Fun fact: The stained glass window of St Clare in the Mission Dolores was modified to include a tv antenna. Also, The Poor Clares is a great band name.
As a non-Catholic, I have been fascinated by saints since watching “Song of Bernadette” on TV during a sleepover at my friend Stacey’s house. The whole thing enthralled and mystified us (so I guess it worked?), Stacey’s upbringing being pretty nonreligious. (Admittedly, it could have been Jennifer Jones.) Fortunately her mom seemed to know all and she patiently explained. It was all very mystical and we felt like we’d been let in on a secret. My husband, who was raised Catholic, is also in the know, and he won me over by suggesting St. Anthony might be useful in helping me to locate something lost many years ago that was so important, though now I cannot actually remember what it was (plus my husband has other many fine qualities). I must say, I do recall that St. Anthony actually came through. Anyway, I am going to skip over the glories of Swanson TV dinners. We loved them as kids. And go straight to this cake, since I bake and, in particular, bake a lot of apple cakes. Crumb topping, almond paste, cinnamon, apples, mmmmm. Plus a cup of oil in the cake plus 11 more tablespoons of butter! I think you could put almost anything in that cake and it would be delicious. Probably time to invoke the patron saint of bakers (St. Honoré - of course) and cardiac issues (St. John of God).
My sister and I always begged our parents to let us have TV dinners when they went out and we had a babysitter. You can imagine how my Italian mother (who was a fabulous cook) loved that. Decades later, my kids repaid me by always preferring Trader Joe's pot stickers to anything I made them. Anyhow, another great read and the apple cake sounds DELICIOUS.
As I don’t have a Tee Vee, I do have Feathers McGraw (Aardman, Wallace & Grommit) firmly attached to the top of my computer monitor, in homage to Monty Python’s having a “Penguin on My Telly.” As the patron saint of Tee Vee, Clare would no doubt know all those references, yawn. Whatever. Who likes a know-it-all, anyway?
Most highly amusing! I urge your readers to listen to the audio versions of your posts if they aren't already doing so. Expertly done. You have a natural gift for oral storytelling. Plus, the audio versions often contain nuggets not included in the print version, such as "St. Clare knows what's on your browser history." And sound effects, too!
Off topic, but remind me to tell you about the afternoon I spent with a sect of nuns in the Appalachian foothills who lived entirely off the grid. No TV, no nothing. Not even running water. Well, I'm sure there was lesbianism in abundance. But that doesn't require electricity.
I so wanted to be a Catholic! My cousin Maureen was and she would tell my sister and I that she’d love to play with us but she had to go into her cubicle and contemplate Jesus. We hardly ever had TV dinners but honestly, 50’s food wasn’t much different. My mother was very bohemian though and made chili con carne and pizza pie. Imagine!
I have NEVER enjoyed peas, and I blame the peas and carrot veg mix in those dinners.
I also remember like a "peach cobbler" type dessert that came with the fried chicken TV dinner. Those TV dinners were a treat -- as my mother (being from CA) was a bit of a health nut, and we never had sodas on a regular basis, etc. With 3 kids, a ne'er do well ex-husband, and a full-time job, I am impressed at what my mother managed with us.
That's hilarious. I grew up Catholic and my mother used to make an applesauce cake. It was delicious. I don't think it was called Roman Apple Cake. I am sure my mother did not make the recipe you have...with 13 kids, she would not have had time and she never made Frangipane, but hers had caramel icing on top. And I remember coming home from school one day and she was in tears because her applesauce cake had somehow failed. I cannot believe that there is actualy a patron saint of television sets. We definitely did not have St. Clare on top of our TV. In fact, I think we were the last people in Dayton Ohio to even get a TV. Thanks for the laugh about Catholics and TV dinners! Luckily even with all those kids, we never ate a TV dinner!
My husband will mention a saint, and I usually ask who (or consult the book Saints Alive!), which causes him to wonder how I was raised Catholic. With brunch and Bloody Marys, of course (though no hard alcohol until about fifteen). Catholics are taught about all that stuff? I'm sorry you suffered through those t.v. dinners, as I am sorry my husband did, but boy, you've made up for it - as has he (I'm typing as he preps for supper in several hours). Thank the saints for you!
I remember that apple cake, and was always so worried that it would get vegetable juice or even gravy on it. I never associated a name with it. But it will forever now be Roman Apple Cake. Just right.
This is my favorite column yet! :-) I love to read about cooking but I rarely get it into practice. How much would you charge me to bake this cake and send it to me? I’m in WA state. My fingers are crossed you’ll consider it.
Grew up a Catholic in the SF Bay Area and never experienced such a Catho-Evangelical person. Our church and school were very liberal. The nuns invited speakers from the NAACP to address us students and answer questions. Then a new pastor rode into town and one Sunday began to preach the good things about the war in Viet Nam. My mother stood up and took us be the hands and walked out on him and the church. I never looked back. The church seems to have become so extremely right wing from what I've read I'm surprised it doesn't have a channel on tv. They could call it STCBC.
Wait a minute. . .John Wayne's balls? I look forward to reading that piece.
Fun fact: The stained glass window of St Clare in the Mission Dolores was modified to include a tv antenna. Also, The Poor Clares is a great band name.
As a non-Catholic, I have been fascinated by saints since watching “Song of Bernadette” on TV during a sleepover at my friend Stacey’s house. The whole thing enthralled and mystified us (so I guess it worked?), Stacey’s upbringing being pretty nonreligious. (Admittedly, it could have been Jennifer Jones.) Fortunately her mom seemed to know all and she patiently explained. It was all very mystical and we felt like we’d been let in on a secret. My husband, who was raised Catholic, is also in the know, and he won me over by suggesting St. Anthony might be useful in helping me to locate something lost many years ago that was so important, though now I cannot actually remember what it was (plus my husband has other many fine qualities). I must say, I do recall that St. Anthony actually came through. Anyway, I am going to skip over the glories of Swanson TV dinners. We loved them as kids. And go straight to this cake, since I bake and, in particular, bake a lot of apple cakes. Crumb topping, almond paste, cinnamon, apples, mmmmm. Plus a cup of oil in the cake plus 11 more tablespoons of butter! I think you could put almost anything in that cake and it would be delicious. Probably time to invoke the patron saint of bakers (St. Honoré - of course) and cardiac issues (St. John of God).
My sister and I always begged our parents to let us have TV dinners when they went out and we had a babysitter. You can imagine how my Italian mother (who was a fabulous cook) loved that. Decades later, my kids repaid me by always preferring Trader Joe's pot stickers to anything I made them. Anyhow, another great read and the apple cake sounds DELICIOUS.
As I don’t have a Tee Vee, I do have Feathers McGraw (Aardman, Wallace & Grommit) firmly attached to the top of my computer monitor, in homage to Monty Python’s having a “Penguin on My Telly.” As the patron saint of Tee Vee, Clare would no doubt know all those references, yawn. Whatever. Who likes a know-it-all, anyway?
Most highly amusing! I urge your readers to listen to the audio versions of your posts if they aren't already doing so. Expertly done. You have a natural gift for oral storytelling. Plus, the audio versions often contain nuggets not included in the print version, such as "St. Clare knows what's on your browser history." And sound effects, too!
Off topic, but remind me to tell you about the afternoon I spent with a sect of nuns in the Appalachian foothills who lived entirely off the grid. No TV, no nothing. Not even running water. Well, I'm sure there was lesbianism in abundance. But that doesn't require electricity.
I so wanted to be a Catholic! My cousin Maureen was and she would tell my sister and I that she’d love to play with us but she had to go into her cubicle and contemplate Jesus. We hardly ever had TV dinners but honestly, 50’s food wasn’t much different. My mother was very bohemian though and made chili con carne and pizza pie. Imagine!
Very relieved! ❤️
I have NEVER enjoyed peas, and I blame the peas and carrot veg mix in those dinners.
I also remember like a "peach cobbler" type dessert that came with the fried chicken TV dinner. Those TV dinners were a treat -- as my mother (being from CA) was a bit of a health nut, and we never had sodas on a regular basis, etc. With 3 kids, a ne'er do well ex-husband, and a full-time job, I am impressed at what my mother managed with us.
That's hilarious. I grew up Catholic and my mother used to make an applesauce cake. It was delicious. I don't think it was called Roman Apple Cake. I am sure my mother did not make the recipe you have...with 13 kids, she would not have had time and she never made Frangipane, but hers had caramel icing on top. And I remember coming home from school one day and she was in tears because her applesauce cake had somehow failed. I cannot believe that there is actualy a patron saint of television sets. We definitely did not have St. Clare on top of our TV. In fact, I think we were the last people in Dayton Ohio to even get a TV. Thanks for the laugh about Catholics and TV dinners! Luckily even with all those kids, we never ate a TV dinner!
My husband will mention a saint, and I usually ask who (or consult the book Saints Alive!), which causes him to wonder how I was raised Catholic. With brunch and Bloody Marys, of course (though no hard alcohol until about fifteen). Catholics are taught about all that stuff? I'm sorry you suffered through those t.v. dinners, as I am sorry my husband did, but boy, you've made up for it - as has he (I'm typing as he preps for supper in several hours). Thank the saints for you!
I remember that apple cake, and was always so worried that it would get vegetable juice or even gravy on it. I never associated a name with it. But it will forever now be Roman Apple Cake. Just right.
Enjoyed the recipe and the humour! Thanks for the memories.
LOVE LOVE LOVE
This is my favorite column yet! :-) I love to read about cooking but I rarely get it into practice. How much would you charge me to bake this cake and send it to me? I’m in WA state. My fingers are crossed you’ll consider it.
Grew up a Catholic in the SF Bay Area and never experienced such a Catho-Evangelical person. Our church and school were very liberal. The nuns invited speakers from the NAACP to address us students and answer questions. Then a new pastor rode into town and one Sunday began to preach the good things about the war in Viet Nam. My mother stood up and took us be the hands and walked out on him and the church. I never looked back. The church seems to have become so extremely right wing from what I've read I'm surprised it doesn't have a channel on tv. They could call it STCBC.