Category: San Luis Obispo

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the secret of life is butter

the perfect honey cake
whether Greek, Egyptian or Turkish it is all wonderful

For those who know, I had a bit too much fun over the holidays. My daughters and I cooked and baked and celebrated the season to the point that I have had to … it’s called ‘dieting.’ Usually, this sort of activity makes me a tad bit grumpy, but I have found ways to amuse myself in exploring some of the recipes for things that I haven’t had time to make myself.

Desserts are wonderful things to research while dieting and I have two that — although similar in appearance — are distinctively different and wonderful in their own ways. The Greek Honey cake is marvelous with a cup of coffee as is the Egyptian Basboosa! Although they are similar in appearance, their construction is different. The Egyptians often use semolina, nuts and rosewater while the Greeks have honey and cinnamon. Both include ample amounts of butter! Isn’t butter the secret of life?

This brings me to the story of how we almost lost ‘butter’ and those foods that I have no interest in ever recreating : Fruitcake and  Stollen (German Fruitcake). I am convinced that all the fruitcake that has ever been made is still circulating in the mail systems around the world constantly being received and re-mailed to the unsuspecting! However, fruitcake did have a positive spot in history. I mention this because in Europe until Pope Innocent VII decreed in 1490 what was called ‘the butterbrief”… butter could not be used. It was because of the Saxony Germans who wanted to use butter in their ‘Stollen’ that butter become ‘legal’.

Anyway, I am waiting until I can make a honey cake!

Roger

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another day on the central coast

laguna lake
"Laguna Lake" in San Luis Obispo, California

I confess that I love Saturdays as this is the day for Farmer’s Market near where we live. This provides a nice 2 mile walk one way, a walk back stopping at a wonderful little coffee shop to sit in overstuffed chairs and watch the tourists. To keep us from being too ‘bad’, Laura brings a couple of small snacks to enjoy during coffee time.

Saturday Farmer's Market in west San Luis Obispo
Saturday Farmer's Market in west San Luis Obispo

Not all is perfect in little San Luis as the local downtown business association is making a power grab to wrest control of the market from the Farmers.

You can let Mayor Dave know how you feel:

dromero@slocity.org

save the farmers!

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fun with ambigrams

aaaah.... isn't this sweet? My wife & my name together at last! 😉

Have you seen the sequel to the Da Vinci code? Well, in the movie the ‘bad guys’ use ambigrams as part of their sinister plot… but I won’t tell you more or I’ll spoil all the fun. What you see is one type of an ambigram. As i have come to learn there are many kinds and styles, but I have provided a link so you can read all about it yourself.

Call it the romantic in me but I thought I would see if Laura and my name could produce a pretty ambigram, so with a little help from a couple of sites, some work on Arcsoft then Giffy animation software … there it is above!

So this is what I did today… hope yours was as fun!

Roger

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the many signs of spring

Here it is January and it is starting to feel like spring  in San Luis Obispo, California. Personally, I think my apple trees have one major season called ‘flowering’ and the remainder of the year it bares apples. Too bad, more apple pies to make! (click on the above photo for the recipe) It’s also nice to shed some of the rain gear and break out  the Harley!

Spring isn’t here yet, but it’s peeking  around the corner!

Roger

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and I still open doors, ma’am

there is a god standing here with no coffee!

During the 70’s, I worked in New York City which was — very frankly — not as nice as it is today. It was during a period of time in which there were a number of women professionals that would search every man’s gesture and speech for clues of his hidden suppression-of-all-women agenda. For a guy like me this was fun times.

I worked as a marketing guy for a very buttoned up straight laced firm just beyond grand central station. Fortunately or unfortunately for me, I was plagued with all the manners of another time and place. I would open doors for women, say ‘yes ma’am’ and add all the pleasantries that symbolize all sorts of monstrous things to very insecure women. Eventually I got used to the change in civility, but I couldn’t resist ‘tweaking’ a few of the more offended. I would usually arrive early to work ( by 7am) and obligingly opened the door for one woman who then refused to cross the threshold… I was amused and this was very dangerous to amuse me. So from then on, I would open the door with a flourish and bow very deeply to everyone’s delight … or maybe, just the men laughed but it was great fun. Today, fun times are still always abundant.

My family and I have all enjoyed the Stargate series on television with space travel, the over-the-top bad guys and the wonderful cliché’s. One scene contained something for me: the bad guy (Ba’al) washed his hands and said to his female slaves, “there is a god standing here with wet hands.” Lovely! Not long ago, when our local coffee shop was filled with what one might like to call ‘tough women’… you know the type: short hair, lots of cats and a perpetual snarl. I stood up and said ‘there is a god standing here with no coffee!’ Laura — on cue — ran ‘obediently’ with my coffee and the reaction of the women present was delightful…. but to the men, I was a god. Laura loves to tell this story with a smile.

Sometimes, I feel that the world is far too filled with a bitterness and too little fun. This is so unnecessary as men and women inescapably need each other. Besides, we all need a good chuckle…. and we all need to laugh a lot more…  and — yes — I still open doors, Ma’am.

Roger Freberg