Back on my piddling schedule

First, I took the boys to school. They were on a two-hour delay so we were unhurried which was good because Logan had much stuff to carry - his books, his backpack, his science fair project board, and his now-belated Valentine's Day gift for Sydney. Luke had to help Logan get all of his stuff into school.


Logan with Sydney's Valentine's Day present.
(It's candy and a bracelet he made.)

When I got home, I turned on The Diane Rehm Show and started piddling around this place. Yesterday I got off my schedule because I took the kids and some of their friends to the bowling alley. While I was in town, I went to the grocery store. It really is amazing how fast things (dishes and laundry) pile up. So I was glad that the kids went to school and I had the day ahead of me to whip things into shape.

I started right in on the laundry and dishes. I was rushing around here like Zippity Rabbit which made me wish that I hadn't broken my pedometer two days ago. So I went on-line and got side-tracked looking for reviews of pedometers, which led me to reviews of the best walking shoes, which led me to "the ten biggest walking mistakes." I made a list of the best pedometers and shoes to take with me next Wednesday when I'll be in Cincinnati for Logan's orthodontist appointment.

Even though I love to cook and eat, I also love to be healthy and in reasonable shape. Luckily, I have four calorie-burning things that I love to do - horse-riding, volleyball (we play almost every evening in the summer), dancing, and walking. Walking is my winter sport. I go down in the basement and tear it up on the treadmill. A pedometer helps me keep track of the walking I do all day, not just the treadmill walking. Wearing a pedometer motivates me to walk even more. So when I say "I did laundry," you have to imagine me rushing around here with stacks of sorted clothes or laundry baskets.

I made some phone calls to bag customers, fixed myself half of a meatloaf sandwich, and listened to the second hour of Diane Rehm. I was feeling a low-blood-sugar feeling and started looking around for something to bake. I had some cranberries in the refrigerator that I've been meaning to use since Christmas; I got them out and they were mostly still good. I picked through them and threw away the mushy ones. The rest I used to make this amazing recipe that comes from Laurie Colwin's book "More Home Cooking." The friend who gave this recipe to Ms. Colwin called it Nantucket Cranberry Pie, which is misleading because this is a cake. A fruity, buttery, walnut-ty concoction that is made to go with a cup of coffee.

Nantucket Cranberry Pie (cake)


1. Chop enough cranberries to make 2 cups and enough walnuts to make 1/2 cup. (I do this in my blender and usually use extra walnuts because I love them.)
2. In the bottom of a 10-inch pie plate or springform pan, place the chopped cranberries, chopped walnuts, and 1/2 cup sugar.
3. Mix 2 eggs, 3/4 cup melted butter, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup flour and 1 teaspoon almond extract. Stir until smooth.
4. Pour over cranberry-walnut mixture and bake for 35-40 minutes at 350 degrees.

When it has been out of the oven for ten minutes, invert onto a plate and let cool completely before covering. I always set the timer for that 10 minutes because things left in the pan longer don't want to come out. (I let a birthday cake sit in the pan overnight one time and had to scrape it out with a knife the next day.)

This is everything you could want in a recipe - it is simple to make and sublime to eat. The cranberries and nuts allow me to convince myself that it even has some nutritional value. So I don't have to worry too much about that broken pedometer.