Author Archives: kzmclain

Saturday Smile: Newborn’s Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Er, McLains

Posted in Whimsies by

This week, a couple of my McLain grandkids made me laugh.

First, here is a photo of Maggie Faith when she visited the wax museum in Hollywood….

It’s an uncanny resemblance, isn’t it? What a ham!

As you might know, the McLains have a blog in which they document their travels this summer. They all take turns writing the daily post. I love them all, but I will admit to awaiting most eagerly those written by 13-year-old Alastair, who simply has a funny, unique way of looking at life. He writes with his tongue firmly in his cheek. In yesterday’s post he talked about being back in Denver for a family reunion. They were visited by their former nanny who now is a mother in her own right, and she brought the newborn for them to meet. Here is what he said:

Our old nanny and family friend came over with her newborn. The girls snuggled with the baby and fed it its bottle while I just held its foot. Then I went to the orthodontist.

Warm and fuzzy, isn’t it? You can tell meeting “it” was meaningful to him. And so was the orthodontist.

I love that boy and girl.

As an aside, I met them for a quick lunch on Thursday. Out of the four children, three of them ran to greet me by the door. One stayed at the table. Guess who? He didn’t even want to hold my foot.

Have a great weekend.

Friday Book Whimsy: The Italian Party

Posted in Book Reviews by

The only thing better than a novel set in Siena, Italy, is a novel set in Siena in the 1950s during the Cold War. Author Christina Lynch’s debut novel is a somewhat muddled but often clever mix of mystery, romance, and history, with a dash of spy thriller thrown in for good measure.

Scottie and Michael are newlyweds, each with a secret. Michael’s job, allegedly a American-built tractor salesman, takes him to Siena, in the heart of Tuscany. Scottie immediately embraces the food, the people, the culture of Italy, but Michael’s secret prevents him from enjoying their new home in the same way.

When Scottie’s Italian language teacher — a teenager who has a bit of a crush on the pretty American woman — disappears, Scottie takes it upon herself to try and find out what happened to her friend and language teacher. What follows is a almost-believable whodunnit.

The story is somewhat weak, and I found the ending to be a bit off-putting. Still, the setting was spectacular and fun. The author bribes her reader with stories about hearty Tuscan wines and delicious food. She tosses in funny, if somewhat sad, history about the fear of Communism following World War II and America’s self-appointed role in preventing its rise. She also gives the reader a taste of what it was like to be a woman in the 50s, or, for that matter, a man. Lynch even gives the reader a dash of the Palio — Siena’s famous horserace.

If you are a lover of All Things Italian — as am I — you will enjoy this novel.

Here is a link to the book.


Thursday Thoughts

Posted in Whimsies by

Ding Dong
Yesterday afternoon, our doorbell rang. Who should be standing there but Maggie Faith? Wait, what? I thought you were driving around the west coast in an RV. Actually, I knew they were coming home for a family reunion on Jll’s side, but I didn’t actually think I would see them much — if at all — with their busy plans. It so happened that Kaiya, Mylee, and Cole were visiting, and had their hands up to their elbows in — what else? — slime. It was a very fun reunion of our own, and it was a joy to hear about the McLains on the Road from Maggie’s perspective.

BZZZZZ
I asked Maggie what her sibs were doing. All going different directions, eager to catch up in the short time they have. How about Dagny, I asked Mags. Busy caring for her bees, Maggie responded. Of course. This is year number two for the bees, and they are apparently finally becoming productive. Dave posted this photo on Facebook…..

I hope to see honey in my future!

It’s All Happenin’ at the Zoo
Court’s out of town, and I figured Alyx could use a break. So I took the three Zierks to the zoo with me yesterday. I’m not sure we made it last year, and I was determined to have a go at it this year. There were lots of new babies — a little orangutan, a baby gorilla, a tiny (relatively speaking) giraffe — all so cute. There was purportedly a baby sloth, but the sloths live in the elephant exhibit, and there was a show going on. We weren’t up for fighting crowds. And it was, after all, just a sloth…..

Creamy Goodness
We had dropped off our rental wagon and were heading towards the exit for the zoo when Kaiya spotted a sign: Dole Whips. The Zierks love them some Dole Whips, and I had never tried them. Why not, I thought. Well, needless to say, they were just darnright delicious. Kaiya claimed they were just as good as the ones in Disneyland. And we don’t have to go so far to get it, she said…..

Ciao!

It’s a Berry Nice Time of the Year

Posted in Whimsies by

Aside from photos of my grandkids and my husband Bill, I’ll bet the photo most often featured on Nana’s Whimsies is that of some sort of pie. In fact, as I looked back to see just how often I posted a picture of a pie, I realized that my very first post of Nana’s Whimsies offered a photo of a peach pie and my mother’s recipe for that pie…..

The reason I post so many pictures of pies is two-fold: 1) Pie is probably my favorite dessert. I will be more specific: peach pie is probably my favorite dessert, especially if it’s made from Colorado’s Palisade peaches — the best in the world. (Take that, Georgia!) 2. This is going to sound like hyperbole, but I think that there is almost nothing prettier — at least from a cook’s perspective — than a homemade pie. The operative word is homemade. Don’t even offer me a piece of pie from a store or a restaurant — you know, those things with the perfect edges on the crust. No, thank you.

By the way, while Bill will not turn up his nose at a piece of homemade pie, especially if it’s blueberry, given the choice between a piece of pie and a piece of chocolate cake, the chocolate cake would win every single time. Even if the pie was chocolate. That’s how he rolls. Cake v. pie — cake wins.

All this is to say that I was very happy Sunday when I was doing a bit of grocery shopping to see that apparently berries must be in season. I say this because King Soopers was offering big containers of fresh blueberries for $2.99. Enough blueberries for a pie! Yay!

So yesterday morning, I arose at the crack of dawn and made a pie crust even before I had my first cup of coffee. That says something. If you don’t believe me, ask Bill. I am just this side of shy of being able to function without coffee. Still, there I was, preparing my pie crust. And I have to confess that it is actually my sister Bec’s recipe, which she cajoled out of her crabby grandmother-in-law many years ago. It’s a good one and it was hard-earned. Click here if you are interested in the recipe. That post will also show you how to freeze an unbaked pie.

Anyhoo, once I had a couple of cups of joe in me, I headed off to the store to purchase one of those big containers of blueberries so that I could make a pie to offer to guests we were feeding yesterday evening. I used my own version of Ina Garten’s blueberry pie recipe. I changed it up a bit, if for no other reason than that she annoys the heck out of me, what with her make sure you use good olive oil and good European butter and good red wine vinegar and whatnot. You’re not the boss of me. But her recipe calls for Cassis liqueur, which makes the pie utterly delicious. I added a quarter of a cup more sugar than she suggests just because she annoys me so much. That’ll show her.

The pie was delicious. Prepare yourself for yet another photo of a beautiful, homemade pie…..

Doesn’t it make you just want to cry for joy?

I love when the berries are on sale. Strawberries have been quite affordable too. That was why a friend of mine posted this photo on Facebook, saying it was she and her husband’s dinner…..

And just to show you that blueberries are yummy in something other than pie, I present a blueberry breakfast cake…..

This is a wonderful time of year. The Olathe sweet corn and Palisade peaches are also showing up in the grocery stores. We can look forward to delicious sweet corn and peaches for a couple of months.

I leave you with a photo — not of a pie — but of my two Vermont grands picking berries for their own pie…..

 

 

Whiskey’d Up

Posted in Whimsies by

Before my father owned Gloor’s Bakery, his father and mother were the proprietors. The bakery which my father later purchased from Grandpa was in the downtown area. A history of Platte County, Nebraska which I located on the internet refers to Grandpa moving from the original site to “his modern establishment” in the early 1940s. That phrase made me laugh, because while a lot of his machinery might have been state-of-the-art for the time, the building itself was quite old. I don’t exactly know how old, and I’m still seeing this through the eyes of a child, but it seemed very old to me.

The basement, in particular, was indicative of the building’s age. It was flat-out scary. In the over 18 years during which I probably went into that building nearly every day, I never went into the basement. Never. Not once. My sister Bec did, and so did my brother Dave. I’m told it had a dirt floor, a single light bulb with a pull string, and lots of ghosts.

Oh, and Grandpa’s wine barrels.

Because each fall Grandpa would gather grapes from vines growing outside of Columbus, and make wine. I, of course, never tasted the wine. According to my father, sometimes it was good and sometimes it was bad.

That’s as close as I’ve come to anyone making their own alcoholic beverages. But now I have a friend in the distillery business.

We only recently learned that the son-in-law of friends of ours is a distiller. His business is located in south-central Denver, and is called Bear Creek Distillery. The name comes from the fact that the owners all went to Bear Creek High School together. Though they went separate ways following graduation, they have all come back together to form this exceptional distillery.

You might remember that about a year ago, I embarked on a campaign to develop a taste for whiskey. While I don’t always meet my goals, I did quite well in this case. I have come to learn to like most whiskeys. Bourbon and Scotch, well, not quite as much as rye, Canadian, and Irish. But that is neither here nor there. My interest in whiskey led us to a night at Bear Creek Distillery…..

Denice and Randy Shook with their son-in-law Jeff Dickinson, one of the proprietors of Bear Creek Distillery.

The first thing I noticed when we walked in the door was the smell — the fragrant smell of what I guess was roasted wheat and rye. Whereas I have always personally found the smell of beer being brewed rather unpleasant, this smell reminded me of walking into the bakery when my dad was baking bread.

Jeff Dickinson – our friends’ son-in-law – met us and immediately offered us a taste of his wares. Bill had an Old-Fashioned made with their straight bourbon whiskey, and I offered one up for the team: straight rye with one ice cube. Bill was already smacking his lips with delight as I took my first taste. It was fragrant and had almost a spicy taste. And smooth. Like buttah.

Jeff gave us a quick tour of the facilities, which are, frankly, beautiful. I don’t know if that’s a fair description, but the copper kettles are shiny and gorgeous. Jeff told us they were built in and imported from Germany.

The barrels which store the distilled beverages, allowing them to age, line the walls and fill up the rest of the room…..

I keep saying whiskey, but Bear Creek Distillery also makes small-batch rum, spiced rum, rye vodka and wheat vodka. They have won numerous awards in national and international competitions, something that came as no surprise to me.

According to their brochure…..

Bear Creek Distillery is an American craft distillery located in the heart of Denver and is the brainchild of a small group of friends focused on producing exceptional hand crafted premium spirits. Each spirit is produced grain to bottle, in our Denver facility. Whenever possible, we use local ingredients and materials sourced from Colorado companies.

I reckon that is all true. Here’s what I can tell you. It tastes good. Good enough that Bill bought a bottle of bourbon to bring home. He pushed aside his Jack Daniels to make room…..

While Bear Creek Distillery offers a comfortable and welcoming bar, you can also purchase their small-batch bourbons, rums, ryes, etc. at many local liquor stores. We spotted Bear Creek Straight Bourbon at Denver’s newest liquor store — Total Wine and Liquors.

Now if I could just get them to make me some gin!

When Was the Last Time?

Posted in Whimsies by

Last New Year’s Eve, my 7-year-old great nephew Austin went to his first rock concert. He, along with his dad and mom, saw a rock band called 311. I confess I had never heard of the group prior to learning that this 7-year-old was going to be up a heck of a lot later than I on New Year’s Eve 2017 at a rock concert. I still don’t know much about the group. What I do know, however, is that I didn’t see my first rock concert until I was considerably older than Austin.

The group I saw was the Doobie Brothers. I was 18 years old, and had just started college. I remember exactly two things about that concert: 1) The Doobie Brothers opened up the show with an AWESOME rendition of China Grove; and 2) there was so much marijuana smoke in the air that it was almost impossible to not get high, even when you were an innocent college freshman.

Since then, I have been to a handful of live concerts in my life (not to include symphony orchestra performances). I remember seeing  Dan Fogleberg at Red Rocks. I saw Jesse Collin Young and Firefall. A few others. It’s safe to say, however, that I haven’t been to a live concert for 20 years or more.

But since this is the summer in which my motto is “When was the last time you did something for the first time?” it isn’t surprising that Bill and I agreed to accompany my sister Jen to a live concert. And who better with whom to break my 20-some-year concert fast but Keith Urban!

We’ve had our plans in place since this past February, when Jen Face Timed me while I was grocery shopping. Hey Kris! I just found out that Keith Urban is going to be at Fiddler’s Green on July 14. Do you and Bill want to go with me?

Without even consulting Bill, I gave her a resounding YES and she was immediately on the prowl for tickets. I didn’t have to wonder if Bill would be game for a couple of reasons: 1) Bill, too, is a fan of country music in general and Keith Urban in particular; and 2) Bill is game for just about anything.

I must shamefully admit something. While I, of course, have long been familiar with Keith Urban’s name, I didn’t really become familiar with his personality and his music until he became a judge on American Idol. Give me credit. I just admitted to two embarrassing things in one sentence: an unfamiliarity with a very well-known musician and the fact that I watch American Idol.

In the past three or four years, I have gotten extremely fond of country music, particularly the more contemporary stuff that doesn’t sound a lot different than other contemporary music, but generally with lyrics that I am willing to let my grandkids hear. Keith Urban quickly became one of my favorites because his music is mostly upbeat and I love, love, love to hear him play guitar. All of that provided great hope that it would be a wonderful concert, which it indeed was.

Fiddler’s Green is an outdoor amphitheater that is only a short distance from our Denver house. Even a concert neophyte like I know that outdoor concerts are the best, at least as long as the weather cooperates. And the weather was perfect – a cool night, just breezy enough to blow Keith Urban’s hair perfectly. We got there early because we’re senior citizens and that’s what senior citizens do……

But there were lots of other people there ahead of us.

Speaking of senior citizens, we were well represented at the concert, but there was a great mix of folks, ranging from families to young adults to, well, us.

Before the concert started, Jen and I decided we needed to enjoy an adult beverage. We made our way to one of the many outdoor venues selling a variety of beverages. We selected one with the shortest line. It happened to be a margarita booth, with — randomly, we thought — beverages that all contained bananas. While we were somewhat distrustful about a margarita with banana, we were pleasantly surprised.

As we waited in line, we began talking to the young man who was ahead of us. He was probably in his early 20s, and was clearly waiting in line for what would NOT be his first drink of the night. He couldn’t have been nicer to us. When someone tried to cut in line, he quickly scolded them, saying not to get in front of his two aunts. When we finally got to the front of the line, he bought us our drinks, which was a pricy undertaking. But it became a win-win when we learned that he was looking for a job as a financial advisor, which happens to be Jen’s line of work. She gave him her work number, and while we both wondered whether he would even remember the conversation, he in fact called her early the following week.

As with most live concerts, the audience was on its feet for the entire concert. Kelsea Ballerini opened up and sang for an hour before Keith Urban made his appearance at 8:30. It was 11 o’clock when we left. I think we were his favorite audience. In fact, I’m sure of it.

This is what Austin looked like at the end of his first concert…..

I think it’s safe to say that’s about how we all felt. But it was a great night.

Saturday Smile: Different Drum

Posted in Whimsies by

This past Monday, our granddaughter Mylee celebrated her 8th birthday. When I suggest that she STOP GROWING, she simply giggles her Mylee giggle. She knows, as do I, that you can’t stop your kids from growing up. So enjoy every minute.

She celebrated her birthday with friends last Saturday afternoon at a place called Boondocks……

The kids each received a party bag from Boondocks that included plastic glasses, their actual purpose escaping me. Still, Cole’s take on the glasses made me smile. He clearly travels to the beat of a different drum, and is proud of it…..

Have a great weekend.

 

Friday Book Whimsy: Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine

Posted in Book Reviews by

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine is author Gail Honeyman’s first book, and her debut novel, like her main character, is completely fine.

Eleanor Oliphant is 28 years old. She lives alone in a small apartment and works in an office. She has no friends and limited social skills. She says what she thinks without a filter. Her main activities are drinking too much vodka on weekends and talking to her mother on the telephone once a week or so.

Eleanor’s quiet life is disrupted when she meets Raymond, who is the IT person in her office. He is as kind as he is unkempt and unattractive. They become friends. The friendship is cemented when they help an old man they find unconscious and ill on the street. They take him to a hospital, where his life is saved.

As the novel progresses, the reader learns — little by little — about Eleanor’s completely dysfunctional upbringing. Eleanor, herself, knew little about her past life. As she becomes more comfortable with her friendship with Raymond, she gives him permission to look into her past. What he learns is horrifying.

The reader is kept in the dark as to where Eleanor’s mother actually is. It might be prison. It might be a psychiatric facility. It isn’t until the very end that the reader learns the surprising truth about Eleanor and her mother.

While Eleanor’s past is dark, the novel really isn’t. Eleanor is completely likable, as is Raymond. The novel is sad in places, but laugh out loud funny in other places. I have rarely enjoyed a story or liked a character so well.

The novel was somewhat overlong and this reader felt a bit more editing would have been helpful. Still, I recommend Elearnor Oliphant is Complete Fine wholeheartedly and without reservation. Because she is. Completely fine, that is.

Here is a link to the book.

Thursday Thoughts

Posted in Whimsies by

Be True to Your School
I stopped by Target the other day and came face to face with what is one of my most unpleasant sights: back-to-school supplies. I don’t know why the thought of the kids going back to school is so bothersome to me, but I’ve hated it ever since Court was school-aged. Perhaps it’s just the suggestion that summer is nearing its end. And then I remind myself that the temperatures indicate summer will be here for a while.

Raw Fish
Alyx and the three kids and I went out for a sushi lunch the other day. I’ve never seen youngsters so taken with Japanese food. Even Kaiya — who doesn’t like sushi — enjoyed edamame, and likes to sip soy sauce with wasabi. Seriously. No fish. Just the soy sauce with wasabi. Mylee loved her seafood salad, and both she and Cole ate most of my salmon roll and my salmon nigiri…..

No Arm Wresting
The other day I had my annual physical, and got a clean bill of health (though no magical solutions for periodic bowel obstructions — drat). I got a vaccine for pneumonia and thought nothing of it until later that afternoon, when I realized the muscle in my arm was so sore I could barely lift my arm. I’ve never had that happen to me before. I’m happy to say that it was much better the next day and even better the next. And it’s undoubtedly better than getting pneumonia!

Pizza Pie
Our favorite Denver pizza place has an online site customers are supposed to use to order their food for pickup. I fight with it nearly every time I use it. Sometimes it just tells me no customer orders will be taken until the next day, which I know isn’t true. So the other night I placed an online order. When I went to pick it up, the server at the counter said (in the manner of those radio announcers who talk rapid fire to tell you there product might kill you), “Here’s your medium thin crust with sausage and no cheese.” Say what? Bill likes sausage pizza. But I could come home with pepperoni or ground beef or even ham and he would take it like a man. But no cheese? No go. I told them there was no need to start over. They could simply put cheese over the pizza and put it in the oven for a few minutes. I literally heard the cook and the server fighting when they took it out of the oven. “This will be way over cooked and they won’t like it,” he said in a stage whisper. Try me, I thought. She brought it out and tentatively opened the box. Bingo. Sold. We like our pizzas crisp.

Ciao.

Hidden Fun

Posted in Whimsies by

When Bill and I were on our Big European Vacation in 2008, we stumbled upon a circus in Honfleur, France. Knowing full well that we wouldn’t understand a word that was being said, we both agreed we wouldn’t miss that little family-owned circus in a unique French village for anything in the world. It remains one of our favorite memories of that trip.

While any traveler doesn’t want to miss the highlights of a destination, many times some of the things upon which you stumble might give you the most pleasure and the strongest memories. So while we all enjoyed the predictable things we saw during our recent visit to San Francisco — and wouldn’t miss them for the world — there were a few unexpected pleasures upon which we stumbled.

For example, as we made our way the first day from Pier 39 to our final destination of Ghiardelli Square, we noticed we were passing an interesting arcade called Musee Mercanique. The games in this arcade were all vintage. It was fun to see the kids playing with some of the old-school arcade games more familiar to their Papa Bill than to them. For a mere quarter or less, you could play with a puppet or listen to a music box. You could have your fortune read by a scary-looking porcelain head….

…or arm wrestle an even scarier-looking porcelain arm…..

We spent a good bit of time in that old arcade museum, and Papa spent plenty of quarters to watch the kids go back in time.

One day when we were all getting fairly thirsty (did I mention that we had unusually pleasant — even warm — weather, something for which we were all grateful), we stopped at a little cafe that turned out to be more than just a cafe. The Gallery Cafe instructs its customers to PUT DOWN YOUR TECHNOLOGY and talk to each other and to have some fun. There are old-school games…..

…..and many opportunities to be creative, something at which the McLain kids excel…..

While visiting Chinatown, in addition to Addie getting a SMOKIN’ deal on some earrings…..

…..we also visited some Asian markets. We saw many different fruits and vegetables with which we were unfamiliar. The proprietors spoke Chinese and the signage was also in Chinese. I was particularly struck by this beautiful fruit…..

Not having the remotest idea of what it was, I texted my daughter-in-law Alyx and asked if she knew what it was. Dragonfruit was her immediate response. Inside fruit is like a white kiwi, she added. Who knew?

Our hotel overlooked the ocean, and every night we would see men fishing from the shore. I’m not sure just what they were hoping to catch, nor did I ever find out if they were fishing for fun or were professional anglers. But they were a pretty sight as the sun would go down…..

The wind, salt water, and sea spray gave me a laugh when I saw just how relaxed our granddaughter Addie — who always takes great care to look perfect — was after a few days on the beach. Can you say Crazy Hair?….

By the way, I likely won’t ever be forgiven for posting this photo!

When we visited Muir Woods, one of the most interesting and typically-Californian things I noticed was this sign…..

And finally, that same day as we were driving home from Muir Woods — July 11 — Jll suddenly made a screeching turn into a 7-11 store parking lot. Why? She remembered that it was July 11 — 7-11 — and they were giving away free icees. What can I say? More vacation fun…..

While I’ve visited San Francisco on a number of occasions, this is one I will certainly never forget.