Spiritual Influences and Remembering a Friend.

August seemed to be a month where the spirits of San Juan County influenced my writing.  For example, the article I just wrote on Three Sisters Stew; research on Paiute and Ute foods began at the beginning of the month.  Just as I thought I had a handle on a particular item, something stayed my hand, and research began anew. 

After receiving a nice supply of yellow squash, it hit me that harvesting would be starting, and that got me thinking about The Three Sisters – corn, beans and squash.  Following the “yellow squash road”, my research led me to Three Sisters Stew, and I was able to tie it into the Paiute and Ute cultures.  To my surprise, the article came out the same week as the announcement and scheduling of the annual Ute Tribal Bear Dance down in White Mesa.  Yes, I believe the spirits of their ancestors influenced me, and you will be hard pressed to have me think otherwise.

Then I started researching formations, in Utah, that happened to be named after foods.  In San Juan County, we know about “Cheese and Raisins” (June 28, 2018 article), and the “Hamburger Rock” camp site near Canyonlands – Needles district, but how many know about the birthday cake?

…and this is where remembering a friend comes into play.  August 26, 2024, a dear woman, to many a person, passed away suddenly.  Amy Watkins Kensley was so much to so many; a friend, sister, mother, teacher, mentor, and simply an amazing woman.  Amy was teaching at Monument Valley’s Tse'Bii'Nidzisgai Elementary School; at first 4^th grade, and then eventually 3^rd grade.  In 2015, she and her adorable 4^th grade students helped me with local legends for a few of my travel blog articles.

Along Route 163 there are two formations which, with their help, I was able to discover the names of; "Coyote's Misstep" and "The Birthday Cake". 

 

The first formation is a simple red sandstone square, and here is the legend behind its name. Coyote one day caught his cousin, Badger, fooling around with his mate.  He chased him, up onto a ridge, but Badger was able to get away.  Coyote became so furious that he kicked at the earth below his feet so hard, he knocked a piece of the ridge miles out to what is now Route 163.

 

Now, when I wrote up this story, Amy read it to her class to make sure I got all the details right.  Their responses were, “Perfect!”, “Yee, she got it right!” and she said they were smiling so much from knowing that I had listened to them, and paid attention.  As a thank you, I sent them a 5-pound Hershey bar to be split up between them all; and that caused even more smiles.

The second formation, however, doesn’t have much of a story. The "cake" is named by locals simply because it does look like a square tiered birthday cake. It definitely is what it is.  …and then it happened.

I was asked, alright, begged, by, the teenage daughter, of another friend, to bake her a birthday cake for her party.  I hemmed and hawed, I was not a good baker, how could I do this and not embarrass myself, or poison anyone!?!  But the insistence was pushed and I caved.

She wanted something unique, not the typical, and boring, sheet cake, but something to “blow the mind”.  The cake and frosting were scratch made, and it actually gave me nightmares for several nights in a row.  I plotzed over screwing it all up, but everyone seemed to enjoy it, so I must have done well. 

 

The cake was huge, and compared to one of the Red Rock formations in our area; great, since I had “The Birthday Cake” formation in mind.  It consisted of three tiers, two single layers and one double layer; chocolate pudding sat in the middle of the bottom double layer and single middle layer; a layer of mini-marshmallows sat between the middle and top layers.  There were two types of frosting, first a vanilla buttercream, and after refrigerating the cake, I covered it with a vanilla whipped cream frosting.  Sprinkled cocoa powder over the tops and sides; a sprinkle of chopped Andes candies and a few Oreo cream cookies finished off the topping.

 

So, spirits of San Juan County, thank you for influencing my writing during the month of August, especially in remembering my dear friend, Amy Watkins Kensley, who I miss very, very much.

Here are the basic cake and frosting recipes.

Chocolate Cake with Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients:

Cake Batter:

1 ½ cups flour

3 Tbsp. baking cocoa powder

2 tsp. baking powder

1 cup sugar

2 tsp. chocolate syrup

¾ cup milk

¾ cup melted butter

2 eggs

Frosting:

12 Tbsp. butter, softened

3 cups confectioner’s sugar

½ cup baking cocoa powder (for dark-chocolate frosting) or vanilla powder (for white-vanilla frosting)

2 tsp. vanilla extract

4 Tbsp. room temperature milk

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350F.  Cut out two circles of parchment paper that fit within two 8” cake pans; spray cake pans with nonstick baking spray; line bottom with paper circles.

In a large bowl, sift flour and mix in cocoa, baking powder and sugar.  In second bowl, beat together syrup, milk, butter and eggs; do not get mixture frothy by over beating.  Pour wet ingredients into bowl of dry ingredients; mix on medium speed till smooth.  Pour half of batter into each cake pan.

Bake for 35-40 minutes; until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out cleanly.  Let cakes cool before flipping out of pans; remove parchment paper before frosting cakes.

While cakes are baking, make the frosting; cream together the butter and sugar; add cocoa, vanilla extract and milk; mix until smooth, but do not over mix.  Cover bowl with plastic wrap and allow to firm up; frost cakes after they have cooled.  There will be enough frosting to frost the tops and sides of both cakes; stack cakes on top of one another; total height should be about 3 inches with frosting.

Makes 12 servings.

Mary Cokenour