Hauling Concrete

... and being comfortable

It was late. We had been working all day. Physical work. The biggest task now was a new kitchen floor. That meant breaking up the existing uneven, cracked one.  

What hadn’t occurred to me 2 weeks prior … 

When I stood in front of 207 Main Street, shaking Michael’s hand (my new landlord), I saw visions of grandeur in my head. There stood my soon-to-be glorious store, Mary’s Marvelous, piled-high breakfast pastry for sale on the front marble counter.

I didn’t truly realize at that moment that I was agreeing to not only rent this space but begin a whole new venture I knew nothing about.

… And, in that moment of glee, I certainly hadn’t pictured myself hauling 40-pound buckets of concrete into a dumpster at 11 o’clock at night to make way for a new floor. 

I hope I am not making it sound romantic, it wasn’t. I was in tears, and the thought “Oh God what have I done” screamed at me in my head.

And, yes, we were doing it ourselves. 

I consider Pat (my husband) a master builder, even though I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t describe himself that way. I was following his directives, and he was a taskmaster. We were quite literally building a business from the ground up!

And I was doing it afraid.

You've really got to be in love with your dream because that love is what will sustain you through what it asks of you. 

As we determinedly worked to rebuild this sweet, dilapidated place that I had previously labeled as "charmingly lopsided," I knew I just had to get through one day at a time. Heads down, taking this project step by step.

I had this picture in my head. I knew what I had to do. I’d gotten my husband, Pat, on board with my grand scheme. But the nitty-gritty of actually doing it  … it was exhausting. 

At the same time, I was extending myself more than I ever had. Overnight I had become a Money Finding Machine. I was asking people for money, I was bringing my dream to the bank and laying it before them on their great wooden desks. Asking, asking, asking for money because I HAD to get the money. This was my DREAM. I could see the first menu, I could smell the wafts of cinnamon and toasted walnuts from my Sour Cream Coffee Cake that would make its debut.

I was completely uncomfortable. 

And I was doing it anyway. Now, several years later, whenever I have a new dream or goal that seems implausible, even impossible, I conjure up those nights of hauling buckets of old concrete to the dumpster. 

With every bucket I hauled, I was also clearing out the old debris thinking that kept telling me this couldn’t be done. My dream knew better. And this was the voice I was going to listen to.

That's me in 2002-almost ready

Here it is! $1.50 a slice back in 2002

Mary’s Marvelous Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Most bakers likely have a recipe similar to this one for very good reason. It’s classic, buttery, and completely irresistible. At Mary’s Marvelous, we made hundreds of these every year. While they baked, the aroma of cinnamon and butter filled the store and spilled into the street. Seeing the restaurant-sized loaf pans lined up on cooling racks brought me immense joy! A great advantage of this recipe is that it is made by hand, without a mixer, and can be assembled in 20 minutes. It keeps for several days, freezes well, and is a fantastic gift.

Bake: 350 degrees Baking time: 1 hour

• 1/2 pound unsalted butter, melted and cooled

• 1-1/2 cups sugar

• 2 large eggs, beaten

• 1 cup sour cream

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 3/4 cup all-purpose unbleached flour

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

For the Topping:

• 1 cup walnuts, finely chopped

• 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

• 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

1. Butter and flour a 10” springform pan, a tube cake pan, or a 10-12” loaf pan.

2. In a large bowl, put the melted butter, sugar, eggs, sour cream and the vanilla extract. Using a whisk, mix well.

3. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, salt, and baking powder until well combined. Stir this into the egg and butter mixture and combine well.

4. To make the topping, combine the chopped walnuts, the brown sugar, and the ground cinnamon.

5. To assemble the coffee cake, spread 1/3 of the batter in the bottom of the pan you are using and smooth it with a spatula. Evenly sprinkle 1/3 of the walnut topping on the batter. Top with another 1/3 of the batter followed by another 1/3 of the topping, then add the last of the batter and spread it evenly. Finish by sprinkling the last of the topping on the top of the batter.

6. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Cool

   Yield: 1 (10 inch) round cake - serves 8-10 or 1 (10-12 inch) loaf pan