More Books & Oma's Applecake
I’ve read three books this year. Well, zero if we are talking about the 2026 calendar year & by “have read” we mean, cover-to-cover. But in my head the year began in April (when we moved back to Portland). And by “have read” I mean, I fully absorbed the vibe, if not every sub-thesis, and got sucked into the author’s brain, swimming through their gooey layers of ideas.
These lines are, in fact, heavily influenced in tone by book #3, Art Work by Sally Mann, subtitled On the Creative Life. It was a Christmas gift that was fully given just today (I wrote this bit sometime around January 7) - my husband, Brian, sold two books to Powell’s and instead of buying a book to wrap and put under the Christmas tree, he decided it would be more fun for me to enjoy the journey of discovery that is book shopping. My perimenopausal brain now brings me to tears, just a few, with that heartwarming sentiment.
(Update: after telling him this same thing, B said he was actually gifting me the experience of standing in line to pay at Powell’s…so he wouldn’t have to. Cheeky fellow.)
And now I am torn between writing about the two other books and holding onto this tone, or doing what Sally Mann has already made clear in just a few opening pages: artists need to work, i.e. make, and make more and make more.
(I went to work)
The other two books are Enshittification by Corey Doctorow and We Need Your Art; Stop Messing Around and Make Something by Aimee McNee. Yes, there is a theme bubbling under the surface. You could say all three are about how to live a better life. Enshittification is life lessons dressed up in diagnosing the problems with web platforms (i.e. how and why Amazon/Google/Apple/Facebook/etc suck). We, as a culture, are trapped within them, and it’s costing us. We cancelled our Prime membership after reading this book and hearing the author speak at Powell’s. Nope - haven’t missed it at all. And We Need Your Art is a most fabulous pep talk for anyone even remotely creative. Which, as the author emphatically declares, is literally everyone. I whole-heartedly recommend all three!
As I reflect on these three books, each having had some variation on a fantastic impact upon me, I crave more. I haven’t done much reading of non-screen material in ages, and it feels so damn good…to focus, to feel the paper, to think about little details like how the font or the type of paper complement the author’s vibe. And did I mention how great it is to be engaged in a cerebral activity that does not involve looking at a screen?
My ability to focus has significantly diminished over the past year. I think my job kept me sharp, to a point, and having that structure gave me a specific boundary for practicing those skills. But over the past year I’ve spent an inordinate amount of time job hunting and researching business strategy and practices. I’ve consumed SO MUCH, but haven’t necessarily stopped to process all of that stimulus. Reading encourages processing, reflection, imagination, and taking one’s time.
So, more books in twenty-six.
Baking offers similar cerebral benefits. And then there’s something delicious to eat as a reward :)
I made an apple cake by request a couple of weeks ago. Brian raved about it, and raves about Oma’s apple cake in general. Says it’s superior to apple pie. This apple cake isn’t cake at all. It’s more like a thick apple pie, baked in a springform pan with an unusual crust. Oma, my dad’s mother, was German, so maybe it’s a German recipe. Oma was going to be a baker, but she was forced into the Hitler Youth toward the end of World War II. She came to the States with Opa after the war ended, and they lived a very blue collar midwestern life in Ohio. We spent many Sundays and holidays at Oma & Opa’s. When it was a special meal, Oma would bake pies and apple cake, and she always made an extra cherry pie, just for me, because it was my favorite. I did not know she wanted to be a baker, nor did I know she was dragged into the Hitler Youth, until I was in my late 30s, after she died.
All of this coalesced for the first time when I was peeling apples for that apple cake a couple weeks ago. And that turned out to be the best damned apple cake I’ve ever had, if I do say so myself, with absolutely no disrespect to my OG Oma. Now I must ask around to see if I can get my hands on more of her recipes. I hear there is an epic pineapple torte recipe…
This pastry addict has always loved baking, but it’s just taken on a new, deeper dimension.
And doesn’t reading a good book with a slice of apple cake and a cup of coffee just sound divine? Yes, more of that, please.
Oma’s Apple cake (Apfelkucken)
2 c. Flour
1 stick butter at room temp
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg white (reserve yolk)
½ c. sugar
1 Tbsp. milk
2 lbs peeled & sliced tart apples (I end up using 3+ lbs of apples)
1.5 Tbsp sugar
1tsp cinnamon
2 Tbsp water
Mix flour, sugar, baking powder in a small bowl.
Cut in butter
Mix in vanilla
Add egg white & milk - mix well with your hands.
Press ⅓ of the dough on the bottom of a springform pan,
pat to cover the pan and prick with a fork.Put collar on pan and press another ⅓ of the dough around the edges.
Preheat oven to 350 F
Add apples and remaining ingredients to a saucepan, cooking until soft.
Fill pan with apples and top with the remaining ⅓ crust dough.
Brush with leftover egg yolk.
Bake 30 minutes, until golden brown
Cool 5 minutes then loosen pan collar.
Notes:
Adjust the cinnamon/water/sugar amounts if you add more apples
You may need additional milk (or cream!) to get the dough to come together. Don’t over wet the dough.
The dough is weird. You have to pinch it in small amounts to form the top crust. It doesn’t roll out like traditional pie crust.