Mom Camp on the road

We took Mom Camp on the road yesterday, going to Galena, Illinois for the day.

Galena sometimes calls itself "the town that time forgot" because for about 100 years no one except the locals seemed to know it was there.

But then people from Chicago discovered it was a nice distance for a weekend getaway. And then more people discovered it was a step back into what small-town America used to be like (ideally) and they came.

It's also where Ulysses S Grant lived before heading off to fight in the Civil War, so there is a local "Grant's Home" claim to fame. In other words, there's lots of stuff to see and do and antique shops galore to prowl around in.

These days it's pretty much wall-to-wall tourists during the summer months.

We went there last year and wandered around, had a great lunch at Vinny Vanucchi's and wandered a bit more. So this year we did the same.

The food was possibly even better than last year. The wandering was just as enjoyable, though I don't quite know why Galena is always so much hotter than Iowa (at least where we live). Maybe the breeze just doesn't blow down Main Street.

Anyway, we had a great time. And no one lost any teeth.

Today is Micah the dog's 6th birthday. We are celebrating with Greenies and rawhide sticks. He's quite pleased as he thinks food of any sort is cause for celebration.

And then we are making Jeremy Jackson's sinfully rich Chocolate Sink Holes to be shared by those who join us after dinner tonight. Dinner itself is going to be at the local Japanese restaurant. I love watching someone else cook!

We are not getting any slimmer this week, that's for sure. Maybe next year Mom Camp will have to be Anti-Fat Camp.

My daughter has gone off now to revisit the Girl Scout camp she attended for many years. As a leader herself, she's intrigued to see if her memories reflect at all what the reality is.

"I remember it being soooo big," she said the other day. She's afraid it will be far littler than she recalls.

Doesn't matter. The memories are big and have lasted a lifetime.

Did you go to camp? What do you remember? Have you been back to see it as an adult? How did it compare to your recollections.

My husband has wonderful memories of a camp he attended every summer in western North Carolina. He became a counselor there when he was old enough. I never went to camp. But I remember watching Spin and Marty and thinking I'd like a camp like that!

Mom Camp

Last year while two of my grandkids were attending the local university's sports camp, my daughter and I and my cousin's daughter held our own camp.

We called it "mom camp" because two of us were moms and we were definitely looking for a break. The third got sucked in by proximity, and is the better for it.

We all enjoyed it so much that we're about to do it again. The cousin's daughter arrived today, timing her plane's appearance for the few minutes between thunderstorms. Clever girl, that one. And she and I are making plans for the week.

My daughter and granddaughter arrive on Saturday. Mom camp will officially begin on Sunday once the kids are deposited at kid camp.

But we're getting a head start. We're lining up books to share and DVDs to watch and places to go and recipes to make. Last year we tackled several out of Jeremy Jackson's Desserts That Have Killed Better Men Than Me.

And let me tell you, Michelle Styles -- and whoever else is listening -- that book is definitely up there among the Twyla Tharp books that you should own.

Maybe not on the same subject. But Jeremy is a man who loves his recipes.

And I gather that, just as Twyla hails the cab everyday as a part of her routine, Jeremy takes his turn in the kitchen with regularity.

Judging from the recipes we made last year, they are worth the effort. If you want a break from Twyla or Save The Cat or writing your own manuscripts -- or doing whatever you're doing -- Jeremy's book is worth a look.

We are also deep into watching the second season of Foyle's War. Yes, we know the fifth season is on television right now. But we can't ever seem to get an hour and a half at the right time when people aren't calling on the phone or the local weather demons aren't busily scrowling warnings past so much of the screen that you can barely see Michael Kitchen (who should not be missed).

So we are watching the DVDs. Great stuff.

So . . . we've got recipes. We've got DVDs. I've got some good books which I'll share with you as I share them with the rest of the mom camp gang. We'll go to the museum one day and shopping nearby one day.

Anyone got any really great suggestions? We'd love to hear them.

If you had a whole week to do what you wanted -- within reason and you can't travel for it -- what would you do?

Christmas Recipes

In my current book-free state I have been contemplating Christmas recipes. This began when Anne Gracie asked me about which recipe I thought she should make for a certain occasion.

It snowballed from there.

Well, here it snowballed. In Australia, I gather, it would be sizzling instead. Even I, who grew up in California, have trouble imagining a Christmas where things routinely melt. We never melted at Christmas. Though it wasn't ever really "cold" on the coast, it was often damp and shivery all the way to the bone.

Anyway, the discussion of recipes, and the arrival of two of her best for me to experiment with, has led me to contemplate my own favorite Christmas recipes.

There is a date bar recipe of my mother's I'm very fond of (and which the family story reminds me that when my mom sent them to my stepdad's grandmother for Christmas the first year they were married, she got a lovely note back thanking her for the little meat pies). Then there's her lemon bars recipe. And the spritz recipe from the spritz maker gizmo, and the cut-out Christmas cookies with the bit of orange peel and mace.

And just last week we made the orange-cranberry cookies which I suggested to Anne would make brilliant Christmas cookies, only to discover that Australia doesn't do cranberries. At least not fresh ones. Poor deprived people. I don't suppose they get the same effect using Vegemite.

So . . . this brings me to a question.

What are your favorite Christmas recipes -- for cookies or for whatever else you habitually make at this time of year?

I need to start thinking about getting these things done because soon there will be revisions. And I should take advantage of the time I have now. I'll be making my traditional cookies and breads and other goodies. But I like to broaden my horizons.

So share your best recipes, please. I could use some great new ideas to add to the ones I make year after year.