Sharon Moore

Sharon’s Sweet Spot

by Sharon Moore

Well the holidays are here again and I’m sure Santa is tired of me perching on his knee asking for that one elusive skill: how long will it take for me to play like I practice? I know that I don’t suffer this malady alone for Santa has told me he hears this request all the time!

So, how do we explain our sometimes dismal performance when it comes to match day and it looks like we haven’t played in weeks?

I have questioned one of the local tennis gurus’, Linsley McMillion, to see if he has any advice on the matter. He feels it helps if you take “winning” out of the equation. Sometimes we get so caught up in winning the point we forget to execute the correct stroke. Of course there’s no guarantee your opponent won’t generate an even better stroke, but at least you did the right thing on your side of the court.

This elusive ability to play like you practice does seem to be age related since you rarely see junior players not going for broke on every shot. This confounds my husband when he plays our son every chance he gets. It doesn’t help matters when he mutters he could land a jet on an aircraft carrier at night and yet after numerous tennis lessons still screws up put-away volleys and overheads. But isn’t that what keeps us coming back? If we mastered all our shots where would the challenge be? So you relish those occasional perfect shots, at the perfect time, at the perfect spot, which makes you hunger for more.

And speaking of hunger, you can always bake a perfect dessert to help make you forget any miss hits on the court!

Caramel Apple Treat

½ cup butter

¼ cup whipping cream

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

2 apples, peeled and thinly sliced (about 2 ½ cups)

1 (18-25-oz) pkg  Pillsbury® Moist Supreme Dark Chocolate Premium Cake Mix

1 ¼ cup water

1/3 cup Crisco® Oil

3 eggs

Whipped cream

Smucker’s® Caramel Topping

1. Heat oven to 325°F. In small heavy saucepan, combine butter, ¼ cup whipping cream and brown sugar. Cook over low heat just until butter melts, stirring occasionally. Pour into 13×9-inch pan; arrange apple slices over brown sugar mixture.
2. Prepare cake batter as directed on package. Carefully spoon batter over apple slices.
3. Bake at 325°F for 40 to 50 minutes or until cake springs back when touched lightly in center. Cool for 5 minutes. Run knife around edge of cake to loosen from pan. Turn upside down onto serving platter. Allow cake to cool slightly, approximately 30 minutes.
4. Serve warm with whipped cream and Smucker’s® Caramel Topping.