The View From Mrs. Sundberg's Window
That's why they call it "comfort food," I guess
November 24, 2009
Listened to the show Saturday and it was not bad. I could hear gunshots in the distance while Mr. Keillor was talking about tundra swans, and I'll confess it got my mouth watering for a good meal of grouse or pheasant. I grew up in a family of bird hunters, and around this time of year there was always creamed pheasant to look forward to.
Which reminds me, I have to pull that turkey out of the freezer. There's a decent number of people planning to join us on Thursday, and everything is just about set to go except for one more trip to the grocery store. I'm planning on mashed potatoes, green bean hot dish, corn casserole, salad, sweet potatoes, dressing, cranberries, and pumpkin pie. And rolls. The usual. That's why they call it "comfort food," I guess. You can count on it. It's how it has been.
It would be nice, though, to shake it up a bit once in a while. The food, of course, is the obvious thing. We could roast something on a spit over a campfire for Thanksgiving. Or cook up a seven course meal, each course from a different country. Or just eat bread and water this time around to really drive home the concept of Grateful. But when I say "shake it up," I'm thinking on a bigger scale. Invite all the neighbors over this year. Double everything you're making and treat a family who might appreciate it to a surprise turkey dinner. Abandon the cooking and volunteer at a homeless shelter. Something. Anything to get us all out of our comfort zones.
It's tough to know what you've got to be grateful for if things never change, unless things never changing is what you're grateful for, and who wants that? We wouldn't enjoy the winter so much if it weren't for the spring. Thanks be for the seasons, and for surprises, and for sudden storms that snow you in. Thanks be for the good that comes out of most things, and for this day, and for whatever comes next.
Warm or cold, this cake makes a good afterschool snack. The frosting is extra-thick, and I always add a bit of allspice to ratchet up the flavor a bit.
Pumpkin Cake
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
2 cups pumpkin
1 ½ sticks melted butter
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
Blend first four ingredients. Add dry ingredients. Mix well. Pour into a greased and floured 9x13 cake pan. Bake at 400, 25 minutes or until set in middle.
Frost with cream cheese frosting: blend 1 stick softened butter, 8 ounces cream cheese, 1 16 oz package powdered sugar, 1 T vanilla. Add a few drops of milk to soften if necessary.
Enjoy!
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The View From Mrs. Sundberg's Window Archive
- Tenderness and lightheartedness
- The storm is coming
- Alive in the best way
- A gentle spirit and good soul
- Don't want to miss no more
- Just the kind of day for hard work
- Nice to have a place
- I see the woman winning
- A mood affecting the body
- From there to here
- Nostalgia's door is flung wide open
- Toward the Next Thing
- The Big Cry
- Take some time and spend it
- The sleeper must awaken
- Patience brings good things
- The world is full of adventure
- Something to be said for the moment
- The land of Heat
- Gifts for the good life
- Work is like air
- One fine afternoon out there in the park
- To life and to Onward and to the rain pouring down
- Memory is such a blessed thing
- So many ways of looking at a thing
- The rhubarb capital of Minnesota
- Today light shines on it all
- All kinds of things worthy of mention
- Mother's Day Adventure
- Life is as sweet as it is difficult
- A lovely meal for a lovely girl
- The feeling of being sated, in mind and body
- Keeping a little mystery in life
- Here's to spring, yours and mine
- Naps, for me, are a dream in themselves
- One Free Day
- A sweet reward after finishing our taxes
- Seems I was the perp in what he called "a hit and run" at the pastry shop
- Fresh out of cough drops
- Dumped on
- Salt of the Month Club
- Valentine's Day Kisses
- A candle to light for someone you love, or for yourself, even.
- Nothing like fresh air to give a person a sense of well-being.
- Washing machine coma.
- Something about January
- I've always been a proponent of living in the moment
- I've been up to my ears in gift wrapping and baking
- Nothing like having a ton of snow dumped on you out of the blue.
- It's the time of year when the kids tend to hover a bit.
- Got distracted by a recipe for spritz cookies, and that led to a grilled cheese sandwich and then five grilled cheese sandwiches.
- I do turn in a bit earlier on November nights, especially after days like Saturday when I work my tail end off.
- There's nothing like the first big snow of the season
- Life is such a wild trip.
- I was born optimistic
- Something about wind has always had an effect on me
- I was the naughtiest girl in third grade
- Your skin crackles in the gold of the setting sun
- That's why we have hot baths, hot dish, hugs and naps
- Worms. Hundreds of them.
- It's always a big question this time of year, about pumpkins, that is
- It's a challenge, for us, yes, a kind of thrill, even
- Here's to the bright side and to pencil sharpeners that work
- A person ought to do a bit of reflecting
- Smiles on their faces and their own stories to tell
- Living in the Moment
- The heat rises up like some kind of wild creature
- Sounds like a good time to me
- I put on some music for waltzing
- A party isn't necessarily festive or wild
- A Postcard from Mrs. Sundberg
- You stand there looking at each other, memorizing each other's face
- Free to Get Done What Needs Doin'
- You don't want any scars, stay home and watch TV
- And that's when they tell me things
Complete The View From Mrs. Sundberg's Window Archive
