Daley Travels

Mike and I love to try different foods.  It's really one of the fun perks of travelling as much as we do.  (Gator bites anyone??)  But from the first banana and nutella crepe on a street corner in Paris almost 10 years ago - to a restaurant we visited today that specializes in gluten-free fare - we've had a soft spot for crepes.

The Colorado Springs area has several creperies and we've tried a few of them.  They've all provided a pleasant meal but the one we tried today went above and beyond (and not just because our daughter happened to be our server). 

Coquette Creperie in Manitou Springs is truly unique - to start with they have a full bar available as well as a full barista coffee bar.  Not something you see very often.  And then there is their menu - if you're not usually into organic and gluten-free ingredients you might wonder if everything still 'tastes good'.  But everything was wonderful!  There are all sorts of savory and sweet crepes available (yes, gluten-free!) and unusual specials (scallop & coconut soup anyone??).  The menu also gives suggestions for pairing your entree with a glass of wine or mixed drink that will complement the food perfectly. 

Even though we're leaving in just about 30 days, I'm definitely going to get in another visit - I really need to try that scallop & coconut soup!!

I did it!  I made marguerites without using the powdered sugar cheat to get the filling to set up!  I don't know if it's the altitude here, the dryness, or whatever - but I've never been able to make these without resorting to adding powdered sugar before.  But the whole process went perfectly this time.  I even did it without using a candy thermometer (not that I have anything against them - I just don't have one). 

So Grandma - I hope you're watching!  I did it!  :-)

Here is the original recipe (copied word for word from her recipe card):

3 cups brown sugar

1 cup half & half

1 stick margarine + 1 Tbsp.

Place all ingredients in 3 qt pan.  Bring to a boil and lower heat some or it will boil over.  Cook until a small amount forms a soft ball (but solid enough to pick it up) when dropped in cold water.  Let stand 45 minutes.

Beat until it is firm enough to spread.  If your first try doesn't set up OK you can add powdered sugar to set it up.  It should get firm enough that it does not settle down to flat when you stop beating it. 

And here is the recipe updated with a few more details and facts in case someone would like to try it (they may not look fancy, but they are really pretty good - the original 'salty & sweet' combination!):

Saltine crackers  (about 3 of the packs that come in the large box - have to count them next time!)

3 cups brown sugar - dark or light, either works

1 cup half & half

1/2 cup margarine (1 stick) + 1 Tbsp.

Place all ingredients in 3 qt pan.  Bring to a boil on medium high heat and then lower heat to medium.  Stir constantly to keep from boiling over.  Cook to the soft ball stage (235-240F on your candy thermometer).  Click on the 'soft ball stage' link to see a quick video of how the syrup should look/react.  Let stand 45 minutes to cool.

Beat with a mixer until it is firm enough to spread - 15-20 minutes.  It should be firm enough that it does not settle down to flat when you stop beating it.  If you can't get it to thicken enough, add powdered sugar - 1/2 cup at a time - until it is ready.  Spread between 2 saltine crackers - work quickly as the filling will harden. Store in an airtight container.

I'm not one to save a ton of 'stuff' just so I can look at it or have it around.  For the past few years my mantra has been "if I'm not actively using it, and it's not something my kids would want to keep after I'm gone, WHY do I have it?"  Especially with our rather nomadic lifestyle, I tend to look at things pretty critically as they try to convince me they deserve to live with me.  (Eyeing the 2 large black trash bags currently in our living room destined for Goodwill). 

But there are some things that I would rather not part with.  I have 2 pieces of furniture that will not be sold this next month - an antique dresser that belonged to my great-grandmother (built in the late 1800's!) and a small desk that was my mother's.  That's it.  We call the rest of our furniture 'disposable'.  I also have a few wooden boxes and intarsia wall art my dad made that will be passed down to my daughters. 

And there is my grandma's recipe box.  It's nothing fancy - just a small wooden box made by my grandma in 1927 (when she was 18) for her mom.  It's filled with well-worn and tattered recipe cards and dividers.  Recipes that use lard and measure the oven temperature by how quickly sugar browns when you bake it.  When I look at it,  I can see my grandma's hands flipping through the cards looking for something specific.  It was usually to show ME the recipe, since she had everything memorized.  :-)

 One of those recipes was for what we called marguerites.  They have few ingredients - brown sugar, half and half, and saltine crackers are basically it.  The brown sugar and half & half is cooked to a thick syrupy kind of filling and then spread between 2 saltines.  I know - sounds weird, but these were an annual tradition and we loved them (especially my dad).   My grandma always made a batch to include in our Christmas box.  I wanted to make some this year, but couldn't find my recipe until recently.  I searched high and low on good old Google, but have never been able to find a similar recipe anywhere outside my grandma's recipe box. 

So that's my project this afternoon - I'm going to make some marguerites.  I'll post some pictures as well as the recipe later this evening or tomorrow.  At least that way I'll know I can always find it again! 

As we head into our last 60 days here in Colorado Springs, I'm hoping we get a lot more snow - I'm not done playing in it!  Since most of the things we need to accomplish before we can leave don't really require great weather - although Mike might disagree since he's the one cutting & measuring sheets of plywood outside - I keep a close eye on the radar maps hoping to see the blue stuff that means snow.

When I drove through Flagstaff, Arizona earlier this week they were recovering from almost 4 feet of snow in 4 days - now THAT'S some serious snow.  The clerk at the hotel told me they were shut down for 2 days - didn't really matter since no one could actually get there anyway - but still.  Yikes!  This was the view right outside my hotel room door - and that's pretty much what it looked like in all the parking lots and along the sides of the streets.

We did get a little of the white stuff over the past 24 hours - maybe 2 inches total here at our house.  I was first up this morning and enjoyed a few cups of coffee in the silence watching the snowfall outside.  Our front yard and driveway were all covered with white, virgin snow - my bootprints were the first as I took the outgoing mail down to the mailbox. 

Late this afternoon I sent Sarah outside to shovel the drive (not that it really needed it, but *I* needed her to do it - if you know what I mean!) 

"An Angel in the book of life wrote down my grandchild's birth.

And whispered as she closed the book "too beautiful for earth."

We only knew about our 4th grandchild for about a little over a week before he (I choose to believe he was a boy - if not, I'm sure she'll forgive me!) went back to heaven.  You might think that wasn't enough time to fall in love with another little one - but it was plenty of time. 

We talked about names, smiled at the thought of our oldest daughter with *3* children under the age of 5, and thought about who this one would look like.   We thought about how we would rearrange our travels next year to be able to be there when the baby was born.  In just those few days, this grandchild became a part of lives.

But we're going to have to wait to meet him face to face.  Jennifer suffered a miscarriage today.  The loss of a baby is heart-breaking no matter when it happens.   I speak from personal experience and it is difficult for me to watch my oldest daughter go through this.  So I will be hitting the road early tomorrow morning - hopefully by 6 AM - to head west and to spend some time with her.

I love road trips but sincerely wish this one wasn't happening.