On heritage and apple cake

Heritage::
I spent yesterday with the t.v. on all morning and afternoon. It was comforting to have the inaugural events proceeding quietly in the background as we went about our day cooking, playing, and chatting with guests. The volume went up for the bigger moments (introductions, speeches, prayers, etc.), and it went back down to a low drone as I hosted some friends and family. Ordinarily I am not one for background t.v. sounds, the incessant dribble of electronic media beckoning me to buy, want, and be mindlessly entertained. But yesterday was different. The endless word on the mouths of announcers, news commentators, bloggers and friends alike is that we are a part of history. We witnessed it in the making yesterday, and that fact was palpable as I watched the events unfold. Many, many words have been used to describe the significance of it all, and I dare say there is not much more I could add to any of it.

Yesterday had me thinking about the great stories of survival and success in my own family heritage. So much talk of hope and hard work and thriving through adversity had me celebrating my mother's immigration to America. Her grandparents sacrificed luxury and comfort for the uncertainty of a new culture, language, and all of this in their old age. They brought her here for something different. I've been to Cuba, and she HAS something different, that's for sure. Her life is vastly different than her childhood friends now grown up and looking 10-20 years her senior though still contemporaries. And so my life is different as well, because of her sacrifices and those of her grandparents.

I also thought of my grandfather (my father's father) and his family who emigrated from Germany to the US. You want to talk about hard work and a spirit of optimism? My grandfather was endlessly optimistic. Even in the last few years of his life, with his health declining considerably, he still spoke so optimistically about life and passions and work. I LOVED that about him. I admired it in awe and wonder. Even in those self-absorbed years of my adolescence, I understood the power of this hard work he spoke of.

Yesterday I pulled out some photos of these people and showed them to Karis. My mom, her mother (now also in the US), and her grandmother who accompanied my mom and lived with her until my parents married. I also pulled out a picture of my grandfather, that man that taught me how important real estate investment is and how wonderful it is to continually keep your mind active.

The inauguration reminded me that Karis will know a world where an African American can arise to any level of employment. Likewise, I plan on telling her the stories of hard work and endurance in our personal family history. These stories are a part of the national and personal heritage passed down.

Apple cake::
On to the lighter side of things: cake. The blogger from whom I got the recipe refers to this as an "Apple Tart Cake". She was given the recipe without a name for the lovely dessert, and appropriately named it both tart and cake because it appears to be a marriage of both. I am going to go a step further and call this the "Pantry Apple Tart Cake." Yes, indeed. I have literally penned it on the actual recipe sheet. (Very bold, no?) I made this cake yesterday to celebrate the inauguration. Well, that is what I told myself as I was preparing it and very sternly telling myself I didn't have the time to bake nor need for the extra sugar in my life. But alas, history-making was far too good of an excuse, and so I baked on.

I loved the expression on my friends' faces as they took their first bite. It manages to be crunchy, buttery, pleasantly sweet, and apple cinnamon-y all at once. It is indeed a true hybrid of a cake and a tart, as Molly said, with a crunchy crust topped by baked apples and thin layer of soft cake-ness. But what really sent me over the moon with excitement was the fact that I had all the ingredients. It was a relatively simple recipe, constructed out of items I almost always have on hand. And that never happens. Hence my addition of "pantry". This recipe is going straight away into my "Favorites" file, to be made on an occasion such as: out of town guests, a dinner party, Sunday supper, weeknight dinner, or any "I need something sweet" craving. I think that just about covers any occasion known to man.