed to not only cart our kitchen belongings and children’s toy parts (of which there were several million), but all the house plants over thousands of miles and every single thing survived. Milo created a steamy hot house in the truck; placed plants in large buckets of water, they thrived. He was also in charge of unpacking (yay, corporate moves) and not one single solitary item was chipped, broken or mangled. Milo got himself a whole plate of Ada’s brownies fresh from the oven when he departed along with a well earned tip.
And then there was Dude. He won the bid to pack and move our stuff by showing up; bless those early dot-com days where we scheduled four movers to give bids, and only one showed up. The list of items Dude would not take rivaled what they would; the children’s dirty clothing, yes, but not the beloved collection of olive oils. No house plants, but they'd take potting soil. No chocolate, but they would take the garbage if it was in the room when they packed; that included the fruit bowl, full of um, fruit.
On moving day, when the very big truck arrived only three hours late, Dude had neglected to tell the driver we were located at the end of a really skinny and long dirt road with a small turnaround. Oops. They came back the next day, only two hours late, with a smaller truck. No plants, olive oil or chocolate made it onto the truck. Not even two dozen jelly donuts would change their minds.
Handing over the donuts anyway, shaking hands with the driver, we agreed that they would meet us on the other side of the continent in ten days. Two weeks, tops.
The truck was just slightly little delayed. Seven weeks after waving goodbye to the truck, the driver called to tell us he was just a thousand miles away. We celebrated by throwing out the air mattresses and sleeping in a hotel for the next few nights.
Tired of eating take-out, we learned how to bake some fantastic one-bowl wonders. With a plastic mixing bowl, a single baking pan, one wooden spoon, and no measuring cups, we created some terrific and crazy recipes, including something similar to this raspberry creation.
Living in the land of sunshine and orchards, we soon learned that berry season goes on forever. This raspberry creation is a gluten free modification from a Gourmet recipe. Topped with vanilla gelato or whipped cream, nothing says perpetual sunshine like an abundance of perfect summer raspberries.
Gluten Free Summer Raspberry Cake
Ingredients
- ¾ cup gluten free flour (or all purpose flour)
- ¼ cup coconut or almond flour (Bob’s Red Mill)
- ½ teaspoon xanthan gum (only if using gluten free flour)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- pinch of salt
- ½ stick unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar (less if berries are very sweet)
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- ½ cup plus a tablespoon or two of buttermilk
- 1 to 2 cups fresh organic raspberries (or mixed berries)
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter and flour an 8 or 9-inch round cake pan. Whisk together flours, xanthan gum, (if using gluten free flour) baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside.
Beat butter and ¾ cup sugar with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Add vanilla and almond extract. Then add the egg, lemon zest and mix well.
At low speed, incorporate flour mixture alternating with buttermilk, just until combined. Don't over mix.
Spoon into prepared pan. Smooth top. Scatter raspberries evenly over top. Sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons sugar.
Bake until lightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean; 20 to 25 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then turn onto a rack and cool to warm, 10 to 15 minutes more. Invert on cake plate.
Serve slightly warm with additional raspberries and gelato or whipped cream.
Bon appétit and happy trails.
Comments
An homage to Annie - adventures in moving, indeed!
I'd buy your cookbook, Lisa. When are you publishing it? And, if you're not going to write it, could you move just one more time, to my house, to cook all these wonderful treasures? Please?
I'd ALMOST move across country to get that raspberry cake. =o)
Dude sounds like the Move from Hell, with rotting fruit a questionable bonus. Yikes! Yes, there's a reason I've been in the same place for 20 years!
rated
Dude sounds like the Move from Hell, with rotting fruit a questionable bonus. Yikes! Yes, there's a reason I've been in the same place for 20 years!
rated
Spill! You must at least hint as to why you are moving so often......did I miss something? (I often do.)
Off to bake......
Off to bake......
Along the side highways out here in California, one can get fresh fruit. This is a wonderful pasttime. The best stuff is at those stands, I wish more people would pull over.
Oh sweet sweet friend, thank you so much. I love you to pieces. Soon I will tell the tale of this move, which includes too many of your memories shared above -- including the fact that they left my garage full of stuff and all the doors unlocked, were a day late, and for mysterious reasons I will never understand, absconded with a huge basket full of ribbon. The movers that took us to Missouri only managed to "lose" one brand new bottle of Grey Goose.
Thanks for the cake and I only wish we were neighbors so we could sit down together and share some right now. You are the peaches, my pal ... or the berries ... delicious in every season.
xoxoxo
Thanks for the cake and I only wish we were neighbors so we could sit down together and share some right now. You are the peaches, my pal ... or the berries ... delicious in every season.
xoxoxo
What a moving story!
yum!
I love anything raspberries. And the stories that you wrap them up in.
Kathy, thanks. Got that agent? : )
Shiral, Dude is still around somewhere I am sure. Fortunately the fruit was dried because it had been so hot....
Ginny - enjoy the cake!
Heather -yep, those are the best.
1im - hope that truck arrives sooner. sigh. and I wish we were neighbors.
Gabby - funny!
Connie - thanks.
Mtk - me too, and thanks.
Shiral, Dude is still around somewhere I am sure. Fortunately the fruit was dried because it had been so hot....
Ginny - enjoy the cake!
Heather -yep, those are the best.
1im - hope that truck arrives sooner. sigh. and I wish we were neighbors.
Gabby - funny!
Connie - thanks.
Mtk - me too, and thanks.
Raspberries are a expensive here, and I'm always looking for a recipe that will showcase them. This looks delicious. Can I confess that we've never had to hire a mover? Just friends with trucks and the promise of a good meal at the end of the day.
I love that you post gluten free recipes. I've just decided to try out that lifestyle and I'm learning all these things I never knew I didn't know...isn't that just life for you. Anyway, why and when did you decide to give up gluten, if you don't mind me asking? I feel so high maintenance in this new lifestyle, but in a way I also feel good about it.
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