gates and cakes

Snappyfriends would like to see some gates this week. Or was it last week? Gates can be different things. I couldn't help but think of the gates around where I live, the kind the rich people who build very large houses on the lakeshore put in to keep people out. Like this one. The kind that needs a combination or remote control to open. They say to me, "don't come near me with your cooties."

And then, while sitting in my daughter's backyard on Mother's day I noticed this gate leaning against their fence and I immediately thought this was a gate that kept dogs and small children in a yard but swung easily on its hinge to let neighbors in.

In a couple of weeks we are hosting our annual EOYP (End of Year Party) for the staff at school. They come after field day (a day of water balloons, holey bucket races, jump rope competitions, races, etc.) for an end of the year let down. I believe this is the 14th year Patient Husband and I have hosted this for the staff. It's always a wonderful evening. They contribute to the groceries and I cook all of the food. Each year has been different, with the exception of three return engagements of my white lasagna (chicken, alfredo sauce, gorgonzola, pine nuts....). I was backed into a corner this year on what to serve. When you're cooking for 30-40 people it's hard to come up with something different that can be done 'easily.' I'm thinking of French this year. I was sitting under a pile of cookbooks looking for inspiration and started to salivate over Ina Garten's Barefoot in Paris cookbook. I decided on Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic but Patient Husband blanched at that and suggested Coq au Vin instead. Sold. Moroccan Couscous is definitely on the menu. I remember standing on the shore in Nice and asked my son what was on the other side of the Mediterranean sea we were staring at. Algeria, he said. Wow. I was in France, that was amazing enough, but on the other side of this shore was Algeria. Wow.

I was thinking of creme brulee but when I discovered our lunch lady of 30 years was retiring I gave her the choice of picking dessert and she picked the infamous cream cheese poundcake.

I bought this little cookbook many, many years ago (like maybe 20?) and the very reason I bought it and first thing I made from it was this:

Look how splotchy with spillage the page is. Can you read it? It's a fantastically rich, dense, huge bundt cake that you canNOT stay away from.

So, I made three this morning and put them in the freezer. I do so love do aheads, don't you? I thought I'd try to do the cooking photos I enjoy on other people's blog pages. Not too bad with one hand on the ingredients and one on the camera!

Cream the sugar with the butter, margarine and cream cheese.

Add the eggs alternating with the flour

Pour into a well greased and floured bundt pan

This is why nuns smile. They know what's for dessert tonight.