Team Cake
Hockey season is over.
What a great season that was! With so many wonderful wins, a few loses, and some loses that still felt like wins. Countless miles in the car, driving in all kinds of winter conditions, to places that I wouldn’t even know existed, if there was no hockey. Long hours of talking, best conversations ever, with my kid. Lots of thermos coffee. Wonderful team; amazing, fun, talented kids; outstadingly dedicated coaches (I will never be able to thank them enough!); and a lovely bunch of great hockey families: hockey moms, hockey dads, and sweetest crowd of hockey siblings. Loved it all. Enjoyed every precious moment of it.
Most Favorite Player - #11
Most memorable game – the one with three goals scored by #11
Most memorable/favorite tournament – Salmon River. We drove in anticipation of a blizzard. Made it there safely and dry, before it all started. Hotel was more like a motel, of sorts, that smelled a little bit like fish, and a little bit like damp waders. But the room was dry, the heat was on, and there were two beds. That’s pretty much all we needed, at that time. There were two huge photos above each bed. The one with the reel - Julius’; and the one with the canoe – mom’s. Could not find a better fit, even if I’ve tried. We unpacked, did a quick run to grocery store, for essentials. And then it started snowing. Big, thick, quiet, heavy snow, went on and on. Around 10:30pm I went out for a run, to the rink and back, along Salmon River, in that big quiet snow. River was high, fast, foamy, so many fishing memories of us fishing there, countless memories. It is hard to put into words the emotions of that midnight run in the snow. It was all so beautiful, rustic, black & white clean, snow was falling, and I did not need to drive anywhere. When I got back to the hotel, there was a party going on in the room accross from ours, with Jameson, and cake, and stories, about sports, about Iron Man race, hockey, baseball, life. I sat there, with the team parents, all kids sleepping next door, and I realized there was no any other place I’d rather be. Next two days were full of great hockey; kids played their best game of the season on that Pulaski rink, and a couple more games that were almost just as good. At the end of it all there was National Anthem, and awards ceremony, and medals around the necks. Salmon River tournament was great, the one we will remember for a long time.
Last tournament of the season – Rochester, NY. Kids showed all that they’ve learned during the season, putting all their skill, and heart, and love for the game, into action. There were games and moments that gave me chills, so exciting, that I had a hard time staying & watching. There were moments that I could not bare it any more. When the score was 4:4; then 5:4, with one minute left to play; and then 5:5, with seconds left before the final horn. There were medals around the necks, again! And a celebration, of the victories, all accompllishments, and one hell of a season! And after it was all over, the skates were off, and the gear was packed, Julius and I went to Irandequoit bay, took our paddleboards off my car, and went on the water. There were swans out there, flocks of them. And then there was lake Ontario, endless, blue, beautiful. Guys were fishing at the pier, pulling out salmon. Hockey season was over. Paddling season has begun.
We drove back home, tired and happy. When we pulled into our driveway, we congratulated each other, as we always do, every year, on a great season. It felt like an accomplishment. It always does. When Julius got out of the car, I let the tears go down the face, free. There is always so much more than just hockey, in a season like this.
Thank you for stopping by.
Ausra
*All game photos are by Ron Dodson & Kristina Harrrison-Savage
Banana Cake with Browned Butter & Cream Cheese Frosting
Recipe sources:
Hummingbird High
Cleobuttera
Cake:
1 egg
½ cup sour cream
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
¾ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons butter, cubed, at room temperature
10 ounces bananas, peeled & mashed
Preheat oven to 350oF. Spray bottom and sides of a 9 x 13-inch pan with cooking spray, line with parchment. Spray the parchment, set aside.
In liquid measuring cup whisk together egg, sour cream, oil, and vanilla.
In bowl of stand mixer combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on its slowest setting, add cubed butter, one piece at a time, and continue mixing until the batter has texture of coarse meal. Add wet ingredients in two additions, beating until just combined. Add mashed bananas and mix just until incorporated.
Pour batter into prepared cake pan, smooth the top. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until is golden brown and a skewer inserted into center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from oven. Let cool completely in a pan.
Frosting:
1 cup (8 oz / 225 g) butter
3 ½ cups (14 oz / 400 g) powdered sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups (1 lb / 450 g) cream cheese, cut into 1-inch pieces
Place butter in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until golden and fragrant. Transfer to a small bowl, cover and place in the freezer for about 45 minutes or until partly solidifies but is still soft and pliable. Beat butter with handheld mixer until creamy, about 1 minute.
Add powdered sugar, salt and vanilla, beat for about 5 minutes until lightened in both color and texture.
Add cream cheese, one piece at a time, mixing well after each addition until fully incorporated. Beat for about 2 minutes until light and fluffy.
Frost cooled cake with frosting. Serve right away or refrigerate until ready to serve. Best when served at room temperature.
Bananinis keksas su skrudinto sviesto ir grietinėlės sūrio kremu
Recepto šaltiniai:
Hummingbird High
Cleobuttera
Keksas:
1 kiaušinis
½ stiklinės*grietinės
2 šaukštai rapsų aliejaus
1 šaukštelis vanilės esencijos
2 stiklinės miltų
1 stiklinė cukraus
¾ šaukštelio kepimo miltelių
½ šaukštelio valgomosios sodos
½ šaukštelio druskos
85 g sviesto, susmulkinto, kambario temperatūros
2-3 sunokę bananai (140 g), nulupti, pertrinti šakute
*1 stiklinė = 236 ml
Orkaitę įkaitinti iki 175oC. Stačiakampės kepimo formos dugną ir šonus išpurkšti aliejumi, ištiesti sviestiniu popieriumi, išpurkšti popierių.
Skysčių matavimui skirtame ąsotėlyje išplakti kiaušinį, grietinę, aliejų ir vanilę.
Dubenyje sumaišyti miltus, cukrų, kepimo miltelius, sodą ir druską. Suberti sviestą ir sukti kol sviestas tolygiai pasiskirstys. Per du kartus supilti kiaušinio mišinį. Išmaišyti. Sudėti pertrintus bananus. Vėl gerai išmaišyti. Tešlą supilti į paruoštą formą, išlyginti paviršių ir pašauti į įkaitintą orkaitę. Kepti maždaug 35-40 minučių, kol kekso viršus paruduos, ir medinis dantų krapštukas, įbestas į kekso centrą, liks sausas. Traukti iš orkaitės. Palikti formoje kol pilnai atvės.
Kremas:
1 stiklinė (225 g) sviesto
3 ½ stiklinės (400 g) cukraus pudros
¼ šaukštelio druskos
1 šaukštelis vanilės esencijos
2 stiklinės (450 g) grietinėlės sūrio, supjaustyto kubelias
Sviestą sudėti į nedidelį puodelį, užkaisti ant vidutinio stiprumo ugnies ir kaitinti kol pakvips ir paruduos. Nukelti nuo ugnies, supilti į dubenėlį ir dėti į šaldiklį, kad sustingtų, maždaug 45 minutes. Sustingusį sviestą išsukti elektriniu plakikliu iki vientisos masės. Suberti cukraus pudrą ir druską, supilti vanilės esenciją ir sukti kol masė taps puri, maždaug 5 minutes. Po vieną gabalėlį dėti grietinėlės sūrį ir sukti, kol kremas taps vientisas.
Atvėsusio kekso viršų aptepti kremu, Laikyti šaltai. Tiekti kambario tempratūros.
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