Here, there, and everywhere

To lead a better life I need my love to be here...

Here, making each day of the year
Changing my life with a wave of her hand
Nobody can deny that there's something there

There, running my hands through her hair
Both of us thinking how good it can be
Someone is speaking but she doesn't know he's there

I want her everywhere and if she's beside me
I know I need never care
But to love her is to need her everywhere
Knowing that love is to share

Each one believing that love never dies
Watching her eyes and hoping I'm always there

I want her everywhere and if she's beside me
I know I need never care
But to love her is to need her everywhere
Knowing that love is to share

Each one believing that love never dies
Watching her eyes and hoping I'm always there

To be there and everywhere
Here, there and everywhere

Marlene's Scrumptious Orange Marmalade

Seriously. I love food. I love to eat, I love to experiment with food, I love reading about food, I love talking about food. I even love taking photos of food.

One day many years ago, I came across this book, "Fine Preserving," written by Catherine Plagemann and annotated by M.F.K. Fisher. I loved it. And here is one of the first goodies I made - orange marmalade. Absolutely scrumptious. Last weekend, here in Nairobi, I made it again. Try it. :-D You will need:

Fresh oranges, California or Valencia or Navel (your desired number)
Sugar
Water
Tradition has it, they say, that orange marmalade is Scotch marmalade and is made only from the somewhat bitter Seville orange (go figure: Spanish oranges made into Scotch marmalade). But these bitter oranges are somewhat hard to find. For just plain good old but equally scrumptious orange marmalade, I use either the clear golden-skinned California oranges usually stamped Sunkist or the Valencias or the Navels. Here, I used Californians.
 
For this recipe, I used three nice golden oranges.

(Hmmm, I suddenly remembered this Spanish fairy tale about a handsome prince who stole three golden oranges from the Forbidden Garden... It was in Volume 5 of our ten-volume "The Children's Hour" book series. Will see if I can still unearth that beautiful fairy tale.... But back to marmalade making!) 

First, peel the thin colored outer skin from your desired number of oranges, in my case, three oranges. Slice the peel finely. Next, chop the pulp finely. 

Remove the seeds, if any, and put them into a little cloth bag, if desired, for a deeper flavor. Add to the peel and pulp mixture.
 


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Cover the oranges with water three times their bulk and let stand overnight.












On the second day, cook mixture, fast and furious (so to speak), for 20 minutes and cool for 24 hours. You can see the little bag of seeds on the left side of the picture below. And by the way, the scent of the orange mixture is simply amazing, better than any scented candle or aromatherapy oil anytime...

 
On the third day, carefully measure 1 cup of juice and fruit to 3/4 cup of sugar.



Cook quickly until the mixture passes the old-fashioned jellying test. (Please see below.) If the oranges are soft and ripe, add about 1 tablespoon fresh tart lemon juice per 4 cups just before removing the marmalade from the stove.

Cool, put into sterilized jars and seal with paraffin. (And don't forget to remove the bag of seeds!)

Enjoy! :-D

*Old-fashioned jelly test:
Put a saucer in the freezer compartment of your refrigerator. (If you live somewhere Arctic in winter, well, just put your saucer out the window!) As soon as the marmalade starts to thicken, dab a little of the mixture in the cold saucer. If the marmalade holds its shape and is no longer runny, congratulations. Your marmalade is ready

By the way, our kitchen tablecloth is the lovely Maasai shuka (blanket) bought from a roadside stall in Karen, Nairobi, Kenya, white porcelain cup is Woolworths Essentials, and that lovely lovely earthenware plate is from the Spinner's Web shop located at the Viking House, Waiyaki Way, Nairobi, Kenya. And no, I'm not being paid to write this! I just love their stuff.

Marlene's Yummy Strawberry Newton Bars

One chilly day, needing some nice comfort food, I decided to bake one of my all-time favorites - strawberry newton bars. It's really very easy to make and goes well with freshly made coffee or hot cocoa. So, start baking and afterwards, grab a mug of coffee and enjoy the first piping hot, oven-fresh cookie....

Marlene's Yummy Stawberry Newton Bars

4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup cold water or orange juice
1 tablespoon orange zest
1/2 cup best quality strawberry jam
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

In a large bowl, combine flour, butter, 1 cup sugar and baking powder. Rub together until mixture is the consistency of cornmeal. Add one very fresh egg and the water. For better flavor and more yummy moistness, I use orange juice instead of water. Knead until dough is satiny.

Roll out dough to 1/4-inch thickness and then spread good quality strawberry jam on top of dough. Then roll out the piece of dough into a cylinder amd cut into 2-inch rounds. Alternatively, you can fold the dough into four and cut into bars.

Transfer bars or rounds to lightly greased baking sheets. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 8 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Let cool on racks. Store in airtight container. (That is, if there are any leftovers!) Bon appetit!