Family Style.

Saturday! That means Target for me and a morning of relaxation for Lawyerboy. I had to work at 8:00, which was much better than 4:30! It was a busy day again! I was trying to stock shelves, but constantly being interrupted to help guests find this or that. I am not complaining. The workday goes fast when you are helping others! I worked until 4:30.

I rushed home because the Wymans were going to be at our place. The Wymans are from my hometown of Newburg. Karlene and Ian are a great couple and have raised three of the sweetest kids. I taught both Lexi and Tate. Lexi is now in the sixth grade and Tate is in third grade. They decided to leave their youngest, Ally, at home for this trip. They were here to see a Vikings game tomorrow! We too were going to be at the game, but we were going with Burton and Erica.

I have kept in touch with both Karlene and Lexi, mostly through e-mails. Lexi let me know that they would be coming for a game and wanted to know if they could see us. “Of course!” I couldn’t wait! We had planned to go see the Holidazzle Parade together on Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis and then eat at Buca di Beppo.

It was so great to see them and get hugs! I changed my clothes and we all got into their vehicle, with Lawyerboy driving. (We know what it feels like to drive in a large city when you come from a place where you can drive for miles before seeing another car, and neither Ian nor Karlene wanted to drive downtown!) We found a parking ramp and then walked to the street to watch the parade. It was pretty cold, but not freezing. Neither Lawyerboy nor I are real big into parades, but we both love lights, especially Lawyerboy! The parade was short, the lights did not disappoint, and the Wymans thought it was neat, too. It was a win, win, win!

We then walked to Buca di Beppo. This is an Italian restaurant done ‘family style’. Tate wanted hot wings, but there obviously wouldn’t be wings here! He got a pizza. The rest of us choose a salad, bruschetta, a couple of pasta dishes, and the mother in Karlene thought we better have a vegetable, so we got green beans to share. We also ordered a bottle of wine. It was very good indeed and we were all too full for dessert. Ian and Karlene were stinkers and insisted on paying! It was so thoughtful. They are always very generous.

It was so great to see friends from back ‘home’ here in the Twin Cities two nights in a row! We were going to make it three, because tomorrow evening we would all be at the Vikings game!

A week after we had seen the Wymans, I got the sweetest gift in the mail. It was a handwritten letter from Lexi. I taped a picture of the two of us from the Vikings game on it and hung it on our front closet to remind me that some friends are like family. I wish I would have had time to make a dessert for them while they were here. I would have made them Chunky Apple Cake with Homemade Carmel Sauce. It is one of Lexi’s favorite desserts that my mom makes!

Chunky Apple Cake:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees – Bake: 45 to 50 minutes – Prep time: 25 minutes – Serves: 12 to 15 pieces

1/2 cup butter, softened

2 cups sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs

2 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

6 cups tart apples, peeled and chopped

In a large mixing bowl, put in cream butter and sugar. Add the vanilla and mix in well. Next, add the eggs, one at a time, beating well each time. Next, combine the flour. Then, add the cinnamon and nutmeg and the salt and baking soda. Mix well; batter will be stiff. Wash, peel, and cut up five to six apples into chunks. Add to the batter. It will seem like there are more apples than batter! Spread into a 13 X 9 greased cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes. Cool 20 to 30 minutes before serving.

Carmel Sauce:

Prep Time: 5 minutes

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup whipping cream

In a small saucepan, put in butter and brown sugar. Turn the heat on medium to low. Stir. Then, add the whipping cream. Continue to stir until well blended and it starts to simmer. Remove from heat. Serve warm or room temperature. Pour it onto the Chunky Apple Cake. Put any reserves in a small serving jar or gravy boat. Cover and place in the refrigerator.