Hello everyone!
As we close out September, I wanted to let you all know about some changes to The Door Key Podcast Substack’s schedule for the month of October during The Spooktacuar:
Since episodes of the podcast will be coming out weekly, there will also be weekly Substack posts in October. These posts will go out on Mondays during the Spooktacular.
There won’t be any ‘A Deeper Dive’ posts during October (these will return in November).
I’ve been recapping episodes of the show The Tudors for paid subscribers. The recap of the final episode of Season 1 was posted on Friday September 27. I won’t be posting any recaps of The Tudors in October, but I’m planning on picking it back up for Season 2 starting in November.
The Door Key Substack Burn Book posts will continue on their usual schedule, so will be posted on the first of each month.
This Substack will be returning to its ‘normal’ schedule in November.
Also … as a special present to you all for Spooky Season, I’m going to be making two paid posts available to everyone: my recap of the first episode of The Tudors, and the first entry to The Door Key Substack Burn Book. Those posts will become public on October 1st. I hope this will give everyone a chance to see what I have going on in those spaces, but mostly I hope you enjoy it.
Podcast to Connect
Stephanie Fuccio of Coffeelike Media (
) has been working with me on all different aspects of episodes of Door Key, and it’s been wonderful! She has a podcast called Podcast to Connect, and she’s devoted an entire season of that podcast to talk about everything we’ve been doing! I put the first episode in my last post, and here’s the second episode:Here’s a link to the audio version: Podcast To Connect - Season 3, episode 2
I know I’m repeating myself here, but Steph is amazing, and her methods work! I truly believe you’ll get a lot out of these episodes of Podcast To Connect!
October Awareness
October is a month of awareness for many causes. These causes are important all year, but especially in October:
Breast Cancer Awareness Month: A month to raise awareness of breast cancer, promote screening, and raise funds for research.
ADHD Awareness Month: A month to raise awareness about ADHD, a neurodevelopmental learning disorder that affects adults and children.
Down Syndrome Awareness Month: A month to focus on the acceptance and inclusion of people with Down Syndrome.
World Mental Health Day: A day to raise awareness of mental health issues and improve mental health care! World Mental Health Day is on October 10.
George Washington’s carrot cake
This cake recipe was sent to me by a friend years ago, and it’s a favorite of mine: an old recipe for a carrot cake that George Washington ate! I call it a carrot cake because it has carrots in it, but it’s not like modern-day carrot cake, it’s more like a spice cake. It’s known as Fraunces Tavern Carrot Tea Cake, and I promise you it’s delicious! It’s still too hot where I live to bake comfortably, but I make this cake every year, and as soon as it’s cooled down, I’m going to be making it again!
INGREDIENTS
4 medium carrots, trimmed and peeled
Butter and flour for prepping the pan
¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt
Whipped cream for serving (In my opinion, this is optional. Whipped cream is always wonderful, but this cake doesn’t need it.)
PREPARATION
Place the peeled carrots in a saucepan with 1" of water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and, when boiling, reduce the heat to medium and let the carrots simmer until they begin to soften, 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and drain off the water. Let the carrots cool in the pan.
Place a rack in the center of the oven, and preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 10" springform pan, shake out the excess flour, and set the pan aside.
Place the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl, and beat until creamy, about 1 minute. Add the eggs, one at a time, until they are smooth and satiny, 4 to 5 minutes of beating in total. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt, and fold into the batter with a wooden spoon. Set aside.
Grate the cooled carrots to yield 2 cups. Fold the carrots into the batter. Turn the batter into the prepared pan, and place the pan in the oven.
Bake the cake until it is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven to a wire rack to cool for 20 minutes.
ENJOY!
(This recipe was in a Buzzfeed article! Here’s a link to the article: George Washington's carrot cake.)
xoxo, April
The Hatfieds and McCoys
I hope you’ve had a chance to listen to the episode about The Hatfield and McCoys by now!
This episode looks into the infamous Hatfield-McCoy feud.
This was a bitter and violent rivalry between two American families along the West Virginia-Kentucky border from 1863 to 1891.
This episode discusses how the feud started with wartime grievances, and then escalated with personal vendettas, a notorious pig dispute, and eventually brutal violence. This episode also discusses how the feud's legacy has evolved in modern-day, with reconciliations and even a truce between the families and celebrations like the Hatfield-McCoy Reunion Festival.
You can listen to the episode about The Hatfields and McCoys here:
The History Channel’s Hatfields & McCoys
In 2012, The History Channel aired a three-part miniseries titled Hatfields & McCoys. This show starred Kevin Costner as William Hatfield and Bill Paxton as Randolph McCoy.
This miniseries set a record for viewers at the time. It’s a good telling of the story, and the great Bill Paxton is in it!
History podcast trailer swap
I did a trailer swap this week with the amazing history podcast It's a History Podcast, which is hosted by Madison Schmidt! You can find It’s a History Podcast on all social media, and on Spotify.
Join Madison as she takes a look at all things history!
Whether it be a person, a place, event, or just something really interesting, she’ll cover many stories our past has to offer.
Spotify link: It's a History Podcast
Production and marketing assistance for this episode was provided by Stephanie Fuccio of Coffeelike Media.
You can find Steph here.