The Rules of Liverpool

1. One of the things that the Brave Astronaut Clan has been doing during this time of quarantine is playing a card game popular in our family, Liverpool.  It is a contract rummy game that was taught to us years ago by our cousin, while we were visiting our grandmother's house in Owl's Head, Maine.  It is a contract rummy game with a series of hands varying in melds.  A minimum of three players is required for the game.  The game is played with two decks, including jokers.  An additional deck is added for every two players (5 players, three decks, 7 players, four decks, etc.)

Here are the hands:

6: Two sets of three (three fours, three jacks, etc.)

7:  One set, one run (three of a kind, one straight flush - for all you poker players out there)

8:  Two runs

9:  Three sets

10:  Two sets, one run

11:  Two runs, one set

12:  Three runs (no discard)

Scoring:

• Aces and Jokers are 15 points each
• Face cards are 10 points each
• All other cards are face value

Rules:

1. There is no buying of cards in the first round.  Beginning in the second round, a player may buy the discard of a player out of order.  The discard goes to the next player to the left without penalty. If the next player to the left wishes to buy the card they may do so, with a penalty card from the top of the pile.  The right to purchase a card moves around to the left.  The player who originally discarded the card may conceivably repurchase the card if they wish to - if no one ahead of them wishes to purchase the card.
2. When using jokers, a set must contain at least two natural cards and a run must contain at least two natural cards.  If a joker is used in a run or as the third card in a set, the joker may be "stolen" by a player who holds the card for which the joker is holding the card's place (for example, 8, 9, Joker, Jack of clubs may be replaced with the 10 of clubs and used elsewhere on the board).  If the joker is placed on a set, the joker is "dead" and may not be taken.
3. In a hand where more than one run is required, runs of cards may be constructed in the same suit as long as they are separated by one card (for example, 4, 5, 6, 7 of hearts and 9, 10, J, Q of hearts.  Duplicate runs may also be constructed with overlap (for example, 5, 6, 7, 8 of spades and 7, 8, 9, 10 of spades).
4. As noted above by the numbers preceding the hands - that is the minimum number of cards required for each meld in the hands (6 - two sets of three cards each, 7, one set of three and one run of four, etc.).
5. Aces may be high or low, but not both, for example, J, Q, K, A of diamonds or A, 2, 3, 4 of diamonds, but not K, A, 2, 3.
6. For the first four hands, 10 cards are dealt, for the final three hands 12 cards are dealt.
7. Once a player goes down, a player may no longer purchase cards.  A discard may be picked up by a player who has gone down only if it can be immediately played on the tableau.  Only players who have gone down may play cards on the tableau.
8. In the final hand, no discard is allowed.  Only one player will go down in the final hand.  The card that is picked up, either from the discard pile or from the face down pile, must fit into the meld to end the hand.

Farewell to the Brave Astronaut's Parents

The Brave Astronaut is away today, my siblings and I have traveled to Bermuda to carry out our parent's final wishes - that is to scatter their ashes across the waters of Bermuda.  My mother died in 2006 and my father just this past April.

We will attend to our parents today and then spend a fair bit of time drinking.  My father left us with the means to have a weekend toasting their memories.  I don't know about my siblings - but I will be drinking these - it's the official drink of Bermuda.

The Dark and Stormy

Ingredients

• 2 ounces Gosling's or Myers's dark rum
• 5 ounces ginger beer
• Lime wedge

Preparation
Pour the rum over ice in highball and fill with ginger beer. Squeeze in the lime wedge.

Flying the Colors

Today, June 14, was Flag Day.  There is an American flag that flies outside the launchpad every day.  There are some who say that you put your flag out on Flag Day and fly it until the 4th of July.  There are others that only put it out on Federal holidays.  I like the flag outside the launchpad - but given that it is out there everyday - I'm going to need to replace it more often.  But out there it is.

Flag Day has always had significance in my family - it was my parent's wedding anniversary.  My parents were married for 53 years before my mother's death in 2006.  As most of you know, my dear readers, my father was reunited with my mother earlier this year.  I am sure they are tucked away in some corner of heaven (on a park bench) having a great time catching up.

June 14 is also my MIL's birthday - so if you know her or see her - be sure to wish her the best.

Alan LeGloahec, 1929-2017

On Monday, April 3, 2017, my father left this world for the next. His journey ended just days after a diagnosis of leukemia. My father was not a patient man, so my siblings and I all agreed that once he was presented with this diagnosis, he was going to get on with it. We would have liked more time with him, but we were blessed with 87 good years. The picture above shows him at 40 years of age - I found the picture about 10 years ago and was immediately struck by how much I looked at him. For many years, I had thought that I favored my mother's side of the family - but there was no denying that he was my father. The picture shows my father in his element, a book in his hands (though there is likely a glass of scotch close by and probably a cigarette burning in an ashtray) and the model ship in the background is one that he surely made, a lifelong devotion of his, making models, and painting lead soldiers.

This picture to the left shows my father at the Jones Beach airshow, just last summer. My father was not a veteran - but loved war movies, military history, and history in general. Below is a picture of my father at a tank museum that my siblings and I took him to, also just last summer. He made many a model of tanks - and there are many, many models of tanks that he never got to build. Maybe I can get LBA and SoBA in model building.

My mother passed away 11 years ago, this past February, and I am sure that he is back with her now. My mother firmly believed that when you got to heaven, you got to be whatever age you wanted and I hope for his sake, she is about 20 and he is the same. They were married for 53 years and raised four children - I am the youngest of all of us. He was also the proud grandfather of eight, LBA and SoBA, along with three children from my brother and sister. He also became a great grandfather just in the past few years.

For the past nine years, he was blessed to have found a companion who took care of him as much as he took care of her. While she could never replace my mother, he found love a second time, and my siblings and I were grateful that she was in his life.

My father spent his professional life on Madison Avenue. He was a Mad Man, before any of us knew what a Mad Man was. He started working at American Home Products, which later became Wyeth, before being bought by Pfizer, in pharmaceutical advertising. He later left AHP to go over to the advertising side exclusively, ending his career at McCann-Erickson. He really enjoyed watching MadMen, as we all did - and we looked forward to talking to him about the latest episode after it aired.

I can't begin to express my thanks to all of those who have supported me and my family over the past week - so many messages of love and support have come to us through Facebook, texts, phone calls, and emails. When we sent my father home on Thursday morning, my brother offered some words of remembrance about my father, quoting Napoleon, one of my father's favorite historical figures, by saying, "What is history but a fable agreed upon?" He offered several stories about my father, which my siblings and I all contributed to, and also included the words of the "Chairman of the Board":

"I’ve lived a life that’s full

I’ve traveled each and every highway

But more, much more than this,

I did it my way."

Thanks Dad for everything.  Rest well, you've earned it.  We all love you and miss you - but we know that you are always with us.

Mrs. BA Hits a Big Number

Today is Mrs. BA's birthday - she's hit the 1/2 century mark. I am more and more in love with her every single day.  She is the best wife and mother.  If you see her around today, make sure you wish her a happy birthday. 

Tonight we will gather at the pool (her favorite summer place) to celebrate with friends.  Tomorrow we leave for vacation. 

Doesn't she look great?  And I'm the one younger than she is?

FYI - dear readers, I am unplugging for the week while on vacation.  I am in need of a respite from technology for the week.  I plan to do as little as possible, except sit on the beach, swim in the ocean, and relax.  No Facebook, no games on my phone or other devices.  I'll be back soon!

French Apple Tart

Last week I posted about my aunt's Beef Stroganoff and the memories that it evokes.  Similarly, my grandmother lived with my aunt in her later years, though also spending the summer months in a big house in Maine, where the extended family would descend for weeks at a time.

Often, my grandmother would break out her French baking skills and make a tarte, though usually with plums, peaches, or some other summer fruit.  But this picture looks a lot like what she would make.

French Apple Tart
from Saveur via BuzzFeed
Serves 8

Ingredients 

• 1 1⁄4 cups flour, plus more for dusting 
• 12 tbsp. unsalted butter, cubed and chilled 
• 1⁄4 tsp. kosher salt 
• 7 Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored, and halved 
• 1⁄4 cup sugar 
• 1⁄2 cup apricot jam 
• Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, for serving

Instructions

1. Combine flour, 8 tbsp. butter, and salt in a food processor and pulse until pea-size crumbles form, about 10 pulses. Drizzle in 3 tbsp. ice-cold water and pulse until dough is moistened, about 3—4 pulses. Transfer dough to a work surface and form into a flat disk; wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. Unwrap dough and transfer to a lightly floured work surface. Using a rolling pin, flatten dough into a 13″ circle and then transfer to a 11″-tart pan with a removable bottom; trim edges; chill for 1 hour. 
2. Heat oven to 375º. Working with one apple half at a time, thinly slice into sections, keeping slices together. Press sliced apple half gently to fan it out; repeat with remaining apple halves. Place 1 fanned apple half on outer edge of the tart dough, pointing inward; repeat with 7 more apple halves. Separate remaining apple slices. Starting where the apple halves touch and working your way in, layer apples to create a tight rose pattern. Fill in any gaps with remaining apple. Sprinkle with sugar and then dot with remaining butter. Bake until golden brown, 60–70 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, heat apricot jam in a small saucepan until warmed and loose; pour through a fine strainer into a small bowl and set aside. Transfer tart to a wire rack; using a pastry brush, brush top of tart with jam. Let cool completely before slicing and serving with whipped cream.  

10 Years Gone

Ten years ago, at about this time of the morning, I received a call from my sister that my mother was gone.  It was not unexpected, she had been sick for a while and my siblings and I had all been home the previous weekend to say goodbye.  It didn't make it any easier, it never is, but we knew that at last, she was free of pain.

My mother firmly believed that God had a eternal datebook and that each day he opens it and there is a list of names on the page.  And if you're name is on it - then it's your time.  She used to say that when you would hear stories about people surviving plane crashes because they missed the flight or someone was taken too soon.  My mother had a good, long life and she got to meet LBA (seen above with her in 2005), but did not get to meet SoBA.

Social Media was just starting out when my mother was declining - and I used to get these "instant messages" from her that were laid out like email.  She was getting the hang of it and I say very often that she would have LOVED Facebook.  Not so much Twitter, though - my mother could never keep it to 140 characters.

My siblings and I have all faced challenges in these past 10 years and we've had a lot of great things in our lives, too.  Just the other day someone commented on Facebook that they had heard something that they wanted to call their mother and share with her - then realized she wasn't there anymore.  I feel that way a lot.

My mother also liked to say that in heaven you get to be whatever age you want and that you get to meet with whomever you like.  So I know that once she got there, after she reconnected with her family, she has dinner parties every night and all her favorites are there to hang out with her.  Frank Sinatra, Paul Newman came in 2008, Andy Williams stopped by in 2012.  I bet she hangs out with Juliette Gordon Low and Lady Baden-Powell a fair bit of the time as well.  I am sure that she was there to greet Bob when he left us too soon last September.

In her downtime (if she has any), I know that she is looking after all of us and that she is never ever completely gone from us.  I see a lot of her in SoBA (it's the gregarious personality and the non-stop conversational style), so that even though she didn't get to meet him - it's like she's always close by.

I love you Mom. 

Have a Magical Day!

On this date sixty years ago, Disneyland opened.  At the time of the opening, the park sat on 160 acres of former orange groves in Anaheim, California, and cost $17 million dollars to build.

Now that the Brave Astronaut clan is getting ready to take an honest to goodness vacation - coming soon! - Mrs. BA and I are thinking about a trip to warmer climes, specifically Florida.  Now Walt Disney World is an obvious destination - but neither Mrs. BA nor I are big fans of the Mouse.

Several years ago, we both attended a professional meeting "on campus" at the Dolphin Hotel.  Every time you got someone from the front desk on the phone, they closed the conversation with "Have a Magical Day." 

Going to Disney World would be fun and both LBA and SoBA would have a ball - though all I would really want to do is go to the Hall of Presidents.  And it requires the economy of a small country to take the family there.  One-day tickets start at $100 each!

If / When we go to Florida, we are more likely to head to Legoland.  That's just fun for everyone!

The Brave Astronaut Summer Vacation Plans

I have been itching to get the Brave Astronaut Clan up to Maine for vacation for several years.  I spent nearly every summer growing up at my grandmother's house in Owl's Head and it was always a great time. We will be heading "Down East" in early August!  From BuzzFeed

24 Reasons Everyone Should See Maine Before They Die
Maine’s state motto is simply “Dirigo,” which means “I direct” in Latin. Well, if you’re into beautiful places, I direct you to go check out Maine sometime.

1. Acadia National Park 
2. Nubble Lighthouse - you know the Brave Astronaut has a thing for lighthouses.  This state is one of the primary reasons why.
3. Cadillac Mountain - from its summit, you can be one of the first people in the United States to see the sunrise.
4. Owl’s Head Lighthouse - I used to walk there from my grandmother's house.
5. Kennebunkport, Maine 
6. Sand Beach on the Great Head Trail - also in Acadia
7. The Wonderland Trail in Acadia National Park
8. Otter Cliffs - there's a lot to see in Acadia
9. Bass Harbor Lighthouse 
10. Thunder Hole in Acadia National Park - this is very cool.  LBA and SoBA will love it.
11. Jordan Pond - also in Acadia, there is also a great restaurant.
12. Pretty Marsh - a great place to picnic
13. Deer Isle, Maine 
14. Marshall Point Lighthouse 
15. Old Orchard Beach - you can hang out with all the French Canadiens, who like to vacation there.
16. Moosehead Lake 
17. Freeport, Maine - two words, LL Bean.  And it's open 24 hours a day.
18. Pemaquid Point Lighthouse - somewhere I have a picture of blurry rocks and surf, snapped as I slipped on the rocks and slid toward the ocean.
19. Camden, Maine 
20. Baxter State Park 
21. Bethel, Maine - for the skiers among you
22. Monhegan Island 
23. Mount Desert Island 
24. Ogunquit, Maine 

And of course . . . lobster (unfortunately the Maine Lobster Festival runs from July 30 to August 4 this year - ending right before we get up there).  Eat lobster at a more responsible price than what you pay for it to be shipped out of the Pine Tree State.

21 Pop Culture References You Make That Go Over Your Kids’ Heads

One of the proudest moments I've had as a father was recently, when Harrison Ford crashed his plane on a California golf course back in March - I was explaining what had happened to LBA.  I asked him if he knew what I had immediately thought of when I heard about it.  He paused for a moment, I hinted to him that I was thinking of a movie line - and he immediately came up with the above.  There are occasions when LBA, Mrs. BA, and I will tell the other "I will text you"

So I'm fairly confident that LBA would get most of these. Via BuzzFeed

1. When you leave the room for a few minutes (it's possible that LBA may already do this):

Orion Pictures

2.  When your kid asks if you like the new Ariana Grande song:

NBC

3. When your kid runs to their room and slams the door (although slamming doors in our house means you lose your device for a period of time):

Morgan Creek

4. When your kid asks for milk, then whines that they want something else:

Dreamworks

5. When you drop your kid and their friends off at the mall (LBA recently discovered Rick Astley, unfortunately):

Epic

6. When your kid graduates from kindergarten/grade school/junior high:

Fox

7. When your kid asks if they can have ice cream for breakfast:

Paramount Pictures

8. When your kid is getting on your last nerve:

CBS

9. When your kid says something crazy:

NBC

10. When you “accidentally” turn off your kid’s video game at bedtime:

ABC

11. When your kid freaks out that their crush is going to be at a party (this movie might have to make it into the pizza/movie night rotation):

20th Century Fox

12. When your kid wants you to get up off the couch and play with them:

LifeCall

13. When you tell your kid you’re going to buy them a pony and they buy it hook, line, and sinker:

Paramount

14. When your kid wants to know “the truth” about something (it's possible that LBA has stumbled onto me watching this movie):

Columbia Pictures

15. When you walk in on your kid making a huge mess:

Calgon

16. When you see the new trailer for the supercool-looking new Pixar movie:

E!

 





17. When your kid complains they don’t have any money:

Fox

18. When your kid tells you they got the lead in the school play (I am sorry to say that LBA and SoBA have "discovered" Full House - really, really sorry):

ABC

 19. When your kid says, “I know, Mom/Dad”:

Hasbro

20. When your kid asks for a snack:

Virgin / EMI

21. When you’re teaching your kid to swim and they tell you not to let go (Ship Sinks - Boy Dies):

Paramount

The 12 Posts of Christmas (2014 edition) #11

Today is SoBA's birthday.  He turns 7!  Happy Birthday SoBA! 

The schedule for the annual trip north shifted a bit this year and shortly we are headed to my father's for the extended Brave Astronaut family Christmas.  Several weeks ago, both SoBA and LBA commented they loved going to New York because they got "crazy presents."  I think, in their vernacular, "crazy" means a lot.  But with my brother and sisters, it could go either way :).

This is the first time in several years we will be home for SoBA's birthday.  Of course, the boys are still in the midst of their "winter break" from school.  I'm pretty sure the boys don't want to go back to school - but my leave balance would really like it.  With the help of my mother-in-law (and my sisters-in-law) at the beginning of the vacation and some tag teaming with Mrs. BA and I, we've been managing before we head north for the New Year's weekend.

Happy Veteran's Day!

Through an interesting quirk of the calendar - today is the Veteran's Day federal holiday and Mrs. BA and I are off - but LBA and SoBA have school.  It's highly likely that Mrs. BA and I are going to the movies and we'll have popcorn for lunch.

I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge the contributions of our veterans to our nation and I thank them for their service (and for making sure we have a day off).

Much to the disappointment of Mrs. BA - summer is over, but she can look over this list (as can all of you) of the Top 50 Summer Blockbusters.  If I've seen the movie, I've noted that in italics.  From Dissolve via kottke.

Blockbusters have become such an integral part of the way we talk about films that it’s hard to believe they haven’t always been with us. But while there have always been big movies—lavish productions designed to draw crowds and command repeat business—the blockbuster as we know it has a definite start date: June 20, 1975. That’s when Jaws first hit screens in the middle of what was once, in the words of The Financial Times, a “low season” when the “only steady summer dollars came, in the U.S., from drive-in theaters.” It’s summer, after all; why go to the movies when you could be outside? Jaws changed that. Star Wars cemented that change. And now, the summer-movie season is dominated by the biggest films Hollywood has to offer. (At least traditionally; some signs suggest that the season is losing its meaning.) 

For our list of the 50 Greatest Summer Blockbusters, we decided to be strict in some ways and lax in others. Only films released in the United States between May 1 and August 31 qualified. That eliminated a lot of films that might have landed on a list of best blockbusters, including the Lord Of The Rings films (all winter releases) and The Matrix (released March 31, 1999). (In fact, only The Matrix Reloaded qualifies for consideration. Spoiler: It did not make the list.) Beyond that, however, we left it open, meaning films with laser cannons and exploding Escalades qualified, but so did animated movies, comedies, and any other sort of film released during summer months. We let the calendar define what it meant to be a summer movie, but let our panel of 12 critics define what made a film a blockbuster, narrowing it down from 655 contenders over the course of three rounds of voting. The process yielded a diverse bunch of movies starting with a comedy about a man discovering love late in life, and ending with… Well, we’ll get to that.

50. The 40-Year-Old Virgin(2005)
49. Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World(2010)
48. Babe(1995)
47. Top Gun(1986) - in fact LBA wandered in the other day when I was watching this and he got to watch a little bit.
46. Minority Report(2002)
45. The Lion King(1994)
44. Bull Durham(1988) - a baseball movie that LBA (who really, really likes the genre) may not watch yet.
43. The Iron Giant(1999)
42. Iron Man(2008)
41. The World’s End(2013)
40. Moulin Rouge!(2001) - I know this surprises me - it being a musical and all.
39. Up(2009)
38. Poltergeist(1982) - "YOU MOVED THE HEADSTONES BUT YOU LEFT THE BODIES - DIDN'T YOU!"
37. Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan(1982) - KHAAAAAANNNNNNNN!
36. Gremlins(1984) - really, it's a Christmas movie.
35. Batman(1989) - the first is the best.
34. The Thing(1982)
33. Risky Business(1983) - right in my high school wheelhouse. "The thing is, Joel, I don't have to pay for it."
32. Airplane!(1980) - Yes, I'm serious, and stop calling me Shirley.
31. A Fish Called Wanda (1988)
30. The Truman Show(1998)
29. The Muppet Movie(1979)
28. Inception(2010)
27. Midnight Run(1988) - One of Mrs. BA and my favorites. "I got two words for you . . . "
26. Spider-Man 2(2004)
25. The Shining(1980) - Mrs. BA wandered in while I was watching the end of this the other day.  Her comment, "this is more than this movie I have ever seen."
24. South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut(1999)
23. Toy Story 3(2010)
22. Finding Nemo(2003)
21. A.I.: Artificial Intelligence(2001)
20. Clueless(1995)
19. Pee-wee’s Big Adventure(1985) - I'm so ashamed.
18. Blade Runner(1982)
17. Apocalypse Now(1979) - Do you smell that, son?
16. Ghostbusters(1984) - I did mention that LBA and SoBA were ghostbusters for Halloween, right?
15. RoboCop(1987) - um. yeah, this one, too.
14. WALL-E(2008)
13. Terminator 2: Judgment Day(1991)
12. Alien (1979)
11. Star Wars(1977) - I want this to be higher on the list.
10. The Dark Knight (2008)
9. Jurassic Park (1993)
8. Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) 
7. The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
6. Aliens (1986)
5. E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
4. Raiders Of The Lost Ark (1981)
3. Die Hard (1988) - Again, now really a Christmas movie.
2. Back To The Future (1985)
1. Jaws (1975) - and every single time it's on, I'll watch it.

Car Games for the Long Road Trip

The Brave Astronaut clan is readying itself for the big trip north to celebrate Brave Astronaut's dad's 85th Birthday!  We usually amuse ourselves with the Alphabet Game (it really has helped both LBA and SoBA learn to read) and the License Plate Game on long car trips.  Here's a long list of other car games that you can give a whirl the next time your in the car. From BuzzFeed.

1. Car Cricket (Baseball) - Probably the oldest game of all. Each player takes it in turns to bat. One run for each car you pass, two for motorbikes, four for a van, six for a bus or truck. If it’s a red car, you’re out, and the next player goes into bat. Variation: Car Snooker. You get one point when you see a red one, then you have to wait for a different color: yellow (two points), green (three), brown (four), blue (five) – etc. If you see a white car, it’s a foul, you lose four points, and it’s the next person’s go.
2. The Yes/No game - How hard is it to avoid saying “Yes” or “No”? Harder than you think. Whoever is ‘It’ has to answer all questions without saying “Yes” or “No”. The classic tactic is of course to say “You said ‘yes’ just now” - to which the inevitable response is: “No I didn’t!”
3. Think of Something - Each child is asked to think of an object with a particular characteristic. The game’s success depends on the parents varying the question to suit the ability of the child. Young children might have to think of something green, or made of wood, say, the older ones might have to come up with something Japanese, or Elizabethan, or soluble. It’s a great learning tool as younger children aspire to the knowledge of their elders.
4. Car-color bingo - An easy game for younger children. Pick a color, score a point for each color you drive past. The winner is the first to reach, say, 20. Insider knowledge: if you want to win, pick silver.
5. 5-4-3-2-1 - Players take it in turns to spot an interesting object, out of the window. Say it’s a cow: they then shout “Cow! 5…4…3…2…1”. The other players have to locate, point to and say the name of the object before the countdown reaches one. Whoever identifies it is the next spotter. You can add to your score the number the questioner reached. Not one for the driver, obviously. 
6. Character counting - How many characters are there in your favorite films and TV shows? Each player takes it in turn to name a character, with others helping out if they get stuck. It’s a collaborative game, where you’re all working together. Suggestions: Harry Potter, Star Trek, Star Wars, Disney films, Lord of the Rings and so on…
7. Countries of the world - The first player names a country beginning with A, such as Afghanistan. The next player then has to think of a country that begins with the last letter of the country just named – Norway, for example. You can make the kids think of cities as well if you want the game to be easier.
8. The name game - The first player say the name of a well-known figure, including a description of what they’re famous for – such as “Gordon Brown, former Prime Minister”. The next player has to name someone who shares the same first or second name: “James Brown, singer”. It continues – by specifying the occupations, you prove the person you’ve named is real. 
9. Name that tune - Each player takes it in turn to hum the theme tune to a well-known film or TV show: whoever guesses it correctly gets the next go.  My mother and I used to play this with the "seek" or "scan" buttons on the radio.  First to identify the song when it stops on a radio station, wins.
10. Alphabet shopping - The first player begins: “I went to the supermarket and I bought an apple.” The next player has to think of something you can buy in a supermarket beginning with B, and so on. You vary the game by visiting other shops – bookshops, record shops and so on.
11. Uncle Bobby - Uncle Bobby reads books but not magazines. He’s a good accountant, although he can add, but he can’t subtract. He eats noodles, but not pasta. He likes the color green, but not blue or red. Uncle Bobby, of course, only likes things that have double letters in them. Once each player works out the rules, they can take part by saying other things Uncle Bobby likes and dislikes. And if that’s getting old, Aunt Jemima only likes things ending in a vowel.
12. What has an eye but no nose? The answer, of course, is a needle. It’s a game that can be extended endlessly with little mental effort – you’d be surprised how many body parts are used figuratively in everyday speech. Here are some examples:
• What has a tongue but no teeth? A shoe. 
• What has teeth but no lips? A comb. 
• What has legs but no arms? A table. 
• What has arms but no hands? A coat (or chair). 
• What has hands but no fingers? A clock. 
• What has a neck but no head? A wine bottle. 
• What has a face but no hair? A watch. 
• What has ears but no cheeks? Corn. 
13. Celebrity Challenge - You think of a well-known figure – they could be real, or from a cartoon, say; the kids have to ask questions about their lives and accomplishments to work out who the person is. “Dead or alive,” “Real or imaginary”. Make sure you mix things up when it’s the kids’ turn by dropping in random questions like whether they like mashed potato or own a hairdryer. 
14. Car Singalong - Try to do it this well. Somewhere at the launchpad is a sing-along book.
15. Scavenger hunt - You can actually go the extra mile here and prepare a list of items for kids to look out for on the journey, and print it off. If it’s a route you know well, customize the list by adding things you know you’re going to pass on the way. - Dog walker - Police car - Ambulance - A ‘School’ sign - McDonald’s - A dog in another car - Someone picking their nose etc. 
16. We’ll be there before you can say… “Sixteen slimy serpents slithered surreptitiously on the silver sand as they sped silently southwards.” Or “On Monday morning I made a model of a magical mouse with many mandibles, and mailed it to a man in Manchester.” It takes a bit of thought to come up with alliterative sentences. Learn the phrase, try to get the kids to repeat it word-for-word. 
17. BONUS: I feel sick! Not a game – but a couple of tips for when you hear those words. Opening the window does actually help, as does closing your eyes.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Today is my sister's birthday.  She's got some snow today from my mother.  Winter might be done with us now.  Happy Birthday Peg!  Did you have some green cake today?  No?  How about this one - it was the winning cake from Mrs. BA in her office March Madness Bakeoff - this week is Pies!

Salted Caramel Ding Dong Cake
from Epicurious
Bon Appétit | October 2012
by Janet McCracken and Alison Roman
Yield: Makes 12 servings

Ingredients
Cake:

• Nonstick vegetable oil spray 
• 1 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder 
• 4 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped 
• 1 cup hot strong coffee 
• 3/4 cup buttermilk 
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract 
• 2 cups cake flour 
• 1 teaspoon baking powder 
• 1 teaspoon baking soda 
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt 
• 2 cups sugar 
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature 
• 3 large eggs 

Caramel ganache:

• 9 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped 
• 1 1/8 teaspoons kosher salt 
• 1 cup sugar 
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

Filling and assembly:

• 1 1/4 teaspoons unflavored gelatin 
• 1 1/2 cups chilled heavy cream 
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar 
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise 
• Flaky sea salt (such as Maldon) 

Special equipment: Two 9"-diameter cake pans with 2"-high sides; a 9"-diameter springform pan

Preparation
For cake: Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat cake pans with nonstick spray. Line bottom of pans with parchment-paper rounds; coat paper. Place cocoa powder and chocolate in a medium metal bowl. Pour hot coffee over. Let stand for 1 minute. Stir until smooth. Stir in buttermilk and vanilla; set aside.

Whisk cake flour and next 3 ingredients in a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating to blend between additions and occasionally scraping down sides and bottom of bowl. Beat until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add dry ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with chocolate mixture in 2 additions, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Divide batter evenly between pans; smooth tops.

Bake cakes until a tester inserted into the centers comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Transfer to wire racks; let cakes cool in pans for 10 minutes (cakes will deflate slightly). Run a knife around pans to loosen cakes; invert cakes onto racks. Peel off paper and let cakes cool completely. Turn cakes over.

If needed, use a long serrated knife to cut off bumps or trim dome from top of each cake to create a flat, even surface.

For caramel ganache: Place chocolate and salt in a medium bowl. Stir sugar and 1/4 cup water in a medium deep saucepan over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and cook without stirring, occasionally swirling pan and brushing down sides with a wet pastry brush, until sugar is deep amber, about 9 minutes. Remove from heat and gradually add cream (mixture will bubble vigorously). Stir over medium heat until caramel bits dissolve. Pour over chocolate in bowl. Add vanilla; stir until mixture is smooth. Let cool slightly.

Place 1 cake layer in springform pan. Pour 1 cup ganache over. Chill until set, about 30 minutes. Cover remaining ganache and let stand at room temperature.

For filling and assembly: Place 2 tablespoons cold water in a small heatproof glass or metal bowl. Sprinkle gelatin over; let stand until gelatin softens, about 10 minutes.

Pour water to a depth of 1/2" into a small skillet set over medium heat. Transfer bowl with gelatin to skillet; stir until gelatin dissolves, about 2 minutes. Remove bowl from skillet. Set aside.

Place cream and powdered sugar in a large bowl. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean. Using an electric mixer, beat cream until soft peaks form. Add gelatin; beat filling until firm peaks form.

Spoon filling over chilled ganache on cake layer in pan; smooth top. Gently place second cake layer on top. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and chill until cream layer is set, at least 6 hours or overnight.

Remove sides from springform pan. Using a knife or offset spatula, scrape off any filling that may have leaked out from between cakes to form smooth sides. Transfer cake to a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet.

Rewarm remaining ganache until just pourable. (Microwave in a microwave-safe bowl, or set a metal bowl over a large saucepan of simmering water until just warm, not hot.) Pour ganache over cake, tilting cake as needed to allow ganache to drip down sides and using an offset spatula to help spread ganache, if needed, to cover sides of cake. Chill until ganache is set, about 1 hour. DO AHEAD: Cake can be made 2 days ahead. Cover with a cake dome; chill. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour before serving.

Sprinkle cake with flaky sea salt.

The Twelve Posts of Christmas - #11 (2013 Edition)

It's the recap / review blog post.  As I write this post, it's snowing outside the launchpad.  It is just enough to make things pretty - but not enough to cancel work for tomorrow - and LBA and SoBA are still off until next Monday so they didn't need to wear their pajamas inside out.

We spent Christmas Eve with Mrs. BA's family and LBA got his dinner wish of tacos/Mexican food for dinner.  My MIL was unable to join us - having gone to the hospital with pneumonia.  She's better now, after some antibiotics.  We had planned to have LBA and SoBA spend today and tomorrow with her - but between Mrs. BA and I, we are splitting the two days.  Mrs. BA took today and I am home tomorrow.

On Christmas Day, we celebrated both the day and the birthday of LBA.  We had a very nice dinner with some friends, "my sister Nancy" and C in DC's family.  This is becoming a tradition of having C in DC over for Christmas dinner, having done it for several years in a row.

The next day - we packed up and headed north for celebrations with the extended Brave Astronaut Clan.  We enjoyed out time there - having a nice family dinner on Thursday evening (and some cutthroat card playing) - then a trip to NYC on Friday.  There was rain in the forecast for Sunday - so everyone bugged out on Saturday, including us.  We had a relatively easy trip up and back, though it's possible our trip back may have gone well because the car was lighter.  You see, we left a duffel bag of clothes in New York, but luckily friends from town were also visiting Long Island and brought our bag home to us.

For New Years Eve, we continued with the tradition of celebrating with our good friends with fondue.  This year, we had our cheese fondue "appetizer" and then a wonderful dinner of beef tenderloin.  For dessert this year, I made a batch of crepes, which we ate with salted caramel sauce, jams, and fresh whipped cream.  We stayed until about 10, heading home, where LBA made it up until midnight.  It was a little uncomfortable watching Dick Clark's Rockin Eve with him, I came to the conclusion that I am too old for the music, he's too young for it.  And Jenny McCarthy is just awful.

On New Year's Day, we went to a friend's new house for an Open House - it was great to see her and many friends to celebrate the new year.  Today I went back to work and Mrs. BA stayed home with LBA and SoBA, though she took them to see "Frozen".  I am not sure what we will do tomorrow - as it is supposed to be bitter cold.

So another Christmas season is passing on - this weekend will be spent de-Christmasing the house.  I hope all of you, dear readers, enjoyed a wonderful holiday season and all the best wishes for a healthy and happy 2014!

Save Christiano's!

I usually have several recipes ready to go (they're the easiest posts to write, of course), and I do have several lined up for the next few Mondays.  However, I learned over the weekend that a local landmark where I grew up is slated to close and, though likely futile, I'd like the opportunity to tell you about it, with the hopes that someone (Billy Joel?, a Syosset High School Class of 1985 alum in Hollywood, with some disposable income? - you know who you are.) can save this local institution.

Christiano's restaurant, reputed, though often disputed, to be the inspiration for Billy Joel's song, "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant" is closing its doors after 55 years.  The restaurant, which is now owned by the Singh Hospitality Group, will close soon and be "reinvented" as another restaurant, though not an Italian one.

The restaurant has been an anchor in "town" ever since it opened in 1958.  Syosset residents have been going there for the pizza, the lasagne, the wine, and the atmosphere.  Just a few years ago, when I attempted to organize a high school class reunion - only a few of us were able to make it - but we went there, because it was the right place to go.

My sister had a boyfriend once, who one evening was in Christiano's having dinner when they spotted Billy Joel across the dining room.  He and his friend, knew they had to do something.  They finally decided to sign their autographs on a napkin and went over to Billy Joel and handed it to them, saying something to the effect of, "You're always signing autographs, so we thought you might like ours."  They then turned around and went back to their table.  Billy looked at the autographs, looked over at them, and then got up and went over to talk with them, saying, "I can't believe you guys did that.  That was pretty good."

My father, my siblings and I were at Christiano's a little more than seven years ago.  It was the final weeks of my mother's life (she passed away seven years ago today), and we wanted to all go out together.  We went to Christiano's because it was about family.

So, I was a little sad today on many levels.  I miss my mother.  A lot.  I'm also sad that I'm losing another piece of my youth that is being lost to time.  And I'm a little sad, because I also didn't know what to make for dinner tonight.  But we managed to eat something.

The 12 Posts of Christmas (2012), volume XI

The Brave Astronaut clan is making their way to New York for a few days of "enforced family fun."  My siblings will also be in attendance. Tomorrow will of course be for family - Friday we are planning to head into New York to take in the Christmas sights.

When one thinks of New York, what comes to mind?  For me it is a bevy of things - the Empire State Building, Central Park, the subway, the sights and sounds of the city at Christmastime, and many others.  This year, several people sought to capture the essence of New York in a list of objects.  Inspired by “A History of the World in 100 Objects,” the British Museum’s BBC radio series and book, The New York Times recruited historians and museum curators to identify 50 objects that could embody the narrative of New York. WNYC Radio host Leonard Lopate also asked his listeners to participate in a similar project.  That list of ten appears first.

1. Object #1: The Greek Coffee Cup 
2. Object # 2: The Subway Token 
3. Object # 3: The Food Cart 
4. Object #4: The Oyster 
5. Object #5: 18th-Century Ship Excavated from WTC Site in 2010 
6. Object #6: Frank O'Hara's Lunch Poems 
7. Object #7: The Brooklyn Bridge 
8. Object #8: "Wall St." Sign 
9. Object #9: Manhattan Schist 
10. Object #10: The NYC Subway Map 

Here's the New York Times list.  I'm not linking all of these - you can click on the link to see more.

1. Mastodon Tusk, About 11,000 B.C.
2. Munsee Arrowhead, Pre-1700 
3. The Schaghenbrief, 1626 
4. The Flushing Remonstrance, 1657 
5. Painting of New Amsterdam, 1665
6. The Oyster, Late 1600s 
7. English-Dutch Dictionary, 1730 
8. Beads From the African Burial Ground, 1700s 
9. A Horse’s Tail, 1776 
10. Washington’s Balcony, 1789 
11. Wooden Water Pipes, About 1800 
12. Randel’s Map, 1811 
13. Lake Erie Keg, 1825 
14. Singer Sewing Machine, 1851 
15. Patent for Otis Elevator Brake, 1861 
16. The Lefferts’ Cookbook, 1800s 
17. Checks of Boss Tweed, 1866-1870 
18. Edison’s Dynamo, 1882 
19. Brooklyn Bridge Toll Ticket, About 1883-1898 
20. Manuscript of ‘The New Colossus,’ 1883 
21. Sculpture of the 1898 Consolidation 
22. Child’s Shoes From the General Slocum, 1904 
23. Tiffany Subway Throttle, 1904
24. Battle’s Badge, 1911 
25. The Automat Machine, 1912 
26. The Bagel, Early 1900s 
27. 1913 Armory Show Stamp 
28. First Yankee Stadium Program, 1923 
29. Rivoli Air Conditioning Advertisement, 1925 
30. Ticker Tape, 1929 
31. The Artichoke, 1933 
32. Tree of Hope, 1934 
33. Time Capsule From 1939 World’s Fair 
34. Levittown House, 1947 
35. 1955 World Series Banner 
36. Checker Taxicab, 1952-1986 
37. Diplomatic Plates, 1960s Onward 
38. ‘Tonight Show’ Audio Track, 1962
39. Greek Coffee Cup, 1960s 
40. Bernstein’s Baton, 1969 
41. Saturday Night Special, 1960s Onward 
42. ‘FORD TO CITY: DROP DEAD’ Headline, 1975 
43. AIDS Button, 1980s 
44. Loisaida Avenue Sign, 1987 
45. The Boom Box, 1980s 
46. The Phantom’s Mask, 1988 
47. The MetroCard, 1994 
48. 9/11 Dust, 2001 
49. Mast Brothers Chocolate Bar, 2007 Onward 
50. Meng Political Sign, 2012

Attending a Reception

Tomorrow morning the Brave Astronaut clan is hitting the road for North Carolina.  My nephew got married some time back and his new wife's parents are throwing a party in their honor tomorrow night.  It should be fun.

My sister, father, and his girlfriend are making the trip down from New York.  My other sister (my nephew's mother), her husband, and their other two boys will be there of course.  Also making the trip are at least two of my cousins, who I haven't seen in probably 15 years.

My grandmother used to have a big house in Maine - where the three branches of the family (my father, his brother, and sister) would appear for periods over the course of the summer.  I used to see them fairly frequently growing up - but it has been hard as adults for us to connect (other than virtually on the Innertubes).  It will be really great to see them!

Allergic Reactions

Tomorrow, LBA will see a new allergist.  We learned when he was just about 18 months old that he was allergic to peanuts.  I may have let him have a piece of my english muffin that had some peanut butter on it.  The tiniest morsel made it into his mouth and suddenly he was wheezing and flushed.  Off to the emergency room we went.  So he was indeed allergic to peanuts. When we went to the allergist is was also determined that he was also allergic to pistachios.  His allergies are slight - he can be around the nuts, he just can't eat them.  He knows this and knows to ask about things before he eats them.

To my knowledge, I have only one allergy - it's to penicillin.  As an infant, I was given penicillin and broke out in a roseola rash.  The family doctor decided it was easier to just declare I was allergic to penicillin and I haven't had it since then.

I read somewhere a while back about the "explosion" of childhood allergies and how it might have come from the exponential rise of anti-bacterial soaps and lotions.  It is believed that we are washing off some of the "good" bacterias that help us to fight off reactions to items that are introduced into our bodies.

Mrs. BA and I are hopeful that LBA grows out of his allergies (it appears that SoBA is not allergic to anything).  Let's see what the allergist says tomorrow.

Twas the Night Before Christmas

The Brave Astronaut clan are staying home for the holidays. Many of you are aware of the troublesome trip we had while going to visit with my family. Thanksgiving has been off the board for several years now and it is possible that making the trip at Christmas may soon follow. It's just too hard with LBA and SoBA in tow. Unless we are spending Christmas somewhere warm.

Tonight will be spent with Mrs. BA's family and then tomorrow morning we will all be waking in our own beds to see what Santa has brought us. It is also LBA's birthday - so the day will start out as Christmas and end as his birthday. We are having C in DC and her lovely family over for dinner (it's OK Mom, there are people coming) and the Christmas China will be coming out.

Tonight I will likely read a Christmas story to the boys before they head off to bed. Maybe this one.

My fervent wish to all of you, as always, is that you will always be able to hear the sound of the sleigh bell. Merry Christmas to you and yours.