Any Rain in Them Thar Clouds?

Sure...just not over my house! However we did not get the bad weather! In Gilmer, a building on the courthouse square lost its roof...it landed on the courthouse lawn! Trees down on the ground and through roofs of houses. As much as we need the rain, we do not need loss of property and possibly lives...

My very FIRST lightning strike photo. I am so excited! I know that it's not very showy. But hey! It's my first!

The hole in the clouds over my house. Yes that is a bit of an exaggeration, but there is a hole in the clouds...and I am standing in my front yard.

Moving the camera just a bit...no rain in these clouds! Every so often, afterwards, not while I am taking the photos mind you...afterwards I see an antennae or "guy" wire in my photo. Sam's Ham radio antennae is such a part of my sky view that I do not notice it!

Summer Time....

...and the living is easy. Fish are jumping, and the cotton is high...

And the pear tree is loaded!

I should be ashamed of myself. I should've gotten out after the fruit set and thinned. Alas. I didn't. I noticed a broken branch, so started thinning.
This was a cluster of SEVEN!
As I thinned, I could visibly see the limbs perking up a bit. They should've...look at the ground! Hopefully the squirrels will eat these and stay out of the tree. Hmmm...ever seen a smart squirrel? They play kamakazi in the roads around here.

Sure wish there was some rain in these clouds! My crepe myrtles are a-bloom. Here's the newest addition to the neighborhood.We finally got some rain last night...but not enough to lift the county-wide burn ban. This was sunset just after the rain. The worst of the storm was to our southwest, and the clouds are still very heavy. The lightning just lit up the clouds...no jagged bolts.

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. ;-)