After feeling nothing but shame after last Friday's debacle in the Oval Office, your post and Jimmy Carter's quote put a smile on my face. Not much to smile about lately, but I am going to bake that cake and continue to pray for a gentler world. Kudos to Europe for stepping up. And especially Kudos to Zelensky for not being bullied by two bullies who should know better. Thank you so much for brightening my day!
Happy Mardi Gras! This sounds like a perfect “final” treat for this Mobilian to make before a season of fasting. I’m trying to do better about speaking up. I’m the only one in my family (and, sometimes, it feels like my entire immediate community) who believes and votes the way that I do. I’m also the only one who went to university and my thoughts get downplayed a lot as brainwashing, so I tend to just stay quiet. I want to stand up for what is right but always feel like I’m doing so at risk of being ostracized. I know that sounds like such a first world problem. Just what I’ve been dealing with lately. As always, thank you for sharing.
Thank you for being honest, Taylor, and I know you are not alone. Many of us live with family (extended family for me, mostly cousins and some spouses) and friends who didn’t vote the way we did and don’t look at America the same way we do. Not to simplify it too much, but some of us just naturally think about other people first. Maybe it’s the way we’re born, raised, or what we’ve learned along the way. Looks like you’ve just made a brave first step to speaking up. Next time when something specific happens that you disagree with, bring it up to your family, not engaging them but just sharing how you feel. No one can disagree with the way you feel. If they love you, they will listen.
I wrote to my congress critters (unfortunately all Republican) after the UN vote (another embarrassment) to remind them that Trump’s position re Ukraine is a complete betrayal of what their party supposedly stands for. That Reagan said “tear down this wall.” That our country’s blood & treasure won the Cold War. That instead, the leader of their party is siding with Russia, Iran, North Korea - the most undemocratic, violent & authoritarian countries.
And I’m afraid it’s all because Trump is a bully who looks up to bigger bullies & he wants to build towers & golf courses in those countries.
BTW. A Congressional office on an average day gets 30-40 phone calls. So call if you feel compelled. It doesn’t take many calls for them to know how their constituents feel.
Good advice, Paula. And thank you for trying to make change. I did call my US Congressman’s office several weeks ago. Got a young staffer on the phone, and we had a real conversation. I’ll do it again. This particular congressman’s 2023 Christmas card was with his family holding hunting rifles in front of the Christmas tree, so I’m not expecting big things. For your state and mine, it boils down to gerrymandering. Plus, our president has a mental disorder called narcissism. Bullying makes him feel good. Add a disgruntled American public that hasn’t gotten over a person of color, a woman, someone other than a white man in the White House. There, I said it. But somehow I have hope we’ll get through this if we continue to speak up?
Thanks for writing this beautiful essay...I loved reading the quote from President Carter. I'm going to make this recipe as muffins to share...I really appreciate how you link food, nurture and caring for people in these tough times.
Oh how devastated we feel here in the Uk. The world has changed so much in recent weeks.I know of a contact who is living in America but is seriously planning to leave as they cannot face life now in America. War seriously impacted my life as my father did not have to go to war in 1939 he went and was killed within a few months and his grave is in Egypt. For the record the Uk does have experience of combat. I am familiar with that church in Higham Ferrers the vicar wasn’t bad either.Your words have such impact. Julie
The vicar Eric Buchanan was amazing. And so are you. Sending you love from across the ocean, and thank you for reminding me about your father’s untimely death.
Thank you so much Anne for this lovely article. You so eloquently express the same feelings and frustrations I have with our current administration. Your ability to weave it into posting this beautiful lemon cake just amazes me and is proof of your wonderful journalistic skills. Thank you for having the courage to stand up for what is right!
Absolutely! I have no choice. Sadly each time I post, the conversation in my home kitchen is how many subscribers I’ve lost with my words. And then we smile and say, it’s worth it.
They're making it pretty easy to find material. I was watching the cold open of Saturday Night live which I usually find funny. This week it was about their awful bullying of Zelenski, and it was too close to the truth to be funny.
Anne, as I have had the pleasure of getting to know you through your posts, I have been uplifted and encouraged...something of a surprise these days. I'm a Western girl, who has every one of your cookbooks going all the way back to the early 2000's. I have baked hundreds of the cakes and other desserts contained in those pages. Today, I was so inspired by your post, I decided to sign up for a paid subscription. Thank you for your authenticity and courage to speak up during these times where so many of us fear we'll be ostracized for sharing our positions and our thoughts. Hooray for you!
Maria, you have MADE my day. Thank you. I’ve been ridiculed today and talked down to and been called unAmerican too. All away from the comments. In the shadows of a private email. So I came out to the garden and dug three deep rows and planted carrot seeds because there’s rain coming tonight. And now I read your kind comment. Thank you. 💙💛
Judy, I am sorry you feel recipes and politics don’t go together. Throughout history food writers have written of the challenges of feeding a family - during the Depression, the scarcity during Wars I and II, the anti-war Vietnam movement and the recipes and songs that came out of it. Creating food and recipes, to me, is a lot like painting or singing. It’s more than getting dinner on the table. We’ve all done that. Today I do feel compelled to speak up. Trump’s behavior (Vance’s too) in the Oval Office was inexcusable. I don’t care what party you vote for, it wasn’t decent. I can’t look in the mirror without calling that out. And I am saying this in a comment just as I might say to you in person. I mean no disrespect. What drives me to write what I write comes from my heart and trying to live the best life I can as a person of faith in this world.
What a wonderful column!!! I have re-read it several times and saved it on my laptop for reading again when I need it. I particularly like the quote from President Carter... perfection! I'm going to make the cake now....
Beautiful post, Anne, you have me thinking about all the “Bake for Ukraine” 🇺🇦 events 3 years ago. Thanks for this heartbreaking but hopeful reminder. 🌻
I couldn’t believe it had been three years, Jolene. Most of us have moved on to other tragedies, sadly. The Ukrainian story is powerful. Thanks for reading.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for helping me move forward during these chaotic and heartbreaking times. I too am horrified and upset by the Trump/Vance attack on Zelenskyy. I will pull out my Moosewood cookbook and bake the cake. I will send this post to my senator and friends.
I grew up next door to Abe and Renette Israel Corenswet, who taught me much about Jewish culture and food. Renette baked us a poppyseed cake just like this every December, and it always seemed so exotic and sophisticated to me. I'd love to know if her family or Abe's came from Ukraine.
Thank you Lou Ann. That would be an interesting coincidence. I do know that poppy seeds are found throughout Jewish baking and wondering if possibly more so from Eastern Europe. Maybe our Jewish friends Leah Koenig, Rachel Barnett, and Lyssa Harvey will weigh in.
I am so grateful sharing recipes can bring us together. We agree on the big things, how to make a tasty cake. So glad we can get that right. And because we don’t agree on how to end a war and bloodshed of innocent people, let’s agree that’s what we all want. I choose to respect other opinions besides my own and find our common ground. I won’t draw a negative narrative of those who have a different approach to our American ideals. I will even pay for a subscription to authors with differing opinions as long as the cake turns out scrumptious. Let’s all be good to eachother and eat cake!
What a beautiful essay. I love your cookbooks - and I love how you weave our current state of affairs with this beautiful lemon cake which I will be bake tomorrow. I also just subscribed - can't' believe subscribers would leave, hope you get many more to take their place. Carry on Anne you make our lives so much better by baking and living between the layers.
Thank you, Connie, and welcome! Also thank you for reminding me why I named this newsletter between the layers. It wasn’t just about frosting I wanted to write about…more about life.
After feeling nothing but shame after last Friday's debacle in the Oval Office, your post and Jimmy Carter's quote put a smile on my face. Not much to smile about lately, but I am going to bake that cake and continue to pray for a gentler world. Kudos to Europe for stepping up. And especially Kudos to Zelensky for not being bullied by two bullies who should know better. Thank you so much for brightening my day!
Thank you, Mary. Yes, kudos to Europe!
Happy Mardi Gras! This sounds like a perfect “final” treat for this Mobilian to make before a season of fasting. I’m trying to do better about speaking up. I’m the only one in my family (and, sometimes, it feels like my entire immediate community) who believes and votes the way that I do. I’m also the only one who went to university and my thoughts get downplayed a lot as brainwashing, so I tend to just stay quiet. I want to stand up for what is right but always feel like I’m doing so at risk of being ostracized. I know that sounds like such a first world problem. Just what I’ve been dealing with lately. As always, thank you for sharing.
Thank you for being honest, Taylor, and I know you are not alone. Many of us live with family (extended family for me, mostly cousins and some spouses) and friends who didn’t vote the way we did and don’t look at America the same way we do. Not to simplify it too much, but some of us just naturally think about other people first. Maybe it’s the way we’re born, raised, or what we’ve learned along the way. Looks like you’ve just made a brave first step to speaking up. Next time when something specific happens that you disagree with, bring it up to your family, not engaging them but just sharing how you feel. No one can disagree with the way you feel. If they love you, they will listen.
Thank you, again, Anne.
I wrote to my congress critters (unfortunately all Republican) after the UN vote (another embarrassment) to remind them that Trump’s position re Ukraine is a complete betrayal of what their party supposedly stands for. That Reagan said “tear down this wall.” That our country’s blood & treasure won the Cold War. That instead, the leader of their party is siding with Russia, Iran, North Korea - the most undemocratic, violent & authoritarian countries.
And I’m afraid it’s all because Trump is a bully who looks up to bigger bullies & he wants to build towers & golf courses in those countries.
BTW. A Congressional office on an average day gets 30-40 phone calls. So call if you feel compelled. It doesn’t take many calls for them to know how their constituents feel.
Good advice, Paula. And thank you for trying to make change. I did call my US Congressman’s office several weeks ago. Got a young staffer on the phone, and we had a real conversation. I’ll do it again. This particular congressman’s 2023 Christmas card was with his family holding hunting rifles in front of the Christmas tree, so I’m not expecting big things. For your state and mine, it boils down to gerrymandering. Plus, our president has a mental disorder called narcissism. Bullying makes him feel good. Add a disgruntled American public that hasn’t gotten over a person of color, a woman, someone other than a white man in the White House. There, I said it. But somehow I have hope we’ll get through this if we continue to speak up?
Thanks for writing this beautiful essay...I loved reading the quote from President Carter. I'm going to make this recipe as muffins to share...I really appreciate how you link food, nurture and caring for people in these tough times.
Baking for others makes me feel less helpless. And writing about it is something I can do. Appreciate your kind words, Beth.
Thank you! and thank you for writing this it helps so much in these difficult days.
These days are difficult. For everyone. I so appreciate your encouragement, Judith.
Oh how devastated we feel here in the Uk. The world has changed so much in recent weeks.I know of a contact who is living in America but is seriously planning to leave as they cannot face life now in America. War seriously impacted my life as my father did not have to go to war in 1939 he went and was killed within a few months and his grave is in Egypt. For the record the Uk does have experience of combat. I am familiar with that church in Higham Ferrers the vicar wasn’t bad either.Your words have such impact. Julie
The vicar Eric Buchanan was amazing. And so are you. Sending you love from across the ocean, and thank you for reminding me about your father’s untimely death.
Thank you so much Anne for this lovely article. You so eloquently express the same feelings and frustrations I have with our current administration. Your ability to weave it into posting this beautiful lemon cake just amazes me and is proof of your wonderful journalistic skills. Thank you for having the courage to stand up for what is right!
Absolutely! I have no choice. Sadly each time I post, the conversation in my home kitchen is how many subscribers I’ve lost with my words. And then we smile and say, it’s worth it.
Beautiful post Anne. I can't say how much I appreciate what you write.
Thank you, Karen. I just wish Trump & Co wasn’t providing me with so much material.
They're making it pretty easy to find material. I was watching the cold open of Saturday Night live which I usually find funny. This week it was about their awful bullying of Zelenski, and it was too close to the truth to be funny.
Anne, as I have had the pleasure of getting to know you through your posts, I have been uplifted and encouraged...something of a surprise these days. I'm a Western girl, who has every one of your cookbooks going all the way back to the early 2000's. I have baked hundreds of the cakes and other desserts contained in those pages. Today, I was so inspired by your post, I decided to sign up for a paid subscription. Thank you for your authenticity and courage to speak up during these times where so many of us fear we'll be ostracized for sharing our positions and our thoughts. Hooray for you!
Maria, you have MADE my day. Thank you. I’ve been ridiculed today and talked down to and been called unAmerican too. All away from the comments. In the shadows of a private email. So I came out to the garden and dug three deep rows and planted carrot seeds because there’s rain coming tonight. And now I read your kind comment. Thank you. 💙💛
Too bad you felt compelled to mix politics and the breath of fresh air we get from reading about recipes.
Please note that Trump’s plan to bring peace talks to the region, came to fruition this morning with Zelensky’s apology.
Judy, I am sorry you feel recipes and politics don’t go together. Throughout history food writers have written of the challenges of feeding a family - during the Depression, the scarcity during Wars I and II, the anti-war Vietnam movement and the recipes and songs that came out of it. Creating food and recipes, to me, is a lot like painting or singing. It’s more than getting dinner on the table. We’ve all done that. Today I do feel compelled to speak up. Trump’s behavior (Vance’s too) in the Oval Office was inexcusable. I don’t care what party you vote for, it wasn’t decent. I can’t look in the mirror without calling that out. And I am saying this in a comment just as I might say to you in person. I mean no disrespect. What drives me to write what I write comes from my heart and trying to live the best life I can as a person of faith in this world.
What a wonderful column!!! I have re-read it several times and saved it on my laptop for reading again when I need it. I particularly like the quote from President Carter... perfection! I'm going to make the cake now....
Glad it resonated! The cake is even better warm.
Beautiful post, Anne, you have me thinking about all the “Bake for Ukraine” 🇺🇦 events 3 years ago. Thanks for this heartbreaking but hopeful reminder. 🌻
I couldn’t believe it had been three years, Jolene. Most of us have moved on to other tragedies, sadly. The Ukrainian story is powerful. Thanks for reading.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for helping me move forward during these chaotic and heartbreaking times. I too am horrified and upset by the Trump/Vance attack on Zelenskyy. I will pull out my Moosewood cookbook and bake the cake. I will send this post to my senator and friends.
Thank you, Lisa!
I grew up next door to Abe and Renette Israel Corenswet, who taught me much about Jewish culture and food. Renette baked us a poppyseed cake just like this every December, and it always seemed so exotic and sophisticated to me. I'd love to know if her family or Abe's came from Ukraine.
This is such a beautiful, meaningful post.
Thank you Lou Ann. That would be an interesting coincidence. I do know that poppy seeds are found throughout Jewish baking and wondering if possibly more so from Eastern Europe. Maybe our Jewish friends Leah Koenig, Rachel Barnett, and Lyssa Harvey will weigh in.
I am so grateful sharing recipes can bring us together. We agree on the big things, how to make a tasty cake. So glad we can get that right. And because we don’t agree on how to end a war and bloodshed of innocent people, let’s agree that’s what we all want. I choose to respect other opinions besides my own and find our common ground. I won’t draw a negative narrative of those who have a different approach to our American ideals. I will even pay for a subscription to authors with differing opinions as long as the cake turns out scrumptious. Let’s all be good to eachother and eat cake!
Absolutely, Carolyn. Thanks for your perspective and generosity.
What a beautiful essay. I love your cookbooks - and I love how you weave our current state of affairs with this beautiful lemon cake which I will be bake tomorrow. I also just subscribed - can't' believe subscribers would leave, hope you get many more to take their place. Carry on Anne you make our lives so much better by baking and living between the layers.
Thank you, Connie, and welcome! Also thank you for reminding me why I named this newsletter between the layers. It wasn’t just about frosting I wanted to write about…more about life.