Sunset

See the bird? Just to the left of center above the clouds. Sigh...you can probably also see the guy wire that runs from Sam's Ham radio tower. It's a part of the view that I don't "see" any more. With a little work in Paint, I have made it disappear from some photos. :D

More of the Visit

I really miss Jonathan! We had such a good time. Although it was too short for me what with my working and all. Wish I could talk him into moving...

Sam and I knew we had a mockingbird nest somewhere. He spied it in one of the live oaks we planted last year and mentioned "a" bird. Jonathan and I found two in the live oak. He took these birdie photos with his cellphone.This baby was hiding from us.Jonathan then spotted this pretty in my camellia...and here's #4. Oh...I thought he took four photos but I can't find the photo of the fourth baby birdie.

But I did find this. LOL My 27 year old son travels with a SpongeBob Square Pants toothbrush. LOL He said he bought it for the small size...since he is traveling on a motorcycle with limited luggage space. Anyway...that's his story. Mine is...MY 27-YEAR OLD SON BRUSHES HIS TEETH WITH A SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS TOOTHBRUSH! hahahahahahaha

The evening sky today. We've all got our fingers and toes crossed for rain. Our county as well as most around us are in a burn ban. We are desperate for rain...and all along the Mississippi and Missouri, they've had flooding...

Baking Again

How about some pretzel bread?! Jonathan made the dough. I helped him roll it into balls. After it boiled very very briefly in water that has had baking soda added...he dipped them out onto a baking sheet and with a knife I scored an X in each. Then he sprinkled them liberally with kosher salt.Then they were baked until pretty and brown. Jonathan said you have to have a German beer to drink while eating pretzel rolls. I had unsweet iced tea.

The recipe...
Pretzel Bread

2 1/4 teaspoon yeast
1 cup water (110-120 degrees)
2 tablespoons room temperature milk
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 1/2 - 3 cups bread flour

4 quarts water
1/2 cup baking soda

Kosher salt to taste
2 tablespoons melted butter

Add yeast, water, milk, brown sugar, and butter into a large bowl, whisking until all ingredients are combined. Let mixture rest for 10 minutes for yeast to activate. Mix in kosher salt. Start by adding two cups of flour to the bowl, combining it with other ingredients. Add more flour as it is needed, reserving just a bit for kneading later.

The dough should form a slightly tacky, but firm ball. Oil the bowl, place the dough ball in the bowl, and cover with a damp towel for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, knead the dough by hand or machine for at least 5-10 minutes until the dough is elastic and satiny. Place dough back in the bowl and cover for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and bring the 4 quarts of water to a boil. When the water is boiling, slowly add the baking soda.

Remove the dough from the bowl and gently de-gas it. Form two separate balls of dough, forming them into the shape you want. Drop one of the balls into the baking soda bath for no longer than 30 seconds, turning it once to guarantee both sides covered. Drain the excess water from the dough and place it on an oiled baking sheet. Repeat with second ball of dough.

Sprinkle the kosher salt over the bread to your specific tastes and make sure to use a knife to cut a small incision on the top of the bread so the dough has somewhere to expand.

Cook the bread for 22 minutes, rotating the baking sheet once.

Once removed from the oven, immediately brush with melted butter if you want a soft crust.

***What Jonathan did...he combined all dough ingredients in my stand mixer with a dough hook.

As you can see, he used a pastry knife and cut the dough into 16 wedges then rolled them into balls.

He did not brush butter on the rolls to soften the crust.

He DID drink his German beer with supper!

My Son is Visiting!

Of course I'm working, but we are enjoying our visit anyway. I've come home to some nice surprises!

He called one day and asked about ingredients for bread. When I told him what I had in the pantry...he set about working in the kitchen. My one caveat...CLEAN MY KITCHEN when you get through. He did. And we had two loaves of this: Heart of Winter Loaf from the King Arthur Flour website...recipe at the bottom. The recipe makes two loaves. He sent one with me to work for Da Judge. When Jonathan got to town Tuesday afternoon, he stopped by the office. I introduced him to Da Judge...and vice versa. He sent a loaf to her. She was very pleased and saved it to serve to her weekend company.

Thursday evening, I made another strawberry pie. Isn't it pretty?! Alas. I substituted cornstarch for thickening...instead of flour...and I even added an extra tablespoon of cornstarch. Failed miserably. The cornstarch was less effective than the flour. Next try will be tapioca. If that fails, I have a stovetop recipe that you cook then fill a prebaked pie crust.

It still tasted delicious!

Jonathan rolled out the remaining crust...

...and I showed him how to make these: I think they were the best I've ever made!

What?! You ask? Wine with ice? Nope. Sassafras tea! I haven't had any in forever! Sam and Jonathan walked the property and dug some roots. The best time is in the spring when the sap is rising. But there was nothing wrong with this!
Heart of Winter Loaf

Dough
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
3/4 cup oat flour or ground oatmeal
1/3 cup flax flour or an additional 1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup dry milk
2 tablespoons flour
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 3/4 cups water

Topping
1 egg white, lightly beaten
seeds of your choice or a teaspoon or so of old fashioned oats

To make the dough: Combine all of the dough ingredients, mixing and kneading to form a smooth, sticky dough. Cover the dough and let it rise for about an hour; it should become puffy.

Divide the dough in half and shape each half into a 10-inch oval loaf. Place the loaves on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover the pan and allow the loaves to rise for about 90 minutes or until they've increased in size by about one-third. Just before baking, brush with a lightly beaten egg white, then sprinkle with seeds or old fashioned oatmeal Slash each loaf diagonally three times.

Bake the loaves in a preheated 400 degree oven for 25 - 30 minutes or until the interior registers 200 degrees on an instant-read thermometer. Remove the bread from the oven and transfer it to a wire rack to cool.

And Then There was None

We had a colorful sunset at my house a few nights ago.

One Down - One to Go

T I M B E RRRRRRR

Mama has two big oak trees east of her house. They are 50+ years old. A previous occupant of the house planted the trees and charged one of his sons with the task of toting water from the well to make sure the trees survived the hot, dry summer.

A limb fell. As you can see, it just missed one of her storage buildings.
The trees dwarf her house. She is having both of them removed so that she can sleep at night. If either of the trees fell due west, it would engulf her house...most likely with her in it. At a minimum, if a large limb fell, it would still do substantial damage.MMmmmm... Looks like the beginnings of homemade pimento cheese!


Pimento Cheese

8 ounces of cheese, shredded
1 small jar (2 ounces) of pimentos
pimento stuffed olives
sprinkle or 2 garlic powder
sprinkle or 2 paprika
dollop Hellman's mayonnaise
dollop sour cream

My mother used American cheese. I use cheddar. Today I used sharp cheddar OH MY SO GOOD!

Shred the cheese. Drain the pimentos in a small colander. Fill the jar with olives and drain them in the colander. Add a few more olives because they are too good not to add more. Mince the pimentos and olives.

I use a Salad Shooter. Shred half the cheese, dump in the pimentos and olives and shove another chunk or two of cheese through the shooter to push out the pimento and olives.

Garlic powder and paprika to taste.

Equal dollops (not too big) of mayonnaise and sour cream. Stir everything together. If it's not moist enough, add equal amounts of mayonnaise and sour cream until it suits you.

Taste test on a Triscuit and add whatever else you think it might need.

There's TWO of Us in the Office

Da Judge and I get along just fine. We are in great company! Each other's! LOL

Over the long weekend, she and her husband rented a carpet cleaning machine and cleaned the carpet in her office (so glad I have tile LOL). Tuesday morning I walked in, got everything up and running in my office, then opened the door to hers. You needed motion sickness medicine to walk across the wavy floor.

She called a carpet guy in. He told her that evidently the glued on foam backing came loose...and with the age of the carpet (about 25-30 years if you can believe that...oh...a government building...you CAN believe that)... So, she's getting new carpet. ;-)

Great Weekend!

I did "whatever" Saturday. Had the day to myself. Changed sheets on the bed. Did some laundry. Ironed (gag me!) a few clothes. Cut off a pair of flood pants and made them more of a capri...only they are probably an inch or so short now. eyeroll I think they are all tacky looking to start with anyway, but if I'm going to wear them I'm not wearing a pair that looks as if I outgrew them last year.

I also made a shopping bag...from an empty bird seed bag. Is this "repurposing" to the ultimate? LOL Such a shame to not be doing much sewing now-a-days...but I cut off a pair of flood pants almost too short and make a tote out of a plastic bag. hahaha And I have a computerized sewing machine for this! eyeroll

I also made marinara sauce...spaghetti sauce...or as some Italian-American families call it - gravy. This is a double batch. I make it in the slow cooker so I don't have to stand and stir. The double recipe fills three one-quart freezer containers. I only froze one container for spaghetti later. The other two went into this: Instead of making it all in one big lasagna pan, I make it in three Pyrex pans...two lined with foil. I bake one and freeze the other two. Sunday morning, I loaded the two frozen lasagnas into the soft-sided cooler. Sam and I picked up John, Erin, and Colt then drove to visit Brook, Cody, and Isabel. Brook cooked lunch for us. Sam and I played. :-)

"Hey, Isabel. Let's go play."
"Not right now, Colt.  Pawpaw is holding me."
This is called having your arms AND your heart full.
"Hey, Colt! Let's go play!"
"Not right now, Isabel. Pawpaw is holding us!"

''Hmmm...Pawpaw acts like he's done this before!"
Playing with your cousin can sure tire you out!


I love bananas!

Blech...this tastes like butternut squash! Where's the bananas?
Sam and I spent Sunday night at Colt's. Sometime during the night I woke to hear Colt crying. I knew his mama would take care of him and semi-dozed off. When his crying reached me again, I thought with a jolt, "Colt's falling off the bed!" I reached around and grabbed for him. Silly me. On the way home today, I told Sam. He laughed and said, "So that's why you hit me." LOL

Recipes:
Deane's Marinara Sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cloves minced garlic
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon dried basil or 1 tablespoon fresh
1 teaspoon dried oregano or 1 tablespoon fresh
1 teaspoon dried parsley or 1 tablespoon fresh
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon cocoa

Saute onion and garlic in olive oil. Pour into slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients. Cook on low for four hours.

Remember...I doubled this so that I could have some to freeze.
Oh! Almost forgot. The recipe called for 1 tablespoon of sugar. But I do not use it.


Lasagna

1 pound of lasagna noodles
about 2 quarts of marinara sauce
1 pound ground beef
1 pound Italian sausage
salt and pepper to taste
1 - 1 1/2 pounds cottage cheese
1 - 2 eggs slightly beaten
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 pound grated mozzarella
grated parmesan to taste

Bring water to a boil and cook noodles about 8 minutes. When they are done, rinse until cool and separate or they will stick together.

While noodles are cooking, season and brown the ground beef and sausage. Stir into the marinara sauce.

Combine cottage cheese with egg and parsley.

In bottom of lasagna pan or 9 x 12 baking pan, spoon a small amount of sauce. Cover with a layer of noodles. Spread with 1/3 of the cottage cheese mixture. Top with 1/3 of the sauce and 1/3 of the mozzarella. Another layer of noodles, cottage cheese, sauce, and cheese. Another layer of noodles, cottage cheese, sauce, and cheese. Top with noodles. Another layer of mozzarella cheese. and the parmesan.

Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 30 minutes covered with foil. Remove foil and cook another 10 - 15 minutes.

Remove from oven. Let it rest a bit before serving.

Cottage cheese? COTTAGE CHEESE??!! you ask - politely. Here in my rural corner of Texas, ricotta was not available so my mother used cottage cheese in her lasagna. That's what I grew up eating. When I became an adult and knew better and could finally purchase ricotta in the local grocery store. Well...of course I was going to cook authentic lasagna. And...I did. Something was missing. It's not that I didn't like the ricotta. I missed the flavor of lasagna with cottage cheese. I once kinda sorta apologized to sister-in-law Carol when I had invited her and Elton to eat with us only to find out that she prefers cottage cheese in her lasagna too! :-)

Another Law Enforcement Visit

Not much interesting happened this week. I am working on a quilting project but it's going to be slow going. I'll post about it later when I get a chance to take photos.

However, the Police Chief stopped by the office to visit with me this week. When I pushed the alarm - panic button - tucked in an out-of-the-way place under my desk that came to light last week...Yep...you guessed it...a couple of officers were dispatched to check it out. The Sheriff's office notified them that it was a false alarm.

I told him to consider it a test and that everyone did absolutely Mahvelous!


I also found out that no only did I get wet paint on my slacks, On Monday Da Judge reported that she had smeared it on the backside of a sleeve her light yellow jacket. Combined, we ruined a whole suit.