Fort Delaware Paranormal Investigation

As a "birthday gift," Tom and I had discussed going away for the weekend - either a train ride in Pennsylvania or a bus tour in New York City. Then, Amy turned me on to ghost hunting tours held at Fort Delaware in the month of October. I looked it up and discussed the option with Tom, and we decided to do that instead.

We took the five hour tour, over the midnight hour, and had a few items of interest in our investigation; Officer's Kitchen - K2 meter readings, Prisoner's Barracks - nothing, Tent - nothing, Officer's Quarters - K2 meter readings, Enlisted Men's Quarters - nothing, Endecott Section - K2 meter readings, the Casemates - nothing. The whole evening, while enjoyable and nice to get out for a change, seemed a little anticlimactic. But upon further consideration, I think our encounters were more substantial than I initially thought.
Our first encounter was in the Officer's Kitchen, and there were just K2 meter readings that seemed kind of random. In the Officer's Quarters, I had one really big K2 meter reading, but it was when two people had just walked into the room. I initially figured that they hadn't turned their cell phones off, and that caused the spike on the K2 meter. There were also a few smaller blips on the meter. On to the Endecott section. Three of us in our group had simultaneous K2 meter readings that were pretty strong that continued for several minutes. They stopped after we discounted the readings. Now, after getting home and thinking about it, these K2 meter readings could have been more than we realized. If I held the K2 meter right up to my phone or to an electrical outlet, I got a really weak reading. What we got in our investigation was considerably stronger on several occasions. Knowing what I know now, I would go on another tour with more sensitivity and better questions and suggestions on how to interact with any potential spirits.

Cauldron Curry

Upon deciding to have a Halloween luncheon, I scoured the Internet looking for an appropriate recipe, and this one popped out at me. I found this recipe for Cauldron Curry on the Martha Stewart website, and she has never steered me wrong.

Cauldron Curry

Ingredients
FOR THE CURRY PASTE

• 1 tablespoon whole coriander seeds, toasted
• 2 teaspoons whole cumin seeds, toasted
• 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns, toasted
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• 3 serrano chiles, sliced
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
• 2 stalks fresh lemongrass, trimmed and chopped (1/2 cup)
• 8 garlic cloves, minced (1/4 cup)
• 2 scallions, chopped (1/4 cup)
• 2 tablespoons chopped peeled fresh ginger
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoon finely grated lime zest (from 2 limes)

FOR THE STEW

• 2 ounces spinach (1 cup)
• 1 can (14 ounces) unsweetened regular coconut milk
• 1 can (14 ounces) unsweetened light coconut milk
• 1 medium zucchini, quartered lengthwise and sliced 1 inch thick (21/4 cups)
• 12 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 12 ounces boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• 3/4 cup fresh basil
• Serrano chiles, thinly sliced, for garnish
• Squeamish Squash with Rice
• Lime wedges, for serving

Directions

1. Make the curry paste: Grind coriander, cumin, peppercorns, and salt with a mortar and pestle, or with the bottom of a heavy skillet. Add remaining ingredients, and grind until a paste forms. (Curry paste can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks or frozen for up to 3 months.)
2. Make the stew: Puree 5 tablespoons curry paste, the spinach, and 1 cup regular coconut milk in a blender until smooth. Reserve remaining curry paste for another use.
3. Bring remaining regular coconut milk and the light coconut milk to a boil in a medium Dutch oven or heavy stockpot. Reduce heat, stir in curry-spinach mixture, and simmer for 5 minutes. Add zucchini, and cook until slightly tender, about 5 minutes. Add chicken, and season with salt and pepper. Cook until zucchini is tender and chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Add basil, and garnish with serrano chiles. Serve with rice and lime wedges.

This dish took a lot of work, but the flavor was pretty good. The curry paste smelled wonderful, and according to the comments on the website, it should be made in advance for maximum flavor. I was confused when I realized there was no actual curry in the dish, but I'm a novice at cooking, so what do I know? It definitely benefited from the lime and chiles, which I love the flavor of.

Ode to Elvis Poke Cake

After finding the recipe to the Ode to Elvis Poke Cake, I've been dying for a reason to make it. Tomorrow's Halloween luncheon at Huber seemed like the perfect opportunity.

The Ode to Elvis Poke Cake

For the cake:

• ½ cup creamy peanut butter
• ½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened
• 4 eggs
• 1 (18.25 oz.) box Duncan Hines butter golden cake mix
• 2/3 cup water

Additional ingredients for the cake:

• 2 cups milk
• 1 box (3.4 oz.) Jello banana cream instant pudding and pie filling mix
• 4-5 bananas, peeled and sliced
• 1 container (8 oz.) Cool Whip, thawed
• 12-16 oz. bacon, cooked, crumbled and drained

For the glaze:

• ¼ cup creamy peanut butter
• 5 tbsp. milk

1. Preheat oven to 325° F. Spray a 9x13-in. baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream the ½ cup peanut butter and butter with an electric mixer. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing until just combined. Add half of the cake mix and ⅓ cup of water. Mix until just combined. Add remaining cake mix and remaining ⅓ cup of water; mix until just combined. Pour batter evenly into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until cake tests done. Remove from the oven and with the handle end of a wooden spoon, poke holes all over the cake. There is not a set number of holes, but you will want plenty for the pudding to fill.
3. In a medium bowl, combine the instant pudding mix and milk. Pour the pudding mixture over the cake, trying to fill the holes the best you can. You may need to use the back of a spoon to help spread the pudding mix and fill the holes. Top with the sliced bananas. Evenly spread the Cool Whip over the cake. Sprinkle the crumbled bacon over the top.
4. In a small microwave-safe bowl, combine the ¼ cup creamy peanut butter and 5 tbsp. milk. Microwave in 10 seconds intervals until smooth, stirring between each time. Carefully pour the mixture into a small zip-top bag and snip a small piece off one of the corners. Drizzle the peanut butter glaze over the top of the cake.
5. Cover and refrigerate the cake for at least four hours before serving.

Sadly, I made a mistake in the cake's construction. I put the Cool Whip on the cake while it was still warm, so it melted. I figured the flavor would still be there, and it was. It was definitely an interesting combination of flavors. Would I try it again? Although it wasn't bad, I think it's something I've gotten out of my system.

At the Aquarium with Ava

Tammy, Ava and Adelyn flew out this weekend for Nathan's wedding, and Tom and I spent some time with Ava today. We took her to the National Aquarium in Baltimore.

I can't tell you how weird it was, acting like a grandmother when I've never had children. It made my bag of tricks for coping rather small. Our best time bonding was picking our noses! It was still good to spend time with her.

APG Oktoberfest 2014

After work today, Tom and I went to APG to check out their Oktoberfest celebration. A few years ago, we participated in the inaugural Volksmarch, and I was excited to check out their Festhalle.

Edelweis Band

It was nice, but I wish I would have been able to enjoy it earlier. There was a band playing German sounding music, several types of beer and wine were available - most of the beers been local craft beers celebrating Oktoberfest - and there was a food tent with barbeque pork sandwiches, bratwurst, knockwurst, potato salad, sauerkraut and rotkraut.

Like the Seafood Festival in Havre de Grace, I think I'd like to revisit it in a few years - to see what improvements have been made.

Fried Irish Cabbage with Bacon

Jeff gave us a cabbage and some garlic, so I made a dish with the cabbage. After getting Tom's input on what he wanted, we searched for, and found, this recipe - Fried Irish Cabbage with Bacon.

Fried Irish Cabbage with Bacon

Ingredients

• 1 (12 ounce) package bacon
• 1/4 cup bacon drippings
• 1 small head cabbage, cored and finely chopped
• ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Cook bacon in a deep skillet over medium heat until crisp, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove bacon from skillet and drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Reserve 1/4 cup drippings in skillet.
2. Cook and stir cabbage in hot bacon drippings over medium heat until cabbage wilts, 5 to 7 minutes.
3. Crumble bacon over cabbage. Stir and simmer until bacon is warmed, 2 to 3 minutes. Season with black pepper.

I liked the dish. It may have needed a little salt, but that's an individual taste thing. Tom said it was good, and ate a big bowlful - not bad.

Ravens vs. Falcons

The Ravens played the Atlanta Falcons today and whooped their butts! Honestly, I don't get much pleasure from those types of wins - they're kind of boring to watch. The most exciting part was the safety scored in our endzone.

Our half-time show was a Beatles medley. It featured our rhythm section, and I think we did pretty well.

In this formation, we formed the word "Shout" (I'm in the "S").