Open Letter to Dorie Greenspan

Dear Dorie,

I love your Midnight Crackle cookies.  When you met my friend, Leora, in Paris, you couldn't have been nicer.  You're friends with my culinary hero, Ina Garten.

So, when you wrote on p. 184 of Baking that I'd be "struck by the urge to pin a big blue ribbon" on your Double Apple Bundt Cake because it "looks, smells and tastes as though it would take first prize in a county fair," I knew that this cake was the one that would transform my Rosh Hashanah dinner from good to great.

Dorie, I regret to say that I feel completely bamboozled!  The cake might be delicious.  My guests will never know.  I followed your directions: buttering the pan, peeling apples, buying apple butter, making sure the butter was room temperature.  And then, after allowing the pan to cool for 5 minutes (as recommended), I flipped the bundt pan for the moment of truth.  And . . . only half the cake come out of the pan.

Maybe it was me.  Maybe I should have let the cake cool for longer.  Maybe I shouldn't have floured the bundt pan.  Maybe my apples were large, not medium.

After all, this is the season of forgiveness.  I will try to ice the cake and salvage the dessert.  I will head to Whole Foods and buy another dessert.  I will realize it was folly to try to impress a Paris-trained pastry chef.  

And next year, I will make a Barefoot Contessa dessert or maybe something from the Beth El cookbook.

L'shana tova,

SherriLynn

Worldwide Day of Play

As part of our never-ending quest to find weekend activities interesting to parents and Little S., I like to troll Parent Map, Red Tricycle and the local paper for ideas.  The RT blurb on the Worldwide Day of Play caught my attention.

Day of Play?  How cool is that?  I decided to dig a little deeper.  Turns out the Worldwide Day of Play is sponsored by Nickelodeon.  The network (along with The N, Noggin and Nicktoons) goes dark for three hours and encourages kids to turn off the TV, go outside, and play.

Great idea.  The media is full of articles suggesting that kids don't have enough unstructured play time or opportunities for exercise.  And, I often feel like I'm living Recess Monkey's Busy Bees song.

But, I imagined that I would arrive at the Day of Play event and be overwhelmed by Nickelodeon advertising and product placement.  Sponge Bob square dancing?  Dora and Diego dunk tanks?  Maybe a Backyardigans bouncy house?

To my relief, the event was entirely commercial free.  I didn't see a single mention of TV stations, characters or shows.  Instead, the staff set out all sorts of play equipment (a tug-of-war rope, soccer balls, croquet, sidewalk chalk, a small bouncy house, jump ropes, even a kid-size badminton court), a big container of lemonade, and let the kids play.  

And the kids played.  Sampling all sorts of games and activities, organizing themselves into tug-of-war teams, and taking breaks to rest in the shade when needed.  

A great way to spend an unusually sunny September afternoon.

Oh, and it turns out that some researchers dispute the idea that American kids are over-scheduled.  

Opening Lines of Successful Admissions Essays

As someone who has applied to college, graduate schools, various scholarships and programs, and, perhaps most the greatest challenge, preschool for Little S., I understand the need for a killer personal essay.  

The Stanford admissions office recently released the best opening lines from this year's successful applications.  Enjoy the article.  

Luckily, I have a while before the application process for middle school begins.

The Great Schlep

I received an e-mail from an NPR reporter today.  She was looking for people from Seattle who are participating in The Great Schlep and willing to talk about it.

Most mornings I feel like I'm undertaking a great schlep as I lug my gym bag, Little S's backpack and lunch box, my computer, and assorted other tote bags down three flights of stairs to the garage.  The Great Schlep, however, is not about parents struggling to get their families to and fro.  It's about getting Jewish grandparents to vote for Obama.

The idea is brilliant.  According to an article in the New York Times, elderly Jewish voters in Florida (and elsewhere) are very concerned with Obama's positions on Israel, the Middle East, and anti-Semitism.  The Great Schlep encourages Jewish grandchildren to visit their grandparents and, using talking points that address these issues, dispel the misinformation that surrounds the candidate.  For example, explain that Obama is not a muslim, he is a friend of Israel, and he has spoken out against anti-Semitism.

When I first read the New York Times article, I wondered, "Who are these crazy people who think Obama is a closet muslim?"  Then I spoke with my sister.  Turns out our dear mother, a Hillary supporter and solidly Democratic voter, was considering voting for McCain.  The Reverend Wright controversy had her concerned that Obama would not be a friend to Israel or the Jewish people.  

Is there a chance that this concern is thinly veiled racism?  It's possible.  But I'm hoping that cross-generational discussions of these issues will eliminate the confusion and misinformation.

If you're interested in learning more, check out The Great Schlep website.  I've heard they're introducing some funny training videos tomorrow.

Welcome to the SherriLynn blog

After thinking and talking about blogging for way too long, I decided to take the plunge.

You are probably wondering what this blog will be about.  Honestly, I'm not sure yet.  It will be a mix of parenting, politics, my quest to "figure out what I'm going to be when I grow up," and some foodie thoughts and recommendations.  I hope it turns out to be more than a vanity, my-kid's-so-smart-and-cute blog.  We'll see how it evolves.

What's with the name?  Growing up, my mom insisted on calling me SherriLynn.  Friends would call and ask for "Sherri."  "There is no Sherri here," my mom would answer.  "Sherri is so ordinary," my mom would tell me later.  So, I grew up believing that SherriLynn was very unique.  

According to blogger and Google, Mom was wrong.  There is already a SherriLynn blog on blogspot (seems to be abandoned, but the few posts are about Girl's State and Debate camp). And, there are many professionals and products available under the SherriLynn name.  Lots of lawyers, a few doctors,  a photographer or two, and psychic.  There is also a SherriLynn bridal tiara, SherriLynn Farms, and SherriLynn's Gourmet Food and Candles in Minnesota.

Day one of blogging and I've already learned something new.  Hope you'll keep reading and see what else comes up.