February 25 Valley Life Column

February 25 Valley Life column in AG Weekly

Winter Olympics prompts heated discussions about ice

"You were more fun when we were dating." I say this to my husband as we munch popcorn on the sofa and watch the winter Olympics.

We're very different. He'd rather watch the luge and downhill skiers while I prefer the contenders on ice, making the triple axels, combination spins and flying camels look easy. He glances at me, then turns his attention back to the television.

He doesn't speak, not because he doesn’t have anything to say. It's more that he doesn’t want to get into a lengthy debate or miss the commentators' remarks. Besides, we've had this conversation before. In fact, just last December when it was bitter cold and our driveway was glazed with ice.

"This would make a perfect ice skating rink," I said then with enthusiasm as we slipped across the ice to the truck.

When he didn't comment, I continued. "You could level out the gravel with the tractor. We could add water an inch at a time until we had the perfect rink. We could do it right there."

He looked to where I pointed and turned the key in the ignition.

My voice grew more animated as I imagined an ice rink right outside my back door. "It wouldn't be that hard to do," I persisted. "I still have my skates."
When I wouldn't stop nagging he said, "When it melts, where would all the water go."
He didn't say it as a question. He said it more as a fact, reminding me that there is always a downside to my bright ideas.
That's when I said, "You were more fun when we were dating. Remember how we used to skate at Wilson Lake. We'd take a lunch and hot chocolate and skate until our toes turned numb."

"That was years ago," he said as we drove towards town.

He thought I'd forget, but I mention the ice rink again as we munch popcorn and watch Tatiana Navka and Roman Kostomarov cha cha, rumba and samba over the ice.

"I could skate like that if we had an ice rink and someplace to practice."

"Right," he says. "And I can luge down Baldy at 90 miles per hour." He snuggles close, planning to share my bowl of popcorn.

"Get your own." I pull away.

"You know," he says, "sometimes you're right. You were a lot more fun when we were dating."
©Bonnie Dodge

February 18 Valley Life Column

February 18 Valley Life Column in AG Weekly

Celebrate Mardi Gras by baking a cake

My husband loves spice cake. He doesn't get it often, just once a year for his birthday. This year, since his birthday falls on Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras), I'm thinking about making one of those New Orleans King Cakes instead.

The reason I want to try something new is simple. As far as I’m concerned, my husband’s traditional spice cake is a pain in the butt to make. The first time I tried to make it, I made a mess.

We were newly engaged and I offered to make the official birthday cake. I could cook. I knew how to bake -- it would be simple, a piece of cake.

Wrong. His mother’s recipe called for buttermilk. There was no buttermilk in the refrigerator, but I found a box of powdered buttermilk in the cupboard. Instead of mixing the powdered milk with water first like the box suggested, I dumped it in with the dry ingredients and for some reason only the cake gods know, the cake never set. It looked more like spice pudding after it baked the required 35 minutes, and I left a trail of the messy concoction on his mother’s carpet on my way to the bathroom to dump the mess down the toilet.

The next time I tried to make the cake, I mastered the cake part, but had trouble with the brown sugar frosting. The ingredients are simple: sugar, butter, milk and a pinch of salt. But the trick is in the cooking. If you remove the frosting from the stove too soon, it turns stringy and syrupy. If you cook it too long, it sets up before you can frost the cake.

I've been making this cake for 35 years, and by now, you would think I'd have that cake mastered. But every year, it's still a mystery as to how the official birthday cake will turn out.

That's why I'm thinking about trying something different this year, like that New Orleans King Cake, which is decorated with colored sugar instead of cooked brown sugar frosting. A "baby" is hidden in the cake before it is served, and the person who gets the baby is considered lucky and responsible for providing the cake the next year.

Since I will be serving the cake, I could make sure my husband gets the baby. I could even whip up some gumbo or jambalaya. We could celebrate Mardi Gras along with his birthday, and he would be surprised when I bring out the cake. But it would be just my luck to get the baby.
©Bonnie Dodge

February 11 Valley Life Column

February 11 Valley Life Column in AG Weekly

Use herbs to capture your valentine's heart

The other day, I was looking through an herb book I got for Christmas when I came across some interesting facts. I knew basil could be dried and used in potpourri, but I didn’t know if you offered a sprig of basil to the man you loved, and if he accepted it, he was yours forever.

I knew people in the Middle Ages made a hand wash for the table by boiling bay leaves in water with orange peel, but I didn't know Tudor maidens used to place bay leafs under their pillows on Valentine's Day and whisper, "Saint Valentine, be kind to me, In my dreams, let me true love see." Then, if they dreamed of love, they were sure to marry within the year.

I also knew many Europeans believed laurel leaves brought good luck and warded off evil, but I didn't know that tying three laurel leaves to the bottom of your bed guaranteed your lover's devotion, or that suitors put dried sage under their tongues to ensure a happy courtship.

Other herbs reputed to capture your lover's heart include lavender, rose, thyme, rosemary, jasmine, juniper, myrtle, sandalwood and elderflower. Many spells have been concocted using herbs to attract a loved one. Some believe if you plant marigolds where your loved one walks, he will be faithful to you forever. Or that, if you wrap a lock of your loved-one's hair along with the burnt ashes of a small piece of your lover's clothing and a handful of Johnny jump-ups in a white handkerchief and bury the handkerchief under your porch, your love will be true.

I've been known to plant marigolds where my husband has walked, and I do use basil and laurel leaves to sweeten a room, but lucky for me we no longer have a porch. I can just imagine what would happen if my husband came home from work and found me burning his clothes, let alone digging a hole in which to bury them. I'd need more than fresh basil sprigs to save me.
©Bonnie Dodge

February 4 Valley Life Column

February 4 Valley Life column in AG Weekly

Chinese New Year comes to Jerome

Sitting on the sofa with a book and my toy poodle, Cocoa, snuggled up beside me, I’m happy to be inside, out of the weather. Cocoa’s sister, the Lhasa apso, Caley, is sprawled on the floor in a dead sleep, snoring in front of the fire. Neither one of my canine friends cares that the snow and rain is intermittent, turning the yard outside into one mucky mess. Neither cares that the holidays are over or that we are looking at a new year, the Year of the Dog, according to the Chinese zodiac.

But Caley should, because in people years, 2006 is her Chinese birthday. Born in 1994, along with those born in 1922, 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, or 2006, she was born under the sign of The Dog.

If she were human and believed Chinese lore, she might believe those born under the sign of The Dog are honest and faithful, easy to get along with, excellent listeners, and held in high regard by their friends. She might also believe that Dog people make good leaders.

But she’d be slow to admit they can be selfish, stubborn and eccentric. Or emotionally cold and sometimes distant, finding fault with many things, and noted for their sharp tongues.

She might also follow the predictions that occupations best suited for her include nursing, interior decorating, counseling, politics, law enforcement, psychiatry, science or teaching. If she were looking for a soul mate, she would be compatible with those born in the Years of the Horse, Tiger, and Rabbit.

What that means for Cocoa, I’m not sure. In people years, he was born under the sign of The Rooster. And, true to form, Cocoa has a flamboyant personality. He can be feisty and obstinate. He is quite the extrovert who loves to strut his stuff, especially after visiting the groomer.

"Look at me," he seems to say as he prances around the house showing Caley his new haircut and colorful kerchief. Caley tolerates his flamboyant behavior, but I wouldn’t call them the best of friends.

Born under the sign of The Dog, Caley has many positive character traits. She is loyal, faithful and easy to get along with. She can also be stubborn to a fault, or a good listener, especially if I’m talking about pizza, cookies or treats. I can guarantee you the last thing Caley wants is a job. As long as I keep her fed and warm, she’s happy to keep me company. That’s work enough for her.

I don’ think I’ll tell Caley that this year marks her Chinese birthday. Then she’d expect more presents, special attention and bigger doggie treats. The only other female in this house, she already has us jumping -- and as far as I’m concerned, she’s spoiled enough. Even Cocoa thinks so as she wakes from her nap, jumps up onto the sofa and weasels her way beside us.
©Bonnie Dodge