Sun--Where Are You?

 We've been in a weather pattern this week of gray skies, drizzle and fog.  Couple that with shortening afternoons, and later mornings and it's a recipe for staying in bed and reading all day.  I thought we were due for a cold front that was going to crisp things up and give us our bright fall colors and the energy to accomplish all the things that need to get done before the holidays.  However, this year is so goofy that we don't even need to do holiday prep, because we won't be gathering the way we always did.

I was hoping that the pandemic pattern would be looking better by this time, but it seems like the folks who came down on the dire side of predictions are the correct ones, and there may be no relief for a long time.  At least they are finally finding treatments that work better, and the death rates are lower.

I've maintained that people today expect miracles from our medical community, but nature is ahead of humanity, and there are things out there that cannot be controlled or managed by man, like volcanoes, storms, and diseases.  We need to show respect: don't live next to the volcano, evacuate for the storm, wear the mask.  And, for heaven's sake--vaccinate your children!  Has no one ever read the symptoms for diphtheria?  That's one of the letters in the DPT shot...

So--I confess to succumbing to the Gloom.  In San Diego they call it the "June Gloom".  I guess we have October Gloom.  It's not cold though, and when I go out I don't get that bitey winter chill, so the kids will have good "trick or treat" weather.  In spite of what they say, I think we'll have a good number of kids coming by--it's outside, and they love it so.  I'm ready for them--bought Reeses, and made ghost pops.

And so--"the sun will come out tomorrow" or the day after that, or next week...

Time on my hands...

 I haven't done any posts in a long time, and since the enjoyment of being unemployed and unencumbered wore off about two weeks ago, I thought maybe I'd see if my blog page still exists.  Like they've said, nothing disappears off the internet, and here I am.  I was surprised to see my last post was 2016.  I guess I've had better things to do, and now I don't.

I almost feel like an "empty nester" at this point, since everything I used to do has gone away, just like that--poof!  I went with the flow for many months, but I find now that if I don't redirect myself, I will just be another old person sitting in the proverbial rocking chair.  

I heard a bit on a brain improvement program about exercising your brain, and that happens when you do something new, not just the same old thing.  I did notice a few years ago that when I went to a shape-note singing group that it was truly challenging, and that made it exciting.  Right now musicians are out of luck when it comes to just about everything that used to keep us going, and I'm not enjoying the virtual aspect, so I have to look elsewhere.

I had bought a ton of scrapbook paper at a local recycling place that is no longer in existence, and never did much with it, but I've pulled it out, and have been enjoying making cards and ornaments.  Since right now, time is limitless, I put hours into designing and making paper things--some have given pleasure, some may never see the light of day--but they give me pleasure.  

And I wish I could figure a way to get back into exercising.  I don't enjoy it, but had it worked into my schedule in a way that I couldn't avoid it, and it was doing me good.  Now, I find just about anything else to do, and I'm avoiding it like the plague.  Oh yeah--that too...Of course, one of my distractions is to cook something, and then eat it--a vicious cycle there.  I'm only up three pounds though.

Next up, I think will be to photograph stuff that needs to leave my possession, and sell it on the internet.  Happily, I sold a whole box full to a local antique store--he came to my house and took almost everything I had put out for him.  I chuckle about these folks who find stuff on ebay, or their local thrift shop, and it turns out to be worth a bunch of bucks.  It's only worth that if you can find a buyer who will pay that price, so I'm not worried that I'm giving away any treasures.  And I won't be out looking for big bucks collectors!

Of course, I have way too many clothes that need culling.  Lots of them I made myself, and I love the fabrics, so am reluctant to send them on their way.  But the storage space is clogged, so I will cull away.  

So, I confess to needing an outlet for my thoughts, and here I am.  I'll try this again, since I enjoyed writing before.  And, I certainly have the time!

Remake Boutique

For years I sewed all my own clothes--well, most of them anyhow.  I even did nightgowns and slips.  I started making my own patterns out of store bought  pieces that fit nicely, and pretty much stopped purchasing patterns.  However, almost the fabric stores that I used to frequent have disappeared--I guess as people don't sew anymore, they just go out of business.  Joann's is all I have left here on the south shore, and I'm not always happy with what I find there--very often the colors are not subtle enough for me, and I rarely come across fabric that I fall in love with.  Prices also keep rising, making the cost of a garment more than I can buy it for in the store.

Enter the discount stores, and the outlets with seasonal markdown racks.  These days I head right to the back of the store to the clearance racks, and give them the once over.  For a couple of dollars I can pick up something in a fabric I love, and if the size isn't right or something else needs to be changed, I can take that baby apart, and put it back together the way I want it to be.  I pretty much leave the hard parts alone (zippers, pockets, collars) which means I save the work of doing the hard stuff.  Today I redid a poorly sewn bottom hem of a blouse  and added a couple of buttonholes and buttons to a too low cut neckline.  I have bought size 3x skirts and cut them down to fit, and reset the cuffs on a couple of blouses that had extra long sleeves.  I can cut down pants, leaving the side seam and pulling them in from the middle.  Of course, the one day I had a pair of capris that I was all set to make smaller, when I discovered that they actually fit...Oh well.  Time to diet...

I confess that I have trouble parting with my old things--my closets are too full at this point.  Most of the things are what I made myself, out of fabrics that I love, but I guess it's time for them to go.  Some days I do better than others, depending on my mood.  I keep a bag going out on the front porch that gets picked up periodically by Big Brothers.  It works out pretty well as a trial "parting".  Usually if I put something in the bag, I figure I can get it back if I want it.  Most of the time I find "out of closet, out of mind", but I do occasionally retrieve something, like the two skirts that I will take off the too small waistbands and put in elastic.  They are good colors, and I get tired wearing grey and black all the time.

So--End of Season again!  Anybody want to bargain hunt with me?

How Can This Be Cake?

Once upon a time, a long time ago, a recipe came forth for Chocolate Cake that seemed to defy all the traditional rules of baking.  I don't know why it works, but it makes very nice chocolaty cake (or cupcakes, which I made for Easter dessert.)  I'm thinking it qualifies for vegan, since there isn't any dairy, but I confess, I am not up on what is or isn't supposed to go into vegan food.  Here's how it goes:

Crazy Chocolate Cake

2 1/4 c Flour
1 1/2 c Sugar
4 1/2 tbs unsweetened cocoa
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt

Whisk these together in your mixing bowl.

1/2 c vegetable oil
1 1/2 tbs vinegar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 c water

Whisk these together, then pour into dry ingredients, and mix well.  Pour into greased 9x12 pan.
Bake 350* for 30 minutes.

I believe I reduced the amount of water for the cupcakes.  Recipe above made 20 cupcakes.

Who doesn't love Lasagna?

I confess I could eat Lasagna every day.  It is so delicious, and so bad for you.  And--a pain to make.  A friend shared a recipe that simplifies the process, and I have played with over several years, and I am happy with my present version.  We had it again the other night, and GF asked for the recipe, so I decided to put it up here on good ol' Grammy Confesses.  I hope you give it a try!

No Boil No Bake Lasagna

First, the sauce:

1 lb ground beef (recipe says "or half ground pork"--bet it would be awesome with Italian sausage...)

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves minced garlic

1-28 oz can tomatoes (you can use crushed, or whole that you have put through the food processor)

1 Tbs dried oregano

2 Tsp dried basil

1 Tsp salt

1/2 Tsp black pepper

2 Tsp brown sugar

1 Tbs Worcestershire sauce

Brown  the beef, add in the onion and after it looks softened, add in the garlic, and cook until fragrant. Then add the tomatoes, and all the rest.  This doesn't need to simmer more than a couple of minutes before you turn off the heat.

Next:

9 lasagna noodles--the regular kind, right out of the box

2 c ricotta

8 oz shredded mozzarella

Put the noodles into a flat pan filled with water, and leave them there while you hunt up a baking dish that will fit into your microwave.  (Mine measures 7 1/2x11" inside dimensions, and is perfect for three noodles.)  Spoon about 1/4 of the sauce into the bottom of the baking dish--I kind of scoop up the tomato, leaving the meat for the middle, but it doesn't matter.  Lay in the first three noodles over the sauce.  Put half the ricotta in spoonfuls on top of the noodles, and spread it out as best you can.  Sprinkle on half the mozzarella, and cover with another 1/4 of the sauce.  Do another layer the same way, using most of the meat into the two center layers, with the last layer of noodles on top, and cover with the last of the sauce.  (You don't have to be scrupulous about the meat...)

Cover the baking dish with waxed paper.  I cut a long piece that will tuck under the short ends of the baking dish to keep most of the steam in.  Set the dish onto the microwave tray, and rotate it to check that those ends are underneath.  Microwave for 33 minutes.  Now for the tricky part.  I use 80% power--high is too much, and medium is too low.  I don't know how your's will work, so you just have to give it a shot.  The top noodles should be soft, but not dried out, the sauce and cheeses set up, not loose.

Remove the waxed paper, and sprinkle with 1/2 c Parmesan cheese, and microwave for another 5 minutes. Let it rest another 5-10 minutes before cutting.  

The last time I made this, I let it sit for quite a while before we were ready to eat, doing the last microwaving when we were ready for it, and it was perfect--noodles soft, cheeses all firmed up nicely.  I would never go back to wrestling with cooked, slippery noodles again!

Crumbling Foundations

Any sewer relies on having sturdy thread, and spools of every color they make.   Leftover threads are saved for future projects, and predictably, the thread storage box is pretty large.  And, I confess--some if it has been in there a long time....Who can resist the basket at the cash register that has all the odd colors reduced--one never knows what the next fabric will require.

The newer threads are packaged on long tubes instead of spools now, and I have a number of them all lined up neatly on the side of my thread box.  I was noticing whitish powdery flakes, but didn't think too much of it until I went to wind thread onto a bobbin, and the tube started to break into pieces and finally fly up and off the spool holder of my sewing machine.  The whole tube just disintegrated.

I figured I could salvage the thread by winding it onto plastic bobbins, but it takes about six bobbins for one unused tube.  I ordered bobbins and storage boxes (thank you, ebay) and set to work.  After a few tries, I figured out how not to end up with a big tangled mess, and how not to have pieces of white plastic flying all over the room.  I still have quite a mess to clean up.

Initially, I thought the thread was Guttermann's, and I dropped them an email to tell them what was happening.  I heard back, and they were concerned--asked me to send them some of the defective plastic tubes, and they would send me some thread.  When I went back to my thread box, I discovered that the crumbling threads were all from Singer, so I emailed back, and apologized for my mistake, and had a nice note back.

I emailed Singer, and they answered and said that they sub-contract the thread to another company, and if I wanted to contact them, etc, etc.  So much for brand reliability.  The Singer thread is made in China.  Well, you get what you pay for.  Stick with the Germans.  BTW, I still have wood spools that came out of my grandmother's, and even my great grandmother's....

The Learning Curve

There should be a name and formula for a handcrafters trial and error way of learning how to make something.  I see an idea (and I confess, most of my creativity comes from other people's work...) and I think "I would like to try that!"  or "I could do that!"  Sometimes it turns out well, and I can add improvements, other times, not so much...

I saw a post on a friend's FB page for "Yarn Balls".  They are just what the name implies--balls of yarn that you put into your dryer along with wet clothes, and they work to soften the clothes, eliminating the need for chemical fabric softeners and dryer sheets.  They are made with 100% wool yarn, and felted in the washing machine, so that the fibers bond themselves to each other, and they work  crazy good.  There are any variety of videos showing how to do this, and since I have bags of yarn in my closet that will never be used for anything else, I decide I want some of these babies.  Wind the yarn, put it into old pantyhose, tie it off, and wash in hot water in the washer, then dry.  Cut away the nylon, and voila!  Yeah, right.

The first batch of six, I put into the pantyhose, and tied them off like beads on a necklace.  Dropped them into the washer, and when I came back, the nylon had torn apart on several of them, and the yarn had wrapped around and around the washer's agitator, so that I had to get a scissor and cut away the huge tangle.  Several of them survived.  Luckily, I have a lot of yarn.  Not so many pantyhose, however, especially in the winter, when I live in knee socks and boots...

Second attempt.  I had some odd cone yarn, already in balls, and so I used that as a base, and wound some yarn around them that I knew would felt well.  I raided my stash of pantyhose, and found some knee-highs that had dead elastic tops, and this time, tied the balls  using cotton string, and cut them apart, so they were individuals in the washer.  Learning curve step one.  When the wash cycle is done, some of the strings have worked their way off the nylon, the felting yarn has come off the cone yarn, and massed itself to itself--another big mess--nothing salvaged this time, except the cone yarn balls, which have not felted, or oddly, come unwound.

Third attempt.  I used some brain cells thinking up a feasible substitute for the pantyhose, since I had exhausted my supply.  In my attic is a roll of white nylon that must have been meant for sheer curtains, folded double so that it is more than 120" wide.  I cut about 10" and stitched it into a tube.  This time, I put each ball into it's own separate covering, knotted each end, and into the hot water they go.  Another step up on the learning curve:  I do not ignore them.  After about 5 minutes, I check back, and find that as the yarn compresses, the covers are not shrinking along with them, the way pantyhose would have done, and some of them are beginning to unravel inside.  I pull them out, rewind the ones that are coming apart, and reknot to take up the slack in the coverings.  After that, things go better, and I now have a collection of yarn balls, which I intend to pass along to people who will give them a try.

I have been using the first ones that I made for a couple of weeks now, and they really do seem to soften up the clothes, and there isn't any static cling.  I put three into the dryer with a load of laundry, and who knows why they work?  I had purchased some plastic ones a while back, and they were useless, not to mention very noisy. 

So--I used up one bag of yarn, and no longer have to purchase dryer sheets.  A win/win!  And, I learned a lot...

It's Cold And Everybody Wants Soup!

Soup has so much appeal when it is freezing out.  It's warm, it's smooth, not a lot of chewing involved, and if you know how to spice it up just right, it's delicious!  This recipe originated on a web site, but I fiddled with it.  I don't know how much changing it requires before it becomes an "original" recipe, but here's what I did.  We just reheated the leftovers, and enjoyed a second dinner, plus one more container is headed for the freezer.

Creamy Crock Pot Chicken Soup

2 tbs vegetable oil
4-6 medium sized carrots, 1/2" dice
1 c chopped celery
1/2 chopped Spanish onion

4 c chicken stock
2 c water
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 pkg (5 oz) Carolina long grain rice and wild rice

4 tbs butter
1/4 c flour
2 c warm water
1 env powdered milk

salt and pepper

Heat the oil in a saute pan, and sweat the vegetables until they are a little soft.  Put them in the crock pot with the stock, 2 c water, chicken breasts and the rice package.  Set the crock pot on high for a couple of hours, then turn it to low for another 3 hours or so.  If you are out all day, set to low for the day.  Half the time I don't think about dinner until noon, so I give the heat a boost, just to get it cooking.

If you are at home, about an hour before serving, pull the chicken out and let it cool down so that you can shred it without annoying your fingers.  If you don't have the luxury of time, you'll just have to do it while it's hot.  In any case, put it back into the crock pot to reheat.

Melt the butter in the saute pan, add the flour, some salt and pepper, and anything else that occurs to you by way of seasoning, and cook until bubbling.  Dissolve the powdered milk, whisking out the lumps, and gradually whisk into the butter flour mixture, and cook until thickened.  Stir this into the crock pot.  By now things should be looking and smelling pretty good, so get the soup bowls out and ladle away!

The original recipe skipped the first veg saute, and used a box of Rice-a-Roni long grain and wild rice.  I couldn't find this in my store, and thought the Carolina packet looked fine, and it was delicious, so I'll stick with that.  Also, the thickener was twice the butter, and 2 c half and half.  I imagine this would be lovely and rich, but I wanted to cut the calories.  Also, I don't see why this wouldn't work with chicken on the bone--maybe legs, but certainly the boneless breasts made things simple.  Anyhow, just thinking out loud.  Hope you like it!

Pineapple USD Baby Cakes

I've been absent for a long time--ran out of things to say, I guess.  Or maybe too many hours on jet planes has fried my brain.  Anyhow, we had company last night for dinner, and since there was a test recipe from America's Test Kitchen that needed reviewing, I decided it would be a "comfort food" menu.  The test was Mac and Cheese that is made ahead, and frozen in a disposable foil pan.  It baked up very nicely, and we all thought it was pretty tasty.  The trick is to undercook the pasta so that it isn't mushy after being frozen.  So, what goes with M&C?  Meatloaf, and I thought a homey dessert would fit the bill--pineapple upsidedown cake.

So, since I can't help tweaking any recipe that comes before my eyes, I decided to make baby cakes.  That single slice of pineapple was just calling out for a starring solo appearance, and it made a very nice presentation.  And what has to be in a pineapple dessert?  Rum, of course.  A little of that went into the topping and the batter as well.  So--here's the recipe--made it up myself!

 

 

Serves 8 

8 Buttered  Ramekins

1 can Pineapple slices in juice

8 maraschino cherries

8 tbs brown sugar

10 tbs melted butter

1 1/2 cup flour

1 tsp salt

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

2/3 cup white sugar

2 eggs

2 tbs rum

 

Heat oven to 350*.  Butter the ramekins.  Drain off the pineapple slices, saving the juice.  Put 1 tbs of brown sugar into each ramekin, patting it flat with a small fork.  Drizzle in some melted butter and a little rum.  There should be about 8 tbs butter left for the cake batter, and 1 tbs of the rum.  Put the pineapple slices on top of the sugar, with a cherry in the middle.

 

Cream the egg, butter, and sugar until light colored, and add in the rum.  Combine the dry ingredients and add to the butter mixture, alternating with the pineapple juice, finishing with the dry ingredients.  I didn't measure out the pineapple juice--just added enough to look like a good cake batter-not too thick, not too thin.  Pour batter over the pineapple slices.

 

Put the ramekins on a large baking pan, spacing them out so that the heat can circulate.  Bake 25-30 minutes, until top springs back when you touch it with your finger.  Cool on a rack-loosen the edges of the cake while it is still warm.  When the ramekins are cool enough to handle, upend onto the serving plates.  I think if you wait too long, the sugar in the bottom will not come out nicely. Enjoy!





 

                                                                                                                                                                                               

Mac and Cheese

Who doesn't like Mac and Cheese?  Those of us who shouldn't be eating it only manage to make it once in a blue moon, but goodness knows, life is too short to survive the kind of deprivation required to maintain the weight of the previous decade, and I have long questioned if it is worth the struggle.  I go to Weight Watcher's off and on, especially when I have a friend who motivates me, and this last time I ended up the "biggest loser" of the three of us who signed on.  By "BL" I mean the one who gave up first and managed to gain back that which was lost.  Well--I did okay for a couple years, anyhow. 

Weight Watchers has left me with several recipes that are really good that I truly like, and this is the one for Mac and Cheese.  I will write the original and then offer my variations.

12 oz elbows
1/2 cup fat free sour cream

12 oz fat free evaporated milk (1 can)
1 TBS Dijon
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 pepper
1/8 tsp nutmeg

8 oz reduced fat Colby or cheddar

2 TBS bread crumbs
2 TBS grated Parmesan

Boil the pasta until al dente.  Drain, and put into a baking dish.  While it is hot, add the sour cream, and mix it in.

Scald the can of evaporated milk--this seems to be necessary to keep it from curdling during the baking.  Add in the salt, pepper, mustard and nutmeg.  Reduce the heat to low, or take it off the heat and stir in the cheese until smooth.  Pour it over the pasta. 

Mix the bread crumbs and the Parmesan and sprinkle over the top.

Bake 350* for 40 minutes

Okay--here's me.  My oven runs hot, so I turned it down to 335*.  I also pulled it out after 30 or so minutes, since the last time I left it in too long, and the creaminess sort of clogs up between the pieces of pasta.  This time it was perfect.

My bad self also lightly browns up a package of fresh chorizo and stirs that in.  This time I had a package of Johnstown Chicken Sausage (with red peppers and cheese), and I just sliced that up and put it in without browning, since I thought the cheese would probably just melt out and mess up the frying pan, and besides, it looked pretty cooked right out of the package.  I have no idea what this does to the calorie content or the WW points--just that it makes it into a meal.  Also, I only had 8 oz of pasta, and only used 4 oz of regular cheese, and MT and I finished less than half the pan.  I don't know how many servings the original is supposed to serve.

Something else that I just thought of--I only had about a quarter cup of the FF sour cream, so I added about a quarter cup of FF mayonnaise...

Yeah, I know--I confess I cook by the seat of my pants, and each time things are different.  It depends a lot on what is in the house at the time.  Works for me!

Present To Self

  I decided that since we are travelling so much this fall, that I had better get a start on Christmas shopping.  One year we went on a cruise right before Thanksgiving, and I swore I would never do that again.  Never say never.  We have all sorts of places to go before the holidays and I wouldn't miss any of them.  But, it is going to require some planning, and so I have started prowling my favorite stores, and investigating on the web.  Boxes are already arriving at our house, pretty much daily, and I'm sure our mailman is wondering what's going on here. 

 

Of course, once I start looking around, I manage to find all sorts of things that would be just perfect for ME!  I confess that this happens every year.  I see all sorts of wonderful things that I didn't know were out there, and I buy myself a "treat".  I have been looking to replace my hand mixer for a while now.  A small dilemma, since the one that we have is still working after 46 years.  It was a wedding gift, and a testimony to the Sunbeam Company that manufactured it.  I had looked in the stores at the new ones there on the shelf, and found that they are all pretty big and clunky, and wasn't happy to commit the extra shelf space.  And, there is a certain amount of Yankee Guilt in giving up something that still works and does the job.

 

But, then I saw this model, with a nifty little stand that will sit very nicely on my lazy Susan under my cabinet, and not roll around and tangle its cord with the other appliances that reside there.  Had to have it.  I found one online for a very reasonable price and my other favorite thing-Free Postage!  Present for ME!  Oddly, it too is a Sunbeam....Hope it lasts 46 years!

That Took Long Enough To Figure Out!

We have lived in our home thirty-seven years now.  When we moved in everything worked, plumbing, electricity, water, which was what we needed at the time, what with four kiddies aged 5 and under.  The person who did the decorating before we got there really had a liking for bright colors (shiny orange and red on some of the woodwork), and big loud wallpaper patterns.  Job one was getting the black and white striped sanitas off the walls in the front hall, and on from there.

We worked our way through the house, up and down, in and out, until it looks pretty civilized, and we enjoy living here.  Unfortunately, there are several rooms looking like they should be done over, but as I get older, it seems more daunting, and I am reluctant to look too closely at the flaws. 

There are several corners which have been ignored--the interior of the upstairs bathroom closet, the back stairway (whose woodwork remains an unfortunate beach cabana blue) and the dark red linoleum tiles in the downstairs bathroom closet.  All these places have doors that close...

One area that we always lamented was our front porch.  It had been enclosed before we got the house, with 18 windows wrapping around from the north side, across the front, and all the way down the south side of the house.  They were painted shut for years, a good air lock for cold winters, but making an oven-like space in the summers.  MT chipped out a few windows each year so that we could ventilate out there, but the porch's flat roof always leaked, and the paint on the ceiling was peeling away in little squares.

A couple of summers back, MT decided it would be the year of the porch.  Actually, years of the porch.  He rebuilt all the windows, with sash weights so that now they open, and easily, I might add.  He has made screens for most of the windows, and spent countless hours tracking down leaks and tarring the roof, so that when he scraped and painted, it would stay nice.  He replaced the old light fixture with a new lighted ceiling fan, and painted up the wicker furniture that we had brought down from the ancestral home more years ago than I like to think about.  Finally, we don't feel like we are walking our visitors through the garage when they come to our house.

We've always enjoyed eating dinner out on our little back deck in the summers, but this year due to weather conditions, there were many mosquitoes.  We were getting chewed up out there, and one night we decided to eat on the front porch.  We put the overhead fan on, and brought out a couple of candles, and suddenly have a new favorite sitting place.  Just goes to show--there's always something new in your life, even if you've been in the same old place for many years...

Eye Appeal

Cupcakes have made a comeback.  They seem to have appeal on so many different levels--you don't have to purchase a whole big cake, you can sample a bunch of different kinds in one bakery box, they are always pretty, and everyone gets their own. 

 

Someone came up with the idea of using Ice Cream cones instead of cupcake papers, and I wanted to give it a try.  It isn't quite so simple.  I think the directions said to bake them in a muffin tin, which I probably did the first time and it worked out pretty well until I tried to manage them after the baking was complete.  They tend to be top heavy once the frosting goes on, and transporting them was a nightmare.

I tried again, and decided if I cut holes into an upside down foil lasagna pan set onto a baking sheet, things would turn out better.  My first attempt was a qualified success, since I started with X slits in the pan that I enlarged to squares.  But they were uneven, and some of the cones again tipped over in the car.  Note--they still got eaten...

Attempt #3 worked out very well.  I traced the base of the cone onto a piece of cardboard, enlarged it a bit, then scribed the circles onto the foil pan, and cut them out with my kitchen scissors.  The cones set much more solidly in the pan, and even though these never made it out of my kitchen, I'm sure the transportation issue would be solved.  They bring a smile to the faces of the kids--they can't wait to get them!  And some of them aren't so small...

Goldfinger

Doesn't it look like I'm just being "out there", older woman in crisis or something?  I confess to not knowing what to do with my hand--since I closed my finger in a kitchen drawer, totally bruised up the nail bed, and now it is all black, and just plain ugly.  Past experiences tell me that this is going to take months to grow out, and I really hate looking at it. 

For whatever reason, my nails only harden up enough to wear polish for one month every year--usually July, some years August.  This year it was July.  I have a pretty good collection of nail polish colors, and I had my nails nicely done up when we went on vacation, but by the time we came home, they were all layering again, and the polish was peeling away.  I did what I usually do, which is to clip them down, and take the polish off.  Except for that black one there in the middle.  Ugh!

So, for my own amusement, I will sample every color in my basket, and see which ones I enjoy the most--came across this gold glittery one, and there is a silver one too.  Maybe I can try some seasonal colors, since this is going to be with me for a while.  I can't see that the bruising is moving away from the cuticle and I don't know if this is normal or not.  Anyone know how this goes?

A Learning Process

Whenever people ask me about sewing, I tell them to get really good on the machine, maybe starting with something that they won't be wearing, like place mats or potholders.  It takes some practice to manage the technique.  The same is true for outdoor grilling, and I am still working on it.  But, unlike place mats that you don't have to wear, you have to eat what you grill.

A couple of years ago I got weary of MT complaining every time I announced that something needed to go out onto the bbq, so I got myself a gas grill that I thought looked snazzy over in Lowes.  I've been working on it, but still have a ways to go, since not everything has been an unqualified success.  Last night there was an abundance of chicken to cook (Garden Fairy freezer meltdown), so I decided to stack it all in there and get it all done in one pass.

I "spatchcocked" a Cornish game hen, (thank you Steve Reichlin) and got the timing about right.  I pulled a Buffalo wing sauce recipe off the computer (could have been a little zippier--maybe use some smoked paprika next time) and did a nice job on the wings.  The packets in the center were sliced red potatoes, salted and buttered, with some mystery spice concoction hanging out on my spice shelf--very tasty.  Less successful were some bone-in pieces over there on the side that flared up, probably due to the rosemary marinade that had some oil in it.  I guess I'll chop them up for salad or maybe a pasta dish--maybe something with pesto.



If I did more grilling, I would get better at it, this I know.  And certainly in all this heat we have been having, it is a nice alternative to turning on the stove.  But I confess, in this weather, I don't feel like eating anything hot--I've been cheating and just using leftovers and fresh vegetables to feed us both, and now I have cold chicken to get through for a few nights more.  Yay!

I got "Chopped"!

Isn't "Chopped" that tv show that gives the chefs a bunch of ingredients, and they have to make something delicious?  (As we are one of the handful of households who do not have cable, I can't keep up with the food shows  and besides, I don't enjoy watching people under pressure.) 

I got a call this morning that Garden Fairy's freezer had unfortunately defrosted overnight, and there was melted meat all over her kitchen.  Mike already had chicken soup going on the stove (it's 90* for heaven sake...), with plans for more dishes, and would I take some of the other stuff and use it?  Hmmm--cooking multiple dinners in the middle of a hot August.  Oh well.  My challenge for the day!

I figure in this heat, the crock pot and the bbq are the way to go.  I had some wonderful carrots from the garden share waiting in the vegetable drawer, so the two packages of beef got seasoned and browned up and went onto a big sliced onion, a little leftover chicken stock, red wine, a cube of tomato paste, veggies on top, crock pot on for the day.

There is some shrimp (soon to be salad with shallots and dill), chicken wings, (headed for the grill, buffalo sauce to follow) two chicken thighs from the Reading Market (special--gotta think about them) and a lone Cornish Game Hen.  I'm thinking that hen may get roasted outside next to the wings and find it's way into some cold pasta of some sort. 

Not only is it too hot to cook, it's too hot to eat.  The stew will likely land in my freezer, and probably reappear on a cold fall evening, with GF and Mike at our table, and we'll all have a good laugh, and remember how hot it was!

Thanks to Mother Necessity for the inspiration to write again.  It's been a whole year since my last entry--did you miss me?

Summer Dresses/Staying Out Of Joann's

I used to have a bunch of sundresses that I would wear for playing weddings on boiling Saturday afternoons in our un-airconditioned church balcony. By the time I gave up that job, the dresses were all a little tired looking from being washed, and worn, so I sent them on their way. I thought I would sew some more, but went to skirts and tank tops instead, which was working out until I put on a little weight, and the summer has gotten unbearably hot. I decided to hunt up some fabric in my "attic store" and make something cool and comfy. My idea was to attach a skirt to a tank top. I pulled some candidates out of the stacks, and brought them down to the sewing room to see if that idea would work.

Last Wednesday I went to the mall for WW, was strolling past Macy's, and what do I see--a rack of dresses just like what I wanted to sew. Alright! I will not be out of style! Thursday morning I decided if I went back to Macy's, I could buy one of those dresses, and use it as a pattern. It helps if I have some of the measurements to know how long and how wide the skirt should be--things like that. I go to where the rack should have been, and the whole thing is gone. I hunted up and down, back and forth, finally got a girl to help me out--no dresses. I figured they had moved them to the markdown rack, but there wasn't one in any size anywhere. What did they do with them? They couldn't have sold them all overnight--there were too many of them.

So, now I'm on my own and this is what I came up with. All out of my attic. I'll be cool and comfortable, even it if is hot!

Still Struggling With Weight Watchers

I have been attending Weight Watchers meetings for something like three years now, mostly because I have two dedicated friends and we meet there every week and catch up afterwards over coffee. I'm sure without that grouping we all would have fallen away a long time ago. We certainly haven't heard anything new in a long time, and we all know what we need to do to "eat healthy".

I guess my big beef with WW is that they do not address those of us who really know how to cook. They kind of dumb it down so that it will appeal to the most number of people--it's a business, and like any business, they have to maintain a paying clientelle. I do my best to cut the calories, but it is so hard when I can go out into my kitchen and put together something delicious with whatever is on hand. Take tonight. 5 pm, no dinner planned, watching the news. Actually, 6 pm, since it is Saturday, and the news comes on late. Also, I want to catch the episode of Sherlock Holmes that will be on PBS at 7 pm.

Hit the freezer, defrost a pound package of tuna medallions. (What a lovely find these have been. They wait for me frozen until I want to fix them, either pan seared, or grilled outside with marinade--on sale for only $3.99!) Do a couple of steamed potatoes in the microwave, blanch fresh string beans, HB two eggs, slice up farm lettuce, a few black olives and Voila! Salade Nicoise! Perfect for a 90* day when who wants to eat anything hot.




Last night we had America's Test Kitchen recipe for Chicken Paprikash with couscous--and
yes, there was a salad on the side.

At Easter the WW leader told us to skip the cheese and crackers--they aren't delicious...Do you think she has ever tasted triple cream Havarti or St Andre's? At least I have managed to get over dessert. I pretty much just don't make it any more unless we are having company. But, I am a good baker. I used to make 10 loaves of bread at a time for the fam...

I confess I will continue to fight the good fight--I suppose half due to vanity, and half due to the fact that I enjoy my life too much to give it up to obesity. But, WW needs to start a gourmet class...

Flashback To A Lonely Beach

Last year we took a trip to Hawaii. We landed in Kona, and stayed at a beautiful resort condo on the lava side of the island. It was so unusual there, since one whole side of the island is a giant lava field--everything is black and spiky--like being in outer space, but with lovely air and water. They have taken to building big resorts on that side of the island, out by the beach, but along the main (only) road there is nothing but black lava. We drove up to the north end where things were entirely different. You kind of turn a corner at the point of the island, and there is the most amazing giant vegetation covering everything. Trees are towering, with winding vines growing up that have huge leaves and bright flowers in reds and yellows. We pulled off the road at a marina, just to look at the ocean, and were rewarded with spinner dolphins hunting in a pack--close enough to follow what they were doing, circling, and feeding. Then, a pod of pilot whales came past--at least eight spouting, plus a baby who kept jumping.

We went further on, and were directed by signs to a small park/beach. We were the only people there, and the waves were crashing in on the rocks. The water was such a gorgeous blue green, and the foam was bright white, and it was all so striking, but a little creepy because it seemed so deserted. And--just to the left of the picture were big tsunami warning signs, and a tower with four horns attached to the top. Made me not want to linger.

This morning when we got up, the river flooding in New Jersey was bumped off the news by the tsunami warnings for Hawaii and the west coast. It took me right back to that beach. Now, I live on an island, but I could not live on THAT island. It has the volcano at your back, and the ocean at your front, and no place that you could get to for miles and miles. Maybe I think too much...it was pretty...

The Robins Lie

Those robins are such liars. Yesterday there were four robins hanging out at the bottom of the bird feeder. Today, we have this. I confess, those robins looked like they were fleeing the territory--they seem to be solitary whenever I see them pecking in the lawn in the spring and summer, only grouping together when they have travelling plans. Sometimes in the fall there will be twenty of them all feasting in our driveway before heading south (north? Who knows where they go?) One year we followed them home from Florida and there were multitudes of them along the grassy edges of the parkways when we got home. Then we had more snow.

Maybe the trick is to look for the singleton who has staked out your yard for the season. If they are in a flock, don't let them suck you in to thoughts of spring. It's all a scam. The bonus for today is that there are four pairs of cardinals all desperate for seeds out at the feeder. The white snow magnifies their color, and they are so pretty going back and forth from the feeder to the lilac trees. What I'm hoping is that their desperation is not signalling more stinky weather...