12.25.2011

Christmas Tradition: Popovers for Breakfast


Here is the recipe from my 1943 edition of Fannie Farmer
I now ignore that "1/2 for 2" notation

cast iron "gem pan"
tip: put it in the oven while preheating

the ingredients are simple:
flour, salt, eggs, butter, milk

I mix it all in the blender

I wind up filling the cups about 2/3 full

here's how they look after 20 min @ 450˚

another 15 min @ 350˚ and they're done!

while waiting, I get out all the jams
this year's array, left to right:
Deborah's fig [too old to eat]
my Raspberry [killer]
my strawberry
Linda's + my Almond Brandy Plum
Linda's + my Plum
my Seville Marmalade from Roxanne + Ed's tree
my Mango
Trader Joe's Lemon Curd [oh, my]
Hill Orchards (RI) Apple Butter
Hash House (Las Vegas) Apple Butter [OMG]
Hash House (Las Vegas) Persimmon [insipid]
Loretta Lynn's (TN) Southern Peach Pecan [one of Sev's faves]
Vallee Blueberry [yum]

the table is set...

YUM!
[2022] Linking up with Shelbee's On the Edge

12.24.2011

Another Lunar Eclipse

My eclipse viewing reminded of another similar moon viewing.
April 96, at The Vermont Studio Center in Johnson, VT.
these are two separate sketches that I composited digitally
I'm considering framing them like this
they are wider but have termite holes in them

I sat in a van with Lawrence + Tex on top of a hill and scrutinized what transpired. Since it was a moonrise, rather than a moonset, it was easy to see the redness in the completely dark moon.
I sketched these the next day from memory.

12.10.2011

moon for the misbegotten

Unless you've been living in a cave, you're aware that there was a full moon lunar eclipse this morning. I gathered up a bunch of cameras and embarked at 4:30 to see it at the beach. It was supposed to get all huge and red as it was setting and THAT I wanted to see.

some of the gear
yes, FILM!
Choosing which beach took some time. I opted for Playa Del Rey, but parking was tight - there were a bunch of cones set up blocking many of the spots. (Later I discovered it was for a film shoot of some sort).
I thought: PCH over Dockweiler - the higher angle might provide good shots with the palm trees in the foreground. I went and gave it a try:

It was a good angle, but I REALLY wanted to sit on the beach and hear the waves.
I went back to Playa Del Rey


the lifeguard shack made a good support when it was still dark



Of course I ran out the battery in the Lumix so I had to use my iPhone
The moon is a tiny speck in the next two shots



at this point, the moon was no longer visible.
I think it went behind some haze or clouds
I was slightly disappointed that I didn't see a giant orange orb set in the west. That, however, was vastly outweighed by the experience of sitting still on the beach, hearing the waves, watching the moon change, watching the sunrise...

I must go to the beach more often, I live so close.

The film shots will, of course, come later. Have to wait for the processing!

12.09.2011

awesome oatmeal

I have come up with an oatmeal recipe that I'm happy with.


I use Bob's Red Mill Steel Cut Oats
because they have more "tooth" 
the recipe works fine for rolled oats too 
oats, almond torani syrup, raw slivered almonds, dried tart cherries
makes 4 servings
use a large saucepan

1 cup oats
3 cup water
some salt
about 1/3 cup cherries (or other dried fruit)

put water + salt in pan and bring to boil
add oats, stir, lower heat to simmer
add cherries
simmer for 20 min uncovered, stirring occasionally

divide into 4 bowls

embellish with sweetner of choice, milk, nuts and coconut
(I am especially fond of the cherry/raw almond/ almond syrup combo)

tip: when cooking for one, divide the extra servings into containers and save for later. reheats in microwave nicely

9.02.2011

Tourist Report: Travel by Bus

I needed to get from Providence, RI to Utica, NY and was too cheap to rent a car.
Bus or train? Train would have been nice, but I would have had to take a bus anyway to Springfield. And Greyhound lured me with "free WiFi" on their website.
Bus! $70.

The first leg I had to go in the wrong direction from Providence to Boston. I rode Peter Pan.
They give the buses names.
Who the heck is Rufio?
The Wifi was excellent. I got some blogging done.
Boston South Station, next leg to Albany + Utica.I got there early (caught an earlier bus, thank goodness).
snagged a sad sandwich
the line for Albany got really long
my seat was behind the driver and cramped
in Albany I was able to change seats, less cramped

barge canal
upstate NY vista
All in all, it was an OK ride. I didn't have to schlep my heavy suitcase too much, good. Disappointed by the feeble WiFi between Boston + Utica.