After-School Thoughts

The calendar (and the reunion committee) tell me that it has now been 30 years since I graduated from high school. And as much as I search and ponder, I really have not identified any significant reaction to that fact. I know, I know, an anniversary is not a surprise, there is plenty of forewarning (30 years of warning, in fact). And, yes, I can do basic math (2009-1979 = 30). But I guess my point is that I had not been anticipating this year as The Year Of The 30th Reunion. It hadn't been a landmark in my mind or on my desk blotter.

This may be because I had not maintained any of my high school friendships beyond the year 1980, so consequently I do not share 30 years worth of memories and anticipation with anyone in my social circle. (And really, I don't have a clue as to how many people actually do maintain high school friendships after graduation...of course, there are likely several variables that play a role in Post-Senior-Year friendships...not the least of which might be geography, college education, incarceration, and teenage pregnancy). Yet technology has allowed me (and curiosity/human nature have prompted me) to resurrect a few decades old relationships, and establish contact with people with whom I have been out of touch for all these years...via the use of social networking websites.

So emails are sent, and replies are received...and 30 year old memories jump to the surface, out of context with the stories of families/divorces/weddings, and the tales of adventures, and the pictures of children and grandchildren. And after I read each email, and study each picture, and digest the changes in my friends (and inevitably in myself...because that's what I do), I am struck by the similarity of my reaction to each one...WARNING: Do not expect some jaw-dropping revelation here...because my reaction is simply "That is really interesting." That's it..."That is really interesting." And I mean it too...the stories and the evolutions and the differences between the teenagers who were the 1979 graduates of Niwot High School and the people with whom I have recently been corresponding...not stunning, not unbelievable, not shocking...just interesting. Because most lives are not stunning or dangerous or disgusting or hyperbolic. Most lives are day-to-day, with highlights and pitfalls, and disappointments and surprises, but day-to-day all the same. Just like mine. And we react, and we think, and we learn (or not), and we move on, and before you know it 30 years have gone by and we are invited to a reunion with a couple hundred people who we used to know.

Financiers

These little cakes are reportedly a favorite after-school snack for French kids. I don't have the traditional pans in which they are baked (small rectangular pans), so I baked them in a Canneles pan (another favorite French treat).

Butter................................4 oz

Powdered Sugar....................1 1/3 cup

Almond Meal........................1/2 cup

Cake Flour...........................1/3 cup

Light Karo Syrup....................2 tsp

Vanilla................................1 tsp

Egg Whites...........................1/2 cup (about 4)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. In a skillet, slowly heat the butter until the milk solids brown and fall to the bottom. Careful not to let it burn. Set aside.

3. Sift together the dry ingredients into the bowl of a mixer.

4. Add the egg whites, vanilla and Karo syrup and whip on the lowest speed until the dry ingredients are moistened.

5. Add the browned butter, careful not to allow the browned bits into the batter.

6. Increase the speed to medium and whip until the mixture is smooth and the butter is incorporated.

7. Butter and flour 15 mini-muffin tins or mini-canele pans. Pipe the batter into the tins, approximately 2/3 full.

8. Bake for about 15 minutes, until they are golden brown around the edges.