Healthy Eating: Blueberry Almond Crumble Pie

"I lost weight on my vacation"

Like I needed to hear that.

Apparently, it's all about eating blueberries.  Day and night.  

I had this conversation with a client the other day.  She had just gotten back from vacation and we were trying to catch up.  Being an hour behind me, my phone rang just as I was at the point of dinner prep that there was no going back.

Cheryl: Can you talk now?

Me: Well, I just started dinner but I have hands-free headset, so sure!

Cheryl:  Well, I really need to talk the contracts, and I forgot you were an hour ahead of me.

Me:  Are you sure?

Cheryl:  What are you cooking for dinner?

Me:  Frittata with Homemade Sausage and fresh tomatoes

Cheryl:  I'm coming to your house!  

Me:  Where did you go on vacation?

Cheryl:  We went mountain biking in Colorado Springs.  We actually ate really healthy.  I had blueberries every morning for breakfast and then again at night, with yogurt instead of ice cream.  I lost weight!

So that's the secret, huh?

This Blueberry Almond Crumble pie isn't going to be on anyone's healthy list, but as far as dessert goes, you can't beat it with a gallon of ice cream.

Christmas in July: Gramma Daly's Crumb Cake

It seems my two family members have a penchant for crumb cake.

Or more to the point: crumb.  Skip the cake.

If I could figure out a way to just bake the crumb, they would be ecsatic.

But something has to go under the crumb, its just about proportion.

Christmas growing up meant this cake, homemade egg nog and cold lobster salad on Christmas morning.  

All kids can't wait to get up and get opening, and our family was no different.  

Except for my brother, who would get up anytime between 1am and 4am, play in the dark with what Santa brought, go back to bed and sleep in.  

After we opened all our gifts, we'd trudge through the snow to my Aunt Gen's house, about 100 feet away, and look at their gifts.  And have crumb cake for breakfast with them.

Next round:  my Aunt Lorraine's house, 100 feet on the other side of the house, look at their gifts, drink eggnog and eat lobster salad.

Finally back to our house, where my brother has finally gotten up.  You could tell by the smell in the house.  His favorite breakfast on Christmas morning was leftover baked stuffed shrimp.

And that was all before heading over to my Aunt Helen's house (yes, there were uncles in the picture but we all knew who ruled the roost), for a simple meal of lasagna and garlic bread, followed by turkey with all of the trimmings.

Not wanting to clock the scales any more than I already do, I thought for Grace's last meal home before heading to Switzerland (for a year!), we'd make some crumb cake together.  A little Christmas in July.

Dressed to Grill: Tenderloin for when the IRS comes calling

I work at home.  That might sound glamourous but its really pretty grimy.  There are weeks when I don't leave the house for 3 and 4 days.  Sitting at my desk, in my sweats, no make-up, you get it.  I clean up nice on the weekends, though.

The other morning, I'm sitting at my desk, my phone rings, and when I pick up it up, its the Internal Revenue Service.  

Pre-recorded:  This is the Internal Revenue Service and we are bringing suit against you for non-payment of taxes. Please call this number:  213-590-XXXX.  Click.

Normally, I would have hung up on whatever telemarketer calls my phone.  Not a word, I just hang up.

But a couple years ago, I actually did get a letter from the IRS saying that I owed them money.  It was addressed to a company I had never heard of, but sent to my mailing address.

After staring at this letter most of the day, I finally realized that the FEIN (that's Federal Entity Identification Number) was one digit different than mine.

Someone at the IRS fat-fingered the FEIN number, and sent a letter to a company that presumable does owe them money, but my address came up in their data base when they entered my FEIN to do the lookup.

I dutifully called the IRS (800-TAX-1040, if you don't know), recited the reference number to the agent, and then tried to explain what I thought had happened, but the Agent got a bit terse with me. 

IRS:  I can't give you any tax information if you are not the party of record.  

Me:  I'm not asking for tax information, I'm trying to get the record corrected.

IRS:  Click

After several tries, I gave up.  

Several weeks later, I get a postal notice of a registered letter from the IRS.  Well, not for me, for that poor company who actually does owe the IRS money, and doesn't know it.

I tried the IRS again.  Same thing.  As soon as I tell them I am not the owner of the company, they clam up.

Since then, I get one of those postal notices about every 6 months.  Wonder what the penalties and interest is now?  I Googled the name of the company, but couldn't find them.

Fast forward, I'm sitting at my desk and I get this recorded announcement.  

My first thought is how much of my life is going to now be devoted to straightening out this mess.

I call the number in the recording.  A young man with a heavy accent identified himself as James Jones, Badge Number:  DL13850, and then confirms my name and address.

IRS:  I'm going to give you a reference number and I'm going to read the charges against you.  Do not interrupt me.

Me:  What charges are you talking about?  I haven't been notified of any charges.

IRS:  We have been trying to reach you.  For the years 2010 to 2014 your taxes don't match our records and you owe us $5,906.56.  Did you do this deliberately?

Me:  How have you been trying to reach me?  I haven't any record of the IRS sending me anything.  What documents do you have?

IRS:  We don't have them anymore, they have now gone to the vault in Washington, DC.

Me:  When did you try to reach me?

IRS:  We attempted to reach you at your home last Friday.  The Post Office attempted to deliver the documents to you, but no one was home.

Me:  I work at home.  I was home all day last Friday.  (Quick check of my Outlook Calendar confirms this.)

IRS:  No one came to the door.

Me:  I happen to personally know our mail carrier and if she came to the door, I would have seen her out the window of my office.  No one came to the door.

IRS:  If you don't pay this money, we will take away your license and all of your belongings.

Me:  I have the right to see the documents you have, I have no documents saying I owe you money.

IRS:  Well, then we'll have the Sheriff come to your house and we'll do a background check.

Me:  What?  What are you talking about?  When is this Sheriff coming to my house?

IRS:  Within 30 minutes of this phone call ending.  So you better get dressed!!

Me:  What is this Sheriff going to do?

IRS:  Take you into custody, so you had better call your family and let them know you are going to jail!!

Me:  Jail?  You can't take me to jail without me seeing your documents!

IRS:  And you better bring your lawyer!

Me:  I don't have a lawyer!

IRS:  Well, don't you think you better get on it?  Click.

I actually broke out into a cold sweat.  I could see myself calling my husband, my hair dresser, and my client and telling them I wasn't going to make my appointments.  Fear had taken over.  And Panic was quickly setting in.

I called my Accountant.  

Me (nearly in tears):  Dean, I just got this horrible call from the IRS saying they were going to send the Sheriff to take me into custody and . . .

Dean:  Before you go any further, let me stop you right there.  Its a SCAM!

Me (now that I can breath again), OMG, really?

Dean:  Yup, its been going on for a couple of years now.  You didnt give them any of your information, did you?

Me:  Thankfully, I did not.

All I could think of was, "How did the IRS know I wasn't dressed?"  Next time, I'll be dressed and have something special for when they come calling.  How about Grilled Tenderloin and Blue Cheese Butter?

Lavendar Cookies and Designer Chickens

I think this rooster posed for those expensive French Rooster plates I saw on line the other day.  He lives at a place called The Lavendar Pond Farm, in Killingworth, CT where I took Grace and her sister exchange student, Paula for a visit.

He certainly was showing us his best side.  This farm as become a destination for those of us on the Shoreline.  Who knew you could make so many products out of a single plant:  Lavendar soap, Lavendar Lemonade, Lavendar Honey, Lavendar bath salts.  If the electronic point of sale could made a sound it would be "Ching!"

Lovely place and it inspired us to go home and make Lavendar cookies and Lavendar Ice Cream.