C*H*O*C*O*L*A*T*E and Other Less Important Stuff

Sam won a bag of goodies at the last HOG (Harley Owner's Group) meeting. The bag contained HD straws, napkins, beer bottle opener, coasters, and a HD ice cube tray. Of course the tray was not in the shape of cubes, but the HD emblem.

I have an ice maker so wasn't too enthused about the ice tray.  That is until I thought CHOCOLATE!  I melted a bag of dark chocolate chips, spooned it into the compartments, jiggled the spoon around hoping to fill all the crooks and crannies. I tried to unmold one at room temperature...that didn't work so I popped the tray in the refrigerator. That worked! They popped out perfectly! 

I told Sam that I'd make some for the next meeting he attended for a door prize.

WHAT? Someone had to take care of the QC department! 

Yes. It is a sacrifice but somebody's gotta do it. :D

I made English muffins this afternoon.

And finished my COF table topper by adding some decorative machine stitching to some select rows.

One Thing After Another

What is the use of having this fancy HD television when if the signal is bad...you don't have a freaking picture of ANY sort except this lovely notice??? At least with the analog signal we could see ghosts or snow or something!!!

Another beautiful sunset! Which reminds me...I have had some photos published! Elected county officials receive a monthly magazine called County Progress...you can find it online...but you cannot find my photographs of the county that were published in the August edition! I'll scan the two pages TWO pages...okay...two half pages...when I get a chance. I haven't even thought about it.

I made English muffins over Labor Day weekend. They tasted as good as they look! But the recipe made eight large muffins. Next time I'll divide the dough into ten muffins. Unless, of course, I intend to make hamburgers.

Big man in a big chair. LOL A few years back, Mama gave me an antique youth chair that she acquired during her antiquing days. When I mentioned "tying" Colt in the chair Erin looked at me. Sam brought the ribs in from the grill, and we were getting the rest of the food on the table, she asked what I meant about "tying" Colt in the chair. See the white around his middle? It's a cup towel slipped through the upright posts on the back of the chair and tied in the back. I just told Erin to watch that he didn't slip under it.

I'll be back later with the recipe for the English muffins. Oh...wait! As I was typing in the labels for this post...English muffins popped in. Perhaps the recipe is already here. Yes! The recipe has already been posted: http://keepyouinstitches.blogspot.com/2010/01/english-muffins.html

English Muffins

I've been seeing recipes for English Muffins on several websites. So...here's my first batch. The recipe made eight.Yep, here's the missing muffin. ;o) Sliced and lightly toasted...(toaster is having a browning problem)...With an egg inside. Great breakfast yesterday!Today's breakfast...buttered (and lightly toasted) English muffin with homemade pear preserves!Emeril's Kitchen recipe:

1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 1/4 cups warm water (the recipe stated room temperature, but my yeast did not foam...so I poured that out and used water at 110 degrees F)
1 (1/4 ounce) envelope active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
1/2 teaspoon sugar
3 1/2 cups bread flour (I used all-purpose)
2 teaspoons alt
3 tablespoons nonfat dry milk
2 teaspoons solid vegetable shortening (I don't keep that...I used lard)
1/4 cup yellow cornmeal

Lightly grease a large bowl with the oil and set aside.

Combine water, yeast, and sugar in a large bowl, stir well, and let sit until foamy, about 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients except the cornmeal and mix with a large wooden spoon until well blended, about 3 minutes. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 15 minutes or until smooth; adding more flour 1 teaspoon at a time if the dough is too sticky. Place in the oiled bowl, cover, and set aside in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Dust a baking sheet (or a sheet of parchment paper) with cornmeal.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 8 equal portions. Roll into smooth balls and place evenly spaced on the prepared baking sheet. Cover with a slightly damp kitchen cloth and let rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. (I used a cast iron griddle.) Add the dough balls, non-cornmeal side first, in batches, and cook until golden brown on the bottom, about 5 minutes. Turn the muffins over, press down on them with a large spatula to flatten slightly and cook until golden brown on the second side about 5 minutes longer. (Okay...I cooked over low-medium heat for 6 minutes on each side.)


This was not at my house...but didn't store-bought sherbet with a couple of homemade sugar cookies served in clear punch cups and seldom used white tea cups make a nice presentation for a buffet catered by The Friends of the Daingerfield Public Library?!